Breaking Time: A Book Review

Hello, most gorgeous cover of all time. But unfortunately, Breaking Time fell into the category of "story didn't quite live up to gorgeous cover." There's always a risk of that happening, but honestly the story had a lot to live up to with this cover. It's just breathtaking. 

Basically, this book just felt lacking for me. The characters were okay, but the romance didn't feel fully developed. There were several plot conveniences that were ridiculous (what kind of national library keeps their special collections completely unlocked with no security cameras?) and I was kind of confused about the magic and exactly what Klara could and could not do. And there were some cringy pieces of dialogue. 

Overall, it had a lot of potential! I'm just being picky at this point. I think this book will find a home with many readers out there—I'm just not one of them. Except I won't forget this cover anytime soon. 

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3

Thank you, Inkyard Press, for the ARC!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Words on a Page

There is something about words on a page. Words made up of single letters and pages made of words – all interacting on the physical print of a page and in the minds of readers. These words strung together make emotion, tension, and story. Simple letters combined into words, combined into pages, combined into books, combined into ideas. Ideas and books I love.

March 1st is World Book Day. Kids across the globe dress up like their favorite book characters for school – Dr. Seuss hats, various princess dresses, and Robin Hood garb show up in classrooms, and teachers monitor fake swords, plastic bows and arrows, and Thor’s hammer (though they may wonder if comics count as books). These kids celebrate words made up of single letters that turn into pages, books, and ideas. It is a day of personal connections to our quiet characters.

Books hold a special place in my life. My battery life data on my phone will tell you Goodreads is among my most visited apps and my husband will tell you I spend almost every allowance on a novel or two. Students studying at tables in the BYU library will tell you I visit the young-adult section almost every week, pacing among the tall shelves, often with a load in my arms and my coat swishing against my legs.

My heart will tell you that books hold a perpetual longing for me. A place not of escape, but of blessed inclusion in life. Escape seems too negative a term to be associate with books. They offer solitary inclusion – a way of looking and feeling the world in quiet and discovering your place in it.

In celebration of World Book Day, I reflect on books that have offered me a connection to life and have helped me discover a place. Books that showed me what life was like, how to love, how to understand. In special remembrance, almost as if recalling first elementary crushes, I list some of them here, with the accompanying memories.

Tess of the d’Urbervilles. A story of choice, rape, longing, personal discovery, hope, forgiveness, and love. I discovered my place as a woman and as someone who loves. Someone who accepts hard things.

The Rent Collector. A story of stories, reading, and opportunity. I discovered my place as an influencer because I read.

Spilling Ink. A book of writing. I discovered my place as an imaginer and a creator of worlds and people. A writer of letters, words, books, and ideas.

East. A story of legend, trust, discovery, love, and journeying. I discovered my place as one who journeys for important people, places, and ideas.

Unbroken. A story of suffering, hope, survival, and love. I discovered my place as one who is small, but infinitely important.

These are just a few. You can see more of my favorites on Goodreads. What will you do in celebration of World Book Day? What books do you hold in special remembrance? I’d love to hear!

Perfectionism is the Villain

On the second day of creative writing class, sitting in a small, dim classroom on the outskirts of BYU, we were asked to give our name and reason for taking the class.

I gave my answer: “My name is Savannah and I’m taking this class because I have a complicated relationship with fiction writing.”

My professor laughed. “So you’re taking this class as a punishment for yourself.”

That is correct.

I love writing. But I also hate it. I believe if you ask any writer, they will say something similar. In a conversation with a creative writing graduate student a week ago, she highlighted the true binary in writing: it is work and it is play. But mostly work.

As a result of my creative writing class and involvement with BYU’s literary magazine Inscape, I’m forced to confront how I feel about writing. Do I really like it? Do I have potential to grow? Do I have the patience to grow? My saving grace in answering these questions was found in a book (as answers often are).

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Perfectionism is the true villain.

In her (entire!) chapter about the evils of perfectionism, Anne Lamott makes a very striking point. “Perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness and playfulness and life force.” The matter of whether we want to write or not is irrelevant if we let perfectionism win.

The fact that I am a perfectionist in writing was made strikingly clear to me. After every paragraph, I rewrite like crazy, sometimes spending a half hour on a paragraph I’m going to delete later. Where is the logic in that? Maybe the reason for my complicated relationship with fiction writing is my perfectionism. It halts my exploration, expression, and growth as a writer.

So DOWN with perfectionism! The growth of myself as a fiction writer is much more important.

Why Plan?

In high school, I had big plans. I was going to become a nurse. I was going to get my degree and live in a fantastic studio apartment, own a white kitten, and marry at the age of 26 – all while writing a book on the side. Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it? When I explained these plans to my mom, she always encouraged me to pursue them. However, my wise mother always gave a warning: “Remember, life doesn’t always turn out the way you planned it.”

Mothers are usually always right.

To start paving the way for my nursing degree, I became a Certified Nursing Assistant. I started my high school and college career helping the elderly walk, sit, stand, eat, bathe, wipe, dress, and play. I loved it. For a time.

Then, during a poetry reading class I took, I overheard the conversation of two English majors. They were talking about the classes they were taking – Shakespeare, Creative Writing, British Literature. My heart began to ache for those classes, those experiences. I yearned for my old dream of reading and writing books for the rest of my life. In that afternoon in the dark, small auditorium, English beckoned to me again. The idea of withdrawing my nursing application began to fester.

Days went by, and after talking with my husband, a major life switch was needed. I was going to become an English major.

There was some difficulty and heartache in leaving the nursing route. I thought of my Organic Chemistry and Anatomy classes – how hard I worked for a chance to get into the program. I thought of my sweet residents at the assisted livings I worked at. I thought of the money, the pride, and the useful medical knowledge, all lost to an English degree. But there was a turning point: I loved all things English, so nothing could make me happier.

That is what life is all about. Being happy, learning, and experiencing life. Although I will miss holding a resident’s hand, or studying off of juicy cadavers, I look forward to the books I will read, the papers I will write, and thing things I will discover. All of my past experiences, whether related to nursing or not, have aided in my journey through this glorious life.

Looking back, I feel tempted to ask my high-school-self, “Why plan? Mom told you life never goes how you plan anyways. Be free and let life happen.” However, I hope I have gained a little wisdom through this journey of change. Plan because it gives you something to work towards. Plan because you never know. Plan because you do know. Plan to foster dreams. Plan because nothing is ever wasted – “all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good” (D&C 122:7).

Wish me luck on this new and exciting journey of English.