15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 5 - Recommend a tear jerker

I stumbled across the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge hosted by April from Good Books Good Wine and it looks like so much fun that I have to take part. You can find out all about the challenge and how to join in HERE. Obviously the idea of the challenge is to take part 15 days in a row but I don't have enough time for that and since April is so relaxed over the rules I've decided  dedicate one day a week to the challenge.

The Day 5 topic is: Recommend a tear jerker

When I'm in the right mood I absolutely love a good tear jerker so I found it impossible to pick just one book to recommend. In fact I'm going to recommend 3 very different books, each of which is absolutely amazing in a very different way, so in no particular order here are my recommendations:

Before I Die (recently re-released with the title Now is Good) by Jenny Downham:

It's really going to happen. They said it would, but this is quicker than anyone thought.

Everyone has to die. We all know it.

With only a few months of life left, sixteen-year-old Tessa knows it better than most.

She's made a list though - ten things she wants to do before she dies. Number one is sex. Starting tonight.

But getting what you want isn't easy. And getting what you want doesn't always give you what you need. And sometimes the most unexpected things become important.

Uplifting, life-affirming, joyous - this extraordinary novel celebrates what it is to be alive by confronting what it's really like to die.

Read my review HERE

Before I Die is a beautiful but heartbreaking story about a 16 year old girl who is dying of leukaemia, the title and blurb give away the fact that there is no miracle happy ending for Tessa so you know right from the beginning that you're going to need tissues to read this one. Having said that I still found it a beautiful story, one that teaches you to live your life to the fullest because you never know how long you've got. This one hit a bit close to home for me because there were a lot of parallels to when my Nan died of cancer, it was very realistic, very hard hitting and I don't think I've ever cried so much reading any other book.

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Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth?  That morning, my brother's life was worth a pocket watch . . .

One night fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother and young brother are hauled from their home by Soviet guards, thrown into cattle cars and sent away. They are being deported to Siberia.

An unimaginable and harrowing journey has begun.  Lina doesn't know if she'll ever see her father or her friends again.  But she refuses to give up hope.

Lina hopes for her family.

For her country.

For the future.

For love - first love, with the boy she barely knows but knows she does not want to lose . . .

Will hope keep Lina alive?

Set in 1941, Between Shades of Gray is an extraordinary and haunting story based on first-hand family accounts and memories from survivors.

Read my review HERE

Between Shades of Gray touches on a part of history that tends to get brushed under the carpet, we all know about the atrocities committed by Hitler but if you're anything like me you won't have heard so much about the millions of people who were sent to concentration camps in the Arctic Circle thanks to Stalin. Ruta Sepetys has written the harrowing story of a young girl called Lina whose life is turned upside down when her family is taken by Soviet guards and deported to Siberia. This isn't a biography but a lot of the events that take place were inspired by the interviews Ruta carried out with survivors of the concentration camps. This is a book that I think everyone should read, one that should be part of every school curriculum to bring this hidden side of history to life. There is just no way I can do this book justice but please, please watch this interview with Ruta to find out more about the book, I'll warn you now you're going to need tissues to hand before you press play!


Ruta Sepetys discusses her upcoming novel, Between Shades of Gray from Penguin Young Readers Group on Vimeo.

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Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

"You've always been my best friend, my soul mate, and now I've fallen in love with you too.

Why is that such a crime?"

She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed.

He is seventeen, gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future.

And now they have fallen in love.  But... They are brother and sister.

Read my review HERE

My third and final recommendation is a book that I wasn't even sure I wanted to read. When I was sent a copy of Forbidden for review and realised it was a book about a relationship between a brother and sister I had absolutely no interest in picking it up. Then I started seeing some fantastic reviews for it and decided to see for myself if it was worth the hype it was getting. I'm so glad I gave it a chance because it absolutely blew my mind and three years on it's still one of the best books I've read since I started blogging. I know this is a tricky subject matter - I felt uncomfortable about it myself! - but the story is written in a way where you can completely understand how Maya and Lochan ended up developing such forbidden feelings for each other. Teenagers who are dealing with a very difficult home life they are basically acting parents to their 3 younger siblings, they are the glue that is holding their family together and they only have each other to rely on. Neither of them are able to share their home life with their friends and Lochan is painfully shy and unable to cope in any social situation. I never expected to find myself rooting for them as a couple but they so badly deserved a happy ending after everything they'd been through. This is one of those books that challenged my opinion on a lot of things and I love a book that makes me think.

