My Top YA Girls

Last weekend I posted my top 5 YA boys after reading the posts of some of my fave blogging gal pals and Trish Doller. In the interest of being equal, here are my favourite girlies. Note - I will only choose one character from an author's accumulative work.

Big 5
1. Francesca (Melina Marchetta - Saving Francesca)
I cannot pretend there aren't similarities between myself and Francesca. Unfortunately one of those commonalities isn't Will Trombal but my mother suffered severe depression during my teen years and I usually have argy-bargy interchanges with boys I like. Francesca is a strong, Australian protagonist who managed to make me relate to her intensely as she learnt what she was really made of. It helps that she's also a big Colin Firth (Pride and Prejudice specifically) and Buffy fan, she's got great taste. Most of all, I'd like to be her friend.

2. DJ Schwenk (Catherine Gilbert Murdock - Dairy Queen series)
What's not to love? She challenges gender stereotypes without being a cliche. She plays football. She runs her parents' farm. Most importantly, she doesn't whine or whinge. DJ sucks it up and keeps on keeping on which is enormously refreshing in YAverse. If only she would ditch Brian...

3. Jo March (Louisa May Alcott - Little Woman)
Jo is everything I wanted to be as a child. It still disappoints me greatly that she ended up with Professor Bhaer but it doesn't diminish her in my eyes. She was a writer with a wild imagination and I wanted both of those things. I always wanted to be bold like her...I think I am getting there :)

4. Alanna of Trebond (Tamora Pierce - Song of the Lioness Series)
Alanna was my entry into fantasy. Alanna was strong, intelligent, incredibly diligent, loyal, gifted and a worthy friend. She also crossdressed (which was great); I learnt everything there was to know about chest binding from her. She also had a cat, which I will forgive her for. Even better, she was stubborn beyond belief and had a fiery temper - I would cackle mirthlessly when she'd erupt.

5. Riley (Simmone Howell - Everything Beautiful)
Riley doesn't filter and I love her for it. She's a big girl with a big mouth who does everything a teen isn't supposed to do. Her journey to find herself is real, there are no cliches here. She's unique and unapologetic. Love her.

Ring In - Kurt (Melissa Walker - Violet in Private)
He's beyond a category but I wanted to include him, having forgotten to in the previous list. I love him. I wrote an email to Melissa immediately after finishing the novel saying how much I loved him. Yes, it's fangirl bad. He's my Edward, equally as shiny, nowhere near as pale. Probably as likely to bite :P

Girl Grievances
1. Bella (Stephenie Meyer - Twilight)
Two things bug me - 1) Her dad lived alone for fifteen years and yet she needed to look after him? Tell Charlie to get off his butt and cook something, anything. 2) Why would you curl up next to a cold, marble-like body in your sleep? Doesn't make sense. Obviously there are other glaring reasons but mine are petty.

2. Laurel (Aprilynne Pike - Wings)
Not her in particular but the whole 'woe is me' cliche - I am perfect and beautiful.

3. Ginny (Maureen Johnson - 13 Little Blue Envelopes)
I thought Ginny was a complete dunderhead for not breaking her promise to her aunt. She endangered herself with her stubborness and didn't really possess much of a spark. (Thankfully I am very much enjoying the girls in Suite Scarlett, even little Marlene).

4. Daisy (Meg Rosoff - How I Live Now)
Great book but I detested the protagonist.

5. Sister Tabitha (Carrie Ryan - The Forest of Hands and Teeth)
She's not a girl but she's female and evil so she'll do. The lady makes my blood boil which is a testament to great writing but I still loathe her.

What about you? Who do you love and loathe in terms of the females in YA?

Persnickety Snark June Wrap Up

It's a little late (and crazy busy this past fortnight at my actual job) but here's the wrap up for June...

I currently have 143 followers and 205 subscribers.

