Faves of 2011...So Far (1) The Books

The wonderful Nomes over at inkcrush has created this very cool book awards/survey thingy covering a bunch of different categories in which we post our picks during the last week of June. The books must be ones we have read this year.

To view Nomes's original post with the 'rules' and all the categories, click here.

Today's categories are all about The Books!
(all links lead to my reviews)

favourite book read so far in 2011

I currently have five favourites, although one is a re-read (and the only book I've re-read this year)*: Where She Went, Saving June, Just Listen*, Five Flavors of Dumb and Die For Me

most powerful book
I think I will have to pick Five Flavors of Dumb here but I'll give an honourable mention to Where She Went.

brilliantly funny
Outspoken - hilarious, obnoxious and witty

best ache-y, heart-breaking, tear-jerker read
This is a toughy because alot of books effect me but in different ways and for different reasons. I'm going to go for Where She Went, Between, Saving June and Five Flavors of Dumb.

most beautiful story
Saving June and The Big Crunch. Just love. Go read the review.

delicious rainy day comfort read
Morganville Vampires series - it's like a soap opera! and Just Listen - one of my all-time faves I love to revisit

adrenalin-fuelled, unputdownable award
This goes to Divergent without a doubt.

the beautiful prose award
A Little Wanting Song and Saving June - see reviews for quotes. Just stunning.

most atmospheric and vivid setting
Die For Me and Where She Went - *sigh* Paris and New York. So cliché but they are my two favourite cities. So magical.

i-so-want-to-go-there award
This category could be understood in a few different ways. I pick Anna and the French Kiss because I wish I was part of their friendship group, was living in Paris, and had St. Clair to hang with all day. A Little Wanting Song because I love Dave, and Saving June because I want to be sitting in the fourth car seat with Jake (yum), Harper and Laney. Oh and Where She Went so I can give Adam a hug.

most original and imaginative
Five Flavors of Dumb - um, a deaf girl managing a band??? And honourable mention to Genesis, Die For Me and Burn Bright.

best under-appreciated, hidden gem book
90 Packets Of Instant Noodles and The Big Crunch - subtle but real and tender

i-had-no-idea-i-would-love this-so award
The Demon Trapper's Daughter - I knew nothing about this. Thought it sounded kinda cool but was put off my the Aussie cover. Also, Burn Bright - I've just finished it and despite the brilliant and glowing review from Nomes, I still wasn't sure I would like it. I wasn't even sure when I was half way through it. But by the end...(!)

most haunting story
Love is the Higher Law - it gave me shivers.

outside my comfort zone but gosh how i loved it
I don't really read a lot outside my comfort zone (at least when I do, I don't really like them) but Genesis was quite a challenge for me. I wouldn't say I loved it though. But it was intriguing.

series that i’m loving
Old series - The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Morganville Vampires, If I Stay. Or new series - Die For Me, Divergent, The Demon Trapper's Daughter, Burn Bright

most memorable voice award
Definitely Piper from Five Flavors of Dumb with honourable mentions to Adam from Where She Went and Kate from Die For Me

completely awesome premise award
Five Flavors of Dumb, Black Painted Fingernails and Saving June - music and roadtrips. Enough said. Plus Where She Went because I so wanted a sequel to If I Stay AND it's from Adam's POV!

would make the best movie
Hmm Divergent and Saving June. And I think Five Flavors of Dumb would very interesting to see how they would do it.

want to re-read already
Anna and the French Kiss - I miss the characters, Saving June - just finished it and I already want to read it again, Just Listen - have already re-read about 3 or 4 times!

Remember to check back in on Monday for The Characters and The Covers!

The Taste of Apple by James Laidler

Title: The Taste of Apple
Author: James Laidler
Music: Don Stewart

Release Date: 1st November 2010

My Rating: 3/5

Blurb:

Pedro Jones is lost. Abandoned by his father and forced into commission housing with his Filipino immigrant mother, the future seems bleak.

But when Pedro meets the 'mad' street busker, Johnny Lazzaro, and gets involved with the East Timor freedom movement, life takes an unexpected detour through the uncharted back-blocks of the human heart.

