Month: July 2023

Reading Wrap Up

July Reading Wrap Up!

Kristie

It’s been an interesting reading month! Beta reading and recovering from beta reading made for less books on my own time. (I don’t mind at all.) Participating in a “Christmas in July” reading challenge made for some unusual summer choices.

Favorite: HELLO BEAUTIFUL, BY ANN NAPOLITANO I really wanted to dedicate an entire blog post to this book, but I just didn’t have the mental bandwidth. Suffice to say, I loved it. It is a polarizing book. I know some who have not enjoyed it and felt it was slow paced. For me it was about the writing, which is to be savored. There was something old-world about it, one that did not depend on shock value to convey a lovely story. I definitely recommend it. I also recommend reading it in print or digital form as opposed to listening to the audio. It could be interpreted as a modern-day Little Women (one boy, several sisters,) but is still very much its own unique plot. It’s quite character-driven, so be prepared to follow them around a lot as they navigate their lives. 9/10 Stars

Surprise favorite discovery: AGAINST THE POLLUTION OF THE “I,” BY JACQUES LUSSEYRAN I have a new historical hero, and his name is Jacques Lusseyran, a French Resistance leader who survived time in a Nazi concentration camp. A blind French Resistance leader. Lusseyran lost his sight in a freak accident when he was eight years old, yet still accomplished and lived through more than most of us could ever imagine. He was brilliant and humble, with strong opinions that he expressed with terrific eloquence. This is one of two books he wrote before dying in 1971 at the young age of 46. His most notable work, which I have yet to read, is called And There Was Light. Seek out his work. He needs more attention. 9.5/10 Stars

Biggest disappointment: DELIVER ME, BY ASHLEY HAWTHORNE Deliver Me was a double-whammy let down. First, because the author said she would send me an advanced copy and never did. Second, because a story with a great premise and potentially fantastic characters plummeted into a pile of literary ashes. I was so intrigued at the idea of a pastor’s daughter exchanging letters with an inmate convicted of murdering his father, that I ended up buying the book. It started out wonderfully and kept my attention until the midpoint. At this point it turned vulgar and graphic. The writing became lazy and I stopped caring. It toyed with my feelings and lost all of its depth. Sadly, there is no way I can recommend it. 3/10 Stars

And on to August! I have two advanced copies that need reading and reviewing very soon: The Paris Assignment, by Rhys Bowen, and Summer in the Spotlight, by Liz Johnson. Both will be released on August 8, so I’d better get cracking!

Happy Reading!

Fiction

Movie Review: Happiness for Beginners, Book by Katherine Center

Kristie

Movie: Available Now on Netflix, with Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes

Book: Available Now in Audio, Print, Digital

It seems like Hollywood is always, always scrambling for new material. So last year, when I learned that Netflix was adapting my favorite Katherine Center book, Happiness for Beginners, I was both thrilled and nervous. You know what I mean, right? That scary combination of “woohoo!” and “oh, boy, what are they going to do to it?”

***SPOILER ALERT*** If you want zero spoilers about the book or movie, this is where you should stop reading. Right here. Yep. Here…. Stop.

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Hey, you stayed! Awesome. Let’s dig in…

First off, we know that “the book was better” is pretty much the norm. Not always (Example: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society,) but usually. We prepare for some artistic license. We prepare for possible disappointment. We hope we will be happily surprised, but it’s no shocker when we aren’t. That was my mindset when I watched Happiness for Beginners on Netflix early this morning.

What’s ironic is that the things I was initially concerned about–the supporting cast, the setting changes, the smaller age discrepancy between Jake and Helen–turned out to be non-issues. My biggest complaint? Screenwriter/Director Vicky Wight chopped a very important section at the beginning.

If you’re completely unfamiliar with the book, it is about a new divorcee named Helen Carpenter who decides to reset her life by participating in a three week hiking course. Aside from being completely out of her comfort zone, she is surprised to learn that her younger brother’s best friend, Jake, is also going to be there. There are so many wonderful and bittersweet moments in the book, but the fact that Helen and Jake travel together to the hiking course sets a strong foundation for their relationship. It also explains the changes between them once they meet up with their instructor, Beckett, and the rest of the group.

This entire section was cut from the movie. Instead, Helen travels alone and sees Jake once she arrives. Whaat? It’s one of the best parts of the book! A terrible creative decision and my main gripe. But it’s a big gripe because, without this section, a lot of expository info was kept from us. Some production was scaled down because the film was made during COVID, but I doubt that’s the reason for this specific choice. (Therefore I give the film a tepid “B” for “butchering.”)

I loved the casting of Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes (because who doesn’t love Kayce from Yellowstone, right?) And, even though the age difference was a lot less than in the book, it worked. The scenery was lovely. I really liked the casting for Windy, Beckett, and Grandma Gigi (the always fabulous Blythe Danner.) But I hope that future adaptations of Katherine Center’s books are put in the hands of someone else. Vicky Wight has been at the helm of two KC projects now (The Lost Husband and now Happiness for Beginners,) and both are so diluted in story and emotion compared to their respective source material, that most of the special moments we saw in the books are completely gone. I’ve been severely underwhelmed twice now.

