Review Me Twice: Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien

As I mentioned on Monday, Z for Zachariah was the book that Wil Wheaton says got him interested in reading. Going into it, I thought it was going to feel outdated, cliched, and bland (but I'll go into more depth with my expectations tomorrow). I was proven incredibly wrong.

By no means is this one of my favorite books, but I really did enjoy it. I look a good apocalypse-and-aftermath, and this book brings the good stuff. Based on the back cover summary, you have a girl living in this valley by herself after nuclear war destroyed basically everything. One day, she sees signs that she's not the only person left and someone is coming into her valley, and while it's great that she's not alone, maybe it isn't so great after all.

That's a situation covered in one of the short stories by Ray Bradbury in The Martian Chronicles, one of my favorite books ever. Everyone on Mars fled to return to Earth because of complex reasons, and this guy thinks he's alone until he hears a phone ringing. He answers, meets the girl on the other end, and it turns out that they hate each other.

So even though this book is for a young audience, it takes its topic seriously and doesn't pander or patronize. I would actually consider it an adult story (you can't include even an implied, vague threat of rape without it being an adult story, I think) written in a way that's accessible to youth (no swearing, gore, etc.) It's like currently trending YA (books that treat teens like adults) but it was written in 1974, which is incredible.

This is the second time I've read this book, though, I had forgotten that I had read it until I picked it up again and got a chapter or two in.  I liked it when I first read it, I remembered, but it apparently didn't make enough of an impact to recall that I had already read it.

Funny thing, though, is that I remembered almost EVERYTHING that happened in the book.  I didn't remember the title, but this is a book I've actually actively remembered the details of over the years.  I remembered how it started, about the pet, about the man who joined her in the valley and what had happened before he got there.  There was only ONE thing I didn't remember correctly, and it wasn't that big of a deal.

So, there's something to be said about a book that, ten years later, I can remember every detail.  There are some books I love that I can't even remember that.  So overall, not a terrible book.

I will say, the one thing I DON'T like about it is that, after everything that happens, the girl continues to think, "Oh, it's my fault.  I'm not doing things right" which... kind of annoyed me because considering how independent she was, she didn't strike me as the type who would blame herself.

Alex on Picking a Title

Names are important, and a book's title is essentially its name. A good title is vital (ha! rhymes) to a book's success. It can't be too complex (John Smith and a Group of His Friends and Acquaintances Go on an Adventure to Rescue His Sister Jane from Evil People and Fight Back Against those Evil People Together) or too simple (Jane, although you could argue that this is a good title). It has to pique the interest of the potential reader in a second and a half, or that reader won't be picking up that book. (The book I described in that long title? I'd call it Sibling Rivalry. But that's just me.)

So far, all of my books have started as a title and a concept that seem to develop simultaneously in my mind. With Epilogue, I thought about beginning at the end, and the title came to mind, and I built the story from there. With Comorbidity, I read the word somewhere, looked up its meaning, and it sounded like a great zombie story. This NaNoWriMo, I'm writing three short stories instead of one long one. I wanted them all to start the same way: filling up the main character's car's gas tank. Think of all the potential a full tank of gas represents! So, naturally, the working title is Full Tank.

A lot of people come up with their titles last, after their stories are written. I like to have a working title, because then I've introduced myself to my book and we're on a first-name basis. If I have to changes its name later, so be it, but the title gives me a feeling for what I wanted the book to be when I started.

Favorite Post-Apocalypse Book

This week's review book, Robert C. O'Brien's Z for Zachariah, takes place after a nuclear apocalypse, so we're picking our favorite post-apocalyptic books!

Which is really really hard for me, because this is easily my favorite genre ever. There are so many books I want to tell you about! The Handmaid's Tale, Good Omens, World War Z, Divergent, Ashes, 1984, Boneshaker, Brave New World... I can't even... ack. So here's one I've been thinking about a lot this week.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff was recently adapted to film. (Unfortunately, it's on limited release in the US, so I probably won't be able to see it until it's on DVD.) It's also the book from which I chose my favorite quote from a book last month.

One thing I really like about this book is that it doesn't dwell on the fact that it's post-apocalyptic.

Sure, you know - quite clearly - when the war causes devastation and irreparably changes these kids lives, but it starts with Daisy moving to England because of irreconcilable differences between her and her dad & stepmom, and it focuses on her personality, her thoughts, her trying to fit in with her cousins and how unusual it is to move to another place and suddenly everything is different. Then the whole world becomes different because of the war, so it's like it parallels Daisy's life in a weird way. It's just a backdrop for everything else going on.

