Weekend Snarkdate / 21 March

Trying something new, I have had a few interesting things happen this past week so I thought I would share :)

• I have sixty followers and every single one of them is spellblindingly attractive.
  
• I have been reading a book a day for the past two weeks - the TBR is not shrinking.
  
• City of Glass Week has been a treat. My surprise for Friday didn't happen but I am sure it will arrive eventually. The competition will end in 10 hours time so if you would like to win a copy of City of Glass with a signed bookplate, you need to enter asap.


• I had coffee (and by that, I mean bubbly, non-alcoholic drinks) with the lovely Lili Wilkinson this afternoon. It was great to hear about the plans for this year's Reading Matters Conference in Melbourne - so excited. I also got to discuss Hunger Games, Jellicoe Road and a whole host of other books with her vastly more experience eye for YA lit.


• Hunger Games - caused me to read through my stop for the bus and continue through another three. That has never happened to me before and the walk home was a killer on a hot Friday night. Thanks to the smashing Kaz for sending me a copy.


• Gayle Forman got the official word from Summit, securing Catherine Hardwicke as the director for If I Stay. I am beyond excited for her. As some of you may know, I reviewed the book back in January (read here) and have been bonding over Matt Saracen with her ever since. I even got mentioned in an article at The Daily Beast alongside Gayle and Reviewer X about the book, the movie and the disdain for YA in general. I am hilariously described as "...one adult YA blogger". Steph, as usual, provides some great material with the right amount of snark lol.


• Beth Fantaskey offered to show me the delights of Amish living. Bahahahaha. I might take her up on it...but I kinda need a passport first.


• Alea, the delightful Pop Culture Junkie, has been wowing me with her tweeting ability. If you haven't joined the Twitter craze then do so. There are so many authors procrastinating on Twitter - you are missing out if you aren't on. Seriously.


• Elizabeth Scott declared me the winner of one of the many competitions she is running daily over at http://www.elizabethwrites.com/ in celebration of the Something, Maybe release. I detailed my inability to ever apply eye liner with anything resembling finesse and voila! I received Undone by Brooke Taylor and three E.Scott novels - colour me happy! I am currently losing my EScott v-chip.


• The fetching Mo Johnson did me a lovely kindness last week and wrote about me in an Australian writing publication, Pass It On. As a result many Aussie Children and YA writers are seeking me out and I am discovering writers that I was unfamiliar with.


• I took photos of Courtney Summers' Cracked Up To Be on the shelves of some Adelaide bookstores today. It has been available in Australia for a week. Picture me standing on a foot stool trying to get the right angle (incorporating CUTB and the multiple Twilight publications in the same shot) and you have my morning. My friend, very kindly, stood there supportively (though she was perplexed) the entire time. In another store, I robbed the display table of a whole bunch of (to remain nameless) titles and replaced them with CUTB (by robbed - I actually mean swapped). I made Courts' day...apparently... and have been renamed Rebel of Awesomeness. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? LOL


• Oh yeah, I also started my first writing course and am freaking petrified.

What about your week?

Soundtrack Saturday (7)

Instructions for this meme (that's not really catching on) can be found on the link bar at the top of your screen.

I read Going Too Far a fortnight ago and then gushed wildly about it. It gives me no end of pleasure to see the multiple favourable reviews in our YA circle, reinforcing the awesomeness that is Jenn Echols.

Hence, Soundtrack Saturday is all about the Going Too Far soundtrack (as posted here by the YA-crack merchant herself).

Personal favourites on that list include:

• Kanye West's Stronger
  
• Incubus' Dig
  
• Mariah Carey's Touch My Body (I giggle at it's ill timed appearance every time)
  
• Placebo's Running Up That Hill (reminds me of Cruel Intentions and how much I love Kate Bush too)

If I Stay Movie Scores Catherine Hardwicke

It's official - Catherine Hardwicke will direct the movie adaptation of If I Stay. I am near tears because I know how much Gayle believes in CH as the vehicle to bring Mia's story to the celluloid. (How do I know? We're friends - can't believe I just wrote that but she is an amazing writer but an even better email friend). So unbelievably happy!

