New Releases Tuesday - February 4, 2014

It's New Releases Tuesday once again. Somebody get me my smelling salts, because Ignite Me is finally here.

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

The conclusion of the Shatter Me series has arrived. Let's pause for a moment, shall we, and just look at this cover. I know I like covers, but COME ON THIS COVER.

I only picked up the first two books in the series in the last six months (Shatter Me and Unravel Me) and I tore through them in record time. Juliette, our heroine, is a badass who kind of maybe can't touch anyone because her touch is deadly. But then there's Adam. She can touch Adam. And then there's Warner. Oh, yeah, she can touch him too. Sometimes. So much touching.

Romantic, steamy, completely enjoyable reads all around. If you buy the first one, you may as well buy all three--there's no putting them down.

Also, sorry not sorry, I'm 100% team Warner on this one.

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

I never watched Jon and Kate Plus 8 because that many children in one place kind of terrifies me, but I was always curious about what was going to happen to the kids when they got older. Thankfully, Heather Demetrios has done the wondering for me.

Once a child reality star, Bonnie Baker has left celebrity behind, trying to make her life as a normal teenager. Now, her parents are trying to get her back on television.

This book has the potential to be pretty entertaining, and also encourage us to take a look at the way we treat famous people, especially famous children (Bieber, I'm looking at you).

Landry Park by Bethany Hagen

I was dubious, but then I read the tagline: Downton Abbey meets The Selection in this dystopian tale of love and betrayal.

Has it been done before? Uh, yes. Does that mean I won't totally love it? Uh, no. (Although the cover does kind of make it look like a bad Bravo reality show, which I definitely don't like either I swear...)

An Ode to Rainbow Rowell

I am quick to like books. I'll cross genres, age ranges, writing levels--you hand me a book, I'll give it a shot, and I'll most likely find some merit or enjoyment in it. I am very, very picky when it comes to love, though.

And I love LOVE LOVE Rainbow Rowell. I want to be her friend. I want to be her characters' friend. I want to read everything she has written and then make everyone I know read it just so I can tell them that they are wrong if they have even the slightest criticism. (I'm joking. Kind of.)

Rowell keeps me up reading until the early morning, which wouldn't be all that remarkable except for the fact that she does it without a break neck plot. I don't want to find out what happens, I just want to keep hanging out with Eleanor. And Park (ohmygodPark). And Cath. These characters that she's created that are so much like me and so much like everyone I know; they are endearing almost to the point of annoyance because I can't figure out how to get such flawed characters to be so damn likable.

Eleanor & Park tells the story of two high schoolers who just don't quite fit. Eleanor is poor, and lives in an abusive home; Park is an Asian boy in love with New Wave in a white neighborhood that's slightly behind the times. It sounds like it could veer into the cliche, but the characters are so strong and the scenes so mesmerizing that it feels like a brand new story. 

In this case, I thought I might be slightly biased in my immense enjoyment. I too once fell in love over music, while listening to many of the same songs that bonded these two. At every mention of The Smiths or Joy Division, I was back in my Chuck Taylors, tapping my toes on a dirty car floor mat, wondering how long everything would last. I couldn't help but become enamored with this book. John Green might have said it best (as he usually does), though, with this: "Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it's like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it's like to be young and in love with a book." 

Beyond the music though, I'm sure all readers can identify with the feeling of being out of place and sometimes helpless. Eleanor deals with these feelings with such strength--not with grace, necessarily, and also not with strength in the heroic sense, but pure human resilience to a terrible, terrible situation. 

(Side note: I don't want to go off on a pro-reading, stop-banning-my-favorite-books tangent, but there are people who are trying to ban this book because of the sometimes graphic and "profane" language. To those people I say this: This book is important, your teenagers already know those words, and you should be happy they are reading something with such quiet literary merit. Stop taking their books away and just realize that the world is not always a wonderful place, but stories like this make it beautiful. Thanks.)

Fangirl is Rowell's second major YA offering last year, and while the plot is even less dramatic than that of Eleanor & Park, it is equally charming. It tells the story of Cath, a fanfic writer of a  fictional and thinly-veiled Harry Potter/Twilight-esque series, and her struggle to thrive in her first year of college. Away from home for the first time in her life, and suddenly abandoned by her twin sister, Cath retreats into a world of social anxiety and gay fanfic. Really, really wonderful stuff here. 

Everything is messy, everyone makes mistakes that we all make, and they only sort of get cleaned up.  It's college how many of us lived it--without the sororities and the costume parties and the Solo cups, but with plenty of self doubt and discovery. 

