Thankyou

I just wanted to say a quick thankyou to everyone who has sent their well-wishes and virtual hugs to me over the last month. Please know that even if I haven't replied, I truly appreciate your comments. It has been a tough time but my family and I are coping and I'm at a point now where I'm not bursting into tears every day.
I've decided that keeping busy is the best thing for me now and I'm reading books left, right and centre so hopefully I can catch up on the books I've been staring at on my shelf for the last month or so.
Jess xo

Have You Seen Ally Queen? by Deb Fitzpatrick

Title: Have You Seen Ally Queen?
Author: Deb Fitzpatrick

Release Date: 1st September 2011

My Rating: 3/5

Blurb:

Ally Queen is fifteen, flat-chested and totally trapped in a tiny coastal town where the Killer Pythons are stale and there are only three types of people: bogans, surfies and spinach-munching hippies. How could her parents ever have thought moving to Melros was a good idea?

With her best friend miles away, and deep-and-meaningfuls only as long as a text message, it's a bad time for Ally to be having a personality crisis. She's torn between who she is and who she wants to be. No wonder she doesn't have a boyfriend - unless you count the irritating guy on the school bus who seems to be keen on her.

But first impressions can be deceptive...

In A Nutshell:
A realistic and relevant book for girls aged 13+ set in a fictional West Australian coastal town.

My Review:
Poor Ally Queen. At fifteen, she is struggling with the feelings of how unfair being a teenager can be when you don’t have control over your life. Her parents have uprooted her, and her little brother Jerry, to live in a small coastal town an hour south of Perth, Western Australia. Not only does she have to change schools, but she has to adjust to a whole new way of living.

For Ally, all she sees is that she has been pulled away from everything she is used to and separated from her friends. She doesn’t care about why they have moved or what the so-called benefits of living in Melros are, she just concentrates on the fact that she hates it.

Fifteen is a difficult, awkward and confusing time for a girl and Ally really struggles with feeling so out of place, especially since her family appears to be fitting in so well. She’s emotional and lashes out at those around her, even when she tries not to.

Ally is actually pretty unlikeable initially. She is selfish and whines all the time about how much she hates her life and how it’s all her parent’s fault. That said, I would be just as annoyed if my parents forced me to leave my home town and move somewhere where I didn’t know anyone. As a teenager, it’s often difficult to look beyond yourself and consider others, especially when the reasons for the change are not fully explained to you, as in Ally’s case.

The novel looks at how people deal with change and has Ally trying to cope with being bullied at her new school. It looks at how a family is affected and tries to manage with a loved one who is suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The setting was beautifully written and it was nice to read a book set in areas I know (I live in Perth, the city were Ally has moved from) and many of the locations that are talked about I am quite familiar with. One of the only things that annoyed me was that I thought some of the language Ally used was a little bit too stereotypically Australian which I don’t necessarily think a city girl would use.

Overall, a realistic and relevant book for girls aged 13+


Also by Deb Fitzpatrick: 90 Packets of Instant Noodles

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

Title: Hunting Lila
Author: Sarah Alderson

Release Date: 1st September 2011

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:
Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever.

After a mugging exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust, her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them.

In a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone, there are others out there just like her, people with special powers, and her mother's killer is one of them...

In A Nutshell:
Hunting Lila is an exciting, suspenseful novel that keeps you questioning if all is really as it seems.

My Review:
Lila is an impulsive and curious 17-year-old girl who has been on an emotional roller-coaster for the last five years after the death of her mother and separation from her brother, and it’s just gotten worse as she has somehow developed the ability of telekinesis. After arriving on her brother Jack’s doorstep, she becomes curious as to what it is his military unit actually does as he is cagey and extremely over-protective, as is his best friend Alex (and Lila’s long term crush).

As Lila gets more and more fed up with being kept in the dark and ‘babysat’ around the clock, she starts fishing for information about what their unit are investigating. She has no idea who to trust with her secret, especially because Jack and Alex are still treating her like a child. When the stumbles across the unit’s real mission she has to question what the real truths in her life are, and if she can still trust those closest to her. She also discovers she is not alone in her unique ability.

