tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40540852856650033292024-03-04T20:38:22.924-08:00edge of seventeen“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
― Neil GaimanWords Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.comBlogger270125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-54965820133020443742013-09-22T15:32:00.000-07:002013-09-22T15:32:39.764-07:00Sorrow’s Knot by Erin Bow<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">In The Fault in Our Stars, the protagonist describes falling in love as “the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once”. That’s how I fell in love with this book.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">In some ways, I was looking forward to <a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=errgLAJsGhY4Yt6jDUpSdg">Sorrow’s Knot </a>for the pure magic of Erin Bow’s prose. She has an eerie ability to paint such vivid, startling pictures with just a certain choice of words that I sometimes wonder if she isn’t a wizard. Like it's forerunner, Plain Kate, this book cast a spell over me. Sorrow's Knot is a stunning yet harrowing story about a girl named Otter, a binder of knots that keep back the dead. Her world is a rare one and Erin Bow weaves it well. With rangers and binders and storytellers, with names like Willow and Mad Spider, Otter’s world of the pinch evokes images of an indigenous community untouched by colonialism and it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen in YA. The friendship between Otter (the protagonist) and Kestrel and Cricket is refreshingly real and all three are so very brave in very different ways. I adored Kestrel’s quietness. My heart thrilled with Cricket’s storytelling. And I ached at Otter’s struggle to find her place in the world.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">The most compelling thing about this book, though, is the role of binding and unbinding. In Otter’s community the dead are banished by knots and strings and the binders of these knots are magical, powerful people. But, as Otter's mother tells her, "something is wrong with the knots." And thus, in a story that is largely about loss, the theme of binding things too tightly and the problems that arise with not letting things go becomes its beating heart.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sorrow’s Knot is a book that looks darkness straight in the face with depth and courage and grace. It sits in the hard, sad places as much as it sits in the light, and that is my favourite kind of story.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">-Kristen</span></span>Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-52071020814553954542013-09-16T03:47:00.002-07:002013-09-16T06:52:40.686-07:00Interview with Heather Smith, author of BAYGIRL<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276"> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We're pretty excited to have a guest with us today: </span>Heather Smith, the author of <a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?q=h.tviewer&using_sb=status&qsb=keyword&so=oh&qs=baygirl&searchtype=keyword&x=0&y=0">Baygirl</a><i>,</i> which hit shelves this month. And we're <i>doubly</i> excited to be hosting her launch at the store this saturday.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Hi Heather! I’m so happy to get a chance to chat with you (and to be a part of your launch!!). First off, can you tell us a little about yourself?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I was born and raised in Newfoundland but now live in Waterloo with my husband and three children. I enjoy running and drinking green tea (not at the same time, that would be dangerous). I’m a terrible multi-tasker and am easily distracted. I actually don’t know how I managed to write a book, but I did, and I hope to do so again, many times over (I’d write different ones of course, writing Baygirl again would be silly).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>You are delightful. Okay, in one or two sentences, tell us about Baygirl. Why did you write <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i> book in particular?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Baygirl is the story of a sixteen year old girl whose typical teenage struggles (fitting in, falling in love, finding oneself) are further complicated by the unpredictable behaviour of her alcoholic father. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpHIGr16aKkZqaSxRjyAO-UcrSR3sfkHTurxXeTs5TPgNE8YmIdzsLV3ojrWOs8ONZxkePqcuArTsHNW9cGfM9otPYBoRiKQpLqHKWKXNJ-nz-YLeK9RKOzw_aTw0I1Ojmj4SbJsjym5f/s1600/Baygirl+cover+comp+LR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpHIGr16aKkZqaSxRjyAO-UcrSR3sfkHTurxXeTs5TPgNE8YmIdzsLV3ojrWOs8ONZxkePqcuArTsHNW9cGfM9otPYBoRiKQpLqHKWKXNJ-nz-YLeK9RKOzw_aTw0I1Ojmj4SbJsjym5f/s400/Baygirl+cover+comp+LR.jpg" width="266" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Although I cannot relate to Kit’s predicament firsthand, as a teenager I had a couple of close friends whose fathers were alcoholics and, as a result, have seen and heard things that stick with me to this day. I’ve witnessed major blow-outs (like the ones Kit and her father regularly have in the book), as well as other, more subtle interactions that can be equally damaging – snide remarks, accusing looks, cold shoulders. I always wondered - how does one forgive the person who has caused them to live their life walking on eggshells?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the question I wanted to explore when writing Baygirl. This is why forgiveness is Kit’s biggest dilemma.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Alcoholism touches the lives of many people, both directly and indirectly. That is why Kit’s story was an important one to tell. I hope that anyone, teen or adult, who has spent <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">their</i> life walking on eggshells, can find some comfort in Baygirl. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Addiction can have such a devastating effect on a person’s life, along with the lives of those they love, and it’s a very difficult thing to escape if one manages to escape it. But it's a real thing that happens to families, and in light of that, I think you portray Kit’s father in a way that’s really fair.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Because we’ve chatted before, I know that you’re originally from St. John’s. Why did you choose to split the book between the city of St. John’s and the town of Parsons Bay?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Yes, St. John’s is my birthplace … which makes me a townie! When writing Baygirl, I thought it would be fun to give my main character a different perspective from my own, so Kit became a “baygirl”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Splitting the book between the “town” and the “bay” really drove home the differences between the two places and, ultimately, the people who live there. Highlighting the prejudices and preconceived notions that townies have of people from the bay (and vice versa) added to the drama of Kit’s move to the city … as if she didn’t have enough problems!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>I really loved your contrast of the town versus the bay. As someone who grew up on a farm but now lives in the city, I could definitely relate to Kit and the uncertainty she feels about where she belongs.