General Winston’s Daughter July 31, 2007

Seventeen year old heiress Averie Winston has traveled far from her civilized Aberelle to the exotic Chiarrin.  Averie is eager to be reunited with her father, the general, and her handsome fiance Morgan.  Both men are part of the Aberelle army who have invaded and occuppied Chiarrin for it’s stategic location.  At first Averie is excited to explore a strange country and even makes a friend in a local seamstress named Jalessa.  However, all is not as it seems and the people of Chiarrin are at unrest, and rebels begin to attack their own city.  With the onset of impending war Averie realizes she doesn’t love her fiance, but instead is in love with the mysterious Lieutenant Ke Du’Kai who comes from Xantai, another one of Aberelle’s oppressed colonies.   Averie must grow up fast in the face of war and forbidden love.

 

General Winston’s Daughter reads more like a historical novel rather than fantasy fiction. There is a definate parallel between Aberelle and Chirarrin to the British Empire during it’s occupation of India.  The land of Chirarrin is described as hot and humid, while it’s people are exotic, tan, and wear colorful scarfs on their heads.  Aberelle is described as a powerful nation, whose people are classed by pedigree and fortune.  In fact, the obvious historical comparision often left me wishing Sharon Shinn had written a historical novel rather than “fantasy.” It would’ve probably made the story a lot more interesting if it were laden with historical and cultural facts. Overall, it might be a good read for fans of historical romance fiction rather than fans of fantasy fiction.

I’ve been remiss July 30, 2007

So here are some Crafty Librarian links.

Holly of A True Reality and her Traveling Pants program. Or you can try this In-jean-ious binder.

DIY Life’s roundup of Harry Potter-related crafts. (I know; should have posted this one before the book came out.)

How to make lip balm from Etsy Labs and natural skin care recipes and tips from Fashiontribe (via the craft: blog).

We don’t have enough jewel cases to do this project from Craft Chi, but the tape transfer? Looks so cool. Must try it. I’ve also been meaning to try freezer paper stencils to see if it could work as a program, and look—screenprinting with freezer paper stencils!

Felt magnets from How about orange… Hmm, something else to try with The Cute Book.

If you’ve had to plan make-and-take crafts, here are some tips from CraftyPod.

If you’re even the tiniest bit interested in July 30, 2007

manga and graphic novels, read Saturday’s Comic Con edition of Publishers Weekly Comics Week. Go. NOW! Because you do want the news about Minx titles for 2008, Crayon Shinchan, CLAMP, and more, right?

But really, Dark Horse, can’t you come up with something that sounds better than “mangettes”?

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale July 26, 2007

The Mongolian steppe is no place for a woman to be alone. Dashti has been alone since the death of her mother and knows that as an orphan she needs to seek employment in the city. In the harsh environment of the steppe, people need to work together to survive. Dashti journeys to the city and learns to read and write as she trains to become a servant for the gentry.  

On the day she meets her new employer, Lady Saren, Dashti finds out that her Lady is sentenced to seven years of confinement in a tower for refusing to marry Khan Khasar by her own father. At first Dashti is happy that she will have a place to stay and solid meals to eat but as the months go on she misses the sky and the fresh air. Rats infiltrate their food supply and her mistress’s episodes of sadness make Dashti wonder if they will survive the seven years in the tower.

Lady Saren has two suitors who visit her while she is in the tower. Unable to speak on her own, Saren orders Dashti to speak for her to her suitors. Khan Tegus gives them hope with his kind words and presents. However he seems to disappear when a second suitor, Khan Khasar visits the tower. Khan Khasar is the incarnation of evil and Dashti understands why her lady has refused to marry him. Grateful that they are safe from him in their tower, the two women are lulled into a false sense of security.

Will Dashti and Saren survive seven years in solitary confinement?  Will someone come to save them? Will Khasar break into the tower and have Lady Saren? Will Lady Saren’s father have a change of heart and let them out?  To find out read Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale.