There are many twists and turns to the story, with the constant question of who is telling the truth, and what parts of the supposed truths are actually lies. It is fast-paced and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. While it doesn’t finish on a traditional style cliff-hanger, you will still find yourself desperately wanting the sequel, Losing Lila, which of course won’t be released until the second half of 2012.

I think Lila’s feeling and actions in regards to Alex are spot on. When faced with being in the company of someone you love but you can’t do anything about, it’s excruciating and I think it was appropriately portrayed. They are very real moments and feelings; not wanting to tell Alex how she feels for fear of rejection, the jealousy she feels when seeing the way other females look at him, how she makes up scenarios in her head and also jumps to conclusions on all manner of subjects.

This was the first book I have read in six weeks. After a family tragedy, I didn’t have the will to pick up a book, let alone review anything. Hunting Lila was the book I chose to ‘get back on the horse’ and I couldn’t have picked a better story to keep my mind occupied and be completely enthralled by the plot and characters.

Absolutely loved it!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins

Release Date: 3rd October 2011

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighbourhood.

When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

In A Nutshell:
Totally loved it! Perfect for anyone who loves a contemporary teen, totally cute, loved-up novel.

My Review:
Cricket Bell is the quiet, nerdy guy who never thought the girl next door would be interested in him. Lola Nolan is the fashionably forward girl who has been smitten by the boy next door for as long as she can remember.

Yes it’s teen angst-y on the relationship front but I just didn’t care because everything about Stephanie Perkins writing gives me warm fuzzies. Lola and Cricket’s situation is one that almost everyone experiences through high school and those thoughts and actions are exactly what those teenage years are like! Oh the sexual tension and unspoken feelings! Lola and Cricket are so cute together and, ok little spoiler, but oh my gosh, the laneway scene!!

I love that the book is set in San Francisco and that Lola has gay parents and that they haven’t been too stereotypically written. I love Lola's best friend Lindsey who has an obsession with detective work and her converse sneakers. I love that Cricket and Lola talk through their bedroom windows and that Cricket has little quirks that Lola is constantly trying to figure out. And I love that Anna and St. Claire (from Anna and the French Kiss) make quite a few appearances throughout the novel, having them included is such an awesome bonus!

Oh how I love Stephanie Perkins; anything she writes will go to the top of my must read list. They are books that make me happy and put a smile on my face, something for when you are feeling happy or sad.

Oh Cricket Bell, a boy after my own heart.

Equinox Blog Tour - Lara Morgan Interview and Giveaway!

The Tales Compendium is one of many stops for YA author Lara Morgan as she takes part in a blog tour launching Equinox, the 2nd book in her Rosie Black Chronicles series.

Today Lara has stopped by to answer some questions about what the writing experience has been like while writing Rosie Black.

Can you tell us a little about The Rosie Black Chronicles...
It’s a dystopian series set five hundred years in the future centred around the life of sixteen year old Rosie Black and her battles against a powerful corporation called Helios. Rosie’s mother is dead, killed by an incurable disease named the MalX, and her father has never recovered from her loss. Rosie’s only other family is her Aunt Essie, a tough ex-soldier who is now a spaceship pilot. When Helios comes into Rosie’s life she must join forces with a boy named Pip, who she’s not sure she can trust, and a mysterious man named Riley who seems to have myriad hidden agendas. Together they must face up to the might of a corporation who will kill anyone who stands in their path to global domination. To bring them down, Rosie must fight to discover the truth behind the terrible secrets they hide and along the way discover love, loss and betrayal.

Can you describe the series in three words?

Dystopian romantic adventure.

Where did the idea for the series come from?
I’ve long had an interest in what climate change is doing to our planet and how it will affect us, so I wanted to write a series set in a future where much of what may happen has come to pass – such as rising sea levels, climate refugees, water shortages and a strictly regulated society. But I also wanted to write something that had the adventure and romance I love from some of my favourite classic movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones, so The Rosie Black Chronicles was the result of that.

