Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘What I'm reading….’ Category

My 2010 Writing & Reading in review…

Posted in Clean, Lists, Random Thoughts, What I'm reading...., YA on December 30, 2010 | 3 Comments »

Hello everyone! Happy Holidays and all that jazz.

I know it’s been a long time since my last blog post. I was using every spare inch of my brain trying to finish the first draft of Book #3, so I had no thoughts left for anything else. Then the holidays came, and you know how that goes. I am now exhausted, brain-dead and overfed, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Mission accomplished! First draft of Book #3 is complete, my agent loved it, and now I’m just waiting for a couple other readers’ feedback. Then I will hunker down for another few rounds of revisions before I send the manuscript off to my editor at Simon Pulse in early spring. Then CLEAN comes out in August, and I will try to fight the impulse to hide under a rock. I’ll return to that lovely feeling of anxiety and terror at having my words/guts printed all over America for strangers to sift through, and I will pray that you don’t hate them. I guess everything’s right on schedule.

The year’s end is a time of reflection, and I imagine I’ll be doing plenty of that once I get a chance to catch my breath. But for now, I think I’ll take a break from too much depth. No Big Ideas today. I thought it might be nice to reflect on what I read this year, aided by my handy Goodreads account. I’m too lazy to ever write reviews, but I like having a place to record my books. Apparently, this is what I’ve read this year and what I thought (number of stars out of five).

The ones in bold are my super-duper favorites, the ones that haunted me, the ones I kept thinking about long after I finished them. A couple things I notice right off the bat is that only two of these favorites are Young Adult (Punkzilla and Will Grayson, Will Grayson). Am I harder on YA because I it’s what I write? I don’t know. But something I do know is that pretty much anything John Green touches makes my heart flip. Like literally. I had a physical reaction to this book. I think I was literally warmer while reading it, like someone was holding my heart in their hand. I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I don’t know if I’ve ever loved a fictional character as much as I love Tiny.  I gushed plenty about Punkzilla in my last blog post, so I won’t bore you again here.

Also strange is that both of these are about boys, even though the vast majority of YA novels are about girls (and I, uh, used to be a girl a long time ago, so you’d think I’d be more interested in them). Now that I think of it, I guess I often have a hard time identifying with female protagonists in YA. I could go on for a long time about how dumb the gender binary is, but if we must use that language, I guess I find that I have more in common with the boys than the girls; I identify more with their experiences.  I’ll admit to having been a particularly peculiar teenager, but does anyone else feel this way about male vs. female characters in YA? This is a huge topic that (maybe) I’ll tackle at a later date. But alas, I promised no Big Ideas today.

Another thing I noticed is that two of my favorite books are dystopian fiction (Never Let Me Go and The Year of the Flood). [Blogger’s note: I am devoted to Margaret Atwood. If she started a religion, I would follow it.] This is surprising because I am definitely not what you’d call a sci-fi fan. I’ve read the great classics, of course—Brave New World, 1984, Farenheit 451, The Handmaid’s Tale, stuff like that—but you don’t have to be a sci-fi fan to appreciate those. They’re great literature first and foremost; they just happen to take place in a futuristic world. For me, the best dystopian/sci-fi is still about the characters above all else. The invented world with all its little details must be a backdrop for story and character development, not a substitute for it. I love the ideas that come from an imagined future, but unless they are made relevant to a character I can care about, I lose my interest quickly.

What about you? What are the best books you read this year?

Read Full Post »

What I’m reading, and other random thoughts

Posted in Random Thoughts, What I'm reading...., YA on November 9, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

I’m reading Punkzilla again. I think it’s been less than a year since I read it last, but I can’t stay away. It’s that good. I’m studying it for inspiration for my current WIP, but I have to admit that I often forget I’m supposed to be “studying.” I’ll find myself totally lost inside it, then realize “Oh crap, I’m supposed to be paying attention to how Adam Rapp crafts the story, how he uses the epistolary form, the techniques he uses to create such a unique and memorable narrator, blah blah blah.” But it’s hard to focus on stuff like that when the book is just so damn good. I’m a softy for anything about misfits, stories that honor the lives of people society prefers to ignore. Here’s a boy who’s been written off by everyone as a lost cause, but the author believes he’s worthy of our love; he puts us inside him, and we get to feel all his intelligence and kindness and vulnerability, and it’s so frickin’ awesome it makes my heart burst. Sigh. Hopefully someday I can write something this good.

