The Puck in the Midden

Books Read 2016

penmage — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 17:30:42 GMT

1. The Walls Around Us--Nova Ren Suma ** (1/2)
2. The Envy of Angels--Matt Wallace **** (2/29)
3. Lustlocked--Matt Wallace **** (3/14)
4. The Witches of Lychford--Paul Cornell *** (3/21)
5. Don't You Trust Me--Patrice Kindl *** (3/27)
6. Tell the Wind and Fire--Sarah Rees Brennan *** (3/31)
7. Strike--Delilah S. Dawson **** (4/4)
8. With Malice--Eileen Cook ***** (4/9)
9. The Diabolic--S.J. Kincaid **** (4/11)
10. The New Guy and Other Senior Year Distractions--Amy Spalding *** (4/16)
11. After the Woods--Kim Savage **** (4/23)
12. The Secrets We Keep--Trisha Leaver ** (4/23)
13. Pocket Apocalypse--Seanan McGuire *** (4/26)
14. Where You'll Find Me--Natasha Friend *** (4/27)
15. Chaos Choreography--Seanan McGuire **** (4/29)
16. Trust Me I'm Lying--Mary Elizabeth Summer *** (4/30)
17. Trust Me I'm Trouble--Mary Elizabeth Summer *** (5/1)
18. Twenty Questions for Gloria--Martyn Bedford *** (5/4)
19. The Darkest Corners--Kara Thomas **** (5/5)
20. Defender--Graham McNamee *** (5/7)
21. Raymie Nightingale--Kate DiCamillo *** (5/9)
22. The Sudden Appearance of Hope--Claire North *** (5/18)
23. Sleeping Giants--Sylvain Neuvel ** (5/29)
24. The Taming of the Shrew--William Shakespeare (reread!) ** (6/1)
25. Peas and Carrots--Tanita S. Davis *** (6/4)
26. The Dark is Rising--Susan Cooper ***** (reread!) (6/5)
27. Crosstalk--Connie Willis *** (6/12)
28. Rules for Stealing Stars--Corey Anne Haydu **** (6/13)
29. The Library at Mount Char--Scott Hawkins ***** (6/21)
30. Greenwich--Susan Cooper ***** (reread!) (7/15)
31. This is Where It Ends--Marieke Nijkamp *** (7/23)
32. This Savage Song--Victoria Schwab *** (7/24)
33. Nightshades--Melissa F. Olson **** (7/30)
34. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child--JK Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany **** (8/6)
35. The Girl I Used to Be--April Henry *** (8/11)
36. Rise--Mira Grant **** (8/23)
37. Escaping Perfect--Emma Harrison *** (8/30)
38. Tuesdays With Morrie--Mitch Albom **** (9/6)
39. False Hearts--Laura Lamm *** (9/16)
40. Pride's Spell--Matt Wallace *** (9/21)
41. Hammer and Bone--Cassandra Khaw *** (9/22)
42. Ruthless--TK *** (10/1)
43. Shackled--Tom Leveen *** (10/1)
44. I Am Not A Serial Killer--Dan Wells **** (10/8)
45. Parasite--Mira Grant (reread!) **** (10/21)
46. Symbiont--Mira Grandt **** (10/25)
47. Chimera--Mira Grant **** (10/31)
48. We Know It Was You
49. Scythe--Neal Shusterman ***** (11/25)
50. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner ***** (reread!) (12/2)
51. The Queen of Attolia--Megan Whalen Turner ***** (reread!) (12/11)
52. Grace and the Fever--Zan Romanoff ***** (12/17)

Three Parts Dead--Max Gladstone

2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009

Books Read 2015

penmage — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 18:13:35 GMT

1. The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil--Stephen Collins **** (1/2)
2. Beautiful Darkness--Kerascoët and Fabien Vehlmann **** (1/3)
3. House of Shadows--Rachel Neumeier **** (1/6)
4. Rooftoppers--Katherine Rundell ***** (reread!) (1/13)
5. The Wednesday Wars--Gary D. Schmidt ***** (reread!) (1/15)
6. The Winter Long--Seanan McGuire **** (1/17)
7. Glory O'Brian's History of the Future--A.S. King **** (1/31)
8. The Cuckoo's Calling--Robert Gilbraith ** (2/4)
9. Boxers--Gene Luen Yang *** (2/14)
10. Saints--Gene Luen Yang *** (2/14)
11. A Monster Calls--Siobhan Dowd and Patrick Ness ***** (2/14)
12. Landline--Rainbow Rowell ***** (2/16)
13. How to Be a Woman--Caitlin Moran *** (Feminist Book Club book) (2/22)
14. Bones and All--Camille DeAngelis *** (3/4)
15. Asylum--Madeleine Roux ** (3/7)
16. The Duchess War--Courtney Milan **** (Feminist Book Club book) (3/24)
17. Get in Trouble--Kelly Link **** (3/29)
18. Kaleidoscope--ed by Julia Rios and Alisa Krasonstein ***** (4/10)
19. Bone Gap--Laura Ruby *** (4/11)
20. Kindred--Octavia E. Butler *** (Feminist Book Club book) (4/19)
21. Harrison Squared--Daryl Gregory *** (5/2)
22. The Third Twin--C.J. Omololu **** (5/9)
23. A Darker Shade of Magic--V.E. Schwab **** (5/13)
24. Persepolis--Marjane Satrapi **** (Feminist Book Club book) (5/16)
25. Daughters Unto Devils--Amy Lukavics ** (5/20)
26. The Scorpion Rules--Erin Bow **** (5/24)
27. Archivist Wasp--Nicole Kornher-Stace **** (5/30)
28. LumberJanes #1: Beware the Kitten Holy--Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke Allen **** (5/30)
29. Sisters of the Revolution--edited by Jeff and Ann VanderMeer ***** (6/10)
30. More Happy Than Not--Adam Silvera *** (6/16)
31. The Complete Persepolis--Marjane Satrapi **** (6/20)
32. Uprooted--Naomi Novik ***** (6/20)
33. Global Frequency: Planet Ablaze--Warren Ellis **** (reread!) (7/4)
34. Global Frequency: Detonation Radio--Warren Ellis **** (reread!) (7/5)
35. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly--Stephanie Oakes **** (7/25)
36. The Elfstones of Shannara--Terry Brooks **** (reread!) (8/2)
37. Diary of a Haunting--M. Verano *** (8/15)
38. The Cuckoo's Song--France's Hardinge **** (8/17)
39. Orbiting Jupiter--Gary D. Schmidt * (8/22)
40. Violent Ends-- **** (8/29)
41. The Other Side of Salvation--Jeri Smith-Ready ***** (8/30)
42. Every Heart a Doorway--Seanan McGuire **** (9/12)
43. A Red-Rose Chain--Seanan McGuire **** (9/16)
44. Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes--Neil Gaiman (reread!) **** (9/18)
45. Sandman: The Doll's House--Neil Gaiman (reread!) **** (9/20)
46. Sandman: Dream Country--Neil Gaiman (reread!) *** (9/22)
47. Sandman: A Season of Mists--Neil Gaiman (reread!) ***** (9/23)
48. Sandman: A Game of You--Neil Gaiman (reread!) ***** (9/26)
49. Passage--Connie Willis (reread!) ***** (9/30)
50. Sandman: Fables & Reflections--Neil Gaiman (reread!) **** (10/3)
51. Sandman: Brief Lives--Neil Gaiman (reread!) *** (10/10)
52. Sandman: World's End--Neil Gaiman (reread!) **** (10/10)
53. Sandman: The Kindly Ones--Neil Gaiman (reread!) ***** (10/17)
54. Sandman: The Wake--Neil Gaiman (reread!) **** (10/30)
55. Lumberjanes vol. #1--Grace Ellis and Noelle Stevenson (reread!) **** (10/31)
56. Lumberjanes vol. #2--Grace Ellis and Noelle Stevenson **** (10/31)
57. Lumberjanes vol. #3--Grace Ellis and Noelle Stevenson **** (10/31)
58. Goodbye Stranger--Rebecca Stead **** (11/28)
59. Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between--Jennifer E. Smith *** (12/5)
60. Tell Me Three Things--Julie Buxbaum **** (12/12)
61. Experimental Film--Gemma Files **** (12/21)
62. The Wednesday Wars--Gary D. Schmidt ****** (reread!) (12/26)
63. Unexpected Everything--Morgan Matson **** (12/29)

