And we’re back with even more more books, in part 2 of our mega roundup of all (not really all) the books.
Still Too Many Books, or, a Tale of Even More Hanging Chad
January 7, 2016 by 4 Comments
So many books they never end oh god too many books (Hanging Chad part 1)
January 6, 2016 by 3 Comments
This year is just full of books, and so many of them are worth talking about. Sadly, we’re not going to get to everything we hoped to read before Monday’s award announcements, despite valiant efforts.
I’m mourning Leavitt’s Calvin, loaded on my Nook but sadly unread; Seneca Village; Lizard Radio, with a premise so unusual that maybe I will read it even after I ought to be moving on to 2016 publications; and a handful of other books besides. Not to mention all the books reviewed by Joy and/or Sarah, a percentage of which I haven’t read and several of which are clearly among the top 20 or so of the year.
But enough crying over books unread, and on to the final titles we have squeezed in. We’ll run half of them today and the other half tomorrow, because otherwise this post would be out of control.
Fantastic Fantasy, Scintillating Science Fiction (a Twofer)
November 16, 2015 by 18 Comments
Canadian Mountain Goat (you’ll understand after you read the post) by Eve Livesey.
For the reader, like me, who prefers fantasy to reality, at least in books, this has been a pretty knockout year. We seem to finally be fully beyond the various waves (paranormal romance, dystopias, love triangles) that have dominated YA fantasy and science fiction for the past decade. This has been a slow creep, and this year marks the first year where I don’t see any dominant trends. Microtrends, sure — the Arabian Nights and djinn tales have been increasing each year, series fiction is still quite common, and really we’ll never entirely be done with dystopic fiction (that usually isn’t technically set in a dystopia).
(Having said all that, someone will probably point out some trend I am willfully ignoring. I still say this is a banner year.)
So rather than an army of same old same old, this year has brought us a legion of fresh, original genre fiction — I’ve already talked about The Archivist Wasp and Razorhurst, and we’ve all admired Bone Gap and Shadowshaper (and yes, I KNOW we need to review those already. We haven’t forgotten). Joy had a lot of admiration for More Happy Than Not; The Walls Around Us is a tour de force, really, that I am still thinking about. Even genre books we haven’t 100% adored and/or may not be covering here (The Game of Love and Death, Walk on Earth a Stranger, Newt’s Emerald) are distinctly their own books and don’t fit into any easy boxes.
In short, I’m calling this the year fantasy finally moved on from blockbusters and into its own (magical) pride of place.
And today I’ve got not one but TWO fabulous genre books to add to the list of books we say nice things about.
Nimona
October 23, 2015 by 4 Comments
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
HarperTeen, May 2015
Reviewed from final copy
I’ve been considering this a graphic novel roundup — we’re short on time, you may have heard? — but now that I’m sitting down to write it, I’m finding myself with a lot to say about Nimona. I can’t guarantee that we’ll have a chance to circle back around to March 2 and Ms Marvel 2 and 3. (It would be the M cubed post, unless we’re able to fit in EVEN MORE GNs. And with the year going as quickly as this one is, don’t underestimate our ability to add and add and add! I mean, I am not convinced that any of those sequel Ms will go the distance at Printz table conversation, but I want to live in a world where Kamala Khan is considered for Printz candidate alongside John Lewis, OK?) [Read more…]
Two Books That Have Absolutely Nothing in Common*
October 21, 2015 by 8 Comments
As previously mentioned, time is short and books are many.
So for today, two books that don’t actually belong in a joint post, brought to you by the color red and the letter D: The Dead I Know and Dime.
Archivist Wasp Has A Sting You’ll Want to Savor
October 12, 2015 by 7 Comments
Archivist Wasp, Nicole Kornher-Stace
Big Mouth House, May 2015
Reviewed from final e-book
I love this book. Can I just get that out there right up front?
Which is not to say I love its chances, but I’m still going to wax eloquent (or wax, anyway) in praise of its strengths.
This is a weird book from a small press. I’m not even sure if it’s widely available in bookstores, because in the past I’ve had trouble finding Small Beer stuff in brick and mortar shops. I bought the e-copy because it was on my radar as a fantasy novel (which is my primary non-YA reading indulgence); I wasn’t actually thinking about YA or awards at all. And then I read it, and I was just blown away.
Double Trouble
October 9, 2015 by 4 Comments
I am Princess X by Cherie Priest
Scholastic, May 2015
Reviewed from a final copy
Me Being Me is Exactly as Insane as You Being You by Todd Hasaak-Lowy
Simon & Schuster, April 2015
Reviewed from an ARC
And hey! It’s a twofer Friday to balance out our start to the week. We’ve got two books that incorporate some unusual elements in their storytelling: one’s a blend of text and comics, and the other’s told entirely in lists. Both authors made deliberate choices about how to tell the stories, and while neither book is perfect, they’re interesting and worth the conversation. Both contemporary, both use humor effectively, both debuts (of a sort — they’re both authors new to YA) but they go in different directions. [Read more…]
Saint Anything
October 7, 2015 by 9 Comments
Saint Anything, Sarah Dessen
Viking, May 2015
Reviewed from final copy
Truth time: I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that Saint Anything is the first Sarah Dessen novel I’ve read; I didn’t read YA when I was actually in that demographic and she was never on my syllabi as an education or library student. Although I had always heard good things about Dessen, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. The cover is gorgeous but vague and the title’s significance is unclear even after reading the jacket copy. However, a few things became clear after reading this novel: first, the title and cover couldn’t be more perfect for the story contained within (high fives all around, book team); second, reading Sarah Dessen when I was a teen would have made me happy; and finally, I had so many feels while reading that at one point, I had to get up and walk away from the book because I wanted a really beautiful moment to sink in.
Although reviews have been mostly positive, it has only received one star (from Publishers Weekly). We had Saint Anything on our radar thanks to reader Cecilia, who mentioned it in response to our final post last season. If you’ve read my reviews before (::cough:: Eleanor & Park ::cough:: I’ll Give You the Sun) you know how I feel about romance and relationships in YA lit. Falling in love when you’re a teen is serious stuff and it takes a skilled writer to capture that experience authentically. So why isn’t it a given that we look at YA stories about romance with the same critical lens as other “serious” books? That’s a whole conversation for another day (or the comments). For now, let’s talk Saint Anything.
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