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Readventures in Long Books: The Epic Infinite Jest Readalong - Week One

2/20/2013

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About two weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about all the long books that are sitting unread and collecting dust on my shelves. I found some partners for future readalongs of books like Gone with the Wind and War and Peace when I eventually get to them, but I decided to start my quest to finish some of these literary doorstops by attacking one of the alleged hardest books to get through--Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. After email pleas and Twitter inquiries, I started out last Sunday, February 10th, with ten other co-readers. The other valiant readers include Catie, my fellow Readventurer, Molly from Wrapped Up in Books, Heidi of Bunbury in the Stacks, Jessie from Ageless Pages Reviews, Maggie from YA Anonymous, editor-in-training Maggie M., and my roommate from college, Maureen. (I'm leaving out the rest of our roster as some people found the book unsuitable for their current mood, which Heidi's boyfriend was jokingly (or not) placing bets on. (How many people would/will drop out of the readalong.)) Here's the schedule we are following on our, as Catie coined it, "infinite readalong.":
Week One: 2/10 - 2/17, start at beginning, end at “What the hail...Struck says something that’s lost in the roar of a high-pressure toilet.” (105) 

Week Two: 2/17 - 2/24, 
start at “The feminized American stood at a slight...”, end at “some broad mock-supplicant’s gesture Schact’s just now made.” (219) 

Week Three: 2/24 - 3/3, 
start at “You can be at certain parties and not really be there”, end at “who told the guy to go peddle his linen someplace else.” (317)

Week Four: 3/3 - 3/10, 
start at “The sky of the U.S.A.’s desert was clotted with blue stars”, end at “rocketing people’s waste into the forgiving chill of infinite space.” (418)

Week Five: 3/10 - 3/17, 
start at “Marathe did not quite sleep”, end at “Marathe think of many windblown sparks.” (508)

Week Six: 3/17 - 3/24, 
start at “The following things in the room were blue”, end at “in a fish-eye lens, lifting: ‘Ready?’” (619)

Week Seven: 3/24 - 3/31, 
start at “Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: InterLace”, end at “both seeming to be shrieking for help.” (716)

Week Eight: 3/31 - 4/7, 
start at “A disadvantage of your nasally ingested cocaine...”, end at “and past Hal, his face unspeakable.” (808)

Week Nine: 4/7 - 4/14, start at “The ceiling was breathing.” End at “I was impossible to knock down.” (902)

Week Ten: 4/14 - 4/21, start at “Gately’s cognomen growing up...”, end at “and the tide was way out.” (981, END)

*page numbers correspond to the First Edition, 1996. ISBN: 9780316920049
Infinite Jest broken up into ten weeks of reading
Our teen weeks of reading broken up with bookmarks.
It breaks down to roughly 100-120 pages per week what with all the footnotes. During the first week, most of us found the format of the book unlike anything we have read in the past. Infinite Jest jumps from character to character with sometimes no introduction, and from year to year, with each sponsored by a corporate entity so they are no longer numbered but rather tagged with a sponsored product so we have to try to figure out if "The Year of the Tucks Medicated Pad" is before or after "The Year of the Whopper," "The Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment," "The Year of Glad," or our particular fan favorite, "The Year of the Trial-Size Dove Bar." If you are familiar with the book, if you would like to read along with us now, if you are reading IJ sometime in the future and feel lost/lonely in your quest, or if you do not care to be somewhat spoiled, here are short blurbs of the sections we digested in Week One:

EXTREMELY SHORT SUMMARIES OF THE WEEK ONE SECTIONS:

O, Year of Glad:
Hal Incandenza, tennis player, at the college hearing with his uncle, C.T., where the panel is trying to determine if they should admit Hal. Hal is silent for the entirety until they prod him, after which he explains himself very eloquently, but as it turns out he was creating a raucous instead. He ends up being taken away by an ambulance.
O, Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: An addict is waiting for a woman to deliver drugs to his house. He has obsessively planned and cleaned to get ready for the stupor-filled days that will follow. Ends with the telephone ringing and the doorbell ringing simultaneously and the addict on the floor, unable to decide which to address first.
O, 1 April - Year of the Tucks Medicated Pad: Hal(10, 11,14) and the conversationalist/his father talk about Hal’s ability to memorize portions of the dictionary, his mother’s dealings with medical attaches and diplomats and whatnot, his father’s drunkenness, etc.
O, 9 May - Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: Hal wakes up extremely early for tennis drills while his brother Mario sleeps. As he is getting ready, Orin (O) calls on the telephone.
O, Year of the the Depend Adult Undergarment: The medical attache in Boston comes home on a Wednesday evening, the one night of the week his wife has plans and can’t attend to all his needs. He gripes on about having to figure out something to eat and sort the mail. While doing the latter task, he finds a weirdly marked entertainment cartridge which was postmarked from Arizona and had smiley faces and Happy Anniversary on it (it is not his/his wife’s anniversary.) He watches the beginning and the TP (teleputer) reads 1927h.
Year of the Trial-Size Dove Bar: In dialect, Clenette talks about life in the Brighton projects. Wardine, her half-sister, was beaten with a hanger by her mother, who thinks Wardine is tempting her mother’s boyfriend Roy Tony with her youngness. Reginald, who has a crush on Wardine, and Clenette help clean Wardine’s back. In another section, Bruce Green is introduced, as well as Mildred Bonk, an unfortunately named but beautiful young woman. The two both grow into depressing versions of themselves, have a child together, and move into a trailer in Allston with a drug dealer called Tommy Doocey who keeps snakes.
O, Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: Hal and his brother Mario (called BooBoo here) are laying in bed at school and Mario keeps asking Hal about God. It is revealed that Himself (H & M’s father) has died and there is a discussion about whether the Moms (their mom) was suitably sad. A last and separate sentence is added to note that the medical attache of earlier is still watching the weird cartridge at 2010h.
October - Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: We meet Orin Incandenza, Hal’s older brother, who is a football player (punter) in Arizona. He hates mornings, lives in a yellow-tiled condo filled with roaches he can’t get rid of, and sleeps with a lot of women he calls Subjects, one of whom watches a documentary about schizophrenia in this portion and Orin is reminded a bit of Hal. (also, he is reminded to call Hal (Hallie) when the subject of PR interviewers delving into the unmined pasts of the players is discussed)
O, Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: Hal is 17 and at Enfield. He talks about getting high covertly and who does/does not know he does it. We find out the Moms’ name is Avril Incandenza and that C.T.’s actual name is Charles Tavis. At this point, Hal’s father has already passed away. Also, it is revealed that the Moms has three sons (so presumably Hal, Orin, and Mario are the only kids) and two of them are “high-functioning.” (Mario being the one not, I assume.) There’s a lot of description about the design of ETA, where Hal smokes, and how he gets away with it. (i.e. the failed pro alumni of the school don’t give a crap what students do.) The medical attache is still watching the cartridge, on repeat, at 0020h the next day (April 2) before his wife gets home. He has wet himself and the recliner he is sitting on.
Autumn - Year of Dairy Products from the American Heartland: We meet Don Gately, a narcotics addict who burgles to feed his habit. His MO includes a straight shunt of the power lines, which is ultimately his downfall because he uses this method when robbing the ADA who prosecuted him as well as a rich man in Brookline who was meant to be away at the time of the burglary. The rich man turns out to home, ill, and a Quebecer very involved in the nonsense I am having a really hard time following (and also have no interest in following.) Gately and his friend proceed with the burglary but it turns into a robbery after they tie the man up. The man dies. This section ends with what is presumably the back blurb/details to the cartridge that was delivered to the medical attache.
3 November - Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: Jim Troeltsch, at ETA, roommates with Ted Schact and Michael Pemulis, who are both gone from the room. Troeltsch is sick, hopped up on different medicines, and having nightmares/daydreams. (DFW says Troeltsch is “awake and almost twelve” but not sure if this is part of the daydream or if actual age.)
O, As of Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: About H/O/M’s father James Incandenza and his father, also James Incandenza. The elder was an actor and the younger was a filmmaker, among other things. The world’s longest footnote is included in this section--a rundown of all of JO Incandenza’s films, which includes several different versions of Infinite Jest. It is revealed that JO Incandenza committed suicide at fifty four in the Year of the Trial-Size Dove Bar.
Denver Co, 1 November, Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: A quick interlude with Orin, still a punter for the Cardinals, in Colorado. He is dressed as a bird, doing promotional vid work for the team, and he is miserable about it since he is afraid of heights.
O: I *think* this is Hal, going on about a big brother/little brother program at ETA and about how early kids get into drugs at the school. He then talks about a recurring dream he has about playing tennis on a gigantic court against an unknown opponent, with his mother as the one decipherable spectator.
O, Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: Kate Gompert is in a psych ward on suicide watch. She has attempted suicide several times in the past and has a long conversation with the resident on duty about her feelings of depression. She mentions that she smokes weed and buys from a dealer who calls it “Bob Hope,” which indicates that she is in the same dealing area as several other characters. She also mentions one dealer who keeps snakes in a tank--which would be Tommy Doocey, who lives in the trailer with Bruce Green & Mildred Bonk from earlier on. Kate repeatedly requests that they give her electro therapy to help get her out of the pain she’s in. (which may or may not be caused by giving up smoking--or rather, giving up smoking leaves her depression out in the open.) In a separate paragraph, the medical attache’s wife finally comes ohome at 0145h, 2 April YDAU and sees him in the recliner. He has no response but she looks to see what cartridge he is/was watching. Next, on to Gerhardt Schtitt, who works at ETA and spends a lot of time with Hal and Orin's brother, Mario. It is mentioned that Mario Incandenza is 18 years old here. 
Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: We are introduced to Tiny Ewell, an alcoholic who has just finished detox and is now in a taxi on his way to Enfield VA to do rehab. While in detox, his roommate is a yellowed-from-hepatitis man who repeatedly turns the air conditioner on all different levels, chain smokes, and has long hair and glasses with one lense missing. (just in case we find out who this person might be later on...) It is mentioned that at detox they sometimes take your shoes away and give you foam rubber slippers embossed with smiley faces on top--smiley faces like those embossed on the cartridge the medical attache is still watching? At the end of this section, we revisit the medical attache, who is joined in watching the cartridge by his wife, the Saudi prince, the prince’s physician, and a few more people.
O, 30 April - The Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: Marathe, a wheelchair assassin, meets with Steeply, another covert operative of some sort who is dressed as a woman, on a mountain in Arizona. The two talk about whether or not Marathe is a double agent and about the cartridge (“the Entertainment”) that the medical attache and about a dozen other people are now affected by. It sounds like the cartridges are multi-sensory experiences and perhaps some sort of chemical or bio-warfare. Also, they mention DuPlessis, who was associated with Marathe. DuPlessis is the sick man who died when Gately burgled his house earlier.
Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment: Hal and other upperclassmen are in the locker room at ETA. More talk about the buddy system, using lemon Pledge for sunscreen (does this really work?!), and Hal’s secret smoking. Confirmation that Mario is the middle child and Hal is the youngest. One brief paragraph about Marathe and Steeply still in Arizona.  (We stopped in the middle of a section, so this section will begin next week's assigned reading.)

