Friday Reads: I'm Not You Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Gretchen McNeil

So I didn't think I was going to have a Friday Reads today because I haven't had much reading time this week. However, this book arrived on my doorstep yesterday at 3pm and by 10pm last night, I'd finished it. It's been a LONG time since I've finished a book in one evening. (It's 350 pages so not exactly short.) So yay, a Friday Read!

First, let's talk briefly about the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope in case you haven't heard of it. It was a term coined by movie critic Nathan Rabin (which he now regrets inventing) that describes a female character in movies that is "a fantasy figure who 'exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.'" (see the whole article here.)

Basically this is the flighty, zany, kind of outrageous girl who convinces the broody hero to embrace life or whatever. The problem is that the character exists solely for the purpose of helping the male protagonist and doesn't have any goals of her own. So it's not a positive term. What comes to mind for me is Kate Hudson's character in Almost Famous. 

There's a list here if you want to see more movie examples. But this is the back story that brings us today's Friday Read: I'm Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Gretchen McNeil. I picked this up partly for the title, but also because I enjoyed TEN by this author, which was a horror based on And Then There Were None. McNeil writes the 80s-90s style teen horror that I adored growing up (think Christopher Pike, Lois Duncan) so this is a little bit of a departure from her normal genre, but I still enjoyed it a lot.

Here's the back cover summary:

Beatrice Maria Estrella Giovannini has life all figured out. She's starting senior year at the top of her class, she’s a shoo-in for a scholarship to M.I.T., and she’s got a new boyfriend she’s crazy about. The only problem: All through high school Bea and her best friends Spencer and Gabe have been the targets of horrific bullying.

So Bea uses her math skills to come up with The Formula, a 100% mathematically guaranteed path to social happiness in high school. Now Gabe is on his way to becoming Student Body President, and Spencer is finally getting his art noticed. But when her boyfriend Jesse dumps her for Toile, the quirky new girl at school, Bea realizes it's time to use The Formula for herself. She'll be reinvented as the eccentric and lovable Trixie—a quintessential manic pixie dream girl—in order to win Jesse back and beat new-girl Toile at her own game.

Unfortunately, being a manic pixie dream girl isn't all it's cracked up to be, and “Trixie” is causing unexpected consequences for her friends. As The Formula begins to break down, can Bea find a way to reclaim her true identity and fix everything she's messed up? Or will the casualties of her manic pixie experiment go far deeper than she could possibly imagine?

Buy the book: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound

So this book has a fun premise and absolutely reads like a movie. I felt like I'd watched a teen comedy when I was done (which isn't a bad thing.) Very light and funny. Nothing gets too dark. If you're thinking about it for your pre-teen or teen kids, there's no sex in it, just a few f-bombs. If you're thinking about it for yourself, it's an enjoyable ride and will make you want to go do your own research on the manic pixie dream girl trope. Also, it has a good female empowerment message, which is always welcome. :)

So, what's your Friday Read?

Friday Reads: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Remember how I talked the other day about where I get book recommendations? Well, today's Friday Read seemed to be popping up in all my normal channels of finding book recs. It made some Best Of lists. I heard about it on podcasts. Fellow writers/readers talked about it. Plus, it has a gorgeous cover, so I finally picked it up. I'm so glad I did.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is not a book I'd typically pick up because I'm not a huge literary fiction reader. I love love love deeply drawn characters and beautiful writing but I also need a strong narrative drive in my books. Slow books just aren't my cup of tea. But I'm here to reassure you, even if you're not a lit fic reader, that this one is page-turner, if not in a thriller-esque style. It's compelling because you want to know what happens to all of these characters and how they are all linked. (Having said that, I wouldn't recommend it to my husband because he wants a breakneck pace in his books, and this is not that. So if that's you, it may not be a good fit.)

The premise of the story has a strong hook. The world has been hit by a flu pandemic that's taken out 99% of the population and now the survivors are left with a world without electricity, running water, internet, infrastructure, government, etc. They have lost the people they love. Think The Walking Dead minus the zombies. 

"Hell is the absence of the people you long for." (pg. 144)

You see some of the time before the event, as this is a book that jumps back and forth along the timeline, but much of the book follows a cast of characters 20 years after the pandemic. There's a traveling troupe of musicians and actors who put on Shakespeare plays and music performances. There's also a crazy prophet (isn't there always at the end of the world?) There's a comic book that plays in prominently and is where the title comes from. It's a strange mix of things that all connect in some way, which is part of the drive of the book (the need to know how all these people connect.)

