Win the Duff - contest linky

Ok, quick post to promote a contest on agent, Joanna Volpe's blog because I want this book and I will be buying it if I don't win, but I want to win, so hey! Get on over there and enter. Or don't, cuz you know that will make it easier for me to win!!!  see how sneaky I am?

Ok, now scroll down and see my spider. :)

Arachnophobia?

Ok, so there are some cool things about Minnesota, but what I find truly relaxing about the land of ten thousand lakes is the LACK of certain things. We're talking no scorpions, no tarantulas, no lizards, no alligators, no malaria-carrying mosquitoes, no hissing scorpions, no cobras, no pythons, no jellyfish or portuguese man-o-war. There are two types of venomous snakes which are isolated to the southeastern counties, and basically one, possibly two, potentially lethal spiders. The Northern Widow is a relative of the black widow, but I've never come across one. I've been told they like to hang out on the underside of the toilet seat in outhouses - which is why I never actually park my butt on the potty when I'm at my dad's cabin. Reports of the brown recluse are spotty, and I think some people have yet to figure out if they really exist up here or if they're just tag alongs that come in by chance.

This is why dear friends, when I spotted this little lady making a home among my sedums this past Monday, I gave myself only a minute to freak out. Angie talking in her head: there are only two poisonous spiders in Minnesota. There are only two poisonous spiders in Minnesota. There are only two poisonous spiders in Minnesota. Three repeats of this and I was confident enough to step closer and say, "ah, ain't she pretty?" And she is pretty. Still pretty freaky, considering that body is the size of my thumbnail, but pretty. I immediately dragged my nine year old son outside so he could see. "Now don't freak out," I told him. He saw it and backed two feet away. "Let's kill it," he said. "No, we're not going to kill it," I replied. "It's not going to hurt us. Isn't it pretty?" I was so proud of myself, me, the biologist mom showing her son how to be appreciative of nature's wonders and all. Then I let him go back in the house and proceeded with my gardening - steering clear of the sedums myself, of course.

Later, I asked my husband if Ethan told him about the spider. Our conversation:

Hubby: "Did you kill it?"

Me: "No, I didn't kill it."

Hubby: "Why not? There's some bug spray in the garage."

Me: "That stuff never works, it just chokes the insect and makes it mad."

Hubby: "But you should kill it. What if it gets in the house? It's going to turn cold soon, you know. It'll come into the house."

Me: "I've never seen a spider like that in the house. I think it's a garden spider."

Hubby: "But you don't know, do you? It could be poisonous. It could bite one of the kids."

Me: "The only poisonous spiders in Minnesota are black widows."

Hubby: "But you don't know for sure, do you?"

Me: rolls eyes.

Commence project identify an arachnid - otherwise known as proving the paranoid husband wrong. As a side note: I'm not sure why my husband is always the one to worry about the kids getting hurt. He panics about everything - falling tree branches, riding bikes, rollerblading, he won't even consider getting the boys a bunk bed. I'm the one to say, "eh, they're kids. Let 'em live a little." Weird huh, considering I'm the one with all the estrogen?

Anyway, it didn't take long before I figured out exactly what kind of spider I was dealing with. The bright yellow body and the way she sat upside down were good clues, but more telling was the zigzagging webbing pattern. My little gal is a common black and yellow garden spider, also known as an argiope. They show up in the fall and tend to die soon before or after the first freeze *sticks tongue out at hubby*. They're non-threatening to humans and are really good for the garden - though after all the mosquito bites I got on Monday she wasn't doing her job that well.

The point to all this? Well, there isn't one, except that was the most exciting thing to my weekend. I became a field biologist and identified a spider. My question to you, dear friends, what is the most frightening insect/snake/lizard/animal you've come across in the wild? And stay tuned tomorrow, I shall post a review about a book with a slightly more frightening setting - the Australian desert.

Dreaming of Amelia by Jaclyn Moriarty

Amelia and Riley have transferred to Ashbury for their final year of school, and everyone is completely obsessed with them. Glamorous, talented and totally devoted to one another, the two of them drift through school in their own world. But there's more to the couple than meets the eye - they have secrets. And some of them are dangerous to share. As Riley starts to lose his grip on Amelia, the repercussions affect everyone around them. It is a spellbinding story about ghosts, secrets, madness, passion, locked doors, femme fatales, and that terrifying moment in the final year of high school when you realise that the future's coming to get you.


