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Second quarter reading roundup

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I’d almost forgotten that the second quarter of 2012 finished up yesterday. Since I did it at the end of March, I thought I’d keep up the trend and share (very quick) reviews of every book I read between April 1 and June 30. Some of these are going to have longer reviews to share and some have longer reviews over at Goodreads. I did slightly better on the number of books read this quarter, but I think only because of the readathon weekend.

Starred titles are ones that stood out to me a little bit more than others. 

1. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (YA): I get the hype and the acclaim but it didn’t do anything for me as a reader. I was uninterested for the bulk of the story.

2. Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson (YA): This one needed more development of character and story. But, it will make a great book for more reluctant readers. It melds the story of Hurricane Katrina with a story of meth addiction.

* 3. The Children and the Wolves by Adam Rapp (YA): I think my review says it all. I really loved how dark and far this title went. 

4. Thumped by Megan McCafferty (YA): I dug the sequel to Bumped and loved how well the two stories played off of well-worn tropes in dystopias. Review here.

5. Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock (YA debut): I’m not usually a werewolf reader, but I liked this mystery/paranormal story. Review here.

6. Faking Faith by Josie Bloss (YA): This end-of-2011 title about a girl who pretends to be of a certain religious background to make friends didn’t quite work for me. It needed a little bit more development.

7. The Little Woods by McCormick Templeman (YA debut): This didn’t bring anything new to the new girl at a boarding school storyline. I hoped it would, but ultimately, I figured out the mystery by the end of the first chapter.

8. Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne (YA debut): No external threat, very off-putting messages about females, and a mega cliffhanger ending did nothing for me. Review here. 

9. After the Snow by S.D. Crockett (YA debut): Liked the idea, but the execution didn’t necessarily work great. I did dig the dialect. Review here.

10. Personal Effects by EM Kokie (YA debut): A story about a boy who has lost his brother to war but hopes to get him back by discovering his past. I liked it, but it wasn’t a favorite in the war genre. Definite appeal, though.

* 11. Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough (YA debut): A great traditional horror novel for young adults. There’s a review coming, but I loved how atmospheric this one was.

12. The Stone Girl by Alyssa Sheinmel (YA): An eating disorder book that did absolutely nothing for me as a reader. It’s more than an eating disorder book, since the girl has a catalog of mental illnesses, but ultimately, I didn’t care about her.

13. Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden (YA): I wanted to like this classic of YA and of the genre, but it took forever to get into and at the end, I didn’t feel rewarded.

14. A Midsummer’s Nightmare by Kody Keplinger (YA): My favorite Keplinger to date. There’s a review coming, but it’s a great story about family and shifts therein. The voice is fantastic.

15. Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti (YA): This felt like an after school special about bullying and I never once bought the main character or her struggle.

16. Sweethearts by Sarah Zarr (YA): The last Zarr book I needed to read, and it was satisfying.

17. Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo (YA): This Australian import will satisfy older YA readers and adult readers. Great story about love, growing up, and figuring everything out. There’s a longer review coming later this year.

18. Cracked by KM Walton (YA debut): I liked this dually narrated story about a bully and the bullied. Review here.

19. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson (Adult fiction): Getting through this volume took more stamina than I thought it would. But I did it. And decided to pursue the rest of the series.

20. Chalked Up by Jennifer Sey (Adult non-fiction):  I had no idea who Sey was before reading this, but it was recommended to me based on my love for US Gymnastics. Sey’s memoir about being a gymnast kept my attention, but I felt that she came off a little too “poor me” at times.

* 21. Ask the Passengers by AS King (YA): My favorite King book to date, and it’s a great exploration of sexuality. I know Kim dug this one, too.

22. Adaptation by Malinda Lo (YA): A fun scifi story about….aliens. Also touches upon sexuality. And aliens. This one hooked me immediately and kept me going. I’m looking forward to the sequel.

* 23.  Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills (YA): Another story about sexuality, but this time, it tackles transsexuality. It’s also about music, growing up, hiding your identity and damn, it was good, good, good.

24. Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham (YA debut): Road trip story, as well as a story about friendship. It was funny, but nothing brilliant. Good for readers who want a light-hearted and fun summer read.

25. Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian (YA): A revenge tale. Good writing, but I figured out what was going on in the first few pages. Though it twisted a bit and made me second guess my instincts, the end sort of validated my initial thoughts. I will read the sequel in hopes of being toyed with some more.

26. Cat Daddy by Jackson Galaxy (Adult memoir): I love “My Cat from Hell” on Animal Planet and I love Jackson Galaxy. Not brilliant writing by any means, but it made me cry a couple of times.

27. The Opposite of Hallelujah by Anna Jarzab (YA): Great writing and a story about sisters and secrets. The flap copy on this one does nothing for the story — I mean, what happens when your older sister’s been at a nunnery for years and she comes home? And why did she go to the nunnery in the first place?

28. The Girl who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson (Adult): Book two was a little better than book one. Still a fan of Lisbeth here. Especially at the end! Cliffhanger!

29. Drama by Raina Telgemeier (MG graphic novel): Great followup to Smile about a girl who is a drama girl…a behind-the-scenes drama girl, not the one who likes to be on stage. Huge appeal, but it got a little too into the story of having a crush on someone for me as a reader.

