50 Shades + GR & Personal Update

It's been a month and I still haven't posted the review for Generation Dead mainly because...well...I haven't written it yet. I've been kind of in the dumps lately due to being depressed for not having a job. I moved 1800 miles away from home late January to be with my fiance. I left a good, steady job to step into unknown territory. I was really close to getting a good job at a police station as a telecommunicator last month, but apparently the psychiatrist thinks I'm a little too mental for the job, which just makes me go, "WTF?!" It's really depressing when someone who knows nothing about you job-blocks you when you know for a fact you have no mental issues. Unfortunately, I can't request the reason why he thought I was no good and most of the jobs I want would require me to go see the same psychiatrist and I've been warned that he'd look at my file and automatically tell future employers "no-go" for up to a year without giving me a second chance. Fucking blows. So now I'm forced to apply to minimum wage jobs. It's not that I'm not too good for fast food or retail work, but it won't pay my bills.

So that's my update.

Anywho, what prompted me to write a post is because of some Goodreads stuff. Now I am not going to say drama because it's nothing like that. Here's the link to said discussion.

The topic is on 50 Shades of Grey and the original poster meant for the thread to simply be a place for her to rant and even asked that no one reply. Fair enough, though if you're anything like me, you tend to do the opposite of what you're told (except for my bosses because they signed my paycheck that allowed me to survive!). However, FSoG invokes emotions in certain people. Personally, I can't stand 50 Shades.

I wasn't going to chime in, but then I felt the need to give my input on the similarities between the characters of Ana/Christian vs. Bella/Edward because some people were saying:

Which is not true that "not one" thought of Bella and Edward while reading FSoG because:

There are actually about fifty points of similarities the author of the list made. I also made a post to list a few qualities I felt the main characters shared, but it's not nearly as thorough as the one above. Despite the content of my input on the thread, that's not the reason why I felt a need to write this post. The reason why is because of the whole "if you don't like it, then don't read it" and "you have to give the whole trilogy a try before judging the FSoG" drivel.

Question is, how will we know if we don't like it if we don't read it? And why should we have to read the rest of the series for our opinions to count? I had read a whole series because I thought it was SO bad that it was actually fun (but frustrating) to read, but I don't HAVE to buy more books to give it a fair shot. Reading the first book is fair shot enough. I also really fucking hate when people say how it's the first book so who cares if it's not well-written. Umm...I do. That's ten bucks for paperback, up to eighteen dollars for hardcover, that I didn't have to fork over, but did. And if I'm going to pay for something, I sure as hell want the product to be as good as it can be. And even if I didn't pay for it, I'm still taking the time to read it where I could have read something else, something better. Honestly, I should have been paid a dollar for every time I had to read "oh my", "holy crap", "inner goddess", "my subconscious", "hooded", "clamber", "hot", "murmurs", "whispers", "down there", etc. etc. etc.

Rant: Leave Twilight Alone!

Sorry, I had a Chris Crocker moment.

For those who really know me, know that I am a big fan of Twilight by Stephenie Meyers. If you read the title first, then this post isn't probably what you're expecting. I'm not here to tell people to stop dissing the Twilight Saga. All I want to say is to just shut the fuck up.

Even as a fan, I am SO sick of hearing about Twilight. It's permeating into everything. I can't go to many places without seeing the name. I can't help but roll my eyes and sigh at the mention of the saga, especially when it's being discussed in places that are pure WTFery.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

ETA: I'll be posting a review of Generation Dead by Daniel Waters soon.

Uh oh, getting older

Happy birthday to my older sister, Megan. She's the big 3-0 today!

The Fault In Our Stars review

Book Blurb: Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten. 

My Thoughts: If I hadn’t already known what kind of a writer John Green is, I probably wouldn’t have read TFIOS. I’m sure glad I did though. 