Written in alternating POVs in the form of letters, blog entries, and academic assays, Jaclyn Moriarty once again shows her unique form and style.  I had thought I had this English thing down pretty good, but after reading Moriarty, I'm humbled once again. An excerpt: 

They both had wet hair, only hers was brushed back into a long
ponytail. From behind, I could see that the ponytail was leaking:

Thin watershadows formed on her school shirt.

As I watched, he rubbed his hands over his head. He was friendly
and rough with his head, as if it were a dog. Now his hair stood up in
spikes.

And then something happened.

She reached a hand toward him and he reached his hand toward
her, but his eyes found the eyes of strangers in the room. Their hands
almost touched but did not.

I saw cobwebs in the slender, empty space between those hands.

Cobwebs trailing between the lover's hands. *sigh* If only I could come up with something so poetic. Mind you, this is just an excerpt. The whole book has lines like that - enough to make you stop momentarily every few pages and re-read just to let the words sink in. This is writing to admire and learn from.

Now one of the reasons why I liked the characters in DOA so much is that they felt familiar to me. Emily, Lyd, Seb and a few others were in Moriarty's other book, The Year of Secret Assignments, so I kind of felt like I was visiting old friends. Dear, and wonderful old friends. I particularly love Emily - her colorful wit, her inability to spell correctly, and her unabashed looniness as she tries to convince everyone around her that Ashbury High has a ghost (and indeed it does). She's the kind of girl that I wish I'd had as a best friend - loyal, kind and oozing quirkiness like a melted Toblerone. My favorite scene with Emily has her writing up posts on her blog while eating not one, not two, but three pieces of chocolate cake! And then later we find out that she had two more pieces before she sat down to type! Yep, my kind of girl. But chocolate aside, the other characters are just as memorable. Lyd, Toby, and of course the stars of our show, Amelia and Riley, who aren't what you think they are, but then turn out to be more than who you think they are. One of the fallbacks to doing multiple POVs is re-writing scenes from a different perspective with each character. It can get tedious awful fast going through the same scene more than once, but with DOA I didn't see this problem at all. In fact, Emily's unreliability makes you stop and say, 'hey wait a minute, gf. I know you have everyone's best interests at heart here, but you must have misunderstood something.' And then you keep reading, just because you know Lyd is going to have a different take on it and then you can find out the real truth.  


Now in amongst all this character development is an actual story - who knew? Just kidding. Seriously though, the ghost story in this story is intriguing more than scary. Kind of like when you were a kid and you had those slumber party where you tried to scare everyone but you knew it was all just fun and games. That's the case with DOA, but then somewhere around the middle of the book you realize that the fun has a purpose (I'll leave you to read and figure out for yourself what I mean) and so you keep reading, becoming more and more intrigued with what's going on with these characters, and then in the end - BAMMO! The real ghosts show up. Ok, so I hope that was enough of a teaser to get you interested without saying too much. Really, it's pretty amazing how Moriarty manages to tie up all the threads of this book into one coherent plot. It kind of reminds me of Holes in a way (see review here), only more teenagery, more Australian (obviously) and of course, more gothic. 

After this glowing review, you're probably wondering if I found anything wrong with the book, and the answer is, well, not really. But at the same time, I don't feel compelled to give DOA a score of 5, and I blame that on myself more than on Moriarty. I've only read one other epistolary type novel (and that was also by Moriarty) in the past ten years, and I think if I had been more familiar with the format then I would have appreciated it more. Also, this is really a book where you need to devote yourself to finding a nice quiet spot (preferably on a dark and stormy night) and settle in for a good two hours to really get into it. I began it while cooking dinner in the middle of a noisy household and had to put it down several times. My bad. The end result was that I didn't know what was going on in the beginning. Moriarty kept handing me all these plot threads and saying, 'here, hold onto this, you'll see why it's important later'. And I, the busy reader, kept trying to weave them together how I thought they should fit, and I dropped a few, and I kept picking them back up, turning them over, and wondering why I was holding onto them. If I had just had a little more patience, I would have seen the pattern Moriarty was weaving before I finally did and I would have appreciated her method more. Now you might be saying to yourself, 'but Angie, it's the author's job to suck you into the story and keep everything straight, not yours.' And in most cases you would be right, but when I finished DOA and looked back at how the story was written, I can't really say that there was a better way to do it. I know that I would have enjoyed the story more if I had relaxed into it. Some books require a certain mindset before you go into them and DOA just happens to be one of them. So if you plan to read DOA, get yourself a cup of tea and find a quiet spot. Then settle in and let all of the different threads sit in your hands for awhile - don't do anything with them! When you see it all come together at the end you'll be glad you didn't waste your time getting exasperated by trying to figure out where all of this was leading and then you can lean back and say 'ahhhh brilliant!' You only get to experience a book for the first time once and after that you can re-read to savor those great lines, but it's not the same. So heed my advice, get the book, make the tea, and prepare to be wowed.  

