Paper Towns, John Green and the Great YA Blogosphere Bonanza

I don't know if Jocelyn from Teen Book Reviews and Liv from Liv's Book Reviews are aware of this but it definitely made me stop mid action. I was cracking open the beautiful pages of Paper Towns (Australian edition) when something caught my eye.

To set this up, I NEVER read the review quotes in the front page of novels but I spotted 'Teen Book Reviews' as I was flipping through the pages. I immediately thought of Jocelyn because a) She inspires us all as the grandmommy of YA blogging (and she hasn't even graduated yet) 2) she's a pretty darned awesome person 3) she writes great reviews and 4) I wish I'd been like her when I was that age! An excerpt from her Paper Towns review was on the page. As I looked down I realised that Liv's was too. So excited am I, that I am posting this instead of reading the first chapter!

I don't know if publishers need permission to do this, so this could be a surprise or run of the mill. Either way, it made John Green's Paper Towns even cooler, road map tattooed arm or not.

I tried to take a photo but it was too blurry to be effective. These are the quotes used though -

Paper Towns is a smart, thoughtful, funny, and hopeful novel that really epitomizes John Green’s brilliance. It has razor-sharp wit, fantastic writing, originality in spades, truth ... do everything in your power to get a copy immediately.

Teen Book Review

...run, to your local bookstore and pick up a copy. It's a must.

Liv's Book Reviews

Guest Blog: Beth Fantaskey

Beth Fantaskey has been a great sport in contributing to Persnickety Snark this week. And now for her crowning achievement...the guest blog.

Like probably everybody who writes, I used to have this elaborate fantasy about what it would be like to be A Published Author.

The daydream involved standing in a store like Borders and seeing a book with my name on it, sitting there on a shelf. Sometimes I would be sipping a fancy coffee drink from the in-store cafe, and sometimes I skipped that part and just stood there, looking. (Okay – maybe the fantasy wasn’t so elaborate.)

The one thing I never expected, when I learned that Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side would be published, was how writing a book would connect me to amazing people around the world.

Pretty much as soon as the novel came out, I started getting e-mails not just from readers in the U.S., where I live, but from folks in Canada, the Phillipines, Korea, England – and from one very enthusiastic Chinese-born technical artist living in Germany. (You know who you are!) And now here I am blogging away with Australians who seem to share my sense of humor and interest in variations on the theme “monkey.”

This, to me, has been the coolest aspect of the whole surprising turn of events. Even better than seeing my book on a shelf. (FYI: I did NOT have coffee, when it really happened.) And at the heart of my new global communication network are a surprising number of people, young and old, male and female, who really love the idea of vampires.

You may not believe this, but when I wrote Jessica’s Guide in mid-2006, I had no idea that so many people liked vampires. The Twilight juggernaut was just really taking off, and it wasn’t on my radar screen yet. When my new editor mentioned Twilight and got a blank stare from me, she looked at me like I was crazy and must live in a closet. (Guilty on both counts!)

In fact, if I had known that so many young adult novels already involved vampires, I might have just scrapped the whole idea for my book. But, swimming as I was in a pool of ignorance, I wrote a novel about a vampire prince and princess, and thank the winged monkeys that I did.

Vampire people are awesome. I have loved getting connected to them, all around the world.

The other day, an acquaintance worried aloud that if she added me as a friend on Facebook, she’d “get hooked up with a whole bunch of people who are into vampires.” And I told her, “You should be so lucky. You HOPE they befriend YOU.”

I certainly feel that I’ve been fortunate.

Fortunate to be hanging out, via the Internet, with some awesome Australians.

Lucky to chat, now and then, with a Chinese-German technical artist.

Grateful for the girl in England who wrote that she likes Lucius because he’s not “ginger” – even though I had no idea what that meant.

Who knew that the undead could have such power to bring people together, across lines of time, space and culture? Who knew that beings whom some consider monsters could actually unite us?

World peace through vampires and the occasional flight-equipped simian… Envision it!

Nobody’s come up with a better plan that I can see!
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See that's why I adore the woman? Thank you so much to Beth for taking the time to share with us this week. I have had a great time reading the interviews and blog, randomness and humour are always appreciated. Long live the winged monkey!

Coming soon here at Persnickety Snark - Author Spotlights on Cassandra Clare and Mo Johnson. Stay tuned.