Rowell has become my YA gateway author of choice. You think you don't like YA because you're an adult and you only like adult books, try not to fall in love with Eleanor & Park. I just don't think it's possible. 

New Releases Tuesday!

Because I've been completely absent, I'm going to reach back a couple of weeks for this "New" Releases Tuesday.

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale

Ok, look at this cover. This cover is the best. Judge this book by its cover, because it is also awesome. Gory, hilarious, morbid, and gripping, this murder mystery is a little bit of a Fargo rip-off, but it's so much fun to read, it's hard to really care about that.

When Kippy's (yes, Kippy) best friend is brutally murdered, she sets out to find the killer through the victim's explicit and hilariously bitchy diary. With enough Wisconsin slang to make you think you're watching Bobby's World (remember that, kids?), and a good helping of suspense, this is a fun read and a strong debut from Kathleen Hale.

In Dreams by Erica Orloff

From the book description: "Inception meets Unearthly in this hot romance for fans of Meg Cabot's Abandon series!"

Considering I almost walked out on Inception and really only stayed for the Leo and the JGL, I'm going to give this one a pass since it has neither of those people, but to each his own. (Maybe I could just picture Leo/JGL and it would be the same? Now I'm considering it...)

(From December 31, 2014)

The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

Sometimes a book is just a giant fuzzy scarf wrapped around you on a freezing day, and sometimes that's all you need. As the winter gets colder, cozy up with this charming, funny, realistic romance that just makes you want to drink hot chocolate and call your best friend to talk about crushes.

If all of this sounds too cliche for you (snow falling outside the window? Too much?), just know that the voices of these two characters make a somewhat predictable romance completely entertaining. It's an antidote to the dystopian desolation that's still popping up everywhere, even though all I want right now is for it to warm up and for a couple of people to love each other, OK?!



(From December 24, 2013)

Roomies by Sarah Zarr and Tara Altebrando

In your freshman year of college, nothing is as important as the random roommate assignment. As someone who ended up lifelong friends with her random roomie, I can certainly vouch for the importance of such a relationship, so the exploration of that burgeoning relationship is of particular interest to me. If you hated your roommate...sorry.

Told from the POV's of both potential masking-tape-line drawers, it sounds like this book will tackle some pretty heavy coming-of-age material, but be light enough not to drag you down too much. Definitely on the want-to-read list for me!

On writing, resolutions, and making time

So...the last re-start of the blog didn't go so well. After some editing offers that I couldn't turn down, my free time turned into freelance time, and I honestly didn't make the blog a priority (obviously), although I wish I would have.

I'm usually not one for New Year's resolutions, but now that my monster freelancing projects are done, I have some time to assess how I spend the hours that aren't in front of my work computer. One thing that my job sometimes lacks is opportunity for creativity, but for some reason I haven't ever thought to make up for that lack of creativity *outside* of work. So that's what I'd like to do now.

I can't promise that I will post twice a week, and I can't promise that there won't be moments of silence, but I do want to start funneling my energy into some kind of creative venture, even if it's just a blog about YA books with stupid jokes and too many caps lock rants.

Happy 2014! Here's to words.

New Releases (pretend it's) Tuesday!

Not a huge releases week, but what we lack in numbers, we (maybe) make up for in quality.

Prodigy by Marie Lu - Penguin Young Readers

The sequel to Legend is finally here! June and Day go to Vegas (Nevada represent) and join the Patriot rebels in order to continue their quest to be the most bad ass characters in YA lit. (I think Katsa still edges them out, but I'm slightly obsessed with her, so...) ANYWAY, it sounds like June is going to have a crisis of faith regarding the rebellion, and maybe the Republic isn't that bad? It probably is, but we'll see.

I will say that while I enjoyed reading Legend, it didn't stick with me like other comparable books. I might even have to go back and read it before I dive into Prodigy to remind myself of the characters. I do remember there was a lot of dirt and a mean government, but that's about it. That's probably a good blurb for the jacket, guys: Small-time blogger says "There's a lot of dirt and a mean government." Marketing gold.

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd - Balzer + Bray

Retellings of classic stories are going to be a big trend this year, and what better way to kick it off than with a reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau, told from the perspective of Juliet, the crazy doctor's daughter (see also: the title of the book).

I've already read this one, and it's pretty entertaining, with the right amount of creepiness, animal hybrids, and love triangles Not with the animal hybrids though--it's not that kind of book. Recommended for a dreary day with a cup of tea and some time to kill.