I reviewed 20 novels this month (9 being debut authors and 7 being Australian*)

Reviews:
Review - Bloodflower / Christine Hinwood *
Review - Eyes Like Stars / Lisa Mantchev
Review - Zombie Queen of Newbury High / Amanda Ash... *
Review - Letters to Leonardo / Dee White *
Review - Wings / Aprilynne Pike
Review - Being Nikki / Meg Cabot
Review - Strange Angels / Lili St. Crow
Review - Vulture's Gate / Kirsty Murray *
Review - It's Yr Life / Tempany Deckert & Tristan ... *
Review - Song of the Sparrow / Lisa Ann Sandell
Review - Lucy Zeezou's Goal / Liz Deep-Jones *
Review - Fairest Of Them All / Jan Blazanin
Review - My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters /...
Review - Sweethearts / Sara Zarr
Review - Stargazer / Claudia Gray
Review - What Supergirl Did Next / Thalia Kalkipsa... *
Review - The Off Season / Catherine Gilbert Murdoc...
Review - Dairy Queen / Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Review - Prophecy of the Sisters / Michelle Zink
Review - Wicked Lovely / Melissa Marr

Adele's Discussion Posts:
Twilight Stalker Graph
My Top 5 YA Boys
The Joy of YA Author Blogs
Pacey Crushing

Author Interviews / Blogs / Vlogs:
Blog Tour: Letters to Leonardo - Dee White
Reader's Snapshot - Michelle Cooper
Interview - Elizabeth Scott
Interview - Michelle Cooper
Guest Blog - Michelle Cooper
Guest Vlog - Elizabeth Scott

And the lovely Jo at Ink & Paper Interviewed Me:
Adele...Interviewed

The Persnickety Snark "I Heart Adele" International Author Gallery grew with the addition of Sarah Dessen. A big thanks to Khy from Frenetic Reader for doing this, I am always surprised and then smiling silly for hours after seeing them - you are an absolute treasure. I have Gayle Forman and Sarah Dessen...who shall be next hmmm?

The Joy of YA Author Blogs

Author accessibility is a facet of YA literature that has become increasingly important. Whether through MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, official websites, blog tours or blogs - today's YA author needs to be readily accessible to all.

That being said, blogs (and vlogs) can be a win or lose proposition for me. It can make me more excited to read their work or have no affect at all. However, I haven't found poor blogging to be detrimental to my regard for the author, but that does not include authors who use blogs as sources of ongoing self-celebration. That being said, I enjoy some author's blogs more than I will ever enjoy their novels.

US authors are definitely at the top of the heap in terms of their blogging. Unpublished, debut and experienced authors all blog. In fact, it's rare to find an American YA author who's not blog-literate. In Australia, it's growing in popularity but I would argue that it's very rare to find authors that are as prolific as their American counterparts. The UK authors in contrast, seem to rarely blog at all.

Blogging isn't just posting your release dates, positive reviews, blog tours and tour dates - though some authors tend to think it is. While this information is very welcome by readers, we like more. There needs to be frequent posts (2-3 week) that are personal to some degree. These entries don't have to be long but they do need to reflect the author's personality.

Why is the blog important? It allows the reader to learn more about the author, their process, and their novels. Many blogs were my first introduction to the author - specifically Sarah Dessen, Stephanie Kuehnert and Melissa Walker. In fact, in the latter's case, I ordered all three of her books from the States for around AUS$90, sight unseen...I wasn't disappointed.

Today I thought I would talk about some of the ways an author can reach their audience through the medium of the blog –

Brutal honesty and bravery - I hadn't heard of Stephanie Kuehnert prior to joining the blogosphere. Once I began, I immediately heard about I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone but I had no concept of who Stephanie was. I happened to drop by her blog on February 2nd, 2009 when Stephanie posted her 'The Hardest Blog I've Ever Written'.

Stephanie used her blog to share a large part of herself and her relationship history with her audience. It's an intensely personal post about a relationship that was particularly toxic and the affect this had on her. It packs a massive emotional wallop, she's unflinchingly honest and her discussion of grief, controlling relationships, self-harm and survival is inspiring and heart wrenching. My admiration for Stephanie is immense; as a person and as an author. I can only think of the many girls that have read (and will read) that post and take something positive away from it - whether it be awareness, a wake up call, understanding or a connection. It's an amazingly powerful piece of writing and evidence of what an author can achieve through the power of the blog.

Family Tales - This isn't a necessary component within the blogoverse as I understand the need to maintain a distance and privacy but sometimes it's fun hearing about someone else's family. In the case of Gayle Forman (If I Stay), her blog readers were able to read about her family's expansion with with the adoption of Denbele. The Big Bigger Biggest News of All post shared with us her joy, the frustration of the bureaucracy in the adoption process and the weirdness in sharing this news with her readers. What is even more touching is reading the comments in response to this post and the happiness shared by her readers and her family. Gayle's family all comment regularly which I haven't really seen on other author's blogs, it's very representative of Gayle as a person - welcoming, accepting, open and joyful.