Boofheads - Mo Johnson

Summary - Ed, Steve and Tom are lifelong mates but for the first time since pre-school, the ‘three amigos’ are drifting apart. Ed’s high hopes for his football career with the Bombers’ Youth Squad have come crashing down to earth and Steve has become totally self-obsessed. Tom has become an agony aunt for a teen-girl magazine to prove a point to (and maybe even impress) the hottest and most hated girl in school but what will happen to their once strong friendship?

Review -
Boofheads was another book that I chose based on the cover. Not because it was pretty (like Finding Darcy, Something Beautiful) but because the title made me chuckle. I do have to admit to liking the cover though, Australian cover artists are a pretty gifted lot.

I had no expectations from this book other than reading a novel by an Australian (via Scotland) author. What grabbed me, besides the name, was that the novel centred on three Aussie boys who have been long time friends. A male perspective in a contemporary coming of age story isn’t something that is tremendously common in YA, although I argue that the pink covers aren’t as widespread as I sometimes whinge about either. But back to the book...

Tom, Casey and Ed have been peas in a pod since they were little tackers and now things are beginning to change. Casey’s being distant, Ed’s immersed in jockdom and Tom’s trying to make do. What I loved about this story is that it didn’t romanticise what boys talk about when they are together or even the language they use. This doesn’t mean that I encourage this colourful language but it is authentic. Teenage boys very rarely resemble the sparkly vampire that so many are acquainted with. They possess an amazing ability to forgive quickly, to make the wrong decisions based on a laugh and not actually talk about anything. But they can be amazingly supportive, resilient and insightful in amongst the grunts.

What I found was that this book covered some important issues in a completely authentic and earnest way. From Casey’s family issues, Ed’s pressure to conform and Tom’s need to be viewed as more, I really found myself involved in the story. Tom’s an engaging protagonist, he’s arguably got the easiest lot in life but he’s got a stronger sense of self. At one point his friends reveal that he wasn’t included in a particularly mean stunt as he’s “...a safety player” (aka someone with a sense of decency). One particular aspect of the story that I really liked were his interactions with his mother. Often a YA protagonist will have most of their interactions with the same gender parent (as is common in real life) but I enjoyed seeing Tom try and help his mother out while proving himself as more knowledgeable too. At one point he notes, “I...inhaled the familiar smell of her perfume. I felt like I was five again. I love how she can always make me feel that way.” He loves her and that’s apparent throughout the story and motivates some of his questionable decision making.

I got really angry at some of the characters by the end of the novel. But at no point did I believe that their actions weren’t understandable. One scene at a party, where Tom has a choice between doing the right thing or walking away uninjured, stayed with me. I am positive that this is a situation that many boys have been in, girls too and it stuck with me.

Mo Johnson has written a great book here. I was struck by the feedback the cover and summary received when I posted it as part of my ‘In My Mailbox’ entry over the weekend.
What I can say is though I bought it for shallow reasons; I came away with a better understanding of the problems teen boys face and a greater sense of hope in them as well. The themes in this book are organic ranging from family facades, single parents, sexual identify, lust and partying. I think it is interesting that for me that what I gravitated towards the most was the relationship between a working mother and her not-so-clueless son.

If you want a book with a great sense of humour, interesting Aussie-isms, authentic teen male characterisation and a great read then this book is worth checking out.

Published: 2008
Format: Paperback, 267 pages
Published: Walker Books
Origin: Australia
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Mo Johnson's Website

Mo will soon be joining me as a Spotlighted Author, keep an eye out!

AYA: Aussie YA Alliance

So the Gum Leaf Mafia or as Lisa, Allie and I like to call ourselves, the Aussie YA Alliance are hitting the blogosphere.

What is the AYA?

Three Aussie YA bloggers that have united to create one place to find reviews of Australian produced YA literature, book release information, AYA Book Club, interviews and other assorted awesomeness.

Who is the AYA?
Lisa from Look at that Book

Allie from Just Listen Reviews

and moi....Adele from Persnickety Snark.

What's Coming...?
How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier will be our first highlighted book. The AYA will be book club-ing it and posting our discussion as well as our reviews. We also have an interview with Justine in the coming weeks.