2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009

Books Read 2014

penmage — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 21:23:55 GMT

January--12 books
February--4 books
March--5 books
April--12 books
May--5 books
June--9 books
July--9 books
August--17 books
September--7 books
October--8 books
November--5 books
December--7 books

1. Mortal Fire--Elizabeth Knox ** (1/4)
2. All You Never Wanted--Adele Griffin ** (1/8)
3. Hanging By a Thread--Sophie Littlefield *** (1/9)
4. Red--Alison Cherry *** (1/11)
5. Gated--Amy Christine Parker *** (1/12)
6. Premeditated--Josin L. Mcquein *** (1/14)
7. Beyond--Graham McNamee *** (1/15)
8. The Real Boy--Anne Ursu *** (1/17)
9. Since You've Been Gone--Morgan Matson ***** (1/18)
10. Counting By 7s--Holly Goldberg Sloan *** (1/19)
11. The Opposite of Hallelujah--Anna Jarzab * (1/25)
12. Love and Other Perishable Items--?? *** (1/31)
13. Unspoken--Sarah Rees Brennan **** (2/1)
14. The Year of the Witch--Mariah Fredericks *** (2/8)
15. Golden--Jessi Kirby ** (2/13)
16. The Tyrant's Daught--?? *** (2/15)
17. Jellicoe Road--Melina Marchetta ****** (reread!) (3/1)
18. The Geography of You and Me--Jennifer E. Smith ** (3/8)
19. Dismantled--Jennifer McMahon ** (3/17)
20. Conversion--Katherine Howe ***** (3/20)
21. The Twin's Daughter--Lauren Baratz-Logstead ** (3/30)
22. Bait and Switched--Barbara Ehrencrantz * (4/2)
23. Nearly Gone--Elle Cosimano *** (4/3)
24. Tease--Amanda Maciel **** (4/5)
25. Sekrit--Lindsay Smith ** (4/13)
26. Midwinterblood--Marcus Sedgwick **** (4/15)
27. Me Since You--Laura Wiess * (4/16)
28. She Is Not Invisible--Marcus Sedgwick *** (4/17)
29. Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace--Nan Marino ** (4/18)
30. Sparrow Hill Road--Seanan McGuire *** (4/19)
31. Amity--Micole Ostow * (4/20)
32. Open Road Summer--Emery Lord *** (4/21)
33. Wildlife--Fiona Wood **** (4/24)
34. The True Meaning of Smekday--Adam Rex (reread!) ***** (5/5)
35. Servants of the Storm--Delilah S. Dawson **** (5/12)
36. Reality Boy--A.S. King ** (5/22)
37. Something Real--Heather Demetrios ***** (5/26)
38. The Bishop's Wife--Mette Ivie Harrison **** (5/31)
39. The Merciless--Danielle Vega *** (6/3)
40. Don't Look Back--Jennifer L. Armentrout *** (6/4)
41. Doll Bones--Holly Black *** (6/5)
42. Half Bad--Sally Green *** (6/7)
43. The Lover's Dictionary--David Levithan **** (6/13)
44. The Magician's Land--Lev Grossman ***** (6/21)
45. Hit--Delilah S. Dawson **** (6/23)
46. The Jewel--Amy Ewing *** (6/28)
47. The Brides of Rollrock Island--Margo Lanagan *** (6/30)
48. The City in the Lake--Rachel Neumeier (reread!) ***** (7/5)
49. Smek for President!--Adam Rex **** (7/9)
50. The String Diaries--xxxxx *** (7/14)
51. This One Summer--Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki *** (7/19)
52. The Demonologist--Andrew Pyper *** (7/21)
53. The Miniature World of Marvin and James--Elise Broach *** (7/25)
54. Gold Metal Summer--Donna Freitas *** (7/26)
55. Let's Get Lost--Adi Alsaid *** (7/27)
56. Zombies Calling--Faith Erin Hicks *** (7/30)
57. DMZ #4: Friendly Fire--Brian Wood **** (8/2)
58. The Floating Islands--Rachel Neumeier ***** (8/3)
59. Forget Me--KA Harrington **** (8/8)
60. Through the Woods--Emily Carroll *** (8/9)
61. Violet Mackerel's Pocket Protest--Anna Branford ***** (8/9)
62. Saga: Volume II--Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples (reread!) ***** (8/11)
63. Saga: Volume III--Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples ***** (8/12)
64. Son of Hamas--Mosab Hassan Yousef ***** (8/13)
65. Breed--Chase Novak ** (8/14)
66. Blood Wounds--Susan Beth Pfeiffer **** (8/15)
67. We Are All Completely Fine--Daryl Gregory **** (8/16)
68. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight--Jennifer E. Smith *** (8/18)
69. Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer--Katie Alender **** (8/19)
70. Lock-In--John Scalzi **** (8/21)
71. The Imposter's Daughter--Laurie Sandell **** (8/23)
72. Nantucket Blue--Leila Howland **** (8/23)
73. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown--Holly Black *** (8/31)
74. We Are Goldens--Dana Reinhardt *** (9/7)
75. Belzhar--Meg Wolitzer ***** (9/11)
76. Y: The Last Man: The Complete Series--Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra *** (9/15)
77. Vault of Dreamers--Caragh M. O'Brien ** (9/17)
78. Half Off Ragnorok--Seanan O'Brien **** (9/28)
79. Pandemonium--Darryl Gregory ***** (9/27)
80. The Vow--Jessica Martinez ** (9/28)
81. There Will Be Lies--Nick Lake *** (10/7)
82. Astray--Amy Christine Parker *** (10/9)
83. Get Even--Gretchen McNeil *** (10/10)
84. Unspoken--Sarah Rees Brennan ***** (reread!) (10/11)
85. Untold--Sarah Rees Brennan ***** (10/14)
86. Conjured--Sarah Beth Durst *** (10/16)
87. Unmade--Sarah Rees Brennan **** [one star removed for character death] (10/17)
88. Mortal Danger--Ann Aguirre **** (10/21)
89. The Assassin's Curse--Cassandra Rose Clarke **** (11/5)
90. Lies We Tell Ourselves--Robin Talley **** (11/10)
91. A House in the Sky--Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett ***** (11/27)
92. Vivian Apple at the End of the World--Katie Coyle **** (11/28)
93. For Real--Alison Cherry **** (11/29)
94. Monstrous Affections--ed by Kelly Link & Gavin Grant ***** (ALL THE LOVE FOREVER) (12/12)
95. Fortunately, The Milk--Neil Gaiman *** (12/12)
96. The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals--Ann and Jeff VanderMeer **** (12/17)
97. The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy--Kate Hattemer **** (12/18)
98. The Half Life of Molly Pierce--Katrina Leno *** (12/21)
99. Lighthousekeeping--Jeanette Winterson *** (12/24)
100. Yes Please--Amy Poehler ***** (12/30)