The Taste of Apple is the winner of the IP Picks Award for Best First Book 2010.

In A Nutshell:
The Taste of Apple is a verse novel set in Australia during the late nineties and comes with an accompanying CD featuring music and lyrics relating to the book. It is a story about finding out who you are, the issues of racism, government accountability and responsibility, and highlights the plight of the East Timorese trying to seek asylum after the Dili Massacre of 1991.

My Review:
Set in Australia mostly during the late nineties, The Taste of Apple is a book about finding out who you are, discovering the simplest life-lessons from unexpected people, the issues of racism, government accountability and responsibility, and looks at rising to a challenge no matter what kind of hurdles are thrown your way. It also highlights the plight of the East Timorese trying to seek asylum after the Dili Massacre of 1991.

The book, told entirely in verse, is set apart by six chapters, each chronicling different stages of our main character Pedro’s life, from age ten to eighteen.

For me though
life was closer
to a tattered old garment
on the verge of unraveling.
There was no “golden thread”;
just frayed edges,
and poorly stitched up seams.

Pedro is struggling, living in a low socio-economic area where he faces daily racism and bullying as well as the added pressure of not fitting in at school. After his father walks out on him and his mother, they move into a council flat. Here Pedro meets local busker and activist Johnny Lazzaro, who is a couple of years older than him. The two form a friendship as Johnny takes him under his wing, educating him about the plight of the East Timorese and life in general. They also spend hours upon hours busking, creating memories and trying to forget the troubles of their lives.

Through the information Pedro gains from his time spent with Johnny, and Paddy, Lisa and Sister McKenzie who are also seeking to educate people about the hardships faced by the people of East Timor, Pedro’s world opens up, and he becomes more world-weary and knowledgeable. By request of his mother, he also befriends five-year-old Evie and old Mr Santiago, who live in the building. Pedro and Johnny help them in the new community garden project behind their 22-story council flat, giving both Pedro and Johnny another avenue to direct their energy.

The garden hose
held by a five-year-old’s hands
can be a dangerous weapon;
capable
of spraying
more than water,
but laughter and mayhem in every direction

All these little things help give Pedro purpose and his depressing situation slowly builds into something more positive.

And that’s when it comes to me
from the spent ashes of my anger
like a phoenix rising

An audio CD also accompanies the book with music written by Don Stewart and words/lyrics by James Laidler. It is a mixture of spoken word and song that are substituted for parts of the story or that add to what is already on the page (eg: When Johnny plays a song on his guitar, you can listen to that song on the CD. Or, when Pedro writes a poem you can listen to a reading of that poem with accompanying music). While I don’t believe having the CD is essential to the story, it does add depth and provides a richer experience. I was particularly taken with track 7 titled Johnny’s Song and also really enjoyed Season’s Apart, God Bless the Grass and Richmond Town.

Fireworks
spangle the sky.
Explosions
glitter-weep
then die,
while I
stand 22 storeys high
thinking of nothing
but Johnny tonight.

This was my first verse novel and while I’m still not totally convinced it is a format that I enjoy, I did breeze through the book and was able to appreciate the story that was being told and the benefits of said format. As you can see from the quotes I have provided, the descriptive language used was captivating. I also believe this would be a good text for high school students to study, with plenty of issues up for discussion.

“Better you eat the apple, Pedro
than the apple eat at you.”

The Taste of Apple can be purchased from the IP website.

James Laidler's website.
The Taste of Apple on goodreads.

Second Opinions
Words on Paper
bean there, read that

2010 WA Premier's Book Awards Shortlist Announced

The short-list for the 2010 Western Australian Premier's Awards was announced today here in Perth. They call them the 2010 lists because the books were all published throughout 2010, even though the awards are not announced until three-quarters of the way through 2011. There are six categories but as usual, I'm only going to focus on the children's and young adult nominees.

