September 2011 on the Blog

This month I reviewed
The Best and Hardest Thing, by Pat Brisson
An Off Year, by Claire Zulkey
Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver
The Day Before, by Lisa Schroeder
Jessie <3 NYC, by Keris Stainton

I also talked about songs that could be YA novels and the books I want to reread, as well as giving a bunch of contemporary YA recommendations.

On Titles

Whenever I try to do a post on titles it turns into a mess, but the truth is that titles intrigue me. Especially titles for books that aren't out yet and might not even have a title or synopsis. For those of us who follow our favorite authors on Twitter and their blogs, a title is often the first we find out about any upcoming books and I often find myself adding books to my wishlist based solely on the author and title. And then, once I read a book, the title often takes on a slightly new meaning. The book either lives down or lives up to its title, depending on how good the story and title are.

Here are some titles to a few books I've read somewhat recently.

Jessie <3 NYC - Honestly, even if I hadn't read Keris Stainton's previous novel and wasn't already a fan of her having talked to her a bit on Twitter, I still would have wanted to read this based on the title alone. It's so cute! So New-York-y and also a bit internet-y at the same time

The Day Before - I'm sure this title is probably one meant to provoke questions (the day before what, exactly?) but for me it just hit as a very bland title, similar to Sometimes It Happens. What drew me to this book instead was the fact that I like the author (are we sensing a trend here?) and the fact that the book is told in verse, which I love.

Before I Fall - You guys, it took way too long for me to actually "get" this title, but now that I do I absolutely love it and think it fits the book perfectly.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot - This is one of those titles that I completely love and it was a huge part of the reason I wanted to read the book in the first place. And it does fit the story, but I think the title is, overall, better than the book, which always leaves me with a strange feeling of unmet potential.

So what about you guys - do you pay attention to titles? And if so, how much? Does it affect your reading/buying habits? What are some of your favorite titles?

40 Day Book Challenge - Favorite YA (07)

Day 07 - A favorite YA book
You'd think this would be crazy difficult for me to choose, but it's really not. There are tons of YA books I absolutely love, but at the top of the heap is this one, that I can reread over and over again and always makes me laugh and is incredibly relatable for me. I really do think you should read it. See if you love it as much as I do.

Tuesday Ten: Books I Want to Reread

1. Before I Fall

Lauren Oliver

It hasn't been long since I read this the first time but it's the sort of book I wish I were always reading because it's just that good, that amazing, that breathtaking. I think it needs to be a yearly reread.

2. Imaginary Girls

Nova Ren Suma

Another amazing book and one that delves so deeply into sister relationships. Though Ruby had a creepy hold on her younger sister and there's a lot of fantastical-ness, there's also a lot of emotions and dynamics between the sisters that ring incredibly true.

3. I Now Pronounce You Someone Else

Erin McCahan

At this point Bronwen is like an old friend and I miss her. I want to jump into her story, her journey, all over again.

4. serafina67

Susie Day

Like with Before I Fall, this is a book I wish I could always be reading. It's one of the few books (maybe the ONLY book) that I will sometimes pull from the shelf just to open to a random page and start reading. It's my go-to book and I really wish I could read this for the first time again. I love it so much.

5. Mockingjay

Susanne Collins

I guess if you're going to read Mockingjay over, you should probably read the first two as well. But as much as I love the trilogy as a whole and the first two books in the series, this is the one that really really really captured me. It's just amazing, pretty much perfect as a story in its own right as well as the ending to the Hunger Games series.

6. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

E. Lockhart

I don't even have to explain this one, do I?

7. Bloomability

Sharon Creech

One of my favorite books ever, I always have the fear that reading this again won't be the same as it was when I was younger. Honestly I think that's a huge part of the reason that, while I've been wanting to read it for months, I haven't yet. Sad, right?

8. How I Live Now

Meg Rosoff

This book both fascinated and freaked me out. It's definitely one of my favorites and I want to reread it to see if I have the same sorts of reactions that I had the first time around.

9. The Great Good Thing

Roderick Townley

Everyone who hasn't read this incredible book, GO DO IT NOW. NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW!!!