Aussie Authors
John Green said it - "...there are so many amazing young adult novelists working in Australia" and the AYA believe that it's time everyone got acquainted with them! We will spotlight one author each month while posting reviews for many other authors. The spotlighted author's newest release will be the subject of our monthly book club and hopefully an interview.

International Authors
We will announce the Australian release dates of international authors as well as post the Australian cover art. We would be ecstatic to interview international authors about the Australian release of their book. Primarily though, the AYA are about Aussie content.

Contests
They will be happening, bet your bottom dollar.

Email
aussieya[at]gmail.com

Where do we find this font of Aussie YA knowledge?
http://aussieya.blogspot.com

The Read Carpet - Episode 002

The second episode is now up and ready to listen to. We have a whole host of new contributors that want to share what they are passionate about.

You can listen to it here.

All details regarding the segments and the books mentioned can be found in the show notes at our blog, The Read Carpet. Be sure to become a follower so you know when the episodes are avaiable.

Our iTunes feed will need to be reset as we have changed to a more reliable podcast providers.

We love feedback-
Email: thereadcarpet[at]gmail.com
Voicemail : (206) 202 8229

Interview - Beth Fantaskey

Beth Fantaskey graciously allowed me to interview her about her debut release, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side.

1. Where did the idea of an adopted Pennsylvanian, vampire princess and her betrothed come from?
I love that you broke this down into pieces. So many people ask where the idea came from, as a chunk, but you’ve dissected it into its essential elements.

Adopted Pennsylvanian – I live in Pennsylvania, and my kids are adopted, which always raises questions about their birth parents. What were they like? What if they were… different, somehow? I sort of took that to the extreme with Jessica’s Guide.

Vampire princess – I wasn’t a fan of the “Disney princess” stories as a kid, and was kind of dismayed when my children fell under their spell. I get tired of princesses always waiting around for princes to rescue them. I wanted to create an alternative for my kids to consider… a princess who embraces her dark side and takes charge of her own destiny. I hope I did that with Jess.

The betrothal thing… that just seemed like a great way to link a very rational girl to a very irrational guy. Otherwise, I’m sure Jess would have just brushed Lucius off without a second thought.

2. Jess has a really positive relationship with her adopted parents, the Packwoods, how much of that was influenced by your own life?
I had a great relationship with my parents – still do! – but like Jess, I went through a stupid period when I found them embarrassing. (And they never did anything as grievous as utter the word “teats” to a new boyfriend.) Jess’s relationship with her parents is definitely rooted in my own life.

3. Lucius likes using specific American turns of phrase throughout his letters; which one do you kick yourself for not using?
I think Lucius would have liked using “going to hell in a handbasket.” I can imagine Lucius convinced he’s headed for hell – but flat-out refusing to step inside anything called a “handbasket.”

4. I have seen many reviews comparing the novel to Twilight, what do you think of that comparison?
I don’t mind the comparisons… it’s flattering to have my book compared to a cultural phenomenon. Beyond that, every comparison seems to include lots of contrasts, i.e. Lucius is sarcastic, etc. That’s even better. (For more on this topic, though, see my guest blog…)

(Adele - Guest blog coming this Friday)

5. We learn progressively more about Jessica's birth mother, Mihaela, throughout the book. What can you tell us about her birth father?
That’s such an excellent question, and I’ve been waiting for somebody to ask it. The answer is… not much, really.

I felt like I only had room in the story to create one powerful bond between Jess and her deceased biological parents, and I chose to bring her close to her mother. I really wanted to emphasize that Mihaela was the force in the family – a real queen and a powerful role model for Jess – so I kept her dad in the shadows. (But maybe if there’s a sequel we can learn more about him… Maybe there’s a nefarious, secret reason he’s been hidden away! That might be interesting…)

6. Can you walk us through the time frame of the novel from initial concept to being available on the shelves?
The time frame can be summed up in the single word AAARRRRGH!

I started jotting ideas down during a long car ride in the summer of 2006, wrote the book in the ensuing months, and it sold Halloween day of that year… then spent nearly three years in the editing and production processes, due to a whole slew of random stuff that seemed to jump out of nowhere. In the end, it was worth it, though!

7. What was your playlist during the writing of this tale?
I wish I could say that I listened to a bunch of bands so cutting edge that nobody - not even the world’s hippest music buffs – have even heard of them yet. But the truth is, one day somebody gave me a copy of American country singer Toby Keith’s greatest hits, I tried it out, and I got in the best writing groove of my life. After that, I played it every day, over and over again, like a good luck charm.

