My John Green Dream

I admit to having a literary crush on John Green.

He's a talented writer and he's a total, unabashed geek. He's perfect.

But last night I had a dream that could tarnish my admiration for the man. I know it wasn't real but still...

Last night I dreamed that John Green swung by this blog and commented about it on his own.

Awesome huh? Not so much.

Turns out my inability to detect typos came into play. Dream John read one of my posts and quoted it on his blog to ridicule my poor grammar. Dream John humiliated me...and my poor typing ability. (Dream analysis might say that my role as a teacher, my marking of my students and my admiration for the real JG manifested itself in me taking the student role and JG the teacher. Or I might be mental. You choose.)

Sigh. Dream John, I thought you were better than that!

EDIT - I was mortified and thrilled that John actually found this blog entry and chose to leave a comment. I like Real John a lot better lol.

I saw this over at Read Alert and I had to post it. Look out John, I plan to meet you when you are in Melbourne for the Reading Matters conference in May!

Introducing...The Read Carpet, Episode 001

The Read Carpet is a podcast made by an assortment of bloggers to talk about our favourite subject - YA literature.

Many individuals you are very familiar with have contributed to this podcast - Hope, Kristi, Lenore, Taren, Justin, Renee, and myself. Steph, Jocelyn, Lauren, Renay and others will be on board as of episode 2. Each person has their own segment telling you about YA books of interest. (Find out who's on board already by exploring The Read Carpet (TRC) Roll of Honour in the right navigation bar.)

This is our first episode of many. So our audio isn't exactly where we want it yet but we'll get there. We intend to release an episode every two weeks with a rotating roster of contributors with their own take on the YA world. iTunes should be available from the 1st of February but until then you can listen on the media player below or over at http://thereadpodcast.podbean.com/. At this site you can see the list of sources mentioned by each contributors, website links and a blogroll listing each of the contributors blogs.

We have spots open for other contributors, so if you think you can commit to a 5 minute segment once a month email in with your pitch! If you are more artistically inclined, take a stab at designing a icon for us. If you compose and record music, maybe you could create something as our intro music? Jump on board!

Website - http://thereadcarpet.podbean.com/
Voicemail - (206) 339 3245 (USA, local call charges apply)
Email - thereadcarpet[AT]gmail.com



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If I Stay / Gayle Forman

Summary - Everybody has to make choices. Some might break you. For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend decisions might seem tough, but they're all about a future full of music and love, a future that's brimming with hope. But life can change in an instant. A cold February morning ...a snowy road ...and suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone. Except one. As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all.

Review - I have had a continuous stream of tears running down my cheeks for the last few hours. Between Jenny Downham (Before I Die) and Gayle Foreman, I have cried a lifetime of tears this past week. My house mate asked 'why do you put yourself through it?' I had to think about it, for a fraction of a second, before I answered 'because every word is worth it'.

Simply, this book wouldn't be the emotional cruncher it is without some superb writing from Forman. Without giving too much away, she makes all characters in this story extremely real. It starts off as many YA stories do, some froth and a lot of great dialogue between Mia and her family. Once that chapter is finished, the tone completely changes. Mia and her family are involved in an accident and Mia's trapped in limbo, witnessing the lives of those who care for her, and those she cares for in return, without the power to do anything but watch.

Forman walks the line between Mia's recollections and the present with ease. Too often a book similar in intent would be manipulative, but I didn't feel this at all. I felt Forman's love for each one of these people, as if they were her own. That Mia's loss, was her loss. The empathy that courses through this book is both inspiring and astounding.

Despite the somewhat dark subject matter this is a story of hope, life affirmation and all that it brings. The relationship between Mia and Adam is honest, they might be in love but they have real problems and they aren't all solved with a snap of their fingers. Kim is an amazing best friend, sarcastic and strong, her appearances in the book are bold and bursting with love. I particularly love an incident in the playground that was the inception of the girl's friendship. Mia's parents made a huge impression on me, they sounded familiar, as if I had met them but avoiding anything resembling a cliche. The hospital staff, particularly Nurse Ramirez with her biting wisdom and infinite care, also made an impression on me. How much did she really know? Mia's grandparents melted my heart, I have always heard how outliving one's child is the worst thing imaginable but these two transcend the situation with some honesty and hope. I was shocked by how quickly this story and girl sucked me in - as the tears would attest.

