2013 has been a rough reading and blogging year for the Readventurers thus far. One terrific example of this problem is our last She Made Me Do It challenge, which took us (well, to be fair, me (Flann), Catie, and Maja from Nocturnal Library) SIX MONTHS to complete and close out. Our perfect solution is to make our challenge this time to be one easily completed. So, for this edition of She Made Me Do It we are challenging each other to read recommendations that are all under 200 pages in length. Many of our picks are far shorter than that; some even just a few pages long. We are all hoping to be hugely successful this time around. Let us know what we should each pick in the comments section.

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Ron Rash

What it's about: Characters spanning a huge time frame (Civil War era to present day) from the American South deal with the fleeting nature of life and their crumbling hopes.

Why I think she'll like it:  I was introduced to Ron Rash through another installment of SMMDI, so it's only fitting that I should pay it forward in the same venue.  I recently listened to the audio version of this collection and loved it even more than Rash's full-length novel, Serena.  The audio version is just over four hours and has an incredible cast of narrators, but she doesn't need to listen to the whole thing.  I particularly think she'd enjoy the title story, Nothing Gold Can Stay, about two childhood friends whose lives have changed since they discovered prescription drugs, Where The Map Ends because it has a great twist ending, Those Who Are Dead Are Only Now Forgiven because it broke my heart with how inevitable the conclusion felt, and Cherokee because it kept me at the very edge of my seat and gave me exactly what I was hoping for, only to make me realize just how awful and limited that hope was.  

The Gorgon In The Gully by Melina Marchetta

What it's about: Young Danny Griggs (Jonah's little brother!) struggles with overwhelming fear, especially for the horrible Gorgon which lives in the gully behind the play yard of his school.  When he kicks a soccer ball into the Gully's lair, will he have the bravery to go after it?

Why I think she'll like it: This is the only Melina Marchetta novel that Tatiana has not read yet.  Enough said.  Bonus - I will mail it to her myself since I know it is hard to find.

A Mo Willems Sampler 
(To be obtained at the library as separate books...unfortunately the "Mo Willems Sampler" is not a real product...yet.)

What they're about: Thoughtful, clever, and hilarious stories for kids that grown-ups won't mind having to read over and over and over (AND OVER) again.

Why I think she'll like them:  As a new mom, Tatiana might enjoy discovering some wonderful children's book authors, and Mo Willems is one of the best.  I recently ordered a bunch of the Elephant and Piggie books for my five year old daughter and couldn't help reading them all myself before giving them to her.  His stories are entertaining for all ages and while they sometimes have a lot of emotion and heart, they're never overly preachy or didactic.  Mo Willems always writes to children and for children and never down to children.  My favorites are:
Hooray For Amanda And Her Alligator - about a little girl and her favorite stuffed alligator toy.
The Elephant and Piggie Series - about an Elephant and a Pig who are best friends.
The Knuffle Bunny Series - about a little girl who chronically loses her favorite toy (the series spans her life from babyhood to adulthood and my husband can't read the end of the last book without getting all emotional).
The Pigeon Series - about a pigeon who always wants what he can't have (great for younger kids and toddlers).

Tatiana's Verdict: Well, next time I am at the library, Mo Willems' books are definitely going into my bag. It is so true, it's been a pleasure to discover children's writers. Who knew that 20-page books with pictures in them could be so interesting? I am hoping Willems will become one of my faves too. Nothing needs to be said about Melina Marchetta's book, I've been waiting to read it for ages. Ron Rash's collection might be a challenge. There is a bunch of people waiting for it at the library, fingers crossed, it won't take me months to get it. I am confident though, at least one of Catie's recommendations I will be able to finish this year, to add to my count of, what?, six full-length books read in 2013:)

Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote

What it's about: Short works (fiction and non-fiction) by one of the best American writers who never fully realized his potential (IMO).

Why I think she'll like it: I am cheating here a little bit. This collection is more than 200 pages long, but I wouldn't want Flannery to read it all, it is not even in quality. However, a couple of titles here are sure to catch her attention. Knowing that Flannery likes biographical non-fiction, a conversational portrait of Marylin Monroe "A Beautiful Child" should be of interest to her. "Handcarved Coffins" is a true crime story, and I think she will like it as well. As for the rest of the collection, short stories can be easily skipped, while some other conversational portraits are great too, but it's up to Flann if she wants to read more. I am only "assigning" these two:)

The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang

What it's about: A Middle East-flavored fairy-tale/time-travel story.

