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Dual Review: Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

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We’re back with a pair review of Imaginary Girls, a creepy genre-bending novel from Nova Ren Suma, whom we’ll be twitter-viewing tomorrow. Two of the three of us read it and liked it a lot, so we thought we’d offer up our takes on what makes this book one you should read.

Kim Says…

Imaginary Girls is a deceptive book. At first read, it seems so very different from the usual teen fare. When attempting to describe the plot to others, however, it’s difficult for me to explain how it’s different, since many of the plot elements are just like other currently-hot YA novels.

Chloe, our protagonist, is a teenager living in New York. Her older sister Ruby, a by turns threatening and loving presence throughout the novel, dares Chloe to swim across a reservoir one night while her friends watch. Ruby has told everyone a story of a city named Olive that exists beneath the reservoir, and she wants Chloe to bring back a souvenir from the city. While swimming across the reservoir, Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate floating in a boat in the middle of the body of water. Before the classmate’s body can be explained, Chloe is sent away from her sister and the reservoir to live with her father.

But Ruby misses Chloe and comes to claim her one day. Chloe goes back to New York and the reservoir with her sister, and it’s at this point in the book that we become truly aware of Ruby’s power. It’s a power she has not only over Chloe, but over the entire town in which she resides. She draws men to her easily – and discards them just as easily when she grows tired of them. She’s able to get anyone to do anything for her, by any means she chooses. One day, Ruby decides to give directives via balloon – she writes messages inside helium balloons and sends them up for anyone and everyone to discover. Sure enough, all of her directives are followed by whoever finds the balloons.

Suma writes this aspect of Ruby in such a way that it doesn’t come across as malicious on Ruby’s part, or even really that manipulative. We even grow to love Ruby a little, since we see her through Chloe’s eyes, and Chloe loves her dearly. It’s also clear that Ruby loves Chloe dearly, but it’s a complicated relationship made more complicated by the truth about the city named Olive and the dead classmate in the reservoir.

What ultimately sets this book apart is its writing. Nova Ren Suma has created a deliciously creepy book full of odd happenings all seen through a sort of haze. It’s difficult to get a handle on what’s really going on, because Chloe herself isn’t always sure. That aspect gives the book a feeling of magical realism rather than straight up fantasy or paranormal. And even though Imaginary Girls has elements of the paranormal, which can be found in so many current YA books, you’ll come away from it knowing you’ve really never read anything like it.

Imaginary Girls is being marketed as a book about sisterhood, and that relationship between Chloe and Ruby is the element that drives the story. Ruby has a few secrets that are revealed slowly over the course of the novel, and they impact in a big way how Chloe relates to her. It was refreshing to read a book completely devoid of romance – this book is an exploration of sisterhood and Suma ensures our attention is focused completely on that relationship and no other.

It’s not a fast-paced book. It’s meant to be read slowly, so you can savor the language and let the mood pull you in. That also means it’s not going to be a book for everyone, but for readers looking for something a bit different, this definitely fits the bill.

Kelly says…

I’m going to pick up on something Kim talks about: the language. Suma’s book is meant to be savored. It’s a slow build, but it’s an immediate draw, too — this is a literary work, one with lush descriptions that beg to be appreciated for their use as language and for what they do for the setting and story as a whole. In this, we’re tossed into a world that is at once completely familiar to us and one that’s also completely foreign. And it’s by being put into this position through little more than the language and writing itself that we know something strange is amiss. Ruby’s built in this world, and she’s further fleshed through the adoration Chloe has for her.

One element that Kim didn’t talk too much about and the one that really sort of encompassed the entire story for me was London. That’s the girl whose body was pulled from the reservoir. London becomes a symbol for the relationship between Chloe and Ruby, and I think this is where I got a lot of the chills in reading this book. She’s a representation of their relationship, as well as representation for Chloe’s belief in Ruby. This fits in with the legend of Olive, too, another element of the story to which I latched as a reader.

It was very refreshing to read a story that undulates between realistic and fantastic. I think these stories are important and are far too rare; isn’t it true that readers want to have something to grasp (the realistic) and yet want somewhere to escape to, too (the fantastic, the magical, the otherworldly)? This helps develop this creepy world. It’s just real enough but not pushed far enough in the fantastical to be written off as unbelievable.

