FIVE challenge: Five Great Miracles...

...That Occurred To Get Me Reading More Contemporary Fiction.
So. Day nine of the Persnickety Snark FIVE Challenge, and with that,  I present you the five novels I read this year that got me reading more contemporary novels.
I've probably mentioned once or twice how now and again that contemporary fiction holds few thrills for me.  However, as the year's gone on I've noticed that I've been reading and reviewing more and more of it; a  And these books are why.

LOCK AND KEY or basically ANYTHING ELSE BY SARAH DESSEN
I discovered Lock and Key in February, and since then I've been rapidly devouring Sarah Dessens, occasionally all in one sitting.  True, when you've read a few they all start to become slightly formulaic, but who cares when it's that well-written? When the romance is that sweet, but when the story still touches on serious issues?

FAR FROM YOU by Lisa Schroeder
Also a book that confirmed that I was completely obsessed with novels in verse. I could ramble on for a very very long time about how poetic and well-written the book is, but I need to touch on the contemporary part of it because that's what I'm here for. 
Anyway.  The main character, Alice, is one of the main reasons that I love this book so. Because she starts off irritating, and then by the end has changed into the sort of person that you'd want to be best friends with.  Her general outlook on the world was very...ordinary, and so as much as I wanted her to get a grip at the opening of the book, I guess it's no different from me if I had been in such a situation.

HOLD STILL by Nina LaCour
There are numerous books nowadays about suicide, death, and any other variation on the theme.  So it's hard to say what it is that makes Hold Still stand out. Well, to me, many things; the writing style seems to have a big impact.  And the main character, Caitlin, changes.  She doesn't just grieve and mope.  She makes friends.  She changes. She grows into someone who has lived through such a terrible event as the suicide of a best friend and come out the other end.

FORBIDDEN by Tabitha Suzuma
Because, seriously;  How many YA books are there about consensual sibling incest? And how many, of all those, are so well dealt with that something I imagine would make people all, "move awaaaay from the controversial topic" has been hugely well-recieved.  Hear hear, I should say.

LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green
The first John Green book I read, and for that I will always love it.  True, it's slightly bizarre; a boarding school in which students go to classes in their pyjamas and wander round quoting François Rabelais and García Márquez.  However, for all that everything about it seemed very real.  Miles' voice (yay for male narrators in YA!), the romance, and the devastating event that marks Before and After.

 

Five Challenge: Great author moments (also late)

Dear Blog,
late again, I know.  But I've been insanely busy recently with Christmas and everything.
Alas, I couldn't name many YA authors I've met in person.  So like the others who couldn't fulfill a list, I'll have to list the writers that I want to meet.


JOHN GREEN (Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, etc.)
Enough said, I think. Because, well, who wouldn't want to meet John Green?  Someone who's never read any of his work, I suppose.  I pity them.
Anyway, I seriously doubt that anyone such as John Green would ever come within a hundred miles of my small corner of south-west England, being far too awesome an author, with far too many fans in more populous places to bother with towns like mine. 

MARGARET WILD (Jinx, One Night)
So I can beg her for the secret of writing such powerful verse novels.

LISA SCHROEDER (Far from You, I Heart You, You Haunt Me, etc.)
ditto.

AIDAN CHAMBERS (This is All, Now I Know, etc.)
 Because from what of his works I've read, he seems like a very philosophical sort of person.  The chances are slim but I'd love to talk to him for a very, very long time about the Dance sequence, which I'm in the midst of devouring.

ANNE-LAURE BONDOUX (The Princess and the Captain, Life as it Comes, etc.)
My all-time favourite foreign YA author.  I don't know if she can speak English, and I can't speak French either, but if ever I meet the author of the amazing novel that is The Princess and the Captain then I'd have to try French anyway. 

Well, that's all. Now I'll post this and have to catch up with FIVE (challenge, that is) posts from the last couple of days that I've missed.

Five challenge: Hopes for YA in 2011

Dear Blog,
Another Persnickety Snark FIVE post, a day late again, alas. I really have to get my act together.
Anyway. So today I'll be listing my five hopes for YA fiction next year.

• That we get over this paranormal rut that teenage fiction seems to be stuck in.  It seems that all a book needs these days for it to sell is a love triangle, immortality in one form or another and a black cover with a single inanimate object on it.
• Novels with LGBT protagonists that don't just focus on them coming to terms with their sexuality. There's an increasing number of YA novels with LGBT narrators/protagonists, and I think that's awesome; but a little variety in that genre would be even better.
• More comedy.  Comedy comedy.  Spud, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Georgia Nicholson, you know the sort of thing.  I wish that I could rattle off a few more such names, but alas I can't.  Because, well, there isn't enough of it. 
• Interesting, complex antagonists.  I'm increasingly less satisfied with the state of contemporary antagonists/villains. "Bwahahaha behold my evil!" is not enough. Why are villains the villains they are? What led them to make lives a misery for the protagonists? We need more Claude Frollos in YA lit.
• More translated teenage fiction. I love fiction in translation; it's both a crossing of language and culture and an insight into another place. And while I could rattle off a couple of European teenage authors, it is oh. so. hard to consistently find them.   Jostein Gaarder and Haruki Murakami, for example.  rock my socks, but they don't write directly for teens.

