Poetic Ponders (10)

(Thanks to the lovely Sara for this beautiful button.)

During this year studying English Literature and Creative Writing, I’ve developed a new appreciation for poetry. With this in mind, I thought that I’d start a new weekly feature on So Many Books, So Little Time in which I share with you my favourite poems. They may be ones I discover on my course or ones I’ve loved for a long time.



Hopefully some of you will join me in sharing some awesome poems.

Having a Coke with You – Frank O’Hara

is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne

or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona

partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian

partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt

partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches

partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary

it is hard to believe when I’m with you that there can be anything as still

as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it

in the warm New York 4 o’clock light we are drifting back and forth

between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles

and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint

you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them

I look

at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world

except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally and anyway it’s in the Frick

which thank heavens you haven’t gone to yet so we can go together the first time

and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism

just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or

at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me

and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them

when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank

or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn’t pick the rider as carefully

as the horse

it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience

which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it

I discovered this poem through the unlikely source of the movie adaption of Beastly. I actually really enjoyed this film and the moment that the poem features is incredibly sweet. I don't know what it is about this poem, but I love it. You can listen to Frank O’Hara read this here.

Sophie

Shift - Jeri Smith-Ready

Shift – Jeri Smith-Ready

Pages: 367
Publisher: Simon Pulse (Simon and Schuster)
Release Date: 1st June 2011

Other Titles in this Series: Shade

When two boys – one living and one a ghost – each hold a piece of your heart, how do you choose?

Aura’s life is anything but easy. And ever since her boyfriend, Logan, died and came back as a ghost, it’s got even more complicated. Aura loves Logan, and as she watches him struggle between ghost and shade, she knows she needs her now more than ever. But she can't deny the connection with her very alive and very cute friend, Zachary. And Aura’s not sure that she wants to.

Logan and Zachary each fight to be the one by her side, but time is running out and Aura realises that she needs them both to help her uncover the mystery of the Shift – and her past. As their search uncovers new truths, Aura must decide who to trust with her secrets...and her heart.

Shade was one of my favourite reads last summer so I’ve been waiting to see if shift could live up to it for ages. And, man, did it!

A lot of Shade was the building up of the mythology of the Shift and hinting at the relevance of Newgrange in the appearance of ghosts and hinting at Aura’s crucial involvement in all of it. And we finally get some answers in Shift! I loved how Jeri Smith-Ready didn’t give us all of the information in one solid hit, although because of how our answers were given – very cleverly, I might add – we did get a fair amount at once. There was a steady drip of clues and small unveilings throughout the novel. And when we got there, I wasn’t completely shocked, but I didn't know what was coming either. I just loved it! The parallels to Aura’s situation was also brilliant.

But the thing that those that read Shade really wanted to find out from Shift was whether she chose Zachary or Logan! Now, I’m a full-on Zachary fangirl. Every time Aura fussed over Logan or made a stupid decision I wanted to shake her and yell at her because, hello: Zach! Though it made Shift feel so emotionally real. Aura was still grieving and Logan was her first love; there was no way she’d be able to just disregard all of her feelings for him. I applaud Jeri Smith-Ready for that. I imagine it’s difficult to keep a story moving at the pace that Shift does without losing the emotional realism.

Speaking of realism, Zach’s accent and use of British slang was perfect. And not to mention hot! I could literally hear his lilting voice when he spoke and it rounded out my image of him so clearly. There was also Aura’s iffy judgement throughout the novel. There were certain decisions she made, that could possibly be blamed on grief and the pressure of her situation, which just had me shaking my head with disbelief. Without giving anything away, there is one particular one involving prom that I couldn’t quite get my head around. But at the same time, I feel it was kind of necessary for her character.

While checking the page number for my review, I noticed an advertisement for Shine, the final book in the trilogy and I have to admit that I was surprised. Shift felt like an ending to me. We found out how Aura, the Shift and Aura’s mothers time at Newgrange were connected, she chose her guy and the Keeley’s were finally able to begin to move on so I’m a little bit hesitant as to how Jeri Smith-Ready is going to continue Aura’s story from the same arc. They are, of course, a few things that were obviously left open for another book, but I was surprised nonetheless. I am sure, however, that I’m fussing about nothing; Shine is going to be just as amazing as Shade and Shift.

