It has always seemed to me that a large proportion of librarians really want to be writers. Actually, let’s face it, a large proportion of non-librarians really want to be writers. The sad fact is however, that the vast majority of these would be literary greats never even get around to starting their masterpiece. That’s where NaNoWriMo comes in. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is the sort of thing that might give you the spark you need to get going. The basic idea is that you try to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. Thats 1667 words per day. Every day. For a month.

I first tried Nano a couple of years ago and from memory I may have written a few thousand words. I can’t even remember what the story was. Last year I tried again and got to 16,000 words. I know that is a far cry from 50,000 but I have kept plugging away on that story and it is currently close to 30,000. Still a long way from being complete. But I’m proud of it.

I (perhaps foolishly) have decided to give it another go. I’ll try for 50,000 but don’t really care if I make it or not. if I can get 10,000 or 20,000 I’ll be extremely happy.

Have you always wanted to write a novel but never had the motivation to start. Do you have a few plot notes buried in your sock drawer? Do you dream of living the blissful life of a full time writer? Then why not join me and thousands of others in giving NaNoWriMo a shot. You can se my NaNo profile here and make me a writing buddy if you like.

Here’s some thinking music to help you decide:

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

Originally posted over where I blog for work, here are my thoughts on James Roy’s latest:

Edsel Grizzler lives a bland life in a bland street with over protective parents he can’t stand. They won’t let him do anything fun, worried that everything is too dangerous. But when Edsel finds himself transported to Verdada, a strange world in another dimension, his life is changed. For a start, there are no adults telling the kids what to do. They do a small amount of work each day and can then do whatever they like. Surfing, skateboarding, computer games. You name it. Plus, an endless supply of every delicious food you could imagine.

It sounds perfect right? It would seem that way on the surface, but as Edsel spends more time there he begins to have his doubts about how perfect it really is. Along with his new friends Edsel starts to investigate and ask questions, but may just cause more trouble than he hoped for.

Voyage to Verdada is the first of the new Edsel Grizzler series by James Roy. Edsel is a likeable character and the book is a fun read. The world of Verdada is an intriguing place and it’s true nature will keep you guessing. The book also includes a sneak peek at book 2 which has me keen to see where the story goes next.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

Here’s my review of The reformed vampire support group as posted over at my library’s blog.

The plain fact is, I can’t do anything much. That’s part of the problem. Vampires are meant to be so glamorous and powerful, but I’m here to inform you that being a vampire is nothing like that. Not one bit. On the contrary, it’s like being stuck indoors with the flu watching daytime television, forever and ever.

Vampire books are all the rage these days, but here’s one with a difference. Often vampires are portrayed as being some combination of attractive, strong, and rich. Catherine Jinks has turned this on its head.

Nina, the narrator of the story, is 51 years old. But she became a vampire when she was 15. So she still looks 15, and people still treat her like a 15 year old. She can’t even learn to drive. Bridget is stuck in her 80s. She has arthritis. Others never learned to drive because cars weren’t invented when they became vampires.

They can’t get normal jobs. They can’t eat normal food. They breed guinea pigs to satisfy their vampire cravings. They get sick constantly and bright lights will make their eyes bleed. Being a vampire is hard. Which is why they have a support group with weekly group therapy.

Things get even worse when one of them is killed. They decide to track down the killer, not for revenge, but to show him what pitiful creatures they are, that they are no threat to anyone. But they stumble onto something far more concerning and far more dangerous.

This is a very different take on the vampire genre and a fun one at that.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

Here is my review of Nit boy: Lift off! as posted to my work blog aboutthebooks.

Eleven year old Lewis Snow has a wild blonde afro and his hair has never been cut. It is filled with nits of course, and he considers them his pets. He has even made some money by passing them to other kids so they could get a few days off school. However, adults typically want to get rid of Lewis’s nits. None more so that Mrs Herrick, the deputy principal. She is after Lewis, or more specifically after his nits, and will stop at nothing to get rid of them.