The YOUNG ADULT nominees are:

Anonymity Jones by James Roy
Happy as Larry by Scot Gardner
The FitzOsbornes in Exile: The Montmaray Journals 2 by Michelle Cooper
The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett
This Is Shyness by Leanne Hall
Wavelength by A.J. Betts

I've only read Wavelength by A.J. Betts but I have read Scot Gardner's most recent release, The Dead I Know and really enjoyed it so it might be time to pick up Happy as Larry. I've also heard good things about The Midnight Zoo from Nomes at inkcrush and also This is Shyness from Nic at Irresistible Reads AND Nomes again at inkcrush. I really must find myself a copy of This is Shyness because it sounds amazing. Unfortunately I don't really know much about the other two books. Has anyone read them?



In the CHILDREN'S category:

Henry Hoey Hobson by Christine Bongers
Mirror by Jeanne Baker
Sarindi's Dragon Kite by Janine M. Fraser/Illustrator Elise Hurst
The Red Wind by Isobelle Carmody
The Three Loves Of Persimmon by Cassandra Golds
Toppling by Sally Murphy/Illustrator Rhian Nest James

I've only read one of these since I usually stick with YA but I made an exception for Toppling. It's a really heart-warming story and you can find my review on Goodreads. I've also had a flick through Mirror by Jeanne Baker and if you have ever seen any of her work, then you will know what to expect. Mirror is a very special book.



To see the adult nominations click here.

A MASSIVE congratulations to all the nominees, especially A.J. Betts because I loved her book and I've met her a couple of times :D

For the first time ever, the Australian public will be able to vote online in the brand new People's Choice Award from July 25 until September 2nd 2011.

The winners in all categories and the People's Choice Award will be announced in September. Stay tuned.

Michael Scott Giveaway

This month, The Warlock by Michael Scott was released. It is the 5th book in his The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series and I am a huge fan.

To celebrate, I have decided to giveaway four of the books in the series. Yes four!

*For those of you who haven't read the series, I'm giving away one copy of the first book.

*For those who have read the first and are looking to read the next in the series, I'm giving away books two AND three together.

*And for those of you who are itching to get your hand on the fifth book, I'm giving one of those away too.

To enter, please fill out the form below. The giveaway is open internationally until the 17th of July 2011. Once the winners have been chosen, I will email them and they have 72 hours to respond before they forfeit their prize and I draw a new winner.

About the series:

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is an urban fantasy series set in present day time but relies heavily on some of history and mythology's best known heroes and villains, from Joan of Arc, Mars - God of War and of course Nicholas Flamel (best known to the children of today from the first Harry Potter book), to Medusa and William Shakespeare.

In the five books that have been released, we have discovered that Sophie and Josh Newman, two ordinary fifteen-year-olds from San Francisco, are actually the twins of legend, prophecised to save or destroy the world. As Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel take them from America, to France, England and various shadow-realms searching for those who can awaken the twins and train them in the four elements, they are also in a race against time to stop Doctor John Dee, magician, necromancer and all-round bad guy from using the stolen Codex to bring destruction to the world.

All books are paperbacks in the trade size and have the following covers:



Please note that these are not brand new copies. They have been read by myself but are in excellent condition. I love the series so much I decided to buy them all in hardcover!

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Title: Saving June
Author: Hannah Harrington

Release Date: 1st May 2011 (Aust). 22nd November 2011 (US)

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:
‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one - so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going - California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down - again.

In A Nutshell:
Saving June pretty much had me before I even opened the book. And once I started it, I was in love. As many of you know, I love road trip books. I also love books about music. And swoon-worthy guys and imperfect girls and crazy adventures. And polaroid photographs.... Hannah Harrington somehow managed to grab all my favourite things and put them in her debut novel.

Saving June will pull at your heart strings, make you laugh, cry, swoon and blush. It’s tender and breath taking, filled with love, loss, grief, uncertainty and forgiveness.

My Review: (longest review EVER. Sorry!)
Um, wow...

Saving June pretty much had me before I even opened the book. And once I started it, I was in love. As many of you know, I love road trip books. I also love books about music. And swoon-worthy guys and imperfect girls and crazy adventures. And polaroid photographs.... Hannah Harrington somehow managed to grab all my favourite things and put them in her debut novel.

Our three main characters, Harper, Laney and Jake are all quite distinct personalities and while they initially end up on the road trip by way of necessity and blackmail, the three of them survive and learn a few lessons in life.

