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books

Links of note

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Let’s call this edition of interesting links something to the tune of “everyone’s got covers on the mind” because there are a lot of posts about cover trends lately. Of course, that’s not the only thing that has been talked about. There’s been a lot of good things to read in the last couple of weeks. I’m serious in saying there is a good day’s worth of reading here.

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  • So let’s start with cover pieces. First, the incredible Kate Hart has a breakdown of the 2011 YA cover trends, which includes everything from the percentage of covers featuring girls drowning to the percentage of covers that feature people of color. There are pie charts and graphs. This is the kind of post you have to read in chunks because there is so much here. 

  • But wait, there’s more! Salon has an article that borders on defending the practice of whitewashing covers. I’ll leave it at that, but I am really fascinated by an experiment that Saundra Mitchell is trying with a book she’s put up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble called Breathkept. Note this was a free download on her blog, so the sales here are from those who didn’t know. The original cover features a girl of color, but now Mitchell’s switched it up to a shadowy couple. She wants to see if there’s a sales difference. Bonus: she has a few more links about whitewashing worth checking out. 
  • The Salon piece above talks about a study where people had different perceptions of gay people after reading a novel featuring one (especially when they didn’t know the character was homosexual). It’s an interesting psychological phenomenon called “experience taking.” There’s a longer piece about that over at MSNBC’s website worth reading. I tend to have this happen to me a lot — but most of the time, that change in perception is short lived. I can probably count on one hand the number of books that have truly changed my thinking on a grand level. Not that I don’t think it’s possible. But I wonder how much has to do with the quantity of what you read, too. Are those who don’t absorb literature more likely to be impacted or maybe are those who read a lot less likely to notice as much? 
  • Ever wonder how books end up on the New York Times Best Seller list? Veronica Roth will tell you eight things you probably did not know on YA Highway. I didn’t realize how little impact pre-ordering had, and I have to say I now feel a little less like I’m as supportive as I try to be by doing pre-orders. 
  • Breakfast at Tiffany’s is going to become an ebook. But that wasn’t really what I was most interested in here. It was the little nugget at the bottom about how there will be a rerelease of Capote’s In Cold Blood. I wonder if they’ll change the cover (which I love so much).
  • Speaking of my man Capote, he and I have the same cocktail preference with our mutual love for screwdrivers. Here’s a fun piece on 10 authors and their favorite drinks. I’m, of course, bummed only one woman is represented.  
  • I’m really tired of the entire 50 Shades of Grey controversy/phenomenon/obsession/discussion, but I had to post this. Without doubt, Becky’s round up and thoughts on the issue are the best I’ve read and also the most important for any librarian dealing with challenges on this book to consider, too. The last paragraph made me cheer: “My final comments are for those libraries out there who are pulling the book.  You are an embarrassment.  Stick to your guns people.  If you bought the book, you had your reasons.  Don’t pull it off the shelf.  Stand up for yourselves.  If you don’t have enough respect for yourself to do it on your own, use the arguments in my post to help you. And if you are someone who is pulling the book, you might as well quit.  You are not upholding your end of the bargain as a public librarian anymore.”
  • The website’s reputation is questionable, but the post was interesting enough to merit a mention. Here are the top 50 most influential books of the last 50 or so years. Note these don’t mean the best, but rather, they were among the most influential for one reason or another. I think I’ve only read six of these titles. 
  • Teens are so freaking smart and well spoken, especially when they’re treated with respect by adults, aren’t they? It’s amazing how the second they’re given the chance to say what they’re thinking that sometimes they are way more intelligent than any adult, too. Here’s a great example of a teen blogger talking about books and reading and why he blogs from the Huffington Post.
  • Are libraries a feminist issue? I left after reading it wondering if the writers were too limiting in their perspective of the role of libraries, and since this was a piece centered on UK libraries, they didn’t talk about how the bulk of public libraries in the US were founded by women or women’s groups. I thought about those two things for a long time, and I was pleased when I went back to see they’d commented about how this wasn’t an exclusive issue of feminism but one thing feminists should think more about. I’d say then they hit the nail on the head.
  • Ever thought about the different types of reviewers there are? Here’s a funny post about book reviewed nomenclature. On a more serious note, another piece that hit the rounds this week was about book reviewers and what value they serve. The claim is that Amazon’s really leveled the playing field for reviews and probably in a good way. Hey, look. The Atlantic also talked about the internet and book reviews. This was a tl;dr for me, but that’s because it’s The Atlantic, so I didn’t try too hard, either. I guess part of me doesn’t CARE about these sorts of things as someone who does write and share book reviews. I do it because I like doing it and not because I feel like I have to prove anything to the industry.
  • Separately, I’m going to plug this gem of a blog post from Sarah Moon about what value she gives to the book world through her reviews. I know I write with my experience and knowledge as a librarian at heart, but I have huge respect for so many of the bloggers who aren’t doing this with any professional goals in mind but rather because they simply love books (and I love books too, but I can’t separate my own experiences from what I do, either).    
  • It’s possible there’s a lack of religion in YA fiction, and I know I’ve seen this topic pop up a number of times recently. But I’m pointing to this one specifically because it sure seems to make the problem look more troublesome than it is. The issue is this: the challenge of religion and spirituality is in a lot of YA books, but just because it’s not the central force doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I can think of a number of books off the top of my head not on this list that highlight the issue of religion and faith in YA fiction (including one of my all-time favorites). Religion hasn’t and isn’t disappearing in YA. It’s just being explored in much different ways and in ways that work toward showcasing how many Things make up a Character. They’re way more than simply their beliefs in a higher power, even if it is a huge part of who they are. 
  • The New Yorker is starting a book blog. I’ve typed and erased commentary a few times, so I’m just leaving it at that.
  • Any author trying to pitch to a book blogger needs to read this great post by Steph Su. It’s geared toward self-pubbed authors specifically, but many of the things she lists are things even traditionally published authors do in their pitches that are automatic turn-offs for me. 