10. Leverage

Joshua C. Cohen

This book is so disturbing. And while part of me (a large part) wants to read it over again, another part of me is afraid to. I had such a visceral reaction the first time around (curled up, wincing, reading through squinted eyes the way you'd watch a scary movie). But KURT BRODSKY IS AMAZING. And just for him alone, if nothing else, I want to reread it.

YA News: Jodi Picoult

Alright, I know quite a few authors who traditionally write adult novels have tried their hand at YA lately. Those ladies who wrote The Magnolia League, Harlan Coban, and a few years ago Andrea Seigel with The Kid Table. The fact that these authors don't usually write YA isn't something I often know because to be honest I don't pay a whole ton of attention to adult publishing.

And all of this is to say that Jodi Picoult, one of the adult writers I do pay attention to, has a YA co-written with her daughter coming out next year. And I have to say, I'm pretty excited about it. Picoult's novels are kind of hit-and-miss with me but she's a stellar writer and Between the Lines sounds like it could be a really funny, really sweet book.

It also sounds, even aside from the genre change, a huge departure from the novels Picoult normally writes. Between the Lines is about a "prince who wants to break free from his fairy-tale existence, and the girl who falls for him while reading." A romance! About a prince stuck in a book! And I know that authors who write a book in a new genre (whether it's YA, paranormal, contemporary, crime, romance, fantasy, whatever) have a bit of an uphill battle, but I have to say: I'm psyched about this book. It sounds really good.

So what do you guys think about Jodi Picoult writing a YA novel?

Review: Jessie Hearts NYC

JESSIE <3 NYC
Keris Stainton
Orchard 

When Jessie travels from Manchester to New York City to stay with her mother for the summer, she has her sights on exploring the city she's long been obsessed with, forgetting her ex-boyfriend, and maybe dating the star of her mother's new Broadway play. Meanwhile NYC teen Finn is in love with his best friend's girl and trying to find a way to tell his strict family that he'd rather not major in business. These two just might be the right fit, but in a city the size of New York they keep just missing each other.

It's incredibly rare that I find a book and think man, I wish this were a movie, but Jessie <3 NYC definitely made me think that. The cute story is reminiscent of great NYC love stories -- You've Got Mail and Serendipity just to name two. With romantic leads that are often in the same place at the same (or almost same) time, who bump into each other on more than one occasion, there was a sense of happenstance here that works so well on screen. Unfortunately, it's harder to make this work on the page and many things that would seem surprising or quirky in a movie fell a little flat here.

The characters, especially Jessie, are likable and often in difficult situations. While Finn's wealthy, business-obsessed family would be disappointed to learn he hates the business world, Jessie's friction with her mother is the subplot that really shines. Jessie's mother, a playwright who has recently moved to New York along with her Broadway show, Small Changes, is, to Jessie's mind, distant, self-absorbed and obsessed with her work. She cares more about her writing than her daughter.

As a writer myself, this made me uncomfortable especially as, in some ways, I saw myself in some of the things Jessie's mother did, especially when it came to getting super-involved in her fictional world. However, this uncomfortableness is one of the best parts of the book, in my opinion. Instead of getting a one-dimensional mother-daughter relationship, the reader, along with Jessie, slowly learns the complexities and realities of her mother.

I liked the setting of New York City, especially seen through the eyes of two characters with very different perspectives (one from Europe and one raised in NYC). For those who love books set in NYC, this is definitely one I'd read. And while there were a few plot points that felt anticlimactic, over all this was a cute and sweet story, but for me the relationship between Jessie and her mother - especially as the story goes on - is what really made the book.

PS. DID I MENTION IT'S A UK NOVEL AND VERY FANCY BRITISH? It is.

Oh, hey there.

Whenever I don't blog for a while I sort of forget how to. I start a new post and end up staring at the blank screen with no idea what to say.

But hello! I haven't meant to be gone, it's just happened that way. But I have so much I want to talk about: adult writers trying their hand at YA (Jodi Picoult is writing a YA book, didja hear?), reviews of books I've read lately, and, because there's more to life than books, also the fall TV shows I've seen.

So look forward to that soon.

Also: I definitely do not recommend "checking" tumblr when you're supposed to be writing. It's a black hole worse than tv tropes, I swear.