Review - Love You Hate You Miss You / Elizabeth Scott

Summary - You know, I always thought I told you everything, but there are some things I should have said but never did. I should have told you about the time I lost your new sunglasses. I know you really liked them. I should have apologized the time I ruined your brand-new skirt, the one with the beading. I should have apologized for a lot of stuff. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.

Review - Elizabeth Scott reminds me of sunshine. I see her in a photograph or on her vlog and I feel joyous. There's just something about her that makes me smile like a loon. I have read three of her titles so far (Stealing Heaven, Bloom and Perfect You) and enjoyed them all but Love You Hate You Miss You trumps all of them.

There's a harder edge, plenty of sarcasm and a lot of negativity in the form of the protagonist, Amy. She's brittle and fragile in one tall, red haired, resentful and mostly silent package. Amy's best friend, Julia, has passed away due to their formerly reckless behaviour and Amy carries the burden of guilt, grief and buckets of anger. Fresh from rehab, Amy is integrated back into school where she is all alone amidst hateful classmates and previous one night stands. Yet, it's her home life that makes me really sympathise. I haven't read a story where a character's parents are so in love and involved in one another that they effectively remove their children of all importance, worth and love. The reader will be able to empathise with this fresh take on the ways parents can negatively affect their child.

Love You Hate You Miss You is told from Amy's perspective, sometimes through the letters she writes to Julia. You will find yourself responding to the sarcastic, wounded edge of Amy's voice. She's hell on wheels but she has her reasons. She's trying to change while keeping everyone at a distance. Her friendship with Julia was her lifeline but their codependency wasn't always a good thing. They enabled one another in the worst possible way - Amy's alcoholism and Julia's drug use.

Elizabeth Scott possesses such an entertaining voice - one that really cuts to the heart of the matter, seeks out the humour and yet can describe something in a way you might have thought of before. The dialogue flows naturally and create a story that travels along at a great pace, unfurling authentically and concluding in a way that gives hope (but not all the answers).

Love You Hate You Miss You is a definite must read!

Published: June 1st, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Origin: USA
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Elizabeth Scott's Website
Elizabeth Scott's Blog

Review - A Bad Boy Can Be Good For A Girl / Tanya Lee Stone

Review - Josie, Nicolette, and Aviva all get mixed up with a senior boy, a cool, slick, sexy boy who can talk them into doing almost anything he wants. In a blur of high school hormones and personal doubt, each girl struggles with how much to give up and what ultimately to keep for herself. How do girls handle themselves? How much can a boy get away with? And in the end, who comes out on top? A bad boy may always be a bad boy. But this bad boy is about to meet three girls who won't back down.

Summary - Not long ago I wrote a guest blog (My Square Heart) for Liz over at My Favourite Books about the impact Forever (Judy Blume) had on my in my teen years. Soon after, British author Luisa Plaja suggested I read this novel as it involves Forever. a few months later and a book swap with the glorious Alea from Pop Culture Junkie and I had this novel in my hands.

The thing is...I didn't realise it was a verse novel. I am not a great fan of this style as I have read plenty of bad verse, free or otherwise. Thank goodness this title came along and changed my perspective. It was compelling reading. Three teen girls get manipulated by the school's head jock. At first I was doubtful of how effective you could show three smart girls getting worked over by the same guy without looking completely clueless. Instead the reader is shown how easy it is for girls to go against their gut in the belief that the guy cares regardless behaviour indicators to the contrary.

It's a super quick read with a good message for girls, definitely check this one out!

Published: 2006
Format: Paperback, 240 pages
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Origin: USA
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Tanya Lee Stone's Website
Tanya Lee Stone's Blog

Review - Slept Away / Julie Kraut

Summary - Laney Parker is a city girl through and through. For her, summertime means stepping out of her itchy gray school uniform and into a season of tanning at rooftop swimming pools, brunching at sidewalk cafes, and—as soon as the parents leave for the Hamptons—partying at her classmates’ apartments.
But this summer Laney’s mother has other plans for Laney. It’s called Camp Timber Trails and rustic doesn’t even begin to describe the un-air-conditioned log cabin nightmare. Laney is way out of her element—the in-crowd is anything but cool, popularity seems to be determined by swimming skills, and the activities seem more like boot camp than summer camp.
Splattered with tie dye fall out, stripped of her cell, and going through Diet Coke withdrawal, Laney is barely hanging on. Being declared the biggest loser of the bunk is one thing, but when she realizes her summer crush is untouchably uncrushable in the real world, she starts to wonder, can camp cool possibly translate to cool cool?
Summer camp might just turn this city girl’s world upside down!