I can only imagine how confusing all of that must be for people not familiar with Infinite Jest, as it is sometimes confusing for us, as people currently reading it. I thought the entire book was going to be about Hal Incandenza, though I knew it was going to be very mixed-up in terms of the timeline. Other readers were astute enough to set me straight early on about how sprawling the cast of characters is. I will try to update every week with summaries and some of the thoughts and discussions that are going on in our Google document. 

Here's this week's thoughts and comments:
  • Heartbreaking quote: “I’d tell you all you want and more, if the sounds I made could be what you hear.”
  • Reader comment: "I kind of can’t stop reading the book, even though I have no idea what’s going on.  My husband asked me what this book was about and I opened my mouth to talk but then just had to close it again and shake my head because there’s no way to describe what’s gone on so far without sounding like an insane person."
  • We are torn about whether the ebook or the physical book is a better bet. Those with e-readers don't love that they can't see the visual evidence of progress and the footnotes are a bit harder but the paperback/hardcover readers are finding that the weight of the book is annoying (my word, not theirs).
  • Quote: “The moment he recognized what exactly was on one cartridge he had a strong anxious feeling that there was something more entertaining on another cartridge and he was potentially missing it. He realized that he would have plenty of time to enjoy all the cartridges, and realized intellectually that the feeling of deprived panic over missing something made no sense.” (26) I sometimes feel this way about books.
  • Several of us are finding DFW's technology inventions (Teleputers? Cartridges?) a bit clunky and we have to keep reminding ourselves that this was written in the mid-90s. 
  • The hardest parts to get through and fully understand seem to be those dealing with the political issues.
  • Most of us agreed to NOT put off our weekly reading until the last few days of the week. This book is not a breezy read and it is legitimate work to try to read tens of pages in one go. 
  • At least three of us found Kate Gompert's chapter to be the most readable from the first week's sections. And we wish there were more female characters in this book. 
  • Some things keep recurring: worrying that if you speak, no one will understand you; pot addiction; Byzantine erotica; Toblerone; bugs; sweat stains on pillows/bedsheets; your worst nightmare becoming reality (noticed by Maggie M.).
  • Several of us are wondering how JO Incandenza's movies, 5 of which were titled "Infinite Jest" are related to "the entertainment" and this book. There are several possibilities we are keeping in mind, including the idea that the book is a written version of one of the movies, that one of the movies IS "the entertainment," and whether the confusing nature of the movies is meant to be the same with the book, namely that readers are meant to be confounded whilst trying to figure out what the hell is going on and how everything relates to everything and everyone else.

So, we are 10% done with this book. On to 20%, eh? Feel free to discuss anything in the comments section. Spoilers for the first 10% are welcome, as that's where we all are but PLEASE DON'T INCLUDE SPOILERS FOR THE OVERALL BOOK IN THE COMMENTS. If you'd like to join our readalong and think you can catch up, email me at (our blog name @ gmail) or tweet me @ our blog name. In nine weeks, we'll be done with this infinite readalong. 
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This week I (Flannery) wrote this readalong recap, but Catie is participating, I blatantly took some of her comments and used them here, and she might be writing some of these in the future so you get to see her lovely face as well.
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Adult Review: Ever After by Kim Harrison

2/7/2013

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Ever After cover
Ever After (The Hollows, #11)
Author: Kim Harrison
Publication Date: 1/22/13
Publisher: Harper Voyager

[Goodreads|Amazon]

Blurb(GR): The ever after, the demonic realm that parallels the human world, is shrinking. If it disappears completely, so does all magic. It's up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to avert catastrophe and keep life from changing... for the worse.

While saving the world is important, it isn't Rachel's only motivation. There's also the small fact that she caused the ley line to rip in the first place, setting off a chain reaction of unfortunate events. That little mistake has made her life forfeit unless she can fix it. It's also made her more than a few enemies, including the most powerful demon in the ever after—a terrifying entity who eats souls and now has an insatiable appetite for her. He's already kidnapped her friend and goddaughter to lure her out, and if Rachel doesn't give herself up soon, they'll die.

But Rachel has more than a few impressive and frightening skills of her own, and she isn't going to hand over her soul and her life without one hell of a fight. She's also got a surprise: elven tycoon Trent Kalamack. With this unlikely ally beside her—a prospect both thrilling and unnerving—she's going to return to the ever after, kick some demon butt, rescue her loved ones... and prevent an apocalypse before it's too late. Or, at least that's the plan...


Review:

The Hollows are back…and so am I!  (I hope.)  What better way to kick off my reviewing dust than to write about a series I’ve loved for almost a decade?  Even though I was mostly disappointed last January by the slow-moving rehash of old events that was A Perfect Blood, I knew that this author wouldn’t hold still for long.  This series, which now encompasses eleven books and will end at book thirteen (Thanks Megan!) never ceases to be inventive and surprising.

This book sees Rachel & Co. moving forward once again.  Trouble is afoot in the ever after as Ceri and baby Lucy are kidnapped in the opening chapters and Rachel’s ley line suddenly starts draining the ever after at an alarming rate.  The demons find it more convenient to blame Rachel, even though they all know that lab-created demon monstrosity Ku’Sox (aka Cute Socks) is to blame.  In an effort to save the day for everyone once again, Rachel finds herself working more closely with Trent and the elves than she ever has before.

This is the installment that the Rachel/Trent fans have been waiting for.  Harrison has been flirting with the idea of them as a couple for quite a while, and in this book I felt like she finally jumped off that cliff.  I’m still not sure if I will be able to buy into their relationship as a long term thing.  Harrison has certainly laid a lot of ground work over the past books, but a huge part of me will probably never be able to stop seeing Trent as the spoiled, arrogant rich pretty boy he was in the first book.  (He also made a comment at the end of this book that really turned me off.  It's pretty spoilery but I'll discuss in the comments if anyone's interested.) 

However, it’s refreshing to look back and realize just how much he (and Al and Rachel and Ivy and well…everyone) has changed.  This series never stagnates for me because Harrison lets her characters grow.  After reading this book, I now feel like while A Perfect Blood may have been slow and tedious to read; it was ultimately a necessary step in the series.  Rachel is more at home with her demon identity than ever, and it’s exciting to see her finally accept and use her powers to their fullest extent, without endless angst about the consequences.  Harrison grows her characters slowly but surely – in short, realistically.  Perhaps that means that one or two of these books has been more like a “transition” book but I think the end result is a much more fulfilling, believable story.  I have faith that she'll make me believe in Trent by book thirteen.

(As an aside – Harrison’s short story, Trouble on Reserve, available for free with download of the Sony Reader App – went a long way toward convincing me of Trent’s worthiness and feelings for Rachel.)

As an extra today, I’d like to pay homage to one of my favorite posts of Flannery’s by listing “50 things very nearly guaranteed to happen” in a Hollows book.  Like Flannery, I write these very much in good humor as a super-fan of Kim Harrison and her Hollows books.  Yes, there is a certain formula to these books but what impresses me the most is how much Harrison frequently tosses that formula out the window.

