Sunday Brunch #9

Hi guys!

How are you on this snowy morning?

You can put chocolate cupcakes on my doorstep, I am not putting one foot outside!

Sunday Brunch is making a comeback and I have exciting news and links to share :)

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Theme week:

I am organising from 27th February an LGBT teen novels week to participate in LGBT History Month. There will be reviews and a guest post by James Dawson, author of the wonderful Hollow Pike. If you would like to participate, send me the link to your review and I'll link it in the Introduction post.

To check out the LGBT History Month events, go to their website (here).

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Book groups:

I participate in various book groups at work (woman fiction, crime and literary prizes) but I have recently joined a Queer Fiction book group through the website Meetup and I am loving it! The first book I read for it was Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown and the second was Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg and it was really interesting reading both of those. So expect some "what we discussed" paragraphs when the reviews come up!

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I went to the Patrick Ness and Jim Kay event for A Monster Calls last week in Foyles and it was fantastic! The event was packed and even though many of the people were your usual YA author event crowd, there were several actual children (le gasp!) who were completely made of awesome. 

I'll probably do an event report next week so you can have all the deets! I was really thrilled to see (in realz) some bloggers I had never met before and to get my book signed!

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Talking about Patrick Ness, he tweeted the link to this Rolling Stones article about bullying, anti-gay climate and teen suicide in America [link here]. This article just made me very angry and sad. I can't believe this type of attitudes are still going on...

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RHCB and Transworld have given us an even better reason to buy a book by bringing Lauren Kate's Fallen In Love and Sophie Kinsella's I've Got Your Number jackets to life! If you download a free app on your smartphone, you only have to put your phone in front of the cover and the author photo to see the animated jacket and the message from the author. Check out Lauren Kate's animated cover:

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I was very happy to learn in the Bookseller that WH Smith was promoting cross-over YA titles more directly to adults via promotional section (here). Young Adult books keep growing and growing and they aren't just being read by teens! While searching for the link I stumbled upon this article focusing on YA books and why they are growing (here), it is from July 2011 but still really interesting!

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The brilliant Bali Rai was on Radio 4 last week and you can listen (here) to him argue that stopping talking about race is the best way to stop racism.

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Strange Chemistry is a new imprint by Angry Robot dedicated to YA SF, Fantasy and everything in between. Amanda Rutter (Floor To Ceiling Books blog) is the Editor and she has already signed Kim Curran with Shift and Sean Cummings with Poltergeeks (find the blurbs here) as well as Gwenda Bond for Blackwood (blurb here).
Strange Chemistry is also holding an Open Door fortnight from April 16th to April 30th where unagented authors can send in their manuscripts (find all the details here).

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If you are a dragon fan (oh come on, I *can't* be the only one!), you can finally fulfill your lifelong ambition of drawing one by following this step by step tutorial by award-winning illustrator and author Emily Gravett on the Guardian website. 

Which has led to THIS masterpiece:

I know what you're thinking, 

I really feel I missed a career in illustration too....

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That's it for this week you guys, have a great time in the snow and don't break a leg!

Happy reading!

Caroline x

Sunday Brunch #8

Hi everyone!

I know, I know, I have made myself quite scarce these past weeks and have hardly blog and commented on other blogs and now you all hate me (I hope not!)!

I have been quite busy with work where I need to read loads of things (well, I like doing it, it's just that it needs to come before the blog reading!) so I preferred posting less rather than hastily written reviews!

So I have two (actually three with Anne McCaffrey challenge!) giveaways at the moment, but I am not turning in a giveaway machine just yet (or ever!), so don't worry :) 

I have read loads of great books these past weeks and the reviews will hopefully come up soon! I am discovering Historical Fiction with

I have also attended a bunch of truly awesome events:

• I have been to a screening + a Q&A with author of Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro and the questions were really good and the interview was fascinating!
• I went to a book slam event (my first but definitely not last!) with David Levithan and Andrea Levy. The night was really good and the venue gorgeous. David Levithan read extracts from his book The Book Lover's Dictionary and I managed to film some of it so hopefully I'll be able to upload it! I also met some amazing book lovers there so yay book geeks!
• I participated in World Book Night and went to the event in Trafalgar Square!
• And last but not least I went to an amazing event organised by Random House Children's Books, Teenage Kicks, where a group of teenagers organised a Q&A session with writers Bali Rai, Malorie Blackman and Jenny Downham. The questions from the teenagers were really interesting and the writers had very different personalities, so it was really awesome!