Erik Feig, head of production at Summit says this about the appointment -

"Catherine is the first and only filmmaker we considered to direct 'If I Stay,' a book we are as crazy about as we were about 'Twilight,' " he says. "Catherine has an amazing ability to capture the youth experience. She can make the fantastical relatable and the ordinary magical. We'd never try to re-create past history, but we are thrilled about trying to re-create the environment and passion that made our last success possible."

LA Times article

Just a word of warning for grizzling Twilight fangirls who have no appreciation of Catherine's work aside from Twilight and haven't read the book - save your opinion until you are enlightened on both subjects, thanks!

Also. Gayle is my spotlighted author next week. Here you will have be able to read an interview on the book, an interview on the film developments (including today's plus casting suggestions), her reading habits and a guest blog. Stay tuned, my pretties.

City of Glass / Cassandra Clare

Summary - With two of the Mortal Instruments now in Valentine's hands, the world of the Shadowhunters teeters on the brink of civil war. Jace and the Lightwoods are recalled to Idris, the Shadowhunters' remote and hidden home country, where a search has began for the last of the Instruments, the Mortal Glass. Clary finds herself caught up in the chaos as the delicate social order of the Nephilim begins to shatter, pitting Downworlders and Shadowhunters against each other. When the City of Glass falls under attack, can Downworlders and Nephilim fight together to defeat Valentine, or will their longstanding hatred destroy them all? And when Clary discovers the unbelievable truth about her past, can she find Jace before it's too late?

Review - I will attempt not to spoil any developments for readers so forgive me if I am terribly vague. The third in the Mortal Instruments, City of Glass, was a fitting conclusion to a series of books that took me on a wild ride. I have met vampires, werewolves, shadowhunters, warlocks and elves and all of them have been well crafted and important to the story. Ultimately though, the story centres around the dynamic duo - the Luke and Leia - Jace and Clary.

I never really sympathised with the Jace character all that much. He flipped and flopped more than a fish gasping it's last breath on a dock but it was all understandable. I just didn't sympathise. In this book I did, I joined the legions of readers who felt for the boy raised by Valentine in horrid circumstances. I felt like I made a breakthrough.

The story chiefly occurs in the city of Idris where the Nephilium are meeting to make some important decisions in regard to Valentine's return. We meet the mysterious and charming Sebastian (he who's featured on the cover) and many favourites return. Jace and Clary are thrown together to stop Valentine before he can find the third mortal instrument and to save Jocelyn from her self-imposed slumber.

Simon has a very important role to play in this book. Though it is plain to see this is The Jace Book, I cannot help but feel that, for me, this is the Simon book. I have always been more partial to him and he's gone from beyond ordinary geek to extraordinary sun-walking vampire. His character is tested so much in this novel and he's never found wanting. He's had such an enormous arc and his willingness to be selfless will take your breath away. As does his ingenuity. Although his precarious situation for most of the first half of the book annoyed me as it occurred mainly due to the gullibility of the main characters. They are better and smarter than that and it takes them way too long to rectify the situation.

Clary has always been strong but here we see her break free from the expectations that have crowded her. She shakes off Jace's (and Jocelyn's) protectiveness and becomes her own person. There are many moments, of which I dare not, elaborate that show how cunning, resourceful and courageous this girl is. Of course she kisses a few boys too, if you are more interested in that.
Alec. My dear Alec. This boy is dear to my heart and his development continues as does Isobel. Both confront who they truly are when a major event forces them to focus on the things in life that truly matter. Magnus obviously comes into play here too and we see the softer, caring side to our flamboyant, warlock friend.

Luke - my favourite character who has far too little page time - goes above and beyond in his need to protect Clary. He's presence is felt throughout and there is a scene that happens in offpageville at the story's conclusion that I sorely wanted to see and am devastated that I couldn't.

The story concludes with many of the plotlines resolved. Some might argue that they are too neatly tied, I would say it is just right. It is my favourite of the three novels, the concluding action scenes alone are breathtaking, nauseating, frustrating, nail biting and exhilarating. Clare has written a novel that will leave the majority (there's always a few downers) of fans satisfied and happy. It's pace is fantastic, you never feel like you are sweating the small stuff although some characters may not have been necessary. The inclusion of more societal hierarchy issues proved to be interesting, specifically Clary's solution to it.