The second author I wanted to mention is debut author, Michelle Zink (Prophecy of the Sisters). Her family play a gigantic role in every facet of her writing and this is evident in her blogs and vlogs. Regulars to her blog know that her son, Kenneth, composed the music that accompanies Prophecy of the Sisters. That being said, it was her post about BEA 2009 that really showed the strength of her family to it's most sparkly and awesome degree. The overwhelming feedback she received about her tight knit family then resulted in the blog post A Peek at My Life where she briefly spoke about the uniqueness of her family and shared the Little Brown promotional trailer that featured them.

Humour - Meg Cabot is the Grand Dame of YA Blogging as far as I am concerned. She's fabulous at mixing self-promotion, recommendations, pop culture and personal anecdotes with a biting (sometimes silly) humour. Last week she posted her thoughts on Harry Potter with the post, Harry Potter and the Gushy Stuff. This hilarious post talked about how Ron and Harry were "equipped" and also deliberated how much Hermoine should be pining in the HP and Half Blood Prince posters.

How to Write - What is more inspiring or informative than getting tips straight from the author's mouths? No one does this better, in my humble opinion, than Justine Larbalestier. I started reading her blog as she was in the midst of giving advice that covered every possible area of the writing and publishing game. January Writing Advice Month covered everything from POV, voice, getting unstuck and generating ideas. I loved that she took questions from her readership and wrote plain spoken tips to help new writers along.

Vlogs - This is a medium that John Green and his brother, Hank, have definitely made their own but there are many others that delight us with their presence.

Jackson Pearce (As You Wish) won my admiration through vlogging when she cold-called Amazon after the whole AmazonFail debacle. She's cute, sassy and sure knows how to entertain! Jackson's also a frequent vlogger, making many videos not only about her take on life but often in the highlighting of other debut writers. Her recent adventure to the locations in John Green's Looking for Alaska was amazingly entertaining and informative - as an Australian it really brought a place in the world that I am unfamiliar with alive.

Plain Wacky (I mean that in the most complimentary way possible) - I have to go with Canadian Courtney Summers (Cracked Up To Be) on this one. Where else would I find an entire post on Toto's Africa?

Contests - I personally don't think they are necessary but I am not going to be a hypocrite and say that I don't enter them. But my interest isn't held by contests, thought provoking / humorous / personal posts do. Most of the authors in my Google reader don't run contests.

and...the obvious...

Their Writing - I am not going to reference any author in particular but I get a strange sense of joy reading about writer's block, writing hijacked by small children, character name deliberation, the exhaustive editing process, receiving the first mock cover and release day. This is way we all come back for time after time and I very much appreciate that all these blogging YA authors take the time to blog.

So what about you? What do you like to see in author's blog posts?

Blog Tour: Letters to Leonardo - Dee White

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.
_ _ _ _ _

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.

Waiting on Wednesday - My Secret Year

I have been perusing The Tenners website - I read this one and fell in lust!

My Secret Year - Jennifer Hubbard (Viking)
Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend. When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He discovers a journal Julia left behind. But Colt is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept.

Thanks to the lovely Jenny, I now have a cover for this novel. I think it sounds fantastic and the cover is dark, sultry and intriguing - can you ask for anything more?

Review - Letters to Leonardo / Dee White

Summary - A unique and powerful story about a fifteen year old boy who tries to deal with his mother’s mental illness by writing letters to Leonardo da Vinci.
On his fifteenth birthday, Matt receives a card from his mother – the mother he grew up believing was deceased. Feeling betrayed by both his parents, Matt’s identity is in disarray and he begins writing letters to Leonardo da Vinci as a way to sort out the ‘mess’ in his head. Through the connections he makes between his own life and that of Leonardo, Matt unravels the mystery that his life has become and discovers his mother’s secrets and the reasons behind his abandonment.

Review -Looking for Leonardo is the debut writing effort from Australian author, Dee White. Compelled by his school project on Leonardo da Vinci and a letter from a mother he believed to be deceased, Matt starts poking and prodding into his previously predictable life to get to the truth.

Dee White has managed to integrate the great Renaissance artist into a contemporary, Australian boy's life with some surprising correlations. She's obviously done her homework! The use of the intersperced letters wasn't always a hundred percentage successful but it was a device allowed Matt's thoughts and feelings free reign. Matt is such a present character, the reader is never at a loss to his true feelings. The themes of redemption, hope and forgiveness were treated realistically and were delightfully frustrating as a result. While many readers might gravitate towards the relationship between Matt and his mother, I found the see-sawing of his connection with his father to be more intriguing. Matt's father's dependence on the Sons and the Single Parent tome was chuckle-worthy, his anger and concern over his ex-wife's intrusion in their existence understandable but some further development would have been great.

