On Being A Second Language Learner

Bonjour! 

I say that because currently I am in Quebec! I am here because I'm doing a 5 week French immersion program that the government provides bursaries to Canadian students for. (If you're interested, you can find more information at www.myexplore.ca). In the program, you go and stay at a university (or with a host family if you want), take classes, and participate in French activities and outings around the city. We also are required to try to speak French all the time. And the program I'm in in Quebec City, you get warnings if you get caught speaking English, which can lead to you being kicked out of the program. It makes sense, since the government is paying for you to be here to learn French.

Anyway, as I've been learning, I've learned a lot of things about being a second language learner, so I thought I'd share them with you.

1. It is EXHAUSTING. It is really hard to speak a language that is not my mother tongue all the time. It takes extra effort to concentrate on understanding people, and it takes a lot of effort to be able to find the right way to say something. It's so much easier just to slip back into English. I now understand why one of my friends who was learning language would always be falling asleep in the car. He was just exhausted from trying so hard to keep up with everyone!

2. I probably sound stupid, even though I'm not. I know I'm using the wrong tenses or words or orders of words all the time, but I'm just trying to do my best to communicate in the best way I can. I do know how to express complex ideas and carry on interesting discussion, just not in French.

3. I feel like it is impossible to truly get to know me if you only speak French with me. At times when I would talk or add to the discussion in English, I don't in French because I don't know how to say certain things, it would just take way too long for me to say it, or I didn't fully understand what was said in the first place. I almost feel like there is this wall of fog separating me and francophones. I can kind of see through the fog, but only enough to understand general ideas and not every word. My understanding of others isn't complete enough to have the wall break down. 

4. You can never become a native speaker. I know this should be obvious, but I didn't quite realize it before. I never realized how even if you become fluent and capable in another language, you will probably still have an accent, and you'll just be missing essential knowledge about the other language that native speakers just take for granted. When I reflect on how I speak and use English, there are so many things I do that I don't realize or that would be impossible or at least really difficult to learn.

5. It is necessary to get outside the classroom. There are so many things you learn "sur la terrain" (on the ground) that you can't or won't learn in a classroom. Also, writing and being able to read only get you so far. There's slang, expressions and ways of speaking that you'll only learn by talking with someone who speaks that language.

6. While you can never get on the level of native speakers, if you have people around you that are willing to help teach you and support you in your learning and speaking and who don't make fun of you (too much) when you make mistakes, then you can learn another language!

So, those are just some things I've realized, and also help me to empathize with my friends whose mother tongue is not English. I definitely understand their experience a bit better now. I think I'm very spoiled as an anglophone, because most people in the world speak English, I could get away with only speaking English my entire life. However, I think it's almost a conceited way to go through life, expecting and wanting everyone to speak English just so it's easier for you. Not that I think that way, but I know there are some people who do, even people whose mother tongue isn't English. I wish that English hadn't taken over the world, because I think other languages are important and should be conserved and protected. Anyway, that's a big part of the reason why I want to improve my French, because I think it's important to learn other languages and the culture that goes with it.

What languages do you know? How have you found it learning another language?

The Book Faeries

 I believe it started when my 19-year-old brother said that he could finish absolutely any book. Offhandedly I said, "What about one of my YA romances?" And he shrugged in his typical style and said sure. So half as a joke, half knowing he would actually read it, I put my copy of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins on his pillow. And he read it. Despite being infuriatingly lazy and interested in math instead of writing, my brother has a few redeeming qualities. Such as, he reads quite widely and doesn't feel any shame about toting my bright blue, cutesy copy of Anna and the French Kiss around. Of course this did attract attention, so my brother explained to people inquiring how I'd challenged him that he wouldn't be able to finish the book. While he was reading it, my parents scoffed and said, "I bet I could give him a book he couldn't finish."



