- Thanks to Roxanne Conrad aka Rachel Caine for a wonderful visit!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Way behind!!!
I am WAY behind on updating my read this year list and doing reviews! I will try to catch up before the year ends! In the meantime, look for my top 10 lists (FICTION and SCI-FI) for the year to be up soon! I will only be listing new books/series and not continuing series so that everyone can try something new!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
4 MORE BOOKS FROM THIS PAST WEEK!
OK, so everyone is going to be talking about MOCKINGJAY for the next few weeks! Here is what I thought although I am going to be vague to not spoil for anyone! Did I love MOCKINGJAY-yes, but there were also parts where I hated it! Seriously, I was near the end and I was so mad, I didn't know if I would even be able to build a display. I did end up liking the way it ended and I also liked that not everything ended super happy. Don't get me wrong-I LOVE a happy ending but not everything should be perfect! I really really wish that there was going to be another book so that more questions could be answered...maybe even separate book about Katniss and "blank" so we could see them together more. The book itself did give an insight into District 13 and Suzanne Collins again showed that not everything is as it seems. There were several times Mallory and I talked about whether people could be trusted or not. This book kept you guessing right up until the end about what people's motivations and secret agendas were(and who would Katniss be with if she survived!). All in all a good end to the series.
I finished NIGHTSHADE last night. It was highly recommended and I was happy that Penguin Teen had sent and ARC. It is the story of Calla who is a "Guardian", an alpha wolf. She is promised to another alpha, Ren from a different pack. Their union will unite the two teen packs into one. Their is a lot of mysticism and things are not as they seem-even to those involved. I can tell you that I have not read any wolf books before-it is not usually my thing although I have though about picking up SHIVER since my customers like it so much. I ended up liking this book and am now anticipating the next one to see what happens but I am not comfortable saying that I loved it. Calla and Shay are the ones to root for although I don't think Ren is as bad as he seems to be. The story is well written and I really like the history that is given. I think the pace was a little slower than I am used to with YA. There is really nothing bad I have to say about NIGHTSHADE, I DID enjoy it-I just didn't LOVE it! I will definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys supernatural romance! It comes out 10/19!
I also finished DELCROIX ACADEMY: THE CANDIDATES and I really liked this book! It is about a girl named Dancia who has special powers that she keeps hidden. When someone she cares about is in trouble, things happen to protect them. Because of this, Dancia had made herself a loner. She gets a visit from representatives from Delcroix Academy, the fancy school at the edge of town. They want her to come there on full scholarship. Things are of course not what they seem and Dancia becomes torn between two boys: Cam, her "recruiter" for the school and Jack, a boy who doesn't trust the school. There are a few twists and some secrets revealed. This will be a series and I am looking forward to the next book.
My favorite book from this last week is without a doubt, THE DUFF-my coworkers will tell you I have been talking about it to all of them! This is a book with mature content and I would recommend it for 15 and up. The book begins with Bianca at a teen lounge with her friends. The man-whore of the school, Wesley approached her and tells her she is the Designated Ugly Fat Friend (DUFF) of her group of friends and because he wants to get with them, he is talking to her. He ends up with a cherry Coke dumped on him. Bianca is having a rough home life and ends up using Wesley as an escape while embarking on a secret relationship with him. They both end up learning alot about themselves and each other. The author, Kody Keplinger is 18 years old and this book is extremely good! I was almost in tears during the confrontation scene between Bianca and Wesley-I could feel Bianca's pain coming through the words. The book ends with a great message. Read this book!
I finished NIGHTSHADE last night. It was highly recommended and I was happy that Penguin Teen had sent and ARC. It is the story of Calla who is a "Guardian", an alpha wolf. She is promised to another alpha, Ren from a different pack. Their union will unite the two teen packs into one. Their is a lot of mysticism and things are not as they seem-even to those involved. I can tell you that I have not read any wolf books before-it is not usually my thing although I have though about picking up SHIVER since my customers like it so much. I ended up liking this book and am now anticipating the next one to see what happens but I am not comfortable saying that I loved it. Calla and Shay are the ones to root for although I don't think Ren is as bad as he seems to be. The story is well written and I really like the history that is given. I think the pace was a little slower than I am used to with YA. There is really nothing bad I have to say about NIGHTSHADE, I DID enjoy it-I just didn't LOVE it! I will definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys supernatural romance! It comes out 10/19!