Review - I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this novel as I am one of those foreigners that has idealised camp due to copious viewings of The Parent Trap (both original and remake). Laney is by all appearances one of those "mean girls" but I really didn't see any evidence of this. Sure she's shallow but her criticisms against her mother and step-kinda-father seem occasionally justified. For instance, if my mother sent me to camp without any warning and had packed my luggage with items she thought were appropriate, I would have a coronary (even at my advanced age). Skorts are never cool. Even a middle aged mother should appreciate that.

Slept Away tells the tale of Laney's burgeoning awareness that people (and herself) are more than their outer shell. She sees the appeal in an old acquaintance, although I do take issue with the fact that a lot of that attraction is due to his popularity in the camp-sphere. That being said, Ryan's a sweetheart. His assistance in pairing up their respective clueless nerdy friends is very fun.

The enemy - or the Billboard Butt Girls - are fun. They allow for some great complications, bitchy interplay and general teen nastiness. Laney's new bestie is the best kind of friend and it's through their interactions that she finds support, humour and a makeover subject in. Brandt and his snot and wee issues got a little old after awhile but I can see a younger audience really relating to the hilarity of his declarations. The comedy's there but at time I wished it weren't so reliant on pop culture references, they could have be scaled back so as not to take the reader out of the story.

A great, fun, summer read!

Published: May 26 2009
Format: Paperback, 256 pages
Published: Delacorte Books for Younger Readers
Origin: USA
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http://www.juliekraut.com/

Review - Along for the Ride / Sarah Dessen

Summary - It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

Review - I love Sarah Dessen but I am not the only one. There are masses of us that have all been yearning for another SD book and we are fortunate enough to have the normal wait shortened by a year as Sarah hit an extra productive patch. I really enjoyed Along for the Ride, heck I finished it in a couple of hours but I don't think it matched the brilliance of Just Listen or The Truth About Forever.

I have heard people talking about the SD formula. There is definitely one but since her characterisation is bang on, I don't really care. Auden is a character that is reminiscent of Macy - the perfectionist that has deliberately distanced herself from real life. Whereas The Truth About Forever's Macy was doing it to dull the pain of her father's abrupt death, Auden is doing her best to attain her parent's approval and attention. Auden is a different kettle of fish in other ways, she's not particularly shy, rather she's social inept. She never stretched her social "muscle". This leads to some hilarious interaction with one particular skank and her burgeoning relationship with the girls from Clementine's (her stepmother's clothing store).

Like all Sarah Dessen protagonists, Auden has an interesting home life full of colourful characters, a friend that surprises her and a main man who's soulful and yummy. I really enjoyed the focus on people not always being as they appear. Whether it be Auden's father revealing himself to be a jackass (consistently), her stepmother revealing herself to be an infallible human and Maggie proving herself to be multi-dimensional rather than just pink.

One issue I have a huge problem is Auden's action at her first ever party. Her new friends say it's understandable later on (I am being deliberately vague) but her choice was one that never really sat right with me. We also don't know the extent of this choice. It's also something that's never really expanded upon when Auden starts crushing on her bad choice's brother, Eli. There needed to be some follow through.

My favourite aspects would have to be any scene where Auden and Thisbe are together. Although my experience with babies is relatively minor, I could recognise the reality of the situation. Babies aren't sweet little pockets of joy, laughter and rainbows most of the time. They cry, they poop and then they cry again for good measure. It was lovely to see this sisterly relationship develop. That might sound strange of a teen and an infant but the latter did have a distinct, genuine personality that allowed for some great moments, both humorous and heart wrenching.

Eli - ahh the boy du jour. The idea of these two spending time together, careening around Colby (SD's second favourite town) exploring the "hotspots" and keeping one another company was fun. The reality of this situation is that they didn't really delve deep into their issues with a timely deep and meaningful conversation. Bits and pieces were revealed, usually when their shields were taking a beating, and it was very authentic to the teen experience. Very few of us will spill our lives stories to one another, regardless of reciprocated attraction. Eli has an intriguing back story, a heart of gold and a fresh look but he didn't really spark off the page. He's a little too good to be true, but isn't that what we'd all love?