The relationship building in this story is strong and memorable. I’ve not read many stories that do explore the idea of sisterhood, and certainly nothing that explores it on this kind of level. I’ve never been a sister, though I’ve had sister-like figures in my life, and it’s easy to buy and understand Chloe’s fascination and her desire to do what Ruby says. Ruby’s magnetic. If I were Chloe, it would be hard for me not to want to do what she says, what she asks. I’d want her approval. The relationship here was a little reminiscent — and I emphasize a little — of the one between Grace and Mandarin in Kirsten Hubbard’s Like Mandarin. As a reader, you’re drawn in entirely, and you’re forced to buy into the mindset of the character telling the story. Falling into Chloe’s mind is easy, especially because she builds up this mythically-real person in Ruby. As I was talking to Kim about what exactly it is that makes Imaginary Girls so creepy, I think that this might be part of it. We buy 100% into the devotion Chloe has for Ruby and we’re buying everything Ruby sells to us, even if it seems absurd, strange, surreal. We want to buy in because she’s magical. She makes things happen and not happen and we’re along for the ride right there with Chloe. This, in conjunction with the real-yet-not-real setting and story, conjures chills for me, even thinking about it months after reading the book.

When I finished the book, I couldn’t help but recall the experience I had reading one of my favorite books for the first time, Aimee Bender’s The Girl in the Flammable Skirt. The moments of magic, the moments of sheer insight into the story and character, and the prose that begs to be read aloud really came together. Fans of Bender, who writes for adults, will find this book one they need to pick up (doesn’t hurt she also blurbs it!). I won’t ruin tomorrow’s Twitterview, where we get a little more insight into the story and inspiration, but this book definitely recalled some of the moments I had in reading Laura Kasischke’s Feathered a few years ago. Fans of contemporary lit will definitely appreciate this story, and those who want a story with a little magic or a little horror will find a lot to like in Suma’s book. There is easy crossover appeal for adults with this book, too.

To the totally superficial, totally unrelated to what Suma herself brings to the book: the cover. When I first saw it, I was attracted, but it was after reading the book and picking up on the purpose of each element in the cover made it a hundred times more powerful. Each of the items — the dress, the girl with the red hair, the ribbon — plays a role in the story, and this cover really sells the book aesthetically, but then it also gives readers an opportunity to put together the pieces.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this will be one of my Printz potential picks this year. It’s different enough with enough appeal for teens to be readable and commercial, but the language and style are so strong, they lift this book to a more literary level, as well. It had a lot of early buzz and press, and it’s my hope that excitement for this title sustains through the year, since it’s one worthy of attention.

Review copies received at ALA and TLA. Imaginary Girls will be released by Penguin Dutton on June 14.

Displacement by Thalia Chaltas

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More than two years ago, I reviewed a little book by then debut author Thalia Chaltas titled Because I am Furniture. It’s one of those books I still think about and one which I still recommend easily to those looking for a read alike to Ellen Hopkins. So when I discovered Chaltas would be releasing her sophomore effort, Displacement, this summer, I was excited to snag a copy at ALA Midwinter and dive in.

Something terrible happened in Vera’s life. There’s been a tragedy, and her family has been completely non-supportive of her life choices. She’s at the end of high school and ready to change, ready to get away. No, make that, she knows she needs to get away from it all and figure out who she is and figure out where to go. The only way to get out from rock bottom is to look up.

So she leaves. She hitch hikes and ends up in the middle of a small desert town where she knows no one and no one knows her. She takes to talking to people in town, takes up residence in an abandoned home, and begins to unravel the secrets lurking beneath this desolate place. But the real question is will Vera ever find herself here? Can she be happy here? Or does her happiness reside where she doesn’t believe it ever could?

Displacement, like Chaltas’s first novel, is told in sparse verse form, though I don’t believe this novel is quite as edgy as Because I am Furniture. It’s a steady paced novel, and the verse form helps speed up the pacing a bit in some of the spots where there is little or no action at all. For me, the verse works fine, but that’s because I found this book, on the whole, to be a little hard to connect with.