New Releases Tuesday!

Yes! It's back, and I couldn't have asked for a better way to kick off 2013. Inexplicable electric storms! Murder and intrigue! Caroline B. Cooney!

Through The Ever Night, by Veronica Rossi--HarperCollins Children's
Barnes & Noble      Powell's

Listen, I know there are roughly 1,000,000 dystopian-fiction-romances out there right now, so let me help you wade through the muck a little bit: Read. this. book. Well, first, read the first book (Under the Never Sky), and then read this one.

You know how the second book in a trilogy can be kind of boring? It takes half the time recapping what you already knew and the other half setting up the third book? Well, not this one. The action is packed, the romance is believable and genuine without being saccharine. Set in a world of fierce electrical storms, desolate spaces, and, according to the cover, perfectly waxed chests (I don't think there really are waxed chests), this is a dystopian trilogy that will leave you clamoring for the next book, even if you're a bit tired of the genre.

Paper Valentine, by Brenna Yovanoff--Razorbill
Barnes & Noble     Powell's

For anyone who argues that book covers do not matter, I submit for your consideration: Paper Valentine. I want this framed. Seriously. Kudos to you, cover designers. You do not get enough credit.

Paper Valentine is the story of Hannah, a girl whose town is ravaged by a serial killer, and whose best friend comes back in ghost form to persuade her to find the killer. Seemingly a good mix of supernatural and realistic fiction, I'm looking forward to picking this one up for a spooky late-Winter read. I also can't fault anyone who puts Dramarama on a book playlist.

 Janie Face to Face, by OMG Caroline B. Cooney (her formal name)--Random House
Barnes & Noble     Powell's

This is the conclusion to the epic Janie series, which brought us such classics as The Face on the Milk Carton and Whatever Happened to Janie? If you are old enough to remember the Lifetime movie adaptation of these novels (starring Kellie Martin aka Becca Thacher aka that bulimic girl from every other Lifetime Original movie), then you are probably pretty excited about this. Or maybe I'm just projecting.

Anyway, Reece is still around (remember when they made-out in the leaf pile? Did I make that up?), and Janie is still pretty torn up about being kidnapped and stuff. Let's see what happens! Let's also watch part 1 of The Face on the Milk Carton, which was sadly overlooked for every major award in 1995.

What books are you looking forward to reading this week?

Don't Call it a Comeback

Hello, dear readers! I have been absent for quite some time now, adjusting to some new developments in life. First, I got a full-time job. Second, I got married. Third, I lived in New York City at Christmas and had to brave Rockefeller Center every day. If I had tried to write anything after fighting through throngs of tourists trying to get a shot of a large tree, it would have come out something like OHGODPLEASESTOPWHY.

But now, I'm back. Much like Backstreet. ALL RIGHT.

Things to look forward to in the new year: New Releases Tuesday is making its triumphant return; I will be doing in-depth author posts; re-reading classics will become a bi-monthly feature (hopefully); I'll try to use less caps lock (BUT I'M NOT PROMISING ANYTHING).

Just a quick disclaimer: I do now work for a publishing company, but I promise to keep promoting books from all publishers because buying books helps us all, and you can trust that I will never recommend anything that I don't actually recommend.

If you have any requests for books you'd like to see here, let me know. Looking forward to reading/writing/snarking in 2013!

New Releases Tuesday!

ALL MERMAIDS ALL THE TIME.

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown--Delacorte Books for YR

Barnes & Noble     Powell's

That's right, folks, it's summer, and that means mermaids. You thought we covered mermaids two weeks ago? Ohhhh, no. These are murderous mermaids that seduce land-walking folk and live in freshwater lakes. Take that, peaceful sea creatures. 

This is the story of Calder White, who is a merman, and whose family kills people in order to absorb their energy. They also hate Jason Hancock who has a fear of water. (Please don't go into M. Night Shyamalan territory again, books. I just can't right now.) 

There seems to be a fair amount of swimming, intrigue, star-crossed lovey-dovey ness, and fish/humans that murder people, which is really all I look for in a book.

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham--Simon & Schuster Books for YR

Barnes & Noble     Powell's

As someone who has read/watched The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants more than anyone should ever admit to, I can say I am pretty excited for this book. It follows three friends who have had a falling-out after their favorite band, Level3 (for the love of God, could we get authors to vet these names with actual teens?) broke up. The band is getting back together for a reunion tour, and it might be the perfect time for these three friends to find their way back to each other.