2013
2012
2011
2010
2009

Books Read 2013

penmage — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 21:25:56 GMT

January--8 books
February--9 books
March--6 books
April--4 books
May--7 books
June--5 books
July--8 books
August--12 books
September--14 books
October--15 books
November--8 books
December--5 books

1. New Spring--Robert Jordan **** (1/6)
2. A Memory of Light--Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson ***** (1/19)
3. Goblin Secrets--William Alexander **** (1/21)
4. Dancing in the Dark--Robyn Bavati **** (1/22)
5. The Fifth Wave--Rick Yancey **** (1/24)
6. My Family for the War--Anne C. Voorhoeve ***** (1/26)
7. Don't Breathe A Word--Jennifer McMahon **** (1/29)
8. Janie Face to Face--Caroline B. Cooney *** (1/31)
9. The Believing Game--Eireann Corrigan *** (2/1)
10. Crewel--Gennifer Albin ** (2/5)
11. Promise Not to Tell--Jennifer McMahon *** (2/9)
12. Beta--Rachel Cohn *** (2/9)
13. When You Were Mine--Rebecca Serle *** (2/13)
14. Ask the Passengers--A.S. King ***** (2/14)
15. Stay--Deb Caletti **** (2/16)
16. Summer and Bird--Katherine Catmull *** (2/20)
17. The Raven Boys--Maggie Stiefvater ***** (2/25)
18. The One and Only Ivan--Katherine Applegate **** (3/2)
19. The Rules for Disappearing--Ashley Elston ** (3/12)
20. The Lucy Variations--Sara Zarr ** (3/17)
21. The Storyteller--Jodi Picoult *** (3/24)
22. Warm Bodies--Isaac Marion *** (3/25)
23. The Night Circus--Erin Morgenstern **** (3/29)
24. The Originals--Cat Patrick **** (4/20)
25. Game--Barry Lyga ***** (4/22)
26. The Wednesday Wars--Gary D. Schmidt (reread!) ****** (4/27)
27. Eleanor & Park--Rainbow Rowell **** (4/28)
28. 17 and Gone--Nova Ren Suma *** (5/3)
29. The Hallowed Ones--Laura Bickle **** (5/4)
30. Peanut-- Ayun Halliday, illustrated by Paul Hoppe **** (5/10)
31. Skin Hunger--Kathleen Duey (reread!) **** (5/12)
32. Sacred Scars--Kathleen Duey (reread!) **** (5/15)
33. The Waking Dark--Robin Wasserman **** (5/18)
34. Discount Armageddon--Seanan McGuire **** (5/25)
35. Wild Awake--Hilary T. Smith ** (6/1)
36. Skin--Donna Jo Napoli ** (6/6)
37. Rose Under Fire--Elizabeth Wein **** (6/9)
38. The Dream Thieves--Maggie Steifvater ***** (6/24)
39. The Infinite Moment of Us--Lauren Myracle **** (6/29)
40. Maggot Moon--Sally Gardner *** (7/5)
41. Mouse Bird Snake Wolf--David Almond **** (7/5)
42. Zebra Forest--Adina Rishe Gerwitz *** (7/6)
43. Parasite--Mira Grant **** (7/7)
44. Cain's Blood--Geoffrey Girard *** (7/23)
45. Project Cain--Geoffrey Girard * (7/23)
46. Below--Meg McKinley *** (7/26)
47. A Certain Slant of Light--Laura Whitcomb (reread!) ***** (7/28)
48. Becoming Sister Wives--Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn Brown *** (8/2)
49. Under the Light--Laura Whitcomb *** (8/3)
50. Midnight Blue-Light Special--Seanan McGuire *** (8/6)
51. The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die--April Henry *** (8/10)
52. The 100--Kass Morgan *** (8/13)
53. The Island of Lost Girls--Jennifer McMahon ** (8/17)
54. Fangirl--Rainbow Rowell ***** (8/19)
55. The Naturals--Jennifer Lynn Barnes ***** (8/21)
56. The Golden Day--Ursula Dubosarsky **** (8/22)
57. More Than This--Patrick Ness ***** (8/25)
58. Cherry Money Baby--John Cusick *** (8/28)
59. Six Months Later--Natalie D. Richards *** (8/30)
60. Marvel Her-oes--Grace Randolph *** (9/1)
61. The Moon and More--Sarah Dessen **** (9/7)
62. All Our Pretty Songs--Sarah McCarry *** (9/10)
63. Unthinkable--Nancy Werlin **** (9/19)
64. A World Away--Nancy Grossman *** (9/20)
65. The Ruining--Anna Collomore ** (9/20)
66. Paper Valentine--Brenna Yovanoff *** (9/21)
67. This is What Happy Looks Like--Jennifer E. Smith *** (9/21)
68. Engines of the Broken World--Jason Vanhee **** (9/22)
69. You Know What You Have to Do--Bonnie Shimko * (9/24)
70. Morning Glories--Nick Spencer & Joe Eisma *** (9/26)
71. This Song Will Save Your Life--Leila Sales **** (9/27)
72. Chimes at Midnight--Seanan McGuire **** (9/28)
73. The Cutting Room Floor--Dawn Klehr * (9/30)
74. The Extra--Kathryn Lasky ** (10/1)
75. Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Keaton--Matt Phelan *** (10/2)
76. Broken--CJ Lyons *** (10/3)
78. Saga, Volume I--Brian K. Vaughan **** (10/5)
79. I Swear--Lane Davis *** (10/11)
80. Saga, Volume II--Brian K. Vaughan **** (10/12)
81. Killer Instinct--S.E. Green *** (10/18)
82. Sweet Tooth Volume I: Out of the Woods--Jeff Lemire *** (10/19)
83. Sweet Tooth Volume II: In Captivity--Jeff Lemire *** (10/19)
84. Sweet Tooth Volume III: Animal Armies--Jeff Lemire **** (10/19)
85. Sweet Tooth Volume IV: Endangered Species--Jeff Lemire **** (10/19)
86. Sweet Tooth Volume V: Unnatural Habitats--Jeff Lemire **** (10/19)
87. The Girl with All the Gifts--M.R. Carey **** (10/25)
88. To All the Boys I Loved Before--Jenny Han **** (10/26)
89. Sweet Tooth Volume VI: Wild Game--Jeff Lemire (10/27)
90. Mothership-Martin Leicht and Isla Neal *** (11/2)
91. Stolen--Vivian Vande Velde *** (11/8)
92. Hyperbole and a Half--Allie Brosch **** (11/9)
93. Ancillary Justice--Ann Leckie *** (11/13)
94. House of Mystery Vol. 1: Room and Boredom--Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham ***** (11/16)
95. Dear Killer--Katherine Ewell *** (11/17)
96. Loud Awake and Lost--Adele Griffin **** (11/27)
97. Birds of Prey Vol3: Of Like Minds--Gail Simone *** (11/29)
98. The Here and Now--Ann Brashares **** (12/1)
99. A Princess of Landover--Terry Brooks *** (12/7)
100. Stained--Cheryl Rainfield *** (12/19)
101. The Outside--Laura Bickle *** (12/20)
102. We Were Liars--E. Lockhart *** (12/22)

