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Odds & Ends On The Web: June 23rd Edition

6/23/2012

16 Comments

 
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First, I just have to ask: who’s going to see Brave this weekend?  If you’ve already seen it, was it amazing?  Feel free to gush in the comments.

And now onto the book-relevant news:

The winners of the Locus Awards were announced this week.  The awards for best science fiction and fantasy novels went to China Miéville (Embassytown) and George R. R. Martin (A Dance With Dragons) respectively.  Catherynne M. Valente took home THREE awards – for best young adult novel (The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making), best novella (Silently and Very Fast), and best novelette (White Lines on a Green Field)!  Huge congratulations to all the winners!

As some of you may have heard, A Monster Calls won both the Carnegie Medal (for children’s literature) and the Greenaway medal (for illustration) last week.  This week author Patrick Ness spoke out in defense of this generation’s teenagers in a really moving article for The Guardian.  (Seriously, just read it.)

And our very own blogging friend Sarah from Clear Eyes, Full Shelves also pulled out her opinion hat and wrote very passionately in defense of young adult literature.

NPR is putting together a list of the best young adult books, and they are asking for help which is really very smart of them, in our opinion.  Make sure to stop by and comment with your top five picks.  Let’s tell them about all the ones they missed!

It seems like the other news was all of the less-progressive-more-crotchety quality.  Perhaps the curmudgeonly world is feeling threatened after statistics released this week from the Association of American Publishers indicated that ebook sales topped hardcover sales in the first quarter of 2012 (including a 28% increase in ebook sales from 2011)?   Perhaps we are just due for this generation’s “real literature is dead” outcry?  Either way, a group of authors chimed in this week for the New York Times, in response to this Room for Debate topic:

“Is "summer reading" now just "reading"? Have novels become more entertaining, and less of a cultural touchstone or a political voice?”

Any reader can tell you that this is a ridiculous question.  William Deresiewicz writes a very rational response, saying in part: “The novel is a sturdy old contraption that continues to outlive its mourners.”  Matt de la Pena takes up the role of chief mourner, saying in part: “We don’t want our ideologies to be challenged. That’s too much work. We want escape.”  Really?  I (Catie) think a lot of readers would disagree.  There were four other responses which all fell somewhere in between these two.

Shannon Hale also caused a bit of an outcry this week when she published a, if not malicious, then rather uninformed post on her blog speaking against self-publishing.  However, she was very gracious and open to comments and has since published an updated post in which she attempts to back track quite a bit.  I particularly enjoyed Rick Walton’s comment on the later post, in which he compares the whole self-publishing system to the “Got Talent and Idol shows.”  Now where are Simon, Paula, and Randy to tell us which ones are good?

Oh right, that’s supposed to be us. 

And just to wrap things up on a lighter note, here are two book trailers that were released this week – one for Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina, which we will be reviewing soon and one for Zoe Marriott’s upcoming book Frostfire.

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Of course, now I'm feeling depressed again because it appears that, if the above trailer for Frostfire is accurate, the cover for the upcoming book has been blue-washed.  Apparently Tatiana was right about that!

Maybe we should chat about Brave again? 

See you next week for more news!

16 Comments
Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
6/23/2012 12:58:22 am

Wow! Wait a minute there. The MC in the trailer is clearly black or at least bi-racial.

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Catie (The Readventurer) link
6/23/2012 01:32:22 am

Yep - I think you are onto something. It appears the latest way to whitewash covers is to tint them blue. I think you are right - more and more authors are making an effort to diversify their novels, but for whatever reason, publishers are not reflecting that in the packaging. The covers for Zoe Marriott's other novels are all pretty good, IMO. Maybe they'll change this one.

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Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
6/25/2012 07:17:55 am

I just found this post by the author herself

http://thezoe-trope.blogspot.com/2011/11/frostfire-cover-synopsis-revealed.html

She is definitely happy about the cover.

Sarah link
6/23/2012 01:33:27 am

That Matt de la Pena column makes we want to unleash some serious fury. Especially this:

"But today, in the era of pharmaceutical companies, the second we stop smiling we rush off to the doc for a happy-pill prescription. Some people genuinely need medication. Others are ducking perfectly healthy – even beneficial – bouts of melancholy."

I don't like to tell people what they should and shouldn't say, but I have a concerns about a YA author in particular, that has such a loyal following, being so dismissive of depression, which is a freaking epidemic--particularly among teens and is so often untreated in teen boys, who are the target audience for de la Pena's books.

Fortunately, most teens are smart enough to avoid NYT columns, but it saddens me to think of a teen who struggles with undiagnosed depression seeing a favorite author dismiss their situation as "normal melancholy" that they're supposed to wallow in.