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So those are my favourite tear jerkers! Have you read any of them? If you have I'd love to know your thoughts on them! Which books would you recommend if you were making this list?

Book to Movie Comparison: Now Is Good (Before I Die) - Jenny Downham

I absolutely loved Jenny Downham's book Before I Die (which has now been re-released as Now is Good to match the movie title) when I read it last year. You can read my review of the book here for more information but if you haven't read it yet then I'd highly recommend it. The story is a heartbreaking one that definitely requires tissues but at the same time it will make you appreciate the important things and want to make the most of every moment.

Book Covers and Synopsis:

It's really going to happen. They said it would, but this is quicker than anyone thought.

Everyone has to die. We all know it.

With only a few months of life left, sixteen-year-old Tessa knows it better than most.

She's made a list though - ten things she wants to do before she dies. Number one is sex. Starting tonight.

But getting what you want isn't easy. And getting what you want doesn't always give you what you need. And sometimes the most unexpected things become important.

Uplifting, life-affirming, joyous - this extraordinary novel celebrates what it is to be alive by confronting what it's really like to die.

Anyway, as a huge fan of the book I was looking forward to seeing the film adaptation so when Random House offered me the chance to attend a preview last month I couldn't say yes fast enough! Kirsty (from The Overflowing Library) & I set off for London early and spent the day hunting for Wenlock and Mandeville statues (more about that in another blog post next week!) before making our way to the Warner Bros offices to see the film.

I have to say that I think Warner Bros have done a fantastic job with the adaptation of Now is Good. They can never fit as much detail into a movie as there is in a book but I felt they have captured the essence of the story perfectly. Dakota Fanning gives a heartbreaking portrayal of Tessa and I loved Jeremy Irving as Adam. The relationship between Tessa and her father was moving and her younger brother Cal was adorable.

Considering I cried buckets when reading the book I knew the film would be a tearjerker and I'm glad I'd remembered to take plenty of tissues with me. I don't think there was a dry eye in the theatre! My only warning would be for fellow blood phobics out there, if you are the kind of person who faints at the sight of blood then I can warn you when you need to leave the cinema. My blood & needle phobia has caused me to faint many, many times (during blood tests & injections, at the dentist, visiting people in the hospital, when I've had a bad nose bleed, during my first aid course - the list could go on forever!) but I had NEVER fainted at the cinema before!

There was one particular scene where Tessa has a very nasty nose bleed that sent me over the edge and yes I managed to faint in the middle of the film! Luckily Kirsty was the only one who noticed so although I practically frightened the life out of her I didn't completely humiliate myself in front of the entire cinema. One thing about fainting when you're already sat down is that you don't nessecarily fall out of your seat LOL. I thought I was probably the only one who had this problem so I wouldn't have bothered to warn people but Clare from Random House found out that one of the other publicists fainted at exactly the same point during another preview screening so you have been warned!

In spite of the awkward fainting moment and feeling rather traumatised after it happened I did really enjoy the film. I don't think the ending had quite the same impact on me that it would have if I wasn't still recovering though. I did cry but not as much as I think I could have!

Now is Good is in cinemas in the UK now so make sure you book your ticket. In case you haven't already seen it here is the UK trailer:


I'd like to say a massive thank you to Random House & Warner Bros for inviting us to the preview screening - it was definitely a memorable experience!

Shhhh don't tell everyone but Kirsty even got to meet Batman on the way out!

Who was there:

Clare - Random House

Kirsty - The Overflowing Library

Review: Before I Die - Jenny Downham

It's really going to happen.  They said it would, but this is quicker than anyone thought.

Everyone has to die.  We all know it.

With only a few months of life left, sixteen-year-old Tessa knows it better than most.

She's made a list though - ten things she wants to do before she dies.  Number one is sex.  Starting tonight.