Auden and Eli connect as they both suffer insomnia. While I see that Eli is genuinely suffering from the inability to sleep, I feel that Auden is suffering from bizarre sleeping patterns. Developing insomnia due to frequent nighttime parental arguments doesn't sound all that legit to me. But it's this condition that opens up Auden to the new branch of her family, new friends and a new perspective on life and what's important.

My review is critical but I really did enjoy this novel. I think Sarah Dessen has carved out a career with excellent characterisation, interesting settings, the magic of summer and some fantastic dialogue. Her characters always grow, finding themselves amidst life's chaos, connecting (or re-connecting) with others and finding their strength. Along for the Ride gives readers another protagonist that is a great role model to young women, one that is flawed but learns to love her flaws and the flaws of others. A read well worth the wait.

Published: June 2009
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Aust.
Origin: USA
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http://www.sarahdessen.com/

The Worst Review Ever

The awesome-tastic Alexa Young (Frenemies, Faketastic) has a snazzy new blog. The Worst Review Ever is a place for authors, musicians and pretty much everyone else to vent about their worst review.

Alexa invited me to share one about my blog but luckily I didn't have one. Everyone has been wonderfully supportive, however I did have one for my podcast, Fringe Dwellers. Follow the link and share in my pain...and pettiness.

And here are the details ...

Catching Fire Predictions

As some of you may know, I am a grade eight English teacher.  My class has just finished reading Suzanne Collins'  Hunger Games and are very excited about the soon-to-be-released, Catching Fire.  

One of my tasks for the class, was to write a number of predictions for the sequel - both what they think will happen and what they'd like to happen.  At this point not one of them had read the summary of this novel.  I will be posting some of their predictions through the week.

Moose's Predictions:

1. My first prediction is that the new book will be put in Prim’s point of view and how Prim was able to live while Katniss was gone. So it happens in the same time as The Hunger Games, except a different point of view. But not the whole book will be like this. Half will be when Katniss left to the Games and then Suzanne will take it away from there. 
   
2. My second prediction is that Katniss’ mother will die or be taken away for depression. Saying this, Prim and Katniss will go to the community house. This will really turn their life upside down. But at least Katniss only has to look after Prim then.
   
3. Number three is that Gale and Katniss will be caught hunting in the woods. Unfortunately, they will get a public whipping. This could scar Katniss and Prim for the remainder of their lives.
   
4. My number four prediction is that when Katniss and Peeta go around the Districts for their victory tour, Katniss will meet Rue’s mother in District eleven. She will have a long talk to her about Rue’s death. 
   
5. My number five prediction is that Haymitch will try his best to sober up. Once he will succeed in doing this, he will help Katniss and Peeta take care of the tributes. Haymitch is smart but a lot of the time does not use it to his advantage. 
   
6. My number six prediction is that Katniss may become engaged to a boy from District 12. One of the ones that like her - I include Peeta and Gale and I would highly fancy them to get her. 
   
7. For my number seven prediction, I think because Katniss and Peeta played with the Capitol to win the Games, the Capitol may try and assassinate them. They will not succeed, but this will start a very big rebellion against the Capitol. The Dark Days number two in other words. 
   
8. For number eight, I think Katniss will return to District twelve and go to one of her favourite places in the Hob. But once she goes there, she finds it closed down because the officials found it as a hazard to the community. But since when did the Capitol care about the Districts?
   
9. One of the biggest predictions that I have is that the Hunger Games will be stopped because of the rebellion Katniss and Peeta started. I think the people in the Districts will be happy, but the Gamemakers and the Capitol will be spewing from this outcome. They will be FUMING!
   
10. For my last prediction, I say that another District will be wiped out, exactly like District thirteen. The Capitol will think we stopped the Hunger Games, but the people still need to be warned that we are not starting to go soft on the people. I think it is very likely to happen. 
    

I guess we'll see how accurate these predictions are in the next few weeks as people read their much beloved, BEA swag!  Thanks to Moose for allowing me to post his ideas....more to come.

Blog Tour: Letters to Leonardo

Today I am the number one stop for Dee White's blog tour. Her novel, Letters to Leonardo, is available in book stores for your eager eyes.

Dee's here to discuss how her life paralleled that of her protagonist, Matt. The more she learnt about Leonardo Da Vinci, the more obsessed she became with him.