I am going to finish off my frustratingly vague review by saying that any novel that mentioned Spinal Tap's rotation of drummers, gets the P.Snark seal of approval. That and it's a jolly good read.

Published: 24 March, 2009
Format: Paperback,
Publisher: Walker Books, Aust.
Origin: USA

Cassandra Clare's Video to Australian fans on the release of City of Glass - look at all those pretty cats, achooo.

Interview - Charlotte McConaghy Part 4

Charlotte McConaghy is the nineteen year old, Australian debut author of the fantasy novel, Arrival. Over at the Aussie YA Alliance we have been celebrating her debut publication and this is the fourth part of an awesome interview we were able to conduct via a chatroom!

Have you been doing any press for your book?
This is my first interview!!! But yes, I am doing a launch.

Details: Wed 8th April 7:00pm at Journey's Bookstore 127 Trafalgar Street Annandale, Sydney. It is a public event, so anyone is welcome!

Are you doing a tour?
Not yet, but hopefully soon. I'd like to do some school visits, and I'll be doing some library readings here in Sydney, plus I've been invited to my first children's literature week up in Ipswish where I will present a paper. I'm quite nervous!!

Charlotte, are you currently at university or working?
I'm part time working at the moment to pay my rent, and so that I have enough time to write. One day I think I'll go to uni, but at the moment I've decided to really try and make a career out of writing.

How many hours a day are you writing?
Days when I'm not working I usually do about eight hours. When I start I go from mid morning and then can't stop until late into the night.

How many words per day does that equate to?
Thousands upon thousands lol. It's kind of crazy... I just phase everything else out and forget to look up again for hours!

What are you working on right now? More of the Arrival series?
I've got several things on the go at the moment. A couple of stand-alone books, one in the fanatsy genre, another that is a psychological thriller. I just started a big project working on a new series. It's called 'The Key Holder Saga'. It will probably have about six or seven books in it.

Is Satine really into Leostrial or is it Stockholm Syndrome?
She's very in love with him. It's a terrible conflict for her. She loved Accolon in an innocent, youthful way, but when that was ruined, she realised her true, deeper feelings were for Leostrial.

She'll always love the memory of what they had, and of the people they once were, but she'd grown up a lot.

Are Mia and Jack going to be main players in Book 2?
Yes, some of them. They'll be the new additions.

How would you describe the next book in three words?
Ok, 3 words...Captivating...Intense...ROMANTIC. It's also a lot darker than the first.

Thank you Charlotte for allowing us to interview you.

You can read the first three parts of the interviews on the following blogs:
Part 1 - Aussie YA Alliance
Part 2 - Just Listen Book Reviews
Part 3 - Look at that Book

Charlotte's novel, Arrival, is available through black dog books in all major Australian bookstores and online purchase here.

How I Live Now / Meg Rosoff

Summary- It would be much easier to tell this story if it were all about a chaste and perfect love at an Extreme Time in History. But let's face it. . .
Daisy is sent to England from New York to live with her cousins for a perfect summer.
There are four of them: Osbert, Isaac , Edmond and Piper. Three boys and a girl. And two dogs and a goat.
Daisy has never met anyone like them before. Especially Edmond.
This summer will change her life. It will change the world too.

Review - Meg Rosoff is a hallowed name in most publishing circles that I have glimpsed into. Her book, How I Live Now, won the Printz (her company being John Green and Melina Marchetta) and is universally adored. Like I have said many times, hype can damage my ability to enjoy a book. I will always be waiting for something to hit me over the head with impressiveness.

First of all, I am still processing the novel and its events. I have read a few heavier books this week and they have involved more thought, more consideration, more introspection. I have not read (or enjoyed) many books that feature a stream of consciousness narrative. It always takes me some time to settle into the story but in How I Live Now, I felt settled immediately.

The narrative is an interesting one. Everything, very much so, is revealed when Daisy wishes it too. Hints are carelessly left, ideas trail behind her but everything eventually comes full circle. Daisy’s narrative is interesting to me as she always keeps us away from her. Sure she reveals the events in a very poetic way but she doesn’t allow us to fully embrace her, clasp her to our chests. She instead allows us that opportunity with Piper, the delightfully, pure and big hearted Piper.