Harper is easy to relate to, even if a bit clichéd. She's the younger sister who has never felt good enough, always living in her older sister's shadow. But what happens when said older sister is gone? And gone without an explanation? She can’t just slip into the role of the good, helpful daughter, she has her own grief to contend with. Everyone grieves in their own way and Harper's way is to pay homage to June's dreams, not to pretend like it was 'God's divine plan' and all pain will pass.

“As soon as I learned, early on in life, that I could never live up to June, I’d made it a point to be her polar opposite“…. “But I wasn’t interested in being like June, and I definitely didn’t want to live in June’s shadow. Even if mine was less impressive, at least it was my own.”

I love the friendship between Harper and Laney, both have quite distinct personalities but each complements the other. Laney takes everything in her stride, always knows what to say and has a sense of adventure. She has a penchant for vintage clothing, over-sharing and a fascination with movie stars who died young. Harper, however, is the kind of girl who won’t do something she doesn’t want to. She won’t take s*** from anyone and will stick up for what she believes in. She likes hoodies and black nail polish and isn't good with emotion. They are each other’s buffers and will always be there for the other.

Jake is annoying, sweet, opinionated, considerate, music obsessed and totally swoon-worthy. He may present the bad-boy image but he’s not all that he seems and I totally wish he would make ME a 'mixed CD'. The banter between he and Harper is so delicious and I love how he slowly manages to break down her tough exterior.

“At first my stomach twists, and I feel vaguely ashamed, or guilty, or something, for noticing that. But then I think –so what. So what if he’s hot, sometimes. Like every time I look at him. Besides, annoying he may be, but he’s had his shining White Knight Moment, what with the whole saving-me-and-my-best-friend-from-a-brawl-and-probable-jail-time thing. Even if I’m no damsel in distress and he’s miles away from Prince Charming, such displays of gallantry, combined with his not-bad-okay-actually-pretty good looks, make my strange lusty feelings completely justified. Practically obligatory, even.”

As Harper, Jake and Laney get closer to their final destination, they come across a few unexpected events along the way. They end up in the thick of a protest rally in Chicago, get sweaty in a punk mosh-pit, risk rattlesnakes while camping, chill out in a blues lounge in St. Louis, realise that refrigerators can make interesting art, discover Harper can throw a mean right-hook, get sexy with The Doors all while emotions are running high and personal secrets and insecurities come to light.

As I have mentioned, Jake is hugely music obsessed and it is a constant theme throughout the book. From bands such as The Rolling Stones and the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix, Hole, Ani DiFranco, Eric Clapton, The Kinks, The Doors, John Coltrane, Johnny Cash, The Beach Boys, ABBA and Bob Dylan, plus many, many more, classic rock and jazz are covered. All through the book I was thinking I would try and make a playlist of all the songs talked about and then to my delight, at the end of the book were three playlists. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

“And that’s what good music does. It speaks to you. It changes you.”

If you are a peanut butter fan, you probably won’t be able to eat it again without thinking of Jake and blushing. And I don’t think I’ll be able to listen to ‘Tears in Heaven’ by Eric Clapton without swooning at the thought of page 219. And ‘Touch Me’ by The Doors without thinking of pages 298-304. And OMG the song at the end!!!

Saving June will pull at your heart strings, make you laugh, cry, swoon and blush. It’s tender and breath taking, filled with love, loss, grief, uncertainty and forgiveness. I constantly felt that I was sitting in the fourth car seat, next to Laney and totally wanted to jump in and add my own music commentary to Jake’s.

For fans of The Sky is Everywhere and Where She Went.

More Hannah Harrington? Yes please!

Second Opinions
inkcrush
Irresistible Reads

Also, Nic at Irresistible Reads has done a "My Book Boyfriend" post on Jake. Check it out for some yummy quotes and Jake inspired pics :)

Author Interview: Antony John

Earlier this year I read the totally awesome Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John which I loved, loved, loved so much! It has a permanent spot on my all-time favourites list and I know many other readers feel the same way. So, I was thrilled when Antony generously agreed to answer a bunch of questions that I bombarded him with. So read ahead while I continue to have my little fan-girl moment...

