In Bed With Books

A Friendly Reminder

2011-09-27T18:58:00.001-05:00

Just say no to selling ARCs.

(via Shelf Awareness)

Banned Books Update

2011-09-22T16:00:00.001-05:00

Remember this? Well, parents and guardians can now check out SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE and TWENTY BOY SUMMER from a secure section of the school library, according to this Reuters article.

What a victory.

Banned Books Week runs from September 24-October 1. You can use the resources provided by the ALA, as well as at the site itself, to help fight.

I'm considering making my first vlog for the Virtual Read-Out.

Livi's Annotated Guide to QUILTBAG YA and YA-Appropriate Novels

2011-09-16T14:45:00.003-05:00

QUILTBAG seems to be the new acronym and I like it because it's easy to remember and has the "A." YA-Appropriate is defined as "appealing to teenagers" - this does not preclude sexual content, violence, or language. This list only includes books I've read (and some I've bought and intend to read soon). I may expand it in the future as I read more. I was inspired to write this list by the "Say Yes to Gay YA" discussion.

This list is not intended to be political. It is, like everything else on this blog, intended to help people find books they want to read.

The list will be updated with links to my reviews and some cover pics when I have time.

Classics

Forster, E. M. Maurice. Happy ending! Happy ending!

Contemporary

Atkins, Catherine. Alt Ed. This terrific novel flew under the radar. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy.

Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home. This graphic memoir is the book I would promote if I had Oprah's influence. It's also a great jumping off point for other queer lit.

Burd, Nick. The Vast Fields of Ordinary. Some people don't like the ending to this slice-of-lifer, but poo-poo to them. Review of The Vast Fields of Ordinary.

Diaz, Alexandra. Of All the Stupid Things. I wasn't super fond of this one. Not terrible, but I wouldn't expend a ton of effort seeking it out. Review of Of All the Stupid Things.

Flinn, Alex. Fade to Black. Not my favorite by Flinn, but it's hard to beat my favorites by her. This book tackles the knotty subject of AIDS.

Garden, Nancy. Annie on My Mind. One of the lesbian books, but it left me underwhelmed.

Green, Bette. The Drowning of Stephen Jones. Green is one of my sister's favorite authors, so I'm supposed to dislike this one on principle.

Hartinger, Brent. Geography Club. This book and it's sequels are classics. There are gay, bi, and lesbian characters, so almost everyone gets covered.

Johnson, Maureen. The Bermudez Triangle. I like many of Johnson's other books better, but don't ignore this story by one of the Queens of YA.

Kerr, M. E. Like the later entry on David Levithan: too many titles to list. Kerr's books may be old by the standards of this list, but they'll feel fresh. I guarantee it.

Kluger, Steve. Almost Like Being in Love. My Most Excellent Year. Both bought due to strong recommendations.

Lecesne, James. Absolute Brightness. I liked this one, but I know people who didn't. It reminded me of What Happened to Lani Garver?, which is listed far below. Review of Absolute Brightness.

Levithan, David. Do I really need to list out titles? Gimme a break, guys.

Peters, Julie Ann. Rage. Peters has written a number of QUILTBAG novels. Rage isn't the best, but at the moment it's the only one I can guarantee I've read. Review of Rage.

Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow Boys. Sequels Rainbow High and Rainbow Road. Sanchez has written other stuff since that's gotten good reviews, but I haven't read them yet. The Rainbow High books were too trite for me.

Seth, Vikram. The Golden Gate. A Suitable Boy. Let's get some literature up in here, eh? Very different books, but both are good.

Walker, Kate. Peter. I own this one but haven't read it yet. I've heard indifferent things.

Walker, Melissa. Small Town Sinners. This one is borderline: there's a supporting character who may or may not be struggling with his sexuality. It's well-handled, so I'm listing it. Review of Small Town Sinners.

Wittlinger, Ellen. Hard Love. Sequel Love & Lies. Wittlinger is a badass, ya'll. Badass. Check out Parrotfish too.

Wolff, Virginia Euwer. True Believer. Wolff is an incredible author. Please read this one, please.

Fantasy

Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. Wolfcry. This is the fourth in a series (The Kiesha'ra) and unfortunately not the strongest. Worth reading to complete the series, but not a great standalone.

Battis, Jes. Night Child. The OSI series (urban fantasy-meets-CSI) contains major bi and gay characters. I find them fun. Review of Inhuman Resources.

Bennett, Danielle and Jaida Jones. Havemercy. I wanted to love this series. Metal dragons? Too awesome. But the first one had too many gender issues for me to really get into it.

Black, Holly. Tithe. Sequels Valiant and Ironside. This is a terrific series. The gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters are handled beautifully and all contribute to the plot.

Ed. Black, Holly and Justine Larbalestier. Zombies vs. Unicorns. Several of the stories in this collection feature gay or lesbian characters. My favorite is Alaya Dawn Johnson's "Love Will Tear Us Apart."

Block, Francesca Lia. Dangerous Angels. Most everything Francesca Lia Block has written contains at least one QUILTBAG character. I love her dizzy, lyrical writing but her prose isn't for everyone.

Bray, Libba. A Great and Terrible Beauty. Sequels Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing. I like her crazy contemporaries better than these Victorian fantasies, which have weird racial politics among other problems. But again, a ton of people love them, so go for it.