White's exploration of mental illness, parent/teen dynamics, the strength of friendship, hope and forgiveness. Ultimately this is a novel about family and how much our parent's influence, whether present or absent, affect our perspective and dreams.

A thought provoking read.

Published: July 2009

Format: Paperback, 246 pages

Published: Walker Books

Origin: Australia

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http://www.deescribe.com.au/

Teaser Tuesday - Saltwater Moons

Teaser Tuesday's all about tempting your literary taste buds with some pagey goodness.

Title: Saltwater Moons

Author: Julie Gittus (Hachette Aust.)

"Nicky is a proponent of the 'try before you buy' philosophy." p. 13

Um that is about what you think it's about. If you know what I mean.

"We kept looking at each other and I saw the comprehension in his expression when he realised Mark was following me." p. 44

I love the cover art on this novel. I am a sucker for clean use of colour and the back of a (probably) very good looking guy :)

Review - Wings / Aprilynne Pike

Summary - Aprilynne Pike's WINGS is the first of four books about an ordinary girl named Laurel who discovers she is a faerie sent among humans to guard the gateway to Avalon. When Laurel is thrust into the midst of a centuries-old battle between faeries and trolls, she's torn between a human and a faerie love, as well as her loyalties to both worlds.

Review - Wings was definitely not my cup of tea. Poor characterisation, a plodding plot and unnatural dialogue did not make this a pleasant read. Scoffing quite often joined my grimaces and sighs as the pages slowly turned.

Laurel has to be one of the more insipid protagonists in recent YA literature. She's beautiful, subsides on lettuce and has a tendency to fall for guys as boring as she is. She's also a faery with a blossom (no this isn't a double entendre). Her worst character trait is her utter lack of intelligence and sense. Her insensitivity to David and Tamani's very evident feelings is abhorrent and Pike attempts to make it understandable by indicating that Laurel is oblivious. It's hard not to be snarky when there is so little to like about this novel. The concept is great but the execution is poor.

The dialogue was simplistic and clunky. Each line clanged as it read, no subtlety, no fluidity, no grace. Pike doesn't seem to be all that familiar with the fundamental rule of authorship - show, don't tell. Even the action scenes were unbelievably ponderous. My biggest pet peeve was a numerous page discussion between Laurel and Tamani about her faery origins where at no point did she bother to ask about her parents. As Laurel's an adopted child, I find it unbelievably ridiculous that this much needed topic is is forfeited for a discussion on pollen/blossom. I would argue that Laurel would still want to know who's blossom and pollen ...well, ah meshed. This frustrates me so much because I suspect that her "parentage" will become a factor in subsequent titles in this series. More than anything the exposition level in this book alone was excessive and clunky - free flowing, light handed plot development was needed.

A truly pedestrian read.

Published: August 2009

Format: Paperback, 356 pages

Publisher: HarperCollins

Origin: USA

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http://www.aprilynnepike.com/

**8th April 2010 - It has been nearly a year since this post's comment section has been closed I am reopening it. Be nice. I would also like to clarify that I didn't remove Johnathan's comments, he chose to delete them himself. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Review - Being Nikki / Meg Cabot

Summary - Things aren't pretty for Emerson Watts. Em was sure there couldn't be anything worse than being a brainiac the body of a teenaged supermodel. But it turned out she was wrong. Because that supermodel could turn out to have a mother who's gone mysteriously missing, a brother who's shown up on her doorstep demanding answers, a former best friend who's intent on destroying Stark Enterprises to avenge the death of his lost love, and a British heartthrob who's written a song about her that's topping the charts. How can Em balance all that with school, runway shows, and weekend jaunts to St. John's - especially when she's got ex-boyfriends crawling out of the woodwork who want more than just a photo op; a sister who is headed to the high school cheerleading championships; a company she represents that seems to be turning to the dark side... Not to mention trying to convince the love of her life that models aren't really airheads after all... especially one model in particular. But then, nobody said it was going to be easy being Nikki.

