I bought a book.
And read it.
In the same weekend.
Yes! It's true! I got an end-of-the-marking-period present for myself, and had the time to read it, also due to it being the end of the marking period. Really. Marking periods need to end more often.
It gets better: I liked the book. I was engaged in the book. I haven't been able to totally immerse myself in a book since junior year started. (This may not seem like a very long time, but for a girl who, at one point in her life--maybe eighth grade and prior--read about four, five, six books a week, it is a very...long...time.) Thoughts of homework or plans or more homework or the fact that I was trying to squeeze in a read at 11:30 pm and my eyelids suddenly had 5lb dumbbells attached to them...or more homework...have always gotten in the way the past few months. Also, many of the books I tried to sit down and read couldn't capture my attention. Plotlines were thin...main characters were shallow...the disbelief I used to (at that One Point in My Life) be able to suspend just wouldn't suspend.
Anyway. This little rant brings me to this book, The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff, that I got on an opportune weekend. And that was really good. As good--maybe better--than the sneak peek I got in Barnes&Noble promised. Have you ever picked up a book (maybe after hours of wandering through the store) and had that feeling? By italicized feeling I meant the notion that hey, this looks just about perfect right now. In fact, I kind of can't wait to read it. This feeling, for me, is usually a result of the cover + good jacket flap blurb + intriguing plot snippet at random page + amusing/gripping/flippant/colorful style. If all of those add up, it = feeling.
This weekend I suppose the right feeling for me was something creepy, a bit offbeat, not a totally romance-centered plot, and an easy, believable first-person style. (If you're into that feeling right now, check out this book.)
What sort of qualities create feelings for you when you pick up a book?
Kieryn
www.kierynnicolas.com