Brennan, Sarah Rees. The Demon's Lexicon. Sequels The Demon's Covenant and The Demon's Surrender. Fast-paced, funny, and full of sexual tension between almost every character. Brennan made the transition from fandom to traditional publishing brilliantly. Review of The Demon's Lexicon.

Briggs, Patricia. Moon Called. There's a supporting gay character and much discussion of how that works in a heteronormative wolf pack in this popular urban fantasy series. (Her traditional fantasy is better.) Review of Bone Crossed.

Carriger, Gail. Soulless. There is a lesbian character in later books of the Parasol Protectorate series and gay characters in all of them. This steampunk series doesn't quite do it for me, but it's somewhat witty and fun enough.

Carey, Jacqueline. Kushiel's Dart. This trilogy and it's sequel trilogies are some of the best-selling and most entertaining fantasy in recent years. Too purple for some people, but I think it works wonderfully with the setting and characterization. Don't miss out. Review of Naamah's Kiss. Review of Naamah's Curse.

Carey, Jacqueline. Santa Olivia. Badass in book form. Read it.

Clare, Cassandra. City of Bones. The Mortal Instruments series (there's more than three now, I'm not listing them all) isn't my favorite. (I liked Clockwork Angel quite a bit, however.) But many people love this urban fantasy series, so go for it. Review of City of Ashes.

Chabon, Michael. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It won the Pulitzer, people. You need another reason to read it?

Coville, Bruce. The Skull of Truth. Coville was one of my favorite authors when I was young, so I'm including this book even though it's MG. The protagonist's uncle comes out in the course of the story. Well-done.

Crow, Kirby. Scarlet and the White Wolf. Sequels Mariner's Luck and The Land of Night. The romance is slow and believable and the world-building is superb. Be warned that the author's Angels of the Deep is not YA-friendly.

Duane, Diane. So You Want to be a Wizard. The excellent Young Wizards series has Tom Swale and Carl Romeo, gay couple and mentors extraordinare.

Duncan, Hal. Vellum. Sequel Ink. I bought Vellum due to Deimyts's recommendation several years ago. I've never read it because I've heard such good things that I'm terribly afraid of being disappointed. I can't live with the disappointment if this isn't the best gay ghostly experimental fantasy whatever I've ever read. (Note: it has to be, because I've never read a book that fits that description.)

Flewelling, Lynn. Luck in the Shadows. The Nightrunner series and its prequel, the Tamir trilogy, contain major gay and transgendered characters. The earlier books are better, but all of them are worth a read.

Goodman, Alison. Eon. Sequel Eona. I liked this fantasy novel, with it's nicely realized China-esque setting, until the ending. (Bit of handicap!fail.) Plus, the main character annoyed me sometimes. I'd still read it, but I recommend it with caution. Review of Eon.

Grossman, Austin. Soon I Will Be Invincible. I liked this one less than I thought I would, given the whole superhero thing. Still worth a read.

Grossman, Lev. The Magicians. Sequel The Magician King. I just bought this one during the Border's closing, and I'm trusting an unvetted source that there's QUILTBAG content.

Hartinger, Brent. Shadow Walkers. Own, but haven't read yet. I like his contemporary novels.

Harrison, Kim. Dead Witch Walking. This is one of the best urban fantasy series around. One of the major characters is a lesbian with her own romantic entanglements separate from the protagonist.

Hawkins, Rachel. Hex Hall. Sequel Demonglass. The lesbian character may only be supporting, but she gets her own romance. This boarding school series is pretty fun. Review of Hex Hall.

Healey, Karen. Guardians of the Dead. Just ordered.

Hines, Jim C. The Stepsister Scheme. Hines's Princess Series is a ton of fun and not just for fairytale lovers like myself. The major lesbian character is a bonus. Review of The Stepsister Scheme.

Hobb, Robin. Assassin's Apprentice. I love this series, and its sequels. There is one very complicated relationship between two of the male characters.

Kushner, Ellen. Swordspoint. Sequel The Privilege of the Sword. There's also a prequel, with Delia Sherman, titled The Fall of Kings, but I've heard it's not as good. Basically, there's a reason mannerpunk never became a huge genre. It's because there is no way to follow Kushner. No. Way.

Marr, Melissa. Wicked Lovely. This five-book urban fantasy series contains bisexual characters. The books vary widely in quality, but overall I enjoyed reading them. Review of Fragile Eternity. Review of Radiant Shadows.

Martin, George R. R. A Game of Thrones. Considering I started reading A Song of Ice and Fire in high school, it counts as YA-Appropriate. Now, you can even cheat by watching the HBO series!

McGuire, Seanan. Rosemary and Rue. The October Daye novels contain gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters. Not a major aspect of the series. Reviews of A Local Habitation and An Artificial Night.

McLaughlin, Lauren. Cycler. Sequel Re-Cycler. This duology, in which Jill turns into Jack part of the time, is hard to classify. I was highly disappointed by Cycler, but then Re-Cycler hit all of my buttons. Review of Cycler. Review Re-Cycler.

Moore, Christopher. Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story. Sequels You Suck and Bite Me. Moore is ridiculously funny. There's a supporting character who is gay in this trilogy and Moore has quite a bit of fun being as ridiculous as possible. (The books are set in San Francisco. It would be strange if there were no QUILTBAG characters.)