And I know a lot of the discussion that surrounds this book is "omg it's a YA book about incest." No it isn't. It's a YA book about a girl trying to figure out who she is and she happens to be in love with (and yes, have sex with) her cousin. It isn't about incest by any means. There's so much more to the book, and it's all great.

I'm with Alex.  I could tell you about a million and one absolutely fantastic post-apocalyptic books.  I mean, there are PILES of them (and The Handmaiden's Tale is pretty high up on that list, believe you me.)  But I'm going to pick one that has never been mentioned on this blog ever.

There are robots, guys.  And did I mention the ROBOTS.  It's all rather epic.  These three siblings have to go into the city (despite having lived in the woods, essentially free, all their lives) and find their parents, who have been captured.

BY ROBOTS.

There was a war between robots and man, and the robots won.  So now they control everything and it's literally impossible to escape from them.  People are tagged with chips, and if you're not, they'll know it.  There is so much machinery and regulation that it's impossible to escape.

The book was just well written and you don't get a lot of good robot stories these days (or robots stories in general.)  Besides, the main character's name is Cass, so you really can't go wrong there. 

Cassy on Picking a Title

As usual, full disclosure on this blog.  I've written a lot of books at this point (six years of doing NaNo.  I didn't actually finish all six books, but I DID hit the 50K writing goal, so it counts.)  The absolutely worst part, my least favorite thing to do, is to pick a title.

How do you sum up an entire book with just a few words?  Some people go with something very metaphorical and some people pick something very important to the story line (IE The Kite Runner.)

"I See" was the only book I ever published and I HATE the name.  I just don't think it really capture what the book is all about.  But I had to think of SOMETHING.  So that's what came out.

I think titles should be equally powerful as they are explanitory.  "I See" doesn't seem to really do either, but last year's novel had a good working title, "Time Thief."  In a story about a girl who time travels, it seemed appropriate.

So, I know we're supposed to be telling you how we go about naming titles, but I'm going to be honest: I don't really have a method.  Sometimes I am STELLAR at coming up with names (Review Me Twice, the actual name for the blog, was actually my idea.  Clearly a winner.)  Sometimes, I'm just a real flop at it.

Getting Kids Interested in Reading

This week's review book, Z for Zachariah, is - according to the source himself - the book that got Wil Wheaton interested in reading as a kid. So we're talking a little bit about how to generate kids' interest in reading!

My parents never had to try to get me interested in reading, as far as I can tell. It was something I enjoyed, and they encouraged me in it. But not all kids are like me (and Cassy). Many parents do everything they can think of to interest their kids in reading, and still come up short. Here are some methods and ideas for getting kids to want to read:

Family Reading Time. This is a many-faceted technique that has been proven effective time and time again. Setting aside time for reading together shows a child that you value reading enough to make sure you have time to do it, and sets a good example. Reading together shows that it's something you enjoy and want to share with each other. Reading aloud to children helps them develop their reading skills (and if they're better at reading, they'll enjoy it more). It's also a pleasant way to end your day: bedtime stories, anyone? That's a less stressful way to get a kid ready for bed (as opposed to TV, video games, or physical activities that get them riled up). You can also incorporate reading into daily life: for a long time, I irritated my mom everywhere we went by reading every sign I could see from the car window. Food labels are another good one (which can also lead to more attention to nutrition, bonus!) and menus at restaurants, plus the packaging on just about anything in a store or your home. (From where I sit at this computer, without even turning my head, I see eleven things with labels or pieces of mail that you could have a kid read: pill bottles, junk mail, the label on the side of a dry erase marker, a bottle of Coke...)

Reading as a family also makes important memories.  Some of my best memories are of my dad sitting in bed with me and reading to me.  Library trips as families are also important.  You can participate in library programs together, and do things like "story time" at the library.  All fun activities that include whole families and get kids interested in reading.

Connect reading to their other interests. Does your kid like dinosaur movies, dinosaur video games, dinosaur figurines, dinosaur everything? Why would you try to make him read about anything other than dinosaurs? For a topic like that, fiction and non-fiction alike can have appeal. Whatever the kid likes in other media formats, they'll probably like to some extent in the form of books. (This doesn't mean every book in that genre or on that topic will appeal to them... book vary within topic/genre. Don't be discouraged if the first one or few don't work!) Librarians can help with this, particularly if the kid liked one book or one series and you can't find anything else that appeals to them. It's called reader's advisory ("I like x, y, and z; what should I read?") and it's awesome.