But ultimately, this book is about the human spirit and the drive to create things even when basically all is lost. Art remains. Passion remains. I loved that message. 

I know most of you are romance readers like me, so you like your endings happy, and that's what makes us reluctant to venture outside genre sometimes. I don't want a book to devastate me. It's just not my jam. (Or I have to KNOW it's going to devastate me and prepare myself like when I picked up The Fault In Our Stars). So without giving spoilers, I will say, this book is a hopeful one, but it's tone is melancholy and the narrative almost dreamlike. The ending is not wrapped up in a bow, but it was hopeful and I was satisfied with it. It fit the story. I walked away from the book feeling thoughtful. It's one that takes a little while to process afterward and I imagine will stick with me.

Here's the back cover. (This describes the book but can also be a bit misleading because it makes it sound like it has a big thriller element with the prophet. There is a little bit of that, but this is definitely not a thriller.)

Back cover:

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end. 

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.

Buy the book: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound

What are you reading this weekend? Has anyone else read this one?

Friday Reads: The Dorito Effect by Mark Schatzker

It's Friday Reads time! Today I'm going a little outside of the norm with my pick and choosing a non-fiction read. This may not be for everyone. I know I can be a little (a lot) nerdy, and research-focused type books are my jam, but this one is written in a very compelling style and is a page-turner despite the fact that there is a lot of science and a number of research studies discussed.

One of my areas of interest has always been food and nutrition, so I've read and watched a lot in that sub-genre. So it's rare that a book on this topic completely changes my perspective on something. The Dorito Effect  did.

Yes, we all know that artificial flavors (including those listed as "natural" flavors, which this book shows you are no different from artificial) are not great for us. But why? And what exactly does it do to us, our food supply, our children, our tastebuds, our chickens? Why are tomatoes, which used to be so delicious when I was a kid, bland and watery now? Why do we overeat strawberry ice cream but not strawberries even though both have sugar? This book seeks to answer those questions with both history and science.

Spoiler: it's not just about sugar or fat or calories. This is not a diet book. This is a book about flavor and what's happened to it and why.

And it's utterly fascinating. 

This book will make you want a really juicy tomato or flavorful chicken. This book will also probably make you angry. It made me angry (not at the book but at what's happened to our food.)

So if you want the curtain pulled back on the things we eat, I highly recommend it. If you don't want to look at your Doritos or vegetables or meat differently, then maybe pass it by.

About the book:

A lively argument from an award-winning journalist proving that the key to reversing America’s health crisis lies in the overlooked link between nutrition and flavor: “The Dorito Effect is one of the most important health and food books I have read” (Dr. David B. Agus, New York Times bestselling author).

We are in the grip of a food crisis. Obesity has become a leading cause of preventable death, after only smoking. For nearly half a century we’ve been trying to pin the blame somewhere—fat, carbs, sugar, wheat, high-fructose corn syrup. But that search has been in vain, because the food problem that’s killing us is not a nutrient problem. It’s a behavioral problem, and it’s caused by the changing flavor of the food we eat.

Ever since the 1940s, with the rise of industrialized food production, we have been gradually leeching the taste out of what we grow. Simultaneously, we have taken great leaps forward in technology, creating a flavor industry, worth billions annually, in an attempt to put back the tastes we’ve engineered out of our food. The result is a national cuisine that increasingly resembles the paragon of flavor manipulation: Doritos. As food—all food—becomes increasingly bland, we dress it up with calories and flavor chemicals to make it delicious again. We have rewired our palates and our brains, and the results are making us sick and killing us.

With in-depth historical and scientific research, The Dorito Effect casts the food crisis in a fascinating new light, weaving an enthralling tale of how we got to this point and where we are headed. We’ve been telling ourselves that our addiction to flavor is the problem, but it is actually the solution. We are on the cusp of a new revolution in agriculture that will allow us to eat healthier and live longer by enjoying flavor the way nature intended.

Grab a copy: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound

Friday Reads: A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet

Happy Friday, everyone! I've got something a little different for you today. I don't think I've recommended a fantasy/paranormal type romance in a LONG time--mainly, because I burned myself out on them when they were THE thing a few years ago. 

However, this week I picked up A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet. I got a copy at RWA last year and have been hearing a ton of buzz about it (it made a bunch of Best Of lists). Plus, this book was edited by my new editor at Sourcebooks, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Boy, am I glad I did!