When I first came up with the idea of using Leonardo da Vinci as Matt’s mentor, I didn’t really know much about him except that he was a great painter, and I had a vague idea that I would like to use some of his paintings to symbolise things that were going on in Matt’s life.

I ventured onto the internet with the idea of buying a book that could give me insight into Leonardo and his works.

I’d never bought anything on the internet before so this was a very brave move for me. I found the perfect book ‘LEONARDO DA VINCI, The Complete Paintings’ by Pietro C Marani – for $70. ‘$70, I’d never spent that much on a book in my life. Still, it looked like a really good book. I told myself this would give me even greater incentive to get Letters to Leonardo published because that would justify having spent so much on a single book.

The book was everything I dreamed it would be. It went into so much detail about Leo’s works – was exactly what I needed. What I didn’t need was the bill – which turned out to be $120 because the price I’d been quoted was in American dollars. Now I was even more determined that I had to at least write my novel! And somehow, attempt to pay for my rash purchase.

Once I’d read all about Leonardo’s works, and decided how I could use his paintings in my story, I decided I needed to know more about him as a man.

That’s when I bought ‘Discovering The Life of Leonardo Da Vinci’ by Serge Bramly. The more I read about Leonardo’s life and works, the more similarities I could see between him and my main character, Matt. Leonardo had been separated from his mother at a very young age, and didn’t see her again for a number of years. He was raised by his father, and doesn’t appear to have had a close ‘mother figure’ in his life for many of his formative years.

As I was seeking to find out more about Leonardo da Vinci, so too was Matt – and by now, it wasn’t just for his school assignment – just as my research wasn’t all about writing my YA novel. I’d become fascinated with Leonardo da Vinci, and so had Matt.

Matt surfed the internet for information about Leonardo da Vinci – and I surfed the internet for books about the painter.

Knowing about his works and life wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to know how his mind worked and how the early events of Leonardo’s life (being taken from his mother) had affected his later years. I was fascinated by the fact that he painted so many women, and wondered if this related back to the loss of his mother.

To give me greater insight into how Leonardo da Vinci thought and what motivated him, I bought Leonardo da Vinci and a Memory of His Childhood by Sigmund Freud.

By now, I was just as obsessed with Leonardo da Vinci as my main character Matt.

But whereas Matt’s obsession ended with the last page of Letters to Leonardo, mine has kept going. I even have a statuette of Leonardo Da Vinci on my desk, and am fascinated by the fact that Leonardo da Vinci’s eyebrows are shaped like the tilde on a computer keyboard.

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Dee also allowed me the time to ask some questions -

What inspired you to incorporate Leonardo D into the plot of Letters to Leonardo?
I needed somebody dead for my main character, Matt to 'talk' to. Everyone he knows has lied to him for the last ten years, so how could you trust anyone living? Matt Hudson is talented, introspective, artistic sensitive - could have been Leonardo da Vinci's twin if he'd lived at least five hundred years earlier. (Without the beard of course).

If you were given a task to write to a historical figure, which one would you choose?
I think I'd write to Marie Antoinette - only I'd have to learn how to speak French properly first.

How long from initial concept to last edit did Letters to Leonardo take to write?
A very long time - over ten years - and over 1 million words.

What are you working on at the moment?
I'm always working on lots of things all at once. I've been tweaking a YA novel, Cleopatra's Cat that I started writing a couple of years after I started Letters to Leonardo. I'm also working on a YA thriller trilogy - but I can't tell you much about that because most of it is still in my head. In addition to that, I'm rewriting a book about a boy with Selective Mutism because I realised it is really a book for adults not kids - even though there's a cute rabbit in it.

Thanks for having me over to visit Adele. Your place is always full of inspiration.

Thank you so much Dee for stopping by Persnickety Snark!

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Dee is currently mid-way through the blog tour, make sure you check out here other stops.

24th June 2009 http://sallymurphy.blogspot.com/

25th June 2009 http://spinningpearls.blogspot.com/

26th June 2009 http://thebookchook.blogspot.com/

27th June 2009 http://belka37.blogspot.com/

28th June 2009 http://weloveya.wordpress.com/

29th June 2009 http://www.livejournal.com/users/orangedale

30th June http://www.letshave%20words.blogspot.com/

1st July Cyber launch http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com/ http://robynopie.blogspot.com/

3rd July http://bjcullen.blogspot.com/

4th July http://sandyfussell.blogspot.com/

5th July http://teacherswritinghelper.wordpress.com/

6th July http://tips4youngwriters.wordpress.com/

7th July http://www.jennifer%20brownya.com/

Reading Matters Conference

This past weekend I was very fortunate to attend the Reading Matters conference in lovely Melbourne. Run by the Centre for Youth Literature every odd year, the conference allows authors, teachers, librarians and publishing personnel to share the book love.