All of the characters are so very well shaped from the main kids through to intermittent characters like Major M and Baz. Even the dogs have well crafted personalities and it helps depict these characters clearly while allowing Daisy to keep us at a distance.

War is an ugly business. And let’s face it, it destroys everything and everyone. It’s universal in its destruction, an equal opportunity employer if you will. The struggle to survive, be nourished, to love and to be reunited is painfully told in this story but there is always a steady undercurrent of hope. Hope that they can return them to the peaceful days at the farmhouse.

Rosoff is gifted. Immensely so. Her storytelling is as interestingly and uniquely crafted as she places her faith in the reader. That we don’t need everything spelt out matter-of-factly, that we pluck details and ideas and feelings from her poetic vines. I will definitely be reading more Rosoff.

Published: 2005
Format: Paperback, 186 pages
Publisher: Peguin Aust.
Origin: UK
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Extract
Audio Extract
Meg Rosoff's Official Website

Hunger Games: The Movie

Right on the tail of Gayle Forman's If I Stay movie deal is this news from FilmJunk -

"...we have news of a big screen adaptation of the book in development over at Lionsgate. Nina Jacobson (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) will produce, with Collins adapting her own book for the screenplay. Apparently the book has received rave reviews from Stephenie Meyer (Twilight), which explains the sudden interest." Source

Empire Online expands:

"...Collins will adapt her own book for the screen and the follow up to the novel, Catching Fire, is due out in September 2009. The Hunger Games is slated for a 2011 release."

I have yet to read the novel but tell me what you think and who's your ideal cast. Who'd be a great (appropriately aged) Katniss?

Thanks to Justin for sending me this link.

Interview - Cassandra Clare

CITY OF GLASS WEEK - DAY 3

Below is an interview that was held a few weeks back. Don't worry about spoilers because at this point I hadn't read the book and Cassie is insightful without ruining the events of City of Glass. The book will be in stores as of March 24th and it's fantastic (my review will be posted tomorrow.

There are some extraordinary people with many gifts in this series. Luke was someone who grabbed my interest from the start and held tight. Which character have you found to have had the biggest impact on your readership?
Jace, which I expected. What I didn't expect was that there are almost as many readers who love Alec. I get a lot of great letters from teens, and older readers, saying how much they like finding a gay character in an epic fantasy whose gayness is just part of his character, not the whole focus of it — he's a skilled demon slayer and action hero, who just happens to be gay. I get those letters from gay teens and also straight ones, which is really great.

What inspired you to have a relationship hampered by possible shared DNA?
A newspaper article — I mean, real life is where so many of these ideas come from. It was about two people who had met and fallen in love, and while they were preparing for the wedding, they discovered that they were in fact brother and sister, separated and adopted out to different families. I thought that had all the elements of classic Greek tragedy, which is irresistible to writers!

What would you like people to take away from the Mortal Instruments series at its conclusion?
Well, primarily I just want them to have a fabulous time reading it! I think there are also themes in the books about family and what it means, and about making choices about who you are and who you want to be.

Simon is a character that has morphed from being a great friend and an ordinary person to becoming an extraordinary vampire. What has it been like to flesh out his character arc over the series?
So much fun! I love Simon. He was always meant to become a vampire, but when it came time to write those scenes I felt a sense of sadness. Losing sweet, smart human Simon was a real loss, but I felt like it had to happen. Having a mundane like Simon hanging around the Shadowhunter world, taking part in the fighting and the danger, and not being changed or affected, fails to underscore how dangerous Downworld is. I had to show -why- the Shadowhunters keep their world and what they do secret from mundanes. There had to be consequences not just for Simon's involvement in this world, but also Clary's. There's also the fact that given that we find that Clary and Jace are both fairly powerful by the time City of Glass rolls around, Simon had to acquire some power of his own, or be reduced to being something of a redundant burden. One does mourn the loss of the human Simon, but then you're supposed to -- it underscores that he's not just changed, he's *died*, and that's a loss, but I hope it's offset by the much more central role he can now take in events in City of Glass.