50 Things Very Nearly Guaranteed to Happen in a Hollows Book

  1. The remodeled kitchen is described in loving detail, including the spelling pots that hang from the ceiling.
  2. Homemade cookies are made.  The pixies warm themselves in the kitchen.
  3. Rachel petulantly refuses to work for Trent, but then ends up doing it anyway.
  4. The pixie children get up to all kinds of shenanigans (extra annoyance if it’s winter time).
  5. Rachel worries about Jenks being too cold/freezing to death and then describes his inventive winter Pixie clothes.
  6. Rachel’s freckles are hidden magically (first by her ring and then later by successive demon curses).
  7. The bunny-eared “kiss kiss”
  8. “Crap on toast…"
  9. Jenks makes off-color remarks about Tinkerbell’s sex toys approximately 1.2 billion times.
  10. Rachel and Trent, despite being powerful adult leaders, bicker like children.
  11. Rachel saves Trent’s life.  Trent saves Rachel's life.
  12. Ivy and Jenks tease Rachel about her love life (rightfully so).
  13. Ivy stresses out about someone disturbing her papers/maps/planning table and drinks OJ to stave off the blood cravings.  (OJ?  Really Ivy?)
  14. Some human gets squeamish about tomatoes and everyone has a good laugh at his expense.
  15. Rachel raises a “molecule thin sheet of ever after” to protect herself.  
  16. At some point, Rachel screams, “Why does no one ever listen to ME?” 
  17. Followed closely by, “Can’t I catch a turn-blasted BREAK?”
  18. Rachel angsts about doing “'black' magic”
  19. …and laments how dark her aura is getting (thankfully, less and less as the series goes on).
  20. Rachel emotions appear in interesting ways.  My favorite from this installment: “A layer of guilt slathered itself over me…”
  21. Rachel will feel guilty for anything and everything even slightly related to her.  She apologizes to anyone and everyone, and then feels guilty for apologizing too much.
  22. The splat gun’s red appearance, spelled balls, and the fact that Rachel doesn’t need a permit to use it are explained, along with a few safety tips for its use.
  23. “Helllooooo…Nick!!”
  24. “Crap for brains.”
  25. Nick DOESN’T die.  AGAIN.  FOR GOD’S SAKE JUST DIE NICK!!  DIEE!!!!
  26. Ivy crushes on David, much to his discomfort.
  27. Rachel has a sneezing attack that turns into a conversation with Al.
  28. Al’s green crushed velvet suit, blocky teeth, goat-slitted eyes, and British accent are all described in detail.
  29. “Rachel Mariana Morgan…my Itchy Witch.”
  30. Rachel and/or Trent reminisce about being at camp.
  31. Rachel notices how attractive Trent is, what he’s wearing, how sexy his voice is, and how impressive he occasionally is (more frequently as the series has progressed) but then insists that there isn’t, and can never be, anything between them.
  32. And yet, Rachel becomes intoxicated by Trent’s “cinnamon and wine” smell whenever they meet.
  33. Trent’s hair floats magically and he tries to press it back down.
  34. Rachel hates the smell of hospitals and remembers being in the children’s wing for months when she was battling Rosewood syndrome.
  35. Rachel wears an outfit that she thinks is professional but really, it isn’t.  She pairs it with big leather boots, and talks at length about why leather is a practical fashion choice for her.
  36. “Rhombus!!”
  37. Vampire pheromones run amok.
  38. Rachel has a huge cache of magic at her disposal but instead of using it, fights back by punching/kicking someone in the face.
  39. Rachel feels uncomfortably attracted to Ivy and describes her perfect hair, Asian features, and elegant clothes at length.
  40. The appearance and reasoning behind Quen’s pock mark scars are discussed.
  41. Jenks’ curly blonde hair, dragonfly wings, and Peter Pan pose are described.
  42. Jenks dusts red from embarrassment.
  43. “Tink’s dildo, Rache.”
  44. Pizza is ordered from Piscary’s.
  45. The horrible “burnt amber” smell of the ever after gets into everyone’s hair and clothes and ruins all the food.  I still wonder what that actually smells like.
  46. Rachel promises to save one of the Inderlander races, even though she has no idea how she’s going to do it (seriously…the only race on Earth she hasn’t promised to help is the humans).
  47. The demons put Rachel through the ringer, even though she’s their only hope.
  48. Rachel doesn’t kill the bad guy out of some weird sense of morality and he lives to kick her ass again in the next book.
  49. One of the main characters dies…or doesn’t.  No one’s safe so hold onto your hats!
  50. Rachel risks everything to save the world and doesn’t get paid.

4/5 Stars
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To The Really Long Books Collecting Dust On My Shelves

2/4/2013

28 Comments

 
   
   
Infinite Jest cover
Doomsday Book cover
Kushiels Dart cover
War and Peace cover
Gone with the Wind cover
The Name of the Wind cover
A Game of Thrones cover
I have a confession to make: there are a bunch of books that have been collecting dust on my shelves for, in some cases, over a decade. Those same books have been collecting metaphorical dust on my Goodreads to-read shelf since I joined in 2007. They're all the really long ones; the ones that double as doorstops. I've read many long books but not in the past few years, other than continuations of series I am already invested in and perhaps one or two audiobooks that were serious time investments. I consider this a gaping hole in my journey to be a well-read person considering many of the books that people are always asking if I've read are serious time sucks: Infinite Jest, The Stand, War and Peace, Gone with the Wind, and that damn Game of Thrones series that has replaced the Twilight series as that book that all your relatives, coworkers, people on mass transit, your gynecologist, and your best friend's cousin's roommate ask if you've read. 

I think what stops me is a lack of accomplishment. I can finish three or four books in the time it would take me to read some of these books. I can finish three or four wonderful books in some cases, and it is so much easier for me to abandon a book I'm not enjoying if I haven't already invested a lot of time into it. (so it could (but won't) go without saying that I refuse to give up on really long books) I was emailing with Tatiana and Catie recently about my intent to start slowly reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, which rings in at an impressive 1,079 pages. By some accounts it is a huge undertaking and one that takes a ton of commitment, but when I read some of the 5-star reviews on Goodreads, I am certain that I want to read it. (Bonus: It would up my street cred with Seattle hipsters) In 2009, many participants in Infinite Summer read the entirety of it in small increments. (75 pages a week) Though I found out about the project only recently, I really like the idea of slowly reading long books with a community of readers. Last year I did many readalongs with friends of mine during the first half of the year but I let it fall by the wayside during the second half, despite the enjoyment it brings me. 

In my dreams, I could find perhaps four or five people who all want to read one of these books with me. We could read 100 pages a week and take turns writing a blog post about what we thought of that section and how the readalong is going. But since I doubt that will come together easily, I am thinking that I can just pick a book to start with and just post every Sunday on my progress. Maybe I'll end up reading much more than 100 pages a week. Maybe I'll even finish say, five of these books this year. (cue the laugh track) For now I'll just set my goal at a whopping ONE dust collector off my to-read shelf.

Here are my choices: 
The Stand by Stephen King (1,153 pages)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1,392 pages)
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1,024 pages)
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (1,079 pages)
Kristin Lavransdattar by Sigrid Undset (1,168 pages)
This Is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers (816 pages)
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (1,007 pages)
The Magus by John Fowles (656 pages)
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky (1,425 pages but ongoing)
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (672 pages)
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (578 pages)
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (864 pages)
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey (1, 015 pages)
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy (704 pages)

When I think about which book to start with, I am almost positive I have to start with Infinite Jest. It's the one I'm most scared of so it makes the most sense to shoot for it while I'm gung-ho about finishing one of these books. What do you think? What imposing tomes do you have collecting dust on your shelves? Want to challenge yourself with me? (or even perhaps read Infinite Jest with me? Would anyone actually read posts about my progress on long books? (I'm really skeptical that they would!) 

Please, people of the internet, answer all my questions. 
   
    
The Stand cover
Picture
The Way of Kings cover
Kristin Lavransdattar cover
The Magus cover
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality cover
The Prince of Tides cover
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We're Over at The Book Smugglers Today!

12/16/2012

2 Comments

 
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One of our favorite book blogs is The Book Smugglers. Ana and Thea read a ton of science fiction, fantasy, and young adult and it's rare that a book is reviewed on their blog that at least one of us isn't interested in. They have some amazing features like On the Smugglers' Radar, where they share exciting upcoming books, and Inspirations & Influences, in which authors share what makes their writing what it is. For the holiday season, they have a mega-feature called Smugglivus. (which is a play on the best holiday of all, Festivus (for the rest of us!) from Seinfeld.) During Smugglivus, which lasts for several weeks in December and early January, they post up some combination of two guest author or blogger posts. 


We are very happy to be included this year, so hop on over there and see what some of our favorite things were of 2012--they're all over the place! 

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Thank You, or Book Friends Throw the Best Surprise Baby Showers

12/10/2012

19 Comments

 
About a month ago, Flannery pointed out to Tatiana and I that we live a scant four hours apart and that if she were in our shoes, she would have just made the freaking drive already. She had a point.  A really, really good point.  Tatiana and I have been chatting on goodreads for probably over a year and a half and we email nearly every day about blog business and whatever else is going on in our lives.  It did seem a little odd that it had apparently never occurred to either one of us (well, to me at least) to just get in the car and make the trip.  After doing a little google-mapping and realizing how short the drive really was, I gladly offered to drive down and Tatiana agreed to let me enter her home and spend time around her family.  (Yay!  She doesn’t think I’m a crazy person even after all of those emails!  Woo!)

After setting up the date, I emailed Flannery in secret.   You see, Tatiana and her family are going to have a little change in January (which I’ll let her tell you all about below) and I wanted to give her a surprise party.  Flannery immediately had the idea to ask Tatiana’s online friends if they wanted to participate.  I thought that was a wonderful idea, but I wasn’t sure if Tatiana would like us to tell other people about her news.  Luckily for The Readventurer team, Flannery is one of the wiliest people I’ve ever known.  Within days she had somehow, someway, gotten Tatiana to say via email that she didn’t mind if people knew – all while maintaining the complete secrecy of our plans.  I still have no idea how she did that.

So we sent out the call to Tatiana’s closest friends – and we got a ton of responses.  You guys were amazing.  We got cards and gifts and mostly books galore (what do you expect when a bunch of book nerds throw a baby shower?) from all over the country and beyond.  On the day of our meeting, I loaded up the car with all of your thoughtful gifts and made the very easy drive down to Tatiana’s house. 

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And we had a great time!  I won’t go into too much detail, but let’s just say that baked brie, an Indian buffet, Tatiana’s hilarious family (including her dog who I would have probably spent all day petting if I weren’t trying to be a good guest), and pasty/glittery vampires with tiny noses were all involved.  Thanks so much to all of you for being so amazing and making this happen!

In case you were wondering how Catie's and my meeting went, let me tell you, it was fabulous. Catie drove all the way from Virginia to visit me for a chat-and-lunch date, to patiently endure watching Breaking Dawn 2 with me (which had about 10 minutes of fun in it) and to allow my dog to slobber and shed hair all over her. (what I thought was going to happen) She also, imagine this, brought a baby shower with her! (Yes, there is a reason why I haven't been reading and blogging properly most of this year, or this is my excuse and I am sticking to it.)

