Interview: Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown is the author of the controversial young adult novel, Hate List. This emotional YA book deals with the traumatic experiences revolving around a school shooting, offering a glimpse into the minds of everyone involved and blurring the lines between bullies and victims. Jennifer stopped by Nikola's Book Blog to chat about the book.

What was the overall reaction to your book?

So far, the reaction that I've been seeing most is that it's making people stop and really think. I've also heard from a lot of people that the end is a bit of a tearjerker. I'm really glad it's making people think. I like books that make me think, so it feels good to have written my favorite kind of book. It's not a light read, emotionally, but is worth investing yourself in the end.

Hate List deals with the all-too familiar topic of school shootings. Were you inspired by a real-life school shooting, and did you research them in order to write the book?

No, Hate List was not inspired by any particular school shooting. In fact, I held off on researching school shootings until after I'd written my first draft because I didn't want to be influenced by the particulars of any specific shooting. It was definitely a weird way to do research -- write the book first and then go back and research and change things according to what I learned during my research -- but it was the process that felt right to me during the writing of this book.

Hate List is more about the main character's emotional journey than it is about the shooting itself, so the bulk of my research (all done before I started writing) was along the lines of finding out what my main character would be experiencing emotionally and how those feelings would manifest.

What do you think makes these young people decide to execute such a terrible thing?

Wow, I wish there was a cut-and-dried answer to this question. Certainly knowing the answer would be the first step in preventing school shootings from ever happening again, which would be a wonderful thing. My sense is that there are a lot of possible answers to this question. The easiest answers are, of course, that they're bullied and are outcasts or that they're just plain evil. But I don't really like either of those answers. I think those answers are too easy and, quite frankly, aren't fair to either the shooter or the victims. Or their families, for that matter. I think we can all agree that a young person who shoots up a school is a very troubled individual. But how they got so troubled... is a much tougher question to answer. And why they dealt with it by killing? Again, I just don't think there's a pat answer for that.

Valerie, the protagonist of Hate List, is both an accomplice and a victim. Would you elaborate on this?

Valerie is guilty of two things: Starting a "hate list" of people she hated, and not seeing that her boyfriend, Nick, was going to act on that Hate List by killing people. Because she was the one who started the list and even encouraged Nick by talking about how cool it would be for those people to just not exist anymore, she is an accomplice of sorts to the shooting. But the problem is... to Valerie... it was all just talk. Not real. A way to blow off steam. She never meant for any of those people to actually die. And now, with Nick gone, she has to "pay the price" for the hate list, which is now very public. She also gets shot while trying to stop Nick. So she stops the shooting she inadvertently set into motion with the list. She's both hero and villain, which has got to be a really tough spot to be in.

What have you been up to lately? Writing a new book, perhaps?

I am working on a new YA project. It will be similar in tone to Hate List, but a very different subject, of course. I kind of have this weird superstition about giving out details of a writing project before it's been written, so... *makes zipper over mouth motion*...

What Are You Reading Monday? #2

What Are You Reading Monday? is a weekly event hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog to discuss your reading week ~ the books you've read and those you plan on reading in the coming week.

My past week or two have been really hectic, especially since I've had a bunch of stressful exams I had to study for... I have, however, finished Mr. Darcy, Vampyre and wrote the review. I am still (!) reading The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, which I have to rea for school. The problem is not the book itself, although I must admit it's not the most exciting book around, but the fact that I cannot find a physicial copy, which means I'm reading this lengthy book on my laptop. Not pretty.

I am probably going to start reading Philippa Gregory's White Queen one of these days - I am excited about it, so I don't want rush it! I want to enjoy every sentence of it. I have also applied for a huge number of giveaways, and hopefully, I'll see at least a book or two coming my way in the next couple of weeks.

What are you reading Monday?