Clary is a strong, intelligent female protagonist with moxie a-plenty, what/who inspired you with the creation of this character?
Clary Fray is based in part on a friend of mine — a girl who is also an artist (she actually did a lot of the character drawings on my website) and who is an incredibly tiny person who is also incredibly tough.And Clary is tough, though she isn't really all that much of a physical fighter — she will fight when she has to, but she hasn't been trained and isn't particularly skilled. Her power comes from her creativity and her toughness and will are interior — there are scenes in City of Glass where she literally wants to lie down and die but she won't let herself. I suppose I wanted to write a girl who was tough and strong in a slightly different way.

Infernal Devices is your next project, what have you done to acquaint yourself with Victorian England?
For the past six months, I have read only books that are set in Victorian times – not just London, because the books also visit Paris and New York and Shanghai — are about Victorian times, or were written either during the Victorian era or just before (Tessa, the main character, is a reader, so I wanted to acquaint myself with what she'd be reading.) I've visited London twice, and mapped out the areas where the action takes place, found a location for the Institute and walked around it to see what's just in the neighborhood, and taken tons of photos for reference purposes. Obviously London has changed quite a bit since 1878 but I wanted to know things like "Can you see St. Paul's from this bridge?" (You can.)

If you had the choice; vampire (with Simon sun skills), werewolf or Shadowhunter?
Shadowhunter. I'm actually really grossed out by blood and I think the turning into a werewolf thing would grate on me after a while.

Thank you so much to Cassie for allowing me to interview her on top of the reader's snapshot. Also a big thanks to Juliet - The Walker Books Gem - who faciliated all this week. Check out the contest to win one of two copies of CoG here.

Waiting on Wednesday (7)

People...we have a tie.

Actually both these books aren't new releases. Carolyn Mackler has joined the list of authors who I'd like to fill the AussieBFF position for. I ADORED The Butt Book (I cannot be bothered writing the whole title) and have Guyoholic sitting on my shelf. Alas, I haven't read the prequel and I am determined to hold out til I can buy one - watch out Rundle Mall - you are getting raided tomorrow arvo.

Carolyn Mackler's Vegan Virgin Valentine
Mara Valentine is in control. She's a straight-A senior, a vegan, and her parents' pride and joy. She's neck-and-neck with her womanizing ex-boyfriend for number-one class ranking and plans to kick his salutatorian butt on her way out the door to Yale. Mara has her remaining months in Brockport all planned out, but the plan does not include having V, her slutty, pot-smoking, sixteen-year-old niece -- yes, niece -- come to live with her family. Nor does it involve lusting after her boss or dreaming about grilled cheese sandwiches every night. What does a control freak like Mara do when things start spinning wildly out of control? With insight, authenticity, and a healthy dose of humor, Carolyn Mackler creates an evolving Type A heroine that every reader will recognize -- and root for. From the author of the award-winning The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things comes the racy story of an overachiever who learns to get over it -- and get a life.

I intend on quenching my Mackler thirst. Impede me, if you dare (and by that I mean the woefully understocked bookstores of Adelaide, Australia).

My other choice is from an author that I adore in writing and in life - the fabulous Gayle Forman. Her amazing book, If I Stay, is release early next month but I have yet to read her debut. (Shhh she doesn't know and I feel like a freaking imposter.)

Gayle Forman's Sisters in Sanity

Teaser Tuesday (6)

Teaser Tuesday is a method in which I can share a juicy morsel from a book I am reading. I open the book randomly, and choose a line from that page (or a segment, rules are meant to be broken).

Title - The Good Daughter

Author - Amra Pajalic

Publisher - Text Publishing, Australia

"You're such a love-me-do." I said quietly.
"I can't help it if I'm stunningly handsome," he preened, smoothing his hair with his hand.
"Vomit," I put my fingers down my throat.

page 29

The Beginner's Guide for Living / Lia Hills

Summary - Seventeen-year-old Will is in turmoil after the sudden death of his mother. His father drifts and his older brother, Adam, stays away from home. Isolated and angry, Will begins a search for the answers he craves. He uses his mum’s old camera to document the experience and scrambles to find an idea for which he can live and die. And as if things weren’t complicated enough, he falls for sixteen-year-old Taryn. His final exams are looming, but how will he get through the tangle of grief and philosophy, sex and love?

Review - The divine Simmone Howell mentioned that she was reading this little gem on her blog a few weeks back. I decided then that I needed to get my hands on it then.