This is how great my co-bloggers are - both Flannery and Catie got together with our multiple blogging and reading friends (you, ladies) and organized this event, and in absolute secrecy. I won't lie, this was a complete surprise and an icing on the "meeting-Catie" cake. I was already ecstatic to just meet her in person, after months, if not years, of virtual chatting, but everything turned out to be even better. The girls know that I am a pretty private person and, as a proper introvert, am not keen on being a center of attention, so they put this shower together quietly and by proxy. And I enjoyed it immensely!
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Catie, me and a little Readventurer in the making
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Books! Books! And more books! (Naturally)
If you were ever curious about how a baby shower would look like if thrown by your book friends, besides baby clothes and toys, expect a library for your baby be put together by them. My little boy is definitely all set for the future full of reading.
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Baby shower, book lovers style
I can't quite express how thankful we, my husband and I, are to all of you who made this surprise happen. We were surprised and touched by your thoughtful attention. And of course, our special thanks go to Catie and Flannery who are even more awesome than I thought them to be (I didn't know if that was even possible.) I hope to meet Flannery one day yet, but Catie is even softer and nicer in person than she is in her writing.
19 Comments

Wall of Books: 140+ Books for the Boys of YA

11/25/2012

34 Comments

 
Although we don’t restrict ourselves to a certain genre here at The Readventurer, we read a lot of YA.  Maybe we don’t make it through every single new YA release, but between the three of us, we get through quite a few.  So when we read something like this:

“But as we debate ad nauseam whether, for example, Bella Swan is a dangerous role model for young women, we’ve neglected to ask the corresponding question: what does it tell young men when Edward Cullen and Jacob Black are the role models available to them? Are these barely-contained monsters really the best we can imagine?”
Or this:

"Why is it that in YA literature — a genre generated entirely to describe the transition to adulthood — there is so much fear and ambivalence surrounding manhood? When I read contemporary young adult novels, I see them asking over and over again a fascinating question, a question both for boys and for the stories describing them: are there any good men? And how can a boy become a good man, if he doesn’t know what that would mean?”
we are tempted to scream: WHAT?!!  Are we even living on the same planet?  First of all, we would deny categorically that there are no male role models in the land of YA.  That is just patently untrue.  And secondly, as Malinda Lo so eloquently pointed out – manhood is not a strictly defined characteristic.  There are countless ways to be a “good man” just as there are countless ways to be a good person. 

This particular panicked assertion is just the latest in a string that consists of various THINK OF TEH TEEN BOYS! outcries. If it's not about lack of teen books for boys, then it's about boys being intimidated by public libraries that are apparently too girly- and girl book-saturated, or male authors writing for teen boys being outnumbered by female writers, or the shortage of male protagonists in teen fiction, etc., etc. While we think that there may be a lot to examine about the reading culture at large and about how different genders participate (or not) in this culture and why (Book View Cafe might be onto something here, in the article Girls and reading, the social act), we strongly disagree that teen boys are overlooked, underrepresented and discriminated in the world of YA. Rather, in our opinion, more often than not the alarmists who raise all these questions/issues are not familiar with the variety YA fiction has to offer. The balance might not be optimal but there is certainly a large amount to choose from. 

So today, we’d like to present this wall of over 140 books that we think will speak to the boys of YA.   They’re full of adventure, magic, real-world issues, and romance.  Some of them are even written by - *gasp* - women.    They give us all kinds of male figures: strong, brave, struggling, emotional, confused, and yes - even a few great role models. Most of all, they give us great stories for any reader -- almost all of these books appeal to us as adult women even though we are probably not  the target audience from a marketing perspective. That being said, while we do think that there will always be outlier readers who feel comfortable reading anything and everything (and we love them for it), we  also realize that it might be a struggle to hand-sell  a book with a girl in a dress on the cover or a romance-driven plot to the "average" boy.  We'd love to think of this list as a tool for educators, librarians, parents, and teens to find a great read for the boys in their lives, but anyone who enjoys a great story will find something in this wall of books.  

Tomorrow, we'll be back with a post filled with the recommendations of several  authors represented here. You'll find out what they liked to read as teenage guys, what they read and enjoyed recently, and what they recommend to other readers. Some of their picks are included in the wall but many of them are not, so be sure to check back tomorrow! (Edit: Here's the link! Also, check out the many, many more recommendations in the comments section of this post.)
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Looking for Alaska by John Green, 221pp,  contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride, 343pp, urban fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff, 264pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith, 358pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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Feed by Mira Grant, 571pp, post-apocalyptic sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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White Cat by Holly Black, 320pp, urban fantasy, paranormal
[GR | Amazon]
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I Am The Messenger
Markus Zusak, 357pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Insignia by S.J. Kincaid, 444pp, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork, 312pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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A Separate Peace by John Knowles, 204pp, classic, coming of age
[GR | Amazon]
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Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John, 338pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, 250pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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The Maze Runner by James Dashner, 374pp, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
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Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King, 279pp, contemporary, magical realism
[GR | Amazon]
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The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, 496pp, dystopian, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Hero by Perry Moore, 448pp, superheroes, lgbt
[GR | Amazon]
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Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, 382pp, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, 380pp, dystopian, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, 316pp, paranormal, horror
[GR | Amazon]
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Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz, 256pp, superheroes
[GR | Amazon]
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Unwind by Neal Shusterman, 335pp, dystopian, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima, 426pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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Dark Life by Kat Falls, 304pp, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein, 351pp, classic, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta, 328pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood, 263pp, contemporary
[GR | Fishpond]
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My Most Excellent Year
Steve Kluger, 403pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, 213pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin
Josh Berk, 248pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, 326pp, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
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Divergent by Veronica Roth, 487pp, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
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The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, 280pp, fantasy, intrigue
[GR | Amazon]
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Railsea by China Mieville, 424pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, 434pp, fantasy, alternate history
[GR | Amazon]
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Blood Red Road by Moira Young, 459pp, post-apocalyptic, adventure
[GR | Amazon]
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A Confusion of Princes
Garth Nix, 337pp, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Dune by Frank Herbert, 608pp, classic, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn, 287pp, fantasy, historical
[GR | Amazon]
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Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin, 268pp, classic, sci-fi, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
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Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, 324pp, classic, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Fat Vampire
Adam Rex, 324pp, paranormal, humor
[GR | Amazon]
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First Day on Earth by Cecil Castellucci, 140pp, contemporary, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes, 532pp, historical
[GR | Amazon]
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Punkzilla
Adam Rapp, 244pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, 278pp, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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I'll Get There.  It Better Be Worth The Trip by John Donovan, 228pp, classic, lgbt
[GR | Amazon]
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Airborn
Kenneth Oppel, 544pp, fantasy, adventure
[GR | Amazon]
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The Reapers Are The Angels by Alden Bell, 228pp, post-apocalyptic
[GR | Amazon]
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Last Night I Sang To The Monster
Benjamin Alire Saenz, 239pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin, 240pp, thriller, mystery 
[GR | Amazon]
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It's Kind Of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, 444pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Boy21 by Matthew Quick, 250pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Something Like Normal by Trish Doller, 214pp, romance, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Gone by Michael Grant, 558pp, post-apocalyptic
[GR | Amazon]
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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, 295pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells, 271pp, thriller, horror
[GR | Amazon]
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The Comet's Curse by Dom Testa, 240pp, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga, 361pp, mystery, thriller
[GR | Amazon]
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Stray by Andrea K. Host, 273pp, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp, 294pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt,264 pp,  historical fiction
[GR | Amazon]
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Legend by Marie Lu, 305pp, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
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Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling, 310pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by
Sherman Alexie, 230pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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The Monstrumologist by Richard Yancey, 434pp, horror, paranormal
[GR | Amazon]
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Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, 185pp, contemporary, romance, lgbt
[GR | Amazon]
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Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena, 256pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Monster by Walter Dean Myers, 281pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Invitation to The Game by Monica Hughes, 192pp, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Feed by M.T. Anderson, 308 pp, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd, 309pp, contemporary, romance, lgbt
[GR | Amazon]
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Blaze of Glory by Michael Pryor, 416pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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Crazy by Han Nolan, 352pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Battle Royale by Koushun Takami, 617pp, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
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Z For Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien, 240pp, post-apocalyptic
[GR | Amazon]
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The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, 377pp, fantasy, mythology
[GR | Amazon]
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Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You by Peter Cameron
[GR | Amazon]
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Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, 304pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, 399pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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Split by Swati Awasthi, 280pp, contemporary 
[GR | Amazon]
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Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman, 144pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan, 220pp, paranormal
[GR | Amazon]
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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, 374pp, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
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Girl Parts byJohn Cusick, 496pp, sci-fi, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
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Stoner & Spaz by Ron Koertge, 176pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly, 339pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz, 288pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen, 425pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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The Brief History of The Dead by Kevin Brockmeier, 252pp, paranormal
[GR | Amazon]
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Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley, 228pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Inexcusable by Chris Lynch, 165pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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King Dork by Frank Portman, 352pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, 190pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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Genesis by Bernard Beckett, 150pp, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Jumper by Stephen Gould, 345pp, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin, 186pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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The Pearl Wars by Nick James, 376pp, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick, 224pp, historical
[GR | Amazon]
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Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey, 397pp, historical
[GR | Amazon]
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Confessions of a Liar, Thief, and Failed Sex God by Bill Condon, 240pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, 208pp, classic
[GR | Amazon]
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Planesrunner by Ian McDonald, 274pp, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Being Billy by Phil Earle, 264pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Graceling by Kristin Cashore, 471pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, 374pp, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi
[GR | Amazon]
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Erebos by Ursula Poznanski, 486pp, sci-fi, thriller
[GR | Amazon]
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Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick, 465pp, post-apocalyptic, horror
[GR | Amazon]
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The God of War by Marisa J. Silver, 271pp, historical 
[GR | Amazon]
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Scrawl by Mark Shulman, 232pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Enclave by Ann Aguirre, 259pp, dystopian
 [GR | Amazon]
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Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden, 277 pp, dystopian, war
[GR | Amazon]
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I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle, 253pp, humor, romance
[GR | Amazon]
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Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks, 552pp, sci fi, mystery 
[GR | Amazon]
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Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, 458pp, fantasy, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
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Surrender by Sonya Hartnett, 256pp, thriller
[GR | Amazon]
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The Silver Child by Cliff McNish, 192 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, 499 pp, fantasy 
[GR | Amazon]
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Five Parts Dead by Tim Pegler, 224 pp, realistic, romance
[GR | Amazon]
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Henry Franks by Peter Adam Salomon, 288pp, mystery, retelling
[GR | Amazon]
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Swerve by Phillip Gwynne, 228 pp, contemporary, road trip
[GR | Fishpond]
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Eon by Allison Goodman, 531 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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Happyface by Stephen Emond, 320 pp, contemporary, graphic novel
[GR | Amazon]
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Ashfall by Mike Mullin, 466pp, post-apocalyptic
[GR | Amazon]
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Department Nineteen by Will Hill, 540 pp, paranormal, horror 
[GR | Amazon]
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After the Snow by S.D. Crockett, 304 pp, post-apocalyptic
[GR | Amazon]
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Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan, 336, romance, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick, 208pp, realistic, war 
[GR | Amazon]
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Nation by Terry Pratchett, 367pp, fantasy, adventure
[GR | Amazon]
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Stitches by David Small, 329pp, memoir, graphic novel
[GR | Amazon]
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You by Charles Benoit, 240pp, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
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Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner, 287pp, humor
[GR | Amazon]
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Blankets by Craig Thompson, 592pp, graphic novel, romance
[GR | Amazon]
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Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, 458 pp, horror
[GR | Amazon]
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The Cardturner by Louis Sachar, 336 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, 240pp, graphic novel, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman, 320 pp, sci fi, time travel
[GR | Amazon]
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Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey, 368 pp, fantasy, magic
[GR | Amazon]
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Going Nowhere Faster by Sean Beaudoin, 240pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
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Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford, 295 pp, mental illness, lgbt
[GR | Amazon]
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The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, 277 pp, classic, coming of age
[GR | Amazon]
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34 Comments

