RIASS stuff:
Interview with Favel Parrett, author of the superb Past the Shallows'(+ giveaway)
See our latest giveaways:'Rosie Black Chronicles,'The Secret Ingredient, and Because of You.
Other bookish stuff:
Be sure to check out the Twitter hashtag #literaryturducken!
BookLamp: analysing books contents and making recommendations accordingly
Jacqueline Dutton reviews Michel Houellebecqs latest novel The Map and the Territory on ABCs The Book Showbit.ly/vCFAl0
Dear Steve Jobs: Apple Founder's Greatest Email Hits Collected in Ebook'bit.ly/sUoTZn
Slytherin Walk of Shame (via Absurdly Nerdy)
To research her first book Rochelle Staab'learned to read tarot cards, gave penny offerings in a graveyard & morebit.ly/rXYgmU
Author Sara Zarr on Future of Realism in YA Novels
Stephen King & Haruki Murakami on Bad Sex in Lit List
Lol. Those chairs, amazing!
I need to read more Sara Zarr books. I read Sweethearts, thinking at first that it was going to be a cutesy YA novel (note to self, covers can be VERY deceiving). It was anything but cutesy. It dealt with some very difficult themes, but she writes them beautifully. I think you need to be in the right frame of mind to read her books because you are not guaranteed a happy ending.
Ive been meaning to read Story of a Girl for so long now I do really appreciate realism in YA. I dont necessarily mean that a book has to be completely mainstream and without speculative elements, but rather than its completely honest and truthful. The world is so grey and challenging, and teens are constantly faced with new issues that theyve never tried to navigate before. I really appreciate it when authors let their characters struggle through these issues rather than tritely letting things work out, or avoiding them altogether.
I think Zarr is one of those authors that doesnt shy away from tackling these issues, even if they are heartbreaking. Melina Marchetta is also very good at this.
Elizabeth Knox is also very good. And if youre after a superb author of adult fiction who is similarly honest, do try Salley Vickers. Shes one of my favourites.