Music has a large role in this book but it's never clunky or awkward. Mia is somewhat of a cello prodigy and her boyfriend, Adam fronts a band called the Shooting Star. Her father is a former punk and her mother was one of those feminist rock chicks, both parents still retain their rockin' sensibilities. When reading the acknowledgements I wasn't surprised to see that Forman had been listening to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's 'Falling Slowly' (from the movie Once) while writing this novel, you could feel the song's influence throughout each page. I think that could be the best comparison for this novel, it is to the written word as Falling Slowly is to your ears - emotive, heartwarming, stirring, powerful and memorable.

This novel is about love. Love for your family and the family you make for yourself. The strength to follow your passion, to love your parents unconditionally and they for you, to have belief in people, to embrace music and life. It is also about choice, when no two options are easy, what would you do?

I ask: how long will it take for you to get your hands on this book?

Published: April 2009

Format: Paperback, 224 pages

Publisher: Random House

Origin: USA

_ _ _

Gayle Forman's website

An excerpt

Gayle Forman's blog

** Summit Picture (yes, the home of Twilight) has purchased the film rights to this novel.

Cracked Up To Be / Courtney Summers

Guest reviewer, Shabbygeek, gives her two cents worth on this novel I am excited to read. Comments are always appreciated. Thanks C.

Review - I first became curious about author Courtney Summers when I discovered her after browsing my various networks of Twitter. You could say I might have been bored that day in September of '08. Anyway, Summers would make random, hilarious comments about Stephenie Meyer's Twilight and as a fan of the book and as a fan of humor, I instantly liked her.

I discovered her website and her corresponding blog. This girl was not just a funny Twitterer, she was a hilarious blogger. She was really a funny person, and had a YA novel coming out at the end of the year, Cracked Up to Be.

For a laugh-out-loud, witty girl, Summers can serve up funny on a platter and you can feed on it for days. After reading Cracked Up to Be, I discovered that not only can she serve up funny, but she can throw brutal honesty, razor-sharp pain, transparency, confusion, manipulation, and humility all on that same plate. You'd ask her for seconds. I wasn't the biggest fan of high school. Parker Fadley, CUTB's protagonist, isn't either. She isn't a likable person, but she's so deeply scarred, cold, reckless and piercingly decided at the same time you're dying to figure her out the entire novel. Summers writes Fadley as a stream-of-consciousness, a writing style I wasn't familiar with, but didn't despise in the least. You're surprised by her scorn of her peers, and intrigued that she doesn't seem to care. You're stuck inside the head of someone so darkened by recent events, and you feel trapped there, uncomfortable for prying in on her thoughts and hurt, but not necessarily wanting to escape.

Cracked Up to Be isn't for those looking for a YA sappy love story. There's pages of language, booze, backstabbing, selfishness, and a lot of teenage irresponsibility littered throughout this book. There's a bit of mystery involved, but the novel is a character piece at heart. You're trying to figure out a character who believes she's figured out herself, and the story arc will have you wringing your hands in anticipation as its hurried, deliberate, and sharp words sting your eyes as you read each page.

Cracked Up to Be feels like an indie film, one that's viciously honest and touchingly sincere, displayed in short bits of flashbacks and flash-forwards. High school certainly wasn't the best years for some, and this is a great creation of one of those tales. Summers certainly has made a lasting impression for her first novel, and I'm anxious for more to follow.

Published: 2008
Format: Paperback
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Origin: USA
_ _ _
Courtney Summers' blog
Courtney Summers' website
Courtney Summers' twitter

Anne Shirley circa 1926

Lenore willed it, so here it is.

