Wednesday, October 7, 2009

NaNoWriMo and Book Review: LIAR

I want to begin with NaNoWriMo. I've wanted to do this for a couple of years now. Last year I was busy with Deathday and didn't have time, but this year I'm just diving in and doing it. I've been having the book two blues and think NaNoWriMo will be a good way to just forget everything and do it. It'll be interesting seeing as I'm not going to use any of my normal writing time for it. My mornings will still be devoted to working on my followup to Deathday, whatever that may be. No, for NaNoWriMo I'm going to work on a middle grade novel I've been dreaming of for almost a year. It's only recently that I've come up with an idea to bridge some of the plot holes.

Anyway, if you want to follow my progress there, I'm shauniedarko.

My review of LIAR. I'm going to keep this spoiler free, which means it might be a bit thin, but worth it. LIAR was the kind of book that made me proud to be a writer, and also made me feel like a hack. Really, I thought it was that good.

Okay, so it's the story of a pathological liar named Micah and the death of a boy in her class that she may or may not have been secretly dating. That's all I'm telling you about the plot.

I loved this book because it made me examine every word. The major twist in the book was more than a shock and while some people found it annoying, I thought it was s stroke of brilliance. On top of that, Justine Larbalestier's writing and structure are top-notch. The best books, in my opinion, are the ones I can lose myself in, and I devoured this one in an afternoon.

I wish I could go into greater depth but I think part of the value of this book is discovering it for yourself. That said, I recommend this book as one of the best I've read this year. Go buy it!

7 comments:

  1. Wow, that is quite a recommendation. I also feel more drawn to reviews where the reader loved it and says, "It's so awesome I can't tell you anything about it so you can see for yourself!"

    I've added it to my wishlist.

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  2. I know the review was vague, but I really feel like the concept of this book and the way it develops just has to be experienced unsullied by even the hint of a spoiler. Over on the author's blog, she's repeatedly spoken about how difficult it was to keep the twisty bits under wraps, and I am so glad she did.

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  3. NaNo in addition to your normal writing? ROCK ON.

    Am trying to decide whether to reactivate my NaNo profile. Might as well -- it's produced most of my WIPs so far :) I probably wouldn't be working on something completely new, though.

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  4. LIAR sounds incredible. It's now on my list thanks to you.

    Good luck with Nano. I'm NaNo-ing too this year -- Kat Harris. I'll look you up over there. (Original, I know.) :-)

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  5. Thanks for the rec. - and I am doing NaNo this year too (assuming I figure out a plot!). My name is christinef if you want to find me!

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  6. I'm glad your review of LIAR didn't give too much away. It was an amazing read, and I'm still stewing about the ending. Do I know what happened? Really?

    ~Emily

    www.justcallmeflemmily.blogspot.com

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Keep it clean, keep it classy, and jokes are always appreciated.