Aside from the awful band name, this sounds like a fun story of friendship, growing up, and moving past differences. (I wonder if they are going to realize that their friendship is more important than the band?)

Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson--Delacorte Books for YR

Barnes & Noble     Powell's

This books has a one-line description: "Four girls. One magical, and possibly dangerous Italian summer. Family mysteries, ancient castles, long hot nights of dancing under the stars...and of course, plenty of gorgeous Italian boys!" 

True story: when I was in Italy three years ago, I had a waiter try to kiss me when I really just wanted the check, and then the man selling train tickets from Venice to Paris gave me a free upgrade because "your eyes. Oh, your eyes." I found it more creepy than gorgeous, but to each his own. I still kind of want to read this in a "I hope it's a B&N special of the day" kind of way. 

Re-reading: The Giver

THIS ONE IS REALLY MESSING WITH MY HEAD YOU GUYS.

The Giver was one of those books that was assigned to me in class, but that I really ended up liking. Loving, actually. It was my introduction to dystopia, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

I first read this book in eighth grade, and I clearly remember not only having to write a paper on it, but also having to choose from a list of projects that would help us analyze the book. I chose to make a mix tape--on my boom box, natch--and I know for sure that Fiona Apple’s “The Child is Gone” was on there, but I can’t remember what else. (Shout out to Mrs. Van Doren who was doing multi-modal before multi-modal was A Thing!)  Basically this paragraph is just here to show you how cool of a kid I was (Eighth grade? Fiona Apple? Come on.) even though no one in middle school seemed to catch on. I was way ahead of my time.

So now that we’ve established that Eighth Grade Mallory was awesome, let’s talk about how Eighth Grade Mallory had her mind blown. Upon finishing the book, I thought “Oh, what a happy ending. He found a sled. He’s going to Christmas dinner. This is nice.” Then I went to class and the aforementioned Mrs. Van Doren got all critical think-y on us and was like, “Do you really think that he found a sled? Don’t you think that’s just a little too perfect?” And then I realized: Oh God, he died. He died and the baby died and this is not happy this is horrible and I need Fiona Apple now.

So this is what I’ve thought since eighth grade. And when I re-read the book, I thought it again. Yes, the ending is too perfect. There’s no way a sled is just waiting at the top of a hill. Some kid wants to go sledding, brings a sled to the top of a hill and then his mom calls him for dinner and he’s like “Ok, guess I’ll leave the sled here instead of going for one last ride,” and then trudges back down the hill? NOPE.

But then I started doing some research on Amazon, and I found this in the description of the sequel to The Giver: “Under the gentle guidance of Leader, who arrived in Village on a red sled as a young boy and who has the power of Seeing Beyond…” Wait, what? So he did live. And now he’s helping disabled children? I feel like my entire life has been a lie! Well, not really, but I do think this is a good example of when not to do a trilogy, which The Giver eventually turned into.

There were a few other things that surprised me about the book. I hadn’t realized it was so short. I wanted to know more about everything, and I especially wanted the relationship between the Giver and Jonas to be fleshed out a bit more, but with YA books that skew younger--The Giver may even be classified as middle grade now--those are the kinds of things that we, as adults, miss.

I still think it’s a wonderful book, and a great introduction to the genre of dystopian literature, but I also wish that there was no trilogy, because even if the ending was not entirely clear, open-ended is better than cheesy, and an actual sled waiting at the top of an actual mountain to take Jonas and Gabriel to an actual Christmas dinner—well, that’s just a little too easy for me. 

Grade I would have given this book as a kid: Tidal

Re-reading Grade: Extraordinary Machine

Status: Sometimes I choose to ignore things that ruin my perception of art (see: unnecessary sequels and When the Pawn…)

New Releases Tuesday (In which pretty girls ride on boats.)

It's time for another round of New Releases Tuesday. This week brings us psychological intrigue and girls riding on boats--a perfect summer combination.

Shift, by Em Bailey--Egmont USA
Barnes & Noble     Powell's Books

I know what you're thinking: "This girl isn't on a boat!" No, she's not, but hold your horses (horses really shouldn't be on boats, either). This is the story of Olive Corbett, a once "crazy" girl who got back on her meds and stopped being "crazy" right around the time that "creepy" Miranda Vail rolls into town. Miranda takes over the popular crowd, despite being somewhat mousy and kinda icky and gets a little Single White Female on the queen bee of the high school.