Moore, Perry. Hero. Unfortunately we'll never see the sequel to this superhero story due to Moore's death. It was a wonderful YA debut and I'm not just saying that because I like superheroes.

Morgan, Richard. The Steel Remains. Just bought this one on super-duper trustworthy recommendation. Plus, high school contains the prime epic fantasy reading years.

Pierce, Tamora. Bloodhound. Sequel to Terrier. The Beka Cooper series of fantasy crime procedurals are a prequel to her Tortall works. Bloodhound, second in the trilogy, contains a transgendered character.

Pierce, Tamora. The Will of the Empress. This sequel to The Magic Circle and The Circle Opens series reveals one of the main characters as gay. She has characters in all her books that are Word of Gay. Pierce is one of my favorite authors, so I highly recommend her even though the QUILTBAG content is low. Review of Melting Stones.

Smith, Sherwood. Inda. This four book epic fantasy series is boatloads of fun, if you like political maneuvering the way I do.

Snicket, Lemony. The Miserable Mill. I'm allowing A Series of Unfortunate Events on here even though it's middle grade because I love it so. There's a subtly gay couple that first appear in the fourth book.

Thurman, Rob. Nightlife. The Cal Leandros series and its companion Trickster series contain gay and pansexual characters. Thurman is one of my favorite authors, so I'll stay away from trying to be impartial. Review of Deathwish. Review of Blackout.

Various authors. Runaways. This Marvel title is about the children of supervillains who become a group of superheroes. The quality varies depending on writer and artist, but I regularly enjoy it.

Vaughn, Carrie. Discord's Apple. I liked this modern take on old stories. This standalone is perfect for reading after you've read The Odyssey or The Aenied for school. Review of Discord's Apple.

Waters, Daniel. Generation Dead. Sequels Kiss of Life and Passing Strange. In this zombie series, one of the main characters is a lesbian and the zombies are pretty darn metaphorical. I like it, but I know several people who aren't big on it. Review of Kiss of Life.

Horror

King, Stephen. Cell. I enjoyed this one even though King's latter-day works rarely approach his earlier stuff. (Cell phones turning people into zombies? So obvious.) There's one small line revealing that a character is gay . . . but I'm still going to count it.

King, Stephen. IT. One of the scariest novels ever. You can't call Adrian Mellon a main or supporting character, but I'm not gonna count out a book that shows hate crimes in a terrible light.

Mystery

Lanyon, Josh. Fatal Shadows. Lanyon's written many books, but I've only read the Adrien English mysteries. They're wonderful and they're set in a bookstore. Too cool, right?

Mitchell, Saundra. Shadowed Summer. Pretend you don't know the book belongs on this list when you read it, m'kay? Review of Shadowed Summer.

Ucci-Plum, Carol. What Happened to Lani Garver? So it's an unsolved mystery. This book is sheer brilliance. A favorite.

Waters, Sarah. Fingersmith. Not quite a mystery, but I think it fits best here. Plus this section was getting lonely. I am so glad Lenore handed me this super-twisty book.

Science Fiction

Banks, Iain M. Consider Phlebas. The Culture is one of my dad's favorite series, which is how I ended up reading it. Members of The Culture can change their sex and sexual orientation.

Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness. I've heard some people call this one dated. Don't let that put you off of a Le Guin. She's amazing.

Say Yes to Gay YA

2011-09-15T23:33:00.002-05:00

Yes, I am late to the linking.

I was super excited to learn through the comments on the article that there is a recent YA novel with an asexual character - Karen Healey's GUARDIANS OF THE DEAD.

MY PEOPLE ARE NEVER IN BOOKS. I AM SO EXCITED I CAN HARDLY STAND IT.

$7.20 at Amazon? You just made a sale, ma'am.

In addition to the lists linked in the article, here's a nice list of adult SFF with LGBTQ characters. Meg's list is very impressive.

Malinda Lo's awesome post charting LGBTQ characters in YA is sobering and has been updated today with bibliographies. (Also? Gay Utopia is a fab phrase.)

The agent posted a response today. The comments are worth reading. (Rachel Manija Brown briefly responded in turn.)

The always amazing Tiger Beatdown has an article on why we shouldn't confuse books featuring minority characters with issue books. They may overlap, but they aren't the same thing.

This is another agent's response saying what you can do to help.

It's not new book smell, but . . .

2011-09-12T16:21:00.000-05:00

Because I'm blind, I just noticed Karen Harrington's comment on this post.

Paddywax has a library collection. "Poe" sounds like my kind of scent - cardamom, absynthe [sic], and sandalwood.

Scent geeks might also be interested in Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. They have scent collections inspired by everything from comics, fantasy novels, authors, literature, and the Hero Initiative. Pretty cool, huh?

Neither one is really in my candle/perfume budget, but they look like a good value based on the sites. Anyone have experience with either company? (Or know of any other fun bookish scents?)

Cool Bookstore

2011-09-10T22:11:00.000-05:00

I'm rarely about to attend Forever Young Adult's book club at the Highball in Austin. (It's worth attending, if you are in the area.) But I'm still on the mailing list. Rebecca Halpern sent out this letter about Recycled Reads, which I've actually been to but never posted about. (I know, I'm bad.)