What happened in the bookish world this week?

Loads happened this week and I didn't follow all of it but one of the most interesting piece of news was the announcement of the fourth book in The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini.

Now I know what you are all thinking: very Lord Of The Ring etc. I hear you people, but I read the books when they came out, I was 14/15 years old and I had the fantasy literature awareness of a shrimp at the time. They might not have been the best fantasy books of all time, but I really loved the books and the characters.

Now that I am an adult (relatively speaking) and that my fantasy literature awareness has more the shape of a sea lion, I am still excited at this piece of news because Inheritance will be the last book of the series and that it will be the first book Christopher Paolini has written as an adult. So if my literature awareness has developed, his as well (and even more than mine), so I am really excited to see how this book will compare to the others. 

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There has been quite a lot of negativity in the blogosphere these past weeks. Loads of authors vs. bloggers feuds and blog posts/tweets here and there to defend each other's opinions. It also comes in the same time where articles pop out about online recommendation and reviews being less important for online shoppers (The Bookseller | March 2011) and doubts over bloggers selling/promoting books. 
I wanted to write a post about this. And I still really do. (As a matter of fact I have deleted the paragraphs I have just written!) But I refuse to let myself be drawn by generalisations over some bloggers' or authors' bad habits. I honestly think it would only fuel a debate in which I don't believe in.  I have never encountered any of the problems quoted in the various articles and I feel really happy to be part of the UK book blogging community as it really feels like being part of a family! There are 'good' and 'bad' people everywhere (yes, I am oversimplifying things) and the great thing with the internet is that you can ignore people you are not a fan of. Life's too short and there just so many books to read!

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On a less whining note :) I have found this gorgeous piece of writing on Tumblr about dating a girl who reads. I thought it was beautiful and oh boy do I recognise myself in the description!

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Mary Hoffman wrote a beautiful article about Diana Wynne Jones who passed away this weekend.

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The wonderful Authors For Japan initiative (started by Keris Stainton) raised 11,000 pounds.

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Mostly Reading YA is organising a Translation Month in April where she will be reviewing books from foreign authors translated in English! Anyone can participate and I will review an Italian book called My Brother Is An Only Child by Antonio Pennacchi and a Japanese one Out by Natsuo Kirino! Don't hesitate to take part in this month!

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That will be all for this week and I shall try to keep Sunday Brunch  going :)


Have a lovely Sunday evening people!


x Caroline

Sunday Brunch #7

Hello shiny happy people!


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).

I have been a terrible blogger for the past two weeks *hangs head in shame* but shall make it up to you (I hope!)!!

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Blog:

I received an adorable award from Adam @ Roof Beam Reader (link to the award here) and it totally made my day. Adam is a wonderful blogger and each of his reviews or articles are well researched and insightful, if you haven't been on his blog yet - go give him some love now!

So My One Year 

Blogoversary has passed and I have quite a few signed books to giveaway - how do you think I should proceed? I am thinking about organising a massive Treasure Hunt through the world wide web, (I just love the craziness of this idea!) 

If you have any ideas please pass them along :D The most inventive treasure hunt idea will win this exclusive and mega rare signed copy of Romeo and Juliet!


(This is a joke by the way but I can send you the book for fun's sake)

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Books:

I have been reading books/manuscripts for work these past two weeks so not a lot of blog-related books but I read Before I Die by the incredibly talented Jenny Downham. I have read and loved her second book You Against Me and I wanted to do a "Double Bill" with her first (which I'll publish most probably next week!). I have also done an impulsive-buy-and-read with the graphic novel Kick-Ass (Hit-Girl cover *of course*) and I just loved it so much! I read it in one sitting and loved how the film was a great adaptation! Review to come soon I expect!

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Stuff I read and want to share:

Digital vs. Print: Who Will Win?
So it has started a bit in the second half of 2010 but in 2011 the war is ON! Indeed, digital may take over print sales in books. The question for you guys is: Team Digital or Team Print? (Digital may "overtake" print sales by 2014 | The Bookseller)


Libraries:
Philip Pullman tells people to leave libraries alone on False Economy.


io9 asks if the next step in young adult fantasy/SF is monthly serialized novels, what do you think?


The Young Adult Fantasy Guide made a list of the best Mermaid books for young adult (here).


Every week, the super talented Sarwat Chadda reviews and interviews amazing YA authors for his Kiss Me Kill Me series (check out his posts here!)