 

 

Seems like I’ve been reading a lot of books about boys lately. I recently finished The Highest Tide, by Jim Lynch, which I highly recommend, especially if you’re a lover of the sea. It takes place in the Puget Sound where I grew up, and I felt homesick the whole time I was reading it. I remember being a kid and wandering around on the rocky beach down the road from my house, looking under rocks for crabs and other hidden life, sticking my fingers in sea anemones to make them squirt. Rather than take an AP science class in high school like I was “supposed to,” I chose to take two semesters of Marine Biology, learning all the science behind the sea life I loved, learning all the Latin names for the creatures I grew up with. Whenever I come across a tide pool, I still turn into a huge nerd and start reciting the scientific names of invertebrates.

 

 

Before I took a detour with Punkzilla, I was working on The Lacuna, by Barabara Kingslover. God, I love her. Not YA, but she writes great kids. I love alternating between reading YA and adult fiction. It’s kind of like exercise, like lifting weights. YA uses certain muscles, the ones that focus primarily on the “I” of the teenager, where the world is as big as what the main character can sense, and it’s bright and intense and immediate. But then I’ll read an author like Kingslover, something in the 3rd person, something slower and layered, where the world spreads away from the main character and the path becomes windy and intricate, and it’s like a whole different set of muscles are being used. And as I read these different types of books, as I challenge myself to approach story from as many angles as possible, I can feel myself becoming a better writer. Because what is writing but stealing from authors who are better than you? This is perhaps the best thing I learned in my MFA program: steal wisely.

Read Full Post »

My Top 10 Favorite YA Books (So Far…)

Posted in Cool stuff, Lists, What I'm reading...., YA on July 28, 2010 | 16 Comments »

My Top 10 Favorite YA Books (So Far…)

I’ll admit it. I was one of those people who was judgmental about the YA genre at first, even though I later realized it’s what I wanted to write all along.  All I knew were the silly stories for tween girls that were around when I grew up, the ones whose plot lines consisted of the following: crushes on boys, insecurities about pimples, dates with boys, insecurities about weight, hearts getting broken by boys, insecurities about hair, and, um…babysitting? I didn’t read these books.  I tried a couple of times, but I just couldn’t do it.  The only books about young people that really meant anything to me were Go Ask Alice and Girl, Interrupted.  Stories of a runaway drug addict and a girl in a mental institution—fun stuff, right?  I guess you can say my taste for gritty, realistic teen fiction was decided early on, before the genre really existed.

When I was sending Beautiful around trying to land an agent, I was shocked when one finally informed me I write YA. How dare he lump me in the category of those silly books I grew up with? Sure, my characters were teenagers, but they weren’t exactly babysitting and cheerleading and crushing on the quarterback.  And, like, I wanted to write literature.

I have to admit my ego was slightly crushed. My definition of “writer” was based on fancy conversations in my MFA classes where people used words like “meta” and “juxtapostition” all the time and wrote experimental poetry I could barely pretend to understand.  I didn’t even know what “Young Adult Author” meant.  So I decided to do some research.

I scoured the internet for information about YA, bought the books I saw mentioned over and over again.  And then—well, all I can say is WOW. I was floored.  It was like someone had just opened the door into an entirely new world, a world I had been longing for, a world that immediately felt like home. I had been walking around with these tortured teen characters in my head for years, and I had no idea there were more like them.  These were the books I desperately needed when I was a teen. These were the books I wanted to write since I was thirteen years old.

The following ten books (in no particular order) speak to me in a way few adult books have. I am proud to be in company of these brave, brilliant authors. And hell yes, these books are literature. But most importantly, they tell the truth.

Speak—by Laurie Halse Anderson: I think this might have been the first YA I picked up. And thank God! So began my devotion for Ms. Anderson. An achingly honest portrayal of what a girl must do to emotionally protect herself, and begin to heal, from the memory of sexual trauma.

Wintergirls—by Laurie Halse Anderson: Haunting is the best word to describe this book.  It’s about a girl’s struggle with anorexia, but it’s so much more. I’ve said before elsewhere, but I’ll say it again: If anyone doubts the literary merit of YA, they must read this book. Some of the more beautiful prose I’ve ever read.

Luna—by Julie Anne Peters: The story of a girl whose brother is transgendered.  At its essence, I think this story is about how incredibly brave people can be in their journey to find and love themselves.  And thank God such an amazing book exists for kids going through similar things.

Punkzilla—by Adam Rapp: According to Goodreads: “a searing novel-in-letters about a street kid on a highstakes trek across America.”  One of the most memorable voices I’ve ever read.