Giveaway: Ms. Taken Identity by Dan Begley

If you've read my review of Dan Begley's Ms. Taken Identity, you know that this is a funny, funny book with bits and pieces of universal truths sprinkled throughout. Now, the wonderful Dan Begley has chosen to present two of my readers with a copy of his debut novel. Read my review here, or go ahead and leave a comment to enter. Here are the contest rules:

1. The giveaway is open only to addresses located in the USA or in Canada.

2. The giveaway will have two winners, each winning a copy of the book.

3. The giveaway will be open until September 15th.

4. In order to enter, leave a comment with your email address (no email, no entry!).

5. Get special entries for doing the following:

+2 for following (never too late to start!)

+2 for tweeting about the contest

+2 for posting about the contest/putting it into a sidebar (+4 if you use the graphic from my sidebar)

6. The winners will be announced on the blog, as well as contacted by e-mail. If they do not respond in 48 hours, new winners will be chosen.

Good luck everybody! Let the games begin!

The contest is now closed.

Review: Mr Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange

Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice has since it was first published back in 1813 sold about 20 million copies worldwide and has also been adapted for various silver screen projects, thus appealing to wide audiences. It is not surprising that the novel has been unofficially continued numerous times, usually depicting the main characters' lives after their wedding. And with the recent craze for all things supernatural, it was only a matter of time when this beloved story would get a vampiric makeover, which is exactly what Amanda Grange does with Mr. Darcy, Vampyre.

The novel begins in the year 1802, with Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy getting married and immediately going on their wedding tour. Elizabeth is surprised to hear that they are not going to see the Lake District, as planned, but that they are instead travelling to France. Soon enough, they find themselves in a variety of mysterious and frightening situations. Not even the beauties of France and Italy can comfort Elizabeth, who has no one to turn to and fears she might as well be losing her mind.

The major problem with Mr. Darcy, Vampyre is that it does not know what it wants to be. It fails greatly as a romance, with characters so out of synch with their originals, written by Jane Austen, one could almost fall asleep of mediocrity. Gone are the witty exchanges of the two lovebirds, no more tension one could cut with a knife the readers would expect of Austen's characters! Instead, Elizabeth and Darcy are given mediocre dialogues that range from empty to ridiculous, and are mostly no longer than a few lines. As a paranormal story, the novel suffers from what just might be the biggest spoiler in recent literature - its title. Anyone who chooses to read this book will surely know its title and suspect that Mr. Darcy might have grown fangs, but the author treats this information as if it is top secret, revealing it only after you've read more than 200 pages. During this time, Elizabeth is served rather obvious clues as to the nature of her husband, but she seems not as quick as she used to be. Finally, there is not much of the plot, with bad guys only serving the purpose for the Darcys to swiftly change locations. The final scene is probably the worst too, packed with cliches and standard B-movie moments, at the same time failing to give much needed answers.

It would not be fair, however, to say that Ms. Grange has not done anything right. When it comes to linking the events in this novel to the original, the solutions the author comes up with are nothing short of genius. There is not a single ambiguous moment in Austen's novel not elaborated here, and as the events unfold, Austen fans will surely be able to slowly figure out some of the twists based on their knowledge of Pride and Prejudice. Another thing Ms. Grange should receive praise for is her depiction of European royalty. Although these characters may not fit the story at all times, they are sometimes much more interesting than the title character, especially when the author cleverly links their vampiric isolation with the recent French Revolution. Finally, the novel often captures the reader's attention with its lush descriptions of nature, vistas and cities, almost serving as a travelogue of sorts.

If you want to know whether Mr. Darcy, Vampyre will be to your taste, there is a simple test. Austen purists, who loathed the infamous ending of the American version of the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice, will not be happy with this continuation. On the other hand, people who simply liked the story of Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy and would like to see the characters in a different light (or, technically, in the absence of light), will probably enjoy this interpretation. There are things to like about this novel, and it will surely become a best-seller.

RATING: 3/5

Thanks to Danielle Jackson for the ARC.

Review: Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell

Candace Bushnell is undoubtedly a tour-de-force in the world of chick lit, a writer whose novels are constantly referred to as examples of why women act the way they do, which especially rings true in the case of New Yorkers, single or otherwise. Her first novel Sex and the City, essentially a collection of her already published articles for the New Yorker Observer, redefined the genre of women's fiction and spawned a TV show that achieved cult status.

