My New Book Review Site

Hello Scribblers and Book Bandits!

Long time no talk. I just wanted to let you know that I have started blogging again over at Christy Luis Reviews: Book Reviews for You. It's not a writing blog, just a review blog. I don't post there on a regular schedule, like once a week; I usually post a review every two or three weeks. There's no set day.

But I hope to see you over there, whether you're a Scribbler or a Bandit or both.

Thanks for reading, friends.

-Christy

8 Things for Christian (and Other) Parents to Love About Twilight

I'm not a parent...but I was a teenager during that first humongous Twilight boom and I really enjoyed the books. I've just reread the first book to see if all the criticisms about it are true. Coming back to it as an older person, more experienced reader, and aspiring writer, I can understand the criticism; but there's been plenty of that. It's time to give Twilight a little well-deserved lovin'.

*By the way, this post contains some spoilers. But if you're reading these words, you've probably either already read and love/hate the book, or you are curious about its content. So read on!

Bella and Edward As Teen Role Models (Don't laugh, yet.)

 



1) Bella and Edward wait to have sex until after they get married. I mean, seriously, do you want your sixteen year old having sex with her boyfriend? How about her second or third boyfriend? No? Then Bella and Edward can be an example in this regard.

2) Edward is a respectful, old-fashioned kind of guy. He respects Bella's dad Charlie, and he's actually the one in the relationship who insists on marriage before sex.

3) Bella is a responsible young adult. She finishes school essays several days before their due dates. She reads literature. She shops and cooks for her father. She was ready and willing to buy her own car with her own money. Are you liking this, parents? She's actually not a bad role model, in a lot of ways.

Spiritual Matters

 



4) This book touches on a few spiritual matters. During chapter 14, "Mind Over Matter," Bella asks how vampires might have originated. Edward replies,

"Well, where did you come from? Evolution? Creation?

Couldn't we have evolved the same way as other species,

predator and prey? Or if you don't believe that all this

world could have just happened on its own, which is hard

for me to accept myself, is it so hard to believe that the

same force that created the delicate angelfish with the

shark, the baby seal and the killer whale, could create both

our kinds together?"
 

I thought this was a beautiful way to suggest the question of origins to a teenager. This idea appears in few books, much less in Teen lit where it should be since teens are still feeling all this out for themselves. (Check out this video, around the 5 minute mark, for a minute long overview of Stephanie Meyer's religious views, and how they impacted her book.)

5) The books don't glorify the blood-sucking, evil sides of vampires. I haven't read Dracula, so I know very little about the classical metaphors, etc. But I do know that these are "vegetarian vampires," meaning they've found a way to control their thirst without drinking the blood of humans. Edward worries about his soul. These don't sound like the dangerous, evil vampires that Christians worry might influence the minds of their children. And anyway, most kids know the difference between fantasy and reality. Twilight won't demonize the minds of your children. I understand that this is a personal opinion, though. If you aren't comfortable with it, I won't try to convince you any farther.

Good Reading Experiences



6) Moms and daughters can read and enjoy these books together. It's been done. Seriously.

7) It'll get your teen girl reading! What's not to like? One positive reading experience can easily lead to another. Would you rather your daughter be watching TV or reading Twilight? By the way, Twilight is a pretty big book for a reluctant reader to pick up (my copy has 498 pages and rivals a few of my Bibles in thickness). If they're reading it, I say give 'em a gold star.

8) The classical references throughout the series spur teens on to read and listen to the classical sources. How do I know? Because I read Wuthering Heights after Twilight piqued my curiosity about it. I didn't like "the classics" back then, but Twilight helped me along. And if it makes your teen curious about vampires? Tell her to read Dracula. That's kind of a classic, you know?




Before I leave you to consider these things, let me tell you that the books are NOT the same things as the movies. I really...dislike the movies. But I like the books. And before you decide you don't like the books, give them a fair trial, please.

2 New Book-To-Movie-Trailers

Another new Catching Fire Trailer, this one with some exciting glimpses:



Also, another book trailer for The Book Thief movie (yippie!):



Thanks to GreenBeanTeenQueen for the news!

Project Gutenberg: Free eBooks!

Project Gutenberg gives out old books (like this one!) for free. I could kiss 'em.

If you've never heard of Project Gutenberg, you are due for enlightenment!

This digital library gives out free eBooks in lots of formats. You can read them on your computer or put them on an eReader. Also, all of the books were 1) previously published by what they specify as "bona fide" publishers, and 2) digitized and proofread by volunteers.