Looking for Alaska—by John Green: You’ve read this, right? Don’t tell me you haven’t read this. That’s just completely unacceptable. All I’m going to say is I have never cried so hard on public transportation as when I was reading this book. Just thinking about it is making me teary. This man can sure tell a story. Someone should combine John Green’s DNA with Laurie Halse Anderson’s and make a The World’s Greatest YA Author EVER. Anyone out there know anything about genetics?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower—by Stephen Chbosky:  I hate trying to summarize books because a description of the plot could never encompass the feelings I had while reading it. I guess I’d say this one’s about a sensitive outcast’s journey toward finding himself. I just loved this kid. Plus, this book was banned all over the place, so that gives it major cool points, right?

Girl–by Blake Nelson: I kind of hate this description from Goodreads, but it’s pretty accurate: “A Catcher in the Rye for the “Grunge” generation, this instant classic will speak to anyone who has ever had to choose between the suffocation of conformity and the perils of rebellion.” And if it took place in Seattle rather than Portland, it could kinda be my teen years. Ah, vintage dresses with fishnets and big boots, how I miss you.

King Dork—by Frank Portman: Quite possibly the funniest book I have ever read. In contrast to Looking for Alaska, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed this hard on public transportation. The main character is one of the weirdest, most loveable characters I’ve ever read.

Cracked Up to Be—by Courtney Summers:  I guess you could say it’s about a “perfect” girl’s fall from the top and the horrible secret that causes it, but the most amazing thing about this book is how realistic the characters are, how complicated, and how brave Courtney is for making the MC so incredibly unlikeable at times. The way she crafts the story so that the reader learns to like the MC as she learns to like and accept herself—just genius.

Hunger Games—by Suzanne Collins:  Which one of these books is not like the others? Not really though. Dystopian adventure and gritty realism aren’t really that different when you think about it.  The edgy fiction I love explores the psychology of troubled characters, while good dystopian fiction explores the psychology of troubled societies.  Plus this series is also just plain entertaining adventure. Who says an emo girl doesn’t just want to be entertained sometimes?

So I guess my taste is pretty obvious. You won’t find many happy families or well-adjusted characters in these books (and don’t even get me started on vampires and werewolves). I know I’ve barely scratched the surface of all the wonderful YA there is to read. So I’m curious—judging from this list and the kind of stuff I like, what books do you think I need to read next?

Read Full Post »

Random thoughts on a rainy day

Posted in Random Thoughts, What I'm reading...., YA on January 20, 2010 | 4 Comments »

I guess staying home sick is as good a time as any to write a blog post.  It’s miserable and rainy outside and Peanut’s going crazy because she’s desperate for a walk, but I’m pretty sure once she gets out there she’s going to change her mind.  She’s a prissy girl and doesn’t like getting her feet wet.  If I was feeling better, I wouldn’t actually mind being out there in the rain.  I’m from Seattle after all, and it really does rain there as much as people say it does, and I find it kind of comforting.  I’m going to be a rain snob and say it’s comical what people call a “storm” here.  It rains more than an inch and everybody’s on red alert, the city of Berkeley floods, and people stay home from work.  I wish I wasn’t sick so I could trudge through the rain and show everyone how a real woman does it–without an umbrella, holding a cup of coffee and a leash  and talking on the phone at the same time.

Did I really just write that long ass paragraph about the weather?  I must really be bored.

In other news, I have way too many books piled up on my bedside table waiting to be read.  A few of them have already been read, but I’ve been too lazy to move them back to the bookshelf.  Here’s a sample: Youth in Revolt, by C.D. Page (I’ve never read this but apparently it’s a classic.  And anything’s that’s been made into a movie starring Michael Cera definitely deserves my time); The Scientific American Day in the Life of Your Brain: A 24-Hour Journal of What’s Happening to Your Brain as You Sleep, Dream, Wake Up, Eat, Work, Play, Fight, Love, Worry, Compete, Hope, Make Important Decisions, Age, and Change (I’m reading this for my work’s book club.  I usually don’t participate because they usually read business books, but I’m a sucker for anything that’ll help me understand that squishy gray mass of crazy in my head–and for subtitles that barely fit on the cover); and Some Girls Are, by Courtney Summers (which I’ve been wanting to read ever since I heard about it months ago, plus Courtney is rad and we share the same rad agent and the same rad haircut, and as soon as I finish it, she’s agreed to do a rad interview for this silly little blog, so I almost want to skip what I’m currently reading–Cavedweller, by one of my all-time favorite writers Dorothy Allison–but I can’t quit now because it’s too freakin’ good.)