Lumatere Box Set: Disc Three, Quintana of Charyn

11/2/2012

19 Comments

 
Quintana of Charyn cover
(Note: this is the third part in a three-part series featuring songs for Melina Marchetta’s Chronicles of Lumatere.  If you haven’t already been, make sure to check out Young Adult Anonymous for songs about Finnikin of the Rock and Wordchasing for songs about Froi of the Exiles.)

Welcome to disc three of your Lumatere box set!  This disc covers loss, hope, slate over the head moments, swiving good times, feral spear-shaking, and an ending that ties it all together.  This is your disc for Quintana of Charyn.

How lucky do I feel to be in charge of the music for this particular installment?  Very lucky, which is a bit odd because I admit that this one is my least favorite of the three.  Even so, it contains my favorite moments of the entire series.  Don’t even ask me how that math works out.  Plus, this is the disc where I get to bust out alllll the love songs.

This is the book that had me laughing so hard I cried.  Lucian, I am looking at you right now.  I don’t think there’s any man (Gilbert included) who deserves to have a slate crashed over his head more than you do in this book. 

This is the book that had me saying holy moley…under my breath and fanning myself.  This woman may write YA, but she also writes one hell of a sex scene.

This is the book that made me cry at a loss I never expected, and a few others that I did. 

But this is also the book that made me beam with relief when everything came together.  And I admit, with a little bit of hesitation too – that ending was kind of too happy for me.  And I know what you’re all yelling at me right now, because I’m yelling it at myself right now too: haven’t these people suffered enough?!!  Don’t they deserve a happy ending?  Yeah, yeah.  What can I say?  I’m the eternal Grinch.

Still, this is a wonderful end to one of my favorite YA fantasy series of all time.  And now, we wait for Melina Marchetta to write something else which I’m sure will be even more brilliant.  In the mean-time, here are some songs:
  
1) Bjork - A Hidden Place, for Froi and Quintana

Froi and Quintana are not supposed to be together, and they both know that.  Their connection comes as a surprise to even them, and it’s something that they must always hide, to protect both Charyn and Lumatere.  They spend most of this book separated, but when they finally reunite, it’s like this instant fire and connection that only exists when they are alone.  This is a song for their relationship – hidden away.



"There lies my passion, hidden
There lies my love
I'll hide it under a blanket
Lull it to sleep

I'll keep it in a hidden place"


 2) Mumford and Sons - White Blank Page, For the men of this story (Finnikin, Trevanion, Froi, Perri, Lucian…).

This song speaks so much to me about the laying down of pride and boundaries and the laying aside of guilt and shame.  


“Can you lie next to her
And give her your heart, your heart
As well as your body
And can you lie next to her
And confess your love, your love
As well as your folly
And can you kneel before the king
And say I'm clean, I'm clean”


3) Me'Shell NdegeOcello - Fool of Me, For Tesadora and Perri.

What a story.  We only get to hear about it after the fact, but I think their history could probably comprise a book of its own.  This one is specifically for the betrayal and indignation I can only assume Tesadora must have felt.
"I remember when you filled my heart with joy 
Was I blind to the truth just there to fill the space? 
'Cause now you have no interest in anything I have to say 
And I have allowed you to make me feel 

I feel so dumb 
What kind of fool am I 

That you so easily set me aside?
You made a fool of me
"

4) Barnaby Bright - Gravity, for Lucian and Phaedra, who have so much to say to each other if only they could put everything aside and just say it already.
"I've tried
I've tried everything I know
Anything to let you go, but I just keep on sinking
I lied, when I said I was alright
I am anything but alright
I am anything but winning

Take your world off my shoulders
The weight is breaking me into pieces"
5) Rosi Golan and William Fitzsimmons - Hazy and
6) Van Morrison - I'll Be Your Lover, Too, which are both for Finnikin and Isaboe.


"What if I fall and hurt myself
Would you know how to fix me?
What if I went and lost myself
Would you know where to find me?
If forgot who I am
Would you please remind me?
Oh, 'cause without you, things go hazy"




"Reach out for me
So I can be
The one who's always reaching out for you
I'll be your king
You'll be my queen
And I'll be your lover too."

  
7) Guided by Voices - Hold on Hope, for Gargarin and looking on the side of wonder.


"On the landscape
That nothing grows on
But time still goes on
And through each life of misery
Everybody's got a hold on hope
It's the last thing that's holding me"



8) The Jezebels - She's So Hard, for Quintana and all the ways she's learned to be feral and fierce to survive her life.

Seriously, Irene of Attolia needs to watch her back.  She has some serious competition for my favorite fictional female heroine.  I mean...I don't see you fashioning your own spears, scaling huge hills, and hunting down game whilst heavily pregnant, Irene.  You'd probably have those ladies in the cave all sorted out in a matter of hours though...


"I'm all out, for the war. 
I guess love wasn't what I'm looking for.
I don't care when you cry. 
I think self pity is a state of mind. 
I'm so hard. I'm so hard. I'm so hard."

EDIT: Last minute addition!  I can't believe I forgot to include this pick.  This is the song that inspired me to make a whole playlist in the first place.  When Maggie from Young Adult Anonymous suggested it to me, I knew that this book had to have more than one song.

9) Maxwell - This Woman's Work (Kate Bush cover)
"I know you've got a little life in you left
I know you've got a lotta strength left
I should be crying but I just can't let it show
I should be hopin' but I can't stop thinkin'
All the things I should've said that I never said
All the things we should've done that we never did
All the things I should've given, but I didn't"


And that's that for disc three!  If this is your first stop, head on over to Young Adult Anonymous for some Finnikin of the Rock tunes courtesy of the fabulous Noelle, and then visit the lovely Reynje at Wordchasing for her Froi of the Exiles list!

Also, make sure to pick up Quintana of Charyn - a very satisfying end to this series, which I wholeheartedly recommend.  You can order it from Fishpondworld here, and it should be released in the U.S. and Canada in the early spring of next year.

And feel free to give me all of your suggestions for the songs I missed in the comments!  
Readventurer C Signature
19 Comments

Wall of Books: 120+ YA Books from the UK and Some Top 10 Lists

10/30/2012

31 Comments

 
Various UK pictures
I stole all these pictures from my sisters' facebook albums. Huzzah!
Welcome to another Readventurer Wall of Books! This time, we're spotlighting YA literature from the United Kingdom. My first stop for sources was one of our favorite bloggers, Jo from Wear the Old Coat, who was kind enough to reorder her Goodreads shelves for me. I mined her books and asked her and another Brit blogger/writer (Anna from Anna Scott Jots) to give us their top ten UK YA books, which I'll share in one moment. While looking online for books to fill the wall, I also found a site called UKYA, which seems to have a rather comprehensive set of reviews on young adult from across the pond but also covers books from other areas/genres. 

By far, the most interesting aspect of putting this particular wall together was the fact that there seems to be a far greater number of male YA authors, at least the proportion of male authors to female authors in this wall is much greater than the prior ones. (Aussie YA and short YA fiction) In addition, the covers of UK YA book seem to be much more appealing than US covers, and by that I mean that they have actually interesting covers rather than some random girl in a dress or a guy and a girl caressing or some other cover that we keep seeing over and over and over again in the States. Just scan quickly down the wall and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. These are covers I would pick up, for sure, though I also know that the US covers I am talking about are (hopefully) not marketed to me. (but I also think they are alienating 99% of male readers with those types of covers) 

Here's what Jo had to say about her top ten reads:

Top 10  UKYA (with a few extra ones) In no particular order…

His Dark Materials Series by Philip Pullman --  This is my favourite UKYA series. Actually, this is my favourite YA series. Actually, this is my favourite series. Just thinking about these books makes me lose my mind. 

Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman -- I’ve only read the first book of this series but it’s stuck with me like no other.  A terrifying and refreshingly different take on dystopia.  (Also, read Boys Don’t Cry)

Losing It, edited by Keith Gray -- This is an anthology of short stories written by an amazing array of well-known British YA authors on losing your virginity. Sometimes sad, sometimes hilarious, sometimes cringey, always wonderful.  

Goodnight, Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian -- I have read this book at least ten times and I will never, ever stop loving it. To me, it’s a masterpiece.

Being Billy/Saving Daisy by Phil Earle | When I Was Joe by Keren David -- Yes, ok, I know I’m cheating on this one, but if there’s something that us Brits can do well it’s gritty contemporary fiction. Both of these writers highlight what’s great about British YA that’s being written at the moment. 