I just wanted to let you know about a little gem of a bookstore located in north/central Austin. It's Recycled Reads, Austin Public Library's bookstore and all youth books are 50 cents each so you can gorge on books and still have money for rent and cocktails. In fact, if you are ever in need of a lot of copies of your monthly pick for your club, let us know! We might be able to scrounge some up and save 'em for you. Then, let everyone know where to come get the cheap goodies! (All proceeds go to support the library!)

Plus, if you're interested, we take donations from the public if you need to weed your personal collections. Anything that comes into the store will be sold, donated to philanthropic organizations that promote literacy programs, turned into book art, or transformed into building materials. Nothing goes into a landfill, which is awesome.

Anyway, keep up the good work and let us know if you'd like us to keep our eyes out for any titles that come in. Or just drop by and browse our collection!

www.recycledreads.org

I know most of ya'll don't live in Austin, but you might check if your city's libraries have a similar program.

Young Wizards Updating

2011-08-23T18:30:00.001-05:00

The Young Wizards series, by Diane Duane, is one of my favorites. I just bought A WIZARD OF MARS, the ninth book, at a local Borders. It reminded me to get online and look for news about the tenth book. Unfortunately, there's no publication date yet for GAMES WIZARDS PLAY. Instead, I discovered that Duane is updating the first four books in the series.

I love my copies of SO YOU WANT TO BE A WIZARD, DEEP WIZARDRY, HIGH WIZARDRY, and A WIZARD ABROAD. I have the 1996 covers, which are far more attractive to me than the current cartoon covers. (The Cliff Nielsen covers, which I own for books 5-9, are quite nice too. I am a Nielsen fan, if only because he's done covers for many of my favorite books.)

But this isn't a cover issue. SO YOU WANT TO BE A WIZARD was first published in 1983 - six years before I was born and far longer for kids just discovering the series. The Young Wizard series is one of the strongest influences on my own writing. I loved how Duane blended fantasy and science fiction. But the early books are less accessible nowadays due to that focus on science and technology. Duane explains more about what technological updates are needed, as well as fixing a few timeline issues caused by a series that's been published with long gaps between books.

The new edition of SYWTBAW should be out September 1 and will be available here. Even though I own and love the old editions, I am excited to see the changes.

For those who haven't read the series, you can get an ebook bundle of all nine books for $39.99. (Or less, if you use 10 % off discount code COMPLETE. Instructions on using discount codes here.) I do advise you to check it out. Nita and Kit's adventures are clever and exciting. Though I recommend starting at the beginning, I will confess that my favorite is A WIZARD ABROAD.

Book Sneakers

2011-08-19T20:20:00.002-05:00

Everyone knows I love bookish fashion. So I was excited to see these kicks in Shelf Awareness. THE SCARLET LETTER may be one of my favorite books, but I prefer foreverRebuilt's take on Robert Heinlein's THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS.

Which shoe is your favorite?

Review: Small Town Sinners

2011-08-12T12:30:00.000-05:00

By Melissa Walker
Available now from Bloomsbury
Read my review of VIOLET IN PRIVATE
Read Melissa's guest blog and watch her guest vlog

If there's one thing I learned from the comments section, it's that nothing turns IBWB readers off more than a mention of religious themes. Well, tough. SMALL TOWN SINNERS is chock-full of religion and it's a wonderful book.

Lacey Anne Byer is a sixteen-year-old girl, excited about performing in the Hell House put on by House of Enlightenment, her church. The Hell House is similar to a haunted house, but each room represents a sin. Lacey wants to be Abortion Girl, because that's the message she's compelled to share. But several things begin to change her worldview. Her best friend Starla Joy Minter's older sister gets pregnant. Her other best friend, Dean Perkins, is being bullied and none of the adults will do anything to punish the bully. And Ty Davis comes to town, attractive and willing to talk with Lacey about her doubts.

You don't have to be raised in an evangelical Christian home to sympathize with Lacey. She's at the age where she can see that her parents and other adults are not infallible. They do the best they can based on what they believe is right and wrong. Lacey has to decide on her own values.

Lacey is an extremely likeable heroine. While she's not sure what she believes, she's got a good grasp on listening to and caring for others. Compassion is something that evangelical Christianity, sadly, can lose sight of. As for the romance between her and Ty? It never goes beyond kissing, but it's still hot. Melissa Walker writes with emotional authenticity and Lacey's feelings for Ty are scorching. But Walker doesn't give too much weight to the romance. It's balanced well with Lacey's friendships and questions.

I can't think of another recent teen book that does friendship as well as SMALL TOWN SINNERS. C'mon, high school relationships can be intense, but friends are the most important part. Lacey, Starla Joy, Dean, and Ty are comfortable with each other. (Which leads me to a side point: the outdoors scenes are brilliant. I love every single one. I love what Walker does with sunlight.)

Lacey's parents are also well done. Her father is the children's pastor, so she expects quite a bit of him. But Lacey feels like neither of her parents listen to her or trust her . . . so she starts sneaking out. (Oh, teen logic.) SMALL TOWN SINNERS is fair to the Byers. They can be intolerant and overly strict, but they're good parents who are there for their daughter and other children in the community.

Really, that's the strength of SMALL TOWN SINNERS. It lets people be complex. And yes, evangelical Christians are just as complex as everyone else.