30. The Downside of Being Charlie by Jenny Sanchez (YA debut): Being the fat kid was hard for Charlie. I didn’t care for this one much — the dialog felt false, the characters were boring, and I didn’t buy the fat-kid story.

31. Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote (Adult short story): Love! What a dark, complicated character sketch. If you haven’t read this one in a while or your only reference is the movie, pick it up. Capote is a genius.

32. Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent (Adult fiction): The second in Vincent’s urban fantasy series hooked me with great characters and strong tension and stakes.

33. In Honor by Jessi Kirby (YA): A road trip book, but it’s also an exploration of grief and loss.

* 34. Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas (YA): A YA classic, I think, and I loved every second of it. Might even inspire me to actually watch Veronica Mars one of these days.

35. Quiet by Susan Cain (Adult non-fiction): This was interesting, but I didn’t really learn a whole lot new about introverts and I felt at times Cain made her points about the “power” of introversion by degrading extroverts. And I say that as an introvert.

36. Butter by Erin Jade Lange (YA debut): One of the best books on weight issues in YA I’ve read. I have a review of this one coming later, but it’s a heavy subject tackled very well — even if, at times, it got a tiny bit lesson-y about how bullying is bad.

* 37. Come See About Me by CK Kelly Martin (Adult fiction): Do I need to say more than I said in my review?

38. My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf (Adult graphic novel): A fantastic graphic novel about Jeffery Dahmer’s high school life told through the eyes of one of his classmates. Not a sympathetic story but an engaging one nonetheless.

39. Choke by Diana Lopez (MG):  I’ve mostly forgotten this one by now since it was underdeveloped and took a long time to get to the actual “choke game” aspect.

40. Address Unknown by Kressmann Taylor (Adult): A little gem of a book about an American, his non-American friend, and the rise of Nazi Germany. It’s a one-sit reading.

41. Stranger with My Face by Lois Duncan (YA): A classic Duncan but ultimately, it didn’t do much for me.

42. Idaho Winter by Tony Burgess (Adult): What a messed up little story but also a really fun one. The main character is mistreated but he gets his revenge…on the author himself.

43. Safekeeping by Karen Hesse (YA): A modern-day set dystopia. I had some issues with it, but I think the writing, the style, and the twist on the genre will appeal to many readers.

44. Tina’s Mouth by Keshni Kashyap (Adult graphic novel): This was a fun graphic novel about growing up in the midst of more than one culture. A little reminiscent of Persepolis.

45. Narc by Crissa-Jean Chappell (YA): Great male voice, great story about the grit of high school and drugs, totally disappointing and emotionally-empty ending. It was like reading two different stories.

46. Bloody Chester by JT Petty (YA graphic novel): Violence was pretty much all this was. Which, it succeeded at. But it left me really bored. And I don’t mind violence.

47. Off Balance by Dominique Moceanu (Adult memoir): My favorite gymnast shares her story. I totally dug it. I loved how she wasn’t ever once a whiner, and I loved the last two chapters were basically about how screwed up the politics of US Gymnastics are. Perfect reading before the Olympics.

48. The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Steig Larsson (Adult fiction): The final book in the trilogy was probably the most satisfying. Ultimately, I enjoyed the series as a whole and how much Larsson wrote strong females and how that in and of itself was the reason men in the story behaved as they did.

49. Never Enough by Denise Jaden (YA): This took on too many issues and underdeveloped all of them.

* 50. This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (YA): I reread it on release day and it was every bit as satisfying as I said here. For me, Summers is better on rereads, even if she’s already good on first reads.

* 51. Send Me a Sign by Tiffany Schmidt (YA): I hate cancer books, but this is not a cancer book at all. Huge appeal to Jenny Han fans and those who think the cancer genre is a tired one. There will be a long review coming of this one later on.

52. Holding On To Zoe by George Ella Lyon (YA): I forgot to write this one down in my notebook and rereading the review I wrote on Goodreads reminds me I didn’t care for it at all. I didn’t buy the story or the setting and I figured out the truth of the narrative within pages. Not really a pregnancy story, by the way. So it’s not going to appeal to that readership. 

53. Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin (Adult non-fiction): I liked this one, but it wasn’t as great as Rubin’s The Happiness Project. What I do love, though, is how much joy Rubin says she gets out of really small things in life, and it makes me happy simply reading it.

I had a two books I didn’t finish this quarter, too: Bethany Griffin’s The Masque of the Red Death and Huntley Fitzpatrick’s My Life Next Door. The first just didn’t feel new or interesting to me and the second never hooked me with the premise.

I think it’s obvious I’ve been in a little bit of a reviewing slump, but many of these titles have reviews sitting in my queue to post. Also, when you read so much, it’s hard to keep up with reviews. Because, you know, you’re reading.

Have you had a favorite so far this year?

One last time — at least for now.

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I didn’t want to talk about this again. Despite my best efforts to try to remove myself from what I started, I can’t, and the truth is, I own it and I’m okay with it. What I hoped would start a conversation did. It’s been a grueling few days, and I made the conscious decision to not follow the blog posts that popped up, the Twitter conversations that emerged, the civil and not-so-civil comments left on my original piece. I didn’t need to further explain myself or my thoughts. I couldn’t have been more clear where I stood.

But I want to point out that this isn’t a new conversation in the least. This has been going on for a few years now. The fact it’s getting attention now, though, signals to me that maybe we’re ready to start figuring out a solution.