Where did the idea to write about a girl with a hearing disability come from?
Short answer: my wife. We were chatting about a book I was planning, in which a high school senior manages the school rock band, and she basically said: “Wouldn’t it be cool for you to write about music from the perspective of a deaf person?” In that moment, Piper Vaughan came to me, and the novel really just took off.

Piper is such an amazing and inspirational character. Was she inspired by anyone in particular?
No, she wasn’t inspired by anyone. Actually, of all the characters I’ve written, Piper came to me the most fully formed: smart, sarcastic, witty, offensive, loyal, judgemental, all wrapped up in a bundle of energy and a never-say-die attitude. I was determined that she wouldn’t be a victim, but a fighter. I was also determined that she would have some of the flaws she despises in others, but still be likeable in spite of them. I suppose she has quite a lot in common with me (back when I was a teen), but she’s much cooler than I ever was!

Was there a particular character whose scenes you enjoyed writing more than others?
I really enjoyed writing the scenes with Kallie. I tried to set her up as just another stereotype: the flawlessly beautiful, but hopelessly unattainable (and kind of stupid) hot girl. But as the novel progresses, I wanted her to shatter that perception. This involved really thinking hard about who she is, and what makes her tick. I guess I also got emotionally caught up in her story, and how much of an outsider she feels. Writing her scenes felt very real, and very rewarding.

Music obviously plays a major role in Dumb, especially Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana. Are they musical heroes of yours and who else do you admire?
To be honest, I only really came to fully appreciate them through writing DUMB. Before that, I enjoyed their music, but didn’t exactly feel part of the cult following that they enjoyed. But as I researched them and visited their homes (as Piper does in the novel), I sort of had the same response as her: suddenly I began to see them both as extraordinarily gifted but terribly flawed human beings, for whom music was both their salvation and, in a way, their undoing. After that, I couldn’t help but feel differently about them and their music.

I suppose my other rock music heroes are The Beatles. That’s really predictable, I know, but their music is extraordinary, and evolved so much over the decade or so they spent together.

Do you have any favourite young adult authors?
I have loads! In fact, the list is so long that I could write another post on it. Instead, how about I list twelve books that I wish EVERYONE would read? (Trust me, these novels are absolutely brilliant.)

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart.
Before I Die by Jenny Downham.
Candy by Kevin Brooks.
Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going.
Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock.
Looking for Alaska by John Green.
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.
Holes by Louis Sachar.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.
Feed by M.T. Anderson.
Life as We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer.

Oooo I totally agree with some of these! **adds more books to TBR pile**

You went from studying music and composition to being a full time writer. How did that come about and are you still involved in music?
After I finished my Ph.D., I spent a while doing university teaching. I loved it, but when my wife and I started a family, I jumped at the opportunity to be a stay-at-home dad. At first, I figured I’d continue to compose on the side, but arranging performances is tricky when you’re only available from 8PM onwards (i.e. after the baby is asleep). So I tried writing a novel instead. It completely sucked, but I really enjoyed writing it. It also taught me a lot about what not to do, and so my next novel, BUSTED, was better. It got published, and after that I realized I actually preferred writing to composing.

These days, I don’t have time to compose. I’m still a stay-at-home dad, and I also have several books in the pipeline, so I keep busy. But I still listen to music while I write, and music always seems to feature heavily in my books, so all those years of study were totally worth it. Right?

If you had the chance to meet and ask one question to any musician, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you ask them?
Ooh, good question. I’m afraid I’m going to be kind of boring here, and ask J. S. Bach (aka: the best composer EVER) where the rest of his music is. See, although he was phenomenally prolific, experts reckon that only a half of his compositions exist today, the rest having been lost. To see (and hear) those other compositions would literally change music history, and allow me to torment my kids by playing even more angsty classical music. It would be a win-win!

**lol**

Are you writing anything at the moment? What can we expect to see from you in the future?
Like I say, I have several projects on the go. It suits me to be working on different types of project at the same time, so that I never get bored (or stuck) on any one of them. As for what’s coming next . . .