Vera, for me, has no voice of her own in this story. We know as readers going on that something has happened, and she drops hints at a loss she’s recently experienced. But it never feels quite convincing. There’s not enough of a back story and not enough investment on behalf of the reader to buy into Vera’s running away from the onset to give her a real voice. Instead, she undulates much like the girl on the cover, and it’s difficult to know whether we feel sorry for her or we don’t (the girl is living in a house that doesn’t belong to her in the sake of “finding herself,” for one thing).

I didn’t find myself engaged with Vera’s struggle, and in fact, there were times I felt she wanted to push me the reader away. As a plot device to show how Vera feels, this works, but to the reader, it’s off putting; if Vera doesn’t give some hint of interest in letting us in, then the story can’t go anywhere. Since this book is so driven by character, not finding a reason to care about Vera made it hard to be invested in her outcome. It also had me questioning whether verse really was as effective here as prose would have been. For me, voice is key for buying into a story — especially one that begins by a girl deciding to drop into a desert town to begin a new life — and the flatness of voice here made it weak.

The desert landscape and desolation, though, are palpable. Chaltas does a great job building place in this story, even if I didn’t necessarily buy Vera’s connection to it. The locals are believable, and I thought that they really added to the greater picture of this small desert town. There’s a bit of dialect, but it works fine, and heightens the place building.

Overall, this book didn’t impress me as much as Chaltas’s first title, nor does it necessarily stand out among much of the stronger contemporary YA fiction out there. That said, those who read her first title will want to check this one out, and I think Ellen Hopkins fans may still find quite a bit to like here, especially when it comes to style and structure (and to a lesser extent, content, since there is edgy stuff included, of course). I wanted more of the plot, and I feel had this book given a little more at the beginning of the story, the ending would have been more powerful and Vera’s voice could have been easier to parse from the story.

Displacement will be available June 7. Book picked up at ALA.

Check it out! Check it out!

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Big news: we’ve got our own domain now. If you regularly reach us through a site reader, you’ll notice nothing new, and if you visit us through our .blogspot.com address, you’ll be automatically redirected.

But check it out — we’re now stackedbooks.org.

The transition was supremely easy, and our fingers are crossed there are no glitches. But if you come across something, drop a line for us.

Relic Master: The Dark City by Catherine Fisher (plus giveaway!)

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I’d read Incarceron, the much-lauded science fiction novel by Catherine Fisher, a year or so ago and was underwhelmed.  I found it interesting and unique, but also a bit densely-written and slow.  Despite the massive twist at the end of the novel, I never did pick up the sequel and didn’t feel compelled to finish the story.

Nonetheless, when I saw her newest novel, The Dark City, at TLA in April, I thought I would give it a shot.  This book, the first in a quartet called Relic Master, was pitched to me as much faster-paced than Incarceron, which was one of the main faults of that story for me.  There’s also no question that Fisher is a wonderful world-builder, which I did appreciate in Incarceron, and I hoped to find that same skill in evidence in her Relic Master series.
In The Dark City, we are introduced to our teenaged protagonist Raffi, an apprentice to relic master Galen.  (I don’t believe he is any relation to this Raffi.  This is an unfortunate name choice for American readers born in the 80s.)  Galen is a member of the Order, a sect of people who hunt down old relics with mystical, sometimes dangerous, technologically advanced power.  The Order has been outlawed by the Watch, a tyrannical group that rules their world of Anara, so Galen and Raffi are constantly on the run.  That doesn’t stop them from hunting down these relics and ensuring they are kept safe.
One day, they’re approached by a man who tells them he’s found a relic, and he needs their help.  Warily,  they go to where he indicates, and they fall right into a trap.  Rather than securing Galen and Raffi’s assistance with a relic, their captor steals one of their own relics and tells them it will be returned to them as long as they do what he asks.
Having no choice, the two venture out on a quest for the trickster and are soon joined by a girl named Carys, a member of the Watch who pretends to be on their side while secretly gathering intelligence.  Though Galen and Raffi are intent on recovering their stolen relic, they also have another goal in mind: find the Crow, a mythical relic (possibly a man) from long ago who may be able to save Anara.  The book trailer below gives a little teaser.

