Author: geenabarret

I'm an editor passionate about the written word. I have wanted to be an editor ever since I was fourteen, and I've tailored my education to give me my best chance at being the finest editor I can be. I received my BA in Creative Writing with a focus in fiction and I'm currently halfway through the editing certificate from UC Berkeley. I have also interned at several different companies, giving me experience in editing news articles, short stories, nonfiction manuscripts, and fiction manuscripts. I'm also experienced in editing dissertations. My goal is to make your work the best that it can be. Let's work together. Send me an email so we can get started. geenabarret@yahoo.com

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

I decided to read this book, and its accompanying prequel and sequel after completely falling in love with the movie. It is important to point out, though, that the movie is quite different from this novel, and that’s totally OK! I think that one particular scene that would have been awesome in the movie is when Elizabeth is at Rosings and Lady Catherine wants her to duel against her best ninjas–Elizabeth, in defiance, duels them blindfolded. It was a very fun grotesque scene!

I listened to the audio book for this; Katherine Kellgren is incredible. I’m a total lover of Pride and Prejudice and this book  was just loads of fun. Zombies, Ninjas, Brains, and Badassery. I feel like my only issue for characterization was that of Mr. Collins, who makes a drastic decision after learning something about Charlotte (I can avoid spoilers!). It felt pretty out of character, even if it was something that was done out of fun because people don’t really like him. That’s where the movie had me totally enraptured, I’m a huge fan of Matt Smith and he was hands down, one of my favorite characters.

I know that this review feels part book, part movie, but when you read a book because of the movie, you can’t help but notice the drastic differences. This was a fun read, nothing serious, and with the mash up of Jane Austen’s text and Seth Grahame-Smith’s text, it’s exactly what the title tells you it is: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

four-stars

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls

dawn-of-the-dreaduls Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith

I was a little worried about this before I started it, because it wouldn’t actually stem from Jane Austen’s own writing and would be pure fan fiction. It was spectacular, though!

I also highly recommend getting the audio book! Katherine Kellgren is absolutely incredible! Her voices are so perfect that there’s no way I could have read it with the same enjoyment she definitely brought to me.

As someone who is into martial arts, I absolutely loved the learning process the Bennet girls had to go through to get their moves down in the midst of the dreadfuls beginning to populate. The humor was fantastic–I found myself laughing out loud to several parts of the book. I truly felt like all of the characters retained the essence of how Jane Austen wrote them to be when they’re older.

This was such an enjoyable read that I fully plan on reading it several more times (or, more preferably, listening). Kitty and Lydia are just as silly, Jane and Elizabeth’s bond is just as great, Mary’s actually a little more interesting, Mrs. Bennet is just as ridiculous as ever, and Mr. Bennet is still the best. Particularly, I love how much Mr. Bennet was in this one, guiding his girls into becoming the best warriors possible, no matter the cost to how it would look on society.

Pick this one up! It’s such a fun starter before going into Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

five-stars

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things.jpgAll The Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

This story is one of the most powerful “romances” I have ever read. It was dark, disturbing, and completely beautiful. It spans roughly sixteen years of Wavy’s life, bringing us through the hardships she has had to endure. The only thing besides her little brother, who she takes care of, that makes this life of hers better is Kellen, who is about twelve/thirteen years older than her. This is where people might take issue. A love blossoms between them at a young age, but it’s a love with the best of intentions. When she’s about seven, he meets her after he accidentally crashes in the driveway. Soon after, he goes to the house again and sees the filth she’s living in because her druggy mom doesn’t do anything except for stay in her room. He starts taking care of Wavy right then and never stopped. That’s why when the relationship between them becomes more, it’s not something that feels wrong. This book even goes to recognize how people will feel about their relationship through varying perspectives. Everyone knows it’s taboo, but the love between them is so bright, and so very real, that you root for them to be able to stay together.

This novel is beautifully written and executed so well. The differing views lend a hand at unveiling Wavy’s personality and show how she’s perceived through others, which really displays incredible depth to the character. What’s important to take away from this novel is that even with a subject that’s this taboo, with the circumstances that Wavy has been around, it all makes sense. And it’s truly an ugly and wonderful thing.

five-stars

The Whizbang Machine

the-whizbang-machineThe Whizbang Machine by Danielle A. Vann

Let me start out by saying that after reading the description, I was completely ready to jump right in. A magical typewriter that writes back to you with secrets that have to do with a family curse. Sign me up!

Except that I couldn’t get past the first four chapters to find out more. This book deserved another draft. It’s a brilliant concept that just isn’t hitting the mark. Elizabeth is going on sixteen years old and she acts like she’s a child. The characterization is off there, she just doesn’t pull me in and make me fantasize about being that age again with the adventures I could have had.

This really needed a tighter edit and a better proofread before being published. Some of the word choices don’t seem appropriate for the action or dialogue they’re being used with. For example, when Jack, the grandpa, finally comes home to visit after not seeing the family for eight years, he wants to talk about what her and her mom have been up to first.
“‘Same old, same old. School, soccer practice, school, repeat,’ I replied, brushing my hand against my forehead and swooning over the table.”
Why is she swooning? And why would she think he would know what the “same old, same old” is when he’s been absent for eight years? I think that line in particular is what pulled me out of the story. He may have been sending postcards for all those years, but that’s not the same as actually being there or holding conversations over the phone-something they apparently hadn’t done over the years.

The third chapter about the boxes Jack brought home as gifts really needed to be edited. In one spot, the mom was clenching her teeth, but the word used was “clinching.” Aside from an error like that and with missing commas, the real issue lies with the content. Elizabeth was supposed to open a certain box, but then she wanted Jack to open it, but then he told her to open it. Then she felt weird about opening it. It just kept going with her not opening the box. I understand that this was to create suspense surrounding what was in the box, but all it did was make me want to slap Elizabeth for taking her sweet time. It’s like being at a birthday party where you want to see the birthday girl open a particular gift, and then she decides to unwrap it in slow motion. You’re not being suspenseful, you’re being annoying.

There’s also the issue of the dialogue feeling forced along with telling readers what’s happening as opposed to showing. I think this is really where Danielle could have improved. In the beginning, Elizabeth is talking with her mom about Jack coming to visit. Her mom asks her to grab the crackers, and then Elizabeth responds with “Here’s the crackers.” There was never any action involved. It would have been better to show us grabbing the crackers and just handing them to her mom instead of telling us about it. Also, there is nothing wrong with using “said” for the dialogue tag, but other words are used in its place which aren’t realistic. In regard to the surprise her mom and Jack had for Elizabeth and telling her about it, this was the mom’s response: “‘If you must,’ Mom whined.” Why would she be whining? She’s just as excited about the trip that she worked so hard to conceal.

In closing, I was totally hooked on the idea of the story, but the execution needed help. I really think another draft and a better editor would have made this story wonderful.

one-star

 

Stalking Jack the Ripper

stalking-jack-the-ripperStalking Jack the Ripper by Kerry Maniscalco

For this to be a debut novel- Wow! This is a book that I read within a day because it was so good, I couldn’t put it down. I love anything that has to do with serial killers and this was no exception. The research done to make all of the bodies and investigations to be that of what actually occurred during the Ripper time was exceptional. I fell in love with how much Audrey Rose would rather be cutting into dead flesh than sitting at a tea party making small, appropriate conversations with other girls her age.

The relationship between her and Thomas Cresswell was swoon-worthy and highly amusing. I was ecstatic to find out that Maniscalco is going to be making this a series because her dialogue skills are spot on. While I do understand that this is supposed to be a young adult novel, the context of death and dead flesh does make this content that is for an older age. That being so, I wish there was more romance between Audrey Rose and Thomas. I know that it’s considered improper for the time, but there were multiple opportunities where I wished they would just kiss already. When they finally did, it was kind of disappointing because of how awesome the build up of it was. So my only issue was just that I wanted more between them.

I loved the character of Audrey Rose being so headstrong and determined to help find the killer and to protect future women from being killed by Leather Apron’s blade. She promoted the ideals of feminism by choosing to further her education in science instead of willfully choosing to work on her needlepoint skills. She has sharp wit and is exceedingly clever. She’s just what we would hope to be living in those times.

This was an exceptionally delightful read and I can’t wait for the sequel!

five-stars

Eligible

eligibleEligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Before I started this book, I read a pretty bad review of it, which worried me considerably. However, because of my undying love for the Pride and Prejudice story, I read it anyways. And never put it down. I spent the entire night and the next morning reading. I only decided to go to sleep after I finished it. It was fabulous. In context to what the previous review I had read said, though, I have to agree with it-just not to the extent that they disliked the book for it. It was only enough for me to knock a star off.

This book aims to deal with the modern struggles of our time. In Sittenfeld’s vision, that means tackling racism and issues dealing with transgenderism. In one particular incident, Elizabeth was pointing out that there was one black guy at a dinner party (so what?) and that he had been engaged. At another dinner party, his fiance-also black-was there. That felt very unnecessary and not like the mind of an Elizabeth Bennet to make what felt like a crude observation. As far as the transgenderism issue went, when one of the characters came out to the Bennet family, Mrs. Bennet freaked out and then continued to freak out and mention it for the rest of the book. It dragged on and felt uncomfortable.

Other than those issues, I am not a fan of having to stop reading to look up the definition of SEVERAL words, a few being: interregnum, apotheosis, samizdat, simulacrum, omerta and so on. I actually have a list in my phone of all the words I needed to look up. In a modern adaptation, there’s no reason to use a thesaurus for words that aren’t really in circulation anymore.

Regarding the circumstances that led to the falling out between Darcy and Wick (instead of Wickham), I wasn’t that thrilled. I felt like in the original, what Wickham did to Darcy was pretty abhorrent, which makes the readers really distaste him and love Darcy even more. In this story, I didn’t find that what happened was really worthy of those two disliking each other so much. I’m not going to give any spoilers on what it was, it was just another opportunity to also try to deal with racism and it felt misplaced.

I did miss the relationship between Willie Collins and Catherine de Bourgh, though. They had no relation at all in this story, so I missed the ridiculousness of Collins always bringing her up. I felt like he could have played the role of her publicist, but I assume it would have pulled away from the whole feminist point of view in that storyline.

I did absolutely love the discord between Caroline and Elizabeth. Their dislike for each other was absolutely perfect and played well. I also enjoyed the storyline of Eligible being our version of the Bachelor and how that came into play with the Bennets and their respective significant others.

Despite the few misgivings I had, I loved this book very much and I’m positive I will read it again. I think one of my favorite takeaways is Elizabeth inquiring to Darcy if they wanted to have hate sex. Hilarious!

four-stars

The Couple Next Door

the-couple-next-doorThe Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

It’s been a while since I’ve rated a book 5 stars! All of the mysteries and thrillers I’ve read lately start off very promising, but then don’t end up making the cut. This story had me hooked from start to finish. I actually finished it in one day because I just did not want to put it down.

Marco and Anne Conti are invited to a dinner party–but the baby sitter cancels at the last minute. After a heated argument, they finally decide to leave the baby at home and they’ll take turns checking on her every half hour since it’s right next door. This set up is fine until the baby disappears.

This tale is weaved so well that I really wasn’t sure “whodunit” at all. I had even been texting my boyfriend about each development in the story and how I definitely would not have guessed what was going to happen with each new arc. With this being Shari’s debut novel, I am highly impressed. I cannot wait for her to write more books so I can spend a day devouring them.

I don’t even want to tell you more about this story because I don’t want to give anything away. I was just so distressed and excited with each new page. Read this book–it’s so well worth the time.

five-stars

Reading for yourself or for school?

stack-of-books

I’m sure everyone has been faced with this dilemma. You know you need to take the time out of your busy schedule to read the books that have been assigned for the classes you’re currently taking. But do you find that reading time enjoyable? It could be a book that is popular; I do know of a class that discusses literature of today and why some of it is taking over the industry, both with the books and the movies. Hunger Games, for example, was on a reading list for a class I was looking at. I enjoyed reading the book on my own time, but would I have enjoyed it just as much having to read it for school? I don’t know that I would have. There’s always that difference of reading because you want to and reading because you have to.

However, it could be the book you have to read that makes all the difference. I have had to read Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko- it wasn’t a good time. I was rereading and rereading passages to no avail. I finally purchased the audio book and it helped significantly. Would I have been happier reading it on my own? I would have never finished the book. That is something that can be said about having to read it for school is the necessity in finishing it. I will always remember the story because of the work I had to put in on it, so I am thankful in that regard. It just wasn’t an easy process to get there.

Another book I’m sure everyone has had to read is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The first couple of times I read it for school, I was severely uninterested. This past time around, I used the audio book and reading it together and it was so much more fun. Now I could really see why the book has been so popular throughout the years.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is another book that I read in my high school class that I absolutely fell in love with. The teacher would have us read a few chapters, and then would play the coordinating part in the TV mini series with Colin Firth. I don’t know that I could have ever fallen so much in love with another book. I did recently pick up Eligible by Curtis Sittenfield, a modern adaptation of the beloved book, so I am very excited to start reading that.

I have listed a few examples of when reading a book for class ended up becoming enjoyable. But when really thinking about it, those few books covered so much span of time as opposed to reading for enjoyment. I’ll stay up all night reading a book I can’t get my nose out of. I have finished a few books within a week because of how much fun they were to read. This is never the case with a book I read for school. While I may enjoy it, it is a long, dragged-out process of finishing the book for school. So the levels of enjoyment definitely differ.

Are there any books you had to read for school that you ended up enjoying? Or did it temporarily ruin the experience for you? It took a couple of years before I had started reading for enjoyment again because of how much reading i had to do with previous classes.

Animals as Editors

cat-at-laptop-275

I’m sure everyone has a cat or two, or more (I have four). Or maybe you have a dog. Or maybe you’re like my mother, who has all four cats and large dog in her room or following her around throughout the day. These animals seem to think they know what’s really going on in our lives and how we should be living them in the current moment. Maybe I’m working on a paper on my laptop, but to a couple of my cats, that just means I’ve been in front of the screen far too long for their liking. I must take the time away from the screen to do something important in my life: such as giving treats or wet food. Then there are the other times where their input is just too strong not to pass up while working on a paper. How could I have ever lived without that sentence”luhweucgb lkjdsfv;iuikosdkjdsk sddkjsdsdh sksdil”? It’s pure artistic genius. Cats are just so intelligent, they always seem to know exactly what’s missing in a paper to spice it up. All those times I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write, all I had to do was allow them some time on the keyboard to open up my mind to everything I was holding back.

Then there’s the dog. Shouldn’t I just know when it’s time to take a walk or to give a treat? That’s when he comes in and sees that I’m busy working. His input is just as important as the cats’, if not more profound. Just one paw on the keyboard and I get the most inspiring words: huj knhujn jffing. Sometimes I find that I am not worthy of their input, so I shoo them away. But they always find a way back to my laptop, letting me know that everything I have typed up, is just not enough until they get their say.