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>I have to say that my favourite character overall was definitely Kit’s new neighbour, Mr. Adams. He was so endearing, he made me laugh out loud, and his dialect was delightful. You captured him so perfectly. Who was your favourite character to write? Who gave you the most trouble?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My favourite character to write was Mr. Adams. I knew when writing Baygirl that Mr. Adams would be an Englishman and making him hail from Yorkshire was a no-brainer. You see, thanks to the delightful writings of James Herriot, I have a major obsession with the Yorkshire Dales. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In All Creatures Great and Small, Herriot paints a picture of the Dales that is so appealing it makes me want to trade in my life in Canada for a thatched cottage in a Yorkshire village full of quirky townsfolk. It makes me want to pull on a pair of wellie boots and a wax jacket and go frolicking through the dewy meadows. Given my fascination with James Herriot, I’d be gormless (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I say, gormless</i>!) not to make Mr. Adams from Yorkshire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The character who gave me the most trouble was … Mr. Adams. Ee by gum, that dialect was tricky!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Wow, I would never have guessed that you had trouble with him. He really was perfect. And a thatched cottage in a Yorkshire village sounds so cozy and quaint!<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Without giving too much away, writing (and writing poetry specifically) becomes a way for Kitty to work through the things that are happening in her life. Was that a conscious decision on your part, or did that happen naturally?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This was not a conscious decision at all. This book was written fairly chronologically, so when I got to the part where Kit was missing Parsons Bay having her write a letter to Anne-Marie came naturally. I wanted to illustrate how devastating moving away can be by showing, through Kit’s letter writing, how her and Anne-Marie were drifting apart. This naturally evolved into writing becoming an outlet for Kit and, from there, became more of a theme throughout the novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>How long did it take you to write this book? What was the hardest part and what was the best part<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">?</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I started writing Baygirl many years ago when I was in a writing class led by Kathy Stinson. The book got off to a great start but, at the time, I had three young children and writing time was limited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It eventually became a forgotten file, lost on my computer, until two years ago, when my youngest started school full-time. It was then that Baygirl was resurrected and I was able to give it the quality time it deserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3WGDuGqqaXRUG9CPKCopFIccXDhZnluYF3wlRfGfiBaQHK4oXn6XDksSFdDsjRnmd3a-VKUQMmj1Pcw1k8TTYvBX3vnSolxZFsFmmXAkWSnmD3GtLl9QIA36VGa6_W-iZ_FuHmjzzbNW/s1600/Heather+Smith+author+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3WGDuGqqaXRUG9CPKCopFIccXDhZnluYF3wlRfGfiBaQHK4oXn6XDksSFdDsjRnmd3a-VKUQMmj1Pcw1k8TTYvBX3vnSolxZFsFmmXAkWSnmD3GtLl9QIA36VGa6_W-iZ_FuHmjzzbNW/s320/Heather+Smith+author+photo.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Find Heather on her <a href="http://www.heathertsmith.com/books">website</a> and on <a href="https://twitter.com/Heather_T_Smith">twitter</a>. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The hardest part of writing Baygirl was the editing process, although I think a more fitting word would be challenging. I say this only because Baygirl is my first published novel and the whole process was new. I’d never worked with an editor before and the whole idea was initially daunting. As it turned out, however, the editing process was also thoroughly enjoyable. My editor, Sarah Harvey, was (is!) fantastic and working under deadlines made me push myself in ways that only a ticking clock can do. I loved the going back and forth, the tightening of text, the whittling down of words. The whole process truly made me a better writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The best part of writing Baygirl was when I’d be struck by moments of clarity - when the tangled knot of words I’d been staring at for hours would magically unravel to become what my mind’s eye had intended them to be. It really is the best feeling and is my favourite part of writing in general.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Are you like Kitty - do you use writing as a way to work through things or respond to the world around you? Or do you write for other reasons?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I absolutely write as a way to work through or respond to things. I don’t know how many times I have written full essays that never see the light of day. For me, the act of writing it down is a release. Once it’s on paper I can move on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Mostly I write because I have no space in my head for the stories that live there, so I evict them and help them find their home on paper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Do you have a special or favourite place to write?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">At home, in my empty, quiet house. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Because writing and reading are so inter-related, I have to ask: what have you been reading lately that you want to shout about from the rooftops? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The last three books I have read have all been great and are all very different from each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Annabel, by Kathleen Winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beautiful, haunting, one that stays with you long after you’ve snapped the book shut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion. This book reads like a Hollywood romantic comedy script, which isn’t always my thing. But the main character is so quirkily charming I was quickly whisked off my feet and didn’t touch solid ground again until I’d reached the last page.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Three Day Road, by Joseph Boyden. Interesting look at World War I through the eyes of an aboriginal solider. I’m always amazed when horrible things are told in a beautiful way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Ah, I’ve been wanting to read Annabel for a long time now. Maybe this will be my reason to finally pick it up.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Okay, last of all, what are you working on right now? Can you tell us a little bit about your next project or is it top secret?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My latest project is about a teenaged boy who, in a bid for attention, vandalizes a war memorial just days before Remembrance Day. After navigating the youth justice system alone, he is placed in a community service program in which he must regularly meet with a World War II veteran. The subject matter is pretty heavy at times but the stories that are told are ones that should never be forgotten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Whoa. I am intrigued. I can’t wait to read it! </b></span><b>Thanks so much for answering all my questions, Heather, and I look forward to your upcoming launch!</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://wordsworthbooks.com/">Words Worth Books</a> will be hosting Heather's book launch this saturday, September 21, starting at 7pm. Come hear Heather read from the book, pick up your own signed copy, and enjoy some Newfoundland songs and snacks.</span></div>