I can’t talk a whole lot more beyond that because I know there are wheels in motion to make change happen. Actual, real change. It feels like I — we — have finally been heard on this issue.

What I wanted to do was round up all my old posts on this topic so that new readers and those who stopped by thinking this was some sort of plea for attention understand that it was not. Or that those who are new readers know this is a charge I’ve been championing for a while now. If you want to think about this like a book, I’ll phrase it this way: here’s the back story. They all go together. They all make where we are right now, at this strange tipping point, make a little more sense.

Something I’ll add, too, just because I think it’s something worth stating — people grow and change and adapt in whatever it is they do. Who I was as a blogger and a librarian in 2009, when this blog started, is different than who I am as a blogger and a librarian now. You become more mature the longer you do something and you become more attune to yourself and to what and how other people are going to react. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t make it very long. 

2011:

BEA 2011 in Review: It’s Not All About the Books
“That’s not to say there aren’t legitimate bloggers who aren’t professionals, because there certainly are, but rather, there are some bloggers who are clearly only in it for free stuff.”

Library Journal cited me, too.

2012:

On Being Critical
“Being classy is responding appropriately, no matter what the forum. Being classy is not firing off a blog post about it without thinking through everything and figuring out a way to state my opinion without devaluing or belittling the opinions of others. Being classy is giving myself room to cool off when someone tells me I have no idea what I’m talking about. Being classy is not diving into drama to create more of it.

Being classy is being critical.”

Librarians, Bloggers & The Lines Between
“I like to think of the book world as a type of eco-system. We all grow and thrive when we allow one another to do so. This means feeding and keeping one another in check. It means being respectful and thoughtful every step of the way. When you’re contributing the good, you get the good back. When you’re not, you’re only harming your environment.”

On ARCs, Ethics, and Speaking Up
“[T]he value in an ARC is the value in what it does for the book. An ARC and a book aren’t the same thing — the ARC precedes the book, and the ARC can help push sales of the book through early buzz. That’s why they exist and why bloggers have become part of the publicity machine. If you’re truly invested in helping promote books and reading, then you promote the purchase of the book, and you work toward halting the buying and selling of ARCs.”

Competition, Envy, and the Fine Print

“It’s our responsibility as bloggers to stand up and choose whether or not we participate. It’s our responsibility to decide whether or not we’re going to let ourselves get anxious or nervous about them, too. It’s our responsibility to speak up and speak out.

We blog because of the freedom it allows us. The only way to keep it free is to remember we have the right to say no thanks and we have the right to step out when we’re not comfortable with how things are going.” 

Who Are We and What Do We Do? 
“When a valid and important topic worth having a dialog about emerges, so often it devolves, turning into mud-slinging, rather than discussion. Drama, rather than discourse. Having all of these tools at our disposal to have these conversations turn into means for guessing, assuming, devaluing.”

You Can Like What You Like 
“We live in a world where the louder you are and the more you talk, the more perception of power you have. Where the more you produce, the more you’re valued. It’s unfair, but it’s true. We’re a world that focuses heavily on the notion of product and of end result and one that shies away from thinking about or exploring process in and of itself. We want a tangible outcome, a defined start and finish. In being this way, so much of the beauty in the act of doing something is overlooked and devalued. So often we chide ourselves if our process to do something takes a long time or requires more than we expected. Rather than allowing ourselves or others to allow the pleasure in the act of doing, we reward based on the result.”

Truth: Blogging is Hard 
“Just like an author worries about how their book will do when it’s out in the world, I worry about what I write and post right here. It’s not the same but it is the same. It’s sharing a part of yourself and your thinking and even if it’s something you’re passionate about and love doing, it’s still work. It takes effort and sometimes you wonder and worry about whether it’s worth it at all.”

The single tweet that launched a post:

The ARC stops here
“I do not for a second believe that ALA should be entirely closed off from those who aren’t librarians. I think it’s an incredible convention for those who love books and reading and knowledge and literacy and technology and the many other facets of librarianship interest that exist. It’s valuable for so many people, including teachers and bloggers and those who are simply readers.”

So to that end, I hope the story makes a heck of a lot more sense now. I have been overwhelmed with response, and I just can’t respond any further than suggesting that the responses already exist here. The belief this isn’t a legitimate concern has me mulling over even more bloggable topics, including belittling professional interests and speaking as an expert on a topic when you have no clue what the topic being discussed even is.

I have avoided reading posts and comments, but I want to do something in this space. I want to say my post was never meant to be an attack on the girls who made the video, and I’m repulsed by anyone who did that. It was meant as an example of the behavior that’s been going on for a long time. I am impressed by their response.

Like I said, people learn and grow. And within days? Those girls got it. I’m impressed as hell.

Will I say more on this? Maybe. But what I want clear is that this time, I was heard. In two days, there were over 10,000 hits on the blog. Thousands of Twitter replies. I hit a nerve that went well beyond my control — but you know, there it is.

 

Links of note

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I always say this and then I’m always a liar, but this biweekly installment of links you should read will be shorter than most. I missed out on a lot of noteworthy posts this week because of ALA and, if you want to know the truth, because I am recovering from what may be known as being overwhelmed with response to my carefully constructed, worded, and conceived-of blog post on Thursday. I think it’s really unfortunate how much my words have been twisted and made into something they’re not, but that’s the risk of writing, isn’t it? And if you want the truth, I still stand by every word I used and every thought therein. I will go as far as to say I’m proud that this became an issue, and even though the sort of backlash I received has been less than fantastic, the fact it’s being discussed at the rate it is makes it worth it.