Super Cool Libraries

2011-08-08T12:00:00.001-05:00

Let's face it, we all love libraries.

The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library is fighting back against the school board in Republic, MO that decided to ban SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE and TWENTY BOY SUMMER from their school libraries and curriculum. Republic High School students can go to their website to request a copy of SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE. You can donate to help offset shipping costs.

(As a side note, the ebook edition of TWENTY BOY SUMMER is on sale for $2.99.)

While Republic, MO. earns a frowny face, Kansas City, MO. gets a smiling one. I just discovered the Kansas City Library.

IT IS SHAPED LIKE A GIANT BOOKSHELF. How did I not know about this before now?

Review: Original Sin

2011-07-31T13:00:00.003-05:00

By Beth McMullen
Available now from Hyperion
Review copy

Lucy Hamilton lives in San Francisco with her husband Will and son Theo. She's a stay-at-home mother who just got a call from her old job. When she quit, she knew that she could be called back at anytime. That's because Lucy Hamilton is actually a spy known by the codename Sally Sin. Her old nemesis Ian Blackford has been making trouble, despite being dead, and her boss needs her help. (At least he's willing to help with finding a baby-sitter.)

ORIGINAL SIN is no gritty, realistic spy story. It's funny and moves along quickly so that you don't dwell on the more ridiculous happenings. I liked Lucy's voice - she's competent and tough, but a little frazzled and sleep-deprived due to the pressure of taking care of a three-year-old. Children in stories can be annoying, but Theo and Lucy's interactions were cute. I also liked her husband Will and felt bad that he was left out of the loop.

In ORIGINAL SIN, frequent flashbacks are used to flesh out Lucy's backstory as Sally. I enjoyed these sections, but I wonder if Beth McMullen revealed too much in the first back. It seemed as if Sally Sin's career highlights were covered by the end of ORIGINAL SIN.

Many elements of ORIGINAL SIN are predictable. The domesticity often adds a pleasant twist, but doesn't change the overall trajectory. If you like spies and want something quick and light, it's well worth picking up. If you're more of a Ludlum or le Carre fan, McMullen's debut probably isn't your speed.

Wildwood

2011-07-27T11:20:00.000-05:00

I am so excited for this book, you don't even know. (And it's not just because I'm a fan of the Decemberists.)

The AV Club seems excited too. After all, they have an exclusive trailer. The voice acting is terrible, but the animation is superb.

You can read the first four chapters on Facebook. I haven't read them myself because I don't do well with excerpts when I can't buy the book immediately. The suspense, it kills.

Not too long now, luckily. WILDWOOD by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis will be available August 30th.

Brazenhead Books

2011-07-22T13:45:00.000-05:00

There's No Place Like Here: Brazenhead Books from Etsy on Vimeo.

A friend in my magazine workshop group just shared this video. I love it! A secret, illegal used bookstore hidden in an apartment in New York City? I'd say that I'd look up the shop and explore there tomorrow, but I'm planning to hit up some of the Harlem Book Fair events. Maybe Sunday? (So much to do, so little time out of class.)

Nifty Links!

2011-07-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

These tabs have been open on my computer for awhile because I wanted to share them but kept getting distracted by school things.

Philip Hensher eloquently defended fiction in The Independent. I don't think this is anything ya'll don't know, but it's well-written and I like it when people talk about why fiction is compelling and useful.

British author Jen Campbell tracks weird things customers say in bookshops. There are several posts full of quotes and all of them are hilarious. She's announced a book deal, and other booksellers can contribute. Timely:

Customer: Which was the first Harry Potter book?
Me: The Philosopher's Stone.
Customer: And the second?
Me: The Chamber of Secrets.
Customer: I'll take The Chamber of Secrets. I don't want The Philosopher's Stone.
Me: Have you already read that one?
Customer: No, but with series of books I always find they take a while to really get going. I don't want to waste my time with the useless introductory stuff at the beginning.
Me: The story in Harry Potter actually starts right away. Personally, I do recommend that you start with the first book – and it's very good.
Customer: Are you working on commission?
Me: No.
Customer: Right. How many books are there in total?
Me: Seven.
Customer: Exactly. I'm not going to waste my money on the first book when there are so many others to buy. I'll take the second one.
Me: If you're sure.
One week later, the customer returns
Me: Hi, did you want to buy a copy of The Prisoner of Azkaban?
Customer: What's that?
Me: It's the book after The Chamber of Secrets.
Customer: Oh, no, definitely not. I found that book far too confusing. I ask you, how are children supposed to understand it if I can't? I mean, who the heck is that Voldemort guy anyway? No. I'm not going to bother with the rest.
Me: ... right.

Finally, I just learned about KidLitCon from Jen Robinson's Book Page. Fellow bloggers might want to check it out.

Crush Control

2011-07-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

By Jennifer Jabaley
Available now from Razorbill (Penguin)
Review copy

The beginning of CRUSH CONTROL is winning. Willow returns to her hometown after years as her mother's assistant in Vegas. She knows how to hypnotize a crowd, but not how to interact with people her own age. And she desperately wants to fit in, because her hometown contains Max, the boy she stayed in touch with and secretly crushes on. The boy she hypnotized to be her best friend forever.