Interlaced with this story is the story of Ned, the world’s first jumping nit, who lives on Lewis’s head. Ned’s father is determined to see nits learn to jump and spread through humans like no nits have ever done. But Ned is a home body. He’s not interested in jumping and exploring the world.

Lift off is a wonderful and funny story about the tightly linked lives of Lewis and Ned as they face the expectations of those around them and the danger posed by Mrs Herrick, their mutual enemy.

There is also sequel called Bug out! which I have just started reading, I’ll post a review shortly unless someone beats me to it.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

If you’re excited about Lili Wilkinson’s new book Pink but haven’t got your hands on it yet, you can pop over to Lili’s blog and read the first chapter. I think it looks good and can’t wait for the copies we have on order to come in.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

Those of you who have been following BookBoy for a while may have picked up that I have a bit of a thing for Scott Westerfeld. I mean, he’s not Johnny Depp, but boy can he write.

Anyway, you may also have heard me mention his upcoming book Leviathan, due out very soon. Just to tease you a bit more, here’s a trailer.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

I used to be someone.
Someone named Jenna Fox.
That’s what they tell me. But I am more than a name. More than they tell me. More than the facts and statistics they fill me with. More than the video clips they make me watch.
More. But I’m not sure what.

Jenna Fox has just woken from a one year coma following a car accident. She now lives in California instead of Boston. She knows nobody except her parents and grandmother. She remembers nothing from before the accident. She has to learn everything again. Her parents show old home movies and tell her what happened, but there are gaps. Some things do not add up.

This is one of those books that works best if you don’t know too much about it, so I’ll keep it short. I guess you would call it science fiction, but don’t let that put you off if you’re not particularly a fan of that genre. It’s a powerful story about ethics, identity, and the lengths to which a parent would go to protect their child.

It is wonderfully written, challenging, beautiful, and well worth reading. Trust me.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

One of my two most anticipated books of 2009 is coming out in August. That’s next month! The book is Sacred scars by Kathleen Duey and it is the sequel to 2008 Golden Bookboy winner, Skin hunger. I previously mentioned that you can read the first chapter online, but perhaps you haven’t even read Skin hunger yet. If that is the case, get yourself to a bookstore or library and read it. Go on. Do it now. So you are ready for the Sacred scars release. You can also pop over to Kathleen Duey’s blog where she has posted an excerpt of the Kirkus review for it.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

For those unable to attend the recent Reading Matters conference , there are a few podcasts now available.

Tim Flannery, John Green, Mal Peet, M.T. Anderson, and a panel discussion about growing up Muslim in Australia are available for your downloading pleasure over at insideadog.com.au

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

In the first lesson, Sarah passed me a note, It read, I’m Bree’s best friend now in big blue texta on the front and on the back, in pencil, So you’ll have to sit next to Sharnie.
Nobody sat next to Sharnie. She was the meanest girl in the whole school and her chinese burns hurt for hours and hours. It wasn’t fair. Sarah and I had been best friends for years – I couldn’t even remember when we hadn’t been.

Life is not going well for Ruby. Her mother is having another baby, and there are complications with the pregnancy. Her father is too busy caring for her to worry too much about Ruby. Then she has a falling out with her best friend.

One day when Ruby gets home from school she finds Mrs Wiseman, the new lady living across the street, in the kitchen. Ruby’s Mum had to go to hospital and Ruby has to be looked after by an old lady she hardly knows.

Ruby gradually gets to know the somewhat eccentric Mrs Wiseman (Magda) although the more she gets to know her, the more mysterious she becomes. Ruby also befriends Bailey, a boy who with his two friends are known as The Three Geeketeers.

Magda turns out to be a wonderful support for both Ruby and Bailey and there may just be more to her than meets the eye. The same goes for the the little pony figurine she gave Ruby. Magda called it the Wish Pony.

A sweet little story for younger readers that acknowledges life can be difficult but opens the possibility that there is still room for a little magic in the world, even if that magic is subtle and unnoticed.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net