<br />
<!--EndFragment-->Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-17127074062688448372013-09-15T17:45:00.000-07:002013-09-15T17:47:59.463-07:00Jane, the fox & me by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault: a review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjLxigVCDPBfhKyM9ANxfd-DvD6LeV9a4bHtNbj4uMAo24wLz1zV4665GHbEjr6wXW5WbEefvoOHHiwN84-asH_Ib2Oq0xYGsmIG4zXOlHeBfLkUoDLB010jOceISG-O9sHxajLrd1mLD/s1600/JaneFoxMe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjLxigVCDPBfhKyM9ANxfd-DvD6LeV9a4bHtNbj4uMAo24wLz1zV4665GHbEjr6wXW5WbEefvoOHHiwN84-asH_Ib2Oq0xYGsmIG4zXOlHeBfLkUoDLB010jOceISG-O9sHxajLrd1mLD/s320/JaneFoxMe.jpg" width="246" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Synopsis</b>: Hélène is teased by kids at her school. They call her fat and smelly and write mean things about her on the walls in the washroom. Hélène finds solace in books, and her current favourite is <i>Jane Eyre</i> by Charlotte Brontë. A compulsory school camping trip seems like it will be a locus for more heartache, but a visit from a lonely fox one night outside the tent signals the start of something new for Hélène.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>My thoughts</b>: I've always thought that the graphic novel is the perfect format for a coming-of-age story. When done right, the writing can be sparse and precise and the pictures can do some of the heavy lifting required to open the protagonist's soul to the reader. In <i>Jane, the fox & me</i>, Fanny Britt's sensitive story is paired exquisitely with illustrator Isabelle Arsenault's stunning colour pencil, gouache, ink and watercolour drawings. Arsenault perfectly captures both the beauty and torment of Hélène's world. When Hélène narrates the sadness of her school life the palette is soft, muted grays and black. When Hélène is reading <i>Jane Eyre</i> the canvas suddenly explodes into vivid, focused oranges, pinks and reds that fairly jump off the page.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Jane Eyre</i> is the perfect story for someone like Hélène. Jane is an outcast, and so is Hélène. Jane is lonely, and so is Hélène. Each young woman desires companionship and acceptance. Ultimately, they both find what they desire: someone to talk to, someone who will bring out the best in them, and maybe even change the way they look at the world. Similarly, sometimes a story, when told right, can make you see the world in a different light too. For me, <i>Jane, the fox & me</i> was this type of story. I loved every panel of it.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">-Erica</span><br />
<br />
<br />Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-53003632570712758812013-09-06T11:59:00.001-07:002013-09-12T17:26:53.848-07:00Lily and Taylor by Elise Moser - a review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxYpr2uxuHq4UFKxSDf6O-yevkx-jLqty77FbUpTYmKCY63-yA_Tp_xfAfYEQzKfD8F1Qr-D_MfQ5bYgPegmyuOMtVNrJgd460LBZmybKEGFWGm-7MhIMtz7uUZ7JOpWBMtX8ZoDvN2fi/s1600/Lily+and+Taylor+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxYpr2uxuHq4UFKxSDf6O-yevkx-jLqty77FbUpTYmKCY63-yA_Tp_xfAfYEQzKfD8F1Qr-D_MfQ5bYgPegmyuOMtVNrJgd460LBZmybKEGFWGm-7MhIMtz7uUZ7JOpWBMtX8ZoDvN2fi/s320/Lily+and+Taylor+cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This beautiful, haunting story opens with an extremely weighty scene: Taylor witnessing her sister Tannis’s autopsy after Tannis is beaten to death by her partner (which Taylor also witnessed). This first scene is so stark and grim that I can still recall it entirely, days after reading it, with that same cold chill it first invoked in me. In fact, I spent most of this book with my fingers digging into the pages, plagued by a sense of dread at what was coming. Why? Because </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Lily and Taylor</i> is a story about being powerless (or at least perceiving yourself as powerless) in the face of violence and abuse and trauma. But that's not all the book is; it's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> also a story about love and friendship and strength.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Both Lily and Taylor have suffered significant losses in their lives. Both of them have witnessed the women around them battered by the men who supposedly love them. And both girls have learned to cope with this reality differently. Lily has learned to minimize damage by reading people, analyzing a situation, and responding with lightheartedness or humour. Taylor has learned how to minimize damage by diminishing herself and absorbing abuse (in fact, she convinces herself that this is the only thing she’s good at).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Needless to say, the book is heavy. But it's that heaviness that allows for the beautiful, shining strength at its core, one that derives directly from the friendship that develops between the two girls – a rarity in YA, and a treasure. It’s their love for each other that enables them to get out of a very dangerous situation and, most particularly, it is Taylor’s admiration of Lily’s strength that allows her to discover her own.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In <i>Lily and Taylor </i>Elise Moser never shies away from portraying the real things that happen to real girls every single day. And that not only takes courage, but it gives courage too. (Much like Lily herself.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Personally, I think this book is flawless.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">-Kristen</span>Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-25271994730063397212013-08-20T08:48:00.001-07:002013-08-20T08:48:44.662-07:00girls with swords<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am a sucker for a girl with a sword.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ever since I was a kid, I've been drawn to High Fantasy for just this reason: girls wielding swords mezmerize me. That scene in Return of the King when Eowyn slays the Witch King? I re-read it more times than any scene in any other book of my adolescence.