Ten years later, fans of Bushnell's sharp writing are treated to another major novel about single women, their careers, relationship and the habitat that is New York City. This time, the women are slightly older and wiser. Wendy Healy is the president of Paradore Pictures, a movie studio, and also an unhappy wife and mother. Nico O'Neilly, the most powerful woman in publishing, is trying to balance her extramarital affair with her sky-high ambitions when it comes to her career. Finally, fashion designer Victory Ford is trying to recover from the disastorous reviews her last collection has just suffered.

The novel is as glamourous, steamy and light as anything Bushnell has written before, but it also has a sense of start and finish, unlike her more jumpy novels Sex and the City and Four Blondes. The world of the rich and priviliged rings true, and it is not hard to jump right into the craziness of the world these three ladies live in. Although some plot elements seem uncalled for, or even grow tedious (particularly in the case of Wendy, whose marriage problems never seem to catch our attention), the novel works. Bushnell has long been a gliteratti connaiseur, but now she goes a step further, bridging the gap between her characters and her readers, as well as providing a stronger social commentary.

Finally, Lipstick Jungle works because of its characters. These three 40-something women are a welcome distraction from the pallette of silly, dumb chick lit protagonists we have been served lately. Wendy, Nico and Victory are all women on top, and although they struglle with a variety of life problems, they would never step down and let men do their job for them. In other words, they are bitches and proud of that. They would not whine about working for Miranda Presley - they would suck it up and ultimately take her down.

Lipstick Jungle has also been adapted for a TV show, starring Brooke Shields, Lindsay Price and Kim Raver.

RATING: 4/5

Giveaway Winners - The Eight & The Fire by Katherine Neville

I would like to thank each and every single one of you who left a comment in order to win one of these amazing books. Two lucky winners have been selected randomly, and here they are!

The Eight goes to Sheila, of BookJourney.

The Fire goes to Linda Ellen, of BambiReads.

Congratulations to the lucky winners - I look forward to reading your reviews. The book should be sent your way soon. Also, there is a new giveaway coming your way soon, so make sure you enter for another chance to win a fantastic book!

Thanks to Lisa Barnes and Katherine Neville for making this giveaway possible.

Review: The Fire by Katherine Neville

My Katherine Neville giveaway may have ended (still waiting for the winners to reply), but this does not mean you shouldn't pick up the sequel to one of the most talked-about books in the past twenty years. Katherine Neville's The Eight took the world by storm in 1988, breaking all the literary rules, and twenty years later, the sequel is finally available for us to enjoy. If you like strong female characters, mysteries, danger and puzzle-solving, The Fire will delight beyond all expectations.

The books picks up some twenty years after The Eight ended. After a tragedy, young Alexandra moves away from her mother Catherine Velis, and is shocked to find out her mother disappeared as soon as she tried to organize a rather strange birthday party. It is not soon before Alexandra first hears of the infamous Montglane chess set. Not long after that, she finds herself in the middle of an unsettling, dangerous game of unimaginable proportions. The story overlaps with the journey of Haidee, the daughter of an Otoman ruler, who must make sure a valuable artifact stays far away from dangerous hands. In standard Katherine Neville fashion, the historical stories features such real-life characters, such as Lord Byron and Thomas Jefferson.

The sequel to The Eight has taken twenty long years to write, and the depth of research the author is famous for definitely shows on the page. Many elements from different cultures and time periods are combined here, and although the plot is not as tight as it could have been, it is a page-turner worthy of anyone who likes the thrill. A strange hybrid of Dan Brown and Tracy Chevalier, Neville manages to lure the reader into her seductive, yet dangerous world, and with her impeccable writing style overcome most of the faults this book might have. The pacing can sometimes be off, and the historical part is not as engrossing as it had been in the first instalment, but The Fire will surely stand the test of time, just like its predecessor has. Any Katherine Neville novel is a literary event to be cherished.

RATING: 4/5