Thanks again to Big Honcho Media for giving me the opportunity to give away a $50 VISA gift card to one lucky winner. I'm excited to announce that the prize goes to:

Shannon B. (shamish@...)

I already know your address, Shannon, so I'll pass it on to the people at Big Honcho. Congratulations!

How do you discuss a "problem novel" without bringing up the problem it addresses? That's the issue I'm having with reviewing Emily Wing Smith's debut novel, The Way He Lived. I want to express my opinion of the book, defend my faith, and let you know precisely how I feel about the topic the book addresses - all without sounding like the exact kind of judgmental, close-minded, bigot Smith describes in her story. Even more important, I don't want to get all spoiler-y. So, I'm going to give it my best shot ...
Actually, since The Way He Lived is about making assumptions and judgments, let me admit a few things up front:

So, I've been meaning to blog about this year's LDS Storymakers Conference ever since I got home, but I've been so wiped out that I haven't even unpacked yet. Let me just say, it was tons of fun. I met lots of great people, learned a bunch about writing, and just had a good ole time. My kids didn't even seem to miss me all that much (probably because Dad bribed them with trips to Toys 'R' Us, Denny's, Golden Spoon -basically anywhere their little hearts desired - in exchange for a little slave labor). No wonder they whine every time I ask them to clean up just because it's "their responsibility as members of our household."

I got to Salt Lake on Thursday. My friend Robin, whom I roomed with at BYU many moons ago, picked me up at the airport. After lunch at Zupa's (yum - why don't we have these in Arizona?) and a lovely scenic drive around the metropolis of Draper, Utah, we visited with another one of our old roommates.

Then, we headed to Good Wood Barbecue for a much-anticipated dinner with the illustrious "6." Robin and I both stalk follow Brodi Ashton's blog. She's so hilarious that we wanted to bask in her awesomeness, even if it was just for a couple of hours. Not only did she agree to meet with us, but she also brought along the "peeps" from her writing group (including Bree Despain and Emily Wing Smith). We could hardly believe that celebrities like them were willing to be seen with the likes of us. They even let us in on cool products (The Dark Divine nail polish and some in-development baby butt spray) and inside jokes (Go Vikings!). I'm not sure if I've ever felt cooler.

The 5 in attendance (Kimberly Webb Reid was the only one who managed to find something better to do that night - I think it was her birthday or something) were all wonderfully fun, friendly and just, really, so nice. It was a good time.

None of my pictures from the conference weekend turned out very well. Perhaps it's time for me to invest in a new camera, or a new photographer, or maybe just liposuction. Yikes.

Have you ever read a book that grabbed you with its premise, but let you down with its execution? I have. Like a million times. A million and one if you count my experience with Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten.

When I read the book's plot summary - a teenage girl follows clues to find her older sister, who disappeared two years ago - I immediately thought of The Amanda Project: Invisible i by Melissa Kantor. I love that kind of fun, clever mystery. Unfortunately, the alluring premise of Wherever Nina Lies only held me for a couple of chapters - then, the story started to get creepy-weird. It also seemed to be completely contrived, the plot held together by a string of very unconvincing coincidences. By the time I "met" the Jamies, I was ready to fling the book against the wall. I didn't because, in spite of myself, I wanted to know how the mystery ended (it wasn't satisfactorily either).

Basically, the story goes like this: Sixteen-year-old (I think she's 16) Ellie Wrigley can't get over the loss of her sister, who vanished without a trace two years ago. Nina was always a little wild - talking to any stranger who looked interesting, sneaking out at night, coming home smelling like a brewery, etc. - but she always returned home. Always. Then, she ran away or was kidnapped or something. Ellie's friends urge her to put the past behind her, to "get over" her sister's disappearance. Only, she can't.

When Ellie finds a picture sketched by Nina in an old book, she takes it as a sign. Nina's out there somewhere, leaving a trail of clues in her wake. A phone number leads to an old, abandoned mansion, where Ellie meets Sean, who's not just hot and funny, but also sympathetic to her plight. Together, they embark on a crazy road trip that Ellie prays will lead to her sister. As the miles churn by, the pair slowly pieces together the events leading up to Nina's disappearance. The more she investigates, the more Ellie realizes how much - and how little - she really knew about her sister. The realization also begins to dawn on Ellie that she, like Nina, might be in deep, deep trouble.

Sounds intriguing, right? And it is. I just wish the story had been plotted more carefully. I hate coincidence in mystery novels - it never, ever rings true. The heroine can't just happen to open a dusty old book and find a drawing, she can't just happen to use the restroom and spy her sister's handwriting among layers of graffiti, she can't just come across the two people in the world who know everything about an obscure band. Well, you get the idea - the story bugged.

I did finish the novel, but by the end I was only skimming. I wanted to find out what happened to Nina, I just didn't want to invest anymore time on it, you know? When the clues to a mystery are so lazily gathered, it usually means the "Big Reveal" isn't going to be anything amazing either. Bummer, that, because this story had all kinds of potential. Ah, well.

Wherever Nina Lies has been getting all kinds of buzz around the blogosphere - I'm just utterly confused as to why.

(Readalikes: A little like The Amanda Project: Invisible i by Stella Lennon [Melissa Kantor])

Grade: C

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language, underrage drinking/partying, and sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love: I received this book from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thanks!