    It’s killing me not to sign off this post with “that’ll cover it.”

    Black Heart by Holly Black

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    Holly Black’s Curse Workers series is such fun. I love stories about cons and I love stories about magic, and these books have both of those things, plus a narrator with such an engaging, unique voice it should make other writers envious. Because I’m reviewing Black Heart, the third book in the series, there will be spoilers for the first two here.
    At the end of Red Glove, Cassel had teamed up with the federal government to use his powers as a transformation worker in the legal way. Since he’s still a minor, he’s supposed to shadow his older brother, Barron, who has also gone over to the government side. There are a few problems with this: Barron is still a sociopath, conning comes as easy as breathing to Cassel, and Cassel isn’t quite sure what the government is asking him to do won’t get him arrested or killed.
    Meanwhile, Lila starts to be drawn further and further into the life of crime as her father prepares her to take over the family business one day. Cassel still carries a major torch for her, naturally, but if he let her know what side he was working for now, it would be the end of him. 
    There’s a lot going on in Black Heart, and I’m very impressed by the way Black handles it all. In fact, all of this stuff – including two pretty major subplots – is a big reason I enjoyed the book so much. Aside from the job the Feds have for Cassel, he also has to deal with a vengeful mob boss and his threats against his mother, a female classmate who needs his help getting out of a blackmail plot, and the tension between his two best friends since it was revealed Daneca is a worker. Frequently in stories like this, where the author juggles multiple plotlines, they all tie together in some way, but that’s not necessarily the case here. I appreciated that – it made for a more complex read. Furthermore, all of the plotlines were compelling. I didn’t want to skim past any of them to get to the good stuff.
    Like Red Glove, Black Heart builds upon the events of its predecessors. Cassel’s actions have consequences here, and not always good ones. The characters also grow based on their previous experiences, and not always in a good way. All of this may make the book difficult as a standalone, but again, it makes for some very satisfying reading

    Nothing Special by Geoff Herbach

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    Last year I met Felton Reinstein in Stupid Fast and fell madly in love with his character. Then, of course, Herbach’s book went on to win the Cybils award in YA fiction. The combination of a great male lead who was able to tackle the tough issues of family, love, small town life, and friendship with humor and with depth stood out. So when I heard there was a continuation of the story, I was beyond excited. And Nothing Special lives up.