In case this review hasn’t made it clear, I LOVED Shift and I can't wait for Shine. But before that I might just have to hunt down Jeri Smith-Ready’s adult series’...

Thanks to S&S for sending me a review copy.

Sophie

In My Mailbox 88

This meme was started by the fabulous Kristi who was inspired by Alea. Check out their blogs for more information. All summaries are from the book jackets.

For review:

Bumped – Megan McCafferty

A virus has swept the world, making everyone over the age of eighteen infertile. Teenagers are now the most prized members of society, and would-be-parents desperately bid for ‘conception contracts’ with the prettiest, healthiest and cleverest girls – cash, college tuition and liposuction in exchange for a baby.

Sixteen-year-old Melody has scored an amazing contract with a rich couple. And she’s been matched with one of the hottest ‘bumping’ partners in the world – the genetically flawless Jondoe.

But her luck is about to run out.

She discovers she has a sister – an identical twin. Harmony has grown up in a strict religious community and believes her calling is to save Melody from her sinful intentions. All Melody wants is to meet Jondoe and seal the deal – but when a case of mistaken identity destroys everyone’s carefully laid plan. Melody and Harmony realize they have much more than DNA in common.

Sharp, sassy and original, this futuristic take on teen pregnancy is totally readable and scarily believable.

Eep! SO excited for this! Thanks, Random House.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Laini Taylor

There once was a young artist called Karou who drew tales of monsters and demons that delighted and enthralled those around her.

But she has a secret, a secret that ties her to a dusty subterranean world chamber, where her beloved guardian brokers dark deals in a place that is not here. A place that is Elsewhere.

Living with one foot in each world, Karou has never really known which one is her true home.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing...

All of those intriguing postcards have been leading up to this book, and I’m excited! Thanks, Hodder!

Bought:

Graveminder – Melissa Marr

Claysville.
Normal towns don’t lure you back.

Maylene Burrow and William Montgomery have for years borne special responsibilities in the town of Claysville. Duties to the newly departed that help keep their loved ones safe.

Rebekkah Barrow, Maylene’s granddaughter, left Claysville a decade ago, trying to put painful memories behind her. But evil has been let loose in Claysville and now Maylene is dead. It falls to Rebekkah to return to the town – and the man – she left behond, to stop a monster and keep the dead in their place.

Byron Montgomery, following in his father’s footsteps, is the town’s new undertaker, and the man who now bears his own special responsibility – to help Rebekkah. He is also the man she left behind.

A captivating story of the living, the dead, and the curse that binds them...

I LOVE Melissa Marr so as soon as I heard she was branching out into adult paranormal, I pre-ordered it immediately.

Wereworld: Rage of Lions – Curtis Jobling

Young werewolf Drew Ferran is the future of Westland.

He has the makings of a great warrior – but first he must master the blade and the beast.

And when Lady Gretchen is abducted by the Werelion Prince Lucas, Drew and his friends embark on a perilous chase to stop the prince fleeing to his homeland of Bast. As Drew encounters terrifying new Werelords along the way, he is led to the exotic city of Cape Gala, where the forces of Onyx, the Beast of Bast, await.

I’m in the acknowledgements along with some other awesome bloggers!!!!! I really enjoyed book one, so bring it on!

 Sophie

Featured on Friday: Eve Edwards

Eve Edwards is the wonderful lady behind The Lacey Chronicles, the third of which, The Rogue’s Princess, was published yesterday here in the UK. Eve also writes under the pen names Julia Golding and Joss Stirling.

1. What is it about the Tudor period that attracts you?
I usually approach a historic period from the literature and this is true about the Tudor period. Shakespeare – that’s where it all starts for me. So clever, so deep – I could go on and on but everyone knows about him so I‘ll resist. John Donne is one of my favourite poets – born an Elizabethan though his writing is mainly after the queen’s death. Then you get the fabulous music of Dowland, Tallis, Byrd and others (all on my iPod). It is a period of exploration, new ideas and new arrivals (potato anyone?). The egos of the royals of this period are so huge that they are fascinating if uncomfortable to contemplate. So many stories to tell – so much at stake, not least the survival of the English state in the religious turmoil of the time.