2012
2011
2010
2009

Books Read 2012

penmage — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:02:03 GMT

January--8 books
February--16 books
March--10 books
April--9 books
May--6 books
June--3 books
July--9 books
August--10 books
September--4 books
October--6 books
November--10 books
December--9 books

1. One Salt Sea--Seanan McGuire **** (1/6)
2. The Magicians--Lev Grossman *** (1/14)
3. The Magician King--Lev Grossman ****(1/20)
4. Starcrossed--Elizabeth C. Bunce **** (1/25)
5. The Book of Blood and Shadow--Robin Wasserman **** (1/27)
6. The Rivals--Daisy Whitney *** (1/28)
7. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children--Ransom Riggs *** (1/29)
8. The Humming Room--Ellen Potter * (1/30)
9. The Children and the Wolves--Adam Rapp ** (2/1)
10. The Night She Disappeared--April Henry ***** (2/2)
11. See You at Harry's--Jo Knowles (unfinished, too triggery) (2/2)
12. The Girl in the Park--Mariah Fredericks **** (2/3)
13. Cinder--Marissa Meyer **** (2/5)
14. The Boys--Garth Ennis *** (2/11)
15. The Boys: We Gotta Go Now--Garth Ennis *** (2/11)
16. Anna Dressed In Blood--Kendare Blake *** (2/17)
17. Double--Jenny Valentine *** (2/17)
18. Where Things Come Back--John Corey Whaley ** (2/18)
19. So Close to You--Rachel Carter ** (2/18)
20. The Fault in Our Stars--John Green *** (2/18)
21. Wanderlove--Kristen Hubbard **** (2/21)
22. Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses--Ron Koertge ** (2/21)
23. The Selection--Kiera Cass *** (2/26)
24. Divergent--Veronica Roth **** (reread!) (2/28)
25. Insurgent--Veronica Roth **** (3/2)
26. Lone Wolfe--Jodi Picoult *** (3/3)
27. The Miseducation of Cameron Post--Emily M. Danforth **** (3/7)
28. The Secret Society of Heartbreakers--Lynn Weingarten * (3/9)
29. Caddy's World--Hilary McKay **** (3/10)
30. Like Mandarin--Kristin Hubbard *** (3/16)
31. Sleepers, Wake--Paul Samuel Jacobs **** (childhood reread!) (3/24)
32. I Hunt Killers--Barry Lyga ***** (3/26)
33. The List--Siobhan Vivian *** (3/30)
34. 172 Hours on the Moon--Johan Harstad **** (3/31)
35. Cold Ceral--Adam Rex *** (4/3)
36. Belles--Jen Calonita **** (4/5)
37. Revived--Cat Patrick *** (4/7)
38. As I Wake--Elizabeth Scott ** (4/13)
39. A Brief History of Montmaray--Michelle Cooper (reread!) **** (4/15)
40. The FitzOsbornes in Exile--Michelle Cooper (reread!) ***** (4/23)
41. What She Left Behind--Tracey Bilen **** (4/25)
42. Someone Else's Life--Katie Dale *** (4/28)
43. Orchards--Holly Thompson **** (4/30)
44. FitzOsbornes at War--Michelle Cooper **** (5/13)
45. Rival--Sara Bennett Wealer ***** (5/18)
46. Sam and Twitch: Volume 1--Brian Michael Bendis *** (5/20)
47. The Unquiet--Jeannine Garsee **** (5/24)
48. Shimmer--Phoebe Kitanidis *** (5/27)
49. Ghost Flower--Michelle Jaffe **** (5/30)
50. The Liar Society--Lisa & Laura Roecker *** (6/3)
51. Burn for Burn--Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian *** (6/16)
52. Perfect Escape--Jennifer Brown *** (6/30)
53. Sam and Twitch: Volume 2--Brian Michael Bendis **** (7/1)
54. Seraphina--Rachel Hartman **** (7/3)
55. Every Day--David Levithan **** (7/6)
56. Code Name Verity--Elizabeth Wein ****** (7/18)
57. Beyond the Sling--Mayim Bialik ** (7/20)
58. The Scorpio Races--Maggie Stiefvater *** (7/21)
59. When We Wake--Karen Healey *** (7/22)
60. The Storyteller--Antonia Michaelis **** (7/23)
61. Blackout--Mira Grant **** (7/28)
62. Gone Girl--Gillian Flynn **** (8/4)
63. Sweetly--Jackson Pearce *** (8/6)
64. The Eye of the World--Robert Jordan *** (reread!) (8/12)
65. Fathomless--Jackson Pearce ** (8/18)
66. Deadenders--Ed Brubaker and Warren Pleece *** (8/18)
67. The Great Hunt--Robert Jordan **** (reread!) (8/22)
68. You Are My Only--Beth Kephart ** (8/24)
69. The Juvie Three--Gordon Korman *** (8/25)
70. The Dragon Reborn--Robert Jordan (reread!) ***** (8/28)
71. Anya's Ghost--Vera Brosgol **** (8/28)
72. Flirt--Laurell K. Hamilton * (9/7)
73. The Shadow Rising--Robert Jordan (reread!) **** (9/11)
74. The Fires of Heaven--Robert Jordan (reread!) **** (9/21)
75. Lord of Chaos--Robert Jordan (reread!) ***** (9/29)
76. A Crown of Swords--Robert Jordan (reread!) **** (10/7)
77. The Path of Daggers--Robert Jordan (reread!) *** (10/13)
78. Winter's Heart--Robert Jordan (reread!) **** (10/20)
79. What's Left of Me--Kat Zhang **** (10/21)
80. Ashes of Honor--Seanan McGuire **** (10/25)
81. Crossroads of Twilight--Robert Jordan **** (10/31)
82. The Shadow Society--Marie Rutkoski ***** (11/3)
83. Liar and Spy--Rebecca Stead *** (11/18)
84. The Knife of Dreams--Robert Jordan ***** (11/22)
85. Adaptation--Malinda Lo **** (11/23)
86. Return to Me--Justina Chen ***** (11/24)
87. The Devil's Storybook--Natalie Babbitt ** (11/25)
88. Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot--Anna Branford ***** (11/26)
89. Violet Mackerel's Remarkable Recovery--Anna Branford **** (11/27)
90. violet Mackerel's Natural Habitat--Anna Branford *** (11/28)
91. Daylight Savings--Edward Hogan *** (11/30)
92. Two and Twenty Dark Tales--ed by Georgia McBride and Michelle Zink **** (12/5)
93. Dualed--Elise Chapman ** (12/6)
94. The Gathering Storm--Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson ***** (12/15)
95. Violet Mackerel's Personal Space--Anna Branford *** (12/16)
96. Pale--Chris Wooding * (12/16)
97. If You Find Me--Emily Murdoch ***** (12/20)
98. Lulu and the Brontosaurus--Judith Viorst **** (12/26)
99. Lulu Walks the Dogs--Judith Viorst ***** (12/26)
100. The Towers of Midnight--Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson ***** (12/31)

2011
2010
2009

Good Things

penmage — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:54:47 GMT

I can finally reveal the truth of the Good Thing that happened a couple weeks ago.