So would I recommend the movie of Happiness for Beginners? Eh, sure. It’s cute. (It currently has an unimpressive 5.8 on IMDb.)

Would I recommend the BOOK of Happiness for Beginners? YOU BETCHA. Skip the movie. Read the book or listen to the audio (also super.) You can learn more about it here: https://readwithkristie.com/2022/03/16/author-spotlight-katherine-center/

Final thought? THE BOOK WAS BETTER.

Beta Reading

My Beta Reading Adventure, Pt. 2

Kristie

Reading for my own personal pleasure has really taken a hit this month! Instead, I spent two intense weeks beta reading for bestselling author, Boo Walker. If you’re new to this blog and want to learn about how I was first recruited, click HERE.

Back when I started, in May 2023, I asked a lot of questions. Boo was infinitely patient and answered them all. I learned about Track Changes on Apple Pages and how to use them. I learned the importance of direct, but tactful, criticism. I learned about “picking my battles,” when to look at something closely, when to pull back and look from a distance, when to tap into my own knowledge, and when to use discernment and say nothing. Over time, I gained more confidence and trusted my skills.

What I really learned is that most authors are sensitive souls. Sensitive souls who are required to have thick skins. No matter the genre, fiction or nonfiction, a book is like the author’s child. But, unless it is a smaller self-publishing endeavor, the entire process, from conception to publishing, really does take a village. Just like filming a movie or making a record, there are many layers and participants that we do not see. There is the initial idea, planning, research, proposal, writing the first draft, rewrites, edits, more rewrites, more edits, looming deadlines, developmental editing, proofreading, publishing, the launch, marketing, and the reviews. (To add to the challenge, the first few steps usually overlap with the last steps of the previous book.) There are agents, publishing house executives, at least three different kinds of editors, proofreaders, beta AND arc AND regular readers, plus lots and lots of critics.

When you add it all up, that is thousands of people. Thousands of people putting your seed of thought, your writing, your baby through their personal filters and adopting it as their own to love or hate, to recommend or pick apart. How do I know this? Because I’ve done it. We’ve all done it. And sometimes we forget that a book begins with one person. One person with an idea and a burning desire to write. Being a published author is not for the weak. I’ve learned that, too.

So when I am asked why an author uses beta readers, the answer is this: because he or she wants early objective opinions from readers they trust. (Boo uses 18-20 betas, all with our own styles.) Is it a “crutch?” The answer is a resounding NO. Using beta readers is a tool for an author to learn what is or isn’t working during the creative process, as opposed to sending a finished book out into the world and THEN finding out. Imagine all of that work, just to learn that readers don’t like what you’ve written. Yikes. It can still happen even with beta readers. Yikes again. But the chances are slimmer, so why not sweeten the odds?

This last round of beta reading began on July 2nd. Notes were due back on July 17th. As opposed to May, when I was sent 200 pages (the first half of the book, ending on a nice cliffhanger,) this time I was sent 402 pages–the entire draft. Did I read it again from the beginning? You bet I did. It was interesting to see changes and improvements. And, yes, it was pretty thrilling to see where my suggestions had been implemented from May’s read. That, my friends, takes a lot–A LOT–of humility on the part of the author. I am very grateful to be teamed with an author who puts ego aside, takes every comment seriously, and is only interested in making the book better.

I finished reading on the morning of July 14. Then I worked on reviewing all my notes. Late the next evening, along with a preparatory email, I sent it. After several hours, every day, for two weeks, my job was done! It felt like being finished with finals, that odd mixture of relief and trepidation. Over the next four days, Boo and I communicated several times. Fortunately, his feedback was very, very positive. Whew! So positive, in fact, that I will be named in the Author’s Acknowledgments at the end of the book. That was an unexpected surprise!

“The Book,” itself, does not yet have a final title. In May it was called When All The Lights Turn Green. Last week it was called An Echo in Time. (I had the opportunity to give title suggestions, but didn’t.) And, even though my contributions have come to an end, there are still many months of editing and proofreading ahead. The arc (advanced reader copy) is expected to debut on NetGalley in April 2024. The actual pub date is August 2024. It’s all long and arduous. When I know more, I’ll post it here.

In the meantime, we’re exactly ONE month away from the release of Boo Walker’s 2023 book! THE STARS DON’T LIE will be available in all formats (print/digital/audio) on August 22nd. You can read my glowing review HERE. For my teacher friends, this book is a tribute to educators everywhere.

That concludes this year’s beta reading journey! Thank you for reading! Boo has asked me to stay on for future books, so I’ll have to wait until next year to see what’s around the literary corner. He’s dropped a few hints, but time will tell. More stories are a-brewin’…