It can be great, in a pinch, when I realize I need a copy of such and such a book to just click over to PG and find what I need. I was reading Moll Flanders the other day for class and I realized my copy was missing an important author's note. PG saved the day!

Most of the books are free because their copyrights have expired, so they are especially great for historical fiction writers or researchers looking for primary sources, period pieces, etc. I've used the books both for school projects and historical fiction before. A fellow scribbler friend of mine downloaded an old sea story to study atmosphere for her own writing. (Hi, M! :)

But the website also offers many classics such as Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland.

Check it out, ye old Book Bandits!

Photo Attribution:
By David Kennedy (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Banned Books Week

Xinhui 新會城 大新路 Daxin Lu motorbike Pedestrian zone Xinhua 新華書店 Bookstore

Banned Books Week is coming up, friends: Sept 22nd-28th.

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to access any book about any thing, and it advocates  against banning or censoring books. Ultimately, it promotes the freedom of ideas, the freedom to think and publish our thoughts. While I might not like or be comfortable with books like We Love Nazis! or Sex, Sex, Come and Get Your Sex, they're allowed to be published. Just like Bibles are allowed to be published.

In fact, I'm against censoring books partially because of the Bible, which is banned, restricted or censored in certain countries where my fellow believers live, and that's just not fair.

If we ban or censor literature now, what might we erase from the future? Think Fahrenheit 451 or 1984, here. Societies deteriorate when they ban free expression.

This conclusion dawned slowly for me, because typically I'm a very a conservative type of person. I could have been a Puritan if I lived in the 17th century.

But I've never heard a good argument for banning books. It just sounds...dangerous, to me. People have been killed simply for owning "banned" books in the past and present. Even today, in nations such as China, Christians are fined or even imprisoned for publishing Christian literature without the government's permission.

These and other reasons have convinced me that people should read and come to their own conclusions about the material, not ban it.

I do think schools should be allowed to keep certain books from the shelves because sometimes, kids are too young to read about ____. But banning books from school shelves  is a very fine line. There has to be a good reason. For example, I wrote a post about the controversy over Speak, a book about a rape victim that some felt was inappropriate for its target audience of Jr. High and up. This book has been challenged and banned in certain schools before, but the reasons twist the book into something it's not.

For the most part, I think it should primarily be a parent's job to protect their children from unwise reading. (I interviewed my awesome artsy neighbors about the aesthetics of art and literature, and their valuable thoughts contributed to my opinion on this matter.)

Adults, though...they need to handle books, not ban them. Books are all about ideas. An author is trying to tell you something through his book. If you don't like the delivery, you can look past it or put it down and find a new one. But don't say, "This book should be banned."

As for my own struggles on this matter...I haven't read Fifty Shades of Grey. I probably won't either because I avoid erotica as a genre, even though I almost always give books a chance. There, I said it, I handled it. But I won't say "This book should be banned" because I honestly haven't read it. I assume it's porn because of the genre, but I can't speak out against it until I know for sure what's it's really all about. So I won't.

I will, however, force myself through a John Green book sooner or later just so I can say, "See, I read it, now I can say 'No thanks!'" I've heard great literary analyses about Green's books; I have never heard a great literary analysis about Fifty Shades of Grey.

I'm an adult. It's about time I start to handle my reading like one. So I propose that everyone ought to stop banning books and starting talking about their content instead.

So what do you think about Banned Book Week? Read more about it, and find lists of frequently challenged books, here.

Photo Attribution:
"Xinhui 新會城 大新路 Daxin Lu motorbike Pedestrian zone Xinhua 新華書店 Bookstore." By Huangkeipais (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Book-To-Movie Trailers Galore

Eventually, when I run out of book-to-movie trailers to post about, I'll get back to writing about writing and book reviews. But for now, you can get excited about these upcoming adaptions!

Book #1:

The YA novel How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff has won several awards, including YALSA's Printz award (just found a Goodreads list for Printz award winners!). An American girl visits her English cousins and Aunt. Soon after, the aunt takes a business trip, leaving the cousins alone. The next day, London is bombed by an unknown enemy and war breaks out. The story sounds amazing, although I've never read it. I have heard that the narrator is obnoxious, at first (too teenagerish, according to Maggie Stiefvater's review), but that her voice quickly draws the reader in completely.