Author panellists included:

• John Green US
• MT Anderson US
• Mal Peet UK
• Cathy Cassidy UK
• Isobelle Carmody AUST
• James Roy AUST
• Anthony Eaton AUST
• Mo Johnson AUST
• Michelle Cooper AUST
• Bernard Beckett NZ
• Alison Goodman AUST
• Chris Wheat AUST
• Armin Greder AUST
• Libby Gleeson AUST
• Tristan Bancks AUST
• Randa Abdul-Fattah AUST
• Adrian Stirling AUST
• Amra Pajalic AUST

As you can see, there's a reason I haven't posted much in the last few days. I was overwhelmed by the awesomeness that was on and off stage. I got to catch up with the lovely chickies from Random House (who kindly "babysat" me), the delightful Penguin ladies, the super sweet Elise from Allen&Unwin and the incomparable Judith Ridge!

The reason I posted my pic is that I should have done this prior to attending the conference. I stupidly assumed people would recognise me from my Twitter pic and found myself on the back foot because of this oversight. I missed out on meeting Sherryl Clark, Chris Morphew, Gabrielle Wang and Simmone Howell because of this...but I didn't know what mny people looked like either.

I was able to catch up with many authors that I have gotten to know via the Persnickety Snark blog.
Mo Johnson - who I flagged down right at the start and then watched as she completely won the entire conference over. She's the Scottish pixie of awesomeness! Her panel on love and sex in YA and her readings were enormously entertaining. Seeing the huge pile of Boofheads sell out was a high point for me, especially as I felt ahead of the rush having reviewed it back in February. It was also announced that Boofheads was to be released in the UK through Walker Books. Another highlight was John Green incorrectly pronouncing Boofheads as bewfheads = hysterical.

James Roy - I recently read my first title of James' and was completely and utterly impressed. I have been tweeting with him and loved his sense of humour. So it was fantastic to see that he's just as friendly and wicked in reality. He was part of a number of panels but my favourite had to be the closing panel where he and John Green just riffed off one another on various topics (Aussie Rules football, Twilight, their process in writing and other bits and pieces.) At one point in the panel they were asking for questions and no one was obliging - I know, John Green is in the house with the incomparable James Roy and no one was asking questions! I asked something about if they'd been asked to prom and James said my name and blog to the entire conference - was a highlight for me being the narcissist that I am! Needless to say, James is a sweetheart and signed my book. He wasn't sure of the etiquette involved in acknowledging my review - I said that feedback is great and he signed my copy of Town saying thanks for the review. Lovely man!

Michelle Cooper - Poor Michelle was sprung with a kinda loopy Adele. I had just arrived at the YA Hypothetical evening (So You Want to Be a YA Writer?) and saw the lovely Random House ladies who then introduced me to Michelle who was with them. I then proceeded to hit her with a string of adoring incoherent ramblings. I still don't understand why no one ejected me from the venue or gagged me. I have yet to interview Michelle but she had seen that I favourably reviewed her A Brief History of Montmaray last week. Michelle was attending the conference on the back of her win of the Ethel Turner Prize and completely rocked it on her panels. Many of the titles she used as part of her research for Montmaray were noted and I will be reading them asap. The poor lady was also very nice about me hugging her :)

Amra Pajalic - Amra's The Good Daughter was a fantastic debut effort by this Victorian. She was able to leave her baby for enough time to sit in on the panel, 'Growing Up Muslim in Australia'. It was an extremely informative and thought provoking panel, one that I would consider one of my favourites of the conference. Amra and I were able to talk for awhile as she was signing books and she was super sweet, welcoming and told one signee that I wrote her first review. I can't wait to catch up with her some time in the future.