Can Olive break her normalcy-enduced silence to bring Miranda's deceit to light? Will Miranda go after Olive next? Will anyone in this book's intended audience get my Single White Female reference? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Alice on Board, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor--Atheneum Books
Barnes and Noble     Powell's Books

Now THIS girl is on a boat! And she's feeling pretty nautical in her J.Crew sweater standing next to her l.l. bean tote bag. This is an Alice McKinley book--the 24th in the series, actually. (If you want to see something hilarious, go here and look at the evolution of YA book covers. We've come so far, and yet...) The book follows the popular character for the summer between high school and college when she gets a job on, you guessed it, a BOAT. There's drama, there are friends and enemies and that other word that combines those two words, there's T-Pain.* How can you go wrong, really? Summer reading funtime go!

*There is no T-Pain.

Unbreak My Heart, by Melissa Walker--Bloomsbury USA
Barnes & Noble     Powell's Books

More boats! More hair blowing in wind! Let me be alone with my sadness and the sea! Ok, no but seriously. This is all I can think of. I can't write. I can't get it out of my head.

Something about a girl who has her heart broken in sophomore year and then goes sailing with her parents, alternating chapters, blah blah blah Toni Braxton. I'll never be able to read this without breaking into song and no one wants to hear that.

Of Poseidon, by Anna Banks--Feiwel & Friends
Barnes & Noble     Powell's Books

Ok, so she's not on a boat, but she can talk to fish, so that's something, right? Of Poseidon is the story of Galen, a Syrena prince and someone who really needs to talk to fish but can't, and Emma, a girl who can talk to fish.

The description doesn't give you much of an idea why Galen needs to talk to fish in order to save his kingdom, but it doesn't really matter because mermaids.




And just in case it wasn't already in your head, here you go:

New Releases Tuesday! (In which the Dawson Crying gif is far too representative.)

Sorry for the radio silence last week. I've been busy writing things that make money (what?) and reading Insurgent (disappointing) and Bitterblue (Ahhhhh! So good so far!), both of which will be getting their own posts soon. Here are some highlights from last week's and this week's new releases:

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Hyperion


Set in WWII, this historical novel tells the story of "Verity" a young British spy who is captured and interrogated by the Nazis after her plane crashes in enemy territory.


This book has been getting amazing reviews, and I've been looking forward to it for a while. I always find it interesting how enthralled with Nazi Germany teenagers are, and how much YA literature is devoted to the Nazis and the Holocaust. I've maintained the interest, and I will be very glad to see a war story told from a female perspective, especially since the major themes here seem to be friendship, trust, and bravery.


You can pick it up here and here.

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles
Candlewick Press


This book trends a bit younger, with the main character being only 12 and the appropriate reading age listed as 5th grade an up. Sometimes, that would make me discount a book, but this is what Kirkus has to say about it: "Sit back in a comfortable chair, bring on the Kleenex and cry your heart out... Prescient writing, fully developed characters and completely, tragically believable situations elevate this sad, gripping tale to a must-read level." 


Ok, Kirkus, maybe I will. Maybe I will.

Buy it and cry. 

37 Things I Love (in No Particular Order) by Kekla Magoon

Henry Holt and Co.

Ahhhhh, summer. Doesn't this cover just scream popsicles and pools and swimming and carefree days under the sun? You may be surprised, then, to find that this is a coming-of-age novel in which the main character's dad is in a coma. Yup. 

Check it out if you want to look like you're reading a book about pool parties but you're actually reading a bildungsroman about dealing with family tragedy! Summer fun for all!

Buy it? And...

THE GREATEST NEW RELEASES TUESDAY EVER

Ok, Insurgent is definitely going to get top billing here (and maybe even a nice big picture), but there are so many books coming out today that I want to read, I pretty much can't contain my excitement.

Insurgent (Divergent Series #2), by Veronica Roth

Katherine Tegen Books

Divergent sets up a world in post-apolcalyptic Chicago where everyone is forced to choose a faction to live under at the age of 16. The factions are based on virtues (humility, bravery, etc.), and when you live under them, you become a kind of one-dimensional person, giving up everything that doesn't represent your virtue. But not our Tris. She leaves the faction she's been raised in and starts to uncover all the dirty, underhanded things that the factions are doing to each other, and to their citizens. 

Insurgent picks up where Divergent left off, and it sounds like the factionless are going to play a huge role in this sequel, which I'm so happy about since they are only really hinted at in the first book. The second books in trilogies always seem to lag a bit in the action department since they have to reestablish the characters and plot lines, and then set-up for the finale, but Roth's writing is so crisp and fast-paced, I will be incredibly surprised if this book is at all boring.