Trailer for Movie Adaption:



Next Book:

The next movie needs no explanation beyond "Hobbit Part II." *Happy dance*

Trailer for Movie Adaption:


And Finally:

This teaser trailer for the movie "Divergent" is based on the crazily bestselling YA novel of the same name. I was modestly excited about the book, on a thematic level, and it has a killer pace with a few good thrills. But I say "modest" because craftwise, it could have been better. We'll see how the movie turns out...I fear we may have a soap opera on our hands! But we'll never know until we watch, right?

Trailer for Movie Adaption:

YA Fiction Booklist: Twisted Fairy Tales and Retellings

Fairy Tale Retellings

Check out these twisted and retold fairy tales, all available at the Lakeport Library,or upon order from nearby Redbud library. And don’t forget about our ebook and audiobook downloads. You can download certain books on your home computer through “overdrive” onto your Kindles, ipods and other ereaders and mp3players. Some books are Adult Fiction that appeals to Young Adults, and others are Juvenile Fiction that appeal to Young Adults.



Cinder / Marissa Meyer

The book of lost things / John Connolly (Adult Fiction)

Golden / Cameron Dokey

Bewitching : the Kendra chronicles / Alex Flinn

Princess of the Midnight Ball / Jessica Day George

Just Ella / Margaret Peterson Haddix

Fire and Hemlock / Diana Wynne Jones

Snow / Tracy Lynn

Beauty : a retelling of the story of Beauty & the beast / by Robin McKinley (Juvenile Fiction)

Deerskin / Robin McKinley

Rose daughter / Robin McKinley (Juvenile Fiction)

Mermaid : a twist on the classic tale / Carolyn Turgeon

Spindle's end / Robin McKinley (Juvenile Fiction)

Beast / Donna Jo Napoli

Bound / Donna Jo Napoli

East / Edith Pattou

Sisters red / Jackson Pearce

Bella at midnight / Diane Stanley

Nobody's son / Sean Stewart

The swan maiden / Heather Tomlinson

Midnight pearls : a retelling of "The little mermaid" / Debbie Viguié

Breadcrumbs / Anne Ursu

Briar Rose / Jane Yolen

The following books are available Ebooks or Audiobooks AND in hard copy at the Lakeport.

A little princess / by Frances Hodgson Burnett (audiobook, Juvenile Fiction )

Entwined / Heather Dixon (ebook)

Book of a thousand days / Shannon Hale (audiobook)

The goose girl / Shannon Hale (ebook & audiobook)

Fairest / Gail Carson Levine (audiobook, Juvenile Fiction)

Impossible : a novel / Nancy Werlin (audiobook)

The amazing Maurice and his educated rodents / Terry Pratchett (ebook)

Order These From Nearby Redbud

Into the Wild : a novel / Sarah Beth Durst

Confessions of an ugly stepsister / Gregory Maguire

The swan maiden / Heather Tomlinson

Briar Rose / Jane Yolen


 

NEW Catching Fire Trailer + Signed Book Plate Swag

Did YOU know there would be ANOTHER Catching Fire trailer? *happy dance* This one lets us in on a major plot twist, but it sure sells the movie!



ALSO!

I just thought I'd brag about my new The Raven Boys swag. Last month I told you about a bookplate giveaway Maggie Stiefvater was doing. Well, I just got my signed bookplate! Here 'tis:

Yeah, I taped it to my Kindle. So?

Stiefvater 1) wrote my absolute favorite YA novel of the last two years, The Scorpio Races, and 2) is also an artist, so she did the artwork for the bookplates. She sent me a Maggie-esque note along with the book plate:

Made. My. Year!

To Be Truly Brave: Religion in YA Fiction

I always thought YA Fiction was brave in breaking down boundaries and discussing the undiscussable in fiction. Homosexuality is a good example. In what other genres do you find titles like Boy Meets Boy? However, I've discovered the disheartening truth that YA Fiction isn't always being brave. Sometimes it is simply being trendy. What with the gay rights campaigns blaring, books about gay teenagers are becoming the popular causes to promote. But I think if YA Fiction wanted to be truly brave and groundbreaking, it would talk about something the overwhelming majority of teenagers worry about: religion.

At least 84% of the world identifies themselves with a religion, and much of the remaining 16% still believes in some sort of spirituality, according to this article by the Huffington Post. That's...most of the world! So you would think YA Fiction would be all over that.

But it's not. Why?