He did finish Anna and the French Kiss, and while he said that it was "not as bad as I thought it would be", he didn't really enjoy it, which is understandable given his interests. I like to think that the fact that it wasn't as annoying as he'd thought is a testament to Stephanie Perkin's writing skill, rather than my inability to give my brother a book he couldn't finish.

My little brother. Photo Credit: Alan Sherlock

Anyway, somehow it got to the point that we now have a cycle where each member of my family (except my sister) takes turns giving my brother a book to read. It went from giving my brother books he might not be able to finish, to just giving him books we liked and wanted him to read. It's quite enjoyable on both sides. My brother likes it because he gets a stream of books literally handed to him that have gone through an excellent filtering process. He never really has to read a horrible book, because they've already been screened by us. And my parents and I get to make my brother read books that we like and want other people to read. (Note: we did ask my sister if she wanted to be included in the cycle, but the only recommendation she ever had was Lemonade Mouth).


So after my brother finished Anna and the French Kiss, my dad gave him Men of Mathematics by E.T. Bell. I tried to interview my brother about what he thought of each of the books he's been given so far, but something to know about my brother is that he doesn't really talk a lot (whether it's because he actually has nothing to say or is just trying to annoy me is undetermined). So he said Men of Mathematics was "good" and when I asked him if he learned anything he said he "learned math".

After the math book, my brother was given The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot by my mom. This he also said was "good", and that the one thing he'll remember forever from this book is that it is weird that people ship cells in the mail. 

Then it was my turn again, so I gave him Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. He said it was good. When I tried to get him to elaborate on why it was good, he just said it was good because of "everything".

Dad's turn next, which meant back to non-fiction. He gave my brother Bully for Brontosaurus by Stephen Jay Gould. My brother said it was good, and one thing he learned was that there is a type of frog that is birthed by projectile vomiting. The egg grows in it's stomach and then it vomits it out, and it happened so fast that it took awhile for scientists to figure out what was actually going on. 

Mom's turn again, and she gave him The Power of the Powerless by Christopher de Vinck. Our sister has Down syndrome, so disability rights is something I think everyone in my family feels strongly about. My brother made a connection between some of the talk in this book about kids being put into institutions, and the images of insane asylums that are presented at the beginning and end of the movie Amadeus.

Then it was back to me again, so I gave him The Secret History by Donna Tartt, which he actually just finished. I found this book really fascinating and it made me think about so many different things, which is why I gave it to my brother to read. One of his comments was that he thought it was weird and unrealistic that the speech of various characters was very similar most of the time. He also commented that the book shows how easy it is to get away with murder, although it's easy in one way and hard in another. I was also talking about how the horror of the whole thing had caught me off guard when I read it, and he said that the way it's told, it seems very nonchalant about the horror. 

Then when he finishes The Secret History, it's my dad's turn, and we continue! My brother is pretty lucky that he has his own personal book faeries to pick out and give him books to read without him having to lift a finger. Perhaps we are only enabling his laziness, but it sure is fun. I love recommending books to people, and my brother is the perfect person to recommend books to because you know he'll read it, as long as you give it to him. It's also fun for us because then he gets to share in a little part of our interests and our worlds. We are connecting ourselves to each other, through our favourite books. Maybe soon we'll even have a family book club. Who knows? 

My brother isn't engaged in the online writing community, because his interests are more on the side of science and mathematics, so I can't plug him in that way. But he's actually in university for computer science, and has even made a couple of apps for android, which you can find and download here. 

Have a great day!

Book Review: The Urban Cycling Survival Guide by Yvonne Bambrick

So a few weeks ago I entered a contest on 49thshelf.com, (my newest favourite website, for all your Canlit needs) to win The Urban Cycling Survival Guide by Yvonne Bambrick. I just entered on a whim, assuming there probably wouldn't be too many people entering so I had a good chance of winning. I also thought hey, I ride my bike in the city sometimes, although I assumed it was probably written for more committed cyclists.

Well, I was wrong - it turned out, The Urban Cycling Survival Guide was exactly what I needed. As I already mentioned, I'm not a super committed commuter cyclist like some people are. I don't ride in the winter or every day. I only started using my bike to commute to school this year because other years my commute has either been too far away, or close enough that I just walk instead. 

In the introduction, the author states that her goal is to basically give a grand overview to what you need to know about biking in the city. I think she accomplishes this really well. The overview was really easy to read, clear, and caught all the most important aspects of urban cycling. However, since it is an overview, you definitely need to do some more reading to learn more about each topic. Thankfully she includes a list of additional resources at the end! There was definitely a lot of stuff that I knew already, but I learned a lot of things as well.

Mostly I learned that my city sucks for commuter cycling. I mean, I didn't even know protected cycle tracks were a thing. That would be awesome. My city barely even has bike lanes. The author actually addresses the fact that a lot of cities are only starting to be more bike-friendly. She has an entire chapter at the end of the book about bicycle advocacy. I looked up bicycle advocacy in my city, and what do you know, there are multiple groups and organizations devoted to it. 

I think one of the best things about this book is that it doesn't preach at you about being environmentally friendly, or even cycling. It was mostly just a beginner's guide to encourage people to be less afraid to just go out and try cycling by equipping them with some important knowledge. Even if you have no interest in biking right now, I'd encourage you to pick up this book anyway and read it, and then see what you think about biking afterward.

In closing I'd like to leave you with a quote included in the "Why Ride?" chapter of the book. It perfectly expresses why I love biking, and why even though biking is often much harder than driving, I would much rather bike than drive somewhere.

"For me, especially from the raised vantage point of a bicycle seat, the feeling is reminiscent of snorkeling. Like an exotic seascape seen from a fresh perspective, the city reveals itself in new ways. Self-propelled motion at relatively low speeds offers us more than exercise and a chance to commune with our neighbours. It restores a geographic intuition that was weakened by the car - a feel for the real distances between things, a sense of the connections between the parts of the city." - Ken Greenberg

What's Up Wednesday

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk to help writers stay in touch.
 
WHAT I'M READING

I just finished Listen, Slowly by Thanha Lai. I love MG, they're always so fun and silly, but can also be really heartbreaking at the same time, and this is exactly what Listen, Slowly was. I loved Mai, she was so funny and confident and got herself into things. It's always fun when MCs just get into all sorts of crazy and embarrassing situations. I also loved how the friend Mai made while she was in Vietnam was super into frogs, of all things.

WHAT I'M WRITING

I was working on a story about a young traveler that tries to leave her hurts behind at home, but school happened, as it always does. I was trying to do 500 words a day, but I kind of just... stopped. Anyone want to volunteer to keep me accountable?

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW

I'm finding my classes really inspiring right now, although now they're all over - my last day of classes was Tuesday! (Now exams woohoo). I love learning. 

IN OTHER NEWS

Well, school just ended and now I'm into exam period. The other thing that just happened is I got accepted into a 5-week French immersion program called Explore, which is a program that the Canadian government actually gives bursaries for in order to encourage Canadians to learn French. So the government pays for everything except your transportation to the university you take classes at (and live at), and spending money. There's programs at universities all across Canada, but I'm going to Université Laval in Quebec City! I'm super excited but also a little bit nervous because you're required to speak French all the time and I'm like... I don't know enough French!? Although I'm sure I know more than I think I do. 

Anyway, that's what's up with me. Sorry all I've been doing lately is update posts and book reviews, but I feel like I need to post something, and those are two easier kinds of posts to write. I do want to write some more in-depth posts on things I've been thinking about, though. So stay tuned!

What's up with you?

2 CanLit Reviews: Cockroach and Beauty Plus Pity

Happy April! If you didn't already know, this year I've pledged to do the Around the World Reading Challenge. It's been really fun so far, trying to find books set all over the world, and written by people who aren't American. It's interesting, reading books that are often outside my comfort zone or focused on a topic that isn't as easy to read about. One of the mini-challenges in the Around the World challenge is to read a book from every state, although I decided to tweak it and make it a book from every Canadian province and territory instead. As a result I've been reading a lot more Canadian books. Here's two that I just finished!

The first book I just finished is the book Cockroach by Rawi Hage, which is about a man trying to survive in Montreal's immigrant community, among dealing with other problems. Although one of the interesting things is he doesn't really deal with his problems. There's his issues of thievery, stalking, suicide, and his consistent hallucinations of cockroaches. It's definitely a decision on the part of the author not to have the MC to struggle to overcome any of these issues, in order to try to say something, although I'm not quite sure what. There's so much going on this book, different things that the author does with various images, that I don't even know where to start unraveling it. It's not that it's bad, it's just that it requires a lot of thinking and I think a second read-through in order to really begin to understand what the author is trying to say. 

The most interesting image is of course based off the title, the image of the cockroach, which the MC constantly imagines himself as. This is obviously the central focus of the book, the connection between this poor immigrant and how he thinks of himself as a cockroach. It's a very different, intriguing way of learning about immigrant's experiences in Canada, one that I'd never considered. It's definitely on the darker side, though, that's for sure. I wouldn't recommend this book for someone looking for something fun and light, but for someone who wants to be made to think, definitely. 

The other book I just finished was Beauty Plus Pity by Kevin Chong. This was another book where I was uncertain what the author was trying to do, although it was a lot more obvious than in Cockroach, that's for sure. Beauty Plus Pity is about Malcolm, who lives in Vancouver and is a second-gen Canadian immigrant from Hong Kong. The book mostly focuses on his relationship with his half-sister, Hadley, who was born through an affair his father had. This book was definitely a lot easier to read than Cockroach, as it mostly just went through the drama in about a year of Malcolm's life. 

Malcolm was a really easy narrator to read, too. His voice was always very calm and reasonable, and I felt comfortable in it. Just like the voice, the book also moved at a calm pace, yet it didn't feel dragged out but natural. Everything was very natural, all the character and relationship development. The subtle changes in the characters were definitely the strength of this book, because that is how people change in real life, I think. There were no giant epiphanies, but subtle ones that the reader kind of has to dig under the surface to find, which I love. I would definitely recommend this book, for someone looking for an easier read filled with good, bright and often humorous characters. Malcolm was just one of many characters in this book that was interesting to read about.

If you have any recommendations for books set outside of the U.S. or by non-American authors, comment below or tweet me @asherlockwrites!

Top Ten Tuesday: TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. Today's feature is ten books on your spring TBR list! 

Recently I've been searching for Canadian books and books with global settings to read for my Around the World Reading Challenge, so those are the kinds of books that have ended up on my TBR recently. Here's ten I'm really excited to read - some aren't out yet, but some are and I just haven't read them yet! 

The Outside Circle by Patti Laboucane-Benson and Kelly Mellings is a graphic novel about two Aboriginal brothers. I've become a lot more interested in graphic novels lately, and this one sounded interesting. Also I think I need to read more books with Aboriginal MCs. The Outside Circle is supposed to come out in May 2015. 

A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri is a book about a young woman in Iran. The cover and the premise are both beautiful. 

Listen, Slowly by Thanha Lai I put on my TBR because of the gorgeous cover. It is about a young girl traveling to Vietnam to learn more about her family roots. 

Nothing Like Love by Sabrina Ramnanan. Such a pretty cover, and an intriguing story. It comes out in April, and it is very much anticipated.

Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu - another graphic novel.

Beauty Plus Pity by Kevin Chong I put on my TBR because I found it on a list at 49thshelf.com and it sounded interesting. 

Black Bird by Michel Basielieres I added to my TBR because I really haven't read all that much about Montreal, and it sounds interesting.

Burmese Lessons: A true love story by Karen Connelly I added because I like love stories, and I like memoirs. Although I just noticed that this book is part of a list called "Travelogues of people who should get their head examined" on Goodreads, so we shall see how reading this one goes. 

The Art of Getting Stared At by Laura Langston is by a Canadian author about a girl with a hair loss condition with a name that is impossible to remember. It intrigues me, also because a girl who I used to be in choir with had the same condition. 

I Love, I Hate, I Miss My Sister by Amelie Sarn is a book about sisters, translated from French. What more could you want?

Now I've got to get reading!! What are some books on your spring TBR? (FYI if you're looking for diverse Canadian books, 49th Shelf is awesome for that - especially since they have a global theme this month).

Review: Book of Negroes CBC Miniseries

Hello! Today I come to talk about a book and a book to screen adaptation, specifically Book of Negroes, which is originally a book by Lawrence Hill. I read it initially in grade 11, so I didn't remember the plot, but I did remember enjoying it and eventually being drawn into the story and the characters. 

Over 6 weeks in January, CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) aired a mini series that was based on the book. It was 6 parts, each part an hour. Since sometimes when book-to-film adaptations come out, bookish people write blog posts on them, I thought I'd do a review of this mini series! 

So, the Book of Negroes storyline covers the life a girl, Aminata, from her life in her African village in Guinea, and her experience being taken from her home and being sold as a slave across the ocean. The story is then her story of struggle as she travels and tries to find her way back to her loved ones and her home, all the while fighting for her life. If you've never read the Book of Negroes, you really should. It's a very interesting history of the slave trade, and I think that is something important to know about. I know that it you could learn about it from a textbook, but when it is from the perspective of a character, in this case Aminata, you get to see how her personal life was affected and you can empathize with her. Aminata herself is an amazing, strong character and she never gives up a fight and always stands up for herself and those she loves. 

I suppose it's a bit easier to adapt a book (quite a long one too) into a 6 hour series rather than a movie, but CBC did so well with this one. I didn't remember the book much, which may have helped me not to be too judgmental of discrepancies. But what I did remember - the intense story of struggle that Aminata went through and how she fought with everything she had to get through hard times - that was all included in the mini series. Each hour long episode, despite being an hour, never felt like it was long enough. The plot moved along at a quick pace and there was enough interesting twists that it was easy to get caught up in the story and be moved along. Everything made sense and fit together well, although of course some of the plot points were devastating for Aminata, and that was hard to watch. 

The various characters were also very well rounded and interesting, especially Aminata. Sometimes when I read a book or watch a film where the characters are fascinated by this one character and say that she's special all the time and that she's destined for great things, I can't help but roll my eyes and think, oh whatever, she's not that special (*cough*Divergent*cough*). But not with Aminata. She is so strong-willed and tough, you can't help but cheer for her all the way through and think yes, yes, of course she's going to do great things. Not only that but you want more people to see her brilliance for what it is - although of course, the sad thing is with racism, her strength and intelligence are often discounted because of her skin colour. 

Aminata was not the only interesting character, however. I don't know how characters were introduced in each episode, but it was still heartbreaking to leave each one when the time came. Of course, this was also probably because of the relationships that Aminata cultivated with people, always so open and compassionate. 

The Book of Negroes mini series kept me (and my best friend who I watched it with) clutching our blankets the whole way through, and crying with Aminata through her ups and downs. Especially the last episode, there were so many heartbreaking things that happened. 

The Book of Negroes is more than just a simple story of a black slave during the time of the slave trade. It is an important and interesting story of a strong-willed young woman's life. I hope you will check out the mini series, and dive into a fuller understanding of the slave trade while you are wrapped up in Aminata and her story.

You can find the Book of Negroes mini series on CBC here, and it is also on BET here. I believe it is also on iTunes. 

If you want to check out the book, you can find it on Goodreads here.

Review: Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt

Gary D. Schmidt sure can write a beautiful book, and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy is no exception.