If you've followed me for a long time, you may remember that one of my favorite YA series a few years ago was the Vampire Academy series. I loved, loved that series for three reasons:

• Fantastic world-building
• A badass, lethal heroine
• An epic romance

And guess what. That is EXACTLY what A Promise of Fire delivers but in adult form instead of of YA.

I'm not going to go too deeply into the plot because it's intricate and you have to read to understand the world. But there are gods, royalty, magic, dragons, sexy warriors, sexy times (though it's slow-burning and she makes you work for the payoff, lol), and lots of intrigue. This is a series, so the story will continue in Breath of Fire which released this month, but this first book does wrap up to a satisfying point and isn't a throw-your-book-against-the-wall cliffhanger.

So even if this isn't your typical fare (it's not mine), I think you should give this one a shot. It's fast-moving and full of excitement. Also, the heroine has to save the hero at times (a favorite trope of mine). 

Here's the back cover copy:

Catalia "Cat" Fisa is a powerful clairvoyant known as the Kingmaker. This smart-mouthed soothsayer has no interest in her powers and would much rather fly under the radar, far from the clutches of her homicidal mother. But when an ambitious warlord captures her, she may not have a choice…

Griffin is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts her. But Cat will do everything in her power to avoid her dangerous destiny and battle her captor at every turn. Although up for the battle, Griffin would prefer for Cat to help his people willingly, and he's ready to do whatever it takes to coax her…even if that means falling in love with her.

Buy the book: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound

What are you reading this weekend? And if you missed the recommendations for this month's Read & Watch Challenge, check them out! :) 

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Blog Flashback:

One Year Ago - Digital Detox: 3 Things I'm Doing to Tame the Social Media Habit & Reclaim Focus

Friday Reads: The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

If you haven't stopped by lately, I'm hosting a reading challenge for 2017 called the Read & Watch Challenge. Each month has a new theme word to guide you in picking a book and movie/TV show for the challenge. January's word is BEGIN. (Still time to join in if you're interested!)

And in my post earlier this week, I shared that the book I was probably going to read for this month's challenge was The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon.

This is a book I got via my new favorite bookish thing, the Book of the Month club, and I chose it for the challenge because it is about the start of a love story, the first day two people meet. In fact, the whole book is about just that ONE DAY. 

I thought that concept had potential to drag. A whole book about one day. But my fear was totally unfounded. It hooked me from the very start. In fact, I started it with my 5-pages a day reading habit that I talked about earlier this week, but five pages turned into a hundred that first night. I ended up finishing the book in three evenings. 

So, so good. I won't go into the whole story because I'll post the back cover summary below, but y'all, trust me when I say you'll get swept away. (And I just squeed when I saw it's going to be a movie because it was a very cinematic book.) Beautiful language. Funny. Compelling POVs that include not just the two main characters, who are fantastic, but people the main characters interact with for only a moment. 

At the heart of this novel is the idea that we all affect each other in some way. A moment that seems innocuous or mundane (talking to the cashier at the grocery store, getting caught in a traffic) can change the trajectory or your life and others without you realizing it. It's a romantic and sometimes scary idea. What if we missed the life we were meant to have because of one minor decision? (That's the scary part.) Or what if that thing we thought was an inconvenience actually brought us closer to a happily ever after? (The romantic part.) This book explores both sides of that coin and I loved it.

Also, if you're looking to read books with a diverse cast written by diverse authors, this is a great choice. The heroine is Jamaican, the hero Korean-American. The author explores the complications this causes with their families with a deft hand and gave me new insight into things I didn't know about (for instance, there's a chapter about why the majority of black hair care stores are owned by Korean immigrants.) I liked how the author dropped in chapters on historical topics like this in the narrative. It added an extra layer to the story.

On top of all that, it's incredibly romantic. And I love that the hero is the romantic poet type and the heroine the hard-nosed scientific type. Bottom line: I loved this book. Go read it. :)

Here's the info:

The dazzling new novel from Nicola Yoon, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything (in theaters May 2017!), will have you falling in love with Natasha and Daniel as they fall in love with each other!

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true? 

A 2016 National Book Award Finalist
A New York Times Notable Book
A BuzzFeed Best YA Book of the Year
A POPSUGAR Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Editor's Choice
A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
An Amazon Best Book of the Year

Buy the book: Amazon | B&N | Book of the Month club (*You can't get it as this month's selection but you can add it to your monthly pick if you sign up.)

So what are you reading this chilly Friday?