Then Willow meets Quinton, who is hot, available, intelligent, and athletic. Perhaps there are other guys out there. She also makes two good friends who have her back in all things romantic: TV addict Georgia and cheerleader Mia. Just when things are coming up Milhouse, Willow starts to use her rudimentary knowledge of hypnotism on her peers without thinking about the consequences.

To this point, I devoured CRUSH CONTROL. Seriously, I got through the first half in thirty minutes or less. Then the story becomes very conventional and Willow misplaces her brain. No really. She starts trusting in e-order witchcraft to solve her problems. Even that is not as frustrating as knowing where everything is going. You know how Quinton's condition will go wrong. You know how Mia's requests will go wrong. Jennifer Jabaley's voice is charming, but not enough to overcome the thin plot. (Nor is it enough to make the final plot twist anything other than lame. Max really needed more to do during the story.)

Strangely, I cannot remember anything in the first half that was noticeably unconventional. I think there was the potential for a more unusual story. Part of the problem is that Willow is the only dynamic character. Her mom and grandmother reconcile, but they're still the same people as when the story began.

CRUSH CONTROL is excellent summer reading. It's a book to sit back with and have a few laughs. There's nothing more to it than that. It could be any of a million beach books. But for a moment, I thought it might be something more rare.

The Book Cover Archive

2011-07-09T11:30:00.000-05:00

I discovered this site last night and I've been pouring over it since. The only covers represented are lit fic, but they're beautiful. There also links to other great sites/blogs about covers.

Now we just need someone to take over for Jacket Whys for children's and YA covers since it hasn't been updated since October.

Harry Potter and the Work of Fans

2011-07-08T23:00:00.000-05:00

The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 has led to a variety of articles about HP fanworks.

This article in Parade is disappointingly slight. A group of fans created rules for a magic-less version of Quidditch. Their creation is now played at the intercollegiate level. It's an amazing story, but there are no details about how what the rules are.

Lev Grossman, author of THE MAGICIANS, wrote an article for TIME based on the more controversial subject of fanfiction. He covers a great deal of information in a short amount of time and does it without being judgmental. It's the most balanced view of fanfiction I've seen in a major publication.

For anyone wondering why I don't hate fanfiction when I want to go into publishing, please remember: the people who write fanfiction are fans. They buy the books, they buy the dvd box set, they buy movie tickets, they buy shirts, they buy whatever their fandom has to offer. They make a work more profitable by spreading the word. Fans introduce fans to other fandoms. They're passionate about the original work, which is infinitely valuable.

House of Shelves

2011-07-07T13:11:00.001-05:00

Photo by Kazuya Morita Architecture Studio

This is my kind of house.

Summer Reading, Part 1

2011-06-30T16:00:00.001-05:00

Summer reading suggestions for kids of all ages by Jo Walton (via Shelf Awareness)

This article caught my eye since the suggestions came from Abu Dhabi and I used to have family there. The suggested reading is standard but solid.

On the YALSA blog you can find information about their Sync Audiobook giveaway. It's two books a week through August 1st. This weeks books are LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow and THE TRIAL by Franz Kafka.

Until midnight Greenwich Mean Time you can download an abridged version of Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. It's read by the fabulous Derek Jacobi, so I highly recommend dropping by AudioGO to get your copy.

Open Road Media is having a sale on 50 titles through July 12th. Open Road Media does ebook originals, ebook versions of print books by independent publishers, and ebook editions of out-of-print works. Some titles of interest to younger readers are COUSINS by Virginia Hamilton and two Boxcar Children collections.

The Persistance of Memory

2011-06-30T10:25:00.003-05:00

About a month ago, I read Aimee Bender's THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE.

It's a brilliant book. The basic conceit is that Rose Edelstein tastes the emotions in food. Her mother is crushed by despair; a local baker is impatient and frustrated. One point is almost unbearably creepy, but it's instantly lifted by Rose's greatest discovery. Aimee Bender's writing is lovely and affecting, but my favorite part was the way she analyzed the human relationship to food. I, myself, am a stress baker. I love to bake. I love to take a recipe, make it, taste it, then fiddle around and improve it. If I'm having trouble thinking through something, I just whip up a batch of something delicious and give myself time to refresh.

Bender's story is not just about the secrets people keep. It's a great theme, but one that's common. It's about how we approach one of our greatest needs and desires. In what ways do we sustain ourselves?

I'm writing about it because of this blog post by Ann Summerville. Until I came across this post today, I'd forgotten there were no quotation marks. It didn't matter to me with THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE.

For me, the experience mattered more than the details.

Forget baking. I love to read.

The Atlantic YA Series

2011-06-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

A certain set of WSJ pieces (no I'm not linking) has the YA community up in arms, as well it should. The research is shoddy and the argument is ill-constructed. Perhaps the WSJ missed Harvard Magazine article about Lauren Mechling:

Lauren Mechling ’99 spent a week in the “young adult” corner of a New York City Barnes & Noble. She hadn’t been in that section in a decade, by her estimate, and what she found surprised her. The moralizing tone of the books she remembered from her own teenage reading was gone. “It seemed like the books were really being written for teenagers, not for their parents to buy them,” she says. “There was something kind of ‘Wild-West’-y about it.”

At the beginning of this month, The Atlantic published a four article series about YA today.