Why I think she'll like it: Well, I recommend Ted Chiang as often as I can (still waiting for Catie to read him, too). He is a SF author who writes cleverly and elegantly. This story is the most accessible of his. Flannery loves SF and time travel, plus, the story has a certain fairy-tale element to it that she, who enjoyed Fables so much, will appreciate. It is also available as an audio podcast for free here and can be easily found in iTunes. 

Ethel & Ernest by Raymond Briggs

What it's about: A lovely story of life of the author's working class parents.

Why I think she'll like it: While I don't think this graphic novel is the best ever, I think Flannery will be pleased by this charming, funny life story. It'll be a nice departure from her more beloved action-packed comics.

Flannery's verdict: I am going to read all three of these. Overall, I'm ecstatic that all three of us agreed to challenge each other with short books this time around because reading something that someone else is recommending can suck the enjoyment out of a book. This isn't because the book or the rec is bad but just because it isn't what I'm in the mood for. (I am very fickle) I had not heard of any of these picks before this moment and that excites me even more. I can almost feel Tatiana's enthusiasm for Ted Chiang in her paragraph on that book so there is no way I can skip it, but I must admit that she also hit on two of my 2013 hot spots with her other two picks -- biographical nonfiction and graphic novels. I put all three on hold and cannot wait to knock them all out. If I had access to them at this moment, I feel like I could read all three today.

Catie's Verdict:  Wow, I want to read all three of these!  I will probably at least start all three of them and see what happens.  I've been so fickle and distracted lately that almost nothing is able to hold my interest, but I think Flannery has done an excellent job with her picks.  I'm going to start with Daddy Long-Legs because I am indeed in a romance mood which is a rare thing for me and so I feel compelled to indulge it while it's here.  Flannery also knows that I love Isaac Asimov though, so that one will probably be a must.

So what do you think? Have any short recommendations for us?

In December, we started a She Made Me Do It challenge with Maja from The Nocturnal Library. Life got in the way for all three of us, as it does, but as of last week we were all able to read at least one of the challenge books. We are happy to finally close out the challenge and concentrate on the laundry list of other reading goals each of us has. We'll probably start another challenge in the next few weeks, and hopefully it won't take us over five months to complete it next time. Here's a recap of who read what and how we felt about the experience this time around...

Flannery read: Lucid and Virtuosity, and tried Discount Armageddon.

Verdict: I was so sure I was going to love Lucid. At the onset of the book and through probably about the first third or so, I was insanely curious what was going on. If anyone is unfamiliar, the book switches back and forth between Maggie, a budding young actress in Manhattan and Sloane, a typical teenage girl in Mystic, Connecticut. Each night, when they go to sleep, they dream of each other's lives, but which one is real? Both? Neither? I think the book just dragged on too long before getting to its point, but I did like the narrative style, the sense of humor and random references, and the idea behind the book. It was a 3-3.5/5 for me. I attempted to read Discount Armageddon but could not get into it on my initial try. There was nothing specifically off-putting to me besides the cheesy outfit on the cover (which actually makes sense in the book), so I will definitely try it again. Virtuosity I read in one sitting. I loved reading about Carmen and her mad violin skillz. It was also a 3.5-star read for me. Thanks for the challenges, Maja! I definitely needed the shove to read these ones.

Maja read: Holier Than Thou.

Verdict: I had a bit more difficulty with the books Flannery recommended, but not because she doesn’t know me well (trust me, she does, she even knows how to pronounce my name and doesn’t hesitate to spread that knowledge to unsuspecting mutual acquaintances), but due to a series of unfortunate events. My sudden love for fantasy made me decide to read Alanna first, so I went ahead and downloaded the audio, only to realize that I loathe the narrator. The poor book didn’t stand a chance. I then picked up Never Let Me Go from my library, but my sister was visiting at the time and she convinced me I wouldn’t like it. We rarely agree about books and I don’t usually take her advice or recommendations, but in this case, her lack of enthusiasm was contagious. In the end, Holier than Thou couldn’t be avoided any longer. I finished it just last night and liked it enough to give it 4.5 stars, although it accomplished exactly what I’ve been trying to avoid: it left me feeling melancholic, restless and a little bit sad. I will eventually read Alanna too because I’m certain I’ll like it, but I won’t be going back to that audio.

Thank you, Flann! Please don’t hit me anymore.

Catie read: The Stranger.

