I Know Where This Is Going

A lot of times, Cassy will tell me that a book she read was really predictable... Then I'll read the same book and totally disagree with that opinion, because I didn't see the ending coming. There's one really big difference between us that causes that: Cassy looks forward while reading, and I don't.

I've never liked guessing at the next plot point or the ending or the hidden motivations of a character; it's just not my thing. When I guess the ending, you know it's obvious, because I'm not trying to guess it... in fact, a lot of times, I'm actively trying not to guess it. The only times I make an effort are mysteries (which I don't read often) and when I'm in the middle of writing myself (like I am now, for Camp NaNoWriMo) and don't have my own plot entirely planned out, so it's like I'm looking for ideas.

But sometimes you're wrong. And isn't that disappointing? You think you know what's going to happen to a character, or you've discovered the big twist, and then it's disproven a few chapters later.

That happened to me with this week's review book, Unremembered. I thought I knew the secret to where this amnesiac girl pulled from the airplane wreckage came from as soon as I read one of the details of how she was found. Then a few chapters later, nope, I was wrong. (Not TOTALLY wrong, but wrong enough.) So now I want to read the book I had mapped out in my head. I want to know what happens to the doppelganger of this character that popped into my head. But if I tried to write it, it would have to start with the same exact first few chapters as this book, and that, my friends, is plagiarism. I mean, I could write it for myself, but that's not my thing.

Does this happen to anyone else? I think this might be part of the reason I don't guess ahead... I get really disappointed on the occasions when I get it wrong.

Favorite Book with Amnesia

This week, we're reading Unremembered by Jessica Brody.  The whole book is about a girl who can't remember anything that's happened to her.  So today, we're going to tell you our favorite book where the characters lose their memory (I know; it's another one of those oddly specific days here at Review Me Twice.)

So, when I first saw this suggestion for favorites this week, I thought, "I have no freakin' clue!" and then two seconds later I thought, "Oh, wait, I know exactly what book I want."

We reviewed The Maze Runner not that long ago on here, so I won't go into it too much, but I just loved how Dashner used amnesia in this book.  It was a great way to get the reader to learn about things, because we were learning them at the exact same pace as our hero.  I loved that no one could remember who they were.  It wasn't just our main character: no one could remember anything about their lives before they came there, except for their names.

Also, it's SUPER EXCITING this book.  I mean, I blew through this book and loved it every step of the way.  There are very few books that Alex and I both absolutely rave about, but I definitely think this is one of them.

Dang, Cassy beat me to it. This is absolutely my favorite instance of amnesia in a book. Cassy even summed up my reasons perfectly: you get exposition without feeling like the author is giving you exposition, because the protagonist needs it too. He's just dropped into the middle of things (like you, the reader) and has no idea what's going on... he knows nothing beyond his own name.

I've read the trilogy (and still slogging my way through the prequel) and - I don't think this is spoilery, personally - the memory thing keeps going for a while, and doesn't get old. It progresses at a good pace in conjunction with the story. So the whole thing just works really well.

The Use of Amnesia in Literature

There are LOTS of stories where characters lose their memory.  Our book this week, Unremembered by Jessica Brody, using this method, mostly for the shock factor. We, as the reader, don't know where she came from or who she was.  And, as you read through, you realize that this is mostly to keep the reader in the dark of The Big Twist.  If your main character doesn't know, then the reader doesn't either.

Really, I just love this series and will take any opportunity to slip it in.

We've read some other books where amnesia is present.  The Maze Runner is a big one, and while the amnesia is used for The Big Twist, it's also used to make exposition feel a little more natural.  When someone sits there and explains the rules and the maze to our main character, and thereby explaining it to the reader, it doesn't feel forced because our main character is completely clueless.

Amnesia is also used a lot to facilitate a mystery.  In All Around the Town by Mary Higgins Clark, the main character is accused of murdering her English professor.  She can seem to remember anything about what happen, and all the evidence seems to point to her.  Clark uses the memory loss as a coping mechanism for her character and it helps to also shroud the whole murder in mystery.

These are just a few ways authors use memory loss to make their stories happen.  What other novels do you know where amnesia plays a big role?

Author Bio: Jessica Brody

From Jessica's website, www.jessicabrody.com

This week, we're reading a book by the lovely young lady up there, Jessica Brody. She's only a few years older than Cassy and me, and she has sold nine novels (two adult, seven YA) so far. No pressure, us. The one we'll be reading this week is Unremembered, the first in a trilogy.