In America, it's popular, comfortable and sanctioned to bash religion. But that isn't the case in most of the world or in every circle of Americans.

I read an interview of the author Rae Carson, a secular humanist, in which she expresses regret that today's religious teens can't find themselves in the fiction supposedly written for them. When asked why she included religion in her Fantasy novel, she said, "I include it because religion exists, and because I think it's tragic when teenagers can't find themselves in fiction."

Teens today do have to deal with religion. They have to discover it and learn about it and decide what they believe. They may have religion in their family, or their family may be atheists, but they will still have to decide for themselves one way or the other.

Don't get me wrong: there is some YA Fiction that digs into religion, but most of the main-stream popular books bash it, brush it aside, or ignore it altogether. YA Fiction owes teens dialogue about something so important.

And by the way, it owes them more than blown up stereotypes and purposefully antagonistic representations.

So let's break the ringing silence and talk this out.

The social reading website, Goodreads.com, provides some religiously-themed YA Fiction booklists, in case you're looking for them. You can get to Goodreads by clicking the box of my book reviews in the top right of my blog site page.

On a side note, should Christian teens be relegated to reading "Christian Fiction" in order to identify themselves in their fun reading? I've talked before about my feelings on the label "Christian Fiction." What do you think?

Photo Attribution:
By Morio (photo taken by Morio) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

How to Borrow eBooks and Audiobooks from the Library

Downloading ebooks* and audiobooks**  from the library is free and fairly simple.

*electronic books you can read on ereaders (a "Kindle" is an ereader). If you want to make sure your device is compatible, here's a list.

**recorded books you can listen to on mp3 players

This explanation will only apply if your system subscribes to "Overdrive." Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma County libraries subscribe to Overdrive, but not all other county libraries do. In order to find out if yours does, just go to this Overdrive website** and search for your library. If it does, your steps will line up with this explanation by Step Five*, assuming you have already taken care of Step One, which is to get a library card.

*I marked Step Five below.

**If you go to step five, you can see a picture of what the Overdrive Website looks like.

Let's Begin.

First, get a library card, if you don't have one.

Then Google "Lake County Library Catalogue" (Or "Mendocino County Library Catalogue," or "Sonoma County Library Catalogue") to find the county's library page. The Lake County page should look like this:



MC should look like this. SC should look like this.

Click "Search the Catalogue." All resulting pages should look like this.



Click "Downloads," the fifth option on the green searchbar.

(Step Five) This will bring you to the Overdrive Website:

 

Since the book cover photos change, I circled the "Downloadable Library" text in the photo below as an identifying marker:

On the top right hand corner of the page should be a link labeled "sign in." Click it.

Choose your county (it will give you the options of Lake, Mendocino or Sonoma). It will ask you for your library card number and pin. The pin is simply the last four digits of the phone number you gave the library to get your card.

Pick a book. If you search for a title, Overdrive will indicate which formats the book comes in: ebook, audiobook, both or neither. The site is fairly use-friendly, but if you have any difficulty navigating it, here's a great tutorial video.

For an ebook, you're nearly golden. After your select your book, click "Borrow." You will also need to select the format of the ebook. You can read it on your computer screen (as the tutorial video demonstrates), but I think the Kindle ebook format is the best. The latter will lead you to a webpage on Amazon where you simply click "Get Library Book" and indicate where it should be delivered (e. g. "Christy's Kindle").

To get an audiobook, you will need to download the "Overdrive Media Console" software, which is free and easy to use once you make it past your computer's protection software. (Some computer protection software can give you problems, but Overdrive has a wonderful help service to answer those and any other questions. I've used it several times on new computers.) Once you do that, you can download the book to your computer via the Console. Then you plug your ipod or mp3 player into your computer and transfer the book to it.

And no late fees! Audiobooks and ebooks automatically disappear when they are due.

I salute you on your bookish journey, Book Bandit.

Photo Attribution:
By Calebrw (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Maze Runner Trilogy & Killing A Reader's Friends

              The Maze Runner.                                  The Scorch Trials.

The Death Cure.

And I just have to say..."Good that." These book were my favorite Young Adult fiction of the year, as I said in my 2013 Summer Reading List and Recommendations. I gushed about them there and in my reviews of the three books, which you can find by clicking through these links: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure.

But this whole series by James Dashner also taught me some lessons about killing off a reader's friends: the characters.