The Dark City is both similar to and different from Incarceron.  The excellent world-building is there, and Fisher again reveals a major twist about the world to the reader at the end.  A sharp reader will have picked up the clues long before the reveal, so it doesn’t come out of nowhere and there’s no feeling of trickery.  Instead, the twist helps illuminate the events of the story.  It also makes the book much more science fiction than fantasy – Fisher is in good company in this respect (think Anne McCaffrey).
In contrast to Incarceron, The Dark City moves along at a much faster clip.  There’s less character development, less time dwelling on the intricacies of the plot, and the world-building is accomplished with as few words as possible.  This is a leaner story, at times a bit too lean, but it kept me engaged and interested.  Although it’s the first in a quartet, it has a solid beginning, middle, and end. 
The Dark City isn’t anything earth-shattering, and I think it’s a bit less technically polished than Incarceron.  I would say it’s also a bit more accessible than her other books and can be enjoyed by a younger audience, as well.  It reminds me a lot of the stories I enjoyed as a tween, when I was still a little intimidated by hard science fiction.  The Dark City is science fiction in disguise, and I enjoyed this first installment enough to pick up the second when it’s published in June.  (Installments three and four follow in July and August, so if you really enjoy the series, you don’t have long to wait.)
If I’ve piqued your interest, we have two finished copies to giveaway thanks to Penguin and Big Honcho Media!  All you need to do is enter the information below.  I need at least your first name and email address so I can contact you if you’re a winner.

Review copy obtained at TLA.

BEA 2011 in Review: It’s Not About the Books

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Last year after Book Expo America (BEA), Kimberly and I offered up a number of posts about the how-tos and we offered tip sheets to make the experience as good as it could be. This year, I think I’m just going to give a look at the highs and lows of this year’s show in hopes of making it clear why this convention is more about the people than the books. I went out for a week this time and did a lot more than last year.

Saturday, May 21

  • Since I didn’t get to my hotel until almost 7 pm, the only thing I had the time/energy for was to grab dinner with people who were both known to me and totally new to me. I met up with Michelle (GalleySmith) and Lenore (Presenting Lenore), both who I hadn’t met before, as well as Liz (A Chair, A Fireplace, and A Tea Cozy), my co-blogger Kimberly and her boyfriend/our periodic contributor Matt (A Walrus Darkly). We went out to dinner at HK, and it was totally clear how exhausted we all were from traveling that day. A quiet night, but it was fantastic to put faces to names.

Sunday, May 22

  • Liz, Michelle, Lenore, and I went to Books of Wonder for a signing with Casey Sciesza and Steven Weinburg (To Timbuktu), Julie Chibarro (Deadly, which I ended up buying), Elizabeth Scott (Between Here and Forever), Amy Ignatow (The Popularity Papers), Megan McCafferty (Bumped), and Melissa Kantor (The Darlings Are Forever). They all talked a bit about their books and why/how they got into writing, though I have to say that it was Megan McCafferty who really captured my attention. She discussed the satire of her story, and I quite enjoyed hearing her talk about reader reaction to her book. Before the signing, the four of us grabbed lunch at Good Times Diner, where we got to talk about blogging, authors, books, and other bloggers. Great conversation with three very intelligent ladies.
  • After our adventure, I went back to my hotel, then met up with Kim and Matt again to have dinner together. We had Thai food at Thai Select and discussed super secret blog things.
  • Kim, Matt, and I ventured to New York City’s infamous STRAND bookstore. We spent quite a while wandering the stacks — most of the 18 miles of them — but all we walked away with was a tea mug (for me). I was quite impressed with their YA selection, as well as their graphic novel section.