And that this is, I now bear the lofty title of Assistant Editor.

Which is to say, I have been promoted!

My boss told me about this two weeks ago, but it wasn't official until the email went out today. I was holding my breath that it would happen for the last six months or more, and then holding my breath that I wouldn't jinx it from really truly happening for the last two weeks.

But it has happened! It is real!

My responsibilities don't really change at all. I still support all my bosses, and do all the same work, but now I'm hopefully going to be signing up more of my own projects and doing more of my own books. So, same job, just more of it!

Anyway, I have accomplished what I was starting to think was impossible in this industry, which is a promotion, and I am kind of really happy about that.

My favorite Norma Fox Mazer memory

penmage — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:50:53 GMT

Editor D and I were working on a book with Harry Mazer. Harry was unwell, and pretty much all communication for the project was run through Norma. Norma and I were in touch a lot in those days.

The book was My Brother Abe: Sally Lincoln's Story, and as the name suggests, it was about Abraham Lincoln's sister, Sally.

At one point, I emailed Norma and asked her to ask Harry for the dedication. She responded:

Harry says he’s mulling a dedication and [I kid you not] it’s between me and Sally Lincoln. By tomorrow morning, one of us should win.

The next morning, after I emailed her for an update, she responded:

Yay, I won!

The final dedication reads: For Norma, always.

Book Log: Soulstice

penmage — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:16:19 GMT

Soulstice by Simon Holt

Six months after the events of The Devouring, Reggie Halloway is still haunted by nightmares of Vours and fearscapes, but aside from the terrifying dreams, she hasn't seen anything of the Vours since she saved her little brother from possession.

But the memory of her awful encounter haunts her daily. Her little brother Henry is still suffering from nightmares and having violent episodes. Her best friend Aaron is worried about her. And the investigation into the disappearance of town golden boy Quinn Waters--who is currently drowned at the bottom of a lake after being possessed by a Vour--is getting closer to home every day.

And that's when the Vours begin to attack again. First it's terrifying visions. Then they move on Aaron.

That's when Quinn shows up. Turns out he survived being almost frozen and drowned, and now the Vours are after him, because he's so imperfect. He suggests a dangerous team-up to Reggie, and she has no choice but to accept.

As Reggie investigates deeper and deeper into the current resurgence of Vour activity, she learns some frightening things about the origins and true nature of the Vours. But will her newfound knowledge be enough to save her from a second Vour attack?

This book starts MUCH stronger than the previous. There is already a palpable sense of tension in the air from the first page, and Reggie is an exhausted but valiant warrior against horror. In some places, Reggie begins to remind me almost of a sort of Buffy character--only instead of being chosen, she's made her own choices.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this book, as well as actual new information. Too many times, a series feels drawn out and like you aren't really discovering anything new with each additional book. This may be the second book in a series, but it definitely feels meaty and weighty on its own. The details we learn about the Vours are fascinating and compelling, and raise this from a bloody, gory horror novel for the sake of being gory to something fascinating and compelling (with plenty of gross-out creepiness, don't worry.)

This is another strong, top-notch teen horror novel that's actually gross and scary enough to compel serious horror fans. And you've got to love the packaging! The jacket images for this and The Devouring are both so eye-grabbing. I gulped it down, and I'll continue to wait eagerly for the next installment.

Book Log: How It Ends

penmage — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:33:14 GMT

How It Ends by Laura Wiess

Hanna knows what she wants, and what she wants is Seth. She's wanted him since she noticed him on the first day of sophomore year. So what if he sometimes acts like a jerk? So what if he seems to prefer vacuous girls who wear ankle bracelets? Hanna pursues Seth--and she gets him. But having Seth isn't quite as wonderful as she imagined it would be. Seth can be loving, warm and affectionate--but he can also be as jerky and mean to her as he was before--only now it hurts more, because he also tells her that he loves her.

Confused, Hanna seeks refuge with her elderly neighbor Helen, who has been her surrogate grandmother since she was very small. But Helen, who is slowly dying from a terminal disease, can't provide the same advice and comfort Hanna is used to. Instead, all she can offer is an audiobook, a memoir of a life. Hanna gets drawn into the story, but before long she begins to question what is fiction and what is history--and how it all connects to the present day and the people she loves.

Wiess's writing is strong, strong, strong. She's got the complex teenage girl down pat. Hanna is a fascinating, multifaceted character, with lots of different angles. I love the portrayal of a party girl who is also a good girl. Hanna goes out and drinks, but she also loves her parents and spends time with her elderly neighbors. These two things are not mutually exclusive. Some writers forget this, but not Laura Wiess.

What doesn't work as well is the pacing. The first half of this book alternates from Hanna's POV to Helen's, but mostly Hanna's, mostly the pursuit of Seth which is so frustrating because Hanna seems to be the only person who does see that Seth is a jerk and won't stop being a jerk ever.

And then you have the second half of the book, which alternates between Helen's audiobook, and Hanna listening to it (and thinking about Seth)--but mostly the audiobook story. It's a fascinating, horrific, compelling story, and you just want to hear it through to the end--and it doesn't disappoint. But it feels only loosely connected to the first half of the book. Hanna's own tribulations just don't feel like enough to connect them.

As Hanna complains to her mother, before she realizes the full import of the audiobook, it was hard for me to know what kind of story this was. A love story? An abusive boyfriend story? A family story? A horror story? It felt like all of them, but not in the beautiful inclusive way--more in the patchwork way.

I think the ending was supposed to be shocking, but to me it just felt--expected, almost, and the only possible proper ending to one of the story threads.

There's one thing I can say about Laura Wiess, and that is that she always makes me think. I like that in a book. I just wish this one was a little surer of what kind of book it wanted to be.

Heroine Addict

penmage — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:05:16 GMT

So cidercupcakes is hosting The Home Team 2009 Matches. You have until July 27 to nominate and vote for awesome kickass female fictional characters. And then, March Madness-style, the 64 with the most support will be matched against each other till we have a winner.

So nominate! And vote!

If you are at a loss as to who to support, I have some humble suggestions.

Kira Nerys

She survived servitute and holocaust on her planet. She's a freedom fighter who learned how to channel her rage into a powerful and effective career as a leader. She's fiery and passionate and loyal to the last. She's deeply religious and firm but never pushy about her beliefs. She picks her friends and stands by them even when it's not easy. She loves hard and makes impossible sacrifices for the ones she cares about. The passion for everything in Kira Nerys gives me chills.

---------------

Miranda Zero

A former intelligence operative, Miranda Zero built the Global Frequency--a network of regular people who happen to be the best in the world at what they do. They live normal lives, do everyday things, but they carry a special phone, and when it rings, bam! Just like that, they're on the Global Frequency. And just like that, it's up to them to save the world.

Miranda Zero basically orchestrates the saving of the world on a regular basis. And she's damn good in a fight, too. Incidentally, in the short-lived TV pilot, she was played by Michelle Forbes, and everyone knows that Michelle Forbes only places amazing kickass women.

I want to be Miranda Zero when I grow up.