Verdict: I’ve had The Stranger on my shelf unread for an embarrassing number of years.  It’s one of those books that I have because I picked it up at some library book sale with every intention of reading it and then of course didn’t…possibly because of the intimidating “snooty intelligent book” waves which emanate from it or possibly because when it comes to books, I just get sidetracked easily, like a toddler at a petting zoo.  Regardless, I was thrilled when Maja finally gave me a real excuse to force myself to read this book.  Back when we started this challenge, I pulled it off my shelf and promptly started it, fully intending to finish within a week or two.  And then I chronically found an excuse not to read it for the next five months.  I’m sure you all know how that goes.  BUT, I am happy to report that I finally found my way back to good old Camus and finished this thing a couple of weeks ago.  And I loved it!  I mean, I always knew that I would.  Back in college I practically handed around my copy of The Plague to every friend I had (I was a really exciting person back then, obviously).  What got to me the most about The Stranger was that, despite its cool and disconnected tone, the simmering waves of grief and loneliness and rage were so palpable to me.  Actually, in that way it really reminds me a bit of Holier Than Thou (which I’m so happy that Maja enjoyed).  It’s also completely depressing to consider how quickly we humans will judge one of our own for acting in any way "abnormal", but you all know how I love depressing books.  So thank you, Maja for finally making me revisit Camus.  Now, which member of my playgroup wants to borrow it first?  Anyone?  Bueller?  

Maja read: Eon.

Verdict: I should start by saying that I fell madly in love with fantasy just a few months back. It started with Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, continued with Kristin Cashore’s books, and I haven’t been able to stop myself since. I should also say that, when it comes to fantasy recommendations, there is no one in this world I trust more than Catie. Out of the three books she chose for me, I picked up Eon first simply because I already owned a copy. To say that it wasn’t what I expected would be an understatement. For some reason, I assumed it would be more middle grade than young adult, and I assumed Eon(a) would be an admirable character, but neither was correct. While I didn’t adore the book like I adored Seraphina, I ordered the second one as soon as I finished reading, and it’s been taunting me from my shelf ever since. However, every time I look at it with its 600 intimidating pages, my reading schedule starts growling at me. I guess I’ll just have to wait for another challenge.

I will definitely read the other two books as well as soon as I find the time. Thanks, Catie!

I know there are a several book blogging memes about acquiring books. In My Mailbox, Showcase Sunday, and Stacking the Shelves are a few that readily come to mind. Here at The Readventurer, we are way, way too lazy to commit to a weekly post on anything. I do, however, want to post a few times a year about a few acquisitions I make to my ever expanding bookshelves so I am going to call the series…wait for it…My Ever Expanding Bookshelf. I know, original, right? Maybe I can harass the other two into doing the same, though my powers of persuasion seem to be minimal these days. Also, I am going to leave a lot of books I purchased for myself and many I received as advanced reader copies out of this post. Why? Because it’s my post and I can do whatever I want!

I am kind of addicted to entering giveaways. I usually go through phases where I will completely binge on giveaways and spend about a half hour per day entering things. Don’t worry too much about my sanity, it is usually while I am catching up on the DVR. I try to enter all the giveaways my friends are hosting, not only because I can be snarky (some might even say annoying) in the giveaway forms, (My name, you ask? ‘IT’S ME, YOUR FRIEND FLANN! PICK ME RAFFLECOPTER, PICK ME!’) but also because I like to support them in everything they do. And boy am I lucky. From blogger giveaways, I recently won All This Could End by Steph Bowe, signed copies of Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover, The Kassa Gambit by M.C. Planck, arcs of TransAtlantic by Colum McCann and Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag, a signed copy of The Evolution of Mara Dyer, and Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph by R.L. LaFevers. From publisher giveaways I won School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins, Crewel by Gennifer Albin, and an arc of Our Song by Jordana Friebourg.

My coup de grace was when I happened to be on Twitter and saw people tweeting about Epic Reads’ Wednesday Tea Time, which I’d never heard of. I clicked over to watch it and they were having an “arc party” and one lucky winner would win every arc they were talking about. I think you see where this is going. Here are the ones I received in my box of awesome:

I know, right? I am one lucky lady. I mailed three of the arcs off to blogger buddies of mine after I took the picture because I am not caught up on some series and they were very excited to read and review them. It would be jerky of me not to help my friends out! Because I sent a Twitter friend of mine the Kasie West arc, she kindly mailed me her arc of Raven Flight by Juliet Marillier, which I have been looking forward to since I read Shadowfall last…fall.