But let’s move on!

  • Nova Ren Suma wrote what might be one of my favorite blog posts in a very long time, about what it means to be a woman and to chase ambitions and goals that aren’t necessarily the same ones everyone else looks for. I related to so many of the things Nova talks about in this post — about the way society looks at women who are married or don’t keep a wide circle of friends or who don’t necessarily have a “career” and who find their centers with things that don’t necessarily come with a reward to them except self-satisfaction — and because of that and the bravery with which she writes it, it’s worth reading. 
  • I love a good book set in the Midwest. This is where I grew up and it’s where I live now. Flavorwire offers up 10 of the best books set in the Midwest. I’ve only read two of them, but a couple of titles I’d add to the list include Jenna Blum’s The Stormchasers and Ann Patchett’s The Magician’s Assistant (though technically, that’s only half in the midwest). Oh, or The Horizontal World by Debra Marquart, though that’s a memoir. Or what about Capote’s In Cold Blood?  
    • Nathan Bransford asked his readers last week what they thought about him switching from full RSS feeds to partial RSS. His reasoning was he felt that discussions had gone down because people in RSS don’t bother to click over and comment. If you know anything about me or have been reading this blog, you know I am very against partial RSS feeds because I read every blog through an RSS reader. It keeps me organized, allows for quick perusing, and it lets me hit everything when I want to in one place. I also have no shame of unsubscribing the second that a feed goes partial — no matter how much I like the blog. Why? Well, I think partial feeds are self-serving and work to do nothing but bring hits to a blog. People who read your blog via RSS are your regular readers. Think about it this way: RSS readers are like those who subscribe to your magazine and get it in their mailbox. They get it every time there is a new issue and it’s there for them when they are ready to read it. People who go to your blog without an RSS aren’t better or worse; they’re just choosing to go to the store to buy the magazine whenever it comes out. So when blogs choose to stop giving a full RSS feed, in favor of a partial feed, they’re asking their readers to go to the store for the whole story. And for me? That’s an extra step. When I’m reading hundreds of blogs, I am not going to go to the store specifically for yours, especially when I was already getting it regularly in my mail. If it’s numbers and stats that concern you because of this, let me remind you that your RSS subscriber numbers are easy to find. Ultimately, Nathan chose not to pursue partial feed, but I am really resentful of his dig at his readers here: “I do have to chuckle a bit at the people who couldn’t! possibly! be bothered to click through under any circumstances. I’m not judging because I make decisions like that all the time, but it’s kind of hilarious how we can no longer spare those extra two seconds.” 
    • As part of their YA for Grownups feature, The Atlantic Wire asked a number of people to contribute the books they read that stand up to rereads. Also, I’m going to link to their post of books that feature empowered females. Aside from thinking it’s a good post, I’m going to give them some major kudos — and you know how I feel about this publication and giving kudos. When the post went live, I noted they misattributed the source of their story. They were then informed that Jackie had brought the entire “How to Survive” issue to light, and they edited their post accordingly. 
    • Amazon’s compiled their top ten YA books of the year so far. So one of them was actually published in 2011, but who is looking at that. Also, it seems like “best books” really means “best selling” and “biggest budget” titles. But there it is.
    •  It’s been quite a few years since I’ve read The Great Gatsby and with the movie coming out (holding all comments on it or the production or the interpretation), it’s a book I plan on revisiting. The Chicago Tribune wrote a really lengthy — but interesting — piece about the book and how it’s been read and interpreted over the years.  

    • Here is probably one of my favorite discussions to come up lately: blog tours. Lit agent Kate Testerman probably has the best round up of the story on her blog, and the links she provides are each worth a stop. Leila chimed in on the topic, too. Here’s my perspective: we participate when it’s a book or an author we really support. This is why we do very few blog tours because rarely are the pitches we get for that. Often, they’re for new authors who we don’t know yet or haven’t read their books. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I don’t like the pressure of reading something and potentially disliking it (I have bowed out of a tour because of this before) and I really dislike guest posts which aren’t on topics I’ve proposed. I also HATE character interviews; they’re so off-putting for anyone who hasn’t read the book. The simple reason is I don’t read them myself. The other thing I dislike about blog tours is this — if I happen to post a review of  a book during that blog tour and not as part of it, it gets lost in the noise. I really understand the point of tours and think they can do a lot for a book or author if done right, but rarely are they done right. Also, I don’t really read them myself unless, well, it’s an author I know or a book I like. I know. The truth is, I think blogger-initiated features and tours just do a better job.
    • And let’s look at the worst book covers ever. I’m laughing about this one because the final book on the list is one I’ve shared before because it is just so….classic. 
    • I got this link sort of late while making this post and only got the chance to skim it, but I liked it enough to share it. Over at Comics Alliance, to celebrate the end of Gay Pride month, there’s a round up of the 50 most important LGBTQ comics and characters. 
    • Maybe these covers are inspired by the Twilight phenomenon or not, but there’s a piece in the NYT about new covers for the classics. Okay, let’s have a moment here. How long ago were the Twilight books published? And a huge sensation? They are definitely still popular, but the teens who had these books as their “big books” of teen hood? They aren’t in high school anymore and aren’t reading the classics in high school classics. So I think it’s a bit misleading in the headline. I think the new covers are great and I think the commentary in the story is worthwhile — that they actually show the somewhat right age of the book characters — but the headline! Come on. I think YA lit gets a lot of flack over Twilight and of course it’s because it’s an easy reference point, even if it’s not the right one. 
      • It’s been a really long week, guys. REALLY long. So you know what that means? You get to enjoy the new Lana Del Rey video in this links of note roundup because I like it: 