Well, that's about it, I think. Have you got any such hopes?  What do you think?

Five challenge: Most anticipated titles of 2011 (also a day late)

Dear Blog,
More from the Persnickety Snark FIVE challenge, again a day late because of loads of Christmas-related things getting in the way.  So this morning I'll be listing my most anticipated titles of 2011. 

This was a hugely difficult list to make.  Hence the fact that I also had to include a 5½ because just 5 wasn't enough.

1. WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman

Has already been published in France, so of course now I'm hugely envious of my neighbours across the Channel, and contemplating taking an intense crash course in French so that I can read it before it gets released to the English-speaking world, which isn't until April.  I'm not sure if I can wait that long.

2. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis

Because this seems to be one of the most anticipated books of 2011 and there's much hype about it.  It had better not be a disappointment, and it doesn't look it.  I hope it's not one of those times when I see a book and I'm like, "Oh!  It looks prettyful!" Because, just look at the cover.  But then I'll start reading it and it might turn out to be slightly lame, because I always judge books by their covers.  And the only way to find out if it it's any good or not is to read it.

3. DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver
Naturally I may or may not be slightly envious of all the bloggers who have ARCs of this.  Who wouldn't be?  Lauren Oliver. Writing dystopia.  Yes, you heard me. Dystopian fiction.  Lauren Oliver.

4. WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODBYE by Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen.  Enough said.

5.ENTANGLED by Cat Clarke

Is another debut that I've heard many, many good things about.  Oh, and the cover is utterly gorgeous. 

5½ BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys
It's grey,  dammit, but I can disregard that because I don't know if it's being released in England yet and so I'd better stick with the American spelling.  Also it doesn't matter because historical fiction set in Eastern Europe is pretty hard to come across in YA.

Well, that's just about it, though there are several more I'd love to add to the list if I could. All for now, because I'm in the midst of devouring Burned by Ellen Hopkins and I can't stop reading it for time spans of more than twenty minutes.

Five challenge- Great Re-Reads (a day late)

Before I start, I'd better say: Merry Christmas!  to the rest of the blogosphere.  I hope you're all having a day of varying degrees of awesomeness.

Now I can get on.  I was something of a blogging fail yesterday, because I never had time to post my entry for day four of the  Persnickety Snark FIVE challenge- books that I love to re-read. So, here's that entry now, and later this evening I'll probably post the entry for today, which I think is my most anticipated novels of 2011.

Anyway.  On with my list for today.  In no particular order;

ICHIGO MASHIMARO/STRAWBERRY MARSHMALLOW by Barasui

I could read these five volumes over and over am  I love slice-of-life manga, and these kawaii escapades of four tween girls and their sixteen-year-old friend Nobue never cease to amuse me.  It's silly and plotless, and that's precisely why I love it.  The girls get up to many comical comings-and-goings, but whatever they do, laughter and cuteness ensues. 

SABRIEL by Garth Nix
is the first novel in the Old Kingdom trilogy.  I'm not sure if it's the best- Lirael is probably my favourite- but it's certainly still excellent re-reading material, because it offers something new each time you read it. 

A LITTLE PRINCESS by Frances Hodgson Burnett

It's hard to say quite why I love this book so much.  I mean, Sarah's too good to be true, Becky is a walking stereotype, and how I want to beat Ermengarde round the head with a hardcover copy of Crime and Punishment.  The whole thing with her initial despair and the happy ending is hugely overdone, and Lavinia is to my mind the only character who's any fun.  So why do I love it so much, then?  Hmm.  I think just because it's so universal.  Everyone can feel hard done by, and anyone could lose a relative.  And anyone could rise above all the bad things in their lives. 

IF I STAY by Gayle Forman
The first time I read this was in May, and I've read it about three times since then.  I obsess over this book for many reasons; the subject matter, the writing style, the characters, all the classical music and just the sheer amazingness that results when these factors are all put together.  Much, much love for this novel and everything about it.

JINX by Margaret Wild

Same goes for Jinx as If I Stay.  Stunning poetry, plot, protagonists, and fragile portrayals of suburban life, that anyone and everyone should be able to connect with.

That's all for this list.  More from me...well, in a little bit, actually, when I post my list that's meant to be for today.

Five challenge- Great Series

Dear Blog,

today the subject of the Persnickety Snark FIVE challenge is great series I've read this year.   I'll mention that most of these are all the UK release dates, seeing as confusion can occasionally ensue when I mention books that have come out this year in the UK but came out last year in the Land of the Free.  So, in no particular order:

GONE by Michael Grant
2010 release: Lies

I've read the first three books in these series (which is going to be six books, I believe).  They're all fantastic;  Disturbed, disturbing, and always, always exciting.  One of those series that's great fun to imagine what it would be like if you were one of the characters.