According to Cornstalk Publishing Co. - Anne Shirley looks like this.
I don't know what disturbs me more about 1926 Anne Shirley:
1) She's been taking powdering hints from the Twilight movie makeup artist,
2) She believes there is no such a thing as too much blush,
3) Marilla didn't tame that bed head,
4) She's reserved, or
5) All of the above.

Feel free to add to the list.

Something New(ish). Something Old

I love this book. I found it in a used book store about five years ago and it's just so cool. The inside page has a real cool old picture of what Anne Shirley is supposed to look like.

I saw this and gasped, I had to have it. Isn't it the most gorgeous boxset?

For those that can't see, the titles are: The Secret Garden, Little Woman and A Little Princess. I love what Penguin Classics are doing with these iconic novels, the Anne of Green Gables one is delish also.

Interview - Simmone Howell

Simmone Howell kindly answered some questions pertaining to her newest release, Everything Beautiful this week. I spent many hours reading her blogs learning that she loves some of the same things I do - Veronica Mars, Gidget, Pretty in Pink, Elvis movies (when he was young and handsome) and an awesome used book collection (seriously check out the photos on her blog). It makes her not only a fabulous author but a pretty darned cool person too.

From reading your blog I got the impression that you've had every bad camp experience humanly possible; was this inspiration for Everything Beautiful?
Yes, there was always a camp story waiting to come out. I like stories that are set in isolated places. You are always a stranger when you take yourself out of context.

Having glimpsed at other reviews, I continue to be shocked at the negative spin some reviewers place on Riley's swearing, smoking and tumbling. Many seem to think that teens should only read sanitised versions of themselves. How much does censorship play a part in YA?

Maybe I’d be on more school lists if my characters were a little more vanilla, or had issues that tied in with curriculum. But I hate issues books, and it bothers me when I read YA and the author won’t let their characters swear. Words are supposed to be fun. And swearing can be fun and creative. I am thinking it might be time to reintroduce Elizabethan swears. Shakespeare was bawdy as. For the Elizabethan curse generator go here: http://www.trevorstone.org/curse/

In one of your blog entries you apologised to Everything Beautiful for being Jan Brady, struck with second child syndrome. How did the experiences differ between Everything Beautiful and Notes from the Underground?

With NFTU I was doing rewrites with a three-month old in one arm and a laptop in the other. I often felt like I was losing control of the story. EB was a faster, more assured process. I had a deadline – also I wanted to get it finished by the time I moved house. I tend to plan books to coincide with big life changes.

"Match me; light my fire." This is the first thing Dylan says Riley, is he challenging her?

Yeah – and he’s quoting some old forties film as well.

I am partial to Clambake, what is your favourite Elvis movie?

I love Clambake! Possibly because of Bill Bixby. And Elvis is just so happy in that film. I also love Kid Galahad – it has one of my favourite lines: ‘Don’t push me Willy, this is one grease monkey who won’t slide so easy…’ And I also love Speedway because Nancy Sinatra is kinda skanky in it. And Blue Hawaii because it’s set in Hawaii. I spent my childhood watching Elvis movies on Saturday afternoons. They’re like comfort movies for me.

Riley is overweight, an unlikely trait in a YA Literature protagonist. Why do you think that this kind of central character is rare?

Cynical response. I think the idea is to appeal to the lowest common denominator. So your main character should be someone who everyone can see something of themselves in. And no one wants to be fat. It’s the same reason why they won’t put a fat person on the cover. No one wants to be seen reading a book about a fat person. There are some great YA books with fat girls though. I particularly enjoyed Fat, A Love Story by Barbra Wersba.

You were chosen as the Gold Inky recipient in 2007 for NFTU. What is it like to be recognised this way by the Australian YA community?

To have my first book recognised like that was just a dream come true. I still can’t quite believe it happened. I’m just getting to know the Australian YA community. Baby steps. Everyone is spread out, but it’s nice to see more OZYA writers online. >

I have to know - Moondoggie, Logan Echolls or Ducky?

The Big Kahuna. What’s not to love about a big guy who lives on the beach, drinks java and doesn’t want to work?