      I’m not sure why I feel guilty having “so few” links this time, but I hope something here is worth reading! Also worth noting: Audiosynced is going to be late this month. I’m hoping to have it next weekend — the number of posts I collected for this roundup is huge because June is audiobook month. So forgive me; it’s coming! 

      Come See About Me by CK Kelly Martin

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      It’s a freak accident that kills 19-now-20-year-old Leah’s boyfriend Bastien and she is saddled with grief that is much heavier than what she thinks she can handle. She and Bastien had their lives ahead of them: they were living together in an apartment in Toronto, they’d made plans to get a dog in the future, and they’d settle into great jobs and living the life both of them had dreamed of. But now with the accident and Bastien ripped from her life, Leah’s left to pick up the pieces of this future and put them together in a new way. For herself.

      The thing is, it is not easy. Leah’s family lives on the other side of the country, and she does not want to move back. She wants to stay where she is because it is where she was happy. But she cannot be happy in her apartment any longer knowing that Bastien isn’t there. She can’t make it through school any longer and drops out. Her job at the museum is also just a little too much to take, so she quits showing up and now, she lacks an income to even pay for her apartment. Time is ticking for her to figure something out.

      As luck would have it, Bastien’s aunt has a place in suburban Oakville, and she offers Leah the chance to live there without having to pay rent — she only spends a few weeks a year there to check up on her business anyway, so Leah would have the place to herself. Leah takes the place. It’s not easier, though, as she continues working through the loss and the rattling of what looked like the perfect future. Then she meets Liam. Runs into him quite literally and on more than one occasion. So when Leah finally gets the nerve to talk to Liam and ends up spilling her guts, she starts to realize how different it feels to open up. As she begins opening up to him physically and emotionally, Leah grapples with how she can move forward without Bastien without forgetting who he was to her and without moving on.

      CK Kelly Martin’s Come See About Me is an adult novel, and because of a marketing issue, it was hard for this book to find a traditional publisher. So Martin published it herself. While I tend to avoid books that are self-published, Martin’s track record for writing strong contemporary stories appealed to me, and knowing how raw and powerful her YA titles are, I was incredibly curious how she could infuse a book for the adult audience with that power. This book was not disappointing in the least, and if anything, it proved Martin has the ability to write across audiences. And let me say this much, too: she can write a sexy story. Come See About Me is a title that’s going to stick with me for a long time, and it’s one I can see myself revisiting.

      Leah is a complex and pained character who is struggling not only with overwhelming grief and loss, but she’s at a time in her life that is already so confusing. She’s on the path she’s been led to believe is the right one — she’s living in the big cosmopolitan city of Toronto, and she’s going to school full-time while balancing a part-time job. But when Bastien dies, Leah finds herself wondering whether or not this is truly what she wants to be doing. It’s not that she was unhappy with her future plans when Bastien was a part of them, but rather, losing him forces Leah to reassess her own life. She comes to the realization that doing so many of these things simply didn’t fulfill her. While she’s letting school and her job go, of course she falls into a deeper stage of grief, but through this, she also begins to learn a lot about who she is and what matters to her. It’s not grades or a full-time career. It’s finding peace in a way that’s not achieved through racking up “adult points.” That is, her happiness and fulfillment aren’t going to be found through finishing college or finding a full-time career. At least not at this point. What she needs to be happy are meaningful relationships. This is part of why her move from the city into the suburbs is huge. It’s the first step in Leah reclaiming control of her own life.

      Enter Liam. From the start, he cares about Leah, but the problem is that she’s not entirely ready to let herself become involved in another relationship. Especially one that could become romantic. But without thinking too much one night, Leah has the overwhelming urge to be sexual with Liam. She lets go of the tight control she’s held, particularly over that physical piece of her relationship with Bastien, and allows herself to give into the moment. And it is sexy. In the moment, at least — when Leah pulls herself from the situation later and realizes what she allowed herself to do, regret and remorse consume her. It’s not just emotional either; it’s manifested physically. What scares her about this is that for the first time since Bastien’s death, Leah allowed herself to give into sheer desire. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t grieving or analyzing her world. It’s in those moments after, though, where things become painful. Leah’s scared to death of what she’s allowed herself to do because she feels like she’s let down Bastien. As readers, we feel the regret she experiences, but at the same time, we want Leah to allow herself the chance to give into her desires, especially with a guy like Liam who is so caring and concerned about her.

      Let me not get ahead here, though: Liam is far from perfect. He’s here in Oakville because he, too, is trying to rebuild a life that was left in tatters. He’s from overseas and working on a local theatrical production. After a very public infidelity scandal, he knew he needed to get away and it’s here he has found a safe place. It’s here he hopes to rebuild his image. I wouldn’t say he hides this all from Leah, but he’s not entirely open about it, and part of the reason is this: Leah isn’t necessarily interested in hearing about it. At least at first. Liam can sense that from her and he allows her to take what she needs from him emotionally and physically. He offers himself to her in a way she needs. In doing such, well, what his past is really doesn’t matter.