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Catie (The Readventurer) link
6/23/2012 01:41:06 am

That is a very excellent point Sarah. I think his article also shows that he has very little knowledge of anti-depressant medication and how it works. "Happy pills" it is not. I was pretty shocked to see this opinion coming from him, to be honest.

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Sarah link
6/23/2012 01:43:53 am

The attitude toward mental health in this country is very unhealthy and we don't need folks piling on like de la Pena did. Ugh.

P.S. Thanks for linking to the latest edition of "Sarah's Rants." :)

Catie (The Readventurer) link
6/23/2012 01:49:16 am

Perhaps next week we can look forward to "Sarah Rants about this country's attitudes toward mental health"? :)

Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
6/23/2012 02:13:14 am

What I also don't get about outcries like that is how they jive with those other articles that say YA is too dark and disturbing?

Every time I read a whiny post like this written by a writer, I can't help to think that he/she does it only because her/his fabulous books are under-read and under-appreciated. In their opinion, of course.

matt de la pena link
6/24/2012 12:44:21 am

Hi Sarah, Catie and Tatiana,

Sorry I got you guys all mad and stuff. Just an opinion. And I actually do know a little something about the subject. Studied psych in college. Worked with depressed teens throughout grad school -- mostly boys. History of depression in my family. But I'm certainly no expert. Do believe, as I said, that "Some people genuinely need medication." But you really don't believe folks rush to medicate these days? There's a business element in play, too, no?

Anyway, thanks for doing what you do. Talking and writing about books. It's incredibly important. And thanks for considering my little opinion piece.

Matt

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Catie (The Readventurer) link
6/24/2012 03:22:17 am

Hey Matt -

Thanks for stopping by to clarify what you were thinking a little bit. Yes, I guess I do agree that many are "rushing to self-medicate" but I think that there's another large section of the population that's suffering in silence and refusing to get help because of the shame/stigma attached to mental illness.

I acknowledge your opinion from the NYT, but I respectfully disagree with it. As a person who really loves to “sit with” her sadness and be challenged by books I have found quite a lot to satisfy me. And likewise, I have found quite a few readers who feel the same.

As someone who grew up (in part) in Tucson and went to college there, I have a lot of respect for you and your work and especially your recent words of encouragement to Tucson teens. Keep writing!

Heidi link
6/23/2012 03:00:38 am

I was so confused about the Frostfire cover when I realized she was supposed to have dark skin as well! Especially since Zoe Marriot's work that includes PoC has always shown people correctly matching their descriptions. I actually read about the struggle of casting for the Frostfire trailer on her blog, where she complained that the casting directer kept being sent white blondies for the part of the girl, and how excited she was when the girl they did cast showed up and was perfect (accept for lack of naturally grey eyes). I'm really not sure what to think of it. When I first saw the covers I DID really like the contrast Frostfire had with its companion, Daughter of the Flames which was so warm.

Also, I REALLY want to see Brave, but I have theater anxiety, so I probably won't go for a week or so. I still need to go see Moonrise Kingdoms (kind of a Wes Anderson fangirl)!!

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Catie (The Readventurer) link
6/23/2012 11:57:54 am

Yes, I do like that it is "icy" looking where Daughter of Flames is "fiery" looking, but it is really difficult to discern the race of the girl on the cover. It does seem to clash with the appearance of the girl in the trailer. I love that she includes so much diversity in her novels though. I'm not sure there was a single white person in that trailer!

I think we are going to wait until next weekend for Brave too. I <3 Wes Anderson too, but I am waiting for the DVD. I almost never see movies in the theater anymore.

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Alyssa @ Books Take You Places link
6/23/2012 03:50:42 am

Ahh I am so excited to go see Brave! Though I doubt I will get to it this weekend, we just saw Snow White and the Huntsman so I might have to take a break from the movies for a few! I was soo happy to hear about A Monster Calls, I adored the book and felt great for Patrick Ness! I also loved the Seraphina trailer. I loved the book more than I can even say, I already pre-ordered my copy and can't wait to re-read!

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Cassi Haggard link
6/23/2012 11:05:27 pm

I am so ready to read Seraphina! That book trailer just makes me more excited.

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Paige link
6/24/2012 12:24:49 am

I saw Brave this weekend and really enjoyed it -- it's very action paced and has a very sweet message.

The new blue-washing trend is really sad. And most of Zoe Marriott's other covers aren't whitewashed. I know for sure that a few of them have diverse characters on the front.

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Maja link
6/24/2012 09:58:26 pm

Wow, that article by Patrick Ness couldn't have come at a better time. My 16-year-old niece is visiting, and I left everything as soon as I read it (well, first I teared up a little bit), and I went to have a long talk with her, mostly about nothing at all. We had the best time.

I love how gentle and full of understanding he is. Also, I really need to read A Monster Calls already. I'm such a wuss.

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