I have huge hopes for this book, but mostly I just really want to see if Tris and Four get to Do It. Priorities: I have them.

Buy it here or here. SERIOUSLY. DO IT.

Wait, there are other books? Ok, here you go.

Bitterblue, by Kristin Cashore
Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin Teen)

The sequel to Graceling, the only reason this didn't get top billing is because I was a big fan of the way Graceling ended because Feminism and Independence and all that, and I was almost hoping that Kristin Cashore wouldn't write a sequel? But then I found out she was writing one and I squealed? So, yeah, this is next up after Insurgent.

In this book, we fast-forward eight years--Bitterblue is queen of Monsea, but the legacy of her crazy Dad with the mind control Grace who made people do horrible things still lingers, and she can't get her kingdom to move past it. What will she do? Fall in love with a super hot guy, of course.

Bonus: We get to catch up with Katsa and Po, who are my almost favorite YA couple. (Katniss and Peeta are disqualified because, well, duh. It's like when Oprah said, "Stop giving me Emmy's." We all know she's really the winner.) If you haven't read Graceling, I highly recommend it. If you come across a companion called Fire, I highly recommend you stay away.

Buy Bitterblue here or here. I'll join you.

The Drowned Cities, by Paolo Bacigalupi

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

This is the companion (NOT sequel) to Ship Breaker, a book I absolutely loved. Because it isn't a sequel, though, it doesn't have the compulsive must-read-now attachment, so it will have to wait a week or two. 

The Drowned Cities focuses on the wars surrounding the dystopian future that Bacigalupi established in Ship Breaker. Mahlia and Mouse are escaped "war maggots," or assassins recruited and trained by the warring factions. Publisher's Weekly says it's better than the first book, so I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on this. 

Buy it here or here, and pick up Ship Breaker if you haven't yet here or here. 

Wentworth Hall, by Abby Grahame

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Ok, I don't want to get too excited about this, but it definitely looks like Downton Abbey meets Gossip Girl, and I don't know what could be wrong with that, unless Blake Lively tried to do the movie, in which case I really don't want to hear her attempt an English accent. The product description uses the word "secrets" three times (PAMUK!), and even throws in a "facade." And, oh my God, the family's name is Darlington. DARLINGTON! Pip pip cheerio and what-not. 

 This is the author's first book, so we'll see if the writing holds up (it might sway a little into What American People Think British People Are Like territory), but this could definitely be making a plane ride seem not so long in my near future.

Buy it here or here. 

Don't worry, guys, I wrote this post on Monday so that my Insurgent reading wouldn't be interrupted. What are you reading? If it's not Insurgent (or possibly Bitterblue), I don't understand you, but I still like you. 

Further proof that M.T. Anderson is awesome

Someone wants to ban his book, Feed. And not because it challenges the media-frenzied, social networking, consumerist robots that we will all turn into one day (or that we have already turned into), or because of its overt environmental message, but because, “‘Page 239 had a lot of F words [and] had a lot of B words.’”

Now that’s some high-level critical thinking.

I’ve been meaning to write about M.T. Anderson for a while now, because his level of writing is so incredible, and because he is able to write two award-winning books from the perspective of a slave in the Revolutionary War and then—seamlessly—switch to a futuristic world where we live in plastic bubbles and purchase things through microchips embedded in brains. (The OMG I love M.T. Anderson so much post is still coming, don’t worry.) But when I saw this article yesterday, I just couldn’t help myself.

I understand that this is just two people making an insignificant stand, and let’s give full credit to the teacher, superintendent, and school board for not doing a damn thing about this complaint. But this brings up a problem that I have with American culture in general, and that is the complete overreaction to profanity in every artistic setting. We bleep out words on TV, we give R ratings to movies that use the f-word more than ONE TIME. (From mpaa.org: “A motion picture’s single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context.” What?)

What happens as a result of this is that young people are discouraged from reading or watching high-quality art because of a few words. And, spoiler alert to all you over-protective parents: Your kids have not only heard those words, but they use them. Just like everyone else.

What’s even more ridiculous about this complaint is that I would make the argument that Anderson’s use of profanity in Feed is actually used to highlight the lack of self-awareness and critical analysis in the characters’ lives. The way the characters speak is indicative of their lack of responsibility and ability to make independent decisions, which, obviously, is a bad thing.