I also finished DELCROIX ACADEMY: THE CANDIDATES and I really liked this book! It is about a girl named Dancia who has special powers that she keeps hidden. When someone she cares about is in trouble, things happen to protect them. Because of this, Dancia had made herself a loner. She gets a visit from representatives from Delcroix Academy, the fancy school at the edge of town. They want her to come there on full scholarship. Things are of course not what they seem and Dancia becomes torn between two boys: Cam, her "recruiter" for the school and Jack, a boy who doesn't trust the school. There are a few twists and some secrets revealed. This will be a series and I am looking forward to the next book.
My favorite book from this last week is without a doubt, THE DUFF-my coworkers will tell you I have been talking about it to all of them! This is a book with mature content and I would recommend it for 15 and up. The book begins with Bianca at a teen lounge with her friends. The man-whore of the school, Wesley approached her and tells her she is the Designated Ugly Fat Friend (DUFF) of her group of friends and because he wants to get with them, he is talking to her. He ends up with a cherry Coke dumped on him. Bianca is having a rough home life and ends up using Wesley as an escape while embarking on a secret relationship with him. They both end up learning alot about themselves and each other. The author, Kody Keplinger is 18 years old and this book is extremely good! I was almost in tears during the confrontation scene between Bianca and Wesley-I could feel Bianca's pain coming through the words. The book ends with a great message. Read this book!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Quick review!
Finished MATCHED by Ally Condie late Saturday night! It is a Dystopian novel coming out November 30! As a lover of the THE GIVER series-there are 3 books (THE GIVER, GATHERING BLUE & THE MESSENGER) in case you didn't know-I find many people do not! Anyway, I loved those books and I love THE HUNGER GAMES which are both classics in my opinion! MATCHED is set in the future where the government(The Society) uses data to determine everything-how many calories you can have, what your job should be and who your perfect "match" is. They believe that they are the best society in history, having lived longer than those in the past. They also believe that keeping too much stuff is a waste. They had committees decide the best 100 poems, books and songs and then burned everything else!
At the beginning of the book, Cassia is on the way to her Match Banquet. She got to borrow a fancy dress(normally everyone dresses alike) and will get to eat good food(they lowered her calorie intake during the week to make up for it). Normally, girls are matched to someone in another city but she gets matched to her best friend Xander! She is excited and can't wait to view the microcard they give her with his info-she has known him all her life but still wants to see if there is anything more. When she puts the card in, another face comes up as her match. Even though she is told that it was just a mistake, it sets off a chain of events that make her question everything she has always known. Should love be decided for you, why does the Society only keep 100 poems and destroy the rest, why do grandparents all die on their 80th birthday?
This book is very well written and keeps you interested. You will find yourself rooting for true love and for a way to make it work!
At the beginning of the book, Cassia is on the way to her Match Banquet. She got to borrow a fancy dress(normally everyone dresses alike) and will get to eat good food(they lowered her calorie intake during the week to make up for it). Normally, girls are matched to someone in another city but she gets matched to her best friend Xander! She is excited and can't wait to view the microcard they give her with his info-she has known him all her life but still wants to see if there is anything more. When she puts the card in, another face comes up as her match. Even though she is told that it was just a mistake, it sets off a chain of events that make her question everything she has always known. Should love be decided for you, why does the Society only keep 100 poems and destroy the rest, why do grandparents all die on their 80th birthday?
This book is very well written and keeps you interested. You will find yourself rooting for true love and for a way to make it work!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
3 More!
Sorry I missed a day-my daughter was in her first car accident and I was not up to posting! She is OK & the people in the other car are OK so that is what is important! Now that things have settled down a little, I am ready to review the next 3 books on the list!
