Y is YA authors saying Break These Rules (book review) – speak up, stand out, be yourself!

“It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“Always know where you’re going.”
“Dress appropriately.”

No!

Here are 35 “life rules” to question, with the help of great YA authors from Lisa Schroeder (The Day Before – my review here) to Francisco X. Stork (The Last Summer of the Death Warriors – my review here) sharing their personal stories in essays calling us to Break These Rules.

If your favorite local library or independent bookstore doesn’t have Break These Rules on the shelf, ask them to get it – advice from these 35 noted YA authors is priceless!

**kmm

Book info: Break These Rules: 35 YA Authors on Speaking Up, Standing Out, and Being Yourself / edited by Luke Reynolds. Chicago Review Press, 2013. [editor’s blog] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher, via Shelf Awareness.

My book talk: Trying to follow the many “life rules” stated by parents and society can get in the way of living, so 35 young adult authors share ways to Break These Rules to let yourself speak up, stand out, and be yourself.

Sara Zarr says that “Never talk about religion” can keep us out of “the full range of cultural conversation about faith, which has shaped world history for millenia” (pg. 57), while Lisa Schroeder notes that family advice to “Follow the money, not your heart” for your profession reflects their worries about you taking chances.

Society may say “Pretend the dark stuff isn’t true” (Carol Lynch Williams), “Be normal” (Jen Neilsen), and “Always know where you’re going” (Brian Yansky), but bowing to the demands “Go to college after high school” (Chris Barton), “Don’t daydream” (Wendy Mass) or “Always sit in your assigned seat” (Lyn Miller-Lachman) can stifle your authentic self.

Thinking about which life rules to keep or to break is why this book was created. As editor Luke Reynolds puts it: “Here are 35 rules that you can start breaking right now in order to discover how different from everyone else you can be. And, you might just discover how good it feels to be exactly like you.” (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

J is just amazing – books & authors at Texas Library Association conference!

Apr11

What happens when 7,200 librarians, authors, publishers, and library supporters get together?

It’s book heaven!

This year’s Texas Library Association conference in San Antonio has been filled with discussions about books, authors, reading, writing, and information in our lives.

I listened to Rae Carson and Melissa de la Cruz share what they must have in order to write their bestsellers and Deb Caletti and Elizabeth Eulberg talk about writing strong characters.

Tom Angleberger taught 200+ Nerdy Book Club members how to fold an emergency Origami Yoda and dramatically read aloud the instant haikus written by folks in this huge Twitter community which celebrates reading and books (@NerdyBookClub).

We celebrated 5 years of the TLA Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List, which includes several BooksYALove faves on the 2014 list (click link for my no-spoiler review of the title) like Will & Whit,
Peanut,
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant,
Astronaut Academy: Re-Entry,
Boxers and Saints,
Little Fish, and
Relish.

And I visited publishers large and small, seeking out the underappreciated gems in their recent and upcoming books. Lugging bags of advance reader copies back to your hotel is great exercise, you know!

The book world is just amazing! Get ready for some phenomenal reads in the months ahead!
**kmm

TBR2014 progress + ready for AtoZ April Challenge

Mar31

I made a bit of progress on my To-Be-Recommended shelf of pre-2014 titles, highlighting these gems in March (click each link to open my no-spoiler review in a new tab/window):

The mystery surrounding the decade-ago disappearance of her small-town’s Golden couple sets Parker on a quest outside her comfort zone.

Is anything really the way it appears in Southern California? The teen investigators in Spies and Prejudice think not, but disagree on who’s right.

So far in 2014, I’ve recommended 10 of my targeted 50+ pre-2014 titles for this year’s Bookish 2014 TBR Reading Challenge.

I’ll really make TBR progress during the AtoZ April Challenge, as I blog 26 books in 26 days, starting tomorrow on an A through Z setup with 1,600+ other bloggers; most of these books are 2013s with just a few new releases thrown in.