---------------

Catherine Weaver

She's a terminator with her own agenda who made room in her programming for childrearing, bot the human and machine kind. Sarah can't save the world without Catherine. She's playing a dangerous game, and she's playing all sides and she's absolutely brilliant and chilling and powerful. She's saving the world, not through bombs and explosives and killing, but through a desk job and programming and creating. But she's not unwilling to do her own dirty work when necessary.

And she inspired my favorite fic of all time.

---------------

Fiona Glennane

She always has C4 on her person, can hold her own--and most of yours--in any fight, and looks hot in pretty much anything. She loves Michael, and understands him like no one else does, but she won't wait around for him forever. She has her own life, her own career (and if it involves gun trading and bounty hunting, what of it?)

Besides, the NYTimes had an article pretty much devoted to the awesome that is Fiona.

---------------

Cameron

She's a growing, evolving terminator made of pure awesome. It's possible that she's actually running the human resistance against the machines in the future robopocalypse. She practically invented robosexuality. She's fighting her own programming to protect the people she's programmed herself to care about, and to save the world. She gave John a love token that he could use to blow her up.

She's amazing.

---------------

Book Log: Shadowed Summer

penmage — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:05:10 GMT

Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

Iris Rhame and her best friend Collette are hunkering down for a long summer of more of the same--hot, sweaty days, ducking out on chores at the diner where Collette's mother works, and spending time in the cemetary, playing at being psychic and summoning the dead. They aren't expecting any surprises, because nothing ever happens in their small town of Ondine, Louisiana.

But this summer, things are different. This summer, Iris and Collette are fourteen, which shouldn't mean anything's changing, but somehow, things are. Collette is suddenly very interested in boys, and has started bringing her new boyfriend Ben into her and Iris's private games of make-believe. But even more unsettling is the fact that make-believe has suddenly gotten very real. Because Iris has contacted a ghost. A real ghost.

It seems to be the ghost of Elijah Landry, who disappeared years earlier. At first, Iris is thrilled by the adventure, but she soon decides that ghost-hunting, when it's real, is a lot scarier and a lot less exciting than she had always thought it would be. But it's too late to back out, because now she has Elijah's attention--and she won't be able to rest until Elijah can, too.

From the flap copy and the awful cover, I assumed this would be a supernatural gothic like the Betty Ren Wright books I read when I was younger, and it certainly started out that way. Two kids, a quiet town, a lazy summer, nothing much to do, and then a haunting.

But it became much more than that. A ghost story became the backdrop for a coming of age story that feels so honest and real it's heartbreaking. Watching your best friend grow into boys when you're still comfortable with everything staying the same. The thrill of make-believe, and the embarassment of having your games shared with an outsider, even if he's someone you've known your entire life. And the moment where you realize that everything can't stay the same, that you're growing up and that's as it should be, and that sometimes that means leaving parts of yourself in the past.

The plot of this book is a ghost story, but the heart is a moving story about the pangs of growing up and struggling to understand your way from childhood to teenagerhood.

And I have to say--the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of Elijah Landry is resolved in a way I never would have guessed or expected. It's a quiet thing, but it shows how far the world of junior supernatural gothics has come--or maybe just that this one is a standout.

The next adventure

penmage — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:08:01 GMT

The next stop for The Miles Between's road trip will be g33kgrrl and Chicago!

It's embarking on its next adventure this afternoon, so watch g33kgrrl's journal for more pictures and maybe anther chance to play.

And the journey continues...

Road Trip!

penmage — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:02:40 GMT

The fabulous marypearson wrote this book, The Miles Between, which happens to contain a road trip. A fabulous, remarkable road trip, where anything can happen--and does. A road trip in search of one fair day, one perfect wonderful day when good things actually do happen to good people.

And in celebration of this book, marypearson has sent four copies of the ARC on a road trip of their own. One of those copies came to me, by way of sartorias, which instructions to take a picture of it in my hometown, and then to pass it on.

So naturally, I did. There are all sorts of cool and interesting things to see in Stamford, CT.

First, I took The Miles Between on a trip with me this weekend to a local vintage car show. I read a chapter or two next to all sorts of interesting cars, and imagined taking a trip in one of those babies--just jumping into the car and driving off in search of something wonderful. It seemed like an appropriate place for The Miles Between to visit.

This awesome car had foldout back seats. Foldout back seats! I'd give a lot to go driving and ride in those. How cool are they?

As we were admiring this car, a friendly older gentlemen came over and started telling us how when he was a kid, they had a "small car" just like this one (it's a 1930 car.) Small car! How times have changed.

Then, I took The Miles Between into town. Every year, Stamford puts sculptures up around town with a theme for the summer. It's a lot of fun to wander around and find them all--it's one of the really charming and cool things about my hometown. This year's theme is animals.

This buffalo's head is movable--it nods in the wind. He looked agreeable enough to hold The Miles Between on his head.

A close-up:

We have affectionately given this Yak the name Winston. He seemed to enjoy sharing his horns with The Miles Between.

These awesome bears are made entirely of scrap metal. They also enjoyed hearing a chapter (as did the little girl perched on the bear behind me. :) They were very literary bears, considering that they live right in front of one of my favorite places in town, the public library.

Which was our next stop, of course.

And I couldn't resist visiting marypearson's other books on the shelf and nestling The Miles Between right in between them, where it will one day live. It looked right at home there.

So now the fun part. The Miles Between needs a new destination for the next leg of its road trip! Do you want to read it? Want to take some pictures of it in the places you love? Then drop a comment here with your location, and I will very scientifically pick a name out of a hat and drop it in tomorrow's mail, off to its next adventure with you.

So who wants to play?

The Rules, straight from marypearson

1. READ AND PASS ON
Each person who gets The Miles Between ARC can have it for a maximum of two weeks before sending it on to the person of their choice in a different town–make sure the person you choose knows the rules of the ARC tour before you send it to them. If you don't know who to send it to, email Mary@marypearson.com and she will give you another recipient to mail it to.

2. TAKE A PICTURE
Take a picture of The Miles Between ARC somewhere in your hometown. Show off a favorite coffee shop, store, park, street--something your town is famous for--surprise us! Give some press to your favorite neck of the woods! Then post the picture on your blog and send me the link, or send a picture to me and I will post it on my blog. We all get to see the country! Unusual places. Quirky places. Fun places. YOUR places.

3. THE DRAWING
Once you have posted a picture on your blog of The Miles Between somewhere in your hometown and you have sent me the link (or the picture to post on my blog)– along with your contact information–I will enter your name in a drawing. At the end of The Miles Between cross-country tour, I will draw TEN names from the “road trip bloggers” to receive free personalized and signed copies of the final hardcover of The Miles Between.

4. END OF THE ROAD
Whoever has the ARC on August 20th is the last person to get it. The road trip is almost over. The last road trip blogger mails it by August 20th to my editor, Kate Farrell, in NYC so it arrives in time for the official publication day on September 1st! Remember, to be entered in the drawing, you must send me a link to your blog with the picture of The Miles Between, or a picture for me to post by midnight August 20th. Again, send to Mary@marypearson.com .Once they have all arrived, Kate will take a picture of the travel weary ARCS enjoying their final destination at the famous Flatiron Building in NYC and Mary will draw names and announce the winners.

Each ARC package will come with envelopes(6) and postage--all you have to do is address the envelope and make sure the remaining envelopes get tucked into the ARC package for the next recipient. Feel free to sign your names and write messages on the inside covers of the ARC. I can't wait to see all the miles between San Diego and New York City--your miles!