BEFORE I FALL: The cover of the book and the quote from Jay Asher on the front caught my eye first with this book! The story itself looked intriguing to me when I read the jacket and it did not disappoint. Samantha is a popular girl who is, well, shallow. I didn't really like her in the beginning of the book-which I now know is what Lauren Oliver intended. Then it happens-the accident that ends her life. Did you ever see the movie Groundhog Day where the guy keeps waking up and it is the same day? That is what happens to Samantha-she wakes up and it is her last day over and over again. In each day, she tries something new to save herself and in the process starts to see herself and her friends in a different light. Samantha begins to realize that she does not like the person she has become. Is being able to party and have a popular group of friends and boyfriend worth the pain they cause to others? I get asked ALOT if Sam figures out a way to save herself-I can honestly say that she does, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she lives at the end of the last day-you will have to read it to find out! I love this book and I can't wait to Skype with Lauren next month!
BOYS, GIRLS AND OTHER HAZARDOUS MATERIALS: Rosalind Wiseman wrote the non-fiction book, QUEEN BEES AND WANNABEES, that the movie Mean Girls was based on. With her first novel, she tells the story of Charlie, a girl who is looking forward to a new start when she is chosen to attend high school across the lake at Harmony Falls. She isn't expecting to see her ex-best friend Will there. She definitely isn't expecting to see him as part of the in-crowd as a varsity player! Charlie stays true to herself and tries to resist her feelings for Will because of the way he acts with his new friends. When a tragedy occurs that puts a poor family in jeopardy, Charlie tries to convince Will to stand up and do the right thing. The ending on this book was left a little unfinished-I am hoping for a sequel to see what happens with Charlie and Will. Overall a good read with a good message!
BROADWAY LIGHTS: So, this is my first review of a book this year where it is part of a series. In these cases, I am going to talk about the series itself in case you haven't started it yet! Kaitlin Burke is the star of Family Affair, the most beloved show on TV. She has grown up on the show and all of America knows who she is! Her family LOVES show business and the perks that Kaitlin brings them. She, however, just wants to be a normal girl. The first book, SECRETS OF MY HOLLYWOOD LIFE, is about her going in disguise to her best friend's high school. Kaitlin falls for a "normal" boy, Austin (love him!). I don't want to give away too much if you haven't started the series yet, but I will say that these books are really so much fun and really good reads. Kaitlin and her nemesis Sky have some interesting times and Kaitlin will ultimately have to choose if she wants to be a star of just a regular girl. The last book comes out in March 2011 and while I am excited, I am also sad! I would definitely recommend this series to girls age 10+(adult YA readers will like them too-Mallory and I both LOVE them). As Jen recently said at the Skype we did, her mom reads all of her books so she doesn't put anything in that she wouldn't want her mom reading! Pick this series up and you won't be disappointed!
BEFORE I FALL: The cover of the book and the quote from Jay Asher on the front caught my eye first with this book! The story itself looked intriguing to me when I read the jacket and it did not disappoint. Samantha is a popular girl who is, well, shallow. I didn't really like her in the beginning of the book-which I now know is what Lauren Oliver intended. Then it happens-the accident that ends her life. Did you ever see the movie Groundhog Day where the guy keeps waking up and it is the same day? That is what happens to Samantha-she wakes up and it is her last day over and over again. In each day, she tries something new to save herself and in the process starts to see herself and her friends in a different light. Samantha begins to realize that she does not like the person she has become. Is being able to party and have a popular group of friends and boyfriend worth the pain they cause to others? I get asked ALOT if Sam figures out a way to save herself-I can honestly say that she does, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she lives at the end of the last day-you will have to read it to find out! I love this book and I can't wait to Skype with Lauren next month!
BOYS, GIRLS AND OTHER HAZARDOUS MATERIALS: Rosalind Wiseman wrote the non-fiction book, QUEEN BEES AND WANNABEES, that the movie Mean Girls was based on. With her first novel, she tells the story of Charlie, a girl who is looking forward to a new start when she is chosen to attend high school across the lake at Harmony Falls. She isn't expecting to see her ex-best friend Will there. She definitely isn't expecting to see him as part of the in-crowd as a varsity player! Charlie stays true to herself and tries to resist her feelings for Will because of the way he acts with his new friends. When a tragedy occurs that puts a poor family in jeopardy, Charlie tries to convince Will to stand up and do the right thing. The ending on this book was left a little unfinished-I am hoping for a sequel to see what happens with Charlie and Will. Overall a good read with a good message!