Reading this book was like slipping into a tub full of warm words. They slip over you, sink in, resonate. Worm their way into your consciousness. It's not surprise that Hills is a poet because every line in this book was beautiful. Reading about this boy's exploration into his mother life and death, what the purpose of life truly is and the presence of hope was a moving experience.

Will's mum was killed when a drunk driver swerves into her and the men in her life are irrevocably changed. Will's dad starts drinking a lot, his brother moves home and Will falls in love. Picking up from the funeral should be discombobulating but it wasn't. I felt eerily calm the entire time I was reading this book. I am typically a sprinting reader, I put words away fast but this book made me slow down and soak it all in. Normally this would make me run, scaring the absolute stuffing out of me but I found myself savouring each philosophical thought, each experience, each revelation.

Hills' debut effort is poised, deliberate and lyrical in some places. the humour dips in and waves at you occasionally lightening the load - "I am wearing corporate socks to a party. The world has gone into a slow decline." Will's romantic endeavours with the soulful Taryn are both speedy and languid at the same time. I have also read the best description of a hangover, bar none (p. 147).

One scene that particularly grabbed me was the scene in which Will overhears his father speaking with his deceased mother. That scene grabbed me by the heart, rattled it around and smashed it on the floor. His pain and grief was exquisite.

I gather there is some debate whether this falls into the traditional YA criteria, despite its marketing as such. There is swearing and sex but I think the languid pace is what might detract some readers. That being said, it is an authentic depiction of a teen's grief and that there is not one way to grieve, only your own. And that is a message that should be universal.

Published: 2009
Format: Paperback,
Publisher: Text Publishing
Origin: Australia

UPDATE: Kirsty (Lia's publicist) informs me that the US release will be in 2010 through Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Thanks

City of Glass Competition

Day 2 - City of Glass Week

Thanks to the translucent Juliet and the folks at Walker Books, I am hosting my first contest!

What's up for grabs?

• 2 copies of City of Glass with signed bookplates
  
• 2 signed bookplates

All you need to do is leave me a comment stating whether you'd prefer to be a shadowhunter, vampire or werewolf and why. Cassie Clare will reveal her own choice in the interview I conducted with her, to be posted on Wednesday.

Remember to also leave an email address.

I will reveal the lucky winners on Saturday. I am opening this up to all nationalities, so come one, come all. (You don't have to be a follower or a subscriber, I'd prefer you'd become one because you choose to.)

Here's something on the side, Walker Books has provided me with this wallpaper for your desktop enjoyment.

Click on the link to download your preferable wallpaper size:
Widescreen 1680 x 1050 City of Glass wallpaper
1280 x 1024 City of Glass wallpaper
1024 x 768 City of Glass wallpaper
800 x 600 City of Glass wallpaper

Thanks for dropping by!

The Earth, My Butt & Other BIG Round Things / Carolyn Mackler

Summary - Fifteen-year-old Virginia Shreves has a larger-than-average body and a plus-size inferiority complex. She lives on the Web, snarfs junk food, and follows the "Fat Girl Code of Conduct." Her stuttering best friend has just moved to Walla Walla (of all places). Her new companion, Froggy Welsh the Fourth (real name), has just succeeded in getting his hand up her shirt, and she lives in fear that he’ll look underneath. Then there are the other Shreves: Mom, the successful psychologist and exercise fiend; Dad, a top executive who ogles thin women on TV; and older siblings Anaïs and rugby god Byron, both of them slim and brilliant. Delete Virginia, and the Shreves would be a picture-perfect family. Or so she’s convinced. And then a shocking phone call changes everything.

Review - I have an admission to make; this book was sitting on my shelf for two months. Its poor, pink spine was crying out for me to read it, despite my ever growing review pile. I relented...and proceeded to devour it.

This book is deceptively simple. It doesn’t blow you away with forced humour, adjectives or revelations that make you pause. Instead it paints a clear, piercingly clear portrait of what it is like to be the fat girl. The invisibility, the crippling self doubt, the familial pressure, incessant stares, bullying and the eating of one’s feelings.