Ask questions. It's pretty likely that you couldn't give half a damn about whatever topic your kid is currently obsessed with: ninjas, zombies, princesses, ponies, the intricate details of Minecraft... but you still have to pretend you care. Ask the kid what they're reading about. Have them summarize, evaluate, analyze. Why did that character act that way? Would you have acted that way? Why or why not? On paper, it looks like an English class worksheet; out loud, it sounds like a conversation, because that's what it is. But try to do it without sounding like you're keeping tabs on them; in my pre-teens, my reading level was more advanced than my "age-appropriate content" level. Most people would agree that The Running Man by Stephen King is hardly appropriate for a 13-year-old, and a kid that age might not be able (or willing) to discuss the content of that book with their parents. Don't push the conversation; just give the kid an outlet to discuss what they're reading and try to maintain their (and your) interest.

Go to the library! Okay, it sounds a little self-serving, as a librarian, but it's true. Most public libraries have great children's collections and staff who are excited to get your kids excited about reading. They hold programs for various age groups, focusing on literacy, generating interest in new and exciting topics, and connecting reading to other areas of life (crafting, current events, holidays, traditions and cultures, music, popular movies or video games, math, science, etc.) to make kids think but also have fun.

Keep up with pop culture.  I know SO many people who became avid readers because they just read that one book that got them interested.  And you know what?  Most of them read Harry Potter.  Some of them The Hunger Games.  The point it, they are both incredibly popular books and it was the fad that got them into reading, good books that kept them there.  This is one of the (very) few times I will advocate for a book like Twilight.  Do I think it's an amazing literary piece?  No, it's crap.  However, it IS reading.  And you don't know that reading Twilight won't get a kid interested in another vampire book.  Which could then lead to a zombie book, which could then lead to a book about sorcery.  Don't discount a book just because it's not well written.  Maybe, that's just what a kid needs.

Don't forget, though... not everyone loves reading, and that's okay. I don't like advanced mathematics or the intricacies of economics 

(me either.  I can never make heads or tails of it.) 

Kids have to learn how to read, and it's great if they develop a love of it, but if you try everything and it just doesn't appear, you haven't failed. Either they'll decide they love reading later in life - maybe they'll serendipitously find exactly the right book - or they won't, and that's alright. Just give it a proper try when you have the chance, and let the kids bring the rest to the table.

By Its Cover: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott

This was the cover I had for the book (Alex's may have been different) and it's pretty straightforward.  In fact, it a direct replica of one of the pictures IN the book, just flipped.

However, it gets the point across.  Thanksgiving, family, happiness, all that jazz.  Considering how kind of simply and holiday themed this book is, I think it's a good cover.

Review Me Twice - An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott

Ok, I'm not going to lie: 99% of the reason I chose this book this week was because it was SHORT and it's NANO and in the month of November, Alex and I are just too freakin' busy to do especially long books.

However, it also allows us do find things that are a little different, a little outside the box.  Alcott's book isn't entirely that.  I mean, it's very much like a excerpt from Little Women (her most popular novel).  Big family, mostly girls, old fashioned, country setting that's really big on the family unity.

It's about Thanksgiving, though, which I feel is a widely neglected holiday, especially when it comes to literature.  I mean, Thanksgiving really marks the beginning of the holiday season and it's a holiday that is MUCH more about togetherness and family (after all, all you do is eat and spend time with family.)  So, I like that she really focuses on that.  I like that she really makes it about family time and what the holidays should really be about.

Also, I like the pictures.  Ok, so they're nothing to write home about, but they have this very... comforting feel to them.

I liked the book and I think it's a really great book to read your kids when you're getting into the holiday spirit.

The thing about holiday-themed classics is that they're comfortable. There's not a lot of riveting action sequences or great conflict, and the ending is almost always happy. (Yes, I know, The Little Match Girl doesn't exactly have a happy ending, but... it kind of does. Maybe "warm and fuzzy" ending is a better fit than "happy" ending.)

This book is a great holiday book in that sense. A lot of it is banal fluff, but nicely written fluff, and it sets a lovely scene. Kids rallying together to make a Thanksgiving dinner their parents will be proud of when they return? Such a nice story!

This is the kind of book you could read every year - with kids or not - to give yourself holiday-themed feel-goods.