Reading at Dawn - Book Review Blog

This is a book I got from the Library. I wouldn't have known about the book if I hadn't perused the juvenile aisles in the library. Yeah, the one here calls middle grade as juvenile, which looks weird but eh, I shrug it off. I found the book and though it took longer than necessary to finish, I am glad I read it.

About Tree Girl from Goodreads:  They call Gabriela Tree Girl. Gabi climbs trees to be within reach of the eagles and watch the sun rise into an empty sky. She is at home among the outstretched branches of the Guatemalan forests.

Then one day from the safety of a tree, Gabi witnesses the sights and sounds of an unspeakable massacre. She vows to be Tree Girl no more and joins the hordes of refugees struggling to reach the Mexican border. She has lost her whole family; her entire village has been wiped out. Yet she clings to the hope that she will be reunited with her youngest sister, Alicia. Over dangerous miles and months of hunger and thirst, Gabriela's search for Alicia and for a safe haven becomes a search for self. Having turned her back on her own identity, can she hope to claim a new life?



While I am not often a fan first person point of view, this is the case of when it works. I didn't feel like I was the character, it wasn't necessary. I did, however, feel like the character was talking to me and that was the exact reason for writing the story this way. It reads that way, as the real Tree Girl told her story to the author. It's the character telling/showing what she endured in her youth during the massacres of her people. And from there, more struggles, and it's amazing what a person can live through and keep going each day.

It is a tragic story, to say the least. While the story starts off showing the character and her little world, it doesn't take too long for things to go bad and it just gets worse for her from there. It's the type of story I used to read, which is interesting considering the fact that it's middle grade as were the books I read when I was younger. Tragedy and enduring historical hard times was a common theme it seems. Don't believe me, look at the holocaust stories in middle grade. Yep, there are a few. But I digress.

I liked this book because of the character's voice. It's a very touching story and one I'd recommend to others. The end did feel a bit rocky, like something was a bit off that I can't quite place. However, at the same time I agree and understood the authors note on why he added one aspect to the end that I'll be vague about so I don't spoil anything for those that take the chance to read it.

This book may be "middle grade" age range but it's a good read for any age. Check it out.

Yes, as book readers, or people who are trying to read more books, the library is a great place. And I felt the need to do a quick post to express the appreciation we have for the existence of places for people to get books on a regular basis. And it is February, the month for hearts and declarations of love.

I will admit, I hadn't used a library to check out books in many years, since part way through college. As kid and preteen I would get books from the library all of the time and even in high school. The librarians and school secretaries knew me well. But at college, I ended up not checking out books very often. Some time in high school I started to struggle with the return on time policy and that got a bit worse in college. I would often have to pay fines for returning books late, sometimes a month late or so because I'd forget about the book and not return it. Some of those fines can get a bit steep so I ended up getting books less from the library in part because of my struggles to get the books in on time (and the rest of it just life things and not thinking about it, plus having a ton of books I own but haven't read yet).

But I'm back to the Library! :-D

And it's great. Not only could I print out a couple documents I needed (I'm going to Vegas in March so had a travel plan and I don't own a printer) but also I checked out 3 books. 1 dealt with health and the other two were middle grade. It was great to look through the books, finding ones I'd never heard of before and getting them without having a plan. This is why I like physical stores and buying books from them. Random finding books to read. I can't wait to read and look forward to having a review by the end of the month for at least one of the books.

If you haven't been to your local library lately, check it out. You might find some interesting things that you hadn't know about before. And as always, keep reading!

Lover's Doll - Mishima Kazuhiko

About the story: When Shin hears about a doll known as the "bloody doll" from his friends, he can't help but be curious. Instantly falling in love with the figurine he decides to buy it, but there are rumors about the doll and how it got its name. It can supposedly move and talk and some former owners even claim it drank their blood. Unfazed, Shin buys the doll anyway to find out that the rumors might not be as ridiculous as they sound...