But getting what you want isn't easy.  And getting what you want doesn't always give you what you need.  And sometimes the most unexpected things become important.

Uplifting, life-affirming, joyous - this extraordinary novel celebrates what it is to be alive by confronting what it's really like to die.

I can't find a website for Jenny Downham but you can visit her Goodreads page here

Review:
Tessa is just 16 years old and she's dying of Leukemia.  She knew she would die young but she wasn't prepared for it to be happening so soon.  She wants to make the most of her last few months though and has written a list of 10 things she wants to do before she dies.  Can she achieve all of her goals in time?

I knew just from reading the blurb that this book would be a heart breaker but I didn't expect it to be as powerful as it was.  In many ways Tessa is a typical teenager, she is rebellious, stroppy and selfish but she also has big dreams and cares about her family and her friends.  At times she can come across as dislikable but considering her circumstances I think she had every right to be angry and to want to get her own way, that side of her character just made her all the more realistic to me.  Although I don't necessarily think all of the things she had on her list of things she wanted to do before she died were good ideas I'm pretty sure my list would have been very similar at her age.  Don't we all want to try dangerous things or things that aren't allowed when we're teens?

What I enjoyed most were Tessa's interactions with her Dad and younger brother Cal.  It wasn't easy for any of them and they all struggled to accept what was happening and find their own ways of dealing with the fact that Tessa was dying.  Some of the scenes with her and Cal were incredibly emotional, particularly towards the end of the book.  I also loved Adam, he was so brave to give his heart to Tessa knowing it would be broken when she was gone.  I don't think many people would be brave enough to put themselves in his situation.  I really didn't think much of Tessa's so called best friend Zoey though and think life would have been a lot harder for her if she didn't have Adam and her family to support her.

I don't think I've ever read a book that made me cry as hard as Before I Die.  I had trouble seeing through my tears to actually finish the book.  This was partly because it hit a little close to home and brought back a lot of memories of my Nan dying of cancer but it was also because Jenny Downham's writing was so beautiful.  Although the story will break your heart it will also make you appreciate every minute of your life.  I think we all take for granted how lucky we really are and sometimes it does us good to be reminded of that.  I'd recommend this book for anyone but whatever you do make sure you have tissues to hand because I'd be amazed if you reach the end without needing them!

Source: Received from RHCB in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:

If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

RHCB Teenage Kicks Event - 24th March 2011

Bali Rai, Malorie Blackman & Jenny Downham

Last Thursday I was invited to the 2nd Teenage Kicks event arranged by RHCB, the event was aimed at teens and gave them the chance to answer questions and get their books signed by popular authors Malorie Blackman, Bali Rai and Jenny Downham.  I loved Noughts & Crosses and Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman and really enjoyed Jenny Downham's You Against Me (click on the titles to read my reviews) so I was very excited about getting the chance to meet them.  I've not read anything by Bali Rai but I've heard fantastic things about his books so am looking forward to giving them a try.

I met up with Caroline (Portrait of a Woman) and Jo (Once Upon a Bookcase) outside and we made our way into a very crowded event.  RHCB had a fantastic turnout of teens of various ages most of whom seemed to be in school groups (I wish my school had arranged trips like that!).  We managed to find seats on the back row but unfortunately it was quite hard to hear what the authors were saying as there weren't any microphones but I did manage to sneak closer to the front to take notes and snap a few pictures.

Caroline & Jo

Pupils from one of the schools (I didn't catch the name) started off by interviewing all three authors and then there was time for audience questions before the signing.  I took a lot of notes so I'll try to share some of the answers here for you.  I apologise for any mistakes I make, I was writing so fast that I'm having trouble reading my writing now (I really should try learning shorthand, it would make my life a lot easier!)

Where do you write?
All three authors confirmed that they take notebooks with them everywhere for when inspiration strikes.  Bali and Malorie also confessed to listening to people's conversations all the time for ideas.  I didn't hear all of the answers to this question but Bali did mention that he is planning on converting his garage into an office / boys room and he will do most of his writing there when it's ready.

