Love Knots & Triangles

If you read a lot of YA fiction like I do, you'll start to notice that there are a lot of love triangles in YA lit.  It's a toss-up for many readers, they either live for love triangles or they detest them.  I can't remember when I started reading YA, I think it was in the early 2000's and I remember picking up Twilight, the then-new vampire novel by newcomer herself Stephanie Meyer.  I think pretty much everyone is familiar with the love triangle that happens in Twilight.  The Edward, Bella, Jacob combo was one that I became totally hooked on for several years I had to keep reading each novel in the series until it was done.  In the last book Breaking Dawn, I couldn't wait to find out which guy Bella picks.  I always had my favorite, yes I'm not gonna say who it is. Bella kept stringing us along for all four books and needless to say, I was not a happy camper in the end. Funny enough, many readers love this stuff, where I found myself pretty not too happy with the outcome, but of course I just keep reading and reading and making myself endure love triangles over and over again.  Sometimes I feel like the triangles even expand and turn into what I like to call a Love Knot.  There's so much going with these teen stories that we fall into the trap of reliving our own teen years just to compare.  So, why do we keep doing this to ourselves? Ultimately, it's about making choices and love triangles really show how hard it is to make the right choice.  

I am happy to share that love triangles in YA lit have been getting better and better over the years since Twilight. If you keep reading them I promise your opinion about love might improve overall.  Also, it is good to remember that sometimes love triangles have two really great guys, but one is always just a little sweeter.

Here is a Fun List of YA fiction that Features Love Triangles:

Warning Creepy Notebooks May Be Dangerous

Gone Too Far
Natalie D. Richards
Release date: January 6th 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Keeping secrets ruined her life. But the truth might just kill her.

Piper Woods can't wait for the purgatory of senior year to end. She skirts the fringes of high school like a pro until the morning she finds a notebook with mutilated photographs and a list of student sins. She's sure the book is too gruesome to be true, until pretty, popular Stella dies after a sex-tape goes viral. Everyone's sure it's suicide, but Piper remembers Stella's name from the book and begins to suspect something much worse.

Drowning in secrets she doesn't want to keep, Piper's fears are confirmed when she receives an anonymous text message daring her to make things right. All she needs to do is choose a name, the name of someone who deserves to be punished...

Gone Too Far is a really good book. I found it to be thrilling and a real page turner. Piper Woods was a very compelling character and I felt like I knew her really well by the end of the book. While Piper grappled with many issues that teens usually do, this novel touches on the deeper ways that teens can bully each other. Piper doesn't realize that if you don't stick up for those that are being bullied, terrible things can happen. When she finds a creepy notebook with strange code names for her fellow classmates she has no idea what she has stumbled upon. After looking through the notebook, she realizes that one of her classmates has transcribed tons of horrible transactions between her classmates. She even finds herself in the notebook, not wanting to believe that someone could be watching everyone at the school so closely. Things heat up when a tragic accident occurs and Piper thinks that she should avenge the girl that has died. This is where the tables start to turn and things get pretty crazy. I didn't want to believe that there was someone out there terrorizing their very own classmates, but in this story that is exactly what is going on. What I did believe about Piper and her character is that she really did care what happened to others and that maybe she didn't really know the people that she was closest to after all and that includes her own parents. I wanted to keep reading this book and never put it down. I read it in one day and found the author to be a very compelling writer. I just couldn't stop reading chapter after chapter. I would recommend this book to all teens and think that it could possibly open up their eyes to what might be going on right in front of their eyes. And, also to never fall for a blackmailer's tricks ever!

Happy Reading to You!

Mrs. Librarian Lady

Finding Your Way Through Hard Times

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

This month I read the very amazing Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. The title kind of throws you off a bit because maybe you are wondering what does the knife have to do with it and how does it affect the memory. Well, I can tell you all about that! Anderson is one of my favorite authors because he writes with such honesty and grit. She has bravely touched upon very sensitive topics such as rape, eating disorders, suicide and addiction. In doing so, she has helped build the current landscape of contemporary young adult literature. Anderson writes the hard truth, stirs up the debate and discussion among both fans and objectors, and ultimately has created the long overdue conversations about the real issues teenagers face every day.

For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own. Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over?
The Impossible Knife of Memory portrays a growing, complex problem particularly relevant in the United States today: the devastating ripple effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. After five years of being home-schooled on the road with her truck-driver Dad, Andy, a veteran who is tormented by memories of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hayley Kincain finally has a home. But instead of finding a fresh new start her senior year at public school, Hayley is barely getting by. She feels lost and alone in the sea of “normal” students that she refers to as zombies, Hayley never knows if her Dad is having a good day or a bad day, unfortunately until it is too late. He has been drinking so heavily and so much that he goes into rages and then blacks out.
Hayley’s only friend, Gracie, knows Hayley is struggling, but she’s busy with her own problems —Then Hayley meets Finn, a sharp-witted boy who manages to bring out the smart, clever girl others don’t see. But Hayley doesn’t trust Finn enough to share her secrets. In fact, she doesn’t trust anyone — and that’s the problem.
Anderson’s portrayal of a family broken by war, death, divorce and addiction is very honest. “Killing people is easier than it should be but staying alive is even harder.” Andy tells a teen on Veteran’s Day. Despite the heavy subject matter, Anderson’s observations offer very realistic and emotional depth and validation to this story. At the heart of it is a tough yet fragile girl who lives in a world with a rocky foundation beneath her feet that is constantly shifting and the relentless challenge to keep balance has worn her out.
The Impossible Knife of Memory is a beautifully written book. I loved how Anderson describes memories and situations. The relationships are heartbreaking, yet there is hope, and I think that’s what makes this book so emotionally draining. There is so much love and yet there is the knowledge that it might not be enough. The supporting characters in this book are full of drama, and distraction, but ultimately help the story and Hayley to come to a place of peace.