OoOoO

Thank you so much Simmone for taking the time to answer these questions. Stay tuned for Simmone's guest blog in the future.

I tried the Elizabethan Curse Generator and it's fabulous. Here's some doozies -

** Thou reeky shard-borne flax-wench!
** Thou goatish pottle-deep nut-hook!
** Thou rank fat-kidneyed death-token!

How did it know? That sounds just like me!

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Cracked Up To Be / Courtney Summers

Perfect Parker Fadley isn’t so perfect anymore. She’s quit the cheerleading squad, she’s dumped her perfect boyfriend, and she’s failing school. Her parents are on a constant suicide watch and her counselors think she’s playing games…but what they don’t know, the real reason for this whole mess, isn’t something she can say out loud. It isn’t even something she can say to herself. A horrible thing has happened and it just might be her fault. If she can just remove herself from everybody--be totally alone--then everything will be okay...The problem is, nobody will let her.

So everyone and their dog has read this book - with the exception of me! I am still grieving the fact that Australia doesn't get Along for the Ride until July - oh the injustice! (Lenore, I love you for trying, fingers crossed.)

In the meantime, Courtney's blog does nicely.

Happy Tag!

I was tagged by Thao for this meme.

Rules of the tag:
- Link to the person who tagged you
- List 6 things that make you happy
- Post the rules, tag 6 others and let them know you did so
- Then tell the person who tagged you your entry is finished!

SIX things that make me HAPPY:
** Diet Coke.
** New Friends.
** iTunes reviews for my podcasts.
** Spending Sunday in bed reading.
** Discovering a author.
** TV on DVD - Veronica Mars, Friday Night Lights, Battlestar Galactica, Gilmore Girls, Mad Men...the list could go on forever.

Six Bloggers That Can Share the Happy-
Hope at Hope's Bookshelf
Kristi at Story Siren
Steph at Reviewer X
Lauren at Shooting Stars Mag
Alea at Pop Culture Junkie
Taren at The Chick Manifesto

Chasing Boys / Karen Tayleur

Summary -Life, for Ariel Marini, is complicated.

She's in love with a boy who doesn't know she exists. The boy's stuck-up Miss Perfect girlfriend seems to be trying to make friends with her. Her own friends are being totally weird. And some bad-boy type called Gaston gave her his number. And she put it in her underwear drawer.

Review - This is the first YA novel from Karen Tayleur but before I start talking about the book I want to make a note of the dedication "For Toph. A boy who chased me until I caught him", altogether now awwww.

To be honest I really don't have a clear grip on what I think about this book. The ebb and flow of is inconsistant but I think that's deliberate, due to the protagonist's perspective. El is still numb from the fallout that was her life eighteen months prior. The only reason to live, she thinks, is Eric. Now Eric is one of those typically blond, floppy haired boys that is two-dimentional for a reason, he doesn't possess a third. His cousin, Gaston, is a broody artistic type with a penchant for truth telling, in the vein of Sarah Dessen's Wes (The Truth About Forever), that made me instantly like him. Gaston seems to situation himself into El's life but always on the periphery, making comments but not really commiting. Although I think he had my heart when he held a napkin to her nose and told her to blow!

El's best friends, Margot and Desi are pretty hilarious. The monotone, queen of negativity and the bubbly, space cadet are both types that I have in my own friend arsenal. I had to laugh when El's internal dialogue notes that Desi would flirt with King Kong if she had the chance, such is her affinity for the male species. What I liked about this friendship group is that they invented a game of which I wish I played. They call it the 'best-case film scenarios' where they apply a scene from a movie into a situation in their real life. They referenced The Breakfast Club and Tayleur had me!

Depression is a theme that runs throughout but there is plenty of humour mixed up in the narrative as well. During a kissing scene (I won't reveal who), El has an enourmous amount of thought traffic, one of which was hilariously -

"I think he just drank some coke".