BROADWAY LIGHTS: So, this is my first review of a book this year where it is part of a series. In these cases, I am going to talk about the series itself in case you haven't started it yet! Kaitlin Burke is the star of Family Affair, the most beloved show on TV. She has grown up on the show and all of America knows who she is! Her family LOVES show business and the perks that Kaitlin brings them. She, however, just wants to be a normal girl. The first book, SECRETS OF MY HOLLYWOOD LIFE, is about her going in disguise to her best friend's high school. Kaitlin falls for a "normal" boy, Austin (love him!). I don't want to give away too much if you haven't started the series yet, but I will say that these books are really so much fun and really good reads. Kaitlin and her nemesis Sky have some interesting times and Kaitlin will ultimately have to choose if she wants to be a star of just a regular girl. The last book comes out in March 2011 and while I am excited, I am also sad! I would definitely recommend this series to girls age 10+(adult YA readers will like them too-Mallory and I both LOVE them). As Jen recently said at the Skype we did, her mom reads all of her books so she doesn't put anything in that she wouldn't want her mom reading! Pick this series up and you won't be disappointed!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Let The Reviews Begin!
I am going to start putting up reviews of the books I have read so far this year! Once I am done with those, I will review books I have read last year or before(there are ALOT of really good ones in both groups but I thought starting with this year would keep things a little more current). I am going to go in order down my list to the right which is in alphabetical order! Here we go:
7 SOULS: Did you read and like THE TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY and BEFORE I FALL? If you did, this is a book for you! If you didn't read them, try this one anyway-but if you didn't like them this may not be the book for you! I like to call it a cross between the two books with a little Egyptian mysticism thrown in! Mary is living a charmed life. She is the most popular girl at school and her birthday parties are the stuff of legends! She is expecting her 17th to be the best yet-until she is brutally murdered that night. After her death, Mary's soul inhabits the bodies of 7 people who she believed were her friends but in fact hated her and may have wanted her dead. While reliving their memories of how she hurt and betrayed them, she realizes that she may not like herself as much as she thought she did. She also tries to figure out who killed her-which is a little difficult when everyone seems to want you dead! Like I said there is an Egyptian curse in there as well. I REALLY liked this book which I had never heard of until I saw it on the YA shelving cart! I am liking these books that make you think about your actions and how they affect others!
AND THEN EVERYTHING UNRAVELED: I came upon this book in paperback about a month and a half ago. It intrigued me from the moment I started reading! Delia's mother goes missing and is presumed dead so she is sent to New York to live with 2 aunts she didn't know she had! Living in Silicon Valley, she had friends but didn't have the career drive everyone around her did. That doesn't stop her from resisting her new life or believing that her mother is not dead. She wants to stay with her free spirited aunt but is forced to move in with her more refined and rigid one. She is sent to prep school and falls for a boy who may be wrong for her but then again, he may be right! Let me just state that I am a mystery girl through and through. I have Nancy Drew magnets on my desk cabinets and when I am not reading YA, I tend to gravitate to the mystery section of the store more often than not! This book and the mystery surrounding T.K. (Delia's mom) really kept me wondering at the turns and twists-figuring out who the good guys are wasn't easy-and Delia and I still can't be sure who to trust! I need to order the sequel which is now out in hardcover(and we didn't get in-arggh!) so I can continue on the adventure with Delia!