Mrs. Librarian Lady is a cool cat who loves to read YA books!

All Elements of Life are Somehow Connected

The Magician’s Apprentice by Kate Banks

Sixteen-year-old Baz, holds a realistic mix of fear and bravery, as he accepts an unknown visitor’s invitation to leave his village and become a weaver’s apprentice. However, the abusive weaving master to whom he is delivered trades Baz for a sword to a wandering magician, Tadis, who dispenses magic and wisdom with equal alacrity. “ ‘Intention does not come from the mind, though the mind thinks it does. Intention comes from here.’ Tadis pointed to his heart.” Traveling with Tadis and his cart of tricks, Baz embarks on a long physical and spiritual journey to find his true destiny. Set in an unnamed Middle Eastern land and filled with vivid descriptions of earthquakes and sandstorms, as well as physical discomforts and homesickness, the book gently traces Baz’s growing understanding of the universal truths Tadis imparts. Sís’s distinctive, diminutive line drawings appear throughout as spot illustrations, perfectly complementing the understated yet rich voice in which Baz’s story is told.

I loved this story because Baz takes on many roles in each of his apprenticeships, first to a weaver and then to a magician. He learns both crafts, but truly experiences his best apprenticeship when he learns what is important in life. “Poetry in prose” is the apt description of this thought-provoking and insightful story. Kate Banks has taken her own point of view about what is important in life and put it into words through her characters, Baz and a magician and a plethora of lesser characters they meet on their journey together. They all influence Baz’s journey to self-realization. Baz first begins his journey by leaving home to become apprenticed to a master rug weaver. His two brothers have already left home to meet their own destinies, and Baz knows he must go. Along his journey, he meets cruelty and compassion, confusion and clarity, and finally, peace and harmony.

After the magician trades a mysterious sword for Baz, they travel to the desert and then to the mountains. Baz meets people who help him learn life’s most important lessons and eventually works his way back home to his family, which he never spiritually left. The author seems to be saying that all elements of life are somehow interconnected, all chance meetings are deliberate in the whole scheme of things, and peace and knowledge can be attained just by opening our eyes to our life journey, to nature and to trials and tribulations along the way. Banks has created a masterpiece for readers who like to think about all possibilities, who are open to change, and readers will find a certain peace to carry with them after reading this book. The characters are believable, the plot is creative, and multiple life lessons are sure to soothe the souls of all who venture inside the pages of this book. This is a great book for teens who have pondered their role in life. Once immersed in the book, the reader can help but join Baz throughout his amazing and transformational journey.

My favorite quote from the Magician’s Apprentice – “You must let go of your resistance. What is the worst thing that can happen?”

Happy Reading to you!
Mrs. Librarian Lady

Mixed Up Names, Holidays & Love

I absolutely loved this little novella! I read it on my Galaxy! It was so cute, funny, sweet and definitely got me ready for the holidays. I thought it was very adorable that the two main characters had the same name only flipped around Ty McKenzie and Mackenzie Tyler . This brought me closer to the characters and helped me to see that they really had something in common. Ty was super awesome and would be the guy that I would want my daughter to date and fall in love with, sweet, thoughtful and pretty cute. Kenzie was great because she helped to heal a bond that had been broken between Ty and his mom and that meant everything in the world to both of them. I love the holidays, but sometimes I feel like I can bogged down in all of the commercialism. This story helped me to get excited about decorating, shopping, baking, and even ice skating. It was short, but I don't really have a whole lot of time to read, so I really loved that too! I'm going to see if I can read some more from the ALL I WANT anthology.




Mrs. Librarian Lady is a cool cat who loves to read!

I've been wanting to read this book for months! "No Safety in Numbers" by Dayna Lorentz. I read it yesterday (all in one day!) and it was amazing!! I mean totally off-the-hook-riveting-page turning-can't-put-it-down-amazing! On Dayna Lorentz' website the book was described as "Life As We Knew It meets Lord of the Flies in a mall that looks just like yours" Wow I would describe it as a majorly incredibly scary realistic fiction that keeps you reading because you have to know what happens at a the end! Here's the short of what happens. Someone finds a bomb in the the air filtering system of a huge mall and there is a lock down. The people start going crazy, some die, some fall in love, and there is a shocking discovery at the end! That's all I can say but you have to read this book. Get it from the library and read it today!!!! Here's a review from Kirkus, I get the heeby geebeez just thinking about it!! "When a strange device is discovered in the air ducts of a busy suburban mall, the entire complex is suddenly locked down. No one can leave. No one knows what is going on. At first, there's the novelty of being stuck in a mega mall with free food and a gift certificate. But with each passing day, it becomes harder to ignore the dwindling supplies, inadequate information, and mounting panic. Then people start getting sick. Told from the point of view of two guys and two girls, this is a harrowing look at what can happen under the worst of circumstances, when regular people are faced with impossible choices. Some rise to the occasion. Some don't."