Extreme Reading – Volume 3
Spring is here. Ha ha ha ha we wish.
At least we always have books to keep us warm. The good thing about having Extreme Reading as your sport of choice is that it doesn’t matter about the weather and it is always the right season.
So where has El been reading recently?
Even when temptation is offered you must stay strong padawan.
Reading in an office shop is always good because you’ll always have somewhere to sit.
Just ignore any distractions behind you.
So the lesson we have learned is – whatever is in your book is probably more compelling than whatever is in your face.
El & Jae
Page Turners
Extreme Reading: A half term special
Ah, the half term. A chance to go out, enjoy yourself and get up a bit later than usual. So what does El do?
What she always does! She reads. That’s the best thing about half term really – more reading time.
The Rule of El: Never leave the house without a minimum of 5 books
What will happen if you leave the house with less than 5 books? We don’t know, we’ve never tried.
And now here are some tips from El to help you enjoy your book fully.
When reading a book set in the past why not travel back in time and really get a feel of the era.
If you wish to focus upon your book more then read it next to a beautiful castle and carefully ignore it.
And of course if you go to see a show, always take a book in case the show is boring
And remember – never let a day out get in the way of having a good read.
El & Jae
Book, book, book, book, book
EXCLUSIVE Interview With Author Keris Stainton And Review Of Her Book Jessie Hearts NYC
Got a Keris book for my b-day!
For my birthday last December Jae gave me the gift of Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton. Well she is twitter buddies with the author. A few of my friends had read it too so I gathered some questions and Jae emailed Keris. Here is our awesome interview with the author.
Why are you so amazing?
Wow, what a question! Thank you! Well, I don’t think I am, I think I’m very ordinary almost all of the time.
What’s the hardest part of writing a book?
The hardest part for me is the rewriting. I finish the first draft and feel quite excited about it, then I read over it and am filled with horror at how rubbish it is. So then I start making notes and rewriting and trying to make it all better and as I’m doing that there’s ALWAYS a point where I think I can’t possibly do it. You know when you’re playing a game and you’re losing and you want to throw the board in the air? That’s how I feel when I’m writing a book. “Oh just FORGET IT!!!!” (But I’ve learned that if I keep going it gets easier and I can finish it after all.)
What inspired you to write Jessie Hearts NYC?
The main inspiration was New York. I absolutely love the place and really wanted to set a book there. And then I was listening to a song called If It Kills Me by Jason Mraz – it’s about a boy who’s in love with his best friend’s girlfriend and I really loved that idea. And then Finn just popped into my head, wearing a tux, holding a bunch of red roses and trying to flag down a cab in Times Square.
Do any of your books relate to your life?
There are always little things I take from real life. Della’s dad, (from her first book Della Says OMG!) for instance, is quite a lot like my dad – he used to sing “A pretty girl is like a melody” when we were going out – but he didn’t have a deli and my mum wasn’t a model. I went to The View revolving restaurant in New York and did actually get confused about the bathrooms like Jessie does. The next book after Emma is set in Italy and that one probably relates to my life the closest, because the main character’s dad has just died and I wrote it not longer after my dad died, but everything else in that book is made up.
Pleased to meet you, Keris Stainton!
Why did you decide to become a writer?
I always really loved writing, but for some reason I never thought about being a writer. Actually, I did want to be a journalist, but I never thought of writing a novel. And then one day, when I was about 25, it just popped into my head – “I should write a novel!” – and once I thought of it, I couldn’t believe it hadn’t occurred to me sooner! I started trying to write one straight away, but it was rubbish. In fact, I think it took another eight years for me to finish a book I was happy with. Luckily that book got me my agent and publisher!
What was your favourite book when you were 12 and can you recommend some for us?
When I was 12, I was obsessed with these teen romances called Sweet Dreams books. You can read all about them here. I don’t think I’d be writing the books I write now if I hadn’t read so many Sweet Dreams books. I wouldn’t exactly recommend them (I’ve reread a few recently and they’re a bit rubbish) but my favourite was Thinking of You by Jeanette Nobile.
There’s so much fantastic YA fiction out now – teens are so lucky. My favourites are Split By a Kiss by Luisa Plaja, Girl Meets Cake by Susie Day, Fly on the Wall by E Lockhart, The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot and A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone, which is written in verse, but you shouldn’t let that put you off because you stop noticing and it’s just wonderful.
El’s review of Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton
I really enjoyed reading this book! It’s all about this girl called Jessie who goes to visit her mother in New York with her best friend and a New Yorker called Finn who’s in love with his best friend’s girl friend. I loved hearing about NY because it’s a place I would love to visit. All in all it’s a very good book that I would recommend.
RATING:
5/5
There was nothing wrong with the book, I couldn’t fault it. It’s perfect in every way and a cracking good read!!!
El. 
