Burn, Rewrite, & Reread Book Post!

Hi, everybody! :) This post is about a tag challenge I got from one of the blogs I read: The Music Of Words. In this tag, you choose 3 books you have read recently, and then you choose which one you would burn, which you would reread, and the one you would burn. You repeat for 3 or 6 rounds. I am going to do 3 rounds because I read way too much to remember the past 18 books I've read.

Group 1:

1. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
2. The Death Cure by James Dashner
3. Poached by Stuart Gibbs

Burn: I would burn The Scorch Trials because I felt it was not a satisfying ending, Thomas's actions were driving me a little crazy. I thought he should've forgiven Teresa faster, because almost everything in that series was about him avoiding death. And he felt betrayed (*SPOILER ALERT*) when Teresa "tried" to kill him, so if it was to save him, why was he so upset? I bet he would've done the same thing for her. 

Rate: 8/10

Rewrite: I would rewrite The Death Cure because I (*SPOILER ALERT*) did not want Teresa to die! Also, Newt's death scene was not satisfying to me.

Rate: 8.5/10

Reread: I would reread Poached because Stuart Gibbs is one of my favorite authors and he did not disappoint with another tantalizing mystery! Especially with Teddy framed, and the trademark of Large Marge chasing Teddy all around FunJungle.

Rate: 9.9/10

Group 2:

1. A Death Struck Year by Makiia Lucier
2. Breathing Room by Marsha Hayles
3. Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

Burn: Sorry, Belly Up but I would have to burn you. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but it was a mystery. The other two were historic fiction about diseases and they had more emotional pull on me then this book did.

Rate: 8.7/10

Rewrite: I would rewrite some of the scenes in Breathing Room because I think they could have been a little more emotional. Otherwise, great novel! I especially loved the little Loon Lake guide that was at the beginning of each chapter. I have actually had the pleasure of meeting the author, Marsha Hayles, in person. Read about it here. 

Rate: 9.7/10

Reread: A Death Struck Year, you pulled on my heartstrings with almost every scene. I was sad the deaths had to occur, but they furthered the characters and the emotional tugs. You made me nervous (in a good way) and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants an emotional read.

Rate: 9.9/10

Group 3:

1. The Lies We Tell by Sarah Hamilton
2. 23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde
3. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderon

Burn: I was forced to read Fever for a summer reading (Which I read before school was out) so even though the book was acceptable, it's not something I would've picked on my own.

Rate: 7/10

Rewrite: The Lies We Tell would be rewritten because some of the wordings I didn't like. Just me being picky, even though it had a good story line & plot, the words didn't flow smoothly enough. 

Rate: 9.5/10

Reread: 23 Minutes had me on edge with every chapter. I was so worried she wouldn't be able to stop the robberies. It was humorous, especially the first scene, even though after that, things took a more serious turn. 

Rate: 9.8/10

For more Recommendations by me, check out the Recommendations page! Thanks for reading!

Writing Workshop with Vivian Vande Velde & Marsha Hayles!

2 great authors who both wrote wonderful books came to Rochester for a writing workshop at Barnes & Noble! You should check out some of their books, (Marsha- Breathing Room, Vivian- 23 minutes, Remembering Raquel) I learned a lot of valuable tips for character development, using different voices, and publishing. We wrote the beginning of a story off a prompt and even got some tips! It's a horror story and I was trying a new writing technique I got from the book Spilling Ink, by Anne Mazer & Ellen Potter- (another really great book.) I don't have a title because I haven't written enough of the story to develop one. Here is a rough, rough, rough unedited draft of what I wrote, I was also under a time limit.

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"Aaah!"

I back away & flatten my self against the wall. 'Breathe' I tell myself. He's just a two year old baby. Sweet as sugar. I tentatively take a step forward, then another. I look at his mane, his teeth, & think 'you're not scared.' I bend over to pick him up. & then jump back, clutching my hand.  I take my left hand off and find my right stained red. I feel sickened. What happened to the baby who would never harm a fly?

"Aaah!"

I shriek again. David stands up on his hind legs & climbs out of his crib. I try to think back to what my sister told me to do when dealing with dangerous creatures. Oh, why had I tuned her out? I back away slowly, saying "Shhh, shhh." Then I throw caution to the wind and run, no, sprint, down the stairs. I throw the door open with a BANG! that makes it shudder on its hinges. I look behind me to find the-the demon child following me. At a busy intersection, I wait for a red light and then cross the street. On the adjacent sidewalk, I look over my shoulder again and see David following me. He's at the busy intersection, and looks around, He sees me on the other side of the street and starts running. Except he doesnt wait for a red light. A BMWclearly breaking the speed limit flies toward the intersection... and David.

"STOP!" I scream, hoping it will be enough. I close my eyes and brace myself for the 'thud!' I am sure is to come.

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That's as far as I got. I will try to post more of this story. I hope you've enjoyed it so far!