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nine times out of ten, if a cover features a girl holding a shiny object that comes to a point, I don't even need to know what the book's about. I'm going to buy it. And if there's one thing YA High Fantasy does well, it's covers - especially compared to its parent genre. Last year, John Scalzi and Jim C. Hines did a pose-off where they dressed and posed like the heroines depicted on SFF covers in order to expose the absurdity of them. (If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, go <a href="http://www.jimchines.com/2012/12/pose-off-with-john-scalzi/">here</a>, <a href="http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/12/13/some-thoughts-on-the-pose-off-between-jim-c-hines-and-me/">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.jimchines.com/2012/12/cover-posing-for-a-good-cause/">here</a>.) For the most part, YA High Fantasy doesn't have this problem. Their covers do not depict their heroines in overly-sexualized, completely impractical poses. For the most part, their covers look like this:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=bOqbHJk0RvNNcx7mLSrKRg"><img class="dropshadow" height="391" src="http://www.bookmanager.com/i/m.php?b=bOqbHJk0RvNNcx7mLSrKRg" style="border: 1px solid white;" width="260" /></a> <a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=43j-CzJdMg6vbG2_K1lV8Q"><img class="dropshadow" src="http://www.bookmanager.com/i/m.php?b=43j-CzJdMg6vbG2_K1lV8Q" style="border: 1px solid white;" width="265" /></a></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=V-3qnCGz9UgldyqxojL1YA"><img class="dropshadow" height="400" src="http://www.bookmanager.com/i/m.php?b=V-3qnCGz9UgldyqxojL1YA" style="border: 1px solid white;" width="265" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That's not to say that YA covers are perfect (far from it). But covers like these make me proud of my favourite genre and remind why I fell in love with it to begin with: it's the girls with the swords, kicking butt and taking names.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Kristen</span></span>Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-65273711160706815312013-08-04T12:35:00.000-07:002013-08-04T12:35:07.527-07:00A Tale of Two Dystopias<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><a href="http://bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=fL1Fm1B4rfFiyoUafQ05Kw"><img class="dropshadow" height="400" src="http://bookmanager.com/i/m.php?b=V9sXFIro5FGVkJ7ak4fAuA" style="border: 1px solid white;" width="262" /><img class="dropshadow" height="400" src="http://bookmanager.com/i/m.php?b=fL1Fm1B4rfFiyoUafQ05Kw" style="border: 1px solid white;" width="264" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like most people, I loved <b>The</b> <b>Hunger Games</b>. (Team Peeta, thank you very much.) I loved the flawlessness of concept in book one. I loved the focus on inter-generational teamwork and the stirrings of uprising in book two. And I loved the complexities of war and grief in book three. The thing I loved most, though, was Katniss. The very first novel my littlest brother ever read for pleasure (he’s 15 and will be the first to tell you that he most certainly is <i>not </i>a reader) was <b>The</b> <b>Hunger Games</b>. He couldn't stop talking about it for weeks. I’ve never seen him so excited about anything before. And that's why I love Katniss: she's accessible; she flies in the face of all the cries about young boys not wanting to read about girl protagonists.</span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">With all that said, though, <b>The Hunger Games</b> is not actually the book I want to talk about. What I want to talk about is another dystopian YA that I loved even more. A book that I think does what <b>The Hunger Games</b> does, only better<b>: <span lang="EN-CA">Blood Red Road</span></b><b><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></b><span lang="EN-CA">by Moira Young<b>.</b> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">There are a lot of similarities between these two dystopian stories. First of all, </span><span lang="EN-CA">Saba</span><span lang="EN-CA"> (the protagonist of </span><b><span lang="EN-CA">Blood Red Road</span></b><span lang="EN-CA">) and Katniss are both initially motivated by their love for a sibling. They’re both thrown into circumstances they’re unequal to (essentially, extreme fight or die situations – </span><span lang="EN-CA">Katniss in an arena, Saba in a cage). And they both get caught up in a revolution of epic proportions that aims to take down the powers that be.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">While having a lot of similarities, though, the two girls are quite different. Katniss is cool and reserved and self-controlled, and while I love this about her, I found these things made it hard for me to relate to her. </span><span lang="EN-CA">Saba</span><span lang="EN-CA">, on the other hand, is passionate and vulnerable. While Katniss keeps her head down and does what she needs to survive, </span><span lang="EN-CA">Saba</span><span lang="EN-CA"> goes in with her fists up. Saba is all heart and raw emotion and straight-up-in-your-face-fierce.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The other thing I preferred about </span><b><span lang="EN-CA">Blood Red Road</span></b><span lang="EN-CA"><b> </b>was the writing. Both books are told in first person POV. But </span>w<span lang="EN-CA">hile Suzanne Collins says it like it is with simple and lyrically-sparse prose, Moira Young is poetic and vivid and </span><span lang="EN-CA">Saba</span><span lang="EN-CA">’s unpolished voice makes her character and her world bright and alive. For example, this:</span><i><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">I cain’t speak. Cain’t breathe.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">Lugh’s gone.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">Gone.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">My golden heart is gone.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">I kneel in the dust.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">The tears roll down my face.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">An a hard red rain starts to fall.</span></i><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Or this:</span><i><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">I watch what she does.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">I learn fast.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">She gives me a helluva beatin before I learn enough. Then I git lucky. I go at her with a flyin kick to the stummick that slams her hard aginst the bars an that’s it. She don’t git up till the keeper pulls her to her feet.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">An it’s over. The end.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">The end fer her. The beginning fer me.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">They don’t tell me her name. There’s a little pink birthmark on her face. It looks like a butterfly.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">Like the Cage Master says, it’s a shame when a good fighter goes down to the gauntlet.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">But one of us had to.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">An it sure as hell warn’t gonna be me.</span></i><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">See what I mean? Fierce<i>.</i> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Another awesome thing </span><span lang="EN-CA">is that Moira Young is a Canadian living in the </span><span lang="EN-CA">U.K.</span><span lang="EN-CA"> and </span><span lang="EN-CA">Saba's world</span><span lang="EN-CA"> was written to be a kind of dystopian </span><span lang="EN-CA">Alberta</span><span lang="EN-CA">. </span><span lang="EN-CA">Saba</span><span lang="EN-CA">’s home of Silverlake is basically the prairies after an ecological apocalypse. Which ties in with the very last reason I prefer this book to <b>The Hunger Games</b>, and that reason is Jack. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Peeta and Gayle. But I didn’t like them the way I liked this guy. Jack is sassy and suave. He's a post-apocalyptic cowboy with mysterious motives, and the chemistry between him and </span><span lang="EN-CA">Saba</span><span lang="EN-CA"> was pitch-perfect.