From Alyssa Rosenberg's first article:

Young adult fiction offers a promise to all of us that there is no suffering that's not worth it, no agony that goes unrewarded down the line. If you're a teenager, those promises might be false, but they're a temporary balm. And if you're an adult, too old to believe that the balance of life comes out even, you can suspend your disappointments as long as you're immersed in a story that promises something different.

Now that's someone who actually knows something about YA. Let's pass it on.

Interview with Deborah Cooke

2011-06-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

Deborah Cooke is the author of the Dragon Diaries series. The first book, FLYING BLIND, came out this month and I reviewed it here. But some of ya'll might already be familiar due to her paranormal romance series, Dragonfire. She also writes as Claire Delacroix, has a large backlist available in various places, and spends her time doing crafty things like knitting.

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1. FLYING BLIND is set in the same world as your adult paranormal romances (the Dragonfire series). Do you think the audiences for the two series will crossover?

I have no idea. I try not to think so much about marketing stuff - I'm just a writer, following the stories.

2. You've written before about writing books in a series to be "the same, but different." Do you hold to that concept when writing books in different series, but the same world?

Well, sure. There has to be a thread of continuity through any author's work, in order for readers to know what to expect from that author. I think that happens automatically at a high level - there are certain kinds of stories and certain kinds of story elements that appeal to certain authors. I also, though, think that series in themselves have to have a stronger thread of continuity - so, all of the Dragonfire books are romances, for example, and each one features a dragon shape shifter hero. They feature a cast of continuing characters, occupying the same fictional worlds. These books also are sensual, but I think the action scenes (the dragon fights) are a big part of what makes them distinct for readers. On the other hand, if we look at Dragon Diaries, the books are structured as Zoë's journey, or coming of age. They're all written in first person, and have romantic and paranormal elements. Structurally, they're different from Dragonfire, even though they take place in the same world with a number of the same continuing characters. One thing I did think about in writing the YA series was the action, which so many readers expect from Dragonfire books. In a real sense, fighting is part of the dragon nature, so I thought there had to be action and fight scenes in the YA too. I'm not sure how typical that is in the broader YA market - I haven't read many YA's with a lot of fight scenes - but it's a continuity element from the Dragonfire world which I believe is a reader expectation.

Which is a long-winded way of saying "yes"!

3. Your biography states that you read medieval vernacular literature, which tends to be overlooked even by English majors. What are some of your favorite works? Medieval writers tell stories quite differently from modern writers. (For one thing, there's no interest in explaining the psychology of the characters.) Do you think your interest in medieval fiction affects the way you write?

What's wonderful about medieval literature is that it shows the assumptions of contemporary society quite clearly. As you note, they don't explore psychology of the characters much, because it's a given to them that this kind of person would act in that kind of way in a certain situation. A knight, for example, presented with a beautiful lady who desires him, would hop into her bed. There's an ideal of behaviour or expectation that's a given. That's interesting, especially when the stories change or take a different focus. My favourites are the ones we'd now call paranormal or fantasy romances, and they first appear in Europe during the crusades - this is when real people are encountering foreigners (for lack of a better world) for the first time, and trying to make sense of their own reactions. Marie de France tells a story, for example, about a knight who shifts to a wolf. It's called Bisclavret. I think this is a thinly veiled story of an outsider - a foreigner - becoming a landholder and nobleman, and the distrust of some people toward him and his differences. (And of course, Marie told her stories at the Norman court, and the Normans were outsiders in England who ruled the country.) As a nobleman, this hero is a great favourite of the king, but his wife betrays him because of his nature. She thinks his nature is wicked and she's justified in stealing his clothes, taking his property and marrying another guy. The end of the story is very hard on the wife. The shifter hero gets his land and title back and the wife is both scarred and exiled - the implication being that outsiders can be noble and heroic, they can be property holders, but marriage with the locals probably won't work out well for them.

I do think that medieval stories affect my own writing. There's a very strong thread of morality in these stories, of the importance of acting honorably, and there's also a lot of action and humour. The stories are entertaining, but often leave the reader with something to think about. I like that balance, too.

4. Why dragons?

I just think dragons are so cool. And a hero who could shift to a dragon would be one sexy beast, as far as I'm concerned.

5. Your blog is titled "Alive and Knitting," making one of your hobbies clear. How did you get into knitting? What's the most complicated project you've finished?

My grandmother taught me to knit when I was about four. It's one craft that I come back to over and over again. I think that's because it's so flexible - once you understand the structure of knitting stitches, so much is possible. Kind of like words and stories.

6. In addition to FLYING BLIND, you've recently released DARKFIRE KISS and you've been rereleasing your backlist on Smashwords. How do you promote several books at once?

Well, I don't! Promotion isn't really my best trick. I'd rather write! I do my blog and also keep my Facebook pages - there's one for Deborah Cooke and one for Claire Delacroix - plus update my websites. I'm indebted to Teen Book Scene for setting up this blog tour for me - otherwise, I wouldn't have known where to start. As for the re-released backlist, that's mostly a favour for readers so I haven't done much promo at all for those books. A lot of those older titles are unavailable in print and were never available digitally. Some fans want to read them all - when I have the rights and the digital file, it's pretty easy to pop the book up on Kindle and Smashwords, to make it available to people.