Review - Meg Cabot is a genius. However, the concept at the core of this novel series, involves the reader taking a huge leap of faith in order to invest in the protagonist, Em. I have to admit that the whole brain swapping scenario makes it difficult for me to love this series as much as some of Cabot's other work. That being said, Being Nikki was a huge improvement on Airhead.

Em is a great character - she's smart, determined, empathetic and now beautiful. Unlike Airhead, Em has increased problems to keep her occupied. There's less emphasis on the modelling and more on her relationships, Nikki's family and her own conflicted emotions which makes this a much more fluid, relatable and enjoyable read. The addition of Nikki's brother, Steven, was a great move and the indication that he's around to stay. While the concept of Christopher is something I very much like, I found myself disregarding him a lot in this novel. He's less likable as his hard edges get sharper. Frida continues to grate though. I find the need of Em (and Nikki's body) to smooch on everyone within arms reach to be extra seedy and truth be told, it undermines the likability of the character.

Cabot is great at writing humorous, intelligent and feisty protagonists and she's been successful here too. However, the over-arching concept of brain transplants is beyond ridiculous and as it plays such a key part in the story development, it's hard to avoid. Em's adventures as a supermodel are a fun read and it will be intriguing to see what happens in the forthcoming titles in the series.

Published: July 2009
Format: Paperback, pages
Publisher: PanMacmillan Australia
Origin: USA
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http://www.megcabot.com/

My Top 5 YA Boys

Kelsey, Khy, Jordyn and Trish Donner's fantastic lists enthused me to compile my five fave boys in YA. I will preface this list with my decision to only list one character from one author's work (otherwise this would have to be re-titled the Marchetta Males List).

The Big 5
1. Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery)
Anne Shirley's mon ami, he's proud, self-sacrificing and he's loves Anne even after she breaks a slate over her head and other untold damage. I like a man confident enough to love a clumsy woman.

2. Jonah Briggs (Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta)
He's my biggest YA crush - he's got the whole military uniform going on, plus he's strong, masculine but a great listener. He's no push over, he's fully developed and he's buff.

3. Lucius (Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side - Beth Fantaskey)
If I am going to have to have a supernatural man on the list (unfortunately the Winchester boys don't qualify) then it's going to be this Romanian born, male chauvinist, elegant and charming gentleman vamp. He likes his woman feisty, curvy and snarky - what's not to love? (Evernight's Balthazar just got edged out.)

4. John After (Going Too Far - Jenn Echols)
I think the uniform thing is becoming an issue but this guy puts up with a whiny firecracker in the passenger seat of his cop car. He's protective, understanding, responsible, wounded and steamy.

5. Owen Armstrong (Just Listen - Sarah Dessen)
It seems necessary to have a Dessen boy on this list as they are the shadow in which all other YA authors must create their own romantic leads. Owen is great though as he's quiet, confident, self assured enough to pursue his passions, understanding and encouraging. He doesn't lie. He's also pretty tolerant of an extremely vexing younger sister.

Romance Repellent:
1. Edward / Jacob (Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer)
Two dimensional being who lust after a boring, helpless, snivelling girl aren't my thing. I'd much rather Charlie.

2. David / Tamari (Wings - Aprilynne Pike)
A Triangle of Yawn.

3. Jace (Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare)
A temperamental little jerk-face.

4. Lucas (Evernight - Claudia Gray)
Annoying, yucky, issue ridden and not Balthazar.

5. Professor Bhaer (Little Women - LM Alcott)
He's old and boring. How could Jo want him over Laurie?

(I will post a Top 5 Girl Crush List next week).

In My Mailbox - 28 June

I am still swamped at work but I have a week until I can make a concerned effort to make a dent in the TBR pile. But it's so darned hard when the books are pleading to me "read me".

Review

Graceling - Kristen Cashore

(Hachette)

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight; she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug. She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po. She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace--or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away. . .a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

I have heard some many delicious things about Katsa and this series so my expectations are high. Fire is coming out here in Australia in a couple of months but I was sent an ms for that one too. If the bug bites me, I am glad I can continue on with the second title immediately.

Wings - Aprilynne Pike

(HarperCollins - 1st August 2009)

Aprilynne Pike's WINGS is the first of four books about an ordinary girl named Laurel who discovers she is a faerie sent among humans to guard the gateway to Avalon. When Laurel is thrust into the midst of a centuries-old battle between faeries and trolls, she's torn between a human and a faerie love, as well as her loyalties to both worlds.

Expect a pretty darned honest review in the next few days. Let me offer a clue to my feelings by saying that I know why Stephenie Meyer thought it was astonishing, it reminded her of her own characterisations.