      The more time Leah and Liam spend together, the more intimate they become. And it’s intimacy this time, not simply raw desire. Martin has a knack for writing great sensual scenes in her YA novels, and given her platform with an adult novel, she’s able to amplify this. No doubt, this book is sexy; it treads a very fine line of incredibly tender and slightly dirty. What makes it work so well, though, is that these intimate scenes are powerful for Leah — they open her up in the way she needs to be opened up. She allows herself incredible vulnerability. We feel it with her, and these moments are powerfully mature in a way that goes well beyond how they’re played out physically. Over the course of her time with Liam, Leah begins to understand it’s okay to give into her feelings, into her own desires, and she’s allowed to let herself feel good. That that would be what Bastien would want for her. Leah, though, continues to set up strict boundaries in her relationship with Liam: she wants this to be nothing but physical. She wants no emotional investment in what they’re doing. To her, that would be hurting — almost shaming — what she had with Bastien.

      Of course, that cannot happen. We know this. As much as Leah pushes away from the emotional side of her relationship with Liam, she simply can’t. It’s when Leah confronts Liam’s past head on where she discovers that her emotions are much more tied up in this relationship than she expected. She realizes how vulnerable she really is. It’s painful to watch her fall apart, particularly because as readers, we are watching Leah get stronger and find herself, even if she herself isn’t acknowledging it. When Leah approaches Liam about his past, she finally comes to realize that what she’s experiencing isn’t loss or hurt. It’s acceptance: of herself, of Liam. Of Bastien’s death. And just when it looks like everything will be gone, well, Leah will really get a surprise she wasn’t expecting.

      One of my favorite threads throughout the story is a small one, but it’s one I think summarizes the entire journey Leah experiences. Bastien was passionate about creating a comic book called “Johnny Yang” — he was a bit of a superhero. Unfortunately, when Bastien died, he hadn’t completed the story. Leah found it important, though, to reconnect with this comic. She wants to finish it, if for no other reason than for Bastien’s dream to become a reality. It’s about a third of the way through the book when Leah finds a real turning point in this goal, where she realizes that “Maybe what [Johnny Yang] needs is another world to tempt him.” More importantly — and sure, this is minor spoiler territory — Leah doesn’t finish the story over the course of the book. It’s a continuing process, rather than something that’s opened and closed. But as readers we know that the process of creation and the process of exploring new worlds with Johnny Yang will help Leah move forward in the future.

      Come See About Me is about how life is about stepping forward, even when there are a million things that can hold you back. It’s as much about grief and loss as it is about love and acceptance. Martin strips her characters down to their barest pieces and allows readers to watch as these characters struggle to find themselves. Her writing is strong and engaging. While at times I found myself becoming a little wearisome of the focus on the mundane, these bits of routine were important to the story — they were ultimately what helped ground Leah into her world. It was important when she went to the store to get food for her pet and when she went for a walk. These were aspects of Leah learning how to go through with being Leah. There’s a very fragile balance of being on your own for the first time and learning that you aren’t immune to awful things happening in your life. That you’re not as shielded from pain as you think you are.

      It’s that last part that will make this book appealing to both older teens who are mature enough to handle the intimacy aspect, and it’s this very last part that will make this book appealing to adults, as well. Come See About Me avoids so much of what I find challenging about adult fiction in that it doesn’t aim to incorporate every item on the checklist of adulthood. Leah is imperfect, as is Liam, and neither of them are interested in chasing those items that make adults “adults” in our society. Rather than forcing these characters to conform to an ideal, they’re allowed to bend and mold to what they want their own ideals to be. And for me, that’s the truth of what adulthood is. It’s not about settling into a career, into a mortgage, into children and marriage, into saving for retirement and making sure your resume is pristine. It’s about figuring out what matters to you as an individual and making that enrich your life. In my mind, this isn’t a “new adult” novel (a label I really dislike). It’s an adult novel. I think the more we try to segment books, the more we allow ourselves to think of books as one sort of thing or another — just like I did in suggesting why I don’t like adult books. Martin’s book is hugely refreshing, and I think more books like this on the market is a good thing. It’s not entirely new, either: Tom Wolfe did it with I Am Charlotte Simmons, Curtis Sittenfeld did it with Prep, and Megan McCafferty did it with her Jessica Darling series, among others.

      Although I could not relate to Leah much myself, I found her reminiscent of so many people I know, and I can see readers easily relating to her.  I appreciate, too, how Martin also made this book incredible diverse without every writing a “diverse” novel. Rather, we know Bastien wasn’t a white character because from the start, Leah says he was not white. But she doesn’t dwell on this. It’s a fact we learn and she moves forward. Likewise, Leah’s friends are not white, and we get that via their names and their cultural experiences that are simply incorporated into the narrative without fuss. Oakville is a suburb of a major metropolitan area, and it’s through this diversity that it comes alive. 

      I’m not one to usually write down memorable quotes from books, but there’s one that stuck with me as I was reading this one that summarizes not only the whole of the story but of the power of Liam’s relationship with Leah and Leah’s relationship with Bastien (and, of course, Liam): “Bending instead of breaking. That’s probably always a better option if you can take it.”

