26 - a great and terrible beauty

don't get me wrong, i love harry potter as much as the next person, but to be quite honest, i've never been one to get into books about the occult.  not for any ethical reason, i just tend to drift toward memoirs and biographies, historical fiction, and contemporary reality fiction when i am walking the aisles of barnes and noble.  but here's the deal with teaching adolescents - THEY tend to LOVE books like harry potter, cirque du freak, twilight, etc.

i've been meaning to read libba bray's gemma doyle trilogy for the last year or so, but never got around to it.  this summer, though, i have decided is my gemma doyle summer, especially after reading a great and terrible beauty and now wanting to read what happens next.  despite being a little confused at the end, i really enjoyed this book.  it kind of reminds me of a more mature secret garden, but that is probably just because both books start out in india in the late 1800's. hopefully, my confusion will get cleared up after some discussion, rereading, or moving into rebel angels, book two.

i'll definitely be mentioning this book (and hopefully the other two if they are as good) to my students when we return to school - especially to those who seem to think that life only exists in forks, washington with bella, edward, and jacob.  while i must admit that the twilight series is fun to read, i liked AGTB just as much (and maybe more!).  most of the reason for that is because the heroine, gemma, is awesome.  i know, i know . . . kind of a weak description.  but seriously, i like how bray made gemma a character who is CONSTANTLY questioning everything she has been told about who she is suppose to be.  there is a definite feminist message to this book, which is made even more clear at the end in the author interview printed at the back of the copy i read.  i love me some girl power books, so this one quickly gained my appreciation.

also, libba bray - yay texas girls who write! - keeps a blog, so if you like to read writers' blogs like i do, check hers out.  i just found it today, so i'm not sure what all is on it.