Where I write a book review off the top of my head, all careless and free-form.
Shiver — Maggie Stiefvater
I don’t know what possessed me on this one. I bought it at the bookstore because I liked the cover. I seem to do that a lot. Apparently, Ms. Stiefvater has already sold the movie rights to this werewolf/human romance. It’s no Twilight and I cannot believe I just said “It’s no Twilight.” I mean, Twilight is Twilight; it ain’t Romeo and Juliet. Still, it’s effective, in its way. Here’s part of what makes the vampire work: Vampires can be young but wise, be 18 but 112 or whatever. So they can look forever young, but be grown men emotionally and intellectually, which is nice, and really the only thing that made me feel slightly less icky about devouring the whole Twilight saga.
Sam, the werewolf/hero in Shiver IS 18 and ……. ugh, is he ever. 18 and “emo.” He’s described that way: “Emo.” Everything’s very “OMG” with Sam and his human love interest Grace and, basically, I found them both necrotic and awful (to quote MB). I wanted everyone to wolf out and rip everyone else to shreds.
OMG! I’m a wolf! OMG! What if I STAY a wolf? OMG!!
Ooh, here’s a bonus: Sam the werewolf writes lyrics. At any random moment, a song might come to him because his mind is always “snatching for lyrics” when it might be better used finding a solution to his perpetual wet dog whiff. But no. He’s too emo to be practical, our Sam, so you never know when his mind might simply burst into song. Just whenever he’s swept away, I guess.
For instance, oh, mid make-out session.
Here’s one that came to Wolf Boy while getting hot and sweaty with Grace. But brace yourselves. I’m serious. Clench everything down. Are you clenched?
Okay.
She draws patterns on my face/These lines make shapes that can’t replace/the version of me I hold inside/when lying with you, lying with you, lying with you
Best, I think, to keep these to oneself.
You know, I think I can honestly say that I’ve never started composing an ode to a makeout session in my head whilst engaged in said makeout session. I’ve always been too busy. If you have time to do that, well, I think you’re doing it wrong or you’re not really in the moment which means you need to ask yourself why, because — news flash — maybe you’re kissing the wrong person.
The other thing here: Sam turns into a wolf based on temperature. The colder it gets, the closer he gets to wolfing out. So Grace always has to “keep him warm.” Ahem. He’s the perpetual damsel in distress, constantly needing to sit by the fire or to borrow a sweater or to wait in the car with the heater on. Turn-OFF. This dude would have gotten nowhere with 18-year-old me. Sure, I was naive and Amish, but I wasn’t stupid. Maybe today’s teenage girl finds this version of guy sexy, but not me. He was too needy and too dainty and too emo.
Wolf out forever, Sam. I just don’t care.
Shiver, indeed.
That DOES sound necrotic and awful.
How ironic, or maybe not… I was gonna say that this is a book sarahk might like.
…BTW, turning into a wolf based on temperature makes a heck of a lot more evolutionary sense than a full moon.
JFH — /turning into a wolf based on temperature makes a heck of a lot more evolutionary sense than a full moon./
Yeah, but it made him so needy. The whole book felt like that assignment you get in school where you have to take care of your egg-baby for a week.
Lawn zombs.
Ewwww, egg-baby romance.
Wait. Who DOESN’T buy/checkout their fiction based on the cover? Minus a recommendation from one of you fiction-reading people, that’s the only way I can pick one out!
(BTW, am reading “And Give Us Peace” by someone named Jessica Treadway. Cool cover, great book [so far]).
Well, p**p. I got the name wrong. It’s this.
/am going RUNNING back to non-fiction as soon as I read “Destiny” which Cara recommended
//it better be good
But you know what, pippa? It’s supposedly doing pretty well with a certain age group. What this says about me — eons past that age group — I prefer not to contemplate.
Shiver Schmiver.
The cover is really cool, though. All blue and brambly.
Stupid egg-baby romance.
LOL! I picked this one out for my library when I was trying to update the fiction collection. . . and it didn’t move until one of the staffers and I made up a “Cure for Twilight?” display featuring a number of books. The tagline I put on “Shiver” was “Are you on Team Jacob?” That put it in circulation. Twice, anyway.
It is insanely popular at the middle school level. In our district at least.
Uhm, middle school level, Kate P?
Why must you hurt me???
O
M
G!
“Team Jacob,” though. That’s good.
Gotta do something to boost the numbers, right?
Incidentally, my wife’s book research takes her into strange corners. She recently read a book called “Perfect Chemistry” by Simone Elkeles. (I may have spelled the last name wrong.) The reason I remember this so clearly is that she showed me a video advert for the book on the Amazon web page – it is a TERRIBLE ad. It’s just an embarrassment. About the only thing it does correct is make one remember the name of the book and author, but it also makes you want to burn down the bookstore with her inside. The real horror is that she likely had nothing at all to do with it. I wonder if she just throws things at book signings when people sing it at her.
Perfect Chemistryyy! By Simon El-ke-lessss! Gaaaaaah. Seriously, click play. Share the horror with me, peeps.
I was a bit astonished myself. I don’t know if it makes a difference, but there are two middle schools and the book seems to have a stronger following at the one middle school which has a more well-off (and possibly more precocious?) population.
Uh, no, ‘Fly, I do believe that is the author, making an appearance, in the last few seconds of the trailer. That is HORRIBLE!!! “Es un libro, yo/It’s a book!” GAH.
I know tons of high school video/film students who do awesome book trailers–book trailers are great for attracting reluctant readers, and a nice alternative to doing a book review. (Your Ladybug probably knows that.) But that one is. . . sad. Although for a second I did want to dance in front of the churros stand like they did.
Thanks for saving me the wasted time of reading this one. I’ll admit, at my age (menopausal…let’s leave it at that) “Twilight” was just a little too teenaged “angst” AND “emo” for me at times, although I did read all of them and enjoyed them. This one, I’m afraid, would send me all the way to “OH PUH-LEASE” very quickly. Whew! Saved by Tracey!!!
hey its not all about the sexual crap. Its interesting when you look beyond all that. I mean come on you get to see the inside look from a werewolves point of you. I dont know about you but i love wolves so… Its pretty hard to find a werewolf book these days. what with all these stupid vampire boks uh can you say boring oh puh-lease. and if you like things were there is blood and gore your reading the wrong book. I would know because i am a very sick person my self and if im sayings its a good book then thats saying something right then. so whatever yourself. hey everyone has their opipion and im not going to dis on yours but im just stating my own. so have fun hope ya read it again and see it from a differnt point of view. ~Running with the wolves – Shadow Celtic~