Sunday Brunch #6

Hello everyone!

How have you all been doing this week? Did you read anything interesting?

I had quite a tough week at work and I am happy to relax this weekend with good books!

Sunday Brunch is a feature where I talk about books without it being a review (where I only talk about one book and its themes) or a meme (because it doesn't leave much place to debate sometimes).

~~~

Blog:

I had a few people signing up for this and I am thrilled! I am starting to put together the prize pack for the first quarter and really loving what I have for the moment!

I published my review of Inside Out and interviewed the wonderful Maria V. Snyder. I really loved her point of view on the popularity of dystopia in YA literature and how it might be a generational thing.

Last weekend I met up with fellow bloggers for a lunch and a little visit to Foyles (where some serious book buying ensued). And newt week I will be going to the lovely Cat Clarke Entangled launch party as well as to a Random House Children's Books brunch - I am sooo ecstatic to meet all those lovely people!!

~~~

Books:

This week I finished reading a manuscript of debut thriller novel (adult) Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson and it was absolutely brilliant - so if you like thrillers, be sure to buy it when it comes out in April!

I am currently reading Firebrand by Gillian Philip and I absolutely love it, anyone who likes fantasy should read this book!

And this is not a book but it is about a book blogger: because of the wonderful Jenny's (Wondrous Reads) commitment and life-long passion for Buffy I have bought the first season (*cough* and now the second) and I can't figure out why I even stopped watching this show - it is bloody brilliant!! :D And now I want to reread Luisa Plaja's novels Split by a Kiss and Swapped by a Kiss because of Jo and Albie's obsession with it!!

~~~

Stuff I came across and want to share:

Libraries in the UK:

The hashtag #savelibraries on Twitter has been existing for a while and it is global (thanks @MarDixon for the info!) but making it trending now in the UK is more vital than ever. Read major UK authors talk about the danger of libraries closures (The Telegraph). You can also visit the blog Voices for the Library or their Twitter account. 

~

New blogs I came across:

Bibliophile Brouhaha: YA, contemporary, paranormal, dystopia

I'm Here, I'm Queer, What The Hell Do I Read?:  Blog centered on GLBTQ literature.

Crime Central: I am really excited about this one since it is one of the first blogs I have seen on the subject: it concentrates on YA thrillers and crime fiction. The blog was set up by UK writers Anne Cassidy, Keren David, Gillian Philip and Linda Strachan.

~

It was Martin Luther King Jr's birthday yesterday and several articles about him came up - I was really interested in reading Pragmatic Mom's Best children's books on how Martin Luther King Jr. changed the world (link here).

~

Read React Review posted a hilarious Top 10 Signs You Are Reading Too Much Paranormal Romance (link here).

~

The wonderful L. K. Madigan, author of Flash Burnout and The Mermaid's Mirror, has published a heart-breaking post on her blog about being diagnosed with a stage IV pancreatic cancer (link here). The blogging community (authors and bloggers) are organising several giveaways and events to honour her writing.

~

Malinda Lo posted a book round-up of the winners of the American Library Association's youth media awards who celebrate diversity in YA (link here).

~

Rachel Vincent presents her new adult series here.

~

Finally, a US judge has dismissed JK Rowling plagiarism case stating "The contrast between the total concept and feel of the works is so stark that any serious comparison of the two strains credulity" *kapow* (article The Independent).

~

I read this cool article on the Guardian and realised they were right! Even if we spend hours online - contemporary fiction has gone to great length not to include this in fiction! (How Novels Came To Terms With The Internet | Guardian).

An interesting article on The Guardian asking the question: Do creative writing courses make novels too literary? - I found it a fascinating article for aspiring writers. What do you think? (Link here). 

~~~

And I believe that is it for today!

Have a lovely week people and talk next Sunday :)

x Caroline