It’s kind of embarrassing for a rock/punk fan to admit getting OCD about a country CD, but something about Toby’s twang just worked in that moment. I’m still fond of it. (I don’t lose my winged monkey for that, do I???)

(Adele - No, but you do win a dork tiara! Oh wait, I rock out to the Dixie Chicks so I guess we have to share one..... Aren't TK and the DC mortal enemies, I am taking the tiara back!)

8. Should a sequel come to fruition, what are the chances of a winged monkey (who may or may not be called Adele) making an appearance? Perhaps as a friend of Dorin?
If said monkey is into cappuccino, I would say that is a strong, strong possibility.

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Isn't she fabulous? Beth gives a good interview and writes a good read, check out Jessica's Guide to the Dark Side asap.

Cracked Up To Be / Courtney Summers

Summary - 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.

Review - To be honest, there is not a lot that I can say about this book that hasn't already been said on every YA blog on the web. This book is an amazing debut effort by Courtney Summers and should be lauded as such. In fact, my lovely friend ShabbyGeek even wrote an insight review for this book already.

I am going to keep it short. Parker is like a squid. I can hear you querying me already but I do have a point. She's hard to get a handle of - she's constantly moving, manoeuvring and slipping out of any box you'd like to put her in. She's brittle and yet malleable. Parker can bombard you with an onslaught of lies, disarm you with a nicety and then hurt you with a blunt statement of fact. And yet all of that is a inky veil to keep herself isolated, the way she wants because she feels she doesn't deserve anything positive. She wants to stay in the shadows, in the pit because the darkness is punishment and her solace.

Parker's a car crash that one can't look away from. She's consistently horrid to all those around her and as such it's a testament to Summers, that I liked, no loved, Parker as much as I did.

I loved the way this book came together. Particularly that the flashback built upon one another like Lego blocks. Each extending the former until you had something completely different to what you initially anticipated. Summers established a strong, unique and (most importantly) consistent voice in Parker. More impressive is that despite the traumatic event that is revealed in this book, Parker really didn't alter that much from her former self. There is no miraculous good girl/bad girl conversion here. Parker wasn't all that nice to begin with, she just transferred her energy from forcing people to like her to forcing them to keep a distance. Despite all that, she is magnetic and this is the reason so many people continually reach out to her.

I loved this book. I cannot wait to see what Courtney Summers: Twitterer (Tweeter?) Extraordinaire comes up with next. I would also like to suggest that an Aussie publisher hurry up and buy the distribution rights for this book, it's a great buy!

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

Paper Towns - Aussie Style

I have emailed HarperCollins Australia four times now and still no response, not even a 'shove off'. And yet these people are responsible for the best thing ever....

PAPER TOWNS!!!!! by John Green, Dream Grammar Nazi Extraordinaire Esq.

They finally released it here Down Under. I think I am still in shock. I squealed - out loud - at quite a volume when I spotted it.

I love the cover. Quirky with attitude and a little mystery. Very different than the American one. I particularly love the road map on the arm. I have never seen anything like it. Yay! I wonder if John's seen it? Most probably.

Apparently it's been out since late January 2009. I haunt those stores and have never seen it. I think they lied. Now I need to get An Abundance of Katherines, which is not coming to Australia anytime soon (I am paraphrasing the attendant). Sigh.

I am having a great day, scratch that, I am now having a great day because of this. The only thing better would be if I dreamed about Nerdfighters and there were some obscure reference to dingoes or something else woefully Australian. You might mock me but I have been known to dream an entire forum thread once, including responses that sounded exactly like people I know online. I realise it is now time for an internet intervention. I am slowly walking away from the computer now :)

Reader's Snapshot - Beth Fantaskey

Beth Fantaskey has been blessed with an awesome surname and a new release currently on the bookshelves. Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side was a book I received via England in ARC form and I thought it was an absolutely cracking read (see review).

The icing on the cake here is that Beth is a genuinely lovely person with a great sense of humour and a good dose of randomness (that I appreciate greatly.) So with that, Beth Fantaskey is my Author Spotlight this week and I feel very lucky to have her aboard the SS Persnickety Snark!