We shouldn’t tell kids that they can’t read a book because the f-word is in it, we should let kids discuss why they thought the author chose to use the f-word and what it says about the characters and their relationships with their friends, parents, and authority figures. Because that critical analysis is what will help young people make good decisions later in life, like talking to their own children intelligently about a book that uses profanity instead of turning to page 239 and throwing it down in disgust. 

What do you think about expletives in YA? When are they appropriate, and when are they not? 

New Releases Tuesday!

I think this blog is going to be hazardous to my bank account. Here are a few books that come out today that I will most likely find myself buying sometime in the near future.

The Story of Us, by Deb Caletti

Simon Pulse

Aside from the title instantly bringing to mind that terrible Bruce Willis/Michelle Pfieffer movie (just realizing that they probably didn't worry about this because the target audience is too young to remember that movie and oh my god I'm old) this is the book that I'm most excited about this week. 

Cricket's mother is (finally, after three tries) getting married to someone Cricket adores, but his children--Cricket's future step-sisters--don't feel the same happiness towards the union. Throw in some teenage lust, a Grandpa "revealing a secret" (what?), and an ex-wife crashing the wedding, and we've got ourselves a party. 

You can purchase the book and read some serious reviews (like, from PW and stuff) here.

Thumped, by Megan McCafferty

Balzer + Bray

The power and fragility of reproduction is a theme that I gravitate to (thanks mostly to The Handmaid's Tale), but Thumped (a sequel to the earlier Bumped) seems to take this idea and turn it on its head. In McCafferty's futuristic world, getting "bumped" (that means pregnant. Get it?) brings status and accolades, and can only happen to teen girls. Twins Harmony and Melody (ugh, those names) are separated at birth, living separate lives, and set to give birth--on a very public stage, it would appear--to two sets of twins on the same day. 

The story sounds intriguing, but I'm also getting a bit of a creepy 16 and Pregnant fangirl vibe from it, and the cutesy names for everything might be a bit much for me. I'd also have to read the first book, which sounds much less enticing. I'm not really selling this one, am I? (But Holy Cover Design, Batman! This book is gorgeous.) 

Buy it from your friendly independent internet bookstore here!

It's Our Prom (So Deal With It), by Julia Anne Peters

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

This is one of those YA books that has little chance of gaining an adult audience, but I think it sounds pretty fun. There will most likely be wacky hijinks, teen angst, and some references to teen fashion that are hilariously misguided (as they always are). But I know Julie Anne Peters is funny, and the idea of telling the story from two different perspectives is a tried and true tactic in the YA world. I'll give this one a shot.

Pick it up here!

As always, check out YAlit.com  for more recommendations, and don't forget that Insurgent comes out next Tuesday! Work and sleep will most likely elude me that day. 

Re-reading: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

I might be cheating on this one because I’m not exactly "rediscovering" this book. I’ve read it, oh, hundreds of times over the years—I used to flip to the scene where they dig for coins in the fountain and read from there if I couldn’t fall asleep—and it is my go-to answer for the “what’s your favorite book” question.

If you aren’t familiar with the story, it’s about a 12-year-old girl, Claudia, who runs away with her little brother Jamie. But she doesn’t like doing things halfway and she really likes learning (I wonder why I identify with this book?) so she plans everything out in minute detail, and chooses to run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Claudia and Jamie join up with school tours to learn everything they can about the museum; they try to solve the mystery of a possibly-carved-by-Michelangelo sculpture; they make a budget and go to automats. Basically, they are awesome in a way that I want to be awesome, and I fundamentally don’t understand how anyone can dislike this book.

The first time I visited the Met, I dragged my companion to the furniture room to see if there was a canopied bed like the one Claudia and Jamie slept in. We stumbled on a dark mahogany bed with intricate carvings, and it was all I could do to keep from crawling in. (He hadn’t read the book and didn’t get why I was so excited.) And I think that’s what I love about books so much—how they can change the way you perceive everything. To anyone else, that was just a pretty bed, but for me it was the musty-smelling retreat that Claudia wanted to be so much more comfortable than it actually was.

There’s something to be said for a book that follows you throughout your life, and I haven’t had anything that comes close to this one. Everything about it—the story, the characters, the voice—is just so perfect to me. One thing that has changed, though, is that I now live in New York, and every time I walk down Fifth Avenue, I think of Claudia, carrying a violin case packed with clothes and thinking about how to be important. Which is, I think, what we’re all doing here (minus the violin case, maybe).