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES: I always want to say that this book is beautiful but then I feel kinda cheesy because of the title. But I don't know how else I want to describe it-it is just beautiful to me. Let me just say that I started reading this book in December '09. It was my "lunch book." Because there are so many books I want to read and that others want me to read, I usually have a book I am reading at home and a book I take off the shelf and read on my lunch hour at work. The problem with this being a lunch one was that we kept selling out of it and I would have to wait for another shipment to come in! It was driving me crazy (just ask Denise if you happen to stop in my store)! I eventually had to take it home to save my sanity! The first thing that drew me in to this book was trying to figure out "what" Lena was. I didn't think she was a vampire but I didn't know anything else. And that is the way it is meant to be! This did help Denise sell a couple of the books because she would call me over after telling people that I liked the book but couldn't figure out the main character and I would gush about it. So my frustration was good for all of us LOL! Back to the book-Ethan is a small town Southern boy who has dreams and plans that are bigger than the town can handle. His mother who encouraged him to think outside the box (and town) is dead and his father is barely functional. He fears that he will never leave and will always be a small town boy! When Lena arrives in town, he is immediately drawn to her. Lena has her own secrets and fears. She believes her destiny is set and she tries to ignore her feelings for Ethan. The two of them end up taking a journey of discovery as they try to control Lena's destiny and find a way to be together. Their journey is not without great loss but it is one that they must take. Flashbacks of the Civil War era help bring some of the mystery to light. I do not want to give any more away. Let me just say that I have bought this book for my daughter's best friend and recommended it like crazy-and not one person has ever come back to say that they didn't like it. Someone at work was taking it home for their daughter today and I held the book close to me and sighed at which point they reminded me that they know I love the book! Thank you Kami and Margaret for writing something so BEAUTIFUL! I can't wait for BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS!
7 SOULS: Did you read and like THE TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY and BEFORE I FALL? If you did, this is a book for you! If you didn't read them, try this one anyway-but if you didn't like them this may not be the book for you! I like to call it a cross between the two books with a little Egyptian mysticism thrown in! Mary is living a charmed life. She is the most popular girl at school and her birthday parties are the stuff of legends! She is expecting her 17th to be the best yet-until she is brutally murdered that night. After her death, Mary's soul inhabits the bodies of 7 people who she believed were her friends but in fact hated her and may have wanted her dead. While reliving their memories of how she hurt and betrayed them, she realizes that she may not like herself as much as she thought she did. She also tries to figure out who killed her-which is a little difficult when everyone seems to want you dead! Like I said there is an Egyptian curse in there as well. I REALLY liked this book which I had never heard of until I saw it on the YA shelving cart! I am liking these books that make you think about your actions and how they affect others!
AND THEN EVERYTHING UNRAVELED: I came upon this book in paperback about a month and a half ago. It intrigued me from the moment I started reading! Delia's mother goes missing and is presumed dead so she is sent to New York to live with 2 aunts she didn't know she had! Living in Silicon Valley, she had friends but didn't have the career drive everyone around her did. That doesn't stop her from resisting her new life or believing that her mother is not dead. She wants to stay with her free spirited aunt but is forced to move in with her more refined and rigid one. She is sent to prep school and falls for a boy who may be wrong for her but then again, he may be right! Let me just state that I am a mystery girl through and through. I have Nancy Drew magnets on my desk cabinets and when I am not reading YA, I tend to gravitate to the mystery section of the store more often than not! This book and the mystery surrounding T.K. (Delia's mom) really kept me wondering at the turns and twists-figuring out who the good guys are wasn't easy-and Delia and I still can't be sure who to trust! I need to order the sequel which is now out in hardcover(and we didn't get in-arggh!) so I can continue on the adventure with Delia!
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES: I always want to say that this book is beautiful but then I feel kinda cheesy because of the title. But I don't know how else I want to describe it-it is just beautiful to me. Let me just say that I started reading this book in December '09. It was my "lunch book." Because there are so many books I want to read and that others want me to read, I usually have a book I am reading at home and a book I take off the shelf and read on my lunch hour at work. The problem with this being a lunch one was that we kept selling out of it and I would have to wait for another shipment to come in! It was driving me crazy (just ask Denise if you happen to stop in my store)! I eventually had to take it home to save my sanity! The first thing that drew me in to this book was trying to figure out "what" Lena was. I didn't think she was a vampire but I didn't know anything else. And that is the way it is meant to be! This did help Denise sell a couple of the books because she would call me over after telling people that I liked the book but couldn't figure out the main character and I would gush about it. So my frustration was good for all of us LOL! Back to the book-Ethan is a small town Southern boy who has dreams and plans that are bigger than the town can handle. His mother who encouraged him to think outside the box (and town) is dead and his father is barely functional. He fears that he will never leave and will always be a small town boy! When Lena arrives in town, he is immediately drawn to her. Lena has her own secrets and fears. She believes her destiny is set and she tries to ignore her feelings for Ethan. The two of them end up taking a journey of discovery as they try to control Lena's destiny and find a way to be together. Their journey is not without great loss but it is one that they must take. Flashbacks of the Civil War era help bring some of the mystery to light. I do not want to give any more away. Let me just say that I have bought this book for my daughter's best friend and recommended it like crazy-and not one person has ever come back to say that they didn't like it. Someone at work was taking it home for their daughter today and I held the book close to me and sighed at which point they reminded me that they know I love the book! Thank you Kami and Margaret for writing something so BEAUTIFUL! I can't wait for BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
BOOKS OF THE WEEK (so far)
I have read 3 books in the last week that I want to comment on!
