Showing posts with label Hunger Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hunger Games. Show all posts

Road Trip Reads (Audio Books for the Whole Family!)

Thursday, May 27, 2021


Do you have any family road trips planned in the upcoming months?

If a vacation isn't in your immediate future, a short drive in the country may be the perfect excuse to start a new audio book too!

Many people know I'm involved in the book business, so it just makes sense that a friend recently texted the following:

Here's a challenge for you: 4-6 audiobooks that we would all enjoy (road trip prepping for late June). Got any good ideas?

Let's help a mama out!

This particular friend will be traveling with her newly turned adult daughter and her preteen son. I turned to my Mama friends (Real Mommy AF) on Facebook and here's what we came up with (along with some comments): 


- Harry Potter - Who hasn't heard of Harry Potter? As we all know, this story pulls the entire family into the adventure, but it's even better as an audio book! Action at it's best with the most amazing narration makes any of the titles a great pic for the entire family!


- Hunger Games - This is an Editor's Pick and listening to it enhances the already great story. Pick one book or listen to them all - you'll be delighted. Described as a classic - you won't want to miss an opportunity to enhance your road trip with any or all of The Hunger Games books! 


- Divergent Series -  This is an epic page turner with over 11 hours you'll find yourself caught up with the characters and great stories. 


- The Fault in Our Stars - Described as being a fantastic story, and a wonderful poignant story, this is a book for all ages (including a 71 year old). Don't let the subject of this book stop you from enjoying it! 


- The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Claire - there are so many titles in this series and each one can stand fine on it's own. These books are exciting with creative storylines. Choose one or listen to them all - either way you won't be disappointed!


- The Percy Jackson Series - with so many books to choose from and all of them available in audio, this is a great series to break up a monotonous road trip! Clever, Imaginative, and Creative are just some of the words to describe these exciting books!




- The Maze Runner  - this is a great book that's designated as being for teens; but the story quickly draws the entire family in and with over 10 hours of audio, The Maze Runner will have your road trip flying by! 



- Anything by Ree Drummond (including: Frontier Follies: Adventures in Marriage and Motherhood in the Middle of Nowhere and The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to tractor Wheels - a Love Story). You'll love Ree's authentic voice and she's a great storyteller. 

And now it's YOUR turn! Tell us more about your summer plans.

Where are you headed?

What books (physical) have made it to your TBR pile?

What books (audio) would you like to add to your pile of "Road Trip Reads"?

What's one of the best books of the year so far in your mind?

GO!

Hugs,
~Crystal


and now...a little more about me...


Shown from left to right:
Delphine riding Honey
Mr. Otto holding Eudora
Crystal riding Marv.
Thank you Forward Farm, LLC 
Crystal is a hot mess of busy-ness who has decided to shorten her bio...

You can find Crystal milking cows, riding horses, and the occasional unicorn (not at the same time), taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books here, and at her own blog - Crystal is dedicated to turning life's lemons into lemonade and she has never (not once) been accused of being normal!





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What Makes a Great Character in a Novel?

Sunday, September 01, 2013
Katniss!! by Pop Culture Geek flickr.com
What makes a great character in a novel? I hope you're not looking here for the magic answer. I wish I had the magic answer. But all I can really do is share with you my experience and my opinion. Then I'm hoping you'll share yours with me, too.

One of my favorite authors is Suzanne Collins--I love both Hunger Games (as does the rest of the world) and Gregor the Overlander (her middle-grade series that is a bit less famous). When I think of favorite characters in novels, Katniss and Gregor immediately come to my mind. I wish I could say something more literary or classic came to mind, like Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. But I'm not going to lie. The best I can do with classic is Huck Finn and Wilbur. (After all, I'm a children's writer.)

So, what makes me love Gregor and Katniss and Huck Finn and Wilbur? Well, first of all, they are brave and flawed. They aren't afraid to stand up for what is right, but they don't always do the right thing (well, Wilbur probably does); and sometimes, they are very selfish. They have adventures that I want to have. They make things happen in their lives. But this is true for so many characters. Why, why do these stand out to me? I'm still trying to figure that one out.

And why don't I like some characters? I'm not fond of Bella from Twilight. I've read all four books and will never say an unkind word about Stephenie Meyer; but I was never so glad that an author switched point of view in a book, as I was in the fourth book when we finally got inside Jacob's head. I couldn't take one more second of Bella. Why? She has some of the same qualities I listed above. But for me, she came off a bit whiny and neurotic, too.

I also like humor and intelligence--all of those characters I love have both of those traits. I try to model my characters after the ones I like--their characteristics anyway. For example, in the YA novel I just signed a contract for (YAY!), my main character, Julie, is a fairly popular senior girl who is not going to sleep with her boyfriend no matter how hard he tries. She also is a drama queen and worries about her teeth turning yellow and the sometimes sweat she has under her arms when she's nervous. She is a loyal and good friend. When push comes to shove and her family needs her, she faces her fears and gets the job done. Although my book isn't about fighting to death to feed the people in your district, like in the Hunger Games series, Julie shares some of the same characteristics as Katniss. (Just don't giver her a bow and arrow. . .) As a matter of fact, maybe Jennifer Lawrence will be available to play Julie in the film version of my book, Caught Between Two Curses. (Yes, you should be laughing out loud right now.)

So, obviously, I don't have the magic answer for what makes a great character in a novel. But what I do know is this--the person (or thing or animal) has to have characteristics we can admire and root for, while also having some flaws to work through. The character has to remind us of ourselves in some way. When you find those characters you love, make a list of their traits. Figure out why you love the character and how the author showed you their traits in the story. Then get to work on your own character. Of course, you never want to copy. But you can study and learn from what you already love.

So, who's your favorite novel character and why? 

Margo L. Dill is leading Writing a Novel with a Writing Coach (online workshop) which starts the first Friday of each month (next session: September 6), for people who are ready to write a novel or are in the middle of the process and want some help and feedback. For more information about the class, please go to: http://wow-womenonwriting.com/classroom/MargoDill_WriteNovelWithWritingCoach.php
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