2. Do you have other areas of history that you want to write about?
Under another pen name, Julia Golding, I have written for younger readers about the Georgian period (Cat Royal Books) and Vikings, so yes, I find history a wonderful resource. As Eve Edwards, I now want to write about the early Twentieth century so am enjoying the research for that.

3. Which of your three heroes and three heroines did you prefer writing about?
I enjoyed all of them but I have a soft spot for Kit and Mercy because they come from such different worlds and make a lot of funny mistakes as they take the first steps in love.

4. If you were only allowed to take three books to a desert island, what would they be?
I am assuming you are allowing me the Bible and Shakespeare? If so, I’d take The Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice and My Name is Asher Lev (Chaim Potok).

5. Is there a novel you wish you’d written? Why?
I really enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver’s The Lacuna and found myself wishing I’d written some of her descriptions, particularly one of the boy swimming underwater – I could see it so clearly I had to read it aloud to my husband!

6. Are you working on anything at the moment? Can you tell us anything about it?
I’m writing the first of two novels sets in the First World War, provisionally entitled Dusk after a Wilfred Owen poem (Anthem for Doomed Youth). My editor calls it ‘Birdsong for teens’ so as you can see it is a little more sober in tone than the Lacey Chronicles but still with a beating heart of romance.

Thanks, Eve! You can read my reviews of The Other Countess, The Queen’s Lady and The Rogue’s Princess and visit Eve at her website here.

Sophie

Brother/Sister - Sean Olin

Brother/Sister – Sean Olin

Pages: 242 (ARC)
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)
Release Date: 4th August 2011

Other Titles by this Author: Killing Britney

Sensational and compelling
It’s FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC meets NATURAL BORN KILLERS.

WILL
How many times do I have to say it? Yes, I see the picture. It’s a body, obviously. It’s a dead body.

ASHELEY
You have to understand, I love my brother. I’m scared of him too, but...regardless of what he has or hasn’t done, I feel for him, you know.

WILL
I don’t care what happens to me, really, I don’t. But Asheley...she had nothing to do with any of this.

ASHELEY
It’s not like it sounds. He had a good heart. He trusted me. And I always did the best I could to help him.

WILL
It’s not her fault. None of it. Okay then. The guy in the photo. I killed him...but I had to. I had no choice. Why? That’s complicated. That’ll take a while.

I hadn’t read a single review of Brother/Sister before picking it up. I went solely on the very intriguing premise...

Both Asheley and Will change dramatically change throughout the course of the novel. Will began as a volatile and angry boy who seemed to be bordering autistic, but essentially, kind-hearted even though we’re told in the summary that he had murdered someone, he developed a sense of mania and danger. Asheley is a normal girl from an extraordinary family. She wants exactly what every other girl wants from high school: friends, a social life and a good relationship with her boyfriend. Instead gets a brother who the whole school thinks is a freak, an alcoholic mum and a dad who walked out on them when she was very little. But I was fascinated by how differently they saw themselves to how the other saw them. Sometimes the differences were staggering.

The second person, direct address that Brother/Sister is written in so unusual that it immediately grabbed my attention. In both perspectives of the dual narrative, our protagonists, Asheley and Will, are telling their story directly to us which I love. But as the story started to gain momentum I began to see how differently Asheley and Will saw and recorded their story. By the end of the novel I knew I had two unreliable narrators on my hands and with the final line, which I read about four times over trying to get it straight in my mind, I wasn’t completely sure of what did and didn’t happen.

I don't quite know what I was expecting from Brother/Sister¸ but what I definitely wasn’t expecting was the uncertainty. With the two unreliable narrators, the misrepresentations of each other and such unpredictable characters, I often had no idea at all where Sean Olin was taking me. This surprised me as the story was so clearly set up in the summary and the initial few chapters, but Brother/Sister continually threw me off which shocking events and revelations.

Brother/Sister is just as compelling and fascinating as it proclaims in the synopsis and I’m very excited for more people to discover it.

Thanks to Razorbill for sending me a copy to review.

Sophie