Sarah Rees Brennan tells you to write the change you want to see in the world (here)


YA author Zoë Marriott tells you to wake up and smell the real world. Go read her wonderful article on Diversity in YA (here).


Are you still fuzzy on the what and why and where and when of an ARC? Go read this on Waxman Literary Agency!


Interesting article about Fantasy and SF covers (What's the story behind genre fiction's covers? | The Guardian)


An author deeply upset about people thinking downloading a free book isn't theft.


Iceland might be one of the first countries to digitise all its literature (All Icelandic literature to go online? | Internet Archive blogs).


So Melvin Burgess raves about Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls in The Observer (which is good)... by taking a dig at YA literature (which is not so good)... (link here)


Are you a fan of Paranormal Romance? Do you want to know more about it by asking questions to Lauren Kate, Karen Mahoney and Amy Meredith? Well lucky you, Jo @ Once Upon A Bookcase is organising a virtual panel on Paranormal Romance, head over here for more details!


Are you a fan of Jean M. Auel? would you like to be part of bringin Ayla to life? Head over Earth's Children facebook page for more info!


I read a fascinating article on the Guardian today about the fact that everyone now can be a critique through blogs, facebook, twitter etc. and that the real critiques are having a tough time. The article also talks about the difference in tastes/opinions between elitist critiques and popular culture fan population in America (Everyone's a critic now | The Guardian)

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That is all now!


Have a lovely Sunday evening!


x Caroline

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).

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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!!

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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!!

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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. 

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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.

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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).

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

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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.

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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).

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Rachel Vincent presents her new adult series here.

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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).

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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). 

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And I believe that is it for today!

Have a lovely week people and talk next Sunday :)

x Caroline

Sunday Brunch #5

Hi all!

First of all, Happy New Year! And my very best wishes for 2011! I haven't been around much around Christmas time but I am back!! 

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).

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Blog:

So 2010 came and went... as did my Blogoversary! So I will be preparing a little something in January to thank you all for having made blogging an absolutely amazing experience!

Reading challenges: 

In 2010 I had only signed up to the LGBT challenge where I aimed to read 12 books in the year. Sadly, I have read around 12 books but didn't come around to review them so i will sign up again to the Challenge and this time I will all review them!

In 2011, I have signed up to quite a few challenges: the LGBT Challenge, the British Books Challenge hosted by the lovely Becky @ The Bookette, the Haruki Murakami reading challenge and maybe the Japanese literature reading challenge since I am really interested in reading more Japanese novels!

I am also hosting here the Anne McCaffrey Reading Challenge so hop onto the link if you want to sign up!!

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Books:

I am having a panic attack at the idea of listing all the books I received/bought during those three weeks so I will only be sharing those I read!

I finally got around to finishing Matched by Ally Condie and I ended up really loving it despite my previous doubts... There really is something scary and repelling as being in the head of someone without free will... Thanks to Lauren @ I Was A Teenage Book Geek for telling me to continue reading it ;)

I have read You Against Me by Jenny Downham and thought it was a fascinating book. I enjoyed reading and had an interesting conversation with Aly @ Fantasy 4 Eva about it since she had doubts about the story and its characters (her review here).

I read and adored Wereworld by Curtis Jobling, watch me getting all fangirly in my review here.

I have read and adored Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder - review to come soon with an interview!

I also read The Iron Witch by my buddy Karen Mahoney (out later this month!) and I can't wait for all of you to read it and share the enthusiasm :D

I attempted to read Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes for my women fiction book group at work. Emphasis on "attempted" since 286 pages in, I still don't like anything about this book. The writing is good enough to have made me continue to read but the book and I have since then parted ways.

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Stuff I came across and want to share:

First of all UK people: WORLD BOOK NIGHT

Two days after World Book Day, one million books will be given away by an army of passionate readers to members of the public across the UK. World Book Night represents the most ambitious and far-reaching celebration of adult books and reading ever attempted in the UK and Ireland. 

Anyone can be a "giver" and the deadline has been extended to 24th January to sign up (info here). You will choose a book from a list of 50 titles to donate.

I have signed up and chosen Fingersmith by Sarah Waters which I will send to Public Libraries across the UK.