Do you have a set number of books you are planning or are you just going to see where the story takes you?
At the moment I’m contracted to produce three which will complete the story arc I started in the first book, Genesis, but you never know what can happen in the future. I do have ideas but I can’t divulge them here. *smiles and winks*

What is a typical day like for you?
I wish I could say I sat at my desk at 8am and worked like a demon all day, taking only short virtuous breaks, Unfortunately that’s not what happens. A typical day is probably get up, make tea, drink tea, go through emails and get distracted for an hour with replying then going on Twitter which leads to blogs, which leads to…..you see where this is going? Then I force myself away from that, often unplugging the internet connection so I can’t go online, and get down to the work for the day. At the moment it’s writing the third book in the Rosie series so it’s writing in creative bursts of mad typing for maybe an hour then staring at my notes. I do set myself a minimum word limit of 2000 words per day though so I’m not allowed to finish until I achieve that. And there’s a lot of tea drinking amongst all that. Generally I will be at my desk from nine am to about four or later depending on if I’ve reached my word count. Sometimes I’ll work until well after dark. Aah the glamorous life!

Do you have any must-haves while writing? eg: coffee, chocolate, music?
A cup of tea. I have to have a fresh one made and sitting on my desk so I can hang onto it and stare at what I wrote yesterday before I start. Sometimes I play music but not when I’m writing a first draft, only in the editing stage. And it has to fit the kind of scene I’m working on. I make play lists for certain kinds of books. When I was working on Equinox I listened to Pink, Embassy, Susan Enan and The Vampire Diaries soundtrack just to name.

What is the hardest thing about writing a series?
Getting all the details right so the plot lines run smoothly through all the books. I’m the kind of writer who has to finish one book to really know what is going to happen in the next one – which makes things difficult when you have plot threads running through the entire series. I do have sketch outlines of how I think things will end up but usually things change a lot from the start of writing to the end so it’s very fluid and I end up doing things differently to how I might have started out. It’s annoying but it’s just what works for me. I find if I make too detailed a plot outline at the beginning I get bored when I’m writing because I know too well what’s coming next and I’ll change things anyway, so it’s just the way I have to do things. I guess I like a challenge!

If you were not a writer, what would you like to be doing?
I always thought it would be fun to be one of those people who roam around the world doing critiques on fancy hotels. You know, the secret hotel detectives who report on the comfy factor of the beds and how good room service is. I could cope with that, especially if the hotels were on Greek islands or Tahiti. Does that even exist as a job? Maybe I should write a book about someone who does that, imagine the research I could do!

GETTING TO KNOW LARA MORGAN

~10 quick questions~

What is your favourite...
Season – Spring, warm enough for picnics, cool enough at night for snuggling
Place – that’s too hard! Greece.
Sound – rain on the roof
Food – pasta
Movie – argh! Too many to choose from…. Casablanca
Band/Artist – right now, Diana Krall, it will be different tomorrow
Smell – the sharpness of fresh ink and paper in a new book
Word – tabula rasa (or does that count as two?)
Animal – my dog, though he is no longer with me
Book – The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin

A big thankyou to Lara Morgan for stopping by on her blog tour!

Win
To win a free copy of Equinox, simply leave a comment below with your name, email address and what you think would be a cool name for book three in the series (this is just for fun!).

Sorry but entries are only open to Australian postal addresses. Entries close December 1st 2011 (a week after the final blog tour stop).

Lara and Rosie Online

For all things Rosie Black, visit Lara's blog and don't forget to head over to Facebook and 'Like' the Rosie Black Fan Page!


Blog Tour
Lara's next stops on her tour will be over at The Paperback Heart and Burn Bright on Thursday (November 17th).

To see the full lists of blogs taking part, click here.

Blog Hiatus

Just letting you know that the blog will be on hiatus for a while, aside from a couple of scheduled posts in the coming week.

Due to some tragic circumstances, I am not in the right frame of mind to read/write/blog at this time.

Thanks for sticking with me, I know I've been pretty quiet over the last couple of months. Hopefully that will change in the near future. xxx

CAN NOT CONTAIN EXCITEMENT!!!!!!

David Levithan is coming to Perth.
Yes, you read that right!