    After we left Felton in Stupid Fast, he was making a name for himself, and now, he’s being recruited by some of the top colleges in the country for his athletic prowess. It’s stressing him out — as it would — because he wants to make sure he’s making the right choice. If the attention he garnered last year made him crazy, the attention he’s getting on the national level now is making him downright insane.

    Things at home aren’t as bad as they were last year, but they’re also not exactly great. Especially when Andrew, his brother, goes missing. Turns out Andrew’s taken an impromptu trip to Florida and now Felton has to go rescue him and bring him back home. Without his mother finding out. He pulls off this wild road trip in a strikingly similar way his brother pulled it off: with a few little lies to his mother about where he was going for a week. Whereas Andrew said he was heading to a camp in northern Wisconsin, Felton tells his mom he’s heading to a recruitment camp in another state. And Jerri, their mother who has never quite had herself together, buys the story. It’s then Felton sets off to Florida with Gus. Gus who used to be his best friend. Gus who now Felton feels he has little or nothing in common with anymore.

    Let me back up a second and explain how the book is set up. It’s a letter to Aleah, Felton’s girlfriend/not a girlfriend, and it’s written at the end of the summer between airport trips down to Florida. He’s explaining the road trip with Gus in the past, since it had already happened. By framing the story this way, Herbach not only leaves readers wondering where Felton is heading now, but he complicates it further by making us wonder what happened between the initial road trip and the flights because in both instances, we know Felton’s going to Florida. This works well not only because it pushes the story forward but also because it mirrors how the first story was set up. We know Felton’s the kind of guy who needs to work his problems out by paper. It would be inauthentic to his character for this to be a straightforward narrative.

    Nothing Special is Felton’s story, but it’s just as much about Andrew, even though he doesn’t once have an opportunity to tell. We’re wondering right along with Felton why his brother skipped town and lied about it, and as he pieces together the story, we start to get a real image of who Andrew is and why he would make this decision.

    If your brother were getting so much attention at home, you wouldn’t blame Andrew, either. If you were constantly living in the shadow of a guy being recruited by so many big name schools, you would look for a place where you could earn some attention. But Andrew’s reason for his trip to Florida are much more than about finding a place where he could stand out and be special. It’s about reconnecting with his family. With family who his mother has essentially divorced herself from and never told her boys about. If you’ll remember in the first book, Felton helps reconnect with a long long family member, this is what is going to happen through Andrew. Except — and maybe this is pretty bold — I think Andrew’s much more successful in his quest and helps both himself and Felton reconsider what it means to be family and to love one another.

    The family relationships and family dynamics in this story ring true. Where I could see some readers suggesting that maybe there’s too much mess in Felton’s family, I buy every moment of this story. Families are tricky things. It’s not always clear where people stand with one another, despite being connected by genetics. I’m not sure in the end that things are resolved, either, and that’s a huge part of what figuring out family is all about. It constantly shifts and changes and it’s not always comfortable. At times, I found myself getting a little welled up because Felton’s experiences with family hit close to him.  Fortunately, Felton’s trademark humor brings levity to the situations he works through. They don’t become heavy issues nor do they become messages or lessons to learn. They just are.

    Herbach’s writing is easy to read and he nails voice. Felton still remains one of the most authentic males I’ve read in YA. He had feelings and thoughts, but he doesn’t necessarily act upon them in the most logical manner nor in the way we would want him to. He makes mistakes and he does stupid things. But he has to in order to get to the heart of things. He’s selfish and self-absorbed, but it doesn’t make him the kind of character you dislike because of it. Instead, he’s able to gain the reader’s interest and sympathy because of these qualities. The thing is, you know deep down he is a great guy and he knows deep down he’s a great guy too.

    As much as this is a story about family, Nothing Special is also a story about friendship and about love. Where Felton found himself lost without Gus the summer before, he’s learning that maybe he and Gus aren’t meant to be the kind of friends who stick together to the end. Relationships are dynamic, ever-shifting things, and Felton learns to deal with this head on while in the car with Gus. They’ve both changed and their lives are going separate ways. Part of it has to do with Felton’s character and his selfishness, but part of the blame lies squarely on Gus for the same reasons. Then there’s Aleah. We know this entire story is a letter to Aleah, but what makes it more powerful is knowing how much of himself Felton gives her through it. He’s raw and broken, and he is absolutely unafraid of being that way with her, even if he’s not entirely sure of what their future together is. That Felton has this sort of person in his life made me cheer because, even if she’s not right there with him in person, she’s there with him in the way he really needs her. She’s there to listen. 