In my experience, male authors of Young Adult Fiction don't hesitate to break a reader's heart for fear of reader displeasure. Nope. They go there. I wouldn't call them "insensitive" to the reader's emotions, but they aren't entirely "sensitive" either. Perhaps that's a bit of a generalization, but I've noticed it with a couple of them*, including James Dashner.

*Scott Westerfield in his Uglies series is one, and John Green seems to have the same idea, although, I admit I haven't ever finished one of his books.

One particular character in this series stole my heart (typically, if I like a book, it's because a character stole my heart). And then Dashner killed said character. This is something I can understand, even though I hate it. Sometimes, a character must die to keep the integrity of the plot, to teach another character a lesson, or to add another layer of meaning to the message of a novel.

It's a risky move. After all, you want to leave your readers with some happy feelings intact by the end of the story. If you kill off their favorite character, they might just stop reading. Would I have done it what Dashner did? I don't know! He didn't pull any punches with this character--brutal death, very tragic. Still, he did it well. The situation met all of the criteria I mentioned--it kept the integrity of the plot, taught a character (and the world of the book, and a reader) a lesson, and it added layers of meaning to the novel. It still sucks, but I understand.

But then he killed off an interesting character when he could have instead killed off a less interesting secondary character. Granted, I was not even very fond of the interesting character (and from the reviews, I see that most aren't), but the death still shocked me. It was so unexpected and, well, detrimental. Whatever point Dashner was making with that kill, it was fairly lost on most readers. Why kill the interesting one, the one the readers know and understand better?

So overall, Dasher killed off not one but two major characters--one a major favorite, the other a more interesting character than her competitor. I felt like hosting a funeral after reading this series. For days, poor Kevin had to deal with Snivelly Christy asking, “Why? Why did Dashner do it? It’s not fair!” Both kills were very risky moves. On one hand, you don't want your book to be forgettable, and Dashner's work certainly isn't that. On the other hand, you want your readers to care about the resolution. If you lose them when you kill off their favorite characters, or your ending falls flat because you killed off the more memorable or interesting ones...well, you lose readers.

One risk paid off, one didn't. I learned from this, and you can too, Scribbler.

What I learned:

1.) Be in touch with your readers. Give them something to be happy about at the end. Dashner gave a psychologically satisfying ending, but the emotional satisfaction took some time to show up. At first, I just felt like a friend died. I actually had to take a break from reading for a bit and get back some perspective.  I really had to let the novels sit on me before I "got over it" and realized what an unforgettable story they told. I know for a fact that Dashner was sad about killing the first character (my favorite) because he said as much on Twitter. He was in touch, he knew the cost and he paid it.

2.) Be careful who you decide to kill and who you decide leave behind. When Dashner killed off the other interesting character, I thought, "Well, how boring for the survivors!" I'm sure he measured the cost, here, but I think he made the wrong decision.

But this is truly great entertainment, Bandits- 4.25/5 stars, I'd give it. Great "boy" appeal, too. There are few Young Adult books so perfectly geared to male teenagers.

These books are on ebook and audiobook at the library through Overdrive Media Console. They're also available through the free mail order system from nearby libraries (for Lake County Book Bandits). Read them before the movie comes out!!!

The movie is set to open on February 14, 2014 (thanks to GreenBeanTeenQueen's blog for the news).

P.S. Check out this adorbs pic of The Maze Runner actors on set. It's entitled "Maze Life." "Thomas" is the farthest actor to the right.

P.P.S. There is a prequel to this series...and I didn't really like it. It feels sort of irrelevant to the whole series. If you would like to read my review of it, here 'tis.

A Giveaway!

Me with my copy of The Raven Boys

Hey Scribblers and Book Bandits,

Extra post this week for a giveaway! If you're a fan of Maggie Stiefvater (author, artist, musician extraordinaire) who wrote that Scorpio Races book I keep talking about, you might enjoy this, too.

Maggie Stiefvater is giving away bookplates she had made for her book The Raven Boys.* I haven't posted about that particular book, yet, not because it's not amazing but because I want to study it first.

*There's a crazy Amazon.com sale for The Raven Boys Kindle book rights now: only $1.99. Not sure how long that will last!

BUT ANYWAY! If you send her a picture of your with a copy of The Raven Boys (by internet link or the physical picture), she'll send you one of her signed, limited edition book plates. (Ebook copies are fine, too, according to her blog.) Hurry, though- this giveaway has been going on for awhile. She just announced on twitter that she has a few left.




