Boys in Books are Better

I wish.

I wish.

Allow me to demonstrate.

“Oh, I wouldn’t mind, Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.”
Augustus Waters of The Fault in Our Stars

“He stops and looks at me. ‘I’m here because of you. You’re my priority. Your happiness, in some fucked way, is tuned in to mine. Get that through your thick skull. Would I like it any other way? Hell, yes, but I don’t think that will be happening in my lifetime.”
Jonah Griggs of Jellicoe Road

“I say, ‘I will not be your weakness, Sean Kendrick.’
Now he looks at me. He says, very softly, ‘It’s late for that, Puck.”
Sean Kendrick of The Scorpio Races

“Come here,” she says.
“No, you come here.”
“I said it first.”
“Rock paper scissors.”
“No. Because you’ll do nerdy calculations and work out what I chose the last six times and then you’ll win.”
Will pushes away from the table and his hand snakes out and he pulls her toward him and Tom figures that Will was always going to go to her first.” 
Will Trombal of Saving Francesca and The Piper’s Son

“I have a dream,” he said slowly. “I persist in dreaming it, although it has often seemed to me that it could never come true. I dream of a home with a hearth-fire in it, a cat and dog, the footsteps of friends — and YOU!”
Gilbert Blythe of the Anne of Green Gables series

“Do you remember all of your audiences?”
“Not all of them. But I remember the people who look at me the way you do.”
“What way might that be?”
“As though they cannot decide if they are if they are afraid of me or they want to kiss me.”
“I am not afraid of you.”
Marco Alisdair of The Night Circus

Just saying.

Secondary Characters Who Deserve Their Own Books

My friend Tara over at The Librarian Who Doesn’t Say Shhh recently shared her Top Ten Characters Who Need Their Own Novels.  Her list was brilliant and definitely got me thinking!

Here’s my own list:

1. Chaz Santangelo from Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
I so desperately want to spend more time with the Jellicoe gang, and I think it would be awesome to follow up with Chaz maybe four or five years down the road, find out what he (and the rest of the gang) have been up to.  It would definitely need to involve a romance with Raffy.

2. Jimmy Hailer from Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
His absence is definitely felt in The Piper’s Son (though I think it was the right choice), but Marchetta has mentioned that Jimmy is stewing in her mind and that she still might tell his story.  Highlight between the brackets for a mini-spoiler: [She wrote, “Jimmy’s not going anywhere, but it’s just not his time yet. All I know about him is that he is the first of Frankie gang to start breeding (accidently).” OH MY GOSH. JIMMY IS A BABY DADDY.].

3. Drew Leighton from The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
Drew was a fascinating character to me: a womanizing bastard with a heart of gold.  I’d love to learn more about his story.

scorose4. Rose Weasley from Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (epilogue) by J.K. Rowling
When Ron encourages his daughter not to get too friendly with Scorpius Malfoy since Granddad Weasley would never forgive her for marrying a pureblood … well, that set up a companion novel (and lots and lots of fan fiction) right there.

5. Hanna from Fire by Kristin Cashore
I’d love to revisit Hanna, Prince Brigan’s daughter, ten years after Fire and see what sort of 16-year-old she’d be!

6. Rhiannon from Every Day by David Levithan
Post-Every Day.

7. Poppet Murphy from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Must. Have. More.

Your turn!  Leave a comment telling me what characters you think deserve their own books.

Image credit: Viria

Books & Happiness [or Books ARE Happiness]


buying books2

I pre-ordered:
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu

I bought:
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
She is not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
The Place of the Lion by Charles Williams
The Cuckoo’s Calling by J.K. Rowling
Stories in an Almost Classical Mode by Harold Brodkey
Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
This Side of Salvation by Jeri Smith-Ready
What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
The Last Forever by Deb Caletti
Sorta Like a Rockstar by Matthew Quick
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
Adverbs by Daniel Handler

I won:
How to Promote Your Children’s Book by Katie Davis (thanks, Kathy Ellen!)
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith (thanks, Anna!)

I also have 8 books in my “save for later” cart on the B&N website.

P.S. I got three B&N gift cards this month. I sure do love B&N gift cards. 🙂

The Small Mountain I Call the TBR List

I have a problem.

I cannot stop buying books.

TBR SHELFRight now, nearly all new books get relegated to the TBR shelves, and when I finish one, it moves off of these shelves and onto one of four other bookcases.  How do I decide what to read?  To be honest, I’ve been using a random number generator. It’s come to that point.

Of course, sometimes a sequel comes out that I simply MUST READ RIGHT NOW. Or there’s a book by a favorite author that gets bumped to the top of the list.  But most of the new books make their way first to this purgatorial shelf for months (sometimes years) before they are read.

I probably order a new book or two every week. I buy them faster than I can read them.

Why not wait till I get caught up?

I’m not sure I’ll ever get caught up.

I’m smart about my purchases (usually). I use coupon codes a lot, and my credit card rewards program is centered around Barnes & Noble gift cards (got one in the mail just today actually … I will probably spend it today too). I get books for gifts from people. I enter contests to win books (I was so excited to recently win Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith).

I’ve tried to use the library.  I do love the library.  But I love owning books even more.

Last year I spent about $1000 on books (well, through B&N; I also bought a much lesser amount on Amazon), and I feel like that is reasonable for someone who is building a career as a writer.  I feel like, so long as I am also giving money to my church, supporting my compassion kids, giving money to missions and ministries, then I can justify buying lots of books.

Thoughts?  Do you buy books or rely on your library?  How do you choose what your next read will be?

The Point of No Return … in Reading

Definitely past the Point of No Return | Image credit: unknown.

Definitely past the Point of No Return | Image credit: unknown.

Picture me in a cheap hotel in Aberdeen, South Dakota.  I’m there to recruit the following day.