What do you do to relax?
Bali actually writes to relax, he said it was a hobby before he became a professional writer so he enjoys writing whenever he gets a chance.  He does also spend time listening to music and playing computer games too though.  Malorie said she loves music and has a drum kit in her attic which she finds great for when people annoy her.  She is also a computer addict who loves World of Warcraft and enjoys spending time on the Wii recently playing Just Dance a lot to help her get fit.  Jenny writes when her children are at school and enjoys spending time with them in the evenings and at weekends, they watch films and do the usual family things but she has recently started Brain Training and also likes spending time in the garden.

What is the hardest thing about writing?
Malorie said she has no problems getting ideas, in fact she has too many of them, she also finds the first draft quite easy.  The hardest thing is reworking the first draft which she does 6 or 7 times before she feels ready to send it to her editor.  Jenny said that she doesn't plan her stories so sometimes she finds that she has spent ages going down the wrong path.  Bali doesn't really find anything about writing particularly hard, he feels lucky to be paid to do something he loves but he does find he starts getting excited about new ideas he has had which can distract him from the book he is supposed to be working on.

Bali Rai

Do they take ideas from other authors? (I'm not 100% sure I got this question down correctly but hopefully that is about right!)
Jenny said that she often picks up new writing methods after reading other stories, the example she gave was writing in duel narrative but she said the styles she tries don't always work for her.  Bali thinks that to a certain extent all writers pick up ideas when they're reading, it's impossible not to.  He said that authors shouldn't be afraid to reinterpret ideas and make them their own.  Malorie confirmed that she has been inspired and influenced by books she has read but she tries really hard not to read books in the genre that she is actually writing.

How do you distance yourself emotionally from the topics you write about?
Bali doesn't distance himself at all, it is easier to write about something you are emotionally invested in.  He gets really angry when he hears about domestic abuse cases and that anger really helped him when he was writing his newest book Killing Honour (this is a book I've had on my wish list since the RHCB bloggers brunch and isn't being released until June).  Bali gets attached to all of his characters, they are like his best friends or he wouldn't want to write about them.  Malorie has to be emotionally involved in what she is writing.  Noughts and Crosses was inspired by the murder of Stephen Lawrence and she wanted to write about racism in her own way.  She thinks it is very important to write about something you care about and she admitted to crying as she wrote the ending of Noughts and Crosses (I cried reading it too!).  Jenny said that as she doesn't plan her books she didn't set out to write a book about a dying girl when she started writing Before I Die.  She does get emotionally involved with her characters though and described it a bit like being haunted by the book and the characters.

Did you read a lot when you were younger and did anyone encourage you to?
Malorie fell in love with reading during story time at school.  She didn't have anyone encourage her to read or write but she started writing poems and short stories when she was about 7 years old.  After an embarrassing experience when the teacher asked her to read out something she had written at parents evening she was actually put of writing anything else for a very long time.  She used to spend every Saturday at her local library but she never read a book that had a black character in it until she was 23 years old (the first one she read was The Colour Purple).  She wanted to be able to read about characters like her and this influenced the characters she wanted to write about.  Bali said he did read but it wasn't something that he was encouraged to do.  He was inspired by Roald Dahl but spent years thinking you had to be old, posh, rich and white in order to be an author!  Jenny grew up in a house with no books (does everyone else find that as shocking as I did?) but she used to spend a lot of time at the library.  She loved picking up a book and being transported to somewhere else, one of her favorite books was Z for Zachariah.  She had a teacher who encouraged her love of reading and used to give her books to read.  Her parents and siblings didn't read but it made her feel special because she did.

Malorie Blackman

How do you give each different character a distinctive voice?
This question was aimed at Malorie and she said she spends a lot of time getting to know each of her characters before she starts writing.  She has to get to know what they like and creates biographies and both mental and physical descriptions for them.

Do you ever include true stories in your books?
Malorie's answer was a resounding no - she doesn't want to end up getting sued!  She said that sometimes things from her past may influence her but she is very careful to change people's names when she is writing.  She used a friend's name in Noughts and Crosses just because she liked the name not because the character was anything like her friend but it taught her a lesson because the friend in question was really upset when she read the story.  It caused all sorts of problems and it took a long time for their friendship to recover.  Bali was the complete opposite and said he uses real people all the time in his stories.  He tends to make his characters a combination of at least 2 real people, using the name of one and the physical description of the other with the personality usually a combination of them both.  Jenny said some of her characters are a combination of several people she knows and also include parts of herself.  She hears a lot of stories from her teenage son and his friends but she had to remove some of them from the book after her son proof read the for her.