Ready for some great reads? Stay tuned!
**kmm

My to-be-reviewed shelf is slowly shrinking… TBR2014 Challenge update

Feb28

For most book-folk, TBR means “to be read” (as in “My TBR stack is taller than I am”), but for me it means that lonnng shelf of books that I’ve already read, but still need “to be reviewed” here!

Moving right along, I added recommendations of these books with 2013 or earlier copyright date to BooksYALove in February (click each link to open my no-spoiler review in a new tab/window):

The Clockwork Scarab – Egyptian curse stalking young women in steampunk London or merely murder? Eva Stoker and Mina Holmes investigate!

Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design – from color to typography, noted graphic designer Chip Kidd shares info, insight and project ideas.

Team Vampire – when transforming to vampire can leave you a zombie, why wouldn’t Mel want to keep her best friend among the living?

Flygirl – passing for white so she can fly during WWII, Ida Mae will face even more dangers on the ground than aloft.

How Not to Be a Dick – this common-sense (with a sense of humor) everyday etiquette guide will help you be a better person.

So far in 2014, I’ve 8 recommended of my targeted 50+ pre-2014 titles for this year’s Bookish 2014 TBR Reading Challenge – onward!
*kmm

A2Z Blog Challenge this year? My TBR shelf says yes!

Feb18

Every spring, I agonize over whether or not to participate in the April AtoZ Blog Challenge.

Twenty-six posts in 26 days…

By no means impossible, but it sure is tough for me to get all the posts’ subjects to align with the A-through-Z daily schedule in April (we have Sundays off, thank God!).

However, my to-be-reviewed shelf of worthwhile reads is so overflowing that I easily set aside 26 great books, each with a wee-bitty alpha tag, just waiting for April – and I still have scads more to write about in the meantime!

So yes, I’m committing myself to 26 A2Z posts in April again – third time’s a charm? See me at #785 on the AtoZ list? (This will also help immensely with my pre-2014 books backlog as part of the Bookish blog TBR2014 Challenge)

Are you up for the Challenge too?
**kmm

TBR2014 Challenge – catching up on YA books!

Jan31

Wait a minute…
How did January race by so fast?

Thankfully, I did squeeze in some recommendations of pre-2014 published books for the TBR2014 Challenge on Bookish blog (I’m number 30 there).
(the newest books are great, but the best books of any time are better, right?)

Be sure you check out these recent BooksYALove faves (each title link goes to my no-spoiler recommendation):

In Anthem’s future USA, personal music is illegal, but he must play anyway! Coda, by Emma Trevayne (Running Press, 2013)

Something eerie and deadly stalks the old junkyard in Winter of the Robots, by Kurtis Scaletta (Alfred Knopf, 2013).

Technology lust killed the earth, say the elders, but the Relic which Eva finds says otherwise in Heather Terrell’s 2013 Soho Teen release.

So that makes 3 of my hoped-for 50+ TBR2013 titles… gotta step it up during February!

What 2013 books are still on your to-be-read shelf?
**kmm

Multicultural Children’s Book Day – many viewpoints, many stories

Jan27

January 27 = Chocolate Cake Day, Holocaust Memorial Day, birth anniversary of Mozart and Lewis Carroll.

Chase’s Calendar of Events will tell you that every day (and week and month) of the year has many holidays, anniversaries, and observances associated with it.

Add Multicultural Children’s Book Day to that list for January 27th, thanks to bloggers JumpIntoABook and Pragmatic Mom! Fewer than 10% of children’s and young adult books published in the US annually feature main characters of color, multiple ethnicities, or varied cultural heritages, even though nearly 40% of American children and youth share these characteristics.

So Valarie and Mia decided to gather up lists of great kids’ and YA books which bring strong multicultural characters and stories into our lives by creating MCCBD, joined by publishers whose books fill this niche – Wisdom Tales Press, Chronicle Books, and Lee & Low Books (including their Tu Books imprint).

In anticipation of MCCBD, I linked several BooksYALove multicultural recommendations on Pragmatic Mom, including:

Tara tries to balance Hebrew school, Bollywood movies, and the expectations of her Punjabi and Yiddish grandparents as she prepares for My Basmati Bat Mitzvah.