      Come See About Me is available now in all formats, and it can be purchased digitally at Amazon or Smashwords. It is also available in print via Amazon. This book suffers none of the trappings of many self-published books, so do not worry about any editing issues. Martin’s book is the real deal and will appeal to those who like contemporary fiction, strong characters, emotionally powerful stories, and who enjoy their sex steamy. If you want more or want to check out a sizable sample from the book, Martin’s developed a website exclusively for this book right here.

      Finished copy received from the author for review.

      The ARC stops here

      |

      I mentioned in my last post I didn’t see a lot of bad blogger behavior regarding ARCs at ALA. But as soon as I posted my piece, I did a search for “ALA book haul” and stumbled upon a video made by a pair of bloggers showing off what they picked up at the conference. This video, which ran nearly 22 minutes long, was a stream of book after book after book after book. Twenty-two minutes of showing off the books picked up at ALA. Badges of honor earned by trekking through the exhibit halls at a professional librarian conference and making sure to plan, to schedule, to arrive at different publisher booths at just the right time to snag what was sought (or not — it doesn’t always matter what the book is, just that it’s a book and it’s there and it’s free and it’s from ALA).

      I watched the entire video, both fascinated and appalled.  Fascinated because that was a hell of a lot of books for two people — one copy for each of them — and appalled because of the same reason. This wasn’t promoting the books picked up. It was bragging.

      On Sunday of ALA, I had a little free time to do what it was I wanted to do at the conference. After what was an overwhelming opening night of exhibits on Friday, as well as an overwhelming few minutes in the exhibit hall on Saturday morning — overwhelming due to the sheer number of people, the crowds, the inability to move at all down an aisle — I poked my head into the hall and saw it was much calmer. I decided I’d walk around and pick out the few things I was really interested in reading.

      Let me back up for a second: on Friday night, during the frenzy, I approached one of the publicists and asked about two books on display. I asked if it was possible to get copies or if they’d be available during the show. Note that when I approached them, I had my single tote bag with two other books in it. I was told they’d be available “sometime later at the convention” and was brushed away. No time frame. No commentary about the books themselves. As much as I walked away frustrated for being dismissed, because I did, I also felt bad for the publicist who did that to me. She was clearly overwhelmed and struggling to avoid being trampled by the hordes. I looked like anyone else at the convention, so she couldn’t know that I was a librarian (AND a blogger). She couldn’t know or take a second to find out that I was on a committee and had to spend most of the open exhibit hall hours in meetings (or preparing for a presentation). She didn’t have a second to stop and talk to me at all. I made a note to myself to come back later and ask again, when things would be calmer.

      When I went back on Sunday morning, I approached the same publisher, but a different publicist (one I knew and who knew me well). I asked if she could hook me up with the books I was interested in, and she said was more than happy to. But when she looked through all of the cabinets, she couldn’t find copies of the titles I was interested in. She felt bad for it, and she took me cabinet by cabinet, asking if there was anything else I might be interested in. The bulk of the cabinets were empty. Lucky for me that because she knew me, she took down the titles I wanted and said she’d send them along to me after the show.

      It seems wrong that on Sunday morning of ALA — only a day and a half into the exhibit hall hours that ran through Monday afternoon — the cabinets at one of the publisher’s booths were almost empty. This isn’t a small publisher either. This was one of the big six.

      But as I watched the 22-minute long video earlier, I saw both books I was interested in showed off by both of the girls. They’d won them! They’d fought hard, they’d stalked the booths, they talked to the right people or pushed the right people out of the way. Whatever the deal, those two non-librarians were able to get the two books I’d wanted from the publisher but was unable to get.

      I’m a paying member of ALA and of YALSA and of PLA and of ALSC, and I attended the conference because I had committee obligations this year. Because I’m working. Because I was giving a presentation to librarian colleagues. Money is incredibly tight right now because I’m not working a regular job. I paid out of pocket for my memberships in both associations, as well as for my plane ticket, my hotel room, my transportation to and from the airport, around Anaheim, for my meals. I don’t get reimbursed. Every penny I spent at ALA was a penny I couldn’t spend on other things. Something I’ve talked about before, in what was probably the most personal blog post I’ve ever shared publicly, was the notion that librarianship is a very selfless profession. And it is — librarians go out of their way not only to give back to their field but also to reach out and share with as many people as possible. Librarians work on committees to select the best books of the year in any number of categories. They work to read and promote books among their patrons. To help create their collections. ALA for most librarians isn’t at all about the free books. It’s about working. The books are a part of the whole, and they’re a very small part. Just consider that a committee like mine meets from 1:30 – 5:30 on Saturday and Sunday. That leaves just the morning hours free for perusing the exhibit hall, and even then, those hours are juggled with any number of other responsibilities, meetings, presentations, and so forth.

      I understand completely why publishers schedule out their ARC distributions at ALA. I get it. There is only so much space in the booth, some books sit in storage until later on, some are held until the author is on site to do a signing. And I also get that it is impossible to get everything I’m interested in getting. I’m not entitled to it nor do I believe I should be.

      The video I watched of two non-librarian professionals coming to a book event was 22 minutes long.