*****
Shannon Hale tells a familiar tale from a different perspective. Instead of Rapunzel letting down her hair so that her suitor may visit her, the lady in this story shies away from the attention of men. Dashti’s intelligence and independence makes her a great role model for young women. I’m a sucker for historical fiction and folktales and Shannon Hale masterfully intertwines the two to create a wonderful story. Be sure to catch this one when it’s out in September 2007.    

Ha! July 26, 2007

I wasn’t planning on watching the Today show’s interview with J.K. Rowling (did I need to, with newspapers and magazines and other blogs writing about it?), but then I read this (edited to add: sorry, should’ve mentioned there are major spoilers!).

If anyone’s interested, I kind of discuss my thoughts about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows here.

Reads for the slightly dark at heart. July 25, 2007

Don’t be fooled by the artwork and title, Clubbing is not a graphic novel about a hot gothic chick who likes to go night clubbing. In fact, it’s more like a nancy drew mystery with a slightly dark morbid hilarity. Charlotte “Lottie” Brook is a goth teen (if Emily the Strange grew up she would definately be Lottie), who upon getting caught with a fake I.D. at a london club is sent to repent in the english countryside, at her grandparents country club. However, Lottie finds that the english countryside is not so sleepy when she meets up with a kooky group of country vampires, finds a corpse, and crushes on the hunky groundskeeper. Will Lottie save the world and find out who killed the old lady, and get a kiss from the hunky groundskeeper by the end of the summer? Read if you dare.

*Just a side note: author Andi Watson also wrote books for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, so teens interested in that genre might enjoy this graphic novel as well.*

Omnibus Press again presents another ‘unoffical and unauthorized’ biography of an indie rock band. This time it’s target is My Chemical Romance (or MCR). The short work is actually a bunch of press and photo clippings taken from Billboard Magazine, MTV, and Alternative press. I wouldn’t have expected it to be an indepth read, since the band is only about seven years old, and they just the hit charts in 2004. In all, it would be a quick read for fans or anyone interested in the goth/punk/emo movement. Some trivia about the band you will learn from the book(disclaimer: since it is ‘unofficial and unauthorized’ some information may be incorrect or distorted):

1.) The band was formed in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. Lead singer Gerard Way was on his way to work when he witnessed the planes crashing into the twin towers, from then on he decided to forgo his cartooning career in order to form MCR.

2.) The name My Chemical Romance came from the bassist Mikey Way (who is Gerards younger brother). My Chemical Romance is a referral to Irvine Welsh’s book Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance. (Irvine Welsh also wrote Trainspotting).

3.) Helena the bands seventh single is a tribute to Gerard and Mikey’s grandmother, who passed away while they were on tour. In 2005 the video for the song was nominated with 5 moon men by MTV.

More thoughts on YA romance July 23, 2007

{As I don’t read all that much YA romance, if anyone disagrees/knows I’m wrong/can recommend some books, please leave a comment. I know I should read more YA romances before ranting about them, but since ALA boxes #1 and #3 (finally!) arrived, it ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. At which point I’ll probably have forgotten everything I wanted to say.}

Yes, there is such a thing as a YA romance. I just don’t read much of it. According to the Romance Writers of America, “Two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.” “Emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending” is kinda vague, but to me means the folks whose relationship is at the core of the book fell in love and are together at the end, committed to each other and the relationship. So if there’s a YA novel with a central love (or “really like”) story and the couple is together and intends to stay together when the book ends, it’s a YA romance.

I read adult romances and YA novels with a romantic subplot, but not that many YA romances. The ones I’ve read, while cute, just haven’t done much for me. I’ve commented at several other blogs that I thought this is largely because I don’t find them as intriguing or exciting as YA books with a romantic subplot. I still think this is true, but I’ve also come to think that this is just part of a bigger problem, the lack of YA romances for older teens.

Most YA romance series (since most *true* YA genre romances are part of series, like First Kisses) seem to be targeted to middle schoolers. Even books with older protagonists, like the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies, seem to be written for a younger audience who wants to vicariously live the life of a high schooler.