Sue Lawson - I didn't know that Sue was going to be in attendance and she tracked me down. She then proceeded to introduce me to many lovely people including Dee White and Kristen Young. I knew Kristen already from dealing with black dog books but it was great to place a face with a name. Sue's gorgeous inside and out, Kristen's a little ball of energy and Dee had some really nice advice about writing. To be honest, they were so nice it was a little surreal. They were also the group that pushed me into sucking up my courage and approaching John Green at the reception.

John Green - I am saving this interaction for a later post lol

Mal Peet and MT Anderson - I interviewed both of these amazingly gifted authors on my first day in Melbourne. I will be getting into the audio from this interview over the weekend. It was an amazing opportunity facilitated by the divine Juliet at Walker Books. It was unbelievably surreal to be seated in a room with these men and drink in their overwhelming charisma and intelligence.

Reading Matters was an incredible experience and I will be posting my notes from all of the panels over the next two weeks. Hopefully you'll stop by and see how amazing these panels truly were. Also a big thanks to the folks who ran the event, making it hugely successful for everyone involved.

Persnickety Snark May Wrap Up

It's been an Aussified month here at Persnickety Snark. I am extremely proud that so many amazing YA authors come from my country and are making a splash on the international stage. Please make sure you check out the reviews, interviews and blogs written by so many supportive individuals that I have been lucky enough to become acquainted with.

I have 114 followers and 171 subscribers.

Interviews with Australian Publishers
Interview - Paul Collins (Ford St Publishing)
Interview: Sarana Behan (Random House Aust.)
Interview: Erin Wamala (Penguin Aust.)
Interview - Juliet Izatt (Walker Books Australia)
Interview - Kristen Young (black dog books)
Interview - Penny Hueston (Text Publishing)


Interviews with Australian Debut YA Authors
Interview - Amra Pajalic
Reader's Snapshot - Amra Pajalic
Interview - Kate Welshman
Interview - Sally Murphy
Reader's Snapshot - Kate Welshman
Interview - William Kostakis
Reader's Snapshot - William Kostakis

Blogs by Australian Debut YA Authors
Author Blog: Kate Welshman
Guest Blog: William Kostakis

Interview with Graphic Artists
Interview - Astred Hicks

Adele's Guest Blog
In Celebration of Sarah Ockler's 20 Boy Summer - Fire Engine Fail

Reviews of Australian YA
Loathing Lola / William Kostakis
Posse / Kate Welshman
Something More / Mo Johnson
Pearl Verses The World / Sally Murphy
My Extraordinary Life and Death / Doug MacLeod
Surprise / Karen Andrews
Review - A Brief History of Montmaray / Michelle C...
Town / James Roy
Review: Keeper / Mal Peet
Stinky Squad / DC Green
Siggy and Amber / Doug MacLeod

In June expect to see:

• Alexa Young and Julie Kraut in the house.
• Lots of posts about my experiences at the Reading Matters conference.
• Interviews with Mal Peet and MT Anderson.
• Reviews of Along for the Ride, An Abundance of Katherines and many more authors I have become acquainted with from RMatters.
• Some very cool news about Persnickety Snark on a book cover.
• (Hopefully) An audio file where James Roy and John Green say Persnickety Snark lots of times :)
• Interviews with more Aussie writers.

Stay tuned.

In My Mailbox - 31 May

READING MATTERS CONFERENCE HAUL
Bought
The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet - Reif Larson
T.S. Spivet is a 12-year-old genius mapmaker who lives on a ranch in Montana. His father is a tight-lipped cowboy and his mother is a scientist who for the last twenty years has been looking for a mythical species of beetle. His brother has gone, his sister seems normal but might not be, and his dog – Verywell – is going mad.

It’s odd, but then families are. T.S. makes sense of it all by drawing beautiful, meticulous maps kept in innumerable colour-coded notebooks: maps of the countryside, maps of his family’s behaviour, maps of animal and plant life. He is brilliant, and the Smithsonian Institution agrees, though when they telephone with news that he has won a major scientific prize they don’t suspect for a minute that he is twelve years old.

So begins T.S.’s life-changing adventure, fleeing in the dead of night, riding freight trains two thousand miles across America to reach the awards dinner, the fame, the secret-society membership and the TV appearances that beckon. But is this what he wants? Do maps and lists explain the world? And why are adults so strange?

The lovely Zoe from Random House handed this to me at the conference so I know I am going to love it. Can't wait.