Monday, May 23

  • In the early afternoon, the roommates, along with Kim, Matt, Michelle, Lenore, and Liz, all journeyed to the offices of Simon and Schuster for a Book Blogger Preview of their upcoming fall titles. It was a bit crowded, as S&S invited 60 bloggers to the event. We got to hear from Elizabeth Miles talk about her new book Fury (which I mentioned earlier is the first book out of Lauren Oliver’s Paper Lantern Lit), then we had boxed sandwich lunch (something that was a little too common and challenging for someone who doesn’t eat mayonnaise to tackle this week), and then we heard from Ellen Hopkins, who read from her forthcoming Perfect. Between Miles and lunch, we got a preview from the publicist of their fall books, and the vast majority were sequels or companions to other books.
  • One of the things that the reps talked about was the repackaging and retitling of Robin Wasserman’s Skinned trilogy. I popped the image here for you to look at. For me, this is extremely disturbing. There were lots of oohs and aahs from the audience, but Kim and I looked at each other in shock: look how unnaturally thin that model is. Look at how it also seems to objectify the female body. For me, this is really quite disturbing. I can’t say it’s a repackage I’m at all excited about.
  • One of the other portions of this event was a publicists-asking-the-bloggers question period, and it was then that Kim and I really felt like strange people. Lots of the bloggers offered answers to questions that we are of completely opposites minds about, but it sort of proved to us that we are confident about what we’re doing and are comfortable with how we approach things. An interesting discussion of book trailers/countdown widgets (which we don’t use), along with what felt like a lot of, well, entitlement to free things. There were no single culprits, but as a whole, it was a little uncomfortable to hear how much bloggers believe they deserve free things. All and all, I was a little let down by the preview — I’m entirely grateful to have been invited, for sure, but the books discussed didn’t get me as excited as they got other readers and the discussion didn’t get me fired up. Perhaps it’s simply a matter of being tired of the series books or being pretty familiar with the audience we reach here at STACKED.
  • After the S&S preview, Michelle and I made our way to the Mulberry Street Library for the Teen Author Carnival. The program was crammed in much too small quarters, and the basement of the library was sweltering. Michelle and I snaked our way into the back of the room for the first panel, Otherworldly Adventures. After we snagged standing spaces in the back, it got entirely too hot for Michelle, and she snuck back out. I wanted to leave, but after what was a cab ride from hell to get there, I was going to tough it out. Before the panel started, I ran into Melissa Walker, and I finally got to meet Michael Northrop, who I had a delightful conversation about level two noodling with. Standing for the hour long panel in such a hot room was less than wonderful, but the group of authors who spoke on this topic were interesting to hear from. After that panel, I decided I couldn’t handle the idea of getting out of that room and I waited to grab a chair from a departer, and I ended up sitting in on the panel of debut authors. It was interesting to hear from them, and after their discussion, I went and introduced myself to Kirsten Hubbard (who, along with her cobloggers at YA Highway are co-sponsoring the ALA YA Blogger Meetup) and to Nova Ren Suma, who you’ll be hearing from a little later this week on the blog. The signing room got way too crowded, hot, and disorganized for me to handle, so as soon as the second panel finished, I got out of there and headed back to the hotel to relax the rest of the evening.

Tuesday, May 24

  • Book Expo America officially opened. I met up with Kim and Matt again to hit the exhibition floor all day. To be perfectly honest, day 1 was a letdown. The publishers seemed to be really only pushing a small number of titles this year, as opposed to last year, and there seemed to be hours between new books appeared on the floor and new discussion emerged about exciting titles. This was also the day of the LJ Librarian’s Lunch, which Kim and I RSVP’d to. When we got there, they had nothing to drink (we’re talking not even water pitchers on the table), and their lunch option was a sandwich in a box (with, again, no indication of whether sandwiches were slathered in mayo or not). We were really disappointed and ended up not sticking around because it would have been two more hours of being unable to eat.
  • We didn’t make a plan for the floor that day, except for one: I wanted to meet Tyra Banks at Random House. And, after waiting in a “not line” and then an official line for an hour, I got my brush of fame. Check out her posing for my camera! After that event, we were ready to call it a night.

Wednesday, May 25

  • This was, by far, my favorite day of BEA. Janssen finally arrived, and I was excited to see her since I haven’t seen her since I graduated from Texas in 2008. She, Kim, Matt, and I waited in line to get into the convention center early, and then we also met up with Tiffany (@TiffanyE). The floor was insane that day, but we made a schedule this time and got to meet a number of authors/books we wanted. It seemed like there was more to look at and hear about on Wednesday, though still, there were only so many times I could ask the reps their favorite titles for fall and hear the same two books over and over. Neither of which really clicked for me.
  • Perhaps one of the highlights of the entire event for me was grabbing a snack with Melissa Walker. We’d run into one another at the Teen Author Carnival, but we wanted to talk a little longer and made a date to connect here. When we got the chance to, we also heard from Michael Northrop, so he joined in. It was a fantastic discussion about books and reading, as well as sports, teens, and book blurbs. This really got my mind going on some career-related stuff, and it was a wonderful chance to talk books with people who really know them, too.
  • After BEA, Kim, Matt, Janssen, and I hit up Cafe Andalucia Tapas Bar, where we each had one appetizer and probably each consumed a pitcher of water. Again, great conversation about books and blogging. We were invited that evening to a Blogger Appreciation Event by Harper Collins, but we decided in lieu of another too small venue with too many people event, we’d hit up Pinkberry. It was a great choice.
  • I went home and began my first BEA book: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.