But right now it’s a little after midnight, and I’m nearing the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the very first time. I’m counting horcruxes on my fingers every ten minutes, turning pages like a speedster, heart pounding.

I’d passed the Point of No Return.  I knew that book would be finished before I went to bed, no matter how long it took.  (I think I managed to fall asleep around 2 or 2:30 am.)

I try to be smart about reading at bedtime, but sometimes you just have to MAKE. IT. HAPPEN.  That night.  No matter what.  No matter how few hours of sleep you’ll get or how much it will suck to get up, no matter how much you’ll have to struggle through work or school the next day.

I’ve thought about what constitutes my reading Point of No Return: fewer than 100 pages left (usually), nearing the climax of the book, characters I’m invested in, and probably some kind of fear. 🙂

What’s your Point of No Return in reading?

 

Let’s Talk about Blurbs

Image credit: Publishing Perspectives | Click image to read their article on blurbs!

Image credit: Publishing Perspectives | Click image to read their article on blurbs!

Blurbs.  You know, the endorsements you see on the front and back of book covers where another author tells you how spectacular the book in yours hands is.

I recently purchased and read a book only because it was blurbed by one of my all-time favorite authors.  The premise of the book, a debut novel, was not of interest to me, but because So-and-So said it was funny and clever and good, I bit the bullet and bought the book. (Oooh, nice alliteration.)

I read it.  It was not really funny or clever or good.  I was really disappointed. It made me wonder just how difficult it was to get a blurb from that particular author.  The novel that was endorsed was nothing like the novel that the blurb-writer writes.

Do you pay attention to blurbs?
Have you ever read a book only because it was endorsed by a favorite author?
If you could have anyone write a blurb for your book, whom would it be?

I choose … John Green, Melina Marchetta, Markus Zusak, Jandy Nelson, and Rainbow Rowell. #InMyDreams

Code Name Verity: just whoa.

code name verityYou guys.

YOU. GUYS.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.  Have you read it yet?

I gobbled this one up, and it. was. delicious.

It tells the story of two female friends during World War II.  It’s hard to say much about the book because I don’t want to give anything away.  So, instead, I will tell you what I loved about the writing.

* The characters are deep, layered, fun, and so sweet.  All the characters, not just the main ones.
* The writing is full of historical details without ever weighing down the narrative.
* Readers are expected to keep up; the writing does zero dumbing down.
* It’s beautifully written.
* There are surprises.
* The book will not just tug your heartstrings– it will yank.  Be prepared.

I absolutely loved it.  In case you couldn’t tell. 🙂

P.S. I highly recommend the audiobook so that you can listen to all the beautiful accents (British, French, German, and Scottish!)!  Delightful!

Have you read it yet?  What did you think?  No spoilers in the comments please!

Favorite Books in Contemporary YA

Contemporary YA is my jam.  Here are my favorites.

Top ten contemporary contemporaries:

contempcollage1

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta | Territory wars, the most perfectly flawed main character, a hot cadet, gorgeous writing, mystery: this book has everything you could ever want.

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta | Friendship, romance, and depression in a perfect stew of awesomeness.

The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta | Catching up with the Saving Francesca crew five years down the road is like Christmas, your birthday, and free concert tickets all at once.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson | Grief, sisterhood, a boy whose smiles will change your life, writing that’s both funny and poetic.

The Fault in our Stars by John Green | There’s a reason everyone loves this book.  Now it’s your turn.

contempcollage2
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell | If you’re a writer, watch out: you will be envious of this book. (Also, it still counts as contemporary even though it’s set in the 80s, right?)

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli | There’s really no book quite like it out there.

Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay | One of my favorite debuts of last year!

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan | The characters will suck you in!

Everyday by David Levithan | I’m counting this as a contemp with a little realistic magic twist. This one will make you think and love.

Bonus oldies-but-goodies:

contempcollage3

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson | I’m not sure if it’s fair to call this YA– might lean toward MG– but it’s essentially perfect.

Ordinary People by Judith Guest | A book that has stuck with me since high school!

The Pigman by Paul Zindel | Another must-read from my childhood.

Do you like contemporary YA? Which of these have you read?  Which ones do you want to read? (Correct answer is ALL.)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme at The Broke & the Bookish.

Where I Get My [Literary] News

I thought some of you literary-type folks might be interested to know how I [attempt to] keep my finger on the pulse of the reading, writing, and publishing world.

book necklaceI subscribe to the following e-newsletters:
Publisher’s Weekly Daily Newsletter
Publisher’s Weekly Children’s Bookshelf
Publisher’s Weekly Tip Sheet
Shelf Awareness Pro
Shelf Awareness for Readers
Goodreads YA Newsletter*
Goodreads Newsletter*
* Sign up in your Goodreads email preferences

I use Google Alerts for my favorite authors as well as topics like “YA publishing.”

I follow 98 different blogs (including over 70 related to reading and writing) and manage to do so through Bloglovin.

I follow authors, editors, agents, and reviewers on Twitter.

I also subscribe to Writer’s Digest, though I’m not always the best at sitting down and going through the magazine.  An issue arrived in the mail today, though, and I sat down and scoured it thoroughly.  It had a great feature about literary magazines and what their editors are looking for.

I attend writing conferences when I’m able.

I have a Ticketmaster account with my “favorites” listed, so that I’ll get an email if they are coming to town.  I also get an e-newsletter from the local theatre venues in the Twin Cities so that I’m aware if any of my favorite writers are scheduled to speak or read in Minneapolis or St. Paul.

Does this seem wildly unmanageable?  It’s actually not (most days)– and yet it helps me stay in touch with my literary world!  Hope this helps!

Image credit: Peg and Awl on Etsy