If you want a chance to be part of the tour, get a sneak peek of THE MILES BETWEEN before publication, and show off your home town too, comment to this post, or email me privately at mary@marypearson.com (For emails, please put "The Miles Between Summer 2009 ARC tour" in your subject line!) All comments to this post or emails must reach me by Wednesday May 27th because the next day I will draw the four names to kick off THE MILES BETWEEN Road Trip.

Would you be the next Sarah Jane/Rose/Martha/Donna?

penmage — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:15:05 GMT

View Poll: #1422552

Explain yourself in comments, please.

Book Log: Book of a Thousand Days

penmage — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:18:47 GMT

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Dashti has only just started her service as Lady Saren's lady's maid when Lady Saren is condemned to seven years bricked up in a tower for her refusal to marry a man she despises. Seven years shut in away from the sky and fresh air, seven years of rationing food and fighting off rats and cold and loneliness, is more than Dashti signed up for. But she is determined to keep her oath and remain at her lady's side.

But life in the tower soon turns from miserable to life-threatening, and it is up to Dashti to make the choices that will save or damn her and Lady Saren both. And before she knows it, it seems her choices will not only determine the fate of herself and Lady Saren, but that of everyone in her country as well.

I really loved this book, and it's all because of Dashti. She is just one of those characters you want to hold onto tight and tell her that things will be okay, even when there is no logical reason that they will. She is brave in the face of odds. She is determined and loyal and clever very human and so very brave and I adore her.

The bits in the tower are okay, but it really gets good in the second half of the book. This is one of those rare books where the romance really really works for me and makes sense, and every time a niggling objection arose in my head, it was dealt with and answered in a really satisfying way.

Also, the ending made me cry. In a good way.

Happy Captain Picard Day!

penmage — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:44:38 GMT

I fully endorse this holiday. Captain Picard was, after all, the first Star Trek captain I loved. I plan to celebrate, for starters, by using my Captain Picard bookmark.

The origin of the holiday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiKwAS1qaCk

Just a small sample of how awesome Picard can be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRgnrsFwenI

And of course, no tribute would be complete without the Picard Song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXB84fpWzg8

I am sure you will all join me in commemorating this auspicious event.

Book Log: Once Was Lost

penmage — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:10:40 GMT

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

Samara Taylor is the daughter of popular, charismatic Pastor Charlie. Everyone loves Pastor Charlie, who always knows the right thing to say and always has time for everyone. Everyone except his family. Everyone except Sam, who is alone after her mother's quiet drinking problem resulted in a DUI which landed her in rehab. Sam, who is not even sure if she believes in the God she always took for granted anymore.

And that's when tragedy strikes. A girl goes missing from their small town, and suddenly, nothing is the same. Things that Sam took for granted as safe suddenly seem threatening. And her father--and her faith--feel more distant than ever.

Sara Zarr is a master at the quiet novel that grips your heart. Even in this book, where the plot revolves around a sensational story of a missing girl, the heart of the book is still Sam's very personal and very real struggle with her faith, her family and herself.

The realistic portrait of a small town marred by tragedy--the way it changes everything, makes you mistrust things you once took for granted--it comes alive in this book. More importantly, while the central mystery never loses its hold on the reader, it also never overshadows the more interesting story--Samara's crisis of faith. It takes a very skilled writer to weave a novel that has room for both plotlines and lets the much quieter story be the more significant one.

I devoured this book in a few hours. It's a very quick, compulsive read, and Sam's honest voice pulls you in and doesn't let go. This is one of the more honest teen novels I've read in a long time--I can't recall another novel that dealt so frankly with a genuine crisis of faith. I think this is going to be a book teens come back to.

Some days, I love working in kidlit.

penmage — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:32:50 GMT

Basically all anyone in the office was talking about today was how to snag an ARC of Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games.

All the conversation was about when it would be available at BEA, and if it was ticketed, and who everyone knew who could get them a copy, and who was next to read it after that person. Whispered conversations all over the place. If you came across two people talking hurriedly in the hall, it was probably about Catching Fire.

One marketing person had already snagged one--and instead of staying up all night reading it so she could pass it on, like a sensible person would, she had only read about 20 pages. This fact made its way around the hallways, and she got some serious dirty looks.

Seriously, it's like Harry Potter 7 all over again. We all have to read it NOW. We have to have read it BY MONDAY or maybe we'll get spoiled omg.

Book Log: Deadly Little Secret

penmage — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:19:50 GMT

Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Camelia (sounds like Chameleon) almost died three months ago, when she bent down to pick up her earring in the parking lot and nearly got hit by a car. Before she knew what was happening, a mysterious hot guy had shoved her out of the way, saving her life, before running off when she tried to thank him.

She is, of course, determined to find out more about Ben, the mystery guy. But when she confronts him in the hall and tries to thank him, he pretends he doesn't know what she's talking about.

Camelia's chemistry teacher has an annoying practise of decreeing that whoever you're sitting next to on your first day will be your lab partner for the rest of the year. As luck would have it, the last empty seat in the room is next to Camelia--and then Ben walks in. At first, he acts like he can barely sit next to her. But then he starts to warm to her--even though he warns her that she shouldn't be friends with him, it's too dangerous.

Sound familiar?

Yeah. The plot diverges after this little bit of prettied-up plagiarism, and turns into a Mysterious Stalker novel (Camelia has a stalker. Ben wants to help her) but still--did it seriously have to rip off the most famous crappy YA novel of our time?

Camelia and Ben's relationship is hot, I'll give you that much, but seems to be based on nothing more than his looks (she describes him looking yummy and delicious and hot hot hot as often as Bella described Edward as a marble statue of a Greek god) and her fascination with his bad boy reputation (he reportedly killed his girlfriend back at his old school.)

The writing is not amazing--I get the sense that we're supposed to care about and like Camelia's neglected best friends (she ignores them in her fascination with Ben) but they're really not that interesting--they're actually kind of annoying. And Camelia's family drama is contrived.

This book would be a mild "pass" for me if it didn't rip off Twilight in an unbelievably derivative way. That elevates it to a "can you believe this book?"

Sigh. I feel like I've been disappointed by every book I've read recently. I'd really like to read a good book again.

AWESOME

penmage — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:47:51 GMT

We're having a meet and greet for one of our authors tomorrow morning, and we are trying to economize, so instead of buying a couple fruit platters and pastry platters like we usually do, I was in charge of purchasing orange juice, cream cheese and bagels.

I tried to order orange juice and cream cheese from Fresh Direct, but they require you to order $50 worth of groceries for a delivery.

So this morning, AJC (my awesome coworker, who will hereby be known in the LJ by those letters) and I went on a mission to Food Emporium to pick up the goods.

Along the way, we were accosted by a couple of women yelling "Free chocolate!"

Naturally, we had to investigate. We went to the M&Ms store, and outside it was a huge bowl of chocolate. They were giving out free chocolate.

And the person giving it out was Neil Patrick Harris.

That's right, my friends. Today Neil Patrick Harris gave me chocolate.

AWESOME.

ETA: This is what it is!

Book Log: A Drowned Maiden's Hair

penmage — Sun, 03 May 2009 01:48:00 GMT

A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz

At the Barbary Asylum, every child was strictly classified: a girl was pretty or plain, clever or stupid, good or bad. Maud knew quite well that she was plain, clever and bad.