My opinion: Manga story telling is interesting and well, different. And the ones I read are no exception. Most of these on this blog were from searching for shounen-ai, so boys love types. The one here was a bit weird in places. He buys this male doll and it comes to life, which is the basics of how the story line begins.  The characters were fun to read, especially the doll who had quite the personality. And with manga it's amazing what the writer can do with so little to work with and while the images help there is only so much a still frame image can add. So, to have just the story come through the dialogue and words written in the frames can be an astounding feat. I liked this one personally as a cute little boys love story. It's not sexual or graphic, for those interested or not interested in such. Just a fun little story about a boy and a boy doll.



Brave New World - Yamada Nari

About the story: Nikotama Souhei is transferring to a new school and vows to enjoy a new life, living a lifestyle true to himself...or herself, as the case may be. Adopting the name "Sara", Souhei heads to school in a girls' uniform, ready to grab life by the knads and twist. Sara's no pushover: bright, hyper and frequently violent. She's like nothing anyone at the school has ever encountered. Especially her sweet, upstanding classmate Naruse Kaito who finds himself knee-deep in Sara's "Brave New World".

My Opinion: A different story with unique main character. I enjoyed a couple stories about a boy who wanted to dress up as a girl in school, passing as one to those who may not have known before hand. This is one of two in particular and definitely stood out amongst the small crowd of ones I read. Sara is interesting and different for sure. I was thrown off at first because the character doesn't use first person when talking about him/herself. Instead, the character goes "Sarah wants" and such in third person when talking to others. And I'd wondered if it was just from the being in the female identity but nope: there is a part where Sara goes back to dressing as Nikotama for family reasons and also uses third person when talking about himself. So, that was a bit different. But Sara sure has quite the fireball personality. She's going out into the New World of hers and making sure people notice. Overall, a fun little story with some genderbending and light romance.


Sazanami Cherry - Kamiyoshi

About the story: Migiwa Kazuhiro has always been watching Ren, cute, admirable, and his first love. With all his courage, he finally managed to give her a love letter and confessed on a train, only to find that Ren is...!? (Spoiler coming!)

My opinion: This one is like Brave New World, only some difference, in particular the viewpoint because it's from the boy love interest's perspective. The boy gets the courage to approach this girl he has seen on the train and is in love with only to discover the one wearing the skirt he has admired is actually *spoils it* a boy. But he ends up getting to know and spending time with Ren, discovering things he never considered before and even has fun trying on a dress at one point. Also has family issues in the story, and a sister with a secret too. So, fun and tame story also with genderbending but less of a strong personality in this one.



Overall, if you haven't tried reading manga, check a couple out online. There are many different types and for the writers, it's possible to learn from different forms of story telling. Just remember, most read right to left (but a few on occasion read left to right. And have fun.

Have you ever read Manga before?
What are you favorites?

A review on site, finally. As some may notice, this isn't going to be my usual Reading at Dawn review and for a couple of reasons. First, it's not a novel. Shocking, I know. While our main focus on this blog is the reading and reviewing of longer works, mostly novel length items, I do believe it's good on occasion to break that boundary. There is much we can learn as writers (or even readers who don't also write) from writing that is shorter than a novel or novella. I'll showcase this point in my next review as well because I'll be showcasing manga I read online. That and I need to post here on a regular basis more often. My apologies to my neglected blog. Next, this is also a review for an activity on Writing.Com known as the WYRM Gauntlet, so the review will be a bit different for that reason too. But I hope some readers find this review helpful.

First, a little about the publication who posted the story. Because if submitting it's always good to look at the publisher and what they have published already. It doesn't hurt to do the same as a reader because it may lead to finding more things to read you didn't know existed.  Here is their link: http://www.kaleidotrope.net/

Kaleidotrope is in its essence an eclectic e-zine(had print issues till 2011) that publishes a variety of short work including poems, nonfiction and fiction. Explained on the guidelines page, the e-zine "tends heavily towards the speculative — towards science fiction, fantasy and horror — but we like an eclectic mix and are therefore always eager to read interesting work that falls outside those categories. Man does not live on space ships, elves and ghostly axe murderers alone, after all." And as a result of such, we get a story like the one I will now review.


