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So I went down to Woozles, our awesome local children's bookstore, today. My mission was to pick up a lending copy of Sarah Rees Brennan's 'Unspoken' because I and my bookshelf are sad when it is gone and I cannot actually buy it for everyone I will ever meet. And the great thing about buying awesome books at awesome local bookstores (aside from the obvious) is that it means I get to push said books at the professional book pushers. Why yes, the salesgirl HAS just added Unspoken to her to-read list. All will bow before my love of this story, mua ha ha . . . (Either that or she was just being polite so I would stop. But it didn't seem like it.)
ANYWAY, believe it or not, that is not the point of this story. But Pear, you're all saying, we don't believe you. Sarah Rees Brennan's books are the point of ALL your stories. We know you, remember.
And yes, I KNOW you do, and normally you would be exactly right. But this is about ANOTHER story! I can talk about OTHER things! (But Pear, we're on paragraph 3 and you're still . . . )
Hush! Am I telling this story or are you? Now then, where was I . . . oh, yes, Woozles. Believe it or not they do also carry OTHER people's books, and not just Sarah's. I KNOW, RIGHT? And there was this book looking out at me from the shelf, and I thought: I've heard of you. You sound intriguing.
I picked it up. My daughter was happily playing with the thoughtfully-provided dollhouse. The comfy chair was available. My course was clear. I'd just have a peek inside . . .
ME: This character is pretty cool. His relationship with his mother is interesting. I am intrigued.
(Five minutes later) . . . this is pretty good. Maybe I'll get it from the library. Not sure.
(Turns page.) OH. Oh, hello, Dante. I'll just be . . . taking this home with me. Yes.
This fifteen-minute bus ride is excruciatingly long. This child requires attention and feeding. My life: so hard.
. . . you know, we were up awfully early, and I haven't had any downtime yet. Would you like to watch 'My Little Pony,' small child?
(Slinks off into bedroom like a . . . furtive, slinky . . . thing. Opens book; reads.)
OMG I ship this so hard already.
Oh, ow, my heart!
Oh, oh, oh! Kids, I love you so much. You are so awesome and brave and disastrous. Please never change.
Oh, except actually I would like you to have a character arc, Ari, so please change a little. But in the good ways.
Yessss . . . like that.
Ari's mom, you are badass and I love you.
Oh, God, no, hold me!
Parents! Parents being awesome and broken and learning and changing and stepping up and setting a flipping example! (Do . . . do the parents ship this?)
OMG this got real.
Oh. My. God.
(Somewhere in all of this I think I made supper and ate and tended to the child a bit. Oh, good, Husband appears to be tending to the child. ALL IS WELL!)
Book. Book, I love you. Please never change. I do not know where the rest of my day went, and what is a wordcount anyway? But I have no regrets. I'm so pleased that I bought you so that you can dwell on my bookshelf for all time, and be there for my daughter to discover in a few years. You can keep Unspoken company, when the lending copy is out. Er. When I'm not rereading one or the other of you. <3
(Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a YA novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Seriously . . . just go read it.)
ANYWAY, believe it or not, that is not the point of this story. But Pear, you're all saying, we don't believe you. Sarah Rees Brennan's books are the point of ALL your stories. We know you, remember.
And yes, I KNOW you do, and normally you would be exactly right. But this is about ANOTHER story! I can talk about OTHER things! (But Pear, we're on paragraph 3 and you're still . . . )
Hush! Am I telling this story or are you? Now then, where was I . . . oh, yes, Woozles. Believe it or not they do also carry OTHER people's books, and not just Sarah's. I KNOW, RIGHT? And there was this book looking out at me from the shelf, and I thought: I've heard of you. You sound intriguing.
I picked it up. My daughter was happily playing with the thoughtfully-provided dollhouse. The comfy chair was available. My course was clear. I'd just have a peek inside . . .
ME: This character is pretty cool. His relationship with his mother is interesting. I am intrigued.
(Five minutes later) . . . this is pretty good. Maybe I'll get it from the library. Not sure.
(Turns page.) OH. Oh, hello, Dante. I'll just be . . . taking this home with me. Yes.
This fifteen-minute bus ride is excruciatingly long. This child requires attention and feeding. My life: so hard.
. . . you know, we were up awfully early, and I haven't had any downtime yet. Would you like to watch 'My Little Pony,' small child?
(Slinks off into bedroom like a . . . furtive, slinky . . . thing. Opens book; reads.)
OMG I ship this so hard already.
Oh, ow, my heart!
Oh, oh, oh! Kids, I love you so much. You are so awesome and brave and disastrous. Please never change.
Oh, except actually I would like you to have a character arc, Ari, so please change a little. But in the good ways.
Yessss . . . like that.
Ari's mom, you are badass and I love you.
Oh, God, no, hold me!
Parents! Parents being awesome and broken and learning and changing and stepping up and setting a flipping example! (Do . . . do the parents ship this?)
OMG this got real.
Oh. My. God.
(Somewhere in all of this I think I made supper and ate and tended to the child a bit. Oh, good, Husband appears to be tending to the child. ALL IS WELL!)
Book. Book, I love you. Please never change. I do not know where the rest of my day went, and what is a wordcount anyway? But I have no regrets. I'm so pleased that I bought you so that you can dwell on my bookshelf for all time, and be there for my daughter to discover in a few years. You can keep Unspoken company, when the lending copy is out. Er. When I'm not rereading one or the other of you. <3
(Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a YA novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Seriously . . . just go read it.)