Here are ways I find giveaways, in case you are wondering:

1)      On Twitter, I search “signed copy,” “win a copy,” “book giveaway,” “blog tour,” “blog hop” etc.
2)      I read through all the post headings in my Google Reader/Bloglovin’ and find ones that might have a giveaway. (Listen, I also read regular posts, I'm not a jerk, but I'm specifically talking about how I find giveaways to enter. I don't unfollow people after giveaways are over, either, unless they clog up my Twitter feeds.)
3)      I go through the giveaways lists on I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and often make my way through the giveaway hop lists. (this is huge time suck, though)
4)      I sometimes google the Twitter search terms I mentioned and add a filter for the past few days
5)      I ‘liked’ most of the publishers I read on Facebook and Twitter, as often they will run promotions through their websites and Facebooks and mention them on those platforms.
6)      I subscribed to Shelf Awareness (for Readers and Pro), Publishers Weekly, and Tor.com e-newsletters, which sometimes have giveaways in them.
7)      I attend many, many book events and often, if there is a publishing rep there (and sometimes even where there isn’t!), there is a giveaway or a few, especially if it is a multi-author tour.
8)      I regularly check publisher websites, which often run giveaways.
9)      I can’t think of any more line items at this moment.
10)   Which is a shame because everyone knows you need 10 line items to make a list.

The biggest time investment in obtaining books is making friends and maintaining friendships. Barf. Who needs friends, amiright? All those months (years!) of feigning interest netted me two books this week: Bronze Gods by A.A. Aguirre (from Maja!) and Wildlife by Fiona Wood (from Nomes, with candy!). Huzzah! And though I know most of you know I am kidding, just let it be known that I am joking about feigning interest. It is probably a little sick how interested I am in the lives of my friends. The only other books I want to mention are Blackout by Mira Grant, which I found in perfect condition at Half Price Books for $4 the other day, The Witness by Nora Roberts, which I undercover bought at Costco when my mom asked me to go there to pick up some stuff for her (Muahahaha!), and a remaindered copy of Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt that I found at Third Place Books when I went to see R.L. LaFevers. That one made me insanely happy as I read an e-arc and did not have a hardcover copy.

I read Grave Mercy a few months back, when I was a panelists for The Cybils. At the time, I think I was just saturated with YA sci fi and fantasy books and I needed something to be bang! flash! zing! with uniqueness, solid writing, great appeal, and tons of other criteria. I thought the book was fun and readable but not as earth-shattering as some of my blogging buddies and Goodreads friends thought it was, though it's quite a mixed bag when it comes to reviews from reader friends of mine. I still wonder if I would've liked Grave Mercy more if I'd read it at a different time, especially because it is sometimes very hard to remember details of every book I read when I am on a binge. I remember quite a bit about Grave Mercy and I was/am still very excited to read book two in the series, so much so that I followed the entire blog tour for Dark Triumph and entered all the giveaways so I could (hopefully) score copies. I think Maggie from Young Adult Anonymous would probably tell you that it is a foregone conclusion that I would win a set, since I seem to be insanely lucky these days, but I did win a paperback of Grave Mercy and hardcover of Dark Triumph. There is a point to bringing this up: I bought another paperback of Grave Mercy at the event I am currently crappily recapping and had it personalized so I will be giving away the paperback I won at the end of this post.  Back to regularly scheduled programming.

Robin/R.L. LaFevers is a bit of a badass, in my opinion. She is totally matter-of-fact and seemed completely at ease with her audience and what she was going to talk about. I felt under-informed at the onset because I did not realize she also wrote two middle grade series, the Theodosia Throckmorton series and the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series. She said her audiences can often be quite a mixed bag and thus seemed a bit relieved that the present audience seemed to be completely comprised of the target audience for the His Fair Assassin series. After writing for younger readers, she was itching to write something darker and on a bigger scale. She said that she has always loved Arthurian stories, Mary Stewart novels (particularly The Hollow Hills and The Crystal Cave), and the merging of history and fantasy.

An audience member asked how important historical accuracy is to her, LaFevers says she favors "historical fantasy." Most of the time, she feels beholden to stay pretty true to historical events but some truths are probably best left out of young adult novels, like perhaps early teenagers being married to 35 year old men, etc. Another questioner asked the author to elaborate a bit about the magic system in place in the series. LaFevers said that the "magic" (if you can call it that, she says it is more mystical than magical) is caused by birth trauma to certain children and their connection to the god of death. One reason she wanted to include nuns was because she wanted there to be a moral aspect to the story. Also, she knew that there are folklore stories about being "marked for death." If forced to pin down the historical accuracy of her work, LaFevers says that about 80% is true history, 10% is history she's taken liberties with, and 10% is completely made up.

To pick the names for her characters, the author said she pored over historical records. Quite unsurprisingly there were many, many common names which kept recurring (e.g. Elizabeth) but she did not want to use those, nor did she want to use any "silly" names like Mildred or Gwyneth. Ismae is a deviation from the name Esme and means dismay. Her last name, Rienne, is a play on the French word rien, which means 'nothing.'