Here's the original blog post about the giveaway. Check it here.

2013 Summer Reading List and Recommendations

Scribblers and Book Bandits,

This might be my favorite post of the year: the summer reading list! First I will tell you what I'm reading this summer; then I will share my recommendations for your summer reads, based on my favorites for the year.

1.) My Fiction Study book: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.

• Even more so than The Hunger Games, the second book in the series Catching Fire is a study in plot, suspense and pacing. The sleek, brutal style of this book matches the Dystopian storyline perfectly. The book is popular with guys and girls. All of these elements = what I need to learn for my own writing.

2.) My Adult Fiction book: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

• This book was a recommendation from a reader friend, and it has grown fairly popular. Not to mention, I found the book at the Friends of the Library book sale. One dolluh, oh yeah. I'm going to give it a try, even though I rarely read Adult Fiction

3.) "Need Some Fun" book: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta.

• I've been dying to read this book ever since it came out. First of all, it's Fantasy. Of course, the author also wrote the Printz Award winning Jellicoe Road (which I have not read). And, okay, the cover caught my eye!

4.) Award Winner: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley.

• This book won both the Morris award and the Printz Award in 2012, which is virtually unheard of because the Morris award is for debut authors, but the Printz award has no such qualification. Honestly, I may or may not enjoy award-winners. Literary merit is important to me, but I hope for fun in my summer reading! Let's hope the story is excellent. I'll get back to you on it--it deserves a review.

5.) My Non-Fiction: After You Believe by N. T. Wright.

• This was one of my textbooks on character for a leadership course, but it didn't feel like a textbook. It's a philosophical read that develops ideas about how a Christian should live "after they believe." It is based on the idea of virtue ethics--that one can develop virtue into a habitual lifestyle. I kept getting so caught up in the ideas (it's heavy wading, but so worth it), I hated to rush through the book just for a grade. I'm looking forward to digesting this book and applying it to my life.

Here are my summer reading book recommendations:

1.) The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner

• I've been waiting for a book to knock me out of my Scorpio Races phase. It took quite a while, but James Dashner has done it. The Maze Runner series as a whole will stick with me for a long time. It's just a great story. Even though I have some complaints (which I will voice in a craft post in the near future), the characters became my friends and the message is not easily decoded or forgotten. Powerful series. My main complaint: the violent images. This series is The Hunger Games gory X2, just to give you an idea. Dashner does not pull punches (which is perhaps why teen boys in particular like the books so much). I did find out after reading this that Stephen King is one of Dashner's favorite writers. No doubt this influenced his ability to describe horrifying pain and death. That said, this series is definitely worth reading. It is my favorite fiction of the year. Bonus: filming has begun for the Maze Runner movie!  

2.) The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers.

• This classic explains several insightful connections between Christian Theology and the mind of a writer. The "Maker" of the title refers to both the human and the heavenly artist. I read it for class, but I've read Sayers's work before and as usual it was a pleasure. This was my favorite nonfiction read of the year. Sayers had a razor sharp mind.

3.) Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

 

• This book is already fairly popular because of its 2000 Printz Honor, but this classic never goes out of style. It's a quick read or a great listen (you can listen to it using Overdrive audiobooks through the Lakeport Library).

4.) Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

• This is, I have to say, one of my favorite adult fiction reads ever. I read several contemporary adult fiction books for school this semester and this was by far my favorite. Raw, powerful, and sweet at the same time. The author views it as a "911 recovery novel," but says it can be many things to many different readers. I agree. I was only 9 years old on Sept. 11, 2001, but this novel still meant a lot to me in different ways.

5.) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.

• Yes, again. I've read this book once, listened to it another time and will be studying it this summer. It's that good. I highly recommend it. Everybody probably already knows this, but Catching Fire is the second book in the Hunger Games series, and the movie will be coming to theaters November 22, 2013, which is, to say the least, very very exciting. So if you haven't read these two books, this summer is a great time to catch up and prepare for the movie premiere.

I fell in love with very few books, this year. This might be because school kept me busy. If I could honestly recommend more new releases, I would. But now at least you know I don't recommend books on the blog unless I feel they are worth reading.

Enjoy your summer reading, friends! Here is last summer's reading list, if you want more recommendations.

Movie, Book and Industry News

Greetings Scribblers and Book Bandits,

Today we've got some industry news about self-publishing, and book news about popular teen lit and movies.