The ARC of my next novel, THOU SHALT NOT ROAD TRIP, will be out later this month (the hardback will be released April 2012). It’s about a 16-year-old boy who writes a spiritual self-help book that becomes a bestseller. When his publisher sends him on a promotional tour along Route 66, things start to get crazy, especially when a former crush hitches a ride.

I’ve also just finished the first draft of book 1 of my ELEMENTAL trilogy (to be released fall 2012). It’s set in a dystopian colony of the United States where everyone is born with powers of the elements—earth, water, wind, and fire—except for one boy who is powerless . . . or is he? I’m so psyched about it I can barely see straight.

These sound so good! I love roadtrip stories and Elemental sounds really exciting! **squeal!!!**

Thanks for having me along today, Jessica. And hi to all your readers!

Thankyou so, so much Antony for taking the time to answer these! I really appreciate it and I can't wait to read your forth-coming titles!


Antony's Website, Facebook, Goodreads

My review of Five Flavors of Dumb

Second Opinions...
Nic @ Irrisistable Reads
Elle @ So Much to Tell You

Five Flavors of Dumb is not currently available in Australia but you can get it at The Book Depository and other online sites.

Shadow Wave by Robert Muchamore

Title: Shadow Wave
Series: Cherub Book 12
Author: Robert Muchamore

Release Date: 1st September 2010

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
After a tsunami causes massive devastation to a tropical island, its governor sends in the bulldozers to knock down villages, replacing them with luxury hotels.

Guarding the corrupt governor’s family isn’t James Adams’ idea of the perfect mission, especially as it’s going to be his last as a CHERUB agent. And then retired colleague Kyle Blueman comes up with an unofficial and highly dangerous plan of his own.

James must choose between loyalty to CHERUB, and loyalty to his oldest friend.

In A Nutshell:
Shadow Wave highlights environmental issues, human rights and government corruption. A fitting and satisfying ending.

My Review:
Shadow Wave is the twelfth and final Cherub book featuring our hero James Adams. James is now seventeen and, after finishing up his undercover assignment with the Brigands M.C., he is looking at one last mission before retiring as a Cherub agent.

Just under a third of the book is dedicated to a mission James' friend and ex-agent Kyle worked on four years earlier, which provides us with all the background information as to why James will need to make a decision whether to meet up with Kyle and be part of an unauthorised mission, or keep his assigned final job.

Cherub is a guilty pleasure of mine and I feel that Shadow Wave was a terrific note to end on. Not only is the subject matter important for today's youth to be aware of, but it is also relevant to them as most would know of the tsunami that is being referred to. Shadow Wave highlights environmental issues, human rights and government corruption. A fitting ending.


About The Series:
For those of you unfamiliar with the Cherub series, author Robert Muchamore created the series after his nephew complained about there being nothing interesting to read. The series revolves around a secret branch of MI5 that trains children to become spies, as people never suspect children. After completing training, kids, from the age of 12 until they are 17, are sent on missions all over the world in an attempt to help bring down illegal operations.

James Adams is our main character and he is supported by his sister Lauren, girlfriend Kerry, best friend Kyle and a host of other agents and ex-cherub agents who now run the compound. We first meet an eleven year old James in The Recruit after he and Lauren are left homeless after the death of their mother. Each book in the series covers roughly 6 months or so in James life so while the first book is written with an eleven year old in mind, as James gets older, so does the content.

Shine A Light, YA Saves

Most of you are probably aware of the ridiculous article, Darkness Too Visible, published in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday. It is an opinion piece, disguised as a feature article, by Meghan Cox Gurdon about the darkness in YA literature. It has, to say the least, caused tremendous uproar in the YA community amongst bloggers, authors, publishers and general readers. While I'm not planning on posting my own rebuttal, I thought I would share with you some of the fabulous counter-posts that have popped up over the last couple of days.


Jackie Morse Kessler, YA author of Rage (which Gurdon used as an example in her piece) fights back with Making The Darkness Visible.

Cecil Castellucci, YA author and Young Adult Editor of the LA Review of Books, writes a fantastic post, Better to Light a Candle than to Curse the Darkness.

YA author and former journalist Gayle Forman talks about "crappy journalism, and the dangers of bullying loudmouths setting the agenda" in her blog post Wall Street Depravity.