DEAR AMERICA by various authors

2010 release: The Fences Between Us

I have to include Dear America because it's been one of my favourite series since I was nine, and it got relaunched this year. Booyah.  So even though I have potentially outgrown them, they are some of my ultimate comfort reads. 

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

2010 release: Mockingjay

perhaps this could be considered cheating, in that I've only read the first two books, but the third is the one that came out this year. Well, I don't care, because The Hunger Games and Catching Fire are both, despite a mere handful of flaws, worthy of a mention.

CHAOS WALKING by  Patrick Ness

2010 release: Monsters of Men

Sci-fi setting? Check.  Unique hero? check. Fantastic heroine? check.  Complex antagonists? Check. Likeable supporting characters? Check. Fast-paced plots? Check.  Gripping opening? Check. Intriguing sequel? Check. Stunning conclusion? Check.  What more do you want from a trilogy? 

TRANSLUCENT by Kazuhiro Okamoto

2010 release: Volume 4

To my mind, Translucent grabs the top spot in any Underrated Shojo Manga Ever list.  It's a will-be quintet- Volume 4 was released in August, and volume 5 is yet to come- and everyone who claims to like shojo manga should read it, even though nobody I've spoken to who claims to like shojo manga has read it.  What's not to like?  Are the characters not realistic enough for you?  Not enough action going on in the utterly charming romance?  Pah. 

Well, that's all for me this evening.  I made a rash promise to a friend I'd send her the first hundred pages of my NaNoWriMo novel for Christmas, and none of it is edited.  So all for now. 

Five Challenge: Great Book Covers

Dear blog,
day two of the Persnickety Snark FIVE challenge, in which I blog about which five books of 2010 have (in my opinion) the most gorgeous book covers.
This was a hugely hard sort of post to write, because anyone who stalks my blog frequently knows how much I love book covers, however many times I buy books with nice covers and then they end up being totally awful.
Anyway.  So here are my five favourites, in no particular order.

THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson
The UK cover is nice, but the US edition is even better.  (That is, the one I've pictured here).   I'm currently reading it-almost finished- and it seems so relevant to the book.
Anyway.  Much love for this cover.

HARMONIC FEEDBACK by Tara Kelly
So I haven't actually read this yet, but look at that cover.  That alone makes it worthy of my to-read shelf on goodreads.  However, I hear it's also about music, and that's a bonus.

 LOSING FAITH by Denise Jaden
Haven't read this either. Still,  I love simplistic book covers, and so the cover of Losing Faith is right up my street.  And it's pretty. 

FALLOUT by Ellen Hopkins
*drumroll* the grand conclusion to Ellen's gritty trilogy about Kristina Georgia Snow and her addiction to methamphetamine.  I love this cover because it's so relevant to the book; what you see is what you get.  A raw, disturbed and disturbing rollercoaster that follows the lives of three teenage siblings.

LIFE, AFTER by Sarah Darer Littman
Tree. Flowers.  Beautiful font.  Enough said.

Well, that's all.  It was irritatingly hard to pick my five favourites, so I'd better post this entry before I change my mind about some of them. 

Persnickety Snark FIVE Challenge- Five Great Debuts

Dear Blog,

I thought I might partake in the FIVE challenge over at Persnickety Snark and thought it might be a fun way to summarise all the awesome literary things I've come across this year.

Today's day one- and so the topic of my bloggery is five great debut novels I've read this year.  In no particular order, then:-

HEX HALL by Rachel Hawkins

Because comedy- comedy comedy, with actual amusing statements and scenarios and not just the occasionally  snarky comeback- is so hard to find nowadays. And along with excellent characters and an amusing twist to the whole girl-with-magic-powers thing that seems irritatingly common in contemporary YA fiction, there's a good dose of laugh-out-loud hilarity.

BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver

Imagine the film Groundhog Day and Gabrielle Zevin's Elsewhere had a baby. Replace Bill Murray with an 18-year-old girl and swap dull plotlines for an utterly compelling idea. Throw in an utterly gorgeous writing style and a satisfying ending, and Before I Fall is it.


HOLD STILL by Nina LaCour

...actually came out in the US of A in 2009, but I believe it was released this side of the pond this year.  It's one of the most touching, heartrending books I've read for months, and one of those books that's bursting with poetic writing and beautiful illustrations.

DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS by C.J Omololu

Compulsive hoarding.  Flashbacks.  Fast-paced plot.  Remarkable narrator.  Do you want to read it yet?

THREE RIVERS RISING by Jame Richards

Three Rivers Rising makes me very happy for a number of reasons.  The main one being, it's a historical fiction YA verse novel.  The combination of these things is basically my ideal reading material, but alas something that seems pretty few and far between. Anyway, it was everything that I could have asked for- great poetry, a relatively untouched topic in historical fiction, and an interesting love story. I'll be interested to see what Jame Richards writes next.

Well, tomorrow's topic for the FIVE challenge is great covers of 2010.  That should be interesting.