Self-publishing has dominated industry discussions over the last few years. I recently read a very professional article about the reality of self-publishing, the pros and cons. Some experienced traditional and self-publishers also offered their opinions in the comment section. I learned a lot from it.

Teens' Top Ten Nominees are in! WOOT! In case you've never heard of the Teens' Top Ten competition, let me explain briefly. Teens' focus groups across the country nominate a list of titles (usually 25, although there are 28 this year) for the teen reading public to devour between April and August 15th. Over the next month, they can vote on their two favorites. YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) tallies the votes into a list of the ten ultimate favorites. This is a great way for interested persons to gauge YA interest in reading for the year. Although I typically have to weed out a few low-grade passing fad books, the teens usually do that for me. The very best of the year's crop often make the top ten (such as *ahem* The Scorpio Races *ahem*, my favorite book of the last two years or so). Check out the sweet vid below to see this year's 28 nominees, and click here for book descriptions.



The teens nominated some interesting choices this year! I was thrilled to see Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore, a beautiful book I discussed here. Also, an author who began as a self-publishing superstar, Amanda Hocking, made the list with her book Wake. Someone to keep an eye on. Also on the list is Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, one of the Morris Award Winners (see our Lakeport Library's list of available award-winning teen fiction here and here or find full yearly YA Award lists here). This sounds like a quality read--and plus, there are dragons. I enjoyed The Raven Boys  by Maggie Stiefvater, another nominee. I haven't reviewed it yet because it deserves an in-depth post on craft. Serious, Stiefvater's got chops. (Which, of course, we already know from her Printz-honor winning The Scorpio Races....) Finally, the book I look forward most to reading this year, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, is on the list. This highly-praised book won a 2013 Printz Honor and was short-listed for the Carnegie Medal in the UK. I hope it wins! Should be great year for the TTT.

Kristin Cashore's book Graceling, has been optioned for a film! This is a great female-lead Fantasy, one I studied for a paper of the genre. In 2009, it was awarded the Morris honor. Thanks to GreenBeanTeenQueen for the news.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is one of the hallmarks of YA and Children's Sci-Fi fiction. I haven't read it but from what I understand, that's kind of like not seeing Star Wars. The movie date is approaching! Check out the trailer below, if interested. Thanks, again to GreenBeanTeenQueen for this news.

Get More: Abigail Breslin, Harrison Ford, Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Have a good week, friends!

Catching Fire Trailer & Library News

Scribblers and Book Bandits,

"Big News" alert: the Lakeport Reference Librarian, Susan Clayton, is retiring! We will sure miss her! Be sure to stop by the library on her last day, May 1st, and wish her a very merry retirement.

A Friends of the Library Booksale is coming up on May 4th, from 10AM-3PM (Friends' members can come a half hour early, at 9:30). Paperbacks $.50, Hardcovers $1.00. I love these booksales because they help build my summer stockpile!

And, by the way, thanks for supporting Rock the Drop last week! Amy's book was a hit. One person picked it up the day before "Rock the Drop" as we were taking a picture to put on the blog the next day. That person read it and brought it back for the actual "rock the drop" day. Then, another person picked it up to read and pass on to her daughter. Success!

Next week we'll have a writing post, BUT THIS WEEK we have exciting news from the Hunger Games front: the trailer for "Catching Fire," the second movie. Enjoy!



Photo Attribution
By Jesus Solana from Madrid, Spain [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Rock the Drop Location: The Library!

The Official Location! And Amy the librarian!

     So, yesterday I said my book drop location would be in the Riv. That changed when someone took Amy's book a day early. Long story, that.
     Anyhow, my book will be at

<-- that spot,

in the picture. That is the Lakeport library: 1425 N. High St. in Lakeport. And yes, that is me in the door reflection. I will drop my (your) book off around

2:45 today.

 If Amy's book happens to be there, too, feel free to take it! (That's part of the long story I won't share today.)
     Just as a refresher, you can check here for the book descriptions, and their pictures are below.

My book!

Amy's Book!

P.S. The books will have this bookplate on the outside and inside cover to mark them as "yours":

Go get 'em! They're yours.