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Also, there were no love triangles - at least not in book one. I can’t say the same about the <a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=fL1Fm1B4rfF5s8Pmtsa7SQ">sequel</a>, however.</span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">-Kristen</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">P.S. Read more about <b>Blood Red Road </b><a href="http://bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=fL1Fm1B4rfFiyoUafQ05Kw">here</a>.</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-57189509800060207102013-07-27T13:24:00.000-07:002013-07-27T15:39:23.929-07:00Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=HPTFUb-o0zHPZhDYtmg_mQ"><img class="dropshadow" height="320" src="http://bookmanager.com/i/m.php?b=HPTFUb-o0zHPZhDYtmg_mQ" style="border-bottom-color: white; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: white; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: white; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: white; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;" width="209" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The first thing you should know about this book is that it's bittersweet. So if you like your endings perfectly happy, consider yourself warned.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The first time I read <a href="http://bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=HPTFUb-o0zHPZhDYtmg_mQ"><b>Keturah and Lord Death</b></a>, it had me so completely captivated that I brought it with me to a family Christmas and locked myself in the washroom just so I could finish it. And then, after I finished it, I sat on the floor for twenty minutes trying to compose myself before I came out again. Which might make you think that you don’t want to read this book - except trust me, you do. Because the very next day, I read it again. And I’ve read it half a dozen times since. These are the reasons why I love it so:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">1) Keturah, our main girl, is a storyteller who loves the people around her so much she’ll play a dangerous game with Death himself to save them.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">2) The romance is unconventional and oh. so. swoony.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">3) The prose is lyrical and lovely.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">4) The musings on death (and, inevitably, life) are breathtaking. For example:</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">In fall, she knew it was Death who sweetened the apples. He made her see the sun in a blue sky and hear the trees in a spring wind. He made her see how much she loved her friends, for all their trouble, and how much her grandmother loved her, and oh, he made her love the breath in her lungs.</span></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Ugh. Best book ever. You should read it.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">-Kristen</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-58360650132730440532013-07-18T14:04:00.000-07:002013-07-18T14:06:24.995-07:00Eleanor & Park Fan Art<span style="font-size: large;">Kristen and I both read <i>Eleanor & Park</i> by Rainbow Rowell recently.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>A brief synopsis</b>:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It's 1986. Eleanor moves to a new neighbourhood and new high school. She does not fit in. She meets Park, who loves music and comic books. She sits down next to him on the school bus one day and he makes the non-committal, but totally endearing gesture of lending Eleanor a comic book. And that's all I'll say for now. OK, I'll also say that it's a beautiful love story. (Kristen and I will be posting a chat about the book soon!)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">One thing I really I loved about this book was the vivid imagery that it called to mind: Eleanor's bright, red, curly hair, Park in his concert t-shirts, and Eleanor's mismatched outfits from the 80s.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Other fans have been similarly inspired by these images, and taken things one step further. They've created beautiful fan art. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Here is a sampling:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevUxyBllVuh84PcAxFetYFkIj6z_hpcLjJchobJFksmzccT_w8kRcDaw24Q7h-qQxBMQezp9-yGNBngMDD2n5XZwQHoo_jIWBSaZat34kyJu3Y7Dy7TlLV49RimWT1a9DKrqoyyzCyRjE/s1600/e&P.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevUxyBllVuh84PcAxFetYFkIj6z_hpcLjJchobJFksmzccT_w8kRcDaw24Q7h-qQxBMQezp9-yGNBngMDD2n5XZwQHoo_jIWBSaZat34kyJu3Y7Dy7TlLV49RimWT1a9DKrqoyyzCyRjE/s320/e&P.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Simini Blocker (http://siminib.blogspot.ca/)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTywFHdhgh_RPFsCVKh2TRxDj20P16yGXxbDp9Y64dugNKev0eR0P0rUz7PARaQ9MCoDLxtJBawOmpXoAfmR7bNJQ8ksU7WpvL6MCejcEEp4jkzCDNplY42-3ELe-rMsDog6Dko0mirti/s1600/E&P+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTywFHdhgh_RPFsCVKh2TRxDj20P16yGXxbDp9Y64dugNKev0eR0P0rUz7PARaQ9MCoDLxtJBawOmpXoAfmR7bNJQ8ksU7WpvL6MCejcEEp4jkzCDNplY42-3ELe-rMsDog6Dko0mirti/s320/E&P+3.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Andiree (http://andiree.tumblr.com/post/46126183024)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0uHQEK6qRby1MFvbgkzjKEJSOrOETVHPyWWuVh1ToTG08OhnnoOHzqn5MXcNs-wnGHlvrpA2ic-wKBfbtfLmIm74MygP4NfuYHAERUxy7sAmWGfZ1AyQAMWHqSkStN6Ck0JzaTqg2tSP/s1600/E7P4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0uHQEK6qRby1MFvbgkzjKEJSOrOETVHPyWWuVh1ToTG08OhnnoOHzqn5MXcNs-wnGHlvrpA2ic-wKBfbtfLmIm74MygP4NfuYHAERUxy7sAmWGfZ1AyQAMWHqSkStN6Ck0JzaTqg2tSP/s320/E7P4.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Irena Freitas (http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/eleanor%20and%20park)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRtwtb5pLdffCCDimQszxR9AAzFW2HL6DROZJGbJEh_7L6UEz1b06AkPNXq26FappuwiEV6ylYapkzziTdfiyOktEOv-we2AehN-mjZFRF3wruYO9q1ut2t_XjXDWjd8AbZ6TfHTXidBf/s1600/EleanorandParkF2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRtwtb5pLdffCCDimQszxR9AAzFW2HL6DROZJGbJEh_7L6UEz1b06AkPNXq26FappuwiEV6ylYapkzziTdfiyOktEOv-we2AehN-mjZFRF3wruYO9q1ut2t_XjXDWjd8AbZ6TfHTXidBf/s320/EleanorandParkF2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Simini Blocker (http://siminib.blogspot.ca/)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span id="goog_1836640282"></span><span id="goog_1836640283"></span><br />Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-3156707072071001552013-07-08T11:55:00.000-07:002013-09-12T17:31:00.749-07:00Lola and the Boy Next Door - a review<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> </b><a href="http://bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=YbuqOsBAiIqjxJuD65fM1w"><img class="dropshadow" src="http://bookmanager.com/i/m.php?b=YbuqOsBAiIqjxJuD65fM1w" style="border: 1px solid white;" width="265" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>A Brief Synopsis</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once upon a time Lola was in love with the boy next door. A boy who liked solving equations and making contraptions and building automatons. A boy who burned her just before he moved away. Which sucked. And now that Lola’s over him (and dating a sexy, older, musician) the boy next door moves back.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And suddenly Lola's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> not sure that she was ever over him to begin with.