Enjoy the patented PSnark's Reader's Snapshot from Fraulein Fantaskey!

1. Which book is memorable from your teen years?
James Thurber’s “My Life and Hard Times.” Whenever I hit a rough patch, it always made me laugh out loud.

2. Describe your high school English teacher in three words...
Short, bald, caring

3. Your book of the moment?
I am never, ever far from my copy of “Fierce Pajamas.”

4. What do you use to mark your page when reading?
Turn book over, squash flat.

5. Favourite place to read?
Outside on a lawn chair, esp. one that rocks.

6. Favourite word?
“brouhaha” - like to say it, wish to cause one… someday.

7. Favourite book store?
Otto’s, a little store in Williamsport, PA, USA… it’s been struggling along for about 100 years!

8. Character you wish you had created?
Edmond Dantes, the Count of Monte Cristo. The perfect man!

Bonus Question: Which vampire character (not of your own) is your favourite from TV/film/novel?
“Spike” from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” His name – and his hair – were just too wonderful.

Beth will be back on Wednesday with an interview on her novel, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side and on Friday with her guest blog.

Soundtrack Saturday (2)

It's a little late but I have gotten sunburnt, ignored on V-Day and got the biggest blister humanly possible.

Okay I am a drama queen.

I want to talk about Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. It was a song written for the low budget, Irish independent movie - Once.

This song is resonant. Hear it once and it owns you. It builds beautifully from a quiet place to one of swirling hope and love and joy. It's perfect. Authors Gayle Forman and Melina Marchetta have been moved by the music of this movie, in particular this song. Please check it out. It was a large source of inspiration for Gayle in the composition of If I Stay. Believe me when I say, that you can hear traces of the song between every line typed in that book.


Remember to post in the comments section if you did your own Soundtrack Saturday!

In My Mailbox - 15 Feburary

I wasn't inundated this week, I don't know whether to be sad or happy!

Frenemies
Alexa Young - Random House
Australian Edition (I like this cover more than the others)

Best friends Avalon Greene and Halley Brandon have big plans for eighth grade. Not only are they coediting their school's fashion blog, but the celebration of their forever friendship is sure to be the blowout party of the year. But when the girls begin to disagreee about . . . well, everything, these two besties turn into full-blown worsties.

I adore the tag line!

Thanks to my lovely friend, Shabbygeek, I finally got a copy (her own copy, awwww) of this book....

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.

Boofheads
Mo Johnson (Walker Books)
I bought this one because I know Mo's going to be at the Reading Matters conference. But I admit that I saw the title and went 'hmmm I want that' before I read her name.

Ed, Steve and Tom are lifelong mates but for the first time since pre-school, the ‘three amigos’ are drifting apart. Ed’s high hopes for his football career with the Bombers’ Youth Squad have come crashing down to earth and Steve has become totally self-obsessed. Tom has become an agony aunt for a teen-girl magazine to prove a point to (and maybe even impress) the hottest and most hated girl in school but what will happen to their once strong friendship?

Boy Toy
Barry Lyga(PanMacmillan)

Five years ago Josh’s life changed. Drastically. And everyone in his school, his town—seems like the world—thinks they understand.

But they don’t—they can’t.

And now, about to graduate from high school, Josh is still trying to sort through the pieces. First there’s Rachel, the girl he thought he’d lost years ago. She’s back, and she’s determined to be part of his life, whether he wants her there or not.
Then there are college decisions to make, and the toughest baseball game of his life coming up, and a coach who won't stop pushing Josh all the way to the brink.

And then there’s Eve. Her return brings with it all the memories of Josh’s past.

It’s time for Josh to face the truth about what happened.
If only he knew what the truth was . . .

CYBILS - Winner is...

Young Adult Winner -

The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

The Hunger Games wins for its broad crossover appeal, complicated moral issues, and sociopolitical satire. In a richly imaginative twist on a familiar dystopian landscape, Suzanne Collins creates a deadly game using child combatants to explore the dehumanizing effects of war and violence. Katniss struggles against overwhelming odds while being groomed and polished for what could be her televised fight to the death. At each agonizing choice or fearful alliance, the reader is confronted with the same questions Katniss faces. How far would you go to save yourself? Can you meet violence with violence, yet preserve your humanity?

Nominated by Heather Doss.

Find out the other winners here.