Hazel Grace suffers from Thyroid cancer that has infiltrated her lungs, making it hard for her to breathe normal on her own. Though not a big fan of Support Group, Hazel goes to the meetings anyways where she meets Augustus Waters, who happens to be best friends with Issac, another member who’s about to become completely blind. After Augustus metaphorically inserts an unlit cigarette into his mouth, Hazel’s curiosity in Mr. Waters draws her into him where they partake in an incredible ride of flirting death, an alcoholic author, and first true love. [And that’s where I’ll stop for my personal description of the book. I am much too afraid to spoil anything]

The dialogue felt honest, even if both of the main characters seemed a bit too mature for someone their age—though I suspect it may have something to do with their experiences with life and death. The pacing was good and each element of the story well-thought out. I was also incredibly glad to see the father being the crier rather than the mom. Hazel's relationship with her parents is believable and an integral part of the story, unlike most YA novels these days. TFIOS was much more than a heart-wrenching love story of trying to avoid the pain of loving someone whose life would inevitably end sooner or later to illness. It was about letting go of your fear, accepting the future, and having the strength to move forward. Be warned though: you might need a box of tissues for this one.

Favorite Lines: “Support Group Hazel not Monica,” I said when he got close enough, and he (Issac) smiled and said, “Hey, Hazel. How’s it going?”

“Good. I’ve gotten really hot since you went blind.”

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

If you love John Green's novels, you'll love his and his brother's, Hank, YouTube channel Vlogbrothers.

DFTBA!

Failed dinner plans (again) and flaming ass

WARNING: The following post is graphic. Viewer discretion is STRONGLY advised.

It started off as a typical Thursday. Well, not entirely true.

I had two cups of coffee (I hate coffee). After not being able to fall asleep till about 5AM, it'd be safe to assume that I was exhausted when I got up a few hours later. I had hoped coffee--as much as I despised it--would help perk me up. It just made me feel nauseous.

I ran some errands, dropped off employment apps for a position at the local police station, and went home to get ready for what was supposed to be a hot date with my fiance. When he got home from work, he complained he wasn't in the mood to go out and that he hadn't been feeling good all day (though he couldn't tell me specifically what didn't feel good). I was a little disappointed, but it's not his fault if he wasn't well. No biggie. I'd rather him stay home and get better anyways.

Cameron, my fiance, promised we'd go out tomorrow night instead since he didn't have to work the late shift. About 30 minutes later he steps outside to accept a phone call. Eventually he tells me that our plans are yet again being cancelled because his boss called him to inform him that he'll be working the dreaded late shift. Not that I'd mind a very late dinner, but by the time he'd get home, clean up, and drive to the location, the kitchen will have already closed. So it's another bummer, but he was much more upset about it than I. Shit happens. That's okay. We agreed we'd go on Monday since it's his day off.

Despite understanding the situation, I was still sort of disappointed and wasn't in the mood for cooking a late dinner, so I let him polish off the rest of the fish sticks we had (which he ended up overcooking, too) and I decided to have a simple bowl of cereal--Cinnamon Toast Crunch, generic style. I wasn't all that hungry anyways.

I couldn't tell you exactly why my stomach decided to hate me tonight, but it might have been the resentment that lingered between the 2% milk and Mountain Dew. Needless to say, 2% milk, Mountain Dew, and I convened on the bathroom toilet for a back and forth argument the lasted for two hours. In between the soundtrack of a thick waterfall, bouts of interval screaming, and my semi-sweet fiance refreshing me with a cold, wet towel, I was able to get some reading in. So, you know, yay for me.

I did have a new experience out of all of this. Cameron had some leftover pain anointment called Lidocaine. You know, the stuff the dentists use. It has a great numbing quality, so it's also used for minor surgeries and also for relieving itching, burning, and pain from inflammation. It was created in 1943 by a Swedish chemist and okay no one probably wants a report on it, at the moment. Anyways, it was interesting. It was kind of like my asshole didn't exist when the medication made contact. I'll have to remind myself to apply it before for experimental purposes the next time 2% and MD congregate.

I certainly don't want anyone to think that I find my troubles significant. I'm a big believer that everything happens for a reason (even a stomach ache) and that there is no point in getting overly worked up when there is a solution. Besides, when I wasn't enduring distracting pain, I got some reading done on GENERATION DEAD by Daniel Waters.

Here's some good news though: Soon I'm going to post a review on THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green, an original Nerdfighter.

POST WARNING: If you were at all disgusted by my post, don't say I didn't warn you.

Authors aren't the only ones fucking up

My name is Amanda and I am addicted to reality TV. No, not Jersey Shore. I’m talking about renovation type of programs; por ejemplo: Kitchen Nightmares, Restaurant Stakeout, and Hotel Impossible.