Maud Flynn, growing up in the Barbary Asylum, knows exactly how much she's worth: not much. She's willful and plain, and gets into too much trouble to be ever considered for adoption. So when Hyacinth and Judith Hawthorne waltz into Barbary Asylum looking for a child and insist on leaving with Maud, it's hard to tell who is more surprised--the headmistress or Maud herself.

At first, life with the Hawthorne sisters is a dream come true. They buy her new clothes and books, and feed her delicious food. But after the novelty of life outside the Asylum wears off, Maud begins to question the strangeness of her situation--because she is a secret child. The Hawthornes keep her confined to the third floor, and don't let anyone know that they had adopted a child.

Soon, Maud discovers the truth. The Hawthornes are mediums, and they need a child in order to bilk a wealthy woman out of her money as she tries to contact her dead daughter. Maud is willing to do anything to keep her new home and make the Hawthornes love her--but how far is too far?

There is a great idea for a story here, but the thing that really makes this book is Maud. She is just so genuine--she leaps off the page and feels like a real little girl. She's tough and proud and fiesty, but also broken inside. She rarely lets it show, but there are moments when I just wanted to wrap her in my arms and hold her. Maud broke my heart into teeny tiny pieces.

This book also has a chillingly deceptive villain, and what's so impressive is that you only see her through Maud's adoring eyes. Maud is not stupid, but she is desperate for love and desperate to be wanted, so the picture we see of the Hawthornes is colored by what she wants so badly--and yet we still have a very complete, well-rounded picture of the Hawthornes.

That's another thing I love about this book. No one--including Maud's enemies in the Barbary Asylum--is one dimensional. They are all so well-rounded and three dimensional--the villainous characters have their good moments, and the good characters sometimes have a temper and make hasty unfortunate decisions. Everyone is real.

This is the second time I'm reading this book, and the second time it has made me tear up at the end. It's a quiet book, but it's the kind of book that burrows into your heart and finds a permanent home there.

You cannot live and keep free of briars

penmage — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:01:45 GMT

Today is the last day of April, so I will share with you my favorite favorite poem. You have probably seen it here before, but if I can't read it enough times, then neither can you.

The Ivy Crown
by William Carlos Williams

The whole process is a lie,
unless,
crowned by excess,
It break forcefully,
one way or another,
from its confinement—
or find a deeper well.
Antony and Cleopatra
were right;
they have shown
the way. I love you
or I do not live
at all.

Daffodil time
is past. This is
summer, summer!
the heart says,
and not even the full of it.
No doubts
are permitted—
though they will come
and may
before our time
overwhelm us.
We are only mortal
but being mortal
can defy our fate.
We may
by an outside chance
even win! We do not
look to see
jonquils and violets
come again
but there are,
still,
the roses!

Romance has no part in it.
The business of love is
cruelty which,
by our wills,
we transform
to live together.
It has its seasons,
for and against,
whatever the heart
fumbles in the dark
to assert
toward the end of May.
Just as the nature of briars
is to tear flesh,
I have proceeded
through them.
Keep
the briars out,
they say.
You cannot live
and keep free of
briars.

Children pick flowers.
Let them.
Though having them
in hand
they have no further use for them
but leave them crumpled
at the curb's edge.

At our age the imagination
across the sorry facts
lifts us
to make roses
stand before thorns.
Sure
love is cruel
and selfish
and totally obtuse—
at least, blinded by the light,
young love is.
But we are older,
I to love
and you to be loved,
we have,
no matter how,
by our wills survived
to keep
the jeweled prize
always
at our finger tips.
We will it so
and so it is
past all accident.

Save Sarah Connor, and Free Neil Gaiman!

penmage — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:59:23 GMT

A couple of PSAs for you:

I don't know how much of a different it will make, but I am willing to try anything to say Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (including compulsively watching and rewatching episodes on Fox.com.)

The EOnline Save One Show campaign has moved into the Game Changer round--five shows are left. So go and vote for Sarah Connor! Even if you don't care about the show. I am begging you. Do it for me. I really really really want a third season. I want more of this story more than I have ever wanted more of any TV show ever.

---------------------------

There is a free panel with Neil Gaiman this Thursday night. The topic is Leaps and Bounds, Fits and Starts: The Evolution of a Children’s Book Writer. It stars Neil Gaiman, Mariken Jongman, and Shaun Tan, and is moderated by Andrea Davis Pinkney.

The description reads:

Picture books! Novels! Graphic Novels! And more! Authors and their works develop in distinctive ways. Some ideas and books are nurtured for years while others have a eureka moment. Join children’s book authors Neil Gaiman, Mariken Jongman, and Shaun Tan for a discussion about the ever-evolving landscape of children’s and young adult literature with Scholastic Vice President, Executive Editor Andrea Davis Pinkney.

More details here.

I'm YA and I'm OK.

penmage — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:14:03 GMT

As usual, John Scalzi says it best:

Observers of the science fiction field will note the Nebula Award for Best Novel was won this year by a YA book, that the Tiptree Award is co-shared by a YA novel, and that in the Hugo Best Novel category, two and a half of the books nominated are also YA (the “half” in this case being Zoe’s Tale, written to be YA-friendly but shelved with the adult SF). This surge of recognition for YA has caused some consternation and grumbling in certain quarters. Here’s what I have to say about that:

Yes, how horrible it is that some of what’s being hailed as the best science fiction and fantasy written today is in a literary category designed to encourage millions of young people to read for the rest of their natural lives. Because God knows the last thing science fiction and fantasy publishing needs right now is whole generation of new and enthusiastic readers who might actually get hooked into the genre until they die. It’s a goddamn tragedy, it is.

YES. Yes, that.

It just so happens that we are living right now in the heyday of YA fiction. We are in the glorious golden age of the teen novel. There are some amazing talents writing YA--writers I adore turning out books that make me excited. This is a glorious time to be a children's book editor, or to be reading teen fiction, or just to care about the kidlit industry.

I spend so much time in the kidlitosphere these days that I forget sometimes that there are people out there who gripe about the attention that YA gets, or conversly, think that YA is not every bit as strong and smart and complex and fascinating and exciting and well-written as adult books (and sometimes even better.)

And then this happens. YA gets a swarm of recognition from the FSF world. As a children's book editor and a kidlit lover, I am thrilled beyond words. First of all, for the books that were chosen. The Knife of Never Letting Go was one of my standout books of the year, and I am so happy to see it get this kind of recognition. It's groundbreaking and brave and compulsively readable. And second, of course, because it's time our corner of the industry was acknowledged as sharing the playing field with the grownups.

If you are still grumbling about the fact that YA swept the FSF awards this year, do yourself a favor. Read some YA books. I'll be happy to give you a short list of recommended titles, but if you don't want to ask, the shortlists and award lists for the awards is definitely a good place to start. Read The Knife of Never Letting Go, and then come back and we can have a conversation.

YA is here and it's proud and it's good. And it's not going away.

Robomommy, and GIP

penmage — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:05:54 GMT

First, sainfoin_fields wrote this ficlet for me. It is gorgeous and perfect and I adore it. And it made me hungry for more Weaverfic.

So then I found Seven Sunday Mother-Daughter Mornings.

Over the course of S2, I have grown increasingly fascinated with the Weavers. I <3 them so very much, and this fic is perfect and heartbreaking and I love it so much.

If you love SCC, read these fics, because they are excellent.