Thursday, May 26

  • BEA floor, day three. This time I got to the front of the line, since I didn’t sleep that evening and decided just to go when I was ready and read in line. We had a few signings we wanted to make, including one with Steve Brezenoff. He signed finished copies of Brooklyn, Burning which I really loved (review closer to pub date — you’re in for a real treat here). We then hit up a signing of Dinosaur vs. The Potty and a few others. At the very end of the show, the folks at Scholastic really treated me well and let me have first crack at all of the advanced titles they’d had on display vs. ones on the floor (which really means, their summer releases they brought only one copy of, rather than fall releases they had piles of).
  • Janssen and I met up with the lovely Sarah Darer Littman at the conclusion of the show and chatted for a couple of hours. Again, it’s these sorts of discussions where so much value lies in BEA: what Melissa and Michael got churning in my head, Sarah continued. I’ve got something I want to pursue, I think. So while picking up books was a lot of fun, getting a spark for the future is invaluable.
  • After BEA concluded, Janssen and I went up to the Scholastic store for their This Is Teen launch party, which included Libba Bray, Maggie Steifvater, and Meg Cabot. Before going in, we grabbed lunch (at 5 pm, we were able to still order lunch), and then we met up with Matt and Kim at Scholastic. When we got there, though, my name wasn’t on the guest list, despite knowing I RSVP’d because I sent my confirmation then sent the invite to Janssen (who WAS on the list). It was an incredibly frustrating experience to stand there and be told that the contact person I had heard from didn’t work there and couldn’t be reached and that security didn’t know what to do. So, I decided I was leaving — and that’s when someone chased me down and told me I could come. When we got up to the party, though, we didn’t get name tags and felt like we definitely didn’t belong. Again, lots of bloggers were there, and I had no idea what we were supposed to do, given we had no name tags…and we ended up leaving shortly after arriving.
  • My roommates and I ended the evening back at Pinkberry. I cannot get over their green tea yogurt.

Friday, May 27

  • Book Blogger Convention: keynotes from the blogger at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. She talked about reading and books, and I couldn’t help but think about how little people who attend things like this understand about librarian conferences. There’s a misconception that librarian conventions herald the book and written word, when in my experience, it’s quite the opposite. An interesting conundrum I contemplated during the convention. We then heard from a panel of publicists and enjoyed a delicious lunch with a fantastic salad/sandwich bar (and no mayo!). It was during lunch I met one of the 2012 debut authors, Hilary Weisman Graham. She’s written Reunited, a contemporary ya novel. We had a wonderful bonding over contemporary titles, and I’m eager to read her book next year, for sure.
  • After lunch, we hit a session on blogging ethics (which, unfortunately, many of the attendees needing to hear this had skipped for the other session), and we went to one on technology. I found all of the sessions a little lengthy and little new territory was really hit, which is why I haven’t expanded on much. For new bloggers, the learning opportunities here were huge, and it’s my only hope they walked away with something.
  • I said goodbye to many friends today, and I spent the evening packing my stuff and, err, eating way more dessert than was necessary. I was ready to go home.

Impressions and Thoughts:

  • I found this year’s BEA floor to be a real disappointment, with a lack of any attention for contemporary titles and a huge push on just a couple of buzz titles. Some of the buzz titles were in such high demand that many people acted like animals when they saw it available. Reading this PW article made me sick — the entitlement some bloggers felt they had to take, take, take really made me hurt a bit about what we’re doing here and being associated with people who act that way.
  • Being on the floor this year and talking with publishers this year made me realize that what we do here on STACKED is what I love to do. A lot of people want answers to blogging — how to do it, how to write their reviews (seriously, someone asked the publishers how to write their reviews), how often to post, how they can ask for free stuff — and it made me realize that we have a good handle on what we’re doing here. We’re passionate about talking about all the elements of a book and reviewing it. And by that, we mean offering insights into what worked and didn’t work in a title, who it will appeal to, and whether it’s one worth sinking hours into or skimming. You know how we feel about a title, but that’s not the only thing you hear about. We’ll never simply post a like it/hated it from us. It’s incredibly time consuming, but it’s worthwhile. One of the questions someone asked at the Book Blogger Con really stuck with me, and that was how people find the time to keep blogging. The hard and simple truth is this: you find time for the things you are passionate about. Time is always on your own side when you love what you do, but there are sacrifices you sometimes have to make. There’s no magical answer except to make it your passion.
  • I’ve come to realize that YA Contemporary books are much like YA librarians: misunderstood and easily overlooked, despite the fact they make a huge impact on individuals. Sure, they’re not flashy, sure they’re not earning big bucks or garnering 6-figure marketing deals, but they impact the lives of people greatly. I wish it were easier to make this point and I wish it weren’t the case. But it is what it is.
  • The back channel is important: I had some of the best book related conversations off the BEA floor via email and Twitter chatter with other authors and readers who weren’t able to attend the convention. Having these dialogs is so important for not only understanding what we do, but also for what I mentioned earlier about finding time for your passion. The more you talk about it, the more passionate you get and the more ideas you generate.
  • People Matter: Did you notice so little of my talk about what stood out to me each day was about the pile of books I got? It’s because it wasn’t the key goal I had this year. I wanted to talk with people, generate interesting discussion, and feel pumped to do something. After a number of really powerful discussions, I feel like there is a huge opportunity for me (one I can’t talk too much about at this juncture) but one that excites me and energizes me. The more I talked, the more it became apparent.
  • Some bloggers leave a stale taste in my mouth. The immaturity, the quest to take, take, take, and the lack of knowing some of the key forces in the YA world really blew my mind (though that goes back to the first point, I think). Kim and I have joked more than a little about being called elitist, but I think it’s because we come from a different perspective than many a blogger. We blog for our colleagues, who are other professionals (librarians, educators, etc.). We have different goals and aims than a lot of the bloggers who came out, and it was challenging to open up good dialog in that context. 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. And that was obvious left and right, and it was obvious when one of the publishers said, point blank, they were hoarding some of their books because bloggers were taking multiple copies, leaving none for librarians or book sellers. Yikes!

Interesting Trends:

  • It’s obvious that dystopia is still THE big genre right now. That, along with books about girls in car crashes waking up, books featuring older teens (18 and 19), and books with “fantastical elements” really stood out to me.
  • Middle grade books look to be quite strong this year. This was the first time they held a middle grade buzz panel, and I noticed a lot of love for middle grade books.
  • There were a lot of debut titles dropped this year, which is exciting. There were also a million and two series books dropped this year, which is less exciting for me. Where are the good stand alones? I think we need a renaissance in this arena.
  • James Dashner must never sleep with the number of books he blurbed this fall.

Finally:

  • I’m not sure I’ll go to BEA next year. I had fun and met some wonderful people, but the atmosphere and the crowds, as well as the lack of total passion for the things I’m passionate about in the lit world, made me consider my reason for attending. I feel like I get a lot more out of the ALA conferences, both from the panel perspective and from the talking-to-publicists perspective. Do I think I’ll be envious of those attending if I choose not to go? I’m not sure. It seems that those participating in Armchair BEA had some great conversations and opportunities, too, and I think that might be enough for me in the future.
  • Moving BEA to the first week of June next year only reemphasizes to me a point I heard for the last couple of years: BEA is not librarian friendly. June is the worst month to host a convention you expect librarians to attend, both from the fact it’s when summer reading programs begin and the fact that’s when ALA hosts their huge annual convention. Taking two weeks off in one month is impossible. I also think moving it to the first week of June will open it up to more people who may not be in it for the right reasons.
  • Three books were read in my time in NYC: Karsten Knight’s Wildefire (a funny paranormal book that I enjoyed, despite being totally not my usual fair); Tracey Porter’s Lark (a short, slightly creepy story about a girl who disappears and her relationship to two other girls); and the Asher/Mackler book, The Future of Us.
  • Finally, for those curious about my bold claim last year that I only spent about $1000, I’ll say I think I spent about $1000 this year, too. Which, for a week in New York City, I think is pretty impressive.