Bookish.com

2011-06-26T11:18:00.000-05:00

Bookish.com will launch later this summer. Hachette, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin partnered to found the site, with AOL providing advertising. But it is a publisher neutral site - in six months, nobody at Hachette, Simon & Schuster, or Penguin will be involved. The site will also launch with books from all publishers.

Bookish is a response to the problem of discovery. With many bookstores closing or devoting floor space to ereaders, it has become harder to find new books. Bookish's central feature is a recommendation engine based on factors like content and writing style. (In contrast, Amazon's engine is based on what other people purchase.) While books will be sold on Bookish, it is not an attempt for publishers to become booksellers.

Bookish will also contain Q&A's, book trailers, and other multimedia content.

I've heard mixed thoughts on the site, but I think it will be well worth checking out. You can go there now and sign up to be notified when the site launches.

Review: Last Night at Chateau Marmont

2011-06-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

By Lauren Weisberger
Available now from Atria
Review copy

If you've read a book by Lauren Weisberger before, you know the basics of the experience. It will be set in New York; it will deal with the difficulty of balancing careers and personal lives. Her books also have a nice authoritative tone - you feel like you're getting real dish.

Right now HBO is developing a miniseries about the history of Chateau Marmont. For those who haven't heard of it - I hadn't before Weisberger's LAST NIGHT AT CHATEAU MARMONT - it is a hotel that has been hosting celebrities since the 60's. In the case of the novel, the celebrity is Julian Alter.

Brooke Alter is a nutritionist who has been supporting her husband's musical career. They can only afford a small apartment, where they live with their adorably named dog Walter Alter. And it pays off when Julian gets a deal with Sony. Soon he's appearing on Leno . . . and both of them are appearing in the tabloids. As her husband leaves home more and more often to make appearances, Brooke feels increasingly stressed and isolated.

Weisberger sets up LAST NIGHT AT CHATEAU MARMONT well. The book takes awhile to reach the promised stay at the Chateau, but that gives the reader time to see Brooke and Julian's relationship before it is strained. When Julian is at his worst, Brooke's continuing hope for their relationship is understandable.

The insider tone was briefly ruined for me. The characters go to the Hula Hut in Austin . . . which is neither a dive restaurant nor famous for its queso. It's a mid-priced Tex-Mex/Polynesian fusion restaurant on Lake Austin. It makes me question how well other locales are described.

But it didn't bother me too long. LAST NIGHT AT CHATEAU MARMONT is funny and quick. Things do reach a low point, but I would not say it gets as depressing as some chick lit. Ultimately, the book is about Brooke and Julian's marriage and whether it can survive unwanted celebrity and the rock-and-roll lifestyle.

(And can I add that it was super cool to be in New York when the state legalized gay marriage?)

Review: Flying Blind

2011-06-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

By Deborah Cooke
Available now from NAL Trade (Penguin)
Review copy

I can be a stick in the mud sometimes, so I'm starting this review with a PSA moment. When someone is threatening to destroy your personal property and asks you what you're going to do about it, you say, "I'm going to make you pay for the replacement." You can fairly easily, in fact. You know a lawyer. It may be the parent of a band/choir/orchestra/whatever friend or someone who attends your religious institution of choice. You know one. Explain the situation and ask him or her to send a letter on official letterhead. People react when they get a letter from a lawyer. NEXT, AND VERY IMPORTANT: If someone breaks your face, you do not accept him or her telling the teacher you fell down. You press charges. Let me repeat that. YOU. PRESS. CHARGES.

Onto the story!

FLYING BLIND starts at Zoë Sorensson's school. The popular girls bullying her friend pushes her to shapeshift for the first time. Unfortunately, she's not supposed to let people know she's a dragon shapeshifter. Fortunately, her dad decides to punish her by sending her to boot camp. Boot camp is where the young Pyr go to figure out how to use their powers. Zoë really needs it since she's the Wyvern: the only female shapeshifter, who is supposed to be able to see the past and the future. But mostly she wants to go because Nick will be there.

There are several spanners in the works, however. There's Isabelle, a Pyr's adopted human daughter, who is beautiful, sophisticated, and also attending boot camp. There's Jared, Nick's human cousin, who looks like a pirate and flirts with Zoë. There's also Adrian, an outside Pyr who doesn't fit in, but does defend Zoë against her friends' expectations.

Zoë and the other boot campers felt like true, young teens. They're petty and impulsive. Sometimes their inability to just state their feelings or to try to get along grates, but luckily, there is an explanation for the worst behavior. I also liked the romantic storyline. Zoë wrote a story in her head about what her life would be like, and now she's having to face reality.

The worldbuilding is disappointing. Each scene has a good sense of place, but there's no sense of the larger world. The kids are all excited about winning the newest messenger, which seems to be something like an iPod Touch. Is this a way to get around using trademarked names, or is it some kind of future technology? The scenes at school and in the library seem contemporary, not futuristic. While humans don't know dragon shifters exist, they do know that dragons exist. How would a world with dragons develop differently than ours? What attitude do humans who aren't in the know have toward dragons?

FLYING BLIND is a fine character-driven fantasy, but Deborah Cooke made a few missteps. I am tempted to read her adult Dragonfire novels as well as future Dragon Diaries. I would like to find out more about the world, and hope she chose not to write about it here because it's in a different book.