Marathon of Books Blog - December 26th, 2014
Dear Canadian Teen Book Lovers,
My family shook things up a bit this year and opened all of our presents tonight instead of rushing through them in the morning before going to my Gram's house. It was a wonderful experience because it was just fun. We had all tried really hard to get perfect presents for everyone, and I think it showed.
I can't even pick a best present because they were all so great. Although I suppose I do like the homemade ones the best. My mom made me a warm flannel comforter for my bed (which my dog also loves) and my nephew painted an awesome football mug for me, knowing how much I like to watch the game.
So while I managed to read "Hummingbird Heart" by Robin Stevenson before everyone arrived to have dinner and celebrate Christmas, it is 12 am and I am just now starting to work on my review and Tumblr post. I'm hoping after tonight and tomorrow night, I will have no more late nights due to my Marathon of Books. I am also greatly anticipating a release from the daily moodiness of WordPress.
I am already looking forward to the release of Stevenson's "The World Without Us" next year, but in the meantime I got to add to the list of books I've read by her. Her writing has grown on me over the years. I began with "Inferno" and I went from there. I love how her writing includes diversity, as well as real characters who don't always make the best choices.
There are some books in life that just stick with you. They are indelibly planted in your memory for the oddest of reasons at times, but for me, two of the books I've read by Stevenson have stood the test of time. The first is "Escape Velocity," perhaps because I found myself reading it just before a very scary doctor appointment regarding my bloodwork levels not long after my heart transplant. To this day I can picture the waiting room and where I sat, the tension I felt, and I remember reading Lou's story during a time when I just needed an escape myself. It worked.
The second is "Record Breaker." I read it and realised that my own father would have been the same age as Jack in 1963, and it sparked a whole conversation on his perspective of JFK's assassination. It truly was his generation's 9/11. Reading Stevenson's book and making that connection was like a light bulb turning on in my head and ever since I think first about how old my parents or other relatives would have been when I am reading historical fiction. It has totally changed my perspective.
When I met Stevenson in person, she was friendly and enthusiastic. I honestly don't know how writers go back and forth from being introverted creators to dealing with their fans, but I felt Stevenson was genuine person. And she signed my copy of "Record Breaker" with a wonderful message for me.
I'm glad her writing is out there for teens to read and connect with, and it was a pleasure to read her work again today.
Kilometres Travelled: 83201
Hours of Reading: 1098 hours and 11 minutes