Ok, phew. Glad I got that off my chest.

So I was watching an episode of Hotel Impossible (on the Travel channel) earlier this week. The Penguin Hotel was featured: an “art deco” hotel situated right on the beach, offering a fair price, especially in comparison to its surrounding competition. The transformations are the best parts of the show, IMO. I tend to Google them to see if they flourished after the program was finished filming. Despite the drama, I do always root for the underdogs to get ahead and succeed. Until…the staff fuck themselves over, de facto.

A gentleman posted a less than favorable review in regards to his stay. Needless to say, a hotel employee decided to reply. My problem with this response by the GM is: “that was very thoughtful of you after having complained about almost everything else”. What? What?! Way to guarantee that customer will NEVER come back again.

And…

Okay, so now you’re going to call the customer a liar? Carpetwizard wasn’t the only one complaining of their reservation being lost and being sent to the sister hotel The President. A couple of would-be guests who were not given a room they reserved were also simply told to go elsewhere and the employees wouldn’t even help them find a different hotel in the area.

Here are some other funny and absolutely wrong responses to customer reviews:

 

Once again, essentially calling the reviewer, Garcia, a liar.

Now, none of the responses by the employees seem to personally insult the reviewers, but often insist that they’re wrong and/or insinuate that they’re lying…a pretty stupid move on their part.

So why am I bringing this up? As most of you already know, there has been a series of incidents on GR involving authors commenting on readers’ reviews. Obviously, hotels and novels aren’t in the same business, but both industries suffer from bad judgment. That is, responding to reviews.

Personally, I don’t think it’s horrible for an author to simply say “Hey, thanks for taking the time to review my book” regardless of how the reviewer rated the novel. However, there should be an effort in not chiming in on a reader’s thoughts of the book. It is horribly detrimental and will often leave a bad taste. I think it goes for anyone who is involved in a consumer-related career: if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.

Sometimes a bad book is a good thing

There's some really great advice out there on how to better your writing. A few of them are:

- Read. Read a lot and read a lot of different genres, particularly current titles. It's good to have an idea of the current trends and standards of today's publishing industry.

- Write. It's okay if it sucks. Most of what you write won't make the final cut anyways. Even if you write a whole book and end up trunking it, you'll probably come out of it learning a few things along the way and possibly understanding what you really want your story to be about.

- Join a community. There are some really awesome online groups out there. One site that first comes to mind is Absolute Write. There you'll find some really awesome, helpful people. At least since I've been a member in 2007, I've learned SO much.

- Don't be afraid to not write. Sometimes I find that taking a step back from a story, letting it collect dust for a few months (more or less) helps me to have a new perspective of how my manuscript reads.

And here's something that probably not a lot of people would tell you. Read bad books. Now I realize how subjective that is, but obviously if a book is bad to you then it's probably not something you want to emulate or have other people compare you to. I hate to point out a particular book, but this is one that comes to mind:

 

I really wanted to like Evermore. Really, I did. But I couldn't get over the fact that Ever Bloom had a lot of different powers (which I hate because I enjoy characters with significant weaknesses), the author's depiction of what a best friend is (::coughHavensabitchcough::), and the insta-love between Damen and Ever despite the fact that he treats her like his own personal roll of toilet paper to wipe his ass with. I noticed, also, that many of the sentences started off the exact same way. Ever's lip pursing and shrugging was incredibly repetitive. It annoyed me to no end. I found that others felt the same way as I did! So, whenever I re-read parts of my manuscript, I'd always try to be aware of how it was coming across. I realize this might not be the greatest advice, but similar to life, I feel the negatives can help us learn the positives.

YA-Books Blog

The poor girl in me *loves* book giveaways. Not that I usually end up being the winner, but they also provide introductions to new blogs you may never have heard of before. Reve, a fellow AW'er, has a new blog and I can already tell she's going to do so well. She has the first giveaway going on right now that'll be ending in under three weeks. One of these books will be up for grabs:

The Tempest by Julie Cross
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Oppression by Jessica Therrien
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams
Fracture by Megan Miranda
The Selection by Kiera Cass
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Personally, I'm really looking forward to buying a copy of Cinder and Under the Never Sky. Good luck for those of you who join the giveaway.