The Enemy Series by Charlie Higson -- Hands down, the best zombie books I’ve read. Genuinely terrifying, brilliantly paced and wonderful characters that will just make you want to join their crew and whack adults around the noggin’ with cricket bats. 

A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd -- It’s one of those quiet books that not many people have read/heard of but it truly should be read by everyone who loves excellent YA fiction. Actually, you should probably check out anything that Ms Dowd wrote. She was a glorious, glorious writer.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett -- A childhood favourite of mine.  “Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.” Bliss.

Matilda by Road Dahl -- Oh come on, do I really need to explain to a site of book lovers why I adore this?

And no Top Ten (with a few extras) UKYA would be complete without, of course, Harry Potter by J.K Rowling. No book has even come close to this series in the way it has captured people’s imagination, got people who would never normally read to pick up a book, defined a generation and encouraged people, no matter how serious they are (or think they are), to believe in magic… even if just for a little while.   

Cheeky Addition: The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness -- Oh come on, Mr Ness holds dual citizenship so I’m claiming him for the purpose of this feature. This series seems to divide readers something rotten but… ahh… I know who my true friends are when their eyes fill with tears when I say “Boy Colt”.  It's spectacular. 

Anna's picks are also in no particular order and are very succinct: 

Code Name Verity -Elizabeth Wein
The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness
How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff
What I Was - Meg Rosoff
Solace of the Road - Siobhan Dowd
Finding Violet Park - Jenny Valentine
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole - Sue Townsend
A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - JK Rowling
The Bride's Farewell - Meg Rosoff

A special note from Anna: "Sorry about all the Rosoff - I adore her :)"

The only Rosoff I've tried was How I Live Now and it was a little to incest-y for me at that particular moment. Perhaps I'll revisit it at some point.
So what say you, dear readers? Do you like their lists? Do you like these covers more or less than the ones common in the US? How did YOU feel about the incestiness of How I Live Now? If you are from the UK (or even if you aren't), why don't you share your favorite UK YA books in the comments. (If we asked all the awesome UK bloggers we know to do Top Tens, this post would be even longer than it already is...which is too long!)  But FYI, here are some other blogs with one or more blogger from the UK: The Reader's Den, The Book Smugglers, Realm of Fiction, The Book Geek, and Stepping Out of the Page.
Before I Die cover
Before I Die by Jenny Downham, 336 pp, death, romance 
[GR | Amazon]
Numbers Rachel Ward cover
Numbers by Rachel Ward, 325 pp, paranormal, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Revolver cover
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick, 224 pp, historical, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging cover
Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison, 247 pp, contemporary, humor
[GR | Amazon]
The Phoenix and the Carpet cover
The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit, 289 pp, fantasy, adventure
[GR | Amazon]

Almost True Keren David cover
Almost True by Keren David, 437 pp, realistic, crime
[GR | Amazon]
The Enemy Charlie Higson cover
The Enemy by Charlie Higson, 406 pp, horror, zombies
[GR | Amazon]
No Such Thing as Forever cover
No Such Thing As Forever by Ali Cronin, 256 pp, contemporary, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Maggot Moon cover
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner, 288 pp, dystopian, war
[GR | Amazon]
The Wee Free Men cover
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, 375 pp, fantasy, humor
[GR | Amazon]
Inside My Head cover
Inside My Head by Jim Carrington, 340 pp, realistic, bullying
[GR | Amazon]
Artichoke Hearts cover
Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari, 321 pp, contemporary, coming of age
[GR | Amazon]
The Shell House cover
The Shell House by Linda Newbery, 352 pp, historical, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Velvet Mary Hooper cover
Velvet by Mary Hooper, 336 pp, historical, paranormal
[GR | Amazon]
Skellig cover
Skellig by David Almond, 208 pp, fantasy, angels
[GR | Amazon]
All Fall Down cover
All Fall Down by Sally Nicholls, 281 pp, historical, plague
[GR | Amazon]
What I Was cover
What I Was by Meg Rosoff, 224 pp, coming of age, boarding school
[GR | Amazon]
The Golden Compass cover
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, 399 pp, fantasy, adventure
[GR | Amazon]
Noughts & Crosses cover
Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman, 479 pp, romance, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
Naked Kevin Brooks cover
Naked by Kevin Brooks, 390 pp, historical, music
[GR | Amazon]
Solace of the Road cover
Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd, 272 pp, contemporary, family
[GR | Amazon]
Black Heart Blue cover
Black Heart Blue by Louisa Reed, 266 pp, mental health, abuse
[GR | Amazon]
Being Billy cover
Being Billy by Phil Earle, 264 pp, contemporary, abuse
[GR | Amazon]
Bringing the Summer cover
Bringing the Summer by Julia Green, 272 pp, romance, mental health
[GR | Amazon]
Mister Creecher cover
Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley, 390 pp, horror, historical
[GR | Amazon]
Long Reach cover
Long Reach by Peter Cocks, 401 pp, crime, thriller
[GR | Amazon]
Burn Mark cover
Burn Mark by Laura Powell, 416 pp, paranormal, witches
[GR | Amazon]
Heart-Shaped Bruise cover
Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne, 336 pp, mystery, crime
[GR | Amazon]
Secret Diary of Adrian Mole cover
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend, 272 pp, humor, diary
[GR | Amazon]
A Note of Madness cover
A Note of Madness by Tabitha Suzuma, 320 pp, realistic, mental health
[GR | Amazon]
The Knife That Killed Me cover
The Knife that Killed Me by Anthony McGowan, 224 pp, realistic, gangs
[GR | Amazon]
Adorkable cover
Adorkable by Sarra Manning, 387 pp, contemporary, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Railsea cover
Railsea by China  
Miéville, 424 pp, fantasy, adventure
[GR | Amazon]

The Dead of Winter cover
The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley, 218 pp,  horror, paranormal
[GR | Amazon]
Frozen in Time cover
Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes, 336 pp, science fiction, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
Stormbreaker cover
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz, 256 pp, mystery, adventure
[GR | Amazon]
In Darkness cover
In Darkness by Nick Lake, 337 pp, historical, war
[GR | Amazon]
The Earth Hums in B Flat cover
The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan, 327 pp, mystery, historical
[GR | Amazon]
The Unforgotten Coat cover

The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce, 112 pp, realistic, cultural
[GR | Amazon]
This is Not Forgiveness cover
This Is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees, 280 pp, contemporary, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Lord of the Nutcracker Men cover
The Twice-Lived Summer of Bluebell Jones  by Susie Day, 177 pp, contemporary, magical realism
[GR | Amazon]
Accidental Friends cover
Accidental Friends by Helena Pielichaty, 240 pp, contemporary, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Kill All Enemies cover
Kill All Enemies by Melvin Burgess, 274 pp, contemporary, multi POV
[GR | Amazon]
Losing It cover
Losing It by Keith Gray (ed), 256 pp, short stories, virginity
[GR | Amazon]
The Swan Kingdom cover
The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Marriott, 272  pp, fantasy, fairy tale
[GR | Amazon]
War Horse cover
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, 165 pp, animals, war
[GR | Amazon]
Out of Shadows cover
Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace, 278 pp, historical, cultural
[GR | Amazon]
We Can Be Heroes cover
We Can Be Heroes by Catherine Bruton, 400 pp, contemporary, 9/11
[GR | Amazon]
The Book of Lies: A Novel cover
The Book of Lies: A Novel by Mary Horlock, 368 pp, historical, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
The Knife of Never Letting Go cover
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, 496 pp, dystopian, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Long Lankin cover
Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough, 455 pp, fantasy, horror
[GR | Amazon]
Life: An Exploded Diagram cover
Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet, 416 pp, historical, war
[GR | Amazon]
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An Act of Love by Alan Gibbons, 292 pp, war, religion
[GR | Amazon]
Me, the Missing, and the Dead cover
Me, the Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine, 208 pp, mystery, death
[GR | Amazon]
Wasted cover
Wasted by Nicola Morgan, 352 pp, thriller
[GR | Amazon]
Pigeon English cover
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman, 263 pp, contemporary, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone cover
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, 310 pp, fantasy, magic
[GR | Amazon]
I Capture the Castle cover
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, 352 pp, historical, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Good Night, Mr. Tom cover
Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian, 320 pp, historical, war
[GR | Amazon]
Matilda cover
Matilda by Roald Dahl, 240 pp, fantasy, magical realism
[GR | Amazon]
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The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo, 160 pp, fantasy, magic
[GR | Amazon]
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A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 242 pp, historical, classic
[GR | Amazon]
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Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce, 240 pp, time travel, adventure
[GR | Amazon]
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, 226 pp, mystery, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Stolen cover
Stolen: A letter to my captor by Lucy Christopher, 301 pp, contemporary, kidnapping
[GR | Amazon]
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By Midnight by Mia James, 436 pp, paranormal, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
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The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, 768 pp, portal fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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Finding Sky by Joss Stirling, 320 pp, paranormal, romance
[GR | Amazon]
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Entangled by Cat Clarke, 372 pp, mystery, romance
[GR | Amazon]
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The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein, 351 pp, 
fantasy, classic
[GR | Amazon]
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Angel by L.A. Weatherly, 512 pp, paranormal, angels
[GR | Amazon]
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Bloodlines by Lindsay Anne Kendal, 320 pp, paranormal, horror
[GR | Amazon]
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Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, 458 pp, science fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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The Declaration by Gemma Malley, 320 pp, dystopia
[GR | Amazon]
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Lord of the Flies by William Golding, 182 pp, classics, dystopia
[GR | Amazon]
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Jonas by Eden Maguire, 279 pp, paranormal, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, 320 pp, paranormal, ghosts
[GR | Amazon]
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Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie, 283 pp, mystery, kidnapping
[GR | Amazon]
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Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 288 pp, historical, animals
[GR | Amazon]
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Skin Deep by Laura Jarrett, 320 pp, contemporary, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
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Blood Red Road by Moira Young, 459 pp, post-apocalyptic
[GR | Amazon]
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Hope's Daughter by Melanie Cusick-Jones, 389 pp, science fiction, romance
[GR | Amazon]
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The Witches of the Glass Castle by Gabrielle Lepore, 255 pp, paranormal, witches
[GR | Amazon]
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Trash by Andy Mulligan, 240 pp, dystopian, poverty
[GR | Amazon]
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Zelah Green by Vanessa Curtis, 250 pp, contemporary, mental health
[GR | Amazon]
Waves cover
Waves by Sharon Dogar, 344 pp, mystery, death
[GR | Amazon]
The Left Hand of God cover
The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman, 436 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
The Lost Girl Sangu Mandanna cover
The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna, 432 pp, science fiction, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
Howl's Moving Castle book cover
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, 336 pp, fantasy, romance
[GR | Amazon]
The Blemished cover
The Blemished by Sarah Dalton, 328 pp, science fiction, dystopia
[GR | Amazon]
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A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines, 208 pp, classics, poverty