Margaret Stohl, YA author of The Caster Chronicles series, contributes her two cents worth with Funhouse Mirrors.

YA author Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Wintergirls, weighs in on just how much difficult topics help YA readers in Stuck Between Rage and Compassion.

YA blogger Emma from Booking through 365, blogs a letter to Gurdon from a teenagers perspective.

And on twitter, check out #YASaves, set up by YA author Maureen Johnson where readers can share their positive experiences with YA literature. As Margaret Stohl says "#YASaves is the real rebuttal to Ms. Gurdon’s editorial."

All of these are fabulous posts and just some of the hundreds that can be found online.


Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows Mrs Gurdon. It's time you realised that.

Perth Blogger Meet-Up Reminder

Hello fellow Perth Bloggers!

Just a quick reminder about the Perth Blogger Meet-Up this week! Danni and I are looking forward to meeting everyone on Thursday at San Churros in Subiaco.

For anyone who missed the original blog post, Danni and I decided to organise a Perth YA Blogger Meet-Up for the small but awesome group of us over here in Perth, Australia. Anyone who is a YA blogger (or adult too if you like) is invited to our first ever Perth Meet-Up on Thursday 9th June at 4pm at San Churros in Subiaco.

San Churros can be found on the corner of Rokeby Road and Roberts Road in Subiaco. It is right across the road from the Subiaco train station. Next door is Jus Burgers and across the road is the old Subi Market site.

If you can't make it, don't worry, we'd love to make this into a regular thing! It would really be appreciated if you could email me to RSVP just so we have some kind of idea as to how many people to expect.

If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to send me an email at jwillis87(at)hotmail(dot)com. You can RSVP to it as well.

Um, can you say yum?!

Between by Cyndi Tefft

Title: Between
Author: Cyndi Tefft

Release Date: 1st June 2011

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries

In A Nutshell:
Between is the perfect mix of love, loss and longing. With tear-jerking moments, delicious scenes of desire and a twist I never saw coming, Between went from a so-so book to a wow book.

My Review:
Between begins with Lindsey being involved in a car accident. When she wakes up, she finds herself in a meadow and accompanied by a gorgeous Scottish man who she feels an instant attraction to and who is to lead her to the pearly gates of heaven. I had two initial reactions in the first few chapters. One was, 'Oh no, please don't go all God preachy on me'. The second was 'Oh no, not another love at first sight, you are my one true love even though I have barely said ten words to you'. Haha not the best first impression but both were based on my own opinions of religion and love. The beginning is not bad, it's just not what I normally enjoy. This should have been enough to stop me reading, leave it in the unfinished pile and start something new. But I didn't. I kept reading, and oh my gosh, I am so glad I did because I quickly became completely absorbed in it and didn't do anything for the rest of the day.

Instead of going straight to heaven, Lindsey decides to stay with Aiden for a little while until she feels ready to move on. Being in this state of limbo, Aiden has the ability to cast the two of them anywhere they want, as long as he has been there in the past (before he died). Aiden takes Lindsey through a journey of his memories from his home at Eilean Donan Castle in the Scottish Highlands to his uncle's house in Versailles, they dance in a ballroom with Louis the 14th and wander the streets of Paris in the 1700's. Lindsey quickly discovers she also has this ability to cast and as their feelings for each other intensify, Lindsey shares her memories with Aiden. But as the gates of heaven call her, their time together is running out. Will their love be enough or will they lose each other forever?

And then just when I thought I knew how the story was likely to pan out...BAM! Tefft threw me a major curve-ball. In comes a contemporary twist that totally shocked me and took Between to a whole other level, something I was so not expecting!

Mixed with delicious smoking-hot scenes and total tear-jerking moments, family and personal relationships are examined, feelings voiced, insurmountable grief exposed and pain, loss, love and desire are all experienced. Between has it all.

How pretty is the cover?! Simple but effective. Also, after visiting Scotland (and Eilean Donan Castle) three years ago, I fell in love with the place so I love to find books that mention Scotland.

You can purchase Between as an ebook or paperback from Amazon or as an ebook from Smashwords

Visit Cyndi's blog here or find Between on Goodreads.