#meg rosoff

[dabiconcordia]

"I've been fired five times for having a bad attitude." ― Meg Rosoff

[deviika]

When you read a book, the neurons in your brain fire overtime, deciding what the characters are wearing, how they're standing, and what it feels like the first time they kiss. No one shows you. The words make suggestions. Your brain paints the pictures.

—Meg Rosoff

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

On your recommendation, I read How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. Holy crap.

Yes, YESSSSS. My evil plan to get people to read Heckin Good Books is working!

For those of you still on the fence about reading How I Live Now, might I just mention it has:

Complex but deeply supportive extended family dynamics.

Strong energy of that "we went to my aunt's house and I had two pastries, Mussolini no longer in power" diary entry, where the apocalypse is a background inconvenience in the characters' lives.

But also, you know how Cloverfield gives you an ant's-eye view of the end of the world, where the whole point is ordinary civilians' powerlessness in the face of the monsters? That too.

Survival horror. So much.

Discussions of mental health and trauma that are not for the faint of heart.

You thought the ash snow from Avatar was scary? My dude, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

A surprisingly soft and loving appreciation for nature, amidst the horror of industrial weaponry.

Written in reaction to the "preemptive strike" doctrines of the early 2000s, and it shows.

There aren't really villains, except for the people who allow the plot to happen to them, because the whole point is that everyone is caught up in systems far far beyond their ability to understand, much less control.

A heartbreaking amount of hope, for a story that's also about how humanity cannot possibly persist under its current circumstances.

[nestofstraightlines]

For the sake of practice I sometimes like to create hypothetical new covers for published books and How I Live Now seemed a perfect opportunity. Partly because despite being a standout in 21st century YA publishing and a consistent inclusion in bookshop backlist, it hasn’t had a new mass market cover since 2005, and partly because the ideas and hypotheticals it explores are closer to home than ever in 2022.

[brightbeautifulthings]

I don't get nearly enough credit in life for the things I manage not to say.

Meg Rosoff, How I Live Now

[virgilean]

Books Read in 2021: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

“If you haven't been in a war and are wondering how long it takes to get used to losing everything you think you need or love, I can tell you the answer is no time at all.”

[in-love-with-movies]

How I Live Now (UK - Canada, 2013)

[quotemadness]

I don’t get nearly enough credit in life for the things I manage not to say.

Meg Rosoff