Some of the guest authors for the 2012 Perth Writers Festival have been announced and, gulp yes, he is coming!!!!


Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Session times won't be announced until January but who cares!
*happy dance*

Oh, P.S. Adelaide, he's coming to see you too :)

Perth International Arts Festival

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor

Release Date: 27th September 2011

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
Around the world, black hand-prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that colour. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-coloured eyes on her in an alley in Marrakech, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

In A Nutshell:
Awesome title. Fantastic characters. Forbidden love. Magical and Mysterious locations. Unique mythology. Definitely worth reading.

My Review:
What can I say about Daughter of Smoke and Bone that hasn’t been said before? Just like almost every review I have read and everyone I have spoken to about it, I loved it.

First off, what a totally awesome title! It’s mysterious and conjures up so many images but you have to wait until almost the end of the story to find out what it means. Our main character Karou joins the YA rank of fantastic female lead characters as a loveable and kick-ass character, with her blue hair and humour, but she also has a vulnerable side.

Like many YA supernatural/paranormal books, Daughter of Smoke and Bone uncovers the blurry lines between good and evil, enticing us with a forbidden romance (although thankfully no love triangle!) that while is sudden in some ways, as the story progresses, we see that there is more to Karou’s story than meets the eye. While this format is commonly seen in YA these days, the story that unfolds takes your breath away and provides Daughter of Smoke and Bone with that something extra that sets it apart.

My enthusiasm did slow three quarters of the way through with my uneasiness with the direction the story was taking but it picked up again and I am excited for what its sequel will bring. I would love to share more with you but this is one of those books where the mysteries can accidentally be spoiled with the wrong (right) word! You’ll just have to check it out yourself.

I should also mention the setting. How many YA books are set in Prague? This is the only one I know of and, as someone who has spent time in Prague, I think Laini Taylor has done a fabulous job bringing this magical city to the masses.

My favourite quote? I was going to share with you my favourite quote but I realised it continues for almost two pages. In my ARC copy, it starts on page 69 and continues half way down page 70. It is a discussion between Karou and her best friend Zuzana about the different types of butterflies you can get in your stomach, and what kind of guy sets them off. It certainly put a smile on my face!

The PengTeen Awards! Vote Now!

As promised, you can now vote in the PengTeen Awards, hosted by Penguin Australia's teen blog, Between The Lines.


There are some fantastic titles that made the short-lists and it's now our job to vote for our favourites!


To find out who made the cut and to vote in each category, click here.

Voting is open now until Wednesday 9 November, at midnight Australian Eastern Daylight time. Winners will be announced on Monday 14 November.
Fun? Yes I think so!
=D

The PengTeen Awards!

Penguin Books Australia has announced a new annual award for all their YA books released over the year, The PengTeen Awards. Currently, readers can nominate their choices over at the Penguin Between The Lines blog where a new category is posted each day.

The categories are:

Favourite Villain
Favourite Girl Character
Favourite Boy Character
Favourite Kiss
Favourite Fight
Favourite Couple
Favourite Sidekick
Favourite Scary Moment
Favourite Funny Moment
Favourite Breakthrough Author
Favourite Cover
Favourite Author
Favourite Aussie Author
Favourite Breakthrough Book
Favourite Book

The Penguin titles eligible for nomination are:

Last Sacrifice: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Matched by Ally Condie
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
Twelfth Grade Kills: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Defiance: Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
7 Souls by Barnabas Miller and Jordan Orlando
Bite Club: Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine
The Comet Box by Adrian Stirling
What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
Undercurrent: A Siren Novel by Tricia Rayburn
Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby
Alaska by Sue Saliba
Days Like These by Alison Stewart
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
The Power of Six: The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore
The Fear: The Enemy by Charlie Higson
Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Froi of the Exiles: The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta
The Sending: The Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody
Last Breath: Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine
Crossed by Ally Condie
Reckoning: Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
Beautiful Chaos: Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe

There will also be a Reader’s Choice Award which means you can vote for any book by any publisher that was released between 1 December 2010 to 28 November 2011.

For more information you can visit The PengTeen Awards: How It Works over at the BTL blog.

Happy voting!