The Noughts and Crosses series was supposed to be a trilogy, what made you write a fourth book?
Obviously this question was aimed at Malorie.  She found that the main character Toby was constantly whispering in her ear and telling her his story and in the end she couldn't concentrate on anything else until she'd got his book out of her system.  She has no plans to write a 5th book in the series unless another character starts talking to her.

Jenny Downham

What is your writing schedule?
Jenny does most of her writing between 9am and 3pm when her kids are at school, she does sometimes write after they've gone to bed if she is on a tight deadline.  Malorie also writes when her daughter is at school but she always tries to make sure that they have breakfast and dinner together.  She tries to do her more creative work in the mornings as that is when it comes more naturally to her.  Bali was working in a nightclub when he first started writing so he got used to writing in the middle of the night when he came home.  He still does a lot of late night writing now but does try to write during the day sometimes too, especially when on a deadline.

Is it harder to write descriptions or dialogues?
Jenny finds writing dialogues really easy, she has an acting background and used to be part of a group that would make up stories and plays on the spot about topics requested by the audience.  She finds descriptions are much harder to write.  Malorie also finds dialogues easier to write which is why she got into scriptwriting.  Bali started off finding dialogue much easier, in fact one of his early books is 80% dialogue and has very little description.  He has found that he enjoys writing description more now and said it is like adding more layers to the story.

What did think of the Noughts and Crosses play and were you involved in creating it?
Malorie said that she initially sold the rights for Noughts and Crosses to someone but it didn't work out and she ended up getting them back.  It was a really difficult experience and really put her off so when the Royal Shakespeare Company wanted to buy the rights her immediate reaction was to say no.  Eventually she agreed to meet with them and by the end of the meeting she felt more relaxed about it and agreed.  Although she knew there would have to be adaptions she wanted someone who would create something that was true to the spirit of the book.  The director from RSC was great at keeping her in the loop and she was able to attend castings, rehearsals and read throughs as the play was being created.  She felt really lucky and is very glad she let them do it even though it was strange to see the characters she created up on stage.  The RSC are currently thinking about bringing the Noughts and Crosses play back next year and they are actually talking about doing Knife Edge and Checkmate too.  The suggestion is that they would run all three plays at the same time but alternating one each night (personally I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they do this and that they bring the plays somewhere near enough to me that I can go and watch them all!)

Me, Caroline & Jo

At the end of the Q&A session we had an opportunity to buy more books and were also able to get our books signed.  A lot of the teenagers had books with them so the queues were quite long but each of the authors took time to chat to us as we were getting our books signed.  It was a great evening and I'd like to thank RHCB for organising the event.  Of course I have to say thanks to the authors too, it was really interesting listening to your answers to all of the questions!

Who was there:

Lauren, Clare, Rosi & Lisa - RHCB

Malorie Blackman - Website

Jenny Downham - Goodreads

Bali Rai - Website

Caroline - Portrait of a Woman
Jo - Once Upon a Bookcase & Ink and Paper

Winner: You Against Me by Jenny Downham

With the help of random.org I am very happy to announce that the winner of the ARC copy of You Against Me by Jenny Downham is:

Judit

Congratulations Judit!  If you can email me at sarahsreviews at ymail dot com with your address details I will get your book in the post to you.  If I don't hear from you within 48 hours then a different winner will be chosen.

I'd like to say a massive thank you to RHCB for allowing me to host this giveaway for them.

Giveaway: You Against Me - Jenny Downham - NOW CLOSED

* UPDATE - THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED - Winner announced here *

If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right?

When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her, his world begins to fall apart.

If your brother's accused of a terrible crime but says he didn't do it, you defend him, don't you?

When Ellie's brother is charged with the offence, her world begins to unravel.

When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide.

