Ask Book Chic (16)

Kailia Sage asks "There are many stereotypes out there. What is one stereotype you wish could be taken out of books, YA and more? Why?"

I don't know. I'm one of those people that isn't really bothered by stereotypes, and most of the time, I don't even notice them. I just don't spend much time thinking about them. Stereotypes are rooted in truth, so if a novel has them, it doesn't automatically make it bad or somehow lazy on the author's part. That could be how the character came to them and it is a realistic portrayal because I imagine there are people out in the world who act exactly like that character.

Not that I think all authors should use stereotypes. What I like about YA is that there is enough variety that any stereotypes used are balanced out by original, complex characters.


Tara asks "What's your stance on books being adapted into films and what's your favourite adaptation?"

Readers should know by now that I'm an easygoing kind of person, and this translates into my views on books-to-films. I think it's AWESOME when a book I love gets made into a movie, even if there are changes, because it draws in a new audience and usually gets more people reading. This is great when the film in question is adapted from a YA novel.

Now, the whole changes thing. I spend time on the Meg Cabot boards and her adaptations thus far (Princess Diaries, 1-800-Where R You, and Avalon High) have changed a lot of things from the books (esp. 1-800, from what I heard). This angers a LOT of her fans, so I see a lot of "WHY DID THEY CHANGE THIS/LEAVE THIS OUT/DYE HER HAIR?!?!!? I'M GONNA KILL SOMEONE!!"

OK, so that's a bit exaggerated, but it's close to that. I'm not sure if it actually happened or not, but some users were going to scream at their TV while watching Avalon High for every change they made. I think that's a bit much.

Changes are inevitable. You can't translate a 300-page novel into a 90/120 minute film. If you followed everything down to the letter, you'd have a 10 hour movie and no one wants to see that. And even if you did follow things down to the letter and had that long movie, it would feel weird because stuff that works in a book doesn't always work in a movie and there would be some awkward places in the movie.

So I accept the changes, and actually welcome them. I don't want to see the same thing I read. If I did, I'd just keep my $10 and re-read the book and use my imagination. I'm here to see my favorite characters in real life, be surprised (hence changes), see a different interpretation of my favorite book, and have a good time.

My advice is to NEVER expect everything to be perfect and accept that changes will have to be made. View the movie as something that has some similarities to your favorite book. Everyone has different interpretations so the movie can't please everybody.

Anyway, my favorite adaptation would probably have to be the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies. I own both on DVD and just love them. The PD movies come in at a close second (those movies got me into Meg Cabot and YA!).


Liz asks "When you first started your blog, what was the most challenging aspect of getting established and gaining a consistent following?"

I'd say providing good, interesting content that would keep readers coming back for more. That's the main thing in getting established (along with just plugging away day after day) and gaining a following. But it's hard to do that. You have to mix things up so it isn't just all reviews and interviews (not that doing just those is boring, but you really have to make them interesting enough so that people don't mind just seeing those). You have to come up with unique ideas to set your blog apart from others.

But do things that intrigue you and that you can be excited about. Alea of Pop Culture Junkie loves graphic design (and may have a degree in it?) so her weekly features include Lookalikes and Hardcover vs. Paperback, both of which I love. They focus on book covers and the artistry that goes into them. So those features directly correlate with her interests. Do the same with your own blog. I love answering questions, so I do Ask Book Chic (it's kinda unhealthy, I'm sure, how much I love answering questions) every other week. You tap into your interests and try to find a way to include them in your blog. Once that happens, the followers will come and stick around. Good luck!


Also, Happy Thanksgiving all! I'm taking tomorrow off and there's no Fragment Friday this week (instead, I will hopefully have a review), so enjoy the time with your families. If you're an international person who doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, well, have a wonderful Thursday then!

2011 Preview- My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison

"Tansy Miller has always felt that her divorced father has never had enough time for her. But mistakenly getting caught on the wrong side of the law wasn' texactly how she wanted to get his attention. Enter Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar, Tansy's fairy in shining, er, high heels. Chrissy is only a fair godmother, of course, so Tansy's three wishes don't exactly go according to plan. And if bringing Robin Hood to the twenty-first century isn't bad enough for Tansy, being transported back to the Middle Ages to deal with Rumpelstiltskin certainly is. She'll need the help of her blended family, her wits, and especially the cute police chief 's son to stop the gold-spinning story from spinning wildly out of control."- summary from Amazon

I reviewed the previous book My Fair Godmother a few weeks ago. This book follows the same formula- Chrissy, the Fair Godmother, gets assigned a teen charge and messes things up and the teen has to figure things out and make it out of the fairy tale alive. But stakes are raised and there's enough twists and turns to make the story really interesting; plus, new fairy tales are utilized. It's a fun book, though the whole moral thing is a bit heavy-handed.

This book will be released April 12, 2011 as a hardcover.


FTC: Received ARC via Around the World Tours. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

2011 Preview- Father of Lies by Ann Turner

"Fourteen year old Lidda has always known she was different. She longs to escape Salem Village and its stifling rules- to be free to live as she chooses. And when witch fever erupts, Lidda realizes that she feels and sees things that others can't, or won't. But how will she expose the truth without being hung as a witch herself?"- summary from ARC

I really enjoyed this book. The Salem Witch trials have always fascinated me and I love reading about them. It was an interesting take on the trials and one of the best narratives I've seen in a while.

If you're a fan of historical fiction or specifically the Salem Witch trials, this book is for you. It will be released February 8, 2011 as a hardcover. A full review will be posted in February.


FTC: Received ARC via Around the World Tours. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Fresh New Voice of YA- The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
"Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers."- summary from Amazon

I loved this book and it just really spoke to me because lately, with all the suicides caused by bullying as well as some other things I've heard about, I feel so powerless when it comes to righting wrongs. I feel like people are getting away with doing bad things because of authority figures looking the other way. Reading this story (and the author's note at the end) made me feel reinvigorated about justice and bad people getting what's coming to them. It was exactly the kind of story I needed at this moment in time.

The story ends how you expect it will, but the story is more about speaking up and being heard as well as the journey to getting validation that what was done to you wasn't your fault and was wrong. Alex is a wonderful protagonist and Whitney writes her in such a way that it's so easy to get lost in the story and be placed in Alex's shoes.

The other characters are handled really well and there's a lot of depth given to them. I also really enjoyed the romance in the book too; it was really sweet. The ties to To Kill A Mockingbird were really cool as well, and I liked seeing how The Mockingbirds worked.

Overall, this is a really powerful book and one everyone should read, much like Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak. Go out and read this book now!

FTC: Received/borrowed book from Meaghan- thanks! Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Fresh New Voice of YA- Freefall by Mindi Scott

Fragment Friday is a weekly meme hosted here on this blog where you read an excerpt from either your current read or one of your favorite books and post it on your blog to share with others! It's a fun way to learn about new books or to hear a sample from a book you're dying to read.

FRAGMENT FRIDAY NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO FRAGMENT FRIDAY NEXT FRIDAY, NOV. 26 DUE TO THANKSGIVING!

Anyway, today I'm reading from Freefall by Mindi Scott, which is out in stores now. Hope you all enjoy!



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