So now what should I do?  I’ve written two incredibly long paragraphs about weather and books, my dog needs a walk but is distracted for the time being by a chewing on a rawhide, I’m craving a cheeseburger and fries (which is definitely not allowed on my no-carb, no-dairy diet), I’m still in my pajamas and my hair’s sticking up all over the place, I have a million books I want to read (but I also have cable TV), my body aches, my throat is sore, my head hurts, I’m bored, and do I even need to mention that new novel that needs to be written?

Hmm…. I think I’ll take a nap. Good night everyone (well, good afternoon really).

Read Full Post »

The best books I read in 2009

Posted in Lists, Random Thoughts, What I'm reading...., YA on January 5, 2010 | 2 Comments »

2009 was a great year for reading.  But as always, I bought way more books than I was actually able to get through.  They’re still sitting on my shelves all shiny and unbent and beautiful.  I stare at them longingly, but first I must finish the amazing book I’m reading now, Slanted and Enchanted: The Evolution of Indie Culture by my friend Kaya Oakes.  If you have ever attached the word “indie” or “alternative” or “punk” or “DIY” or “counterculture” to yourself or something you’ve loved, you MUST read this book to understand where it all came from.

Hopefully I’ll get to all my gorgeous books this year, but the truth is I’ll probably buy more to add to the unread piles, and the vicious cycle will continue.  Book buying (and hoarding) is like an addiction, but I don’t feel too bad about it.  As far as addictions go, it could be much worse, and someone needs to keep the publishing industry alive.

With no further ado, here’s my list of the best books I read in 2009.  They’re in no particular order, except for the top two which are tied for the number one spot.

What are the best books you read in 2009?

Read Full Post »

Suggested reading for YA skeptics

Posted in Random Thoughts, What I'm reading...., YA on December 1, 2009 | 6 Comments »

I often find the need to defend myself when I tell people I write Young Adult fiction.  Not that anyone’s ever been openly rude to me–it’s more of a self-imposed inferiority complex.  I just feel like some kind of pre-emptive strike is necessary to ensure that new acquaintances understand that I’m a real writer.

I need you to understand that Twilight is not representative of the entire genre, that there is more to YA than the Gossip Girl series, that I keep company with phenomenal writers who in no way resemble Lauren Conrad.  Please, I beg you.  You must believe me!

Or maybe I should just let the books speak for themselves.  Here’s a short list of titles that I feel are superb examples of why Young Adult literature deserves to be taken seriously, and why YA writers are indeed real writers.

  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
  • Luna, by Julie Ann Peters
  • Dream Boy, by Jim Grimsley
  • Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson
  • King Dork, by Frank Portman
  • The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams
  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

While I’m at it, I think I’ll throw in another list.  Here are some classics that, if published today, would most definitely be categorized as YA:

  • The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
  • The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
  • Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
  • The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
  • To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Do you have any titles you think should be added to these lists?

Read Full Post »

What I’m reading….

Posted in What I'm reading...., YA on October 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Marshall Zeringue, from Writers Read and Campaign for the American Reader, recently asked me what I’m reading. Here’s what I said:

I usually try to alternate between reading Young Adult and Adult novels, though distinguishing between the genres seems a little silly to me at times. The only consistent difference seems to be that YA is always about teens, while adult literature is only sometimes always about adults. There’s a perception that YA is somehow less serious or “literary,” while in truth the variation in style, subject and quality is infinite.

I just finished the YA novel The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams. It’s the story of Kyra, a 13-year old girl growing up in an isolated polygamist cult and doomed to become the 7th wife of her 60-year-old uncle. It’s a complex and heart-wrenching look into one girl’s struggle for truth and freedom—not usually what you think of as “kids’ stuff.” I could not recommend it more, to both adults and young adults. This is one of those YA books that is so powerful and well-written, I want it to serve as a kind of ambassador to the adult literary world. I’d like to include it in a gift basket to the skeptics, with a note that reads “Read these books. I dare you to tell me you still think YA’s a lesser genre.”

The thing that touched me most about this book is how much I related to Kyra, despite the fact that my world is nothing like hers. Kyra’s unique story illustrates how curiosity and the need for love and freedom are core human traits, regardless of how one is raised. It is books like this that remind us how alike we are, and how finding empathy for others despite our differences is one of the best displays of our humanity.

Read Full Post »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,332 other followers