She's a full-time writer, and visits schools a lot (you can request a visit for your school here) to talk about bullying, overcoming obstacles, and writing.

Her website is www.jessicabrody.com if you want to learn more, and she blogs pretty regularly at www.jessicabrody.com/blog/ if you like reading blogs (and you're here, so I'm guessing you do). And, like so many authors today, she's on Facebook, Twitter, etc... sort out all of that here.

Review Me Twice - Big Trouble by Dave Barry

The book this week was my pick and, while I did enjoy it, I wish I had picked a different Dave Barry book to review.

It was comical, and very obviously overly satirical.  It fell into stereotypes to show you how ridiculous some of them actually are.  It made commentary about airport security and how useless it really is (and this is post 9/11 we're talking about.)  I mean, it's a very chuckle worthy book.

But having read his other humor (non-fiction) books, this one just didn't hold up.  The other things I've read have side-splitting humor and this just... didn't.  Fiction is not really Barry's forte, I don't believe.

However, it WAS still funny, and it made me smile and you shouldn't be turned off from reading it.  I just wouldn't start with this one if you've never read anything by Dave Barry and you want to.  Try one of his other books first.

This is one of those books that is pretty funny throughout, with only a few literal lol moments. I like books like that. It's like British humor (except Barry is American).

I have to correct Cassy on one point... the book was published in September 1999 (I kept checking the spine label on my library copy when the characters were in the airport, because it really is weird to read pre-9/11 airport scenes, even though I did some flying pre-9/11 myself). The movie was supposed to be released in '01 but they postponed it to '02 due to 9/11-related sensitivity (there's a nuke on a plane at one point, for goodness' sake).

I liked the characters pretty much across the board in terms of writing (there are some characters you just aren't supposed to like) which I love. It's hard to give over a dozen characters relatively equal billing, but he did it, and I love it. It's a technique I'm actually trying to recreate in my Camp NaNoWriMo novel right now (and failing, pretty much).

Favorite Humor Book

In honor of this week's humorous book, we're picking our favorite humorous books this week!

Mine is, awkwardly, an upcoming review book, so I'll say very little about it. Years ago, our friend Christopher told me I needed to read this book: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling, probably best known for her role on The Office. She's also a comedy writer, and her style translates well to bookhood.

But you'll hear more about it in a few weeks... (Oh the suspense!)

I was going to put Paper Towns here, but decided that it's not technically a humor book, it just happens to be hysterically funny.  So I chose a different book by our author this week!

Our book this week is an actual story that Dave Barry wrote.  I'll Mature When I'm Dead is more like his columns, and in fact, some of the stories in there are directly from his column.  He had a Twilight parody (which is pretty much the funniest one that I've read ever), he talks about his dog and his kids and all this real life stuff that's so excruciatingly funny, it could only true.

Types of Comedy

There are all kinds of ways to be funny. And people laugh at all sorts of things. But today, I'm going to just list a few of the ways that people use to make us laugh.

Slap-stick humor

 This is probably one of my least favorite kinds of comedy. However, my Fiance loves it. He thinks that it's just hysterical. The Three Stooges were masters of slapstick comedy. There are also a series of movies that rely heavily on slapstick, like Airplane and the Scary Movie franchise.

Sarcasm

Who hasn't used a little sarcasm in their lives?  It's a dry sort of humor, saying the opposite of what you really mean, but in such a way that the person your talking to realizes you're not series.  Ten Thing I Hate About You was a movie that relied heavily on sarcasm (and is one of my favorites.  Mmmmm Heath Leadger.)

Laugh-At-Life Humor

This is where our author this week, Dave Barry, usually falls into.  He takes real situations in life and writes them in such a way that you can't help but fall on the floor laughing.  He will often talk about his dog, or his children and the comical things that arise out of being a father.

"Bathroom" humor

Is it inappropriate?  Are their fart and boob jokes?  Then it's probably bathroom humor.  Cyanide and Happiness uses a lot of this kind of humor and no topic is unholy (they make everything from fart jokes to cancer jokes.)

Puns

Probably the most simple and basic kind of humor, puns are easy and can be hysterical if you tell the right one.  It also takes a certain kind of person (my old roommate can't get enough of puns, but another friend of mine can't stand them and threatens me with certain death when I tell them.)