Now onto heavier issues, Byron’s date rape. I have always wondered when watching Law and Order: SVU what is must be like when your brother or father is the perpetrator of this kind of appalling crime. Shame, denial, anger? He’s still family but he’s betrayed Virginia’s gender - betrayed her rights and her trust by exploiting a fellow female. I think the addition of this plot point made it rise above what could have been considered a frothy girl fest. But readers know that this book wouldn’t have been that, with or without the Byron subplot. Virginia assertive stance to her brother in the closing chapters was near brilliant.

I was with Virginia with her whole misconception of Froggy. Was she being unfair and presumptuous in assuming he wanted a secret pashfest? Yes, but I would have thought that too. But really, what was she to think? Big girls are conditioned to think they aren’t worthy and that poor esteem in turn creates self fulfilling prophecies.

Freedom to be one’s self is a great right. And one that Virginia snatched back. Once she had finally broken free of her self-important, denial ridden mother’s restraints, Virginia was able to breath for the first time. I felt like cheering aloud...but didn’t as that would be weird.

Carolyn Mackler has a written a truly honest, candid and insightful look into the life of big girl (both in personality and in size). Her pacing along with the burgeoning confidence of Virginia and her ascertaining of independence felt real. I want to commend her, on her creation of this character and her world, wholeheartedly. I can’t help but think that this novel may have made many girls feel less alone and more empowered. Colour me impressed and hand me another Mackler!

Published: 2003

Format: Paperback, 290 pages
Publisher: Walker Books Aust.
Origin: USA
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Official site

Reader's Spotlight: Cassandra Clare

It's City of Glass Week here at Persnickety Snark and boy have I got some things in store for you!

Monday - Cassandra Clare's Reader's Spotlight
Tuesday - City of Glass Competition / Wallpapers
Wednesday - Cassandra Clare Interview
Thursday - My review of City of Glass
Friday - Another super secret special interview

So let's take it away with Cassandra Clare's Readers Spotlight:

Which book is memorable from your teen years?
Hm, I remember a large-scale fantasy epic story that suddenly right around book five took an incredibly sexist turn. I was about eleven, and I was so shocked by this that I just didn't know what to do — the sexism was really blatant, with women being treated like property and garbage and learning that that's what a woman's place was. I was so offended that I wanted to write the author an angry letter, but my father told me he was dead. Years later I found out he wasn't dead — he's still alive — but my father was worried I'd regret writing the letter later. Maybe I would have!

Describe your high school English teacher in three words...
Former Franciscan monk.

Your book of the moment?
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Farber.

What do you use to mark your page when reading?
I fold it down. Horrible, I know.

Character you wish you had created?
Lord Peter Wimsey.

Thank you to Cassie for taking the time to answer these questions and also to the beauteous Juliet for making it possible.

A Great and Terrible Beauty / Libba Bray

Summary - It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?

Review - I was at a loss after reading this novel. I enjoyed it - read it in one sitting without sighing or requiring a psych-myself-up-and-power-through-it pep talk. But I had many thoughts swirling in my head and very little in terms of answers.

The characterisation was very good. Gemma is vastly relatable. She's grieving her mother but also the lack of family with those that remain. She's fiery, defiant and strong. But she's oh so very flawed. Take her relationship with Felicity for instance. Initially they loathe one another, then they tolerate, accept and befriend one another. From mortal enemies to bosom buddies in what seems like the blink of an eye then turned on a dime to be antagonistic again. This perplexed me, Gemma knew (she was constantly reminded by the girl in question and by others) that Felicity wasn't a nice person and yet she concedes to this girl's wishes regardless.

Gemma has such a firm perspective of Spence that I was shocked when she befriends the school bully, bows to peer pressure and continually makes stupid decisions. Yet she's the secret keeper, swallower of truths. It's these truths that bug me - there's enough "issues" here to keep a teen help line busy for weeks. The thing is, we all have a strong inner dialogue that's true to ourselves and our perception of others. But it's what we do that often contradicts our thoughts and feelings. Most of the time Gemma knows what she's doing is wrong but she continues on her path without really pausing to consider why. The reason is she's too shallow to allow herself to know why. What irritated me as uneven characterisation now made sense. We aren't what we would like ourselves to be.