Despite the crushes and the humour, there are some hometruths about El's life that slowly get revealed. Her family's structure and financial status have altered radically and it's affected her in ways she might not have fully processed. I like the pace in which El starts finding herself again, the Radio SRN scenes were great as I could relate as a podcaster. I really liked Karen's take on teenager life, some characters could have been fleshed out more but I liked El's voice and that she didn't try and mimic teen speak like so many author's try (and fail) to do.

I have three questions though: 1) How did Gaston's scar come to be? 2) Why did no one ever remark on the fact that Gaston is a weird name? and 3) Does Karen Tayleur secretly love Beauty and the Beauty (there's Bella and Gaston characters)?

Published: 2007
Format: Paperback, 244 pages
Publisher: black dog books
Origin: Australia
_ _ _
Karen Tayleur's Website
Karen's blog
black dog books

**Interestingly, the Gaston character has been re-named Dylan for the American market.

Melina Wins Again

Melina Marchetta's day kinda rocked.

She won the Printz Award for Jellicoe Road and the Aurealis Award for Best YA Novel for Finnkin of the Rock

What are the Aurealis Awards?

An Australian literary award that "...recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror writers."

Why she won?

"This year’s winner astounded with its originality, depth and the power of its language. It is beautifully executed, genuinely YA, and a breath of fresh air. Working on and around the “traditional” fantasy envelope, it explored
tragedy and triumph, human frailty, depravity and healing – and kept surprising us with the directions it took. Truly fantastic."

Congrats Melina! I also think you should go and buy a lottery ticket the way your day is turning out. Not that your wins mean you are lucky, it's the result of much hard work but you are definitely in the winner-zone.

Teaser Tuesday (2)

** Grab your current read.
** Let the book fall open to a random page.
** Share 2 "teaser" sentences from the page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

I have just received some sizeable swag from black dog books (thanks J.) and I decided that I am starting this book this evening.

Title - Chasing Boys
Author - Karen Tayleur
Page - 124
Teaser 1 -

"The hot oil spits and catches me as I push the meat around with a wooden spoon."

Teaser 2 -

"This is what I deserve. I am a lazy cow-leech."

I am totally using that as an insult now. Be gone, you lazy cow-leech!

Printz Awards - Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi

It felt like Australia Day all over again today.

Why?

I am feeling so proud of Australian YA authors, so much so my chest is puffed out to make me look like a robin and I feel a little teary.

Melina Marchetta - the woman I want to hug most in the world, the woman I impatiently waited for eleven years to publish again after Looking for Alibrandi, the woman who made a family member's depression seem less isolating and the woman who gave us Taylor and Jonah. She won the 2009 Printz Award for (On the) Jellicoe Road and I am overcome with joy. Of course, when I emailed her (I can't believe I have her email address!) I didn't gush because I wanted to be a cool sophisticate. But here...I can't seem to help myself. This book deserves every bit of recognition that it gets and it is sublime. READ IT!!!! Twice.

But it gets better. Why? Margo Lanagan got Honors for her novel, Tender Morsels. I haven't read it yet but I sorely wish to. Read her reaction here at her blog.

Australian authors (or OZYA as Simmone referred to them) are plenty talented and I can't wait for more to break the American market. I have a list of links to Australian authors on the right of this screen, do yourself a favour and check them out as well as my featured author, Simmone Howell.

Update - Was truly thrilled when I saw that Justine Larbalestier posted a blog entry about the Printz Awards with the same title as mine. Fate? Or some serious Aussie pride?

Simmone Howell Week

This week I will be shining the Persnickety Snark spotlight on the Australian author, Simmone Howell. I am very excited to host Simmone as my very first author and am extra pleased that it is a fellow Aussie. Her books are terrific with biting dialogue, well crafted characters and most importantly, tons of humour.

Simmone is the award winning writer behind - Notes from the Teenage Underground and Everything Beautiful (review).

Notes from the Teenage Underground was Simmone's debut novel. It won her the 2007 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for YA Fiction and the 2007 Gold Inky, Inside a Dog’s teenage choice awards.