Free Teen Book: Operation Teen Book Drop 2013

Hi Scribblers and Book Bandits!
Today is a special early post because tomorrow is "Rock the Drop 2013," which means a friend (Amy Patton, the Librarian who runs the Young Adult Summer Reading Program at the Lakeport Library) and I will be dropping two awesome Young Adult books off in specific locations for you to find. It's an adventure! I am leaving a book in the Riviera for a fellow reader to find and enjoy, while Amy leaves hers in a different spot. Tomorrow I will tell you the specific locations + give you pictures of the books in their spots.






Here is my book:

This is actually two Sarah Dessen books packaged together into one--and with the movie cover! (The books are better than the movie, of course.) The first book, That Summer is about a high school girl named Haven who wishes for the past, before her sister was marrying "boring Lewis." She looks back, back to the summer her sister dated Sumner who colored life exciting. But when she realizes the past was not perfect, she gains more hope for the future. This was a free, quiet and witty read--Dessen's debut novel. She was originally writing towards a more adult audience, so it has a different flavor from her later books. The second novel, Someone Like You, is about two high school girls who rely more heavily on each other than every before during this particularly difficult year. As usual, Dessen writes quiet realism mixed with clever humor and endearing characters. Friendship is the focus in this one, and I loved it because friendship is so important in high school (and all of life, but especially then). The movie combines these two books into one story--an interesting mix. The title "How To Deal" is very obviously about how to survive high school. For more info on Sarah Dessen books, check out her website.
And here is Amy's book:

This book is Newberry-winning historical fiction about a Jewish girl who lives during the time of the Holocaust. I haven't read it, but I've read other Lois Lowry books. They are beyond "just" exciting--they are beautiful. Literary.

Tommorrow, I will reveal the book drop locations. Get Ready. Get Set...

This project was inspired by Figment.com, which posted about how several teen lit organizations (such as YALSA) are parternering in the effort. Keep your eye out for our books and others!

"Speak": Banning It vs Considering Its Implications

     Awhile back, there was an awful controversy about a book called Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. (I included links to the articles below.) It was labeled pornographic and inappropriate for its age group (older Middle Grade to younger Young Adult). 

     I read this book in order to consider the claims (thanks to Anne Shirako (a librarian, of course! (check out this triple-nesting)), who challenged me to do this). I listened to the book again just last week to makes sure of my own opinion before writing about it.
     Speak tells the story of a vulnerable, thirteen year old freshmen girl, Melinda, who was raped at a party. Is this too heavy for young people to deal with?
     I would like to put off answering this, first, by asking if it is the content we should be worried about, in a book, or how the content is portrayed? If we apply this latter question to Speak, we can easily see that the difficult subject matter is handled with care and compassion for Melinda and any young readers. In the offending scene, the trauma is addressed carefully. It is not physically graphic. It emphasizes how Melinda stumbled into the situation, and her following reaction: she calls the cops because she knows she needs help...but she is unable to speak. The book consists of the effects of rape on her psychology and emotions. Throughout the book, she struggles out of depression to get help.
     Isn't this realistic?
     The book is "clean" in the sense that most parents, teachers or other concerned adults would worry about. What shocked me was the insinuation that the book is pornographic. Whoever came to that conclusion twisted this book's quiet, sensitive realism. This book is about emotional healing and recovery, not gratuitous teenaged sex.
     So, again I ask, is this age-appropriate material? Yes. It is. Because this could easily happen to an 8th-9th grade girl (or an older girl). They go to parties and get drunk, just like Melinda. If they are hurt in the same manner, if they are scared or if they just don't know what happened, how can they  talk about it? By reading of a heroine just like them. Melinda is that perfect heroine.
    Instead of banning books that include difficult subject matter, such as Speak, perhaps we should talk with teens and pre-teens about the ideas raised, even if we disagree with the book's opinion. Isn't that what young people need? Teenagers especially are looking for answers. I think young people do want to talk about hard things. Some may be more ready than others, of course, but they will rise to the occasion if they are interested. When I was a teen, I didn't want difficult subjects to be hidden from me, to protect me. I wanted to talk about them. Books like this pave the way for frank discussion that may otherwise be too difficult for the teen or parent (or teacher, or whoever) to initiate.
     Not to mention that Speak raises issues teens will need to hear about before they get to adult literature, especially the classics. If teens read classics in school that deal with these subjects, why shouldn't they read about it in a way written specifically for them by authors who love and understand teenagers?
     If you would like to see one of the articles that twists Speak's content out of context and recommends that schools ban it, click here. Unfortunately, he is a Christian. If you would like to read Laurie Halse Anderson's response, click here. Fortunately, she is also a Christian.