Available Now-
I AM NUMBER FOUR. This story of a boy alien trying to live a a normal life while being hunted by those who destroyed his planet transcends the Sci-Fi genre. John's struggles to be who he is and not stay silent while falling in love for the first time will pull you in and never let you go! I must admit that I missed this one-I got an online reserve at work for a copy and ended up putting back the new Faye Kellerman(I don't just read YA) for another day because the jacket flap and back cover synopsis of this book sucked me in! Halfway through, I couldn't stand the suspense and went online to check to see if a next book was in the works because I was so scared of John's fate! To my surprise, I found out that the movie was already filmed (and it stars Alex Pettyfer and Diana Agron(Gleek here). Pick this up for a great read-forget the alien part if you are not an alien book reader. I don't normally read "alien" books either!
THE ETERNAL ONES is a story of true love finding itself throughout time. Fans of EVERMORE will love this book. Haven is a character to instantly fall in love with. A girl in a small town with big time dreams who has been told she is crazy her whole life because of her "visions." You won't be able to put it down as you try to figure out if Iain is a good guy or not. A shout out to Beau as a great scene stealing best friend! Bravo Kirsten Miller!
Coming Soon:
FIRELIGHT. If you think you don't want to read a book about dragons, read this anyway. I didn't read Eragon and always say that dragons are not my thing. When the wonderful author Tera Lyn Childs was in my store last month, she raved about this book. When the ARC came in the mail this week, I happily took it home to read and I was definitely not disappointed! Jacinda and Will's story will appeal to lovers of the EVERNIGHT series and HEX HALL! Sophie Jordan has written a strong heroine who has to decide whether to choose the life she thinks she has always wanted or the boy who should be wrong for her. I couldn't put this beautiful book down. Save the date-it releases on 9/7!
Available Now-
I AM NUMBER FOUR. This story of a boy alien trying to live a a normal life while being hunted by those who destroyed his planet transcends the Sci-Fi genre. John's struggles to be who he is and not stay silent while falling in love for the first time will pull you in and never let you go! I must admit that I missed this one-I got an online reserve at work for a copy and ended up putting back the new Faye Kellerman(I don't just read YA) for another day because the jacket flap and back cover synopsis of this book sucked me in! Halfway through, I couldn't stand the suspense and went online to check to see if a next book was in the works because I was so scared of John's fate! To my surprise, I found out that the movie was already filmed (and it stars Alex Pettyfer and Diana Agron(Gleek here). Pick this up for a great read-forget the alien part if you are not an alien book reader. I don't normally read "alien" books either!
THE ETERNAL ONES is a story of true love finding itself throughout time. Fans of EVERMORE will love this book. Haven is a character to instantly fall in love with. A girl in a small town with big time dreams who has been told she is crazy her whole life because of her "visions." You won't be able to put it down as you try to figure out if Iain is a good guy or not. A shout out to Beau as a great scene stealing best friend! Bravo Kirsten Miller!
Coming Soon:
FIRELIGHT. If you think you don't want to read a book about dragons, read this anyway. I didn't read Eragon and always say that dragons are not my thing. When the wonderful author Tera Lyn Childs was in my store last month, she raved about this book. When the ARC came in the mail this week, I happily took it home to read and I was definitely not disappointed! Jacinda and Will's story will appeal to lovers of the EVERNIGHT series and HEX HALL! Sophie Jordan has written a strong heroine who has to decide whether to choose the life she thinks she has always wanted or the boy who should be wrong for her. I couldn't put this beautiful book down. Save the date-it releases on 9/7!