As nightmares-made-real stalk Toronto’s streets, Canadian-Jamaican teen searches for her brother and answers in The Chaos.

Like her warrior women ancestors, Lozen is Killer of Enemies to save her family in this chilling future tale, named American Indian Youth Literature best YA novel today!

Struggling with her mom’s cancer diagnosis and her own school difficulties, Chia says just Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel when other situations arise.

And today is also Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, so pop some virtually here!

Which multicultural book would you name to a “best of the best” list today?
**kmm

Looking back, peering at the future

Jan13

mounted pheasant in flight wearing Santa hat

Somehow, I pictured Santa as a larger flying critter…

You’ve heard the saying, ” Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans,” right?

Yep. It does.

My good intentions for posting at least once weekly through the holidays got nibbled away daily by everything from a leaking water heater to an ailing older dog (who’s much better now).

January is for new beginnings, so I’ve decide to ignore the blank expanse of recent weeks on BooksYALove and work through the ‘new normal’ of unquiet house and odd schedules as best I can.

No promises of how many books I’ll recommend weekly, but I do have so many great ones that I do want to share – perhaps in a shorter format…

So that you get new posts as soon as I release them, please do subscribe to BooksYALove by email or using your favorite feed reader (see right sidebar for options). I also announce new posts on Twitter as @BooksYALove.

And a big thank you to everyone who visited BooksYALove in 2013 – from 77 countries, WordPress tells me!

**kmm

On the road again – from KidLitCon to the Carolinas

Nov15

After a wonderful and energizing KidLitCon weekend in Austin, I’m taking Sarah & Jen‘s advice regarding “Blogging Burnout” and slowing down a bit.

Hoping to add at least one book recommendation weekly from now through year’s end as we travel to see family and friends (yes, all sorts of great books are along for the ride, some already-read & needing write-up to post, others just waiting for me to read!) – but don’t be surprised if that only turns out to be an average…

What YA books are on your holiday wish list? Remember to use the categories list and tag cloud in the right column to find more books to wish for!
**kmm

Headed for KidLitCon!

Nov8

photo of Congress Street, Austin Texas by Mister-E Chris Eason

Austin, here we come!

Yes, the Kidlitosphere is descending on the capital of Texas to talk blogging, kids’ books, middle grade books, young adult books, and reading as KidLitCon begins tonight with a meet-and-greet (plus ARC swap), followed by a full day of breakout sessions on Saturday, including keynote by Cynthia Leitich Smith!

Charlotte, Melissa, and I will start the conversation about Blogging Middle Grade Books during the last breakout session. Can’t wait to hear what the bloggers, authors, illustrators, and librarians there to have to say about its challenges and joys.

“On the road again…”

*kmm

Photo of the State Capitol (c) Chris Eason (Mister-E), used under Creative Commons license.

BooksYALove

Recommending young adult books beyond bestsellers

Archives

Y is YA authors saying Break These Rules (book review) – speak up, stand out, be yourself!

Like this:

J is just amazing – books & authors at Texas Library Association conference!

Like this:

TBR2014 progress + ready for AtoZ April Challenge

Like this:

My to-be-reviewed shelf is slowly shrinking… TBR2014 Challenge update

Like this:

A2Z Blog Challenge this year? My TBR shelf says yes!

Like this:

TBR2014 Challenge – catching up on YA books!

Like this:

Multicultural Children’s Book Day – many viewpoints, many stories

Like this:

Looking back, peering at the future

Like this:

On the road again – from KidLitCon to the Carolinas

Like this:

Headed for KidLitCon!

Like this:

Share this (1-click links):

Like this:

Share this (1-click links):

Like this:

Share this (1-click links):

Like this:

Share this (1-click links):

Like this:

Share this (1-click links):

Like this:

Share this (1-click links):

Like this:

Share this (1-click links):

Like this:

Share this (1-click links):

Like this:

Share this (1-click links):

Like this:

Share this (1-click links):

Like this: