Book Review: Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers

SUMMARY:

When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Culler seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on...but are some questions better left unanswered?


OPINION: 5 STARS

The Short Version:
Potent and intense, Fall for Anything puts a new spin on a post-suicide setting in this character driven story. There is a constant emotional pull that keeps the reader in Eddie’s pained mindset, and with plenty of unsuspected twists, there is a constant drive to keep the pages turning that rivals Eddie’s need to know the truth about her father’s decision. Summers’ stunning writing blends with a well developed cast of characters for an all around hit.

The Extended Version:
Eddie is a very dimension character, trying to not let herself classify things as Before and After while still doing it even unknowingly. Filled with pain at losing her father, Seth, and unable to cope with her mother’s depression, Eddie is grasping at things to make her understand. The depth of her confusion and pain comes through incredibly well, reminding the reader at the right times of how this situation must really feel. With no clues before her father’s suicide to even hint at his true feelings, Eddie is blindsided and struggling. She acts out in gentle ways, and her burning need for some of connection both to her father and just to someone who understands is such a driving part of this book.

Milo, her best friend, is hiding some secrets of his own and feeling the weight of Eddie’s sorrow. There is a clear change in their friendship, but even through Eddie’s eyes, Milo’s true personality comes through. He, too, is well created and developed, and goes through some impressive growth strides that rival Eddie’s. Though he makes mistakes, he is a very good friend, and very concerned for Eddie. In the brief moments of carefree friendship, their banter really shows how things used to be with the two before plummeting them and the reader back into the post-suicide state.

Culler is a very interesting character, holding a quiet intensity that dominates some scenes. A student of Eddie’s father, Culler has a passion for photography that helps create a more rounded picture of Seth. The way he views Seth is clear from the start, and the reasons Eddie all but latches onto him are heartbreaking to read but completely understandable. His real reasons and motives, however, aren’t clear, though this is often ignored even for the reader since Eddie doesn’t tend to pay mind to it, creating an interesting view of Culler as a whole.

The plot centers on Eddie’s need to find out why her father killed himself. There are some clear events that help push things along, but it always comes back to that central focus, and Summers does a fantastic job of maintaining that aspect. The best and worst of all her characters is shown, holding nothing back as they face unexpected events and try to come to terms with everything that’s happened. There are some very emotionally intense, written poignantly and lasting just long enough to drive the points home without lingering.

There are some very striking truths in this book, highlighting not only how it feels to be left behind but that maybe searching for the answers will only bring more pain. From testing friendships and family, to questioning where trust should be placed, several hard to face concepts are weaved together in such a seamless fashion. Summers’ writing is fantastic, giving a clear voice to Eddie and holding a very teenage element while still maintaining an emotional and intelligent air. The scene transitions are smooth, and even the changes within a chapter are easy to follow. Adding to the overall impact is how different Fall for Anything is, in tone, nature and play out, from either of Summer’s previous books, which really showcases her talent and ability.

Details:
Source: ARC received from publisher in exchange for honest review
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Reprint edition (December 21, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312656734
ISBN-13: 978-0312656737

Best of 2010: Top 5 Contemporary and Best Friends

Now that 2010 is winding down, it's that time when the Best Of lists hit the blogosphere. Those of you that follow me regularly know how much I love lists, so this is pretty much happiness for me.

Characters are the biggest thing for me in a book, but since I also wanted to include book categories, I'll be posting two lists a day, all week, to feature both subjects. Unless obviously indicated otherwise, these lists are based on 2010 releases that I've read.

Up first, in the characters category, is Best Friends. They're there in a lot of books, some better than others, but how much recognition do they really get?

And following up the best friends is, no surprise here, contemporary fiction. Of all the lists, this one is definitely the hardest. Contemp is what I read the most of, and there have been some seriously STUNNING contemp titles that have come out. But here are the

The Best Friend:

1. Link (Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl): He's there with Ethan through most everything, and even if he falters sometimes, he still comes through. This is only strengthened in Beautiful Darkness, and everyone will be a whole lot better off if they have a Shrinky Dink in their life.

2. Lish (Paranormalcy by Kiersten White): She's a mermaid, which gives her some automatic awesome points. But she's loyal, and definitely there for Evie, at least as much as she can be considering she lives in a tank. She's got a great sense of humor, and is just a downright awesome character all around, but a great best friend.

3. Graves (Jealousy by Lili St. Crow): He can make the quips, and he even might get mad at Dru, but at the end of the day, he's there for her. He's softly intense and fiercely loyal, and there is such an interesting connection between the two.

4. Milo (Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers): He understands, best he can, about how hurt Eddie is after her father's suicide. He tries to be there for her, even if he isn't sure how. But if she needs someone to pick her up out of nowhere, he'll do it. Maybe he's made some mistakes, but there is most definitely something great about Milo.

5. Wade (Take Me There by Carolee Dean): Maybe he isn't really the best friend for Dylan, and some of the problems in Dylan's life might be because of Wade, but there is still something stunning about their friendship. Through thick and thin, they're there for each other. Wade gives Dylan the drive to push himself, even if he doesn't realize it.


Contemporary Fiction:

1. Compromised by Heidi Ayarbe: This book is unlike any other I've read. It's raw and gritty and so emotional I actually cried, which is huge. It made me rethink so many things, especially about homeless teens on the street. How many of them are really runaways, and how many had little other choice? With a very well developed central character, and some stellar side characters, Compromised is honestly just... amazing. Words cannot do justice to how I really feel about this book. This is one book that I will never forget, no matter how many more books I read.

2. Take Me There by Carolee Dean: An unexpected, jaw dropping ending with a very intense story make this one my kind of read. Add in the male POV, and it's easy to see why I recommend this one to everyone. Dylan is a very well rounded character, and there are some potent messages in this one that just can't be described here. Go out and pick this one up. It's not a romance, like the cover might suggest, even though there is some romance in it. Don't let that fool or deter you- just read it, and by prepared for a gutting, emotional, but so worth it journey.

3. Freefall by Mindi Scott: Male POV with a side of sassy girl and a likable love interest. Yep. This one is another perfect Kari read. Seth is flawed, but not so much it's a turn off. He's just real. He has no reason to finish school, with a drop out older brother and friend, and a mom that doesn't totally care, but he still wants to. This book is such a gorgeous coming of age mixed with a romance. Maybe the triggering point for it was something sad, but it isn't a sad book overall. It's got some poignant and intense scenes, but a stellar ending and is just... fantastic.

4. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger: First off, Kody has made a jerk of a manwhore completely likable and swoonworthy. Then she used a brash, caustic main character to break him. Add in the seriously well done romance mixed with the major issues this book hits on, and The DUFF is one that will mesh with a range of readers, no matter their body type because it's just that good to be relatable for basically everyone. Not to mention, it's seriously sexy. One of the hottest scenes I've read in YA is in this book, and one of the best lines I've read is also in this book. But sex appeal aside, this book throws body image into the light, and does it fantastically.

5. John Belushi is Dead by Kathy Charles: There is something almost grotesque about this book. Kathy really throws her characters at you from the start, giving you the full scope of them. There are some things about Benji that practically smack you in the face when you read them, but since Hilda is best friends with him, it barely faces her. It creates such a great dissonance, and add in the very vivid setting and the phenomenal character development in Hilda, and this is a book that is memorable in message and content, and too hard to explain in a short paragraph the reasons why.

That's today's Best of 2010. Check back tomorrow for more, and let me know in the comments what some of your favorite best friends and contemporary fiction titles are!

Oh! And the awesome, sparkly banner at the top? Made by the seriously talented Jessica at A Fanatic's Book Blog. You should check her out. She does great work, at a reasonable cost.

Author Holiday Extravaganza + Contest: Ty Roth

Today's featured author is 2011 debut Ty Roth, who's written So Shelly. If you haven't heard of this book, make sure you check it out. With a gorgeous cover and a very great premise, it's definitely one to look out for! I now turn over to Ty:


First Snows and Final Thoughts

In an early scene from The Great Gatsby, on a June evening, Daisy Buchanan sits on the veranda of her palatial East Egg estate and asks her dinner guests, “Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it.” That seemingly innocuous musing has always stuck with me. I think because it mirrors the way in which so many of us wait for our lives to really begin only to one day wake up old men and women and to discover that in the watching for it, we’ve already missed it.

Like Daisy, I too anticipate the arrival of a particular day of the year. For me, however, it is the symbolic opposite of Daisy’s special day, and I watch for it without her blasé obliviousness to the passing of time. Each year, I watch for the first snowfall. The vast majority of the time, I’ve viewed this spectacle through a classroom window, and it has never failed to send a surge of electricity through both me and my high school-aged students, who turn wide-eyed towards the snow drifting downwards in flakes that are few-and-far-between. Each time it’s like the first time any of us have ever seen this spiritual manna from the heavens fall to feed and lift our souls still mourning the end of summer’s warmth and autumn’s beauty.

For my students, as it was for me as a young person, the snow’s coming is a welcome harbinger of all of the soon-to-arrive joys of winter: sledding, skating, snow days, and especially Christmas vacations, celebrations, and of course, gifts. Although winter in the offing still generates a similar excitement for me, it also arrives with a more sobering message: the end of another in a fast-diminishing store of years. I don’t think of it as a sad realization but as a reminder to cherish the season and to make the most of those still-plentiful years. The early snow admonishes me not to be like Daisy Buchanan, who, despite her materially-blessed condition, remains spiritually and emotionally famished throughout the novel and grows unappreciative of friends, family, and the profound pleasure to be had by treasuring simple things and by wallowing in the slow passage of time.

Even as I watch these first flakes waft to the ground, which is still too warm to properly welcome them, I think of a line of poetry from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind”: “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” So, I don’t bemoan winter’s arrival; instead, I’m grateful for its reminders of 1) the need to consciously extract as much joy as possible from the elusive present, and 2) that nothing really dies anyway; everything resurrects and reincarnates.

One of my favorite songs of the season is “This Christmas.” It’s been frequently-covered but never done as well as Donnie Hathaway’s original version. The song has nothing to do with snow, but it ties in to my other theme of focusing intently on the here and the now so as not to allow it to slip past unawares. The title suggests that unlike all of the singer’s previous Christmases, “this Christmas” he’s finally going to get it right. My hope is that this Christmas and in this next year, we all get it right.

Happy Holidays!


And to wrap up the extravaganza and celebrate the holidays, Ty has offered up one signed copy of So Shelley, which will be sent out to the winner after his author copies come in.

To enter, fill out THIS form. Contest is US only and ends January 8.

Contest: The Dark Divine by Bree Despain + Nailpolish

You might already have purple Dark Divine nail polish, but do you have The Lost Saint blue polish? Or the book? Didn't think so.

Well, now's your chance to enter to win both! Just fill out THIS form. Contest is US only and ends 12/31.

Summary: The non-stop sequel to The Dark Divine delivers an even hotter romance and more thrilling action than Bree Despain's first novel. Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She gave her soul to the wolf to save him and lost her beloved mother. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven. Desparate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot - a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel begins to crumble. Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace becomes prideful in her new abilities - not realizing that an old enemy has returned and deadly trap is about to be sprung. Readers, raveous for more Grace and Daniel, will be itching to sink their teeth into The Lost Saint.

Contest: Loser/Queen by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Courtesy of Simon & Schuster, I've got a copy of Jody Lynn Anderson's Loser/Queen to giveaway, along with a keychain.

Summary:

Cammy Hall is what anyone would describe as a loser. She lives with her grandparents and has adopted their way of life… right down to the comfortable shoes and early bedtime. And can she help it that she actually likes to knit?

At school, her skills with knitting needles and some yarn go completely unappreciated: people like Bekka Bell reign while Cammy and her best friend, the fearless Danish exchange student Gerdi, watch from the sidelines. Cammy’s used to being an outsider; after years of humiliating moments, her goal is simply to fly under the radar. Then she suddenly starts receiving mysterious text messages that lead her right to all the embarrassing secrets about the most popular kids in school. Cammy never expected to be able to climb up the high school food chain, and the agenda of the texter may be questionable—but how can she possibly give up the chance to be Queen?


To enter, just fill out THIS form. Contest is US only, and ends January 2.

Author Holiday Extravaganza: Myra McEntire

Today's holiday spotlight is going to up and coming 2011 debut author Myra McEntire. You know, that author of the book called Hourglass that looks really amazing? Yes. Her. Myra is sharing a recipe with us today that, frankly, looks absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to get in the kitchen to try it out. So I now turn the stage over to Myra.... who is bringing us what she calls Editing Candy, but for those of you nonwriters, let's go with Elf Niblets.


Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Spread out one box of oatmeal square cereal (I use the brown sugar kind) on a large, GREASED cookie sheet. Put:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1/4 cup of unsalted sweet cream butter

into a microwave safe container and microwave for one minute. Stir. Microwave for two more minutes or until mixture boils. Then stir in:

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
(I love almond flavoring, so I add 1/2 teaspoon of that)

Mixture will froth up. Pour it evenly over cereal and stir, mixing well.

Bake for one hour, stirring every twenty minutes to completely coat cereal.

Let cool, store in sealed container. (But seriously? You aren't going to store it. You're going to EAT IT. Because it is SPECTACULAR.)


Anyone else want to ignore last minute holiday shopping to run and make this stuff? Yeah. I thought so. Now you guys have an awesome treat to tide you over till May, when Hourglass comes out. I know, it's really far away. Maybe we should dub this Whining for Hourglass Candy.