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bookgazing) wrote2009-06-20 07:43 am
bookgazing) wrote2009-06-20 07:43 am
Nerds Heart YA - Round One Decision
Originally I was going to talk about the differences between the books that led to me picking the winner, but then I decided it would sound too much like I was ragging on the book I didn’t pick and I so, so want more people to pick that book up. So instead I’m going to talk about some of the similarities between the two books.
Renay had her good reasons for pairing the books as she did y’know. I think my pairing was kind of inspired because the books have quite a few similarities, yet at the same time they are oh so different, which is what made my decision so hard. So before we get started on those similarities I’d just like to say thanks to Renay for taking so much time on getting the pairings right and organising the whole NerdsHeartYA tourney.
So similarities:
Both ‘The Last Exit to Normal’ and ‘What They Always Tell Us’ feature subplots involving boys younger than the main characters and mysteries.
Both books concentrate on the experiences of teenage boys. I have to say I’m inclined to seek out more books told from the male point of view after reading these excellent novels (might Nick Hornby’s ‘Slam’ be moving up my TBR list?)
Both books focus on homosexuality, although they look at the subject from very different perspectives. It’s one of my favourite topics in teen literature and in adult literature so once again thanks Renay.
I found it interesting how although both books were very modern and were quite liberal (I mean both books include teenagers drinking, smoking pot etc) both books included old fashioned solutions that helped the teenage characters improve their lives. Part of what helps Alex to feel happier is exercise, which is very established part of the coping mechanism for depression and is always touted as the route to a better life. Ben finds discipline and self-respect through old fashioned hard work, which leads to him becoming self-sufficient.
Personally I feel that both books had weak teenage female characters, which was partly due to the readers information about the girls being filtered through the male characters perceptions. Kimberley is an ideal, too good to be true, but Ben’s a guy in love and that’s how he’s going to portray her. Claire is a young, sensible wise woman character, who seems to have some kind of special knowledge that stems form her being a woman. Alice is an interesting character but she’s very similar to Alex and so her storyline never quite gets as much development as his, because he’s the main character.
Also both books had moments where the guys talked about how certain characters looked/would look better without their makeup and that’s a personal bugbear of mine for several reasons (not because I am the girl with lots of makeup, I have no understanding of how to use blusher).
Both have covers that don’t immediately grab your eye. They’re not bad covers but I found that they didn’t make an immediate impact on me.
Both were really well written. They are written in completely different styles (‘What They Always Tell Us’ is third person, alternating chapters and a bit more formal, while ‘The Last Exit to Normal’ is first person, one main viewpoint and conversational) and this reinforces my view that a good YA novel can come in a variety of forms.
Now time to cut to the decision. The book that will be going through to compete against ‘My Most Excellent Year’ is (where’s that damn fanfare) ‘The Last Exit to Normal’ by Michael Harmon.
Congratulations to both writers for creating such fantastic stories. I’m eager to read Michael Harmon’s ‘Skate’ and will be watching Martin Wilson’s blog for announcements about forthcoming books. I really hope this contest brings them many new readers.
Next:
See my reviews of the books I judged as part of NerdsHeartYA ( ‘What They Always Tell Us’ and ‘The Last Exit to Normal’ ).
Watch Heather’s blog to see whether ‘The Last Exit to Normal’ makes it through to the semis.
Keep up to date with all NerdsHeratYA announcements at the official Twitter account.
You have one day left to enter my competitions to win the books I reviewed for NerdsHeartYA.
Renay had her good reasons for pairing the books as she did y’know. I think my pairing was kind of inspired because the books have quite a few similarities, yet at the same time they are oh so different, which is what made my decision so hard. So before we get started on those similarities I’d just like to say thanks to Renay for taking so much time on getting the pairings right and organising the whole NerdsHeartYA tourney.
So similarities:
Both ‘The Last Exit to Normal’ and ‘What They Always Tell Us’ feature subplots involving boys younger than the main characters and mysteries.
Both books concentrate on the experiences of teenage boys. I have to say I’m inclined to seek out more books told from the male point of view after reading these excellent novels (might Nick Hornby’s ‘Slam’ be moving up my TBR list?)
Both books focus on homosexuality, although they look at the subject from very different perspectives. It’s one of my favourite topics in teen literature and in adult literature so once again thanks Renay.
I found it interesting how although both books were very modern and were quite liberal (I mean both books include teenagers drinking, smoking pot etc) both books included old fashioned solutions that helped the teenage characters improve their lives. Part of what helps Alex to feel happier is exercise, which is very established part of the coping mechanism for depression and is always touted as the route to a better life. Ben finds discipline and self-respect through old fashioned hard work, which leads to him becoming self-sufficient.
Personally I feel that both books had weak teenage female characters, which was partly due to the readers information about the girls being filtered through the male characters perceptions. Kimberley is an ideal, too good to be true, but Ben’s a guy in love and that’s how he’s going to portray her. Claire is a young, sensible wise woman character, who seems to have some kind of special knowledge that stems form her being a woman. Alice is an interesting character but she’s very similar to Alex and so her storyline never quite gets as much development as his, because he’s the main character.
Also both books had moments where the guys talked about how certain characters looked/would look better without their makeup and that’s a personal bugbear of mine for several reasons (not because I am the girl with lots of makeup, I have no understanding of how to use blusher).
Both have covers that don’t immediately grab your eye. They’re not bad covers but I found that they didn’t make an immediate impact on me.
Both were really well written. They are written in completely different styles (‘What They Always Tell Us’ is third person, alternating chapters and a bit more formal, while ‘The Last Exit to Normal’ is first person, one main viewpoint and conversational) and this reinforces my view that a good YA novel can come in a variety of forms.
Now time to cut to the decision. The book that will be going through to compete against ‘My Most Excellent Year’ is (where’s that damn fanfare) ‘The Last Exit to Normal’ by Michael Harmon.
Congratulations to both writers for creating such fantastic stories. I’m eager to read Michael Harmon’s ‘Skate’ and will be watching Martin Wilson’s blog for announcements about forthcoming books. I really hope this contest brings them many new readers.
Next:
See my reviews of the books I judged as part of NerdsHeartYA ( ‘What They Always Tell Us’ and ‘The Last Exit to Normal’ ).
Watch Heather’s blog to see whether ‘The Last Exit to Normal’ makes it through to the semis.
Keep up to date with all NerdsHeratYA announcements at the official Twitter account.
You have one day left to enter my competitions to win the books I reviewed for NerdsHeartYA.