"Rule 88" by Andrew Kaye
http://www.kaleidotrope.net/home/rule-88-by-andrew-kaye/

 This is a flash fiction story, coming in under 1,000 words, about a hunting expedition that showcases a set of rules the hunters have to follow. While we don't get to know all the rules, a few are showcased in the limited word count to illustrate the world and situation of the story. The viewpoint character is a hunter and on an expedition with a couple of his buddies in a sci-fi type of world the writer has set up. Those are the basic details of the story. Who should read it? Well, that depends on a few things.

If you're a reader looking for a character driven story... this one might not be for you. While we have a main character listed per se, it's not quite what one often expects when they have a first person story. The characters in the story are the viewpoint character (nameless first person pov), buddies Aaron and Gordon, and Larry the hunting guide. While we are in the one character's head, that whole first person point of view aspect, whatever his name is, I hesitate to call him a main character because the story isn't really about him. The action and consequences don't happen to him. He has a want sure, they are all hunting and want to have a successful hunt, but it's not his problem in the story in the end. That is why I call him the viewpoint character but not the main character, he is watching what happens and in that way the reader watches what happens with him because he is just their outlet to see the situation.

If you expect lots of action, fights against antagonists, a being as the antagonist, lots of tension, or well females... this one might not be for you either. This isn't that kind of a story and some of that well, have to consider what one can do in less than 1,000 words.  To me, a novel writer, I'm in awe at what people can do with flash fiction and how they can make it sound like a finished story. All of mine end up as scenes for novels as my plot ideas are viewed as too big for the short word counts I try to keep them under. A writer can do great things in a flash fiction story, but we still have to remember that it has its own limits and skillsets. And if you really need a female in a story maybe you should read this and give this little hunting story a chance.

Who is this story for? Well, it's for those who are interested in flash fiction. A reader who likes a plot that is more focused on a situation than on a character and their problems. Those who are interested in a "what if" scenarios may also find this story intriguing because to me it feels like a story created from what if questions. I can just picture potential questions with this story. Ones like: What if hunting had strict rules that must be followed? and What if someone or something got in the way of a regulated hunt? To name a couple, there is another but I won't list it because I don't want to spoil the story for anyone. There is much to the story if one looks into everything the author managed to provide in a tight set of words. It's an interesting idea especially for those who go to different countries and such for hunting (like my uncle) and I could imagine him enjoying this story because of the situation it showcases.

For writers, I suggest anyone wanting to see how to show their world without taking up chapters of info dumping to give this story a read. Especially anyone who has specific sets of rules or codes of conduct they want to show without having to list them off. Kaye does a great job at showcasing the world with the few rules that get listed in the story and the limited description of the world the hunters are in. Granted there are spots in this story that feel a bit of a set up, the beginning in particular and one can argue that the story needed more action and less info in it, but novelist have the same problem in 10,000 words and Kaye manages pretty well in under 1,000.  Flash fiction is a challenge, especially when trying to show character, world, setting and everything without taking up the word count. I think this story is a good example of what a writer can be capable of showing. If you're interested in see an example of how to write this way, then I'd say "Rule 88" is one to give a read with an eye for analysis and learning

Did I like the story? It was okay. I'm not really the target audience per say but I did find the piece to be well written and somewhat interesting. While I'm not a hunter and I prefer character focused stories, I didn't have any problems reading this one. There was one part that distracted me a little, a mention of ten fingers and toys that seemed questionable, but other than that I read the story with ease and even enjoyed it a little. I liked the aspect of how the world is shown, the rules and the little character tidbits that were provided. On the other hand, I am not a fan of first person pov and personally I don't like when I don't know the pov character's name. It's a personal quirk of my own, I need a character name even in less than 1k words. But it's short enough that I didn't stop reading because of no name (as I did with a novel once). I do also see that some may not like this one because the viewpoint character is rather passive. Having the first person pov person just watch what happens does sometimes make a story feel like it might be lacking something to a reader. But it's well written and does have merit, overall as a flash fiction story.  I might find myself checking out the e-zine and looking for the author's other flash fiction work in the near future out of curiosity. I do enjoy a strange story every now and then and this qualifies.