Raw Blue - Kirsty Edgar

(Penguin)

The ocean is a vivid emerald colour and the wind ruffles the wave faces so that they shatter the sunlight like glass. Seeing that glittering skin always tightens my throat with joy ... I forget about the underbelly of things, my secrets, and I feel easy and free.
Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing ... and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago at schoolies week.
And then Carly meets Ryan, a local at the break, fresh out of jail. When Ryan learns the truth, Carly has to decide. Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy?

Athena and Erin were telling me all about this one and now I am mad keen to read this Australian title. Some dark subject matter but I think it'll hit me in the gut and in the heart.

Stolen - Lucy Christopher (Scholastic)

Gemma, a British city-living teenager, is kidnapped while on holiday with her parents. Her kidnapper, Ty, takes her to the wild land of outback Australia. To Gemma’s city-eyes, the landscape is harsh and unforgiving and there are no other signs of human life for hundreds of kilometres in every direction. Here, there is no escape. Gemma must learn to deal with her predicament, or die trying to fight it.
Ty, a young man, has other ideas for her. His childhood experience of living in outback Australia has forever changed the way he sees things. But he too has been living in the city; Gemma’s city. Unlike Gemma, however, he has had enough. In outback Australia he sees an opportunity for a new kind of life; a life more connected to the earth. He has been watching and learning about Gemma for many years; when he kidnaps her, his plan finally begins to take shape.
But Ty is not a stereotypical kidnapper and, over time, Gemma comes to see Ty in a new light, a light in which he is something more sensitive. The mysteries of Ty, and the mystery of her new life, start to take hold. She begins to feel something for her kidnapper when he wakes screaming in the night. Over the time spent with her captor, Gemma’s appreciation of him develops into what is could be referred to as Stockholm syndrome.

Love the premise, think it could be fantastic. Getting great ratings on Goodreads.

LA Candy - Lauren Conrad

(HarperCollins)

Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.
When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a "reality version of Sex and the City," they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please!
Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara—free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres—and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight.
In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.

I hate myself for wanting to read this when I know it's probably been ghostwritten.

Being Nikki - Meg Cabot

(PanMacmillan)

Things aren't pretty for Emerson Watts. Em was sure there couldn't be anything worse than being a brainiac the body of a teenaged supermodel. But it turned out she was wrong. Because that supermodel could turn out to have a mother who's gone mysteriously missing, a brother who's shown up on her doorstep demanding answers, a former best friend who's intent on destroying Stark Enterprises to avenge the death of his lost love, and a British heartthrob who's written a song about her that's topping the charts. How can Em balance all that with school, runway shows, and weekend jaunts to St. John's - especially when she's got ex-boyfriends crawling out of the woodwork who want more than just a photo op; a sister who is headed to the high school cheerleading championships; a company she represents that seems to be turning to the dark side... Not to mention trying to convince the love of her life that models aren't really airheads after all... especially one model in particular. But then, nobody said it was going to be easy being Nikki.

Review coming relatively soon.

Gifted

Don't You Forget About Me - Contemporary Writers on the Films of John Hughes

No one captured the teen portion of the eighties as poignantly as writer-director John Hughes. Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Some Kind of Wonderful are timeless tales of love, angst, longing, and self-discovery that illuminated and assuaged the anxieties of an entire generation.
Fondly nostalgic, filled with wit and surprising insights, don't you forget about me contains original essays from a skillfully chosen crop of novelists and essayists on the films' far-reaching effects on their own lives -- an irresistible read for anyone who came of age in the eighties (or just wishes they did).
Featuring new writing from:
Steve Almond * Julianna Baggott * Lisa Borders * Ryan Boudinot * T Cooper * Quinn Dalton * Emily Franklin * Lisa Gabriele * Tod Goldberg * Nina de Gramont * Tara Ison * Allison Lynn * John McNally * Dan Pope * Lewis Robinson * Ben Schrank * Elizabeth Searle * Mary Sullivan * Rebecca Wolff * Moon Unit Zappa

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Simmone. How did you know how to buy my undying love (and possibly servitude)?

My Candlelight Novel - Joanne Horniman

Sophie is a 21-year-old single mother and this beautifully written novel explores her relationships in all their surprising and sensuous complexities.

I know nothing about this one, other than it's Australian and I trust the person who gifted this.

Thanks to Junkie / Siren for the great concept.