Final score: 4 stars.


P.S. While I highly recommend DOA, I'd first suggest that you read The Year of Secret Assignments in order to familiarize yourself Moriarty's style and the characters.

P.S.S. As a little reminder, if you're interested in reading The Year of Secret Assignments, we're doing a little book chain. Click here for details.   

P.S.S.S.  Check out the sidebar for details about my first contest!! Deadline is coming up fast so get your entries in.

Covers - do you get sold on them?

While browsing online through the top YA sellers, I came across the new cover for Becca Fitzpatrick's second installment in the Hush Hush series. I love it. Not nearly as amazing as the Hush, Hush cover, but dang that girl got lucky in the art department. Now I have to say that I, as many people were, became sold on the cover of Hush Hush. I also have a fallen angel story tucked in the my trunk so, you know the intrigue was there and all. But it was really that cover that did it in for me. Unfortunately the book itself wasn't all that good; I gave it a 3 on my rating scale. And yet, here I find myself wanting that copy of Crescendo to stick next to Hush Hush on my bookshelf. How crazy is that? I'm wondering, am I alone? Do you ever buy books based solely on the covers?

Here are some more interesting covers that I came across. Notice anything, er, similar here? I have both Dreaming of Amelia and The Sky Always Hears Me, so when I saw this, I nearly started laughing. Now I've heard of two books having nearly the same cover, but three? And all pubbed recently in YA? In fact looking at the model for Amelia and the Mermaid, I'm tempted to say that's the same model.

All of this has me thinking of what kind of cover I want for my book, when the day comes - hey I can dream, right? I think I'd like something with a showy ladyslipper on it, to go with the Minnesota theme. Maybe a lake in the distance with a boat or a dock with Nikki sitting on the end. I've thought about going with a close up of either Nikki or Sam or both, but I really don't like putting specific faces to my characters. General characteristics are ok, but I'd rather leave some things to the reader's imagination. Of course, authors usually have little say in what their covers will look like, but maybe they'll like some of my ideas. What do you think, dear readers? Have you imagined what your book cover would look like?

Have a nice holiday weekend, and for any new followers, if you haven't signed up for the contest, please do so. There's only one week left to get your entries in.


And a few new contests:

1. Kara Mustafa is giving away some super cool books in celebration of having 100 + followers.
2. A new blog that I just visited, Punk Writer Kid by Emilia Plater, a new YA author is giving away many fabulous prizes - too many to list, but they all sound awesome, and her blog looks super cool. Deadline Sept 9.

Review of Harmonic Feedback and picture reveal!

Morning blogger friends - first off,  I have a new review for you. Then at the end I'll reveal what my science picture from the day before was - so if you get bored with the review, skip to the end for the big reveal.

So after much thought I've decided to revise how I do my reviews. The problem for me is that I've read so many books over the past year and my thoughts on writing have developed so much that it's become difficult for me to separate a book that I love just for the story from a book that I love for the writing. I felt like I was repeating myself by doing it in two parts because it became so hard to distinguish the two. I still think there are books out there that are well done story-wise (the author is a great story-teller, aka Stephenie Meyers) that aren't written very well, and where this case applies I'll be sure to point it out. And I still plan to pick out the things that I think the author has done very well in regards to writing, but I'm going to try to mesh the two of them together more. 


The other thing is that after reading so many books, I think my standards have risen, and as a result, I'm going to have to be a lot more stingy about rewarding five stars. Books like The Hunger Games and The Book Thief are just in a class by themselves and deserve special recognition. A score of four stars is still a winner in my opinion, but it's just not as eye-popping as those fives. I'll be going through and adjusting some of my scores based on this so it's all consistent, but I probably won't go back to change those reviews that I've already written. 


And now, for a review of my favorite book that I've read so far this week (not including MJ), Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly. 

Goodreads summary:

Sixteen-year-old, music- and sound design-obsessed Drea doesn’t have friends. She has, as she’s often reminded, issues. Drea’s mom and a rotating band of psychiatrists have settled on "a touch of Asperger’s.”

Having just moved to the latest in a string of new towns, Drea meets two other outsiders. And Naomi and Justin seem to actually like Drea. The three of them form a band after an impromptu, Portishead-comparison-worthy jam after school. Justin swiftly challenges not only Drea’s preference for Poe over Black Lab but also her perceived inability to connect with another person. Justin, against all odds, may even like like Drea. 

