Shift

1. "I caught myself thinking that Win would have liked this place. But I didn't miss him. Out on the road I'd realized something about us. As important as he was to me, and as strangely connected as we were, our friendship had almost gotten too tight."

Chris Collins and Winston Coggans have been best friends since their third grade teacher labeled their desks in alphabetical order. It was a no-brainer that they would do something together before going their separate ways for college. Their plan to go on a cross-country bike trek was supposed to be the adventure of their lives... until Win started acting funny. Jump ahead two months, Win has disappeared and Chris' nonchalant behavior has everyone worried. A lot can happen in a couple weeks.

I wasn't sure what to think of this book when I was assigned it a couple years back, but I'm glad for it now. I tend to gravitate toward fantasy novels and if someone doesn't shove me out of my comfort zone every now and then I wouldn't have the well-rounded library I have today. Not to mention, this book is one of the primary reasons I love in media res so much. By having the book alternate between the trek and what happens after, the reader gets right into the action and gets bogged down by uneccesary narration.

Shift also brings up a valid question. What happens when you outgrow your friend? Win is so entangled in Chris' life that when he's removed, everything goes wrong. Win's father wants him so much he's willing to ruin the life of Chris and those around him until Win is found. How do you let go of someone who causes trouble for you even when they aren't around? This book places Chris' struggle at the forefront of the conflict and his emotions throughout it are so believable that the reader will find themselves hard-pressed not to hug him at the end.

The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear

A bluebear has twenty-seven lives. I shall recount thirteen-and-a-half of them in this book but keep quiet about the rest. A bear must have his secrets, after all; they make him seem attractive and mysterious."

-Captain Bluebear       

The 13 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear is the first in the Zamonia series written by Walter Moers and translated from German by John Brownjohn. Throughout this series the fictional world of Zamonia is fleshed out and explored through the eyes of its various main characters: Blubear, Rumo, Optimus Yarnspinner, and Echo. While each one has their own adventures, they are all connected in some way. Bluebear, as the first main character, spends the majority of the book getting tossed into new situations in order to establish Zamonia canon.  

Through brilliant illustrations, excerpts from the Encyclopdia of Marvels, and Bluebear's own insane narration, we the readers go through his adventures from being born in walnut shell hurtling towards a giant hole in the sea to traversing a giant's mind to being rescued from an ever-growing ship! He is not the average bear, but what do you expect from a guy who was named by talking waves?! 

If you enjoy works like the Phantom Tollbooth or Alice and Wonderland then this is the book for you! It was born with the same whimsical nature and its sense of wonder will leave you with a vague impression that you were traveling with Bluebear yourself.

Preferences

Everyone has certain preferences regarding what they like to read and I am no different. A book that may interest you may seem like the worst thing in the world to me. So... I am going to list my preferences. However, some of my favorite books do have qualities I usually dislike in other books so take this list with a grain of salt.

Likes
- World-building: I really don't care about plot as much as I care about creating a fantastic world. Maybe that's why I don't read a lot of realistic fiction. Fantasy can get away with a lot more.

- Character: What's better that a fantastically created world? A world that feels lived in! Especially a world filled with characters you can identify with or ones that you just love to read about. For me, if I can't decide on a favorite character, it means I love EVERY character!

-Third person narrative: I looooove dramatic irony. I love it when the reader knows everything and most of the suspense comes from knowing something the main characters don't. Third person is really awesome at giving the suspense I want from a story.

Dislikes
- First person narrative: I don't like being stuck with one person for the duration of a story. Call me crazy, but I just have to know everything about everybody. It just makes dramatic irony so much fun!

- Bad endings: An entire book can be ruined for me if the ending isn't good. Just imagine... a book with amazing characters, a suspenseful plot, fleshed out story.... and then it ends in a few short sentences that go nowhere. Cliffhangers that hint at another in a series do not count as bad endings, just final endings that add nothing to the story.

- Romance: I don't hate romantic novels, but I do hate it when plot is hi-jacked in order to get two characters together when more important things are happening. If two characters with great chemistry end up together naturally or because of the plot I'm okay.

Introduction

Welcome book lovers to my little nook of the blogosphere. This is just a place I'll use to review the books I've read and maybe post ideas for stories of my own. Books have always been an important part of my life and now I wish to share them with you! Let's get this adventure started!