First day as a blogger!
OK, so here I am with a blog. I can honestly say I didn't think this would happen and I can also say that my 16 year old daughter looked at me like I was insane when I asked for her help in setting up a blog! I just feel like it is time and it something I need to do. There are too many YA books I love and so instead of overwhelming my customers, I want a place that they can go and see my picks and info. I also get asked for a list of YA events (Skypes & the rare signing) and this will be a place for that, too! All the events are on my store's homepage but since I have 50 events/groups this month, there is a need for just the YA to be posted somewhere! It will take me a little while to get everything up and running so bear with me! Soon there will be mini reviews and picks for all ages and genres of YA reading!
That brings me to a topic I knew I would touch on by doing recommendations based on age and maturity. I didn't expect to do it in the midst of controversy but since the Internet and YA community are abuzz with it right now, I will touch on censorship today. There is no place for censorship in YA or any books. Just because you or I do not want to read a certain book does not mean that another person should be denied that right. Most importantly, teens need to know that someone is writing about them and since not all teens are alike, not all books should be either!
Stephenie Meyer changed things for YA books and not just with the vampire aspect or because she started teens (and adults) reading-which I hear daily that she did. The popularity of her books has brought all ages to the YA department of my store. "Tweens" and even girls as young as 9 or 10 are now shopping there for books to read because they loved Twilight. It is up to their parents with the help of someone knowledgeable to decide what may or may not be appropriate. Would I suggest P.C. Cast to a 9 year old? Probably not unless the parents were comfortable with it. That is where Ellen Schreiber comes in. Will I still talk up The House of Night series to an older teen or adult who comes by for a vampire recommendation? Definitely-and I will talk about Vampire Kisses, too. The same thing goes with Ellen Hopkins books-they sell themselves in my store but I would not recommend them to little girls right off the bat. I am more likely to lead them towards Jen Calonita, Ally Carter or Kay Cassidy. That doesn't mean that I'm not buying the Ellen Hopkins for my older daughter or her friends who like Ellen's books. It is all a matter of choice and that choice should never be taken away!
There is a place for all writers in a bookstore just like there is a place for all people in the world. Thank you to all the YA writers out there! The teens who come into my store (and all bookstores) need you and your voice! My 12 year old will keep reading Lisi Harrison while my 16 year old waits patiently for Jay Asher to write something new. And, I will happily sell them all!
Look for some recommendations and reviews coming soon!
Crystal
That brings me to a topic I knew I would touch on by doing recommendations based on age and maturity. I didn't expect to do it in the midst of controversy but since the Internet and YA community are abuzz with it right now, I will touch on censorship today. There is no place for censorship in YA or any books. Just because you or I do not want to read a certain book does not mean that another person should be denied that right. Most importantly, teens need to know that someone is writing about them and since not all teens are alike, not all books should be either!
Stephenie Meyer changed things for YA books and not just with the vampire aspect or because she started teens (and adults) reading-which I hear daily that she did. The popularity of her books has brought all ages to the YA department of my store. "Tweens" and even girls as young as 9 or 10 are now shopping there for books to read because they loved Twilight. It is up to their parents with the help of someone knowledgeable to decide what may or may not be appropriate. Would I suggest P.C. Cast to a 9 year old? Probably not unless the parents were comfortable with it. That is where Ellen Schreiber comes in. Will I still talk up The House of Night series to an older teen or adult who comes by for a vampire recommendation? Definitely-and I will talk about Vampire Kisses, too. The same thing goes with Ellen Hopkins books-they sell themselves in my store but I would not recommend them to little girls right off the bat. I am more likely to lead them towards Jen Calonita, Ally Carter or Kay Cassidy. That doesn't mean that I'm not buying the Ellen Hopkins for my older daughter or her friends who like Ellen's books. It is all a matter of choice and that choice should never be taken away!
There is a place for all writers in a bookstore just like there is a place for all people in the world. Thank you to all the YA writers out there! The teens who come into my store (and all bookstores) need you and your voice! My 12 year old will keep reading Lisi Harrison while my 16 year old waits patiently for Jay Asher to write something new. And, I will happily sell them all!
Look for some recommendations and reviews coming soon!
Crystal
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