Grade I would have given this book as a kid: Macaroni and Cheese

Re-reading grade: Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon

Status: I love this book, but now I'm hungry

New Releases Tuesday!

If you're a book nerd like me, Tuesday means Yay New Books! Every week I'll highlight a few of the new YA titles you might want to check out and links to buy the books. I'll do my best to have a good representation of genres and publishers to keep it fair. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see here!

The Last Echo (Body Finder series #3) by Kimberly Derting
HarperCollins

I'm much more drawn to dystopia than the supernatural, but if you're into ghost whispering and the like, this series might be for you. The third book comes out today, and the reviews from the first two books look pretty good. I might have to give this one a chance. If you've started on this series, let me know what you think!

You can buy the book from B&N here, or from Powell's here.

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad, translated by Tara Chace
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

It isn't every day you see a YA book in translation, so I think this one might be worth a second look. A sci-fi and horror mash-up, Publisher's Weekly has this to say about it: "Creepy and bleak, Harstad’s story is both psychologically and atmospherically disturbing." Sign me up.

Buy it from B&N or from Powell's!

The Springsweet by Saundra Mitchell
Harcourt Children's Books

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we find a "Paranormal historical romance" (according to Kirkus) about a 17-year-old water-finder trying to get over the loss of her fiancee. The cover copy might not do it justice, as the reviews seem to be pretty favorable. A companion to The Vespertine, this might be just what I need to come back after the bleakness of 172 Hours on the Moon.

B&N / Powell's

If nothing here strikes your fancy, you should visit yalit.com, a great resource for new and recent YA book releases. In two weeks, Insurgent, the second book in the Divergent trilogy comes out. I'm obsessed, so I'll go ahead and put a preemptive pre-order link right here. Can't wait!

What are you reading this week? Any recommendations for me?

Re-reading: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

I’ve heard many friends talk about the books that define them—books that, for some reason, stuck with us more than most. For me, many of these books come from my youth, and in this recurring feature, I want to go back and read these books from an adult perspective, and assess how my attitudes toward the books have changed. In the best scenarios, I’ll discover more to love about the books than I remembered; in the worst, I’ll find that some books I hold so dear and loved so much maybe aren't that good after all. (I really hope that doesn’t happen too often.) Let me know if you have any suggestions for books to re-read!

I was walking up Broadway on an unseasonably warm Saturday in March, trying to delay the end of my lunch hour by perusing the used book tables on the sidewalk. (Sidenote: The existence of these tables is, and will remain, my absolute favorite thing about Manhattan.) After two tables and no luck, I started to head back to work, almost altogether skipping the last table. But something stopped me in my tracks. It was a cover—well, half of a cover, actually—with a young girl in a poufy blue dress with some seriously 80’s-influenced bangs. It was Charlotte Doyle: sailor, childhood hero, and ultimate bad ass.

I bought the book for $4, and didn’t even try to haggle.

I can’t be sure, but I think this book made me a feminist. Or a tomboy. Or, most likely, a feminist tomboy. It is action-packed, with sailing, betrayal, murder, and a clearly psychotic captain, all rolled into 226 pages. As a kid I loved the adventure, but the book is much more than that. It teaches young women to speak their minds and stand up for themselves, it portrays a strong, intelligent female character who throws away the frivolity of her upper class society life for something that makes her feel important, and it has a dash of racial issues to boot.

And then there is this passage. Before rereading, I remembered almost nothing about this book except for this one image of Charlotte, climbing rigging on a ship during a storm:

Though I was in fact climbing into the air, I felt as though I were swimming against a rising river tide. But more than rain or waves it was the screaming wind that tore at me. I could hardly make out where I was going. To make matters worse my wet and heavy hair, like a horse’s tail, kept whipping across my face. I might have been blindfolded. 

Desperate, I wrapped my legs and one arm about the ropes. With my one free arm I pulled my hair around, grasped it with the hand entwined in the ropes, and pulled it taut. I took the knife and hacked. With a shake of my head my thirteen year’s growth of hair fell away.

I still remember how I felt reading that--almost feeling the knife catching on tough strands of hair, and the lightness of it when it falls. I wanted to do something, anything, that would feel like that. I wanted to wrap my toes around wet rope and slice through sails. I wanted to travel. Really, I wanted to be Charlotte.

Seriously, is there a female character badder ass than this? (No, really, tell me. I want to read about her.)

Grade I would have given this book as a kid: A-

Re-reading grade: A+

Status: My childhood dreams remain in tact.