It’s obvious that Drea can’t hide behind her sound equipment anymore. But just when she’s found not one but two true friends, can she stand to lose one of them?

I. Loved. This. Book. Whenever you come across books like these where the main character has a disorder, disability or something else unique about them, it automatically makes you think that you're going to get a lesson in how to accept people who are different. Not so the case with Harmonic Feedback. Even though Drea is different, there was so much in here that I could relate to, she didn't seem all that different to me. How many of us have had those moments of embarrassment where we thought that someone liked us (because they told us they did) only to learn that wasn't the case? 

I sat with them every day that week, but they talked to me less and less. Finally one girl rolled her eyes. "God, Drea, cain't you take a hint?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
She exchanged glances with her friend and they giggled. "Why do you keep sitting here?"
I remember my stomach tightening up in these knots. "You invited me..."
"Yeah, once. We didn't know you'd be such a clingy freak."

How many of us have felt odd for having unique interests?

"Have you ever Googled Asperger's? There's--"

"Yeah, it listed a bunch of random symptoms. Bad social skills, lack of eye contact, can't understand tone of voice, being overly interested in something ---which makes no sense to me. Isn't wanting to learn a good thing? I think everyone should be passionate about something."

How many of us have had a friend who dragged us into an uncomfortable situation and we felt like we just wanted to run and hide? *raises hand and waves frantically* 

"Thought you were staying over." Scott raked a hand through his shaggy blond hair and motioned in my direction. "Your friend can take the couch. Or she can join us." He poked at her ribs and laughed. 

Naomi flipped him off. "Why do you have to be such a pig?" She pushed past him and settled in to the leather couch.

I backed into the cold wall, wishing I could disappear.

This is harmonic Feedback. Does Drea have a disorder? Yes, she does, and yes the book is about how she deals with that, but after listening to Drea's experiences, I found so many things that felt familiar. Drea calls herself a geek, but if she's a geek then I think I am too. In Drea's words:  

Lie about this, but don't lie about that. Smile-- even when you aren't happy - but don't smile too much. Too much is weird. Look people in the eye but, again, not too much. That might freak them out. 

 She's right. People and all of societies "invisible" rules are strange. Even people who aren't diagnosed with a neurological disorder have trouble - or maybe I just need a diagnosis. That was what was so great about this book. It not just that you can understand, you can put yourself in Drea's shoes and experience her discomfort, frustration and pain because it is so familiar.


About the characters -- I loved them all because like Drea, they're just so real. Drea's crazy friend, Naomi, reminded me of a girl I knew in high school, and Justin. Oh gosh, if ever there were a prize for sweetest guy in a YA novel, he'd take the prize. Seriously, I felt he was more sugary than Peeta from HG, only not quite as nauseating because he has a past. And he's a musician. With cool tats. Can anyone say yum? Drea's grandma - hilarious! And her mother - caring and yet a little messed up herself. So real, because you know, us adults don't always have it all together either.




As for the writing itself -- there was nothing to criticize here. Kelly writes with a strong voice and a simple but effective plot line. The ending is a little...oh, sorry, no spoilers, you'll just have to read it yourself.  Final score  - 5 stars. Yep, this is definitely one of my favorite books of the year. 




Now for the big reveal. Here once again is the picture I posted. I took this on the confocal laser microscope at 20x magnification.

And what is it??

TOBACCO!!!

Surprising huh? What you're looking at is the epidermal layer (think skin) of a tobacco leaf. Those things that look like puzzle pieces are epidermal cells and the little dots here and there are nuclei (remember nuclei are where the cell's DNA is contained). But here's the cool part, the cells light up green because they express a transgenic hybrid protein that I constructed. Part of it is the protein that I've been studying and the other part is Green Fluorescent Protein from jellyfish. We use these transgenes to figure out where in a cell the protein is expressed - whereever the cells light up green under fluorescent light, this is where my protein normally resides. So by this picture, my protein is expressed in the cell membrane and the nucleus. Personally I think the whole thing looks like glow in the dark brains, but Mel's answer of a sponge seemed most logical to me so I'm going to give her an extra entry in the contest. Congrats Mel! Mel suggested that I do more of these - maybe. Most of the pictures I've been taking lately are of plants, so more of the same. I'd have to dig around my grad school stuff for more interesting pics. We'll see.

Here's FIC's enhancement of the stomata "eyes"

I promise that tomorrow I won't be quite so long winded - or stray so far off the topic of writing. :)