[GR | Amazon]
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A Crack in the Line by Michael Lawrence, 352 pp, parallel universes, thriller
[GR | Amazon]
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Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, 373 pp, steampunk
[GR | Amazon]
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Redwall by Brian Jacques, 416 pp, fantasy, animals
[GR | Amazon]
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Dance on My Grave by Aidan Chambers, 256 pp, lgbt, romance
[GR | Amazon]
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Dragonborn by Toby Forward, 352 pp, fantasy, dragons
[GR | Amazon]
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Slam by Nick Hornby, 309 pp, contemporary, humor
[GR | Amazon]
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Dear Dylan by Siobhan Curham, 208 pp, romance, humor
[GR | Amazon]
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Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies, 498 pp, fantasy, animals
[GR | Amazon]
City of Masks cover
City of Masks by Mary Hoffman, 352 pp, historical, time travel
[GR | Amazon]
Code Name Verity cover
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, 452 pp, historical
[GR | Amazon]
Hunting Lila cover
Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson, 318 pp, paranormal, thriller
[GR | Amazon]
The Rotters' Club cover
The Rotters' Club by Jonathan Coe, 415 pp, historical, humor
[GR | Amazon]
The Recruit cover
The Recruit by Robert Muchamore, 342 pp, thriller, spying
[GR | Amazon]
Exodus cover
Exodus by Julie Bertagna, 337 pp, post-apocalyptic
[GR | Amazon]
Troy cover
Troy by Adele Geras, 376 pp, fantasy, historical
[GR | Amazon]
Geekhood cover
Geekhood by Andy Robb, 352 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Looking for JJ cover
Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy, 336 pp, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
Department Nineteen cover
 Department Nineteen by Will Hill, 540 pp, urban fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
My So Called Afterlife cover
My So Called Afterlife
Tamsyn Murray, 184 pp, paranormal
[GR | Amazon]
The Truth about Celia Frost cover
The Truth about Celia Frost by Paula Rawsthorne, 336 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
The Amulet of Samarkand cover
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud, 462 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
The Silver Child cover
The Silver Child by Cliff McNish, 192 pp, science fiction, dystopia
[GR | Amazon]
15 Days Without A Head cover
Fifteen Days Without A Head by Dave Cousins, 288 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Unarranged Marriage cover
(Un)arranged Marriage by Bali Rai, 272 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Over Sea Under Stone cover
Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper, 208 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
The Cuckoo Tree cover
The Cuckoo Tree by Joan Aiken, 304 pp, fantasy, historical
[GR | Amazon]
Wolf Tower cover
Wolf Tower by Tanith Lee, 223 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Fly By Night cover
Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge, 486 pp, fantasy, sheer brilliance
[GR | Amazon]
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen cover
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner, 288 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
The Book of Three cover
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, 190 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Hollow Pike cover
Hollow Pike by James Dawson, 416 pp, paranormal, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
The Look by Sophia Bennett cover
The Look by Sophia Bennett, 328 pp, contemporary, cancer
[GR | Amazon]
Firebrand cover
Firebrand by Gillian Philip, 384 pp, fantasy, historical
[GR | Amazon]
Lottie Biggs is Not Mad cover
Lottie Biggs is (not) Mad by Hayley Long, 229 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
secrets of the henna girl cover
Secrets of the Henna Girl by Sufiya Ahmed, 270 pp, contemporary, arranged marriage
[GR | Amazon]
Screwed joanna kenrick cover
Screwed by Joanna Kenrick, 256pp, contemporary, promiscuity
[GR | Fishpond]
split by a kiss cover
Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja, 309 pp, contemporary, romance
[GR | Amazon]
A Witch in Winter cover
A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton, 346 pp, fantasy romance
[GR | Amazon]
The Tulip Touch cover
The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine, 160pp, contemporary, horror
[GR | Amazon]
**If you find any authors who are not from the UK, please let us know so we can replace them. We don't want to unknowingly offend anyone. Authors with dual citizenship are sometimes included in this wall as are some books that lean towards middle grade.**
31 Comments

Wall of Books: 110+ Australian YA Books

10/8/2012

30 Comments

 
Earlier this week, we highlighted some of our favorite Australian young adult authors and books and many that we are excited to try in the future. While researching that post, I realized how very vast the choices were and how much we had left to explore. While I've included over 100 different Aussie YA books in this Wall of Books, there are hundreds more left out. If I've left out your favorite, leave it in the comments and I'll add it in. I'd like to thank Kat from Cuddlebuggery for helping me add in some of the data. I'd also love to recommend some other Australian blogs and reviewers that regularly feature Aussie fiction: Vegan YA Nerds, Belle's Bookshelf, Maree's Musings, Inkcrush, Trinity, Reynje, and Emily. I am almost certainly missing some very important people but it is late and my mind is mush. I know several people found some fun books in our Wall of Short YA Books so I hope some of you find one or two new Australian YA books to read from this post. I was/am surprised how many of them are available through Amazon US (and especially for Kindle!) There are a few which are not available on Amazon so I linked to Fishpond in those cases, though just a few seem to be sadly out of print. 
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley cover
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley, 264 pp, realistic, romance
[GR | Amazon]
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta cover
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta, 399 pp, fantasy, epic
[GR | Amazon]
A Straight Line to My Heart by Bill Condon cover
A Straight Line to My Heart by Bill Condon, 228 pp, contemporary, coming of age
[GR | Amazon]
The Bridge by Jane Higgins cover
The Bridge by Jane Higgins by Jane Higgins, 344 pp, fantasy, dystopia
[GR | Amazon]
Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierres cover
Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierres, 316 pp, sci-fi fantasy, dystopia
[GR | Amazon]
Winter by John Marsden cover
Winter by John Marsden, 160 pp, coming of age, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
This is Shyness by Leanne Hall cover
This Is Shyness by Leanne Hall, 272 pp, sci-fi, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Beatle Meets Destiny cover
Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams, 291 pp, contemporary, coming of age
[GR | Amazon]
Stolen by Lucy Christopher cover
Stolen by Lucy Christopher, 301 pp, contemporary, kidnapping
[GR | Amazon]
Pink by Lili Wilkinson cover
Pink by Lili Wikinson, 320 pp, contemporary, musicals, LGBT
[GR | Amazon]
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Guitar Highway Rose by Brigid Lowry, 208 pp, road trip, music
[GR | Amazon]
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I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak, 357 pp, mystery, realistic
[GR | Amazon]
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Holier Than Thou by Laura Buzo, 291 pp, new adult , coming of age
[GR | Amazon]
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Liar by Justine Larbalestier, 376 pp, fantasy, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
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Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody, 256 pp, fantasy, dystopian
[GR | Amazon]
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Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff, fantasy, Japan, steampunk 
[GR | Amazon]
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Shadows by Paula Weston, 388 pp, sci-fi, angels
[GR | Amazon]
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Blood Song by Rhiannon Hart, 290 pp, paranormal romance, coming of age
 [GR | Amazon]
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Pan's Whisper by Sue Lawson, 346 pp, coming of age, contemporary
[GR | Fishpond]
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Silvermay by James Moloney, 448 pp, paranormal, romance
[GR | Amazon]
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The Red Shoe by Ursula Dubosarsky, 192 pp, historical, coming of age
[GR | Amazon]
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All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield, 202 pp, realistic, family
[GR | Amazon]
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Black Painted Fingernails by Steven Herrick, 216 pp, road trip, coming of age
[GR | Amazon]
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And All the Stars by Andrea K. Host, 193 pp, apocalypse, invasion
[GR | Amazon]
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Days Like This by Alison Stewart, 302 pp, dystopian
[GR | Amazoaln]
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Alaska by Sue Saliba, 185 pp, contemporary, romance 
[GR | Fishpond]
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Little Sister by Aimee Said, 301 pp, romance, LGBT
[GR | Fishpond]
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Only Ever Always by Penni Russon, 180 pp, fantasy, time travel
[GR | Amazon]
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Eon by Alison Goodman, 531 pp, fantasy, dragons
[GR | Amazon]
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A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper, 304 pp, historical, WWII
[GR | Amazon]
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Julia, My Sister by Bronwyn Blake, 256 pp, recovery, myth, music
[GR | Fishpond]
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Blue Water High by Shirley Birse, 256 pp, surfing, high school
[GR | Fishpond]
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The Comet Box by Adrian Stirling, 256 pp, realistic, male POV 
[GR | Fishpond]
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Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar , 274 pp, realistic, surfing, abuse
[GR | Amazon]
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Girl Next Door by Alyssa Brugman, 288 pp, realistic, humor
[GR | Amazon]
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The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett, 192 pp, historical, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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A Pocketful of Eyes by Lili Wilkinson, 311 pp, museums, mystery 
[GR | Fishpond]
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The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan, 320 pp, fantasy, mermaids 
[GR | Amazon]
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Dreamrider by Barry Jonsberg, 256 pp, male POV, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
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The Year Nick McGowan Came To Stay by Rebecca Sparrow, 208 pp, contemporary, romance
[GR | Amazon]
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Will by Maria Boyd, 304 pp, musicals, LGBT
 [GR | Amazon]
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I'll Tell You Mine by Pip Harry, 264 pp, boarding school, contemporary
[GR | Fishpond]
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Raincheck on Timbuktu by Kirsten Murphy, 251 pp, contemporary, romance 
[GR | Amazon]
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Finding Cassie Crazy by Jaclyn Moriarty, 383 pp, contemporary, humor
 [GR | Amazon]
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One Night by Margaret Wild, 240 pp, verse, romance 
[GR | Amazon]

Read More
30 Comments

Wall of Books: A Metric Ton of Short YA Books (220 pages or less!) 