Both books had their challenges in the writing process but LaFevers said that Grave Mercy was probably easier to write since she had the luxury of time while working on it. Dark Triumph had a deadline and Sybella's story is much darker than Ismae's--she said she had gray clouds over her for months.  Grave Mercy actually started in third person but LaFevers says she kept losing Ismae into the shadows she is so good at hiding in so she had to switch the perspective. She wrote SEVENTEEN drafts of Grave Mercy and the original manuscript was 500 pages. Dark Triumph, comparatively, took only seven drafts, which compared to the many authors I've seen on tour before who have answered this question, is still a large amount. LaFevers says she likes to do many rewrites--each time she focuses on something different and she prints each draft in a different color.

A lot of people ask her how she came up with the series. She said that after that idea of assassin nuns came to her, she was looking for an excuse to set a book in the Middle Ages. During that era, a majority of people were very young.(she is not certain why but it could be many factors-plagues, war, life expectancy, etc.)  People started “adult” life much earlier, sometimes being married at 10-12 (“not that [she’s] advocating that!”) and leading battles at 18-19. At this point, LaFevers talked a bit about the possibility that the prevalence of war and the tumultuous time period of the Middle Ages could have been a direct result of so many young people being in charge of countries, armies, etc. After all, just look at Joffrey in Game of Thrones and imagine people like him and Sansa Stark in charge of decision-making. (I’d really rather not, thanks!)

From the idea and the time period, she knew she wanted to incorporate old gods/goddesses into the belief system, which really was not far-fetched, as it was common practice back then. The idea of girls going to a convent as an escape was also based on factual history. Though the idea may be a bit scary to imagine, many young women saw convent life as a life of relative freedom. Much of the history in the series is based on fact, a lot of it concentrating on Anne of Brittany, whose father, the Duke of Brittany, promised his daughter’s hand in marriage to several different people (6-7 suitors, it is said) in exchange for military support, after which point the Duke died and left general confusion. A later question revealed that the whole council was based on real events and that Anne was betrayed in the same way. The story element of illegitimate children living with full-blooded children in the same palace was also based on real events. The area of Brittany also has rich folklore which LaFevers wanted to include, including Ankoù, who personified death, Celtic druidesses, and stories about the night rowers who would hear knocks on their doors in the middle of the night and then go to row the souls of the dead across the water.

Besides history, LaFevers wanted to write about love. She found a real love herself and she sees so much YA that includes unhealthy relationships so it was important to her to include a real, healthy relationship but also to incorporate the ideas of love of country and duty. In addition, it was important to show that being a teenager is hard, so it is at least in part about one girl’s struggle. When she first started writing Grave Mercy and Ismae got to the convent, Sybella (the protagonist from Dark Triumph) seemed half crazy and she threatened to take over every scene. The author said she had to “take her aside” and explain that she would be the center of her own book, and now she is. Dark Triumph is darker than the author thought it would be, but the character came to her as a whole and she felt she had to stay true to her. Sybella has been through a lot in her life and, in real life, a lot of people do not make it through these trials. Some people heal, but not many victims become the hero. The fact that Sybella ends up with Beast, was never intended to be a spoiler, according to R.L. LaFevers. Actually, he was supposed to die in the narrative but LaFevers just couldn’t do it; he was perfect for Sybella. He could deal with her dark past because he had his own darkness, having seen war. The author really likes the fact that though he is a soldier, Beast is gentle.

An audience member asked how much time LaFevers spends on research. It took her seven years to write Grave Mercy. She was working on other contracted work and considered the book to be her own “private sandbox” that she could play around in. She Googled everything and the luxury of time allowed her to add more layers to the story. When she is writing, she will often get on a roll and leave blank spots where there are holes in her research, such as [They eat breakfast. What did people eat for breakfast back then?] and then moving on to keep the creative juices flowing without interruption. Those holes are easily filled with a few minutes of Googling.

The third book, Mortal Heart, will be about Annith. LaFevers says Annith is pissed off about her place in life and why everyone around her is getting to do all sorts of things while she is stuck at the convent. In Mortal Heart, the author says Annith will find out the answers to all her questions and we, as readers, will have lots of questions about the abbots/abbesses answered as well.

Sadly, LaFevers has yet to make it to France herself. She said if the books do well enough, she would love to go, but for now she has to make do with coffee table books and Google to find information about the region. I hope she eventually gets to see the region that inspired her series!

Because I bought a copy of Grave Mercy for the author to sign for me, then subsequently won a copy, I’m giving a paperback copy away to one reader from US/Canada. Just leave your name and email in the Google form and I’ll let random.org pick a winner one week from today. (Open until 5/18 at midnight, PST)

CONTEST OVER: The winner is Roselyn from Bookmarked Pages! Congrats!