Where are the YA romances for older teens? A book with a bit of edge and maybe even sex or lustful thoughts? (If it’s appropriate to the story, and it doesn’t have to be graphic.) A book in which the protagonist’s main worry isn’t that he/she has never been kissed or never been in a relationship? When there is romance in a YA book for older teens, it’s often coming of age stories in the romantic-subplot-and-it-even-has-a-happy-ending vein, or the relationship is the focus, but as Liz says, “the break up with the boy is used to illustrate COA.” Or it’s part of a trilogy (or longer) and hence not a romance novel, if it even has a satisfying ending. There are lots of books with romantic subplots, but I haven’t come across anything so far that I would truly call a YA romance for older teens. Maybe Major Crush by Jennifer Echols, but that’s about it. A couple of MTV Books titles are geared for older teens and come pretty close, but ultimately are, in my opinion, more chick lit than romance (The Book of Luke, Adiós to My Old Life). Where are the YA books for older teens that focus on a romantic relationship and have a happy ending?

A number of teens at my library read adult romance novels, and they’re not the only ones. Do publishers think there’s no market for YA romances for older teens, or are they just willing to lose these readers to adult romance or Older Teen/16+ rated romance manga? (Isn’t there some statistic that romance readers read more books overall than the general reading public? I found this and this, but they’re not what I had in mind.)

Horcrux Speculation July 20, 2007

Caught up in the Harry Potter fanaticism, I’m speculating on the remaining Horcruxes.  According to the Harry Potter Lexicon the known horcruxes are: 1) Diary of Tom Riddle, 2) Hufflepuff Golden Cup, 3) Slytherin’s Locket, and 4)Marvolo Gaunt’s Ring.  I think the remaining two are the 5)The Sorting Hat (or Godric Gryffindor’s Sword) and 6)The Goblet of Fire.

Granted I’m not positive, those are my guesses.  Sorting Hat and Sword because they were Godric Gryffindor’s and the Goblet of Fire because I can’t figure out any significant object from the House of Ravenclaw. 

We’ll see if I’ll be eating my words soon.

They’re doing what? July 19, 2007

Also well known to former series readers is Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley High, which Laurel Leaf is relaunching next April with Double Love and Secrets, due out with new covers and 65,000-copy first printings, and the inclusion of cell phoning, e-mailing and the like.

From the article “What’s New in Paperback Series” from today’s PW Children’s Bookshelf.

Adiós to My Old Life by Caridad Ferrer July 18, 2007

Ever since this book won the RITA for Best Single Title Romance on Saturday, there has been some controversy in romanceland about a YA book winning. Ignoring those people who think that this marks the end of civilization as we know it, the question of “Is this a romance novel?” is a valid one. Me, personally? I would call it a YA book with a romantic subplot, not a YA romance (for one thing, YA romances seem to have nothing close to sex or anything controversial), but, hey, if the contest criteria is “Romance woven throughout the story with an emotionally satisfying ending”, then, yeah, it does meet the requirements. If anything, all the critics are doing is encouraging people to read this book. And Adiós to My Old Life delivers.

Ali Montero and her father both have music in their soul. But while her father is satisfied as a music professor who plays gigs on the side, Ali knows that she wants more. She wants to perform, and auditioning for the reality show Oye Mi Canto is just the start. Ali is not expecting much from the audition. Sure, she’s a talented singer and guitarist, but she knows her sound is not typical for a show that’s being billed as the Latin American Idol. So she’s shocked when hot college intern Jaime tells her she made it to the final round. Now all she has to do is deal with her father, who didn’t know she’d auditioned in the first place, some backstabbing competition, adoring fans, and a blossoming relationship with Jaime. Oh, and try to win the show, of course.

There’s lots to like in this book. Ali is a likeable narrator, the secondary characters well-drawn, and did I mention the hot romance? Caridad Ferrer’s writing is fast-paced and often funny, while clearly showing us Ali’s connection to music and her close relationship with her father, which is strained for the first time. And even though my knowledge of Spanish is pretty much nada, I could still figure out gist of the Spanish that is interspersed throughout the text.

Romantic, yes. A romance, well, not in my opinion. Ali and Jaime’s relationship, though important to the story, is not the main plotline. But regardless of how you classify it, Adiós to My Old Life is a great read.

Also reviewed at interactivereader and Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Books.
Review and interview with Ferrer by Little Willow.