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Gem feels as if she's beginning to drift away from her best friends, Lo and Mira, with whom she's formed an alliance against the "sucker peers" they call "barcodes." In the spirit of Andy Warhol and his Happenings, Gem comes up with the idea to make an edgy film to screen at an underground party, she thinks this project will bring the three girls back together again. As scriptwriting and production begins, however, she starts to feel that the project is getting out of control. When Lo and Mira plan a series of final-exam pranks without her, Lo rewrites Gem's admittedly heavy-handed but heartfelt script, and Mira hooks up with her crush, Gem knows it's time to break ties with her so-called best friends.

Simmone's second novel is Everything Beautiful.

Summary: Riley Rose, atheist and bad girl, has been tricked into attending Spirit Ranch, a Christian camp. There she meets Dylan Kier, alumni camper and recent paraplegic, who arrives with a chip on his shoulder and a determination to perfect all of his bad habits. United in their personal suffering and in their irritation at their fellow campers, they turn the camp inside out as they question the meaning of belief systems, test their faith in each other, and ultimately settle a debate of the heart.

There are a few sites you should check out:
Simmone's Website (check out the pretty the graphics)
Simmone's new blog
NFTU website complete with competition

Without further ado, here's Simmone take on the Persnickety Snark Author Snapshot:-

1. Which book is memorable from your teen years?

I have to say Lace by Shirley Conran, a doorstop potboiler about four finishing school girls. One of them has a baby in secret and they all work to support the child. But then the war happens and the child is lost and later turns up as an ingénue of questionable reputation, who seeks out the women in order to ask the question: which one of you bitches is my mother? My favourite character was Pagan, the ‘carelessly marvellous’ daughter of broke rich folk. There was a mini-series at the time starring Phoebe Cates. It had French Chateaus and swarthy Arabian princes and fat farms and sex scenes. Not necessarily in that order.

2. Describe your high school English teacher in three words...

...cranky, sarky, smart

3. Your book of the moment?

NON FIC: How to be Free by Tom Hodgkinson. Sample chapters: Throw away your watch, Get out of the city, Be a Happy Wanderer, Stop moaning and Be Merry.

FICTION: I have just started Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar. From the back: “elegant werewolves, troubled teenage werewolves, friendly werewolves, homicidal werewolves, fashionista werewolves, warriors, punks, cross-dressers, musicians …” It’s a big book, so I’m taking it slowly.

(Adele - sounds like a cross between Underworld and Velvet Goldmine! Fabulous)

4. What do you use to mark your page when reading?

I am a page-turner-downer. But I’m trying not to be. Unfortunately all I can ever seem to find to mark pages are receipts and used tissues.

5. Favourite place to read?

In bed.

6. Favourite book store?

City Basement Books in Elizabeth Street or Sybers Books in Windsor.

This is Simmone Howell Week so make sure you drop by in the next few days for an interview and guest blog. Thanks to Simmone for gracing me with her presence!

The Boys Next Door / Jennifer Echols

Summary - Lori has spent every summer on the lake, swimming and wakeboarding with the three boys next door, and working at the boys’ family marina. Lori is close to Adam, the “baby” of the family, who's her age. But secretly, she’s always had a thing for the middle brother, Sean. And this summer, Sean actually seems to be—dare she think it—flirting with her. She figures he’s only being nice because they're like family, since he’s not into younger girls. Until he steals Adam's (even younger) girlfriend. Lori and Adam team up to get Adam’s girlfriend back, and to get Sean for Lori.

But then Lori begins to notice ADAM. He’s grown taller. More mature. And Lori thinks Adam is interested in her, too. And that’s when their ploy finally works. Adam gets his girlfriend back, and Lori gets Sean. The right couples are finally in place, and everything should be smooth sailing. So what’s with all the waves?

Review - I bought this book based upon an older review of Steph's and that one of my podcast listeners had recommended Echols as someone to check out. I'll admit right here that I am a bit of a softie when it comes to romantic comedy storylines that don't insult the intelligence. This is one of those and now I have to figure out where to get more. Echols is the YA equivalent of crack (except without all the obvious pitfalls).

I loved the protagonist's voice, Lori is the inner dialogue that runs through every female's brain in their teen years. Not only that but she'd got some moxie, a healthy sense of humour and a love of Laguna Beach (it's so bad it's good). I loved Lori, loved the use of pop culture mentions in a sparing way. I loved the brothers and the description of how they interact with one another, so much like many of the boys I grew up with. I loved Adam - he's the kind of guy I always thought would eventually come along for me.

I adored the setting; the lake. I grew up visiting my grandparents and skiing on Lake Bonney in Barmera, Australia. My dad and uncle were state level water skiiers and I think it's one of the great disappointments of my father's life that all of his children sucked. The descriptions of being on the lake, of performing tricks and the spray of the water brought back the summer for me. I can still remember standing on my dad's trick skis as he held my middle when I was three years old. I thought I hated water skiing but this book made me remember what I loved about it. (The bryozoa, one of the things for the hate column.) For that I will remain grateful to Jennifer Echols as it made me incredibly nostalgic.

The best element of this book is the interaction between Lori and Adam. When they were on their faux date at the mud field (someone might need to explain what this is exactly as I didn't have a sphere of reference) I felt in the scene. The playfulness, the tension, the embarrassment, the nervouseness were perfectly captured. I felt like eleven years of my life had melted away. I am curious to know if a prodcution company had bought the right to this novel as I think it's ripe for a film version.

Published: 2007
Format: Paperback, 317 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Origin: USA
_ _ _
Jennifer Echols' website
Jennifer Echols' blog

** If there is a Simon Pulse representative reading this, I would love copies of everything Jenn's written. Unfortunately, Adelaide doesn't have a wide range of YA literature!! I need my fix (I hope that didn't sound too desperate.)

Happy Australia Day!

Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on 26 January, the day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, the unfurling of the British flag at Sydney Cove and the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia.

I would like you to do one of the following in celebrating Australia Day.

1. Check out one of these Aussie bloggers:
Lisa May over at Look At That Book
Just Listen Reviews

2. Check out these Aussie based YA sites
Inside A Dog
Behind the Lines

3. In the next week, make the effort to read an Aussie authored novel and tell me about it. There are many of them so here's some food for thought:
John Marsden
Justine Larbalestier
Lili Wilkinson
Margo Lanagan
Melina Marcetta
John Flanagan
Nikki Greenberg
Penni Russon
Scot Gardner
Simmone Howell
Sue Lawson
Ursula Dubosarsky ... and heaps more

4. Follow me, Aussie's need lots of positive reinforcement

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!

About Adele

My aim for Persnickety Snark is that it be a home for YA (Young Adult literature) reviews and authors interviews with an emphasis on Australian authors. I offer constructive and honest reviews as well as in depth interviews, thought provoking discussion posts and an unique perspective.

Persnickety Snark aka...Adele
I am an Australian teacher currently living in Shizuoka, Japan. I have taught for the past six years in Australian classrooms and am taking the year off to teach Japanese kindy kids.

I have a Bachelor of Education degree with a sub-major in Children's Literature as well as a Masters of Business (Administrative Management).

Review Policy
I read, review and post for the love of it. It's a hobby that takes approximately 30 hours of my week. I am passionate about the YA genre, its authors and more importantly, its readership.

I will gladly accept review copies from authors and publishers willing to offer titles. I also have no problem in hosting contests or authors for interviews, I just ask that I am given the opportunity to read the book before either of these things follow.

Preferred Genres:

I am particulary fond of fantasy, chick-lit, dystopian, contemporary issues based, romance, historical fiction and literary fiction all within the young adult field.

I will not read a series non-sequentially. If I have not read the previous titles then I cannot review the newest without adequate knowledge of the overall arc. It would not be fair of me to review without the full picture the author intended.

Science fiction is a genre that I tend to avoid.

I am not currently accepting e-books or PDF's though this is likely to change soon. Stay tuned.