9/3/2012

22 Comments

 
Today, I was perusing the shelves at a branch of my library system when I witnessed what I'd like to call a "tiny book travesty." As you can see in the reenactment to the right, tiny books get overshadowed by their hardcover oppressors, their why-am-I-paying-$15-for-a-paperback cousins, and they are even dwarfed by most mass market paperbacks. I don't think a lot of shorter books get enough play for many reasons, not least of all that they have lower visibility because they are smaller in size. However, If you're someone like me who gets depressed that you'll never have enough time to read all the books you dream of reading...
          
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Bookshelf of all sorts of books
On my fake shelf, all the genres are mixed together. *gasp*
Four short books are equal to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
then you should consider dedicating a few weeks of your life to a marathon of short YA books! Exhibit A, to your left, shows in rather obvious fashion that a reader could plow through four shorter books and still have less pages than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. But Flannery, you're forgetting how absolutely enthralling Harry Potter is and who cares how many pages it is, it could never be too long! Shush your mouth, you don't even know which four tiny books I used so maybe they're just as good as HP! (also, stop being so negative!) Just think how many more books you could be crossing off your Goodreads Challenge if you explored the wonderful world of short novels. (which also sometimes qualify as novellas or novelettes.)

I searched the net to see if I could find some lists of shorter books but the only useful one I could find was a list of "Short and Sweet Teen Books Under 150 Pages" from the Austin Public Library. The compiler ( Joanna Nigrelli) included a little blurb for each of the books included and I was particularly stunned by the blurb for Robert Cormier's (of The Chocolate War and I Am The Cheese fame) 135-page book, Heroes: "After joining the army at fifteen and having his face blown away by a grenade in a battle in France, Francis returns home to Frenchtown hoping to find--and kill--the former childhood hero he feels betrayed him. " Say whaaaat? Sign me up to read that, stat. I'm also excited to read two others from her list that deal with mental illness, Invisible by Pete Hautman and Inside Out by Terry Trueman.

At first I was at a loss as to how to compile such a list but that didn't last long. I received a few list items from friends on Twitter and then I hit the mother lode when I realized that Goodreads could help. If you go to your bookshelves, hit 'all', then sort by number of pages (in the shelf settings if you don't have that option), you can find ALL the short books in your shelves. With the recommendations from even more tweets and from my own shelves, I have a pretty respectable number. I included the cover, title/author, page count (for the default Goodreads version, it might vary), genre, and links to the book on Goodreads and Amazon. The cover images also link to Amazon. Because I had to be a bit picky, I didn't include some books that are more middle grade and I made an arbitrary cutoffs at 100-220 pages. (Sorry John Green, Looking for Alaska is 221!)

Sort your shelves and leave any more that you find in the comments. I'll add their information into the beautiful wall of books. For a few authors, many of their works are under 220 (Judy Blume, Elizabeth Scott, Francesca Lia Block, etc.) -- I've included only one book by each author but please do leave others in the comments so we can have them. (Note: Our comment form does not accept html)


Happy short book reading!

Keturah and Lord Death cover
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt, 216 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
If I Stay cover
If I Stay by Gayle Forman, 201 pp, contemporary, death/dying
[GR | Amazon]
Invisible Pete Hautman cover
Invisible by Pete Hautman, 160 pp, contemporary, mental illness
[GR | Amazon]
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup cover
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Rob Koertge, 128 pp., contemporary, sports
[GR | Amazon]
Perks of Being A Wallflower cover
The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, 213 pp, contemporary, lgbt
[GR | Amazon]
Genesis cover
Genesis by Bernard Beckett, 150 pp, dystopian, philosophy
[GR | Amazon]
Daddy Long Legs cover
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster, 192 pp, classic, epistolary
[GR | Amazon]
Living Dead Girl cover
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott, 170 pp, realistic horror, abuse
[GR | Amazon]
Dear Zoe, cover
Dear Zoe, by Philip Beard, 208 pp, contemporary, grief
[GR | Amazon]
The Knife and the Butterfly cover
The Knife and the Butterfly by Ashley Hope Perez, 218 pp, contemporary, latino
[GR | Amazon]
The Secret Year cover
The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard, 192 pp, romance, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
The Game cover
The Game by Monica Hughes, 183 pp, science fiction, virtual reality
[GR | Amazon]
Alaska Sue Saliba cover
Alaska by Sue Saliba, 185 pp, romance, contemporary
[GR | Fishpond] 
Hatchet cover
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, 186 pp, adventure
[GR | Amazon]
Miles from Ordinary cover
Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams, 197 pp, contemporary
[GR|Amazon]

Weetzie Bat cover
Weetzie Bat (Weetzie Bat #1) by Fracesca Lia Block, 128 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Violence 101 cover
Violence 101 by Denis Wright, 180 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick cover
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick (Perry and Gobi #1) by Joe Schreiber, 192 pp, contemporary 
[GR | Amazon]
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist cover
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, 183 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
My Not-So-Still Life cover
My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher, 192 pp, contemporary 
[GR | Amazon]
The Outsiders cover
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, 180 pp, classics
[GR | Amazon]
The Lucky Kind  cover
The Lucky Kind by Alyssa Sheinmel, 208 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
The Universe Against Her cover
The Universe Against Her by James H. Schmitz, 192 pp, science fiction
[GR | Amazon]
The Midnight Zoo cover
The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett, 192 pp, historical
[GR | Amazon]
Boy Meets Boy cover
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, 185 pp, contemporary, lgbt
[GR | Amazon]
Speak cover
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, 208 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Judy Blume cover
Forever by Judy Blume, 178 pp, classics
[GR | Amazon]
Wake cover
Wake (Dream Catcher #1), Lisa McMann, 210 pp, paranormal fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Green Angel cover
Green Angel (Green Angel #1) by Alice Hoffman, 128 pp, speculative fiction
[GR | Amazon]
Dead Girls Don't Write Letters cover
Dead Girls Don't Write Letters by Gail Giles, 128 pp, mystery, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Inside Out Terry Trueman cover
Inside Out by Terry Trueman, 117 pp, contemporary
[GR|Amazon]
Heroes Robert Cormier cover
Heroes by Robert Cormier, 144 pp, historical
[GR|Amazon]
A Day No Pigs Would Die cover
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck, 160 pp, classics
[GR|Amazon]
Odin's Eye cover
Odin's Eye by Marguerite Murray, 170 pp, classics, mystery
[GR|Amazon]
Bound Donna Napoli cover
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli, 192 pp, historical, fairy tale
[GR | Amazon]
Fifteen Beverly Cleary cover
Fifteen (First Love #1) by Beverly Cleary, 208 pp, classics, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]  
All I Ever Wanted cover
All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield, 202 pp, contemporary
 [GR | Amazon]  
How I Live Now cover
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, 194 pp, speculative fiction
 [GR | Amazon]  
Never Eighteen cover
Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic, 200 pp, contemporary 
[GR | Amazon]  
Guitar Highway Rose cover
Guitar Highway Rose by Brigid Lowry, 208 pp, contemporary 
[GR | Amazon]  
The Line Teri Hall cover
The Line by Teri Hall, 219 pp, dystopia
[GR | Amazon]
Pearl cover
Pearl by Jo Knowles, 216 pp,  realistic, issues
[GR | Amazon] 
Something Like Normal cover
Something Like Normal by Trish Doller, 214 pp, contemporary, PTSD
[GR | Amazon]  
Song of Sorcery cover
Song of Sorcery by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, 216 pp, fantasy, adventure 
[GR | Amazon]  
Cracked Up To Be cover
Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers, 214 pp, realistic, issues 
[GR | Amazon]  
This Gorgeous Game cover
This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas, 208 pp, contemporary, thriller
 [GR | Amazon] 
Brooklyn Burning cover
Brooklyn, Burning  by Steve Brezenoff, 210 pp, contemporary, lgbt [GR | Amazon] 
Very Far Away From Anywhere Else cover
Very Far Away From Anything Else 
by Ursula K. LeGuin, 133 pp, contemporary, romance 
[GR | Amazon] 
The Freak Observer cover
The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston, 202 pp, realistic, death
  [GR | Amazon] 
Stargirl cover
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, 186 pp, contemporary, individualism
[GR | Amazon]
Stop Pretending Sonya Sones cover
Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones, 160 pp., verse, mental illness
[GR | Amazon]
Inexcusable Chris Lynch cover
Inexcusable by Chris Lynch, 165 pp, contemporary, sex and abuse
[GR | Amazon]
Red Spikes cover
Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan, 167 pp, short stories, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Fly on the Wall cover
Fly On the Wall by E. Lockhart, 182 pp, contemporary, high school
[GR | Amazon]
Story of a Girl cover
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr, 192 pp, contemporary, family
[GR | Amazon]
Pink Lili Wilkinson cover
Pink by Lili Wilkinson, 201 pp, contemporary, sexuality
[GR | Amazon]
Revolver Marcus Sedgwick cover
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick, 204 pp, historical, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead cover
By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Ann Peters, 200 pp, realistic, death
[GR | Amazon]
Barbary cover
Barbary by Vonda McIntyre, 192 pp, science fiction
[GR | Amazon]
The Contender cover
The Contender by Robert Lipsyte, 190 pp, realistic, sports
[GR | Amazon]
We don't usually use the "Read More" button on our blog posts here but I'm about to add over 100 more book covers to this post (*over the next few days*) so click to open up the full list in all its glory...

Read More
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