      In thinking about how librarianship is a giving field, a selfless field, there’s something really uncomfortable for me in admitting that sometimes, there are ARCs I would really want to pick up at ALA. Even though I’m not working right now, I still need to stay on top of my game with what’s publishing so that when I am working again, I can jump in and be fresh, knowledgeable, prepared to not only develop the best collection I can, but also to book talk and get the titles into teens’ hands. But really? I don’t think there’s anything selfish in saying point blank that there are ARCs I want for myself to read for myself and to blog about for myself. As much as it makes me feel weird and egotistical to say this, I will: my stats and my reviews are solid. I know what the hell it is I am doing and what I’m talking about. Even though I am adamant that I have not sold a book — because selling a book requires that I’ve had the book and got money for its sale — I know my posts and reviews have some influence on getting the word out about books, particularly those lesser-known titles. I want to pick up books at ALA that interest me, that I will be able to get the word out about. I want to have conversations with the publicists at ALA and tell them what it is I am interested in and get their feedback on what’s coming out I should know about. They’re the gatekeepers to knowledge I want in the same way that I am a gatekeeper to the audience they want that knowledge (and product) shared with.

      While it’s true I could ask the reps via email for titles anytime, I really don’t LIKE doing that. Likewise, it’s impossible to keep up with the contacts as they change so often and at times those changes mean that I’m treated less-than-kindly by overwhelmed reps who have no idea who I am from anyone else (and I say that because I think I’ve earned my cred as a blogger and shouldn’t be treated the same way someone who “just started” blogging is treated). I want to converse with the reps at ALA. I want to be handed a book, dammit, and I don’t think that I’m being selfish in believing that at my own professional conference — one I am paying a lot to attend as a librarian who is working — I should be able to do that.

      Moreover, librarians who are working as part of a committee don’t always get boxes of titles sent to them for consideration. Many of the books they read and talk about come from titles they find via ALA conferences. So while the very librarians who are at ALA working to make the lists of best books work, they’re losing out on the opportunity to discover additional titles for consideration that are available in the exhibit hall. They’re missing out on the chance to talk with the publicity folks. And yes, sometimes titles that end up on an awards list come from the books picked up at a booth in the exhibit hall. Not from a box of books sent to the committee for consideration.

      Librarians are missing the chance to pick up a book that they want to read. For themselves.

      I do not for a second believe that ALA should be entirely closed off from those who aren’t librarians. I think it’s an incredible convention for those who love books and reading and knowledge and literacy and technology and the many other facets of librarianship interest that exist. It’s valuable for so many people, including teachers and bloggers and those who are simply readers. But know I say this, too, with the mind of a librarian: I want knowledge shared and spread and disseminated in a manner that’s accessible to the most and not the least. It’s an utterly selfless profession and one that gives and gives.

      The video I found today, if I can remind you, was 22 minutes long. A laundry list of the books these two bloggers — non-librarians, non-professionals — picked up at ALA.

      It’s not going to be easy to find a solution to this, but something needs to be done. I do not for a second believe that all non-librarian/non-teacher/non-ALA members who blog are bad people. What I am saying, though, is those few rotten apples are spoiling this for EVERYONE, and they’re spoiling it for people who are working hard, who should be able to treat themselves to something they are interested in, be it an ARC or be it having a second to talk with a publishing rep. Anyone can get into ALA’s exhibit hall for a mere $25 and some people are abusing that opportunity, taking it as their chance to pick up and carry home as many ARCs as possible. They’re taking away from the folks who are not only spending gobs more money — gobs more of their own money — to attend a professional conference but who are attending it to work to make the profession what it is. To award those books. To spread the word about the things that are coming out. To develop as professionals in librarianship. This is something that needs to be dealt with and it needs to be dealt with at the convention organizer level. That means it needs to be dealt with BY the American Library Association, which works to serve the needs and goals of their members, librarians and library supporters who pay for membership. Who pay for voting. Who pay to have their thoughts heard. Who pay to attend this convention in so many ways.

      This isn’t about what you do with your ARCs when you’re done. This isn’t about the “noble causes” bloggers are picking up books for. This is about what the goals of the ALA convention are. What the goals of the publishers are in attending these conventions and distributing these books.

      My solution — and note this is my solution and mine alone — is that bloggers/non-professionals who pay the minimum amount to attend the convention be limited to one day attendance at the end of the convention. That they be allowed to attend but that their attendance is after librarians and other professionals using this convention to develop as such have the opportunity to get what it is they need and what it is they want out of their own convention. If they choose to pay the full conference amount or are themselves members of the organization, then they can have full access just as anyone else does. I don’t think this is hard and I do not think it’s at all unfair on any side of the equation. Those who would find this disagreeable are part of the problem.

      As a librarian, I know what my influence is, and as a librarian who blogs, I know this even more so (I don’t need to mention in this space the over 500 responses I got within an hour when I tweeted the question of what authors would feel like knowing their book went into the hands of a non-librarian at a librarian conference — it’s not about showing off or bragging but rather that people are listening). I don’t for a second believe I’m being selfish. I believe I’m allowing myself to be a professional librarian. I believe I’m also allowing myself an opportunity to do something for me. And since I’m paying for it, I think I deserve it.

      A 22 minute video showing all of those books picked up at ALA by non-librarian bloggers.

      I’m a voracious reader and blogger, but even I can’t get through that much. All I was hoping for was a pair of titles from a publisher and the chance to talk with a few others about the things they were most excited about. But I didn’t get the first and I had to fight to get the second.