An Abundance of Katherines - John Green
When it comes to relationships, everyone has a type. Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. He has dated--and been dumped by--19 Katherines. In the wake of The K-19 Debacle, Colin--an anagram-obsessed washed-up child prodigy--heads out on a road trip with his overweight, Judge Judy-loving friend Hassan. With 10,000 dollars in his pocket and a feral hog on his trail, Colin is on a mission to prove a mathematical theorem he hopes will predict the future of any relationship (and conceivably win the girl).

John Green was one of the speakers at the conference and I was lucky enough to speak to him briefly and get him to sign this title. It's not available in Australia yet so I bought it straight away. Big thanks to Penguin for shipping some in especially for the conference! This is the last of the Green titles I haven't read. I have high expectations.

The Billionaire's Curse - Richard Newsome
Someone has stolen the world’s most valuable diamond and a constable lies unconscious in the British Museum, two sedative darts protruding from his backside.

Not something Gerald Wilkins knows or cares anything about.

Not until he finds himself on a private luxury jet heading for London to attend the funeral of a great aunt he has never met. Not until he inherits her estate, worth twenty billion pounds. Not until he opens a bundle of envelopes from his dead great aunt.

Was she murdered? Who stole the diamond? And what is the mysterious casket that everyone seems to be looking for?

With the help of the Valentine twins, the rat-fearing Sam and the gymnastic champ Ruby, Gerald’s got a mystery to solve. A mystery that will take them into secret passageways, a musty bookshop, an ancient crypt, a ruined tower and a colossal cavern where the secret of a priceless treasure lies protected by deadly booby traps.

Text Publishing had a table of free titles. I fended off elbows of vicious librarians to get this title. Have heard some great things about this Australian author.

Genesis - Bernard Beckett
It's the year 2075.

The island Republic has emerged from a ruined world. Its citizens are safe but not free. They live in complete isolation from the outside world. Approaching planes are gunned down, refugees shot on sight. Until a man named Adam Forde rescues a girl from the sea.

Anaximander, a young Academy student, is put through a gruelling exam. Her special subject: the life of Adam Forde, her long-dead hero. What secrets has she discovered and what is her own surprising link to Adam? She is forced to confront the horrifying truth about her totalitarian world.

Hearing Bernard speak about this novel made it a must buy. A friendship between a man and a robot? In a dark, depressing setting? I am totally there!

A Brief History of Montmaray - Michelle Cooper
Sophie FitzOsborne lives in a crumbling castle in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray, along with her tomboy younger sister Henry, her beautiful, intellectual cousin Veronica, and Veronica's father, the completely mad King John.
When Sophie receives a leather-bound journal for her sixteenth birthday, she decides to write about her day-to-day life on the island. But it is 1936 and the world is in turmoil. Does the arrival of two strangers threaten everything that Sophie holds dear?

As you already know I already own and have reviewed this title. BUT I met Michelle this weekend and I ambushed her with some OTT praise. I hope I didn't scare her. Since she was at the event (and rocking at all of her panels), it was necessary that I buy this award winning book and get her to sign it. She's as lovely as she is talented. She's also brave as she spoke to me a few times despite my unintelligible ramblings of adoration.

For Review
Along for the Ride - Sarah Dessen
It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

I own a blog called The Sarah Dessen Diarist - I don't think I need to really comment about how much receiving this title meant to me.

Jatta - Jenny Hale
Jatta is a princess in the kingdom of Alteeda, but her life is no fairy tale. Her mother was slain by werewolves when Jatta was a baby, and the palace has been haunted by fear ever since. Then Jatta wakes one morning, bruised and battered, soaked in sweat,to see her bedroom smeared with bloody paw prints .

Cool looking, interesting sounding title.

Lamplighter - DM Cornish
The Half-Continent is becoming even more unsafe - monster attacks are on the rise, and every far-flung village or town is calling for help to fight them. Into this dangerous landscape the lamplighters must venture daily, keeping the roads safely lit for travellers. It is not a job for the faint-hearted, and every week there are reports of new theroscades. Foundling Rossamünd Bookchild, sworn into the Emperor's Service as a prentice lamplighter, is finding his training at Winstermill Fortress difficult and lonely. His life is further complicated by the arrival of a young wit, determined to spite her famous mother by becoming a lowly lantern-stick. As Rossamünd begins to make new friends in this sinister world, he also seems to make more enemies, finding himself pushed towards a terrible destiny, a fate beyond anything he could ever have imagined.

I guess I have to read number one now.