Category: Books

Reading and Riding

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In the great debate over e-readers, there’s one big con for me: you can’t see what people are reading on public transportation when they have an e-reader. Book spying is so much fun! Once I got on the T and saw a woman reading Tuck Everlasting. It made me giddy with literary companionship.

So I love the Underground New York Public Library, in which photographer Ourit Ben-Haim documents the NY subway reader-riders. It’s a fun reminder that, no matter what the panicked news articles say, there are still readers.

Click through to see more fun pictures of what subway riders are reading. Spoiler alert: The Hunger Games seems pretty popular right now. Good choice, guys!

(image: Ourit Ben-Haim, UnderGround New York Public Library)

Friday Fifteen

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Such a Friday! Good thing we have the Friday Fifteen, in which I review fifteen books in fifteen words or less.

1. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The perfect balance of magic, common sense, and poetry. Sophie is a favorite.

2. A Severed Head by Irish Murdoch
Everyone’s sleeping with each other and discussing it. Required reading for class; don’t remember much.

3. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Feel like this one could be a good YA crossover. Loved the bee information.

4. The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson
Read while working reception in the film dept one summer. A fun, snarky road trip.

5. The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Become Real The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Become Real by Margery Williams
Aka–The Original Toy Story. I always thought scarlet fever sounded dramatic and intriguing.

6. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney
Enjoyed it way more than I expected to. Gotta love a good monster story.

7. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Excellent writing, complex characters, and compelling plot. A fantastic start to the series.

8. Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno
Manages to balance the anger, tenderness, obnoxiousness, and sadness of being a teenager.

9. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
Solid advice and exercises, especially for beginnings. Remember Goldberg advocating for cheap notebooks.

10. The Spell Book of Listen Taylor by Jaclyn Moriarty
Fun and quirky, but didn’t quote hold together. Vaguely reminded me of the film Happy-Go-Lucky.

11. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
Used it in middle school science project to describe light. Not a great project.

12. Great Depression Cooking with Clara by Clara Cannucciari and Christopher Cannucciari
The only book I’ve bought based entirely on Internet sensation. Clara is great.

13. Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman
Adorable and hilarious; great for young pet owners.

14. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
My favorite of the comedies. Lots of great wordplay and a dynamic plot.

15. Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
Fun, Kafka-esque take on high school, but not as much depth as I expected.

Happy reading!

Authors Inspiring Authors

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At the SCBWI blog, Martha Brockenbrough asked fellow SCBWI members and debut authors what being part of the organization has meant to their careers. My favorite response comes from Kimberly Sabatini, whose novel Touching the Surface will be released this fall:

“The best thing I learned from SCBWI is that I will never cease to be inspired by the authors in my tribe.”

I think this is a huge part of being a member of a writing group of any kind, whether it’s SCBWI or an MFA program or a bunch of friends who get together to workshop stories while drinking wine. There’s something really energizing about being part of a group that shares your goals and passions. Writing in a vacuum can be very draining. At the SCBWI conference in January, everyone I met was so friendly and encouraging. Having a base like that can be really helpful during rough writerly periods, too. You know you’re not the only one experiencing rejections and you know that success can take a lot of hard work. But there’s a built-in cheering section spurring you on. Being a member of a writers group doesn’t mean you’ll automatically get published, but it’s a great base to have.

The Madness of Books

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Out of Print has awesome literary clothing, and now they’re running Book Madness? Be still my heart! Check out the March Madness style competition in which books go head to head. Sadly not a lot of YA/children’s lit included but I’m hoping The Hunger Games or Harry Potter can emerge victorious.

Fill out your brackets and you could also win a $500 gift card. If I win, I’m totally buying the Pride and Prejudice fleece.

Which book do you think will be the last one standing?

X Is Not the New Y

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Recently NPR had an article about how The Hunger Games and YA dystopian novels were the new Twilight/vampire books. As someone who follows YA, this topic feels a little dated (is it 2009), but it is nice to see a major news outlet looking at what makes dystopian YA a compelling genre. Plus it has suggestions for further reading, including the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness.

One part struck me in particular:

“In the beginning, The Hunger Games was not considered a sure thing….David Levithan, editorial director at Scholastic which publishes the books, says the company took a risk on The Hunger Games because they trusted the writer, Suzanne Collins. It wasn’t until Collins turned in the first manuscript that Levithan understood what he had. “It came in on a Friday,” he says, “and I and the other editors who worked on it read it over the weekend, and we came in on Monday and just looked at each other and said: ‘Wow.'”

Since Harry Potter showed the world that children’s literature can be hugely successful, there’s been a question of what will be the next big thing? You can find any number of articles about how vampires are the new wizards, or zombies are the new vampires, or mermaids are the new zombies. But the quote above indicates that there’s no real way to tell what the next trend will be. The Hunger Games might have sounded weird on paper, but the story itself is compelling. It shouldn’t be about finding the next hot thing that will be a huge explosion of book sales. It should be about finding that compelling story that will resonate with a lot of readers.

Also, it’s really unfair to claim anything is the new anything else. Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games might all be fantasy-esque and exciting series, but they all offer very different reading experiences. Do we really need to link them together like this?

Links Galore

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A few more links for today:

Making Your Details Work

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Love this post over at Kidlit.com about characterizing details. Mary encourages writers to focus on details that actually say something about their characters’ personalities, not just stuff that kind of describes them. (Fun quiz included!) She writes:

“When you’re dealing with character, and especially at the beginning of your book–whether novel or picture book!–make sure you are choosing details and actions that do double duty and flesh out character on a more emotional level for your reader.”

Obviously this is essential for main characters, but I think it’s also something to remember for minor characters as well. It’s easy to describe your main character’s best friend as being tall and funny, but if you talk about how she breaks into showtunes in the cafeteria or how he can make even the stern Latin teacher crack a smile, it can go a long way into developing the world of your novel. Also, it gives readers a better reason as to how your main character interacts with the world around them. You don’t need to go into a ton of detail, but showing instances like these are a great way to build your minor characters and, by extension, your main character.

At-Risk Teens Give Books a Good Home

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If you’re in the Boston area and want to donate some of your books (or CDs or DVDs or games), check out More than Words. It’s a nonprofit that empowers at-risk youth by running a business. From the MTW website:

“By working as a team to manage their own retail and online used book business, café, and community space, youth develop the employment skills, leadership, and self-confidence they need to successfully transition to adulthood. In addition to store-based job training, youth are engaged in personal transition planning and case management to support their progress towards employment and education. The MTW model is premised on the belief that when at-risk youth are challenged with authentic and increasing responsibilities in a business setting, and have high expectations and a culture of support, they can and will address their personal barriers, create concrete action plans for their lives, and become thriving members of society.”

I like the idea of helping teens develop a better sense of self and practical skills through something like a used bookstore. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to pass along books you’re not going to read again. The MTW team even picks up books at your home/building on particular days in the Boston area. (My husband and I just donated and it was so convenient.) I think a lot of times, people have books they would give away but aren’t sure where to send them. Libraries may not need another copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, but a program like this might.

I’m sure there are a lot of other programs like this around the country, so if you know of one, please share in the comments.