Hunger Games Movie Trailer

An example of why young adult fiction is obviously still a growth market, especially if booksellers can engage them. There is some absolutely fantastic writing in the YA market - Suzanne Collins, Scott Levithan, Margo Lanagan. These are amazing pieces of writing in and of themselves but the kind of questions contemporary YA fiction can bring up is just a bonus.

So I'm using this as a jump off point to explore the ways in which people engage in reading these days (also to make happy flailing noises over the trailer which is fantastic and fantastic).

Fangirl Lil, Series & Trilogies & One Smart New List

Thinking about the degree to which I am in fact, a ridiculous fangirl. Many. Neil Gaiman? Check. Terry Pratchett? Check. Isobelle Carmody? Check. Ridiculous amounts of excitement upon meeting Tamora Pierce? Check. Lining up for the Harry Potter release parties in costume? Guilty. So very guilty. And seeing Lord of the Rings way way too many times (not to mention knowing enough of a made up language to get a tattoo in it? Oh yep). But it got me thinking, which books do I tend to think of when I think Happy Shiny YA (happy ending not necessarily a requirement here but books, authors and series that make me happy. Even if they make me cry).

My job lets me recommend books to people and well, in trying to see what's new across the YA landscape (that isn't sparkly vampires or vampire boarding school or angels...wait, I'm kind of okay with angels. Or reworkings of Greek Mythology) but some of these are old. But still awesome. Always. So, the series that make me happy, make me cry and generally reveal that I am now suddenly happy to proudly say yes, I read YA fiction.

(1) Obernewtyn (Isobelle Carmody)
(2) The Immortals Quartet (Tamora Pierce)
(3) Circle of Magic Quartet (Tamora Pierce)
(4) Sorcery & Cecelia (Patricia C Wrede & Caroline Stevermer)
(5) Howls Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones)
(6) Pellinor Series (Allison Croggon)
(7) Hunger Games Trilogy (Suzanne Collins)
(8) Harry Potter Series (JK Rowling)
(9) Tomorrow Series (John Marsden)
(1) Bayern Series (Shannon Hale)

There are a couple I'm really looking forward to reading - books by Mary Hooper, the Bloody Jack series (pirates! history! pirates!) and especially more Magic Under Glass and more of the Pimpernelles series or The Scarlet Pimpernel Only He Is A Girl And Awesome Happens which is underlying an interesting trend in YA lately towards both the historical and the female main character being the hero, much like Tamora Pierce's Alanna. But what I've also liked to see is that there are have been many different kinds of female heroes. They are allowed to be girly, not girly, enjoy being girly, have babies and save the world. It's good to see there are a whole range of options for female characters that are becoming more apparent.

Rec: Shadow Girl (John Larkin)

I picked this up as an ARC just recently and could not put it down for the life of me (I had some interesting avoiding walking in to poles moments, let alone on buses!). This is a story told in retrospective in a cafe to an author. The narrator was a street kid.

Spoilers behind the cut

Gets On Soapbox.

And Sherman Alexie Just Got Pushed To The Top Of My Reading List
This is a fantastic illustration of my opinion on the issue covered in the previous post. Because it's not that the dark YA/YF/Paranormal novels are all full of darkness and bleakness and horror. Not at all - they reflect a reality, a struggle that so many teenagers deal with every day.

I was raped when I was twelve. There's a book by Tamora Pierce (specifically the Lady Knight books) that helped me come to terms with the fact that it wasn't my fault. I struggled with an eating disorder and you know, Killing Aurora didn't encourage it - it made me feel I wasn't alone. Books that deal with these things shine a light in dark places and they say, this? This is nothing to be ashamed of. You are not alone. It is those who hurt you that should be ashamed.

My very favourite book in the world (<i>The Lord of the Rings</i> by JRR Tolkien) taught me in many ways, to understand my depression and PTSD. To understand what it is to be broken and to keep going. And that, that is an incredibly important thing, to know you are not alone.

Dispatches From YA Land (A News Round Up)

So someone in the Wall Street Journal kind of wrote a fail of piece about YA (if we're going to discuss fail in YA and Paranormal romance it would be nice to talk about how apparently, in paranormal fiction that is considered romantic and mainstream stalking is fine and dandy and it seems if a boy likes you? He'll break in to your room and watch you sleep. But g-d forbid we mention The Gay).

Libba Bray Responds

The #YAsaves tag on twitter

Original Article

Currently Reading: Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side which is at this moment, not grabbing me (I instead started to reread Alison Croggon)  but it is a better class of paranormal romance (and I like that Jessica has you know, outside interests and friends).

Next Big Thing?

"Why can't it be yeti's? Think of the yeti's!"

In a paraphrased conversation with a group of friends/co-workers I realized that yes, I was seriously debating whether the big new trend in YA fiction might be Yeti's. Or possibly, zombie pirate vampire yeti's (that don't sparkle. Not sparkling is a step in the right direction).

There seem to be a few trends in YA fiction that are ongoing right now - vampires of course but it seems to be followed by angels (see the Fallen series by Lauren Kate but also the Halo novels) and then a brief foray in to mermaids. 


The trends that do some to be coming up (other than angels!) are faeries, dystopia and historical romance/books. And strangely, a diversion in to the French Revolution.

Alternatives To Twilight

It is a truth that probably should be acknowledged that vampires are damn sexy bloodsuckers. Of course the werewolf is creeping up behind them and behind them apparently, is the zombie (let us not discuss the unicorn, for it is better not thought of except apparently, ponies are not enough anymore). Except this time? They sparkle.

Twilight is, well, Twilight. I admit to not being a fan (I like my vampires Joss Wheddon style or more preferably, Terry Pratchett or Bram Stoker style - yes, they can be sexy but they are in fact, dangerously horribly sexy. Dracula in particular. The Pratchett Vampire is just horrible) but I cannot say the same for myself at say, fourteen. She probably would have been. So in the interests of balance I will say that is wonderful that people are reading and thinking about books and that, in the end it would be nice to have some recommendations and alternatives. So here, three alternatives to Twilight to start your search - that may or may not contain zombie vampire unicorns.

The Hunger Games (Susan Collins): Yes we have a love triangle. Yes it's about a girl and yes, it's in the YA section. But Katniss and Bella Swan don't share very much, if I'm entirely honest. Katniss, the girl on fire is the family caretaker in a near future world gone very wrong. This series is notable for it's amazing writing, the world building, the characters and the way the narrative picks up your heart and rips it out before the end. Also notable for the many instances of girls being friends (which is one of the few things I liked about Twilight!)

Sunshine (Robin McKinley): Girl wakes up to vampire standing over her. From there, nothing goes the way you think it's going to go. Sunshine is a three dimensional, flawed and snarky heroine and the vampire in question is definitely on the horror end of the spectrum. One to send a chill up your spine.

Dracula: Original. Still the best. Mina is a Victorian heroine who still manages to have agency and utter utter awesome (I love that she and Jonathan protect each other and well, she has a job!) and the story is incredibly incredibly scary. Dracula manages to be horrifying and yet, yes, you are drawn to him.