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It’s easy to talk about things we hate, but sometimes it’s hard to explain exactly why we like something.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, how true this is. I find it so much easier to review a book that I absolutely loathed, but talking about one I loved? I often resort to things like, “ZOMG. It’s amazing! You have to read it!” Which is not exactly helpful.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, here I am, telling you that I loved <a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=YbuqOsBAiIqjxJuD65fM1w"><b>Lola and the Boy Next Door</b></a> by Stephanie Perkins. And here is my attempt to explain why:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First of all: family dynamics. Lola has two dads (trust me, you will fall in love with them), and her aunt is her birth mother - a woman who often makes unwise or unhealthy decisions, then needs bailing out. Lola struggles with her origins, often trying to hide or deny her birth mother’s lifestyle, and wants nothing to do with her. But while her reactions are realistic and understandable, the story never demonizes her birth mother or her choices - which is a hard thing to pull off.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I also loved the way Lola presents herself to the world. She has an eye for fashion and a resolution to never wear the same outfit twice, which means her persona is always changing. You might even say that Lola herself “performs” her identity - through both her costumes, and through her tendency to lie or omit the truth. As a result, the question of “Who is Lola really?” comes up a lot throughout the book, and the questions that her choices bring up are important ones. Questions like: Is who we are how we perform ourselves? Are we the clothes we wear, or the things we say? What about the colour of our skin, or the gender we were assigned? Or are we something else entirely? I was perusing goodreads reviews of this book before reading it, and some people really didn’t like Lola because she has a tendency to lie and has extreme fashion choices. But these things give Lola power – something teenage girls have very little of.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of all, I loved this book because it was raw and true, in the sense that love is often complicated and messy and you’re not always the person you want to be, and you don’t always make the decisions you should. I usually avoid love triangles at all costs, but this one is done really well. It’s realistic in that it shows how much love triangles can really suck, and how much there is to learn from them. Lola’s choices make for a realistic, messy story (or maybe it’s just that I could relate to them), and this is why I loved her.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While the book is a companion book to <b><a href="http://bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=YbuqOsBAiIpqToHrdjjoHg">Anna and the French Kiss</a></b>, you certainly don’t have to read that one first – although, if you don’t, be warned: there are mild spoilers in this one. Characters from Stephanie Perkins' first book make appearances. (And if you haven’t read Anna and the French Kiss, what are you waiting for?! Seriously. It’s so swoony and good.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Kristen</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-82697208300733425682013-06-30T11:09:00.000-07:002013-07-04T06:25:32.405-07:00Review: Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vjJQtIlYg3qbxj1BiaBC0gRi-OF-O-eziwWmZPAZGi2VBGNFyAr5D5yixJZtpR1yIjrdtffWJ20-IWoqEWy1Y3cM0LnJ4PbfemGUrBPoovdO4ERXyh88CJugNcFYexP5fvbu7IrhF2pU/s500/Steampunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vjJQtIlYg3qbxj1BiaBC0gRi-OF-O-eziwWmZPAZGi2VBGNFyAr5D5yixJZtpR1yIjrdtffWJ20-IWoqEWy1Y3cM0LnJ4PbfemGUrBPoovdO4ERXyh88CJugNcFYexP5fvbu7IrhF2pU/s320/Steampunk.jpg" width="229" /></a>The steampunk genre is everywhere these days, to the point that it's
kind of becoming the Starbucks of the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Those of you
who are new to the genre (and thus not over-caffeinated) and are
looking for a worthy guide for this broad adventure, should look no
further than this superb collection of short stories. Writer and editor
Kelly Link has curated a strange and wonderful assortment of
steampunk-themed tales here: in "Clockwork Fagin", author Cory Doctorow
unleashes a savvy bunch of orphans who turn their deceased master into
an automaton so they can rule themselves; "The Summer People" by
Kelly Link is a sinister fairytale about a girl who escapes the
enchantment of fairy folk that have had her family under their spell for
generations; and "The Oracle Engine" by M. T. Anderson is a cool
Classical spin on the genre that takes its readers to ancient Rome. Love.
<br />
<br />
This is the best collection of young adult fiction I've read in a long time. And, it's steampunk. <br />
<br />
-EricaWords Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-487018725146948202013-06-25T10:00:00.001-07:002013-06-25T10:00:58.262-07:00Giveaway Winner's Announced!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yay! It's giveaway day! Here are our randomly picked winners in the order they were picked:</span></span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Winner of Prize #1 (The Testing Series) is Rachel Edmundson!</span></span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlt1B2QcCr0qmJCmu8NE2Ps9PJIFCOYHpVyIYBHi6b-gyizFsuaIvlaY_rrYKAqf66joMB03wWU9NdDBbEYSfFm4pC5LMibgtm69c-mzZLEXV-xUb8F2WrrH3l7UAxCR7aK81uBVbH7SE5/s1600/photo(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlt1B2QcCr0qmJCmu8NE2Ps9PJIFCOYHpVyIYBHi6b-gyizFsuaIvlaY_rrYKAqf66joMB03wWU9NdDBbEYSfFm4pC5LMibgtm69c-mzZLEXV-xUb8F2WrrH3l7UAxCR7aK81uBVbH7SE5/s320/photo(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Winner of Prize #2 (The Jenna Fox Chronicles) is Tanya F.!</span></span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZ0lo8cYfBbARRUhJ5uwoFGWRMBjoUEaL9O3NQ3MEaXvXp4kOf1kqR_VTIA2y0KDF3-V6M5iPBqhTOBXOxCcgojhJ8xgp880P7JsIBeVu6k6BCXhsmu-zchO5kBDJkdp2C6Okpy8-ddfz/s1600/photo(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZ0lo8cYfBbARRUhJ5uwoFGWRMBjoUEaL9O3NQ3MEaXvXp4kOf1kqR_VTIA2y0KDF3-V6M5iPBqhTOBXOxCcgojhJ8xgp880P7JsIBeVu6k6BCXhsmu-zchO5kBDJkdp2C6Okpy8-ddfz/s320/photo(1).JPG" width="320" /></a> </span></span><br />
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Winner of Prize #3 (Advanced Reading Copies) is Alice D.!</span></span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92HCpghB5m0Izlk4mu_PvEO9snXwxWWwxEZ4roncxqh2-EnGbbGhqJi9OdSXnVAeq9GLzm9pVxllTgbZ9jg_FCugsbT5VOA4yD7gQM2qZqRUbuprWVxXbRbXVEsC3JyH6HN55Qf8BQD9N/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92HCpghB5m0Izlk4mu_PvEO9snXwxWWwxEZ4roncxqh2-EnGbbGhqJi9OdSXnVAeq9GLzm9pVxllTgbZ9jg_FCugsbT5VOA4yD7gQM2qZqRUbuprWVxXbRbXVEsC3JyH6HN55Qf8BQD9N/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">We'll be in touch with all three winners by the end of the day. And t</span><span style="font-size: large;">hanks again to everyone who entered! </span></span></div>
</div>
Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-42457276561840376032013-06-24T05:39:00.001-07:002013-06-24T05:39:11.476-07:00last chance to win!<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FcacD4kDR-fmb7yjMoEmyC0EFNZhnB_1tZIQuxWadgIw1m-IwvJW_IqUUQ3RUNv0hR6mye8z3YTovb0YlDoiIhNf3tQHxX_5KeF2NRCRrQBY__SswKJAf0tN76dkGBBcggWBY00cbXBk/s400/photo(2).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For more details on all prizes, go <a href="http://eoseventeen.blogspot.ca/2013/06/relaunch-giveaway.html">here</a>.</span> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today is the last day to enter our giveaway draw! You have until midnight tonight to get your name in. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">If you need a refresher, or are hearing about this for the first time, here are the RULES:</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Post a link to this giveaway on Facebook, twitter, tumblr, etc. Then come back here and leave a comment with a link to where you posted it.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EdgeOfSeventeenBlog">Facebook page</a>. Similarly, come back here and leave a comment saying you did this.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Go into our <a href="http://wordsworthbooks.com/">store </a>and sign up for our newsletter. Make sure to sign up using the ballot box, instead of writing your name down on our sign-up sheet, or your name won't be entered in the giveaway draw. </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Do all of the above. The more things you do, the more times your name gets entered, and the more likely you are to get picked </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">The winner MUST be able to pick up their books <a href="http://wordsworthbooks.com/">in store</a> (96 King St. N, Waterloo, Ontario).* So if you live in Halifax or Vancouver or New York, that's totally cool, as long as you have a way to get <a href="http://wordsworthbooks.com/">here</a>.</span></span></li>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Contest ends at midnight tonight. We’ll announce the winners tomorrow, here on the blog. So check back then!</span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">*This rule has been altered: If you REALLY want to enter, don't live nearby, and are willing to pay for shipping, then feel free to enter.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</span></span></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-52829059715006614142013-06-21T05:27:00.000-07:002013-06-21T05:27:15.535-07:00Q & A with Vikki Vansickle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aJ_v_sohNwmNWS0_IOVjTKr4T7xTeNJtbg7ii_drEa8WbLiJBD7zNgSRHvM5PUFBhOO-H61B5NOgopU2-7Aa2t0_asKjrGSUNBVHFumRVd7QYXiZQ45UYoV_vscqOi0j4O2caD8pD7ab/s1600/Summer+Days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aJ_v_sohNwmNWS0_IOVjTKr4T7xTeNJtbg7ii_drEa8WbLiJBD7zNgSRHvM5PUFBhOO-H61B5NOgopU2-7Aa2t0_asKjrGSUNBVHFumRVd7QYXiZQ45UYoV_vscqOi0j4O2caD8pD7ab/s320/Summer+Days.jpg" width="206" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZuQmovR3GhqilY2LnOIrTk8Escl7I_q9P1ghkIqXQjgVD6igLbnGk5RXG3HEUQNtWNXF0jJvlkuqmtLRunV1hv6NiFpa9Pk2AtBZgN-RCJdAyLsNuWrNs8EaBKqnu8XB3EfH4x5E4uE0D/s1600/Vikki1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZuQmovR3GhqilY2LnOIrTk8Escl7I_q9P1ghkIqXQjgVD6igLbnGk5RXG3HEUQNtWNXF0jJvlkuqmtLRunV1hv6NiFpa9Pk2AtBZgN-RCJdAyLsNuWrNs8EaBKqnu8XB3EfH4x5E4uE0D/s320/Vikki1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-CA</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ansi-language:EN-CA;
mso-fareast-language:EN-CA;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Vikki VanSickle is the author of three middle grade books: <a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=6X_Ln8xXHwjOqW0YAAt-Kw">Words That Start With B</a>, <a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=6X_Ln8xXHwhaZoOFBD-miQ">Love is a Four-Letter-Word</a>, and <a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=6X_Ln8xXHwhYl_Wpsi6PaA">Days That End in Y</a>. Her most recent book, <a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=6X_Ln8xXHwg1V0-p0HaqTg">Summer Days, Starry Nights</a>, is a YA novel that was just released this month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Kristen:</b> Vikki, I mention in <a href="http://eoseventeen.blogspot.ca/2013/06/summer-days-starry-nights-by-vikki.html">my review</a> that I couldn’t put <i>Summer Days, Starry Nights</i> down. It cast this warm, lovely spell over me, which is why I was so
excited about this interview. I have so many questions!<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Vikki:</b> Yay! That is so nice of
you to say!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Kristen</b>: First of all, where did this story come from or
what inspired you to write it? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Vikki: </b>Reenie Starr literally
walked into my head one day while I was on a two day break between camp
sessions up north, staying at a friend’s house in Sudbury. I had a very clear
sense of her voice and her family right away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">When I was a child my
family rented a cottage on a family resort much like Sandy Shores for a week on
Lake Dalrymple (near Orillia, ON), which I loved. I never wanted to leave, and
so as an adult I imagined what it would be like to live there! One of the joys
of fiction-writing is living out your own fantasies (to an extent). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Kristen:</b> I loved everything about the setting: northern
Ontario, the resort environment, the 60s! What about this place and time period
appeals to you?<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Vikki:</b> I’ve always loved the
60s, particularly the music and the sense of change that was in the air. My
favourite kind of story is a poignant coming of age tale and in the 60s it was
like the whole world was coming of age. It was a particularly interesting time
for women. All three women in the story, Reenie, Gwen, and Mimi, are products
of their respective eras and are pushing against what was expected for girls at
the time. Mimi is less successful, but in 1960s women were breaking boundaries
all over the place. I read two fabulous nonfiction titles about women and music
in the 60s, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Girls Like Us</i> by Sheila
Weller and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Girl Groups, Girl Culture</i>
by Jacqueline Warwick, which really helped shape Gwen’s character and provide
insight into what the music industry was like for women at the time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As for the location, it
was loosely based on the resort my family visited when I was a child. I have
very vivid memories of my time there. I’ve always associated summer with the
60s, probably due to movies like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dirty
Dancing, My Girl, and My American Cousin. </i>A summer story NOT set up north
would have been very strange for me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Kristen: </b>Mimi, despite her flaws, was
probably my favourite character in the book. I really felt her longing, and her
sadness, and I so badly wanted to know why she was the way she was. Her running
away right at the beginning had me immediately hooked. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Which was your favourite character to write and why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Vikki: </b>I’m glad you felt for
Mimi! She was the most interesting and difficult character to write because she
makes some bad parenting decisions which end up hurting her children,
particularly Reenie. Depression was not talked about widely in the 50s and 60s.