Review Policy:
I can not guarantee that a review will be positive, but it will be fair. I write reviews that I feel are honest and will help my readers select quality books for their reading time. I always include book cover, link to author website, publication details, synopsis, and my personal thoughts about the book in each review. I also post my reviews on GoodReads and some appear on the Australian online literary blog Boomerang Books.

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As of January 2011, this blog currently receives approximately 1200 visitors a day.

Disclosure:

Almost all of the books I receive for review are provided by the publisher or the author. In all reviews, I list the source of the review copy. I do not accept/receive monetary compensation for my reviews.

Please feel free to contact me if interested with your review requests.

Contact information: adele AT persnicketysnark DOT com

Thank you!

In My Mailbox - 25 January

Yay! Allen and Unwin gifted me with my first review novels. There were squeals involved and yet I still spent too much money on books this week.

A Small Free Kiss in the Dark / Glenda Millard

Two young boys, an old tramp, a beautiful lost dancer and her baby - rag-tag survivors of a sudden war - form a fragile family holding together in the remnants of a fun fair. This is a vivid, poetic story about life in the margins and the power of empathy and imagination to triumph over adversity.

This was one I really wanted to get my hands on so I am excited to see how it reads. I still adore the cover, the colour breaking through the darkness really appeals to me. Also I love the idea that this tale takes place during a war, something that always grabs my interest.


The Adoration of Jenna Fox / Mary E. Pearson

'I used to be someone. Someone named Jenna Fox.' Jenna wakes from a coma after a horrific accident to find her life a blank page and her own identity a mystery. Her parents think her recovery is a miracle, but what really happened to Jenna Fox? A gripping thriller set in a future that may be closer than we think.

This novel has been lauded in many different blogs and awards. I am tickled pink that I now can read it, although I can't post my review for a week or so. I do prefer the American release cover though with the butterfly and the hand.

oOoOo

What I bought:

Kiss and Blog / Alyson Noel
Winter and Sloane were best friends until the glamor of popularity forced them apart. Both girls had hopes of ditching their nerdy and so called "loser" past. In their sophomore year in high school they would walk with the in crowd and finally be popular. They both made a promise that the first person to make it in would leave room for the other person. When Sloane makes it and Winter doesn't, Sloane breaks this promise. Winter makes some new friends but can't help but envy Sloane and her new social status. To vent her anger and frustration, Winter decides to make a blog and post all the stupid things Sloane did, but changing the names of course. Her new blog gets more attention than she planned. It became so popular that even a publisher contacts her and wanted to make it a book and a movie. Winter has to decide the right thing to do and whether going that far to hurt Sloane is really worth it or not.
I really enjoyed Cruel Summer and I miraculously found this stuffed in an area where it wasn't supposed to be. Can't wait to see Alyson Noel's take on blogging and high school and all that jazz. I really want to get my hands on Evermore though.

Crazy in Love / Dandi Daley Mackall

Mary Jane Ettermeyer hears voices in her head, but they're all hers - and she's going to need every single one of them to get through life, now that she's fallen hard for the amazing Jackson House.

I haven't heard of this author or book but I admit the cover appealed to me and I had some spare change.




City of Ashes / Cassandra Clare
Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go -- especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil -- and also her father.
I badly wanted this in my greedy paws. I got it and now my Sunday afternoon is all yours Ms Clare. I am so excited I am springing in my step.
**Big thanks to Katie for turning me onto them with her review.


The Boys Next Door / Jennifer Echols
Lori lives for summertime at her family's lake house. She spends all season wakeboarding, swimming, and hanging with her friends--including the two hotties in the cabin next door. With the Vader brothers, Lori's always been one of the guys.
But while Lori and the "baby" brother, Adam, are inseparable friends, she can't deny a secret crush on Sean, the older Vader boy. This year Sean's been paying Lori a lot of attention, and not in a brotherly way.
But just as Lori decides to prove to Sean she's girlfriend material, she realizes that her role as girl friend to Adam may be even more important. And by trying so hard for the perfect summer romance, she could be going way overboard...

A listener of the Sarah Dessen Diarist Podcast recommended that I read some of this author but I hadn't been able to find anything...until today.