I think my favourite thing about Gary D. Schmidt's writing is how he weaves natural imagery into his stories, and he does it so, so brilliantly. In Lizzie Bright he uses the island and the whales that swim around the island to add to the depth and emotion of the story. The way he uses these natural elements in his books provides another deep layer of meaning to the story.

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster boy is set in Maine in 1912, and it is about the eviction of a black community from the island of Malaga off the coast of Maine. It's based on a true story, and Gary D. Schmidt writes it as terribly heart wrenching as a young white boy from Phippsburg, Maine makes friends with a young black girl, Lizzie Bright, who lives on the island with her grandpa. The writing is simple, clear, and smooth and so is the storyline. Gary D. Schmidt gets emotions across so well, both from his characters and from his reader (yeah, maybe I cried).

This is a beautiful and important book that made me think, and you should definitely check it out, especially if you want your heart broken, but in a good way.

Find it on Goodreads here and Gary D. Schmidt's website here.

4 Places I Want to Visit Because of Books

Some books just have the most fascinating settings, you can't help but want to visit the places their settings are based off of. Here are some places I want to travel to and the books that make me want to travel there!

1. Wales

A lot of Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle is filled with Welsh mythology. Anyway one of the big parts of the series is how one of the characters, Gansey, is obsessed with his search for the Welsh king Glendower. I follow Maggie on Twitter and a few months ago she visited Wales and posted pictures and it is so gorgeous.

2. Virginia

This is also a place I want to visit as a result of reading The Raven Cycle, which is actually set in Virginia. The landscape sounds so pretty, and the few pictures Maggie has posted look amazing. It just looks like such a pretty place to go, and it's somewhere not a lot of people choose as a travel destination.

3. Russia

Shadow and Bone and the rest of the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo made me a lot more interested in Russia. I mean, the covers alone portray some of the architecture and beauty that are inspired by Russia. I also just think it'd be really interesting to travel to Russia, since it's a country that I don't know a lot about.

4. Amsterdam

Despite everything that irks me about The Fault in Our Stars, it does make Amsterdam seem like a pretty fun and interesting place to visit. As long as the idiotic Van Houten stays far away from me, I would love to visit the Anne Frank house or any other historical attraction I could find in this beautiful city.

What places do you want to visit because of books? 

Loony Literate Launch Blog Hop!

Hello! So Emily, who I follow Twitter @thelooneytuney, has launched her own website! As part of a celebration of launching her own website, she's doing a fun blog hop thing, and the questions looked fun, so I thought I'd join in. (And while you're at it, go check out her site, it's super cute: www.loonyliterate.com). 

1) What’s something a bit LOONY about you?

As a child, I was extremely sensitive, and often books that I don't blink an eye at now scared me to pieces then. I couldn't finish Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin when I first read it in middle school, because it scared me too much! I also get nervous sometimes on precarious staircases, especially ones where you can see through each step. 

 

2) Since I’m Australian – what’s your favourite book by an Australian author?

Melina Marchetta is my favourite author OF ALL TIME, so I have much love for Australian authors. Jellicoe Road, Saving Francesca, The Piper's Son and her Lumatere Chronicles series are my favourite. 

 

3) What’s your favourite kind of post to write, and why?

Silly, creative posts are really fun to write, but so are tag/blog hop posts like this, because then I don't have to do as much work to figure out to word stuff - I just have to answer questions!  

4) Favourite genre of YA?

Contemporary, then fantasy. 

 

5) Biggest blogging goal?

Currently, I want to do waaay more book reviews this year. Also just more posts in general (so far I'm doing pretty good!)

 

6) Name another blogger who has been an inspiration to you.

Steph Bowe has some great posts on her blog (hey look another Australian!)

 

7) Trivia -

a) a 2014 contemporary YA release where the main character is called Emily (and I loved it, by the way). This author also wrote a book about a road trip.

I saw someone else's answer but now I can't remember... it's a book by whoever wrote Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, though, I know it. 

 

b) Madam Rosmerta from Harry Potter makes lovely oak-matured what?

[hint…it’s part of my name]

Mead! Because Emily's last name is Mead. ;)

 

8) If you haven’t done this already, look up your full name (or your pen name if you use one) on an anagram finder. What’s the best anagram of your name?

Either Salary Heck Loss or Scholarly Sakes, but there are so many! Haha. That was fun, thanks Emily.

9) One thing you want to see more of in YA?

I always want to see more friendship and family stories, especially where both parents are present and well-developed. I'd also love to see stories set outside of North America, with non-American main characters. 

 

10) And finally – are you excited about Loony Literate????

Yes! I am excited to see what you will do with it. :) Also, it is already beautiful, and it must be exciting having your own website! 

Check out Emily's blog, and her blog hop link-up giveaway she's super sweet! :)

What's Up Wednesday

Hello! Thought I'd do a What's Up Wednesday to update you guys.

WHAT I'M READING

I am currently reading an ARC of The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski that I got from my local bookstore, on the condition that you send in a review to them. It's a pretty sweet deal. Also, I loved The Winner's Curse (the first one in the series), so I'm excited to read it's sequel, even if it's so painful, already, and I'm only about twelve chapters in.

WHAT I'M WRITING

Heheh... nothing, at the moment. I had started rereading the draft I finished in August, although I've stopped since school started. I suppose half a year is enough time for a draft to sit before digging into it, ha. There's still a lot that needs to be fixed, but I think I like the direction I've gone in better now. So I guess one of my goals is to finish reading it, and then start digging in and revising again. I'd also love to find a few more critique partners, so if you're interested...

I also want to write some more short stories, although I currently have no ideas. I'd also love to start something entirely new, but I only have an inkling of an idea, and no conflict or anything yet, so. I'm kind of in a slump with writing at the moment.

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW

Pascal Campion's art is gorgeous. I could look at it all day. I think my favourite thing about his art is that it tells a story.

Ahh so pretty.

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO

School! What else is new? Going into the fourth week back, and I've finally become a little bit motivated. Oh, I also spent the evening with my best friend on Saturday, and we went to two different bookstores, and then we went back to her place to watch the CBC adaptation of the Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. Both the book and the mini-series are very, very good and if you have not read the book, you should, and if you have, watch the CBC mini series!

Review: Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

I picked DAIRY QUEEN up from the library because it was recommended to me on Twitter after I asked for contemporary recommendations. I ended up reading it because I knew it would be an easier read and I needed something fluffier after reading a bunch of intensely emotional books.

When I started this book, I didn't really expect much. I expected it to be fun, and since it was first person, maybe kind of annoying, but ultimately bearable and in the end, forgettable. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when it turned out to be much better than I expected and I didn't have trouble slogging through it at all.

DAIRY QUEEN is about the main character, D.J., and her ups and downs with her family, an annoying football jock from a rival high school who has been sent to her family's farm by his football coach to do hard work, and her relationship with football, a sport she loves.

I've read a lot of first person POV books of young teenage girls that are just irritating. Authors somehow seem to think that as long as the MC is snappy and sarcastic, they'll be interesting, but it's so overdone and frankly boring. D.J. was not like that at all. She was unabashedly herself, and while she was sarcastic, it was just a pure, innocent humor that just made me like her that much more. D.J. was like that person that you meet at school who you can immediately tell they are the sweetest person ever and after five minutes of talking with them you feel like you could be best friends. 

Another thing I appreciated about D.J.'s POV was that she didn't ignore the obvious, like when some first person POV narrators constantly deny that they like their love interest, or other obvious things. D.J. was open and honest about everything with herself, which was quite refreshing.

The best thing, though, was how D.J. came to conclusions about her life and who she is on her own. She wasn't validated of her beauty or whatever by her love interest or anyone else. She was the one who changed her mind, and she was the one that took the initiative to get places and change her own thoughts about herself.

If you want a fun, relaxing read with a happy and silly young narrator like D.J., I'd encourage you to check this book out! 

Check it out on Goodreads here. 
Check it out on Book Depository here, as well as Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.
Check out the author on her website here.

Around the World Reading Challenge

Hello! I found this reading challenge while browsing Twitter one day, the Around the World Reading Challenge 2015. It's a challenge where you keep track of the places where the books you read are set, and then you mark those places on a Google map throughout the year. Part of the challenge is also to encourage people to read more diversely, so that their dots are all over the world rather than mostly just in North America or the U.S. I have to admit that most of the books I read are set in the U.S., just because when you pick up YA books, that's usually where they are set. It's a lot of work to find lots and lots of books that are set in unique places all around the world. 

But, this year I have decided to commit to doing the work of seeking out books with non-U.S. settings. I think I am even going to try to read more books set outside of the U.S. this year than books with U.S. settings. Why not? I think it'd be fun, and a way to encourage me to read more diversely which I'm always trying to do. 

One of the mini challenges in the challenge is to read a book set in each U.S. state, but since I've read lots of books set in the U.S. already, and since I'm Canadian, I thought I'd try to read a book set in every Canadian province and territory instead. I know there are only 13 provinces and territories compared to 50 states, but it is significantly harder to find books set in Canada that I actually find interesting enough to want to read. (Like there are lots of books set in the Yukon but most that I've found so far are historical fiction about the gold rush, which I'm not really interested in).

Anyone interested in joining this challenge with me? Also, do you have any book recommendations for books set in Canada, or just anywhere outside of the U.S.? 

Oh and you can check out my map here, if you want to see where I've journeyed in my reading so far this year! :) 

How to Find Your Favourite Book

Today I am going to tell you the story of how I ended up finding my favourite books, probably the top two being Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (and Saving Francesca and The Piper's Son by her) and Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt. 

I found Jellicoe Road because I read an interview that YA Highway had with Melina Marchetta, and I thought the concept sounded interesting, so a few weeks or months later I picked it up at the library, not knowing at all that I would fall in love and discover my first favourite book ever. Before Jellicoe Road, whenever people asked my what my favourite book was, or what I thought the best book ever was, I shrugged and said I liked too many books to answer that, or that I had a hundred favourites. Now I have an answer, and it's this book. Of course, this led to me wanting to gobble up everything Melina Marchetta, and I did so and loved it (with the exception of Looking for Alibrandi, but I think I'm going to give that one a second chance). 

Okay for Now I put on my TBR list because I liked the cover, and picked it up at the library eventually. Even when I started it, I didn't feel like it was anything special, just a simple story with a fairly typical character. I'd read a bunch of books in a similar vein; the cutesy, small town MG. However, there was some moment two thirds of the way through when something clicked and I saw just how brilliant Gary D. Schmidt's writing was and all of the cleverly subtle things he did to craft a beautiful story, with intricately complicated and tender characters and the main character maybe was typical, but Doug is now my precious and one of those characters I'd protect at all costs.

So there is no step by step guide on how to find your favourite book. All of my favourite books I've just stumbled upon. I had no idea when I opened Okay for Now, or even when I was halfway through, that it would end up being one of my favourite books of all time. 

How do you find your favourite book then? Read. Read lots. There are many quotes from people about how there is no one who doesn't like reading, just people who have not yet found that one book that they love. There are soo many books out there, and I promise you, there is one for you. There is one book that will make you feel not alone and special and warm and fuzzy and make you think or whatever you need to love a book. 

But you also need to work to find that favourite book. You need to read lots, because if you never read, you are obviously not going to find your favourite book. I read 109 books this past year, and I really only fell in love with a few. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed a lot more than that, but not all of them make me feel incredibly, undeniably happy or blown away. And despite that, I trudge onward, knowing that any of the next 100 books I pick up could be my new favourite. But I will have no idea until I read them. 

What's your favourite book, or have you not found yours yet?

"There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book."  -Frank Serafini