You Against Me was released in the UK yesterday (2nd December) in hardback and the paperback version will be available in July 2011

This was a fantastic book and one I thoroughly enjoyed, you can read my review here.  I received an extra ARC copy of this book from RHCB and am very happy to be able to share this great story with one of my readers.  Thank you to RHCB for allowing me to host the giveaway.  Please note that the version I'm giving away is an advanced copy so it is a paperback and doesn't have the finished cover.  This is the book I'm actually giving away:

Giveaway Details:

The giveaway closes on 17th December 2010 and is open internationally. The winner will be announced soon afterwards and will have 48 hours to contact me with their address or a new winner will be chosen.  To enter all you need to do is enter your name and email address on the form below, there are extra entries available but they are completely optional.  I'd really appreciate it if you would stop by and comment on my review of You Against Me though :o)

Review: You Against Me - Jenny Downham

If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right?

When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her, his world begins to fall apart.

If your brother's accused of a terrible crime but says he didn't do it, you defend him, don't you?

When Ellie's brother is charged with the offence, her world begins to unravel.

When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide.

I can't find a website for Jenny Downham but you can visit her Goodreads page here

Review:
Mikey and Ellie's upbringings couldn't have been more different.  Mikey comes from a single parent family and lives in a flat on a council estate with his alcohol dependent mother and 2 younger sisters.  Ellie on the other hand has been brought up in a posh house with rich parents who expect her and her brother to do well at school and head off to university.  Their worlds collide when Mikey's sister Karyn accuses Tom (Ellie's brother) of date rape and life will never be the same again for any of them.

This is the first book I've read by Jenny Downham but it definitely won't be the last.  You Against Me captured me right from the beginning and although it covers difficult themes it does so in a thought provoking way wrapped up in a great story.  Told from both Mikey and Ellie's perspectives you get a real insight into what it must be like for the family of both the victim and the accused in situations like this.  The way the story unfolds it takes quite a long time before you find out what really happened on the night in question which had me alternating between sympathy and suspicion for both Karyn and Tom.  I enjoyed trying to put the pieces together and figure out what really happened.

Both Ellie and Mikey are likable but flawed characters, they both make mistakes but I think they were understandable mistakes considering the situation they found themselves in and they both felt more real to me because of them.  The budding romance between them was sweet and believable with each of them offering something that the other desperately needed.  However I really liked the fact that the romance didn't overshadow the family relationships and various reactions to the alleged assault and the pending court case.

Mikey feels that he has let Karyn down because he didn't prevent the attack from taking place, his sister is a shadow of her former self and he would do anything to make her happy again.  His mother doesn't know how to cope and has turned to alcohol leaving Mikey to look after the house and both of his sisters.  Angry and frustrated Mikey focuses on revenge against Tom as a way to deal with his feelings.  Things are very different in Ellie's house.  Her parents are determined to show the world that they believe Tom is innocent, after all it must be difficult for any parent to accept the idea that their child could be capable of committing such an act.  Ellie is pushed to the sidelines while her parents focus all their attention on Tom, in fact the only thing they seem to want from Ellie is for her to be a witness in Tom's defence.  Ellie was the only other person in the house on the night of the attack and she desperately wants to believe that Tom is innocent but there are things about that evening that are bothering her.  Surely Tom couldn't have done it though?

You Against Me was an enthralling read and one that you won't want to put down. I really liked the fact that the ending wasn't all wrapped up with a neat and tidy bow - in a situation like this there is no such thing as a happy ending.  Whether the rape actually took place or not all of the characters involved are going to have to live with the accusations that have been made for the rest of their lives.  Whoever the innocent party is they are either a victim of a sexual assault or the victim of vicious lies and either way there will be consequences.  I liked the way the reader doesn't get answers to all of their questions and you have to draw your own conclusions.  This is one of my favorite reads of the year and Jenny Downham has been added to my list of authors to watch out for.  I've head great things about her first book Before I Die and am really looking forward to reading it.

Source: Received from RHCB in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:

I Want To Read That
Writing From The Tub
I Was A Teenage Book Geek
The Bookette
Chrissie's Corner
Girls Without A Bookshelf
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.