Right Now I'm Reading...

...Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz. It came very recommended by our HarperCollins rep, who also put me on to Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block.

I love the cover and I love the title. I was also just on the author's website, just to get some brainstorming ideas to start this entry, and I found out Yvonne also writes a Zine. Too cool. And, there is a Vinyl Princess pin! I know!

Although I am not a vinyl princess myself, I like to think that I have a love for vinyl that would warrant a nod. I don't know anything about music except what I like, but most of what I listen to is played on a little turntable. I don't download music or buy a lot of CDs, but I love a good flea market excursion.

Anyway, Yvonne is the co-founder of "the world's biggest independent music store chain". I hope I can keep up with the music references. Allie is a music junkie and she keeps a blog, under the pseudonym The Vinyl Princess. She's working a summer job at a record store in California and has a crush on a boy.
I think it's neat that the author has decided to write a teen book, based on her love for music. I wonder if she intended to write a book for teens from the start. I often wonder that now, because the label "teen" is so hot right now...ha, well here is my answer:

The book "is like 'High Fidelity' for teens -- that's the story I started out to write," Prinz says, referring to the 1995 Nick Hornby novel about a London record store owner. "Nobody has the inside track of working on a record store like I do. I felt very qualified to write this book." (from Billboard)

She is also the author of the tween Clare books. Which I totally recognize. We have a few on our shelves at work. I'll have to check them out.

Anyway, off to read.

Mandy