Five random thoughts I had while reading Hope In The Mail

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 No spoilers

Hey there, everyone! Welcome back to this review session. I'm Paige, a book blogger with a love for YA novels. Today, I'll be sharing 5 honest but random thoughts I had while reading Hope in the Mail by Wendelin Van Draanen. Without any further ado, let's get started! 

My thoughts:

1. This book is funny.

Sprinkled among the life lessons are jokes and humor. In chapter five, Van Draanen writes,

"The first car was a classic Volkswagen Bug, which had a definite cool factor to it. The body looked straight--no big things or dangling bumpers--but the interior was a different story. It wasn't just that the upholstery was thrashed, there was a big chunk of the floorboard missing. Like, you could see the ground. You could fit your foot through it! 
When I asked the guy selling the Bug about it, he tried to convince me it was cool. "It's like having a convertible," he gushed. "Only instead of seeing the sky go by, you get to see the road!"
Uh... no."

2. I'm actually learning things!

Like I said, the book was so enjoyable to read, I genuinely forgot the book classifies as nonfiction, a genre I usually avoid. But this novel did teach me a lot. Not only did it contain information about editing processes and how to get published, it also discussed ethics and had morals. At one point, she even mentioned ethical absolutes.

3. The figurative language is fantastic.

"It took me a while to stop shaking in front of educators... These were people who lived and breathed literature, people who bled red ink and had no problem spilling it all over my school assignments!"

From this quote on page three to very end of the book. Van Draanen had some great figurative language sprinkled throughout her writing.

4. There's some good advice in here!

I'm an aspiring author myself, so reading the autobiography/memoir of a published author was really helpful. She talked about how rejection letters can actually be really helpful, what exactly an editor does, and whether traditional publishing is the right path for you. It's surprisingly informational.

5. This is certainly a 5-star book

I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes reading biographies, longer books, or reflective memoirs. Most readers would enjoy this fantastic addition to Wendelin's works. 

So there you have it. Five random thoughts I had on a five star book. 

Until next time,
Paige



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