To be honest, it was the vagueness that ruined this book for me in many areas. I am not a person who requires all the answers to enjoy something (I have been a loyal viewer of Lost from the beginning if you need proof) but it was just a little iffy for me. Sarah and Mary - I get that the information on them is supposed to be spotty but I cannot believe that Gemma would not have read the diary through the first time she had it. To not have read it in it's entirety before sharing it makes no sense to me at all. Kartik - the whole romance angle was a waste of pages and served only to show that Gemma was "open minded" enough to lust after forbidden fruit. Circe - I guess very early on who it was correctly but her whole depiction felt very wishy washy. Mary - I knew who she was even earlier and never felt like it was a huge reveal. I am more interested to see the role that Miss Moore will play in the following tomes. I think she's a fascinating character and cannot wait to see what happens. Lastly, I really think the end of the Pippa character was a fitting closure.

I am intrigued by the future direction of this book. Although I find myself in a jumble about what the realms are, what the Order are trying to do and what's the purpose of the Rakshana, I would like to continue. I would also like to like Gemma more. I relate to her but I don't necessarily like her. And considering I despise pretty much everyone else in the book, I think liking the protagonist is pretty important. Here's to me getting my hands on Rebel Angels!

"Your mind in not a cage. It's a garden. And it requires cultivating." And this was the reason I kept with it. I like the message of empowerment through knowledge though I think words spoke louder than character's actions. It's the dichtomy of the book that both appeals me and repels me. It's the tug of war in my head that leaves me with no clue. Maybe the second book will clarify things for me, who knows?

Published: 2003
Format: Paperback, 416 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Origin: USA
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Libba Bray's Official Site - awesome website
Novel's Playlist - Kate Bush is on it, squee
Tour of Spence
Libba's blog

Interview: Amy Saidens

As many of you know, I have a huge literary crush on Jenn Echols. It made sense then that I would hunt down, Amy Saidens who has illustrated the bulk of Jenn's novels. Amy has kindly allowed me to interview her about what her job entails - something that fascinates me.

How did you get started designing book covers?
My very first book cover assignment wasn't assigned at all: an art director was browsing online portfolios and found a personal piece I had done and thought it would translate perfectly for a cover she was working on. The book was called "Wanderlust", a romantic comedy about the adventures of a fancy-free travel writer. The interesting thing is that the piece they used for the cover was something I had created in response to September 11...a perfect example of how different eyes see different things.

What would you consider you strengths in cover art design?
I like simple compositions and interesting color combinations. And i can draw an expressive face.

How much information are you provided with at the beginning of the assignment?
It varies. Usually I'm given a physical description of the characters and often a context to place them in. Sometimes I get an overview of the story and I work with the art director on a concept.

What is your favourite book jacket design?Probably "The V Club" (which happens to be another example of the art happening before the assignment). I love how simple and mysterious it is.

Could you briefly talk about how you approached each of the covers to The Boys Next Door, Major Crush and The Ex Games?
It's very rare that I get to read the whole book, though every now and then that happens.Usually I'm given a summary, sometimes specific chapters or events are sampled as well. With the Simon Pulse series (of which all 3 of Jennifer Echols Novels are part), they like the covers to feature the main characters, particularly if there's a love triangle involved. They also like if there's something a bit humorous happening, but that's not always possible.

Sometimes there's a clear direction, like in Major Crush and the Ex Games, and for those situations I usually just try to do that as best I can. But sometimes there isn't a definitive context to put the characters, and when that happens, I try to provide different options that explore a few ideas. Or, sometimes the Editors have something in mind and as I'm sketching it out, I think of something that might work better, and in that case I present both ideas.

How much of a say does an author have in determining the look of their book?
It really depends, and might be a better question for the publisher!I rarely have any contact with the author. I think usually the publisher and their team chooses the direction of the cover. The author can have feedback, but in the end, the publisher (and its sales department, frankly) have the final say.

Which other projects have you used your artistic genius?
blush I've done work for magazines, newspapers, a few ad campaigns and websites. I've also done some fully illustrated books (ie, not just the covers): cookbooks, gift books, sticker books for children, and coming Christmas 2009, a Fashion Show paper doll book.

Thanks so much for your time, Amy. I would recommend that you check out her website at http://www.amysaidens.com/ to see her amazing portfolio.