    As soon as I finished the book, I wrote down a quote that stuck with me and that I think nails Felton’s character and his story: “If you act out of love, whatever you do is both perfect and right. It doesn’t matter if you’re a deep thinker or a squirrel nut if you act out of love. Crap starts getting seriously screwed if something else gets in the way, something like fear or revenge or even victory or being famous or some other dumb thing. The only thing we need to do is figure out what we really love.” Even though things suck sometimes, even if things suck a lot of the time, and even if things make no sense whatsoever when they’re happening, all that matters is acting out of love. Felton, for all his faults, is ultimately a likable because as readers, we know this is precisely why he does the things he does. 

    Nothing Special will appeal to the same readers who fell in love with the first book, and while it’s possible to read this one without having read Stupid Fast, I wouldn’t recommend it. To come to the conclusions Felton does, readers need to stick with him throughout. My only qualms with this story are that at times it feels it runs a little long and at times it takes on a lot of heavy issues at once. It’s not that they’re not relevant or important to the story, but it can feel a bit overwhelming to the reader. Herbach, though, has a gift for voice, and I am beyond excited to see what sort of story he offers next. If you like funny, thoughtful, and authentic male characters, this book and its predecessor are essential reads. 

    Review copy received from the publisher. Nothing Special is available now.

    Kill You Last by Todd Strasser

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    In Kill You Last, Shelby’s comfortable existence has just ended. Her father, who runs a photography and modeling business, has been connected to three missing teenage girls, and the evidence pointing toward his guilt just continues to pour in. She’s also started to receive threatening emails from a person who promises vengeance for her father’s actions. When it seems like everyone has already decided her father is guilty, Shelby decides to do a little investigating of her own.
    I quite enjoyed the first two books in Strasser’s “Thrillogy,” but I think the shine has worn off a bit for me. This go around, I was much less forgiving of the thin characterization and somewhat juvenile writing style. The little snippet he gave the reader at the beginning – present in all the books – was also a little tiresome this time. The reason for that is that this prologue isn’t actually any new material: it’s simply an excerpt from a later portion of the book with a few bits edited out to avoid spoilers. When I reached the part of the book the prologue had been taken from, I felt cheated rather than illumined. As a hook, it falls short.
     
    All that said, the mystery itself is quite good. Strasser is excellent at dangling several possibilities before the reader, making them all equally plausible, and then making the big reveal at the end seem as if it should have been obvious all along. And despite the lackluster writing, this book is a surefire page-turner. I even read it in the car, something I almost always avoid due to motion sickness, because I wanted – needed – to know whodunnit.
    I also have to give Strasser credit for not pulling his punches. Shelby starts out steadfast in her defense of her father, but she slowly grows to realize that he is a lot worse than she knew. In fact, he’s a downright dirty creep, and as Shelby learns more, her picture of him just deteriorates. I appreciated that Strasser made her father this creepy guy who is perhaps innocent of murder, but certainly not innocent of other awful things. In too many stories, the end of the book tidily resolves the parental issues to show that it was all a misunderstanding or the person isn’t as bad as they seemed. Not so here. Shelby’s father isn’t the only one, either – her other friends, family, and acquaintances have dirty secrets too, even if they may not be murderous.
    In all three books, Strasser writes from a female point of view. I’m always curious to see how male writers do this (and how female writers do a male point of view). Due to the almost complete lack of character development, though, I can’t really judge how well Strasser succeeded in capturing the female voice. This is especially apparent in the last chapter, when Strasser quickly wraps up the story in what might as well have been a series of bullet points describing what happened to each character. It’s a prime example of the kind of telling, rather than showing, that is used to develop character – and pretty ineffectively. It’s a flaw for sure, but if you’re a fan of this type of story, it won’t prevent you from enjoying it.