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I saw a tweet about a screening at the Curzon Mayfair of Never Let Me Go (film with Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan) with a Q and A session with writer Kazuo Ishiguro. The film is based on his book. I bought a ticket immediately (it's on Feb 11th!) and thought some people might want to join! (info here)

Summary of Never Let Me Go from Amazon: In one of the most acclaimed and strange novels of recent years, Kazuo Ishiguro imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly skewered version of contemporary England. Narrated by Kathy, now 31, Never Let Me Go hauntingly dramatises her attempts to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School, and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world. A story of love, friendship and memory, Never Let Me Go is charged throughout with a sense of the fragility of life. 

Doesn't it sound very Dystopia-y to you? Because it does to me :)

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There was quite an uproar in the bookish world when NewSouth Books decided to publish a new edition of Mark Twain's classics Adventures of Hucklberry Finn and Adventures of Tom Sawyer replacing the "N-" word by "slave". Whereas there were several reactions from zillions of media outlets and writers, I loved this article from Flavorwire about books in need of an image makeover which made me laugh out loud! 

In a blog post, author of Paranormalcy Kierten White asks us what is wrong with being blond and liking the colour pink. The girl has a point. Plus pink is the best colour EVER!

The amazing Candy Gourlay, author of Tall Story (my review here), wrote an amazing post aimed at writers about building your own website and identifying your audience on Notes From The Slushpile blog.

The blog Fantasy Fiction compiled a Top 10 Fantasy Books Due in 2011!

Jaclyn Dolamore wrote a fascinating post about How to write a period voice in historical fiction!

CNN wants you to know the difference between Nerd and geek.

Scott Westerfeld, Maggie Stiefvater and other writer discuss on the New York Times website the dark side of young Adult fiction and what is behind the dystopian trend in YA and it is FASCINATING!

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And I believe that is all for today (pheww!)

Have a lovely week!

x Caroline

Sunday Brunch #4

Hello book lovers!

How was your reading week?

The main idea of this feature is to 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).

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Blog:

My review and interview with Lynda Waterhouse will be posted tomorrow and there are some good stuff in there (if I may say so myself), so don't forget to drop by to read it!

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Books:

I received and started reading immediately Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (Yes, Vampire Academyyyy wouhouu) and I really loved it though I can't wait for another series! Thanks Penguin for sending it my way :) Review to come soon!

I have started Matched by Ally Condie and I really can't get into it... I was waiting to be entranced by the story (you know, because there is so much buzz about this book, I actually figured I would enjoy it from the first pages), but I am yet to be moved by a single character. Oh well, I'm sure it will get better... Hopefully...

I am reading an adult book (gasp!) for my book group at work and I chose The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell which is short listed for the Costa Prize. The style is original and we follow two different characters, one in the Soho art scene of the 1950s and the other in the present day. I am loving the 1950s passages!

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Stuff I read and want to share:

This week I have a zillion things to share so brace yourself!

Google launched its own ebookstore (Google eBooks: What The Media Said | The Bookseller) last week and a day after Amazon launched his. This is starting to look like a soap opera *beams*. Can't wait for the next episode!

The world's most expensive book was sold £7m at an auction. Guess what the book is about? American birds! If you want to know why it is the most expensive, check out this BBC article.

More seriously, I read a fascinating on books translated in English and how cultural institutes (especially European ones) try to support American and British publishing companies to promote their own authors. "Books translated into English help nations large and small put their names on the literary map" says a representative of the Romanian Cultural Institute. (Translation As Literary Ambassador | The New York Times). 

I discovered AmazonCrossing from reading this previous article. AmazonCrossing is a publishing imprint of Amazon.com which focuses on world literature translate in English. 

A Really Short Story Of Nearly Everything written by Bill Bryson has won the 2010 Educational Writers' Award. Congrats!!

I came across a new blog! The YA YA YAs is a blog where three Young Adult librarians blather about YA literature and YA librarianship. Go check out their awesomeness!

The article is three months old but I read it just this week while reading about parents banning books from schools and how it's more an American thing. (Why Are Parents Banning School Books? | BBC News)

I came across this amazing article about Figment.com, a website for bookish teenagers. "A free platform for young people to read and write fiction, both on their computers and on their cellphones. Users are invited to write novels, short stories and poems, collaborate with other writers and give and receive feedback on the work posted on the site." (Web Site For Teenagers With Literary Leanings | The New York Times)

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That is it for this week and I shall try to write the reviews of all the books I read for next week :D

(I did say *try*)

Have a lovely week and think that in 12 days you will be able to eat plenty chocolate (but who's counting?)

x Caroline