Are you curious yet? Check out the story and see what you think. It's less than 1,000 words, so why not give it a try.

Reviewed by Ashlee Burke

About the Book: "In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself." - Goodreads



In Veronica Roth’s novel “Divergent” we are introduced to a society that is ruled by factions. The idea being that our current government was run down by war and famine and as a result people decided that they could save the human race from it’s flaws by living by 5 basic life principles. Those who blamed the world’s problems on selfishness formed Abnegation: a faction dedicated to being selfless. Those who blamed ignorance formed Erudite: a faction dedicated to knowledge. Those who blamed deceitfulness formed Candor: a faction dedicated to absolute truthfulness. Those who blamed hate formed Amity: a faction dedicated to peace. And finally those who blamed cowardice formed Dauntless: a faction dedicated to bravery and ruthlessness.

Each of the factions lives separate from another but have a function in society. For example Abnegation runs the government whilst Dauntless polices the walls and guards the city. Amity grows the food but Erudite design the irrigation and the hydroponics that allow more food for entire city as well as act as teachers for all of the factions. However there are people who do not fit into these five groups they are cast out and become known as factionless. They do not play into the story however until the sequel: Insurgent. In Divergent they are merely mentioned as foreshadowing ideas.

The main character in Divergent is Beatrice. She is 16 and as such it is time for her to choose her faction. She was raised with her parent’s in Abnegation but every child is tested at 16 to see which faction they have an aptitude for by being put through a series of simulations. They are then allowed to choose to stay with their family or they can switch factions. It is considered a great betrayal if you switch factions. Now this is an interested parallel from the story to real life because I do feel when you are choosing any career there is a pressure even if it is unspoken to choose a certain way of life. For Tris it was even more complicated due to certain events that happen during her testing. However at the end of the day she knows that she must follow her path and not one set down by her faction or her parents. Can she live with her choice? Better yet can she survive her choice?

This book is interesting on so many different levels. On the one hand you have a coming of age story of a girl who has to choose between following a well laid path or carving her own. On the other there is a lot of philosophical undertones when it comes to the factions. Are people really that simplistic that we can be broken down into one personality trait? Can really smart people be neither selfless, kind, brave or truthful? Is one better than the other? Is it better to be honest, brave, selfless, kind, or intelligent: no matter what it costs you to be any one of those things.

Recommendation:
Divergent and its sequel Insurgent was on the "Top One Hundred Teen Books" article recently published by NPR and while I would strongly recommend it to teens. I would also recommend it to recent graduates who are choosing their place in life. It gives an interesting perspective on living a life chosen for you and choosing your own path and how sometimes doing the later is the only way to truly commit to the former.

Yeah, I'm a little late (okay, way late) to the party but I finished reading the Hunger Games back in April. I read it partly during my lunch hours at work, and now I can review the book.

From Goodreads: "Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival."


My opinion: This is a pretty good book. I am normally not the biggest fan of first person point of view but in this case it really works. I do kind of wonder what it was like reading this book right after it came out instead of already knowing bits about the sequels. Reading it already knowing that she is in a sequel and so is someone else lightened the impact a little. The main character was likeable and easy to read about. The story has enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested in turning the page. I've always been a fan of young adult novels where the character has to struggle to survive but finds a way on their own to handle the situations they end up in. And the first person present tense flows well enough that it's almost hard to noticed it. Overall, a good book.

Recommendation: I recommend anyone who hasn't read this one to read it. Which probably isn't too many people.

Hello all. Some of you may have noticed the blog is still a little slow but don't worry. We are in the process of making some changes and will be back to posting reviews on a more regular basis in the near future.