Mimi would probably not refer to her own sadness as something as chronic as
depression, which is something people today still don’t do and why it’s
important to be open about mental illness. Mimi isn’t a bad mother, nor does
she hate her lot in life. But she does have difficulty facing the world
sometimes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Gwen was the most fun
to write about. She is the cool, older sister I would have loved to have. I
love how fully she embraces life and how willing she is to take risks. She is
the girl Mimi could have been in a different time period given different
choices. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Kristen:</b> How long did it take to write Summer Days, Starry
Nights? Was the process mostly the same as your other three books, or
completely different?<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Vikki: </b>The process was similar
in that I didn’t write in order. I don’t outline and I am wary of too much
pre-planning. Instead I wade around the story, jump from scene to scene, and
try things out until I eventually have so much material I need to step back and
think about ordering it in some way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Summer Days, Starry Nights</i> took a bit longer to write (about 2 years) and was
almost double the length it is now. Originally it took place over a number of
years and was titled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Seven Summers of
Reenie Starr </i>(I still really like this title, although it clearly doesn’t
work anymore!) Eventually I realized a lot of those summers were back story for
my benefit, but the reader didn’t need to be privy to all that detail. This
meant that I made a huge cut, which is something I’ve never done before. It was
scary, but also very liberating. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Kristen:</b> I'm fascinated by authors who write out of order. I'm also curious about where you write. Do you have a special or favourite place?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Vikki: </b>I tend to write in my
room or in a little sun room/office space off the kitchen in the house I share
with my roommates in Toronto. I prefer to write early in the morning when my
brain is open and no one else is up yet. I drink pots and pots of tea and take
many breaks to pet the cat. If I don’t, she takes it out on my poor laptop!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Kristen: </b>Okay, more writing-related questions: Why do you write? What are the best and worst
parts? What was your favourite part of writing <i>Summer Days, Starry Nights</i>?<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Vikki: </b>I love people. All of my
books start with a character’s voice in my head. Eventually it gets to the
point where I can’t ignore the voice and so I start writing. For me, the best
part of writing is getting carried away by the story and all of a sudden two
hours have gone by and you have a new twist or a new character.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The worst part for me is
breaking to go about the regular business of life, like going to work or doing
chores. Some days my story is taking up such a huge part of my brain it’s a
miracle I can get anything else done!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Kristen: </b>What have you been reading lately that you
absolutely love? Or what is one of your all-time favourite books? (Feel free to
name a few if you can’t pick just one.)<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Vikki: </b>I am bad
at picking favourites, but lately I have loved <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eleanor & Park</i> by Rainbow Rowell and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Code Name Verity</i> by Elizabeth Wein. One of my favourite summer
books is Kit Pearson’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Looking at the
Moon</i>. I love how Pearson catches the mood of the 1940s and Nora’s growing
sense of self in the world around her. In some ways <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Summer Days, Starry Nights</i> is just as much a tribute to that book
as it is to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dirty Dancing.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Kristen: </b>I definitely felt the Kit Pearson influence in <i>Summer
Days, Starry Nights</i>, which I adored. And I loved Eleanor & Park too! Ow, my heart. Okay,
last question: Do you have a favourite band from the 60s?<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Vikki: </b>Again, I am terrible at
picking just ONE, but I love The Marvelettes, The Shirelles, The Crystals,
Lesley Gore, and The Beatles (of course)!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Kristen: </b>Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, and thank you doubly for writing such a lovely book!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For those of you who haven't read <i>Summer Days, Starry Nights </i>yet, check out <a href="http://eoseventeen.blogspot.ca/2013/06/summer-days-starry-nights-by-vikki.html">our review</a> and Vikki's awesome <a href="http://pinterest.com/bookishvix/summer-days-starry-nights/">pinterest board</a>, and then go grab it!</span></b></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-8244230608799365712013-06-19T05:37:00.001-07:002013-06-19T05:37:59.251-07:00Summer Days, Starry Nights by Vikki VanSickle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=6X_Ln8xXHwg1V0-p0HaqTg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1QiRFrqMhV6M7O65q4rh9figCEnMaaF_Hw8HpefiTxcfKK0-TTlizqfBk5XLOS-vrmmavxAh2JCjMEpv9nKTeVwudsUUaMV7O5pJAQ5GGsNUeoAg-AGNxIf3xWrpXnrdyCJV2JMb3ynV/s400/summer.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=6X_Ln8xXHwg1V0-p0HaqTg">Summer Days, Starry Nights</a> is a sun-kissed story that opens with a spark which quickly turns to flame: Reenie’s mother, Mimi, is missing. When she reappears we find out that shiny, exotic Mimi who once dreamt of being a star and whose dark, silent moods could strike at any time, ran away without even leaving a note.<o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The secrets and uncertain moods of Reenie’s mother aren’t the only threat to her family’s happiness, though. Business is in decline at their resort, Sandy Shores, and Reenie is worried; she loves her home - the lake and the sand, the cabins and the customers - more than anything. She can’t bear the thought of losing it.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Then Gwendolyn Cate arrives – Mimi’s solution to all their problems. Gwen is a ballet dancer in training from Toronto, come to shine things up a bit. But Reenie’s memory of the fairy-like girl turns out to be just that: a memory. At first, Gwen seems like another person entirely, keeping secrets and not letting Reenie in. Gwen is friendly, but not as friendly as Reenie wants her to be. She wants a best friend, not an older sister. So Reenie decides to take matters into her own hands and figures out a way to simultaneously draw out Gwen’s secrets, make everyone happy, and save Sandy Shores. Only things don’t quite go as planned.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I found Reenie so endearing. She's eager to prove herself, as well as at ease in her home - whether she’s fishing with her dad, taking care of her little sister, or accommodating customers. She’s on the cusp of adolescence, a teenager and yet not quite a teenager, wanting more responsibility but not realizing what that responsibility entails. Inevitably, she makes mistakes and learns about herself along the way. I most especially loved her relationship with her father. She admires him and longs for him to see just how capable she is.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Altogether, Summer Days, Starry Nights is warm and delightful summer reading, perfect for preteens and younger teens. It evokes that camp or cottage feel, as well as that time in life where you just want to be able to test your wings and see if you can fly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I couldn’t put it down.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span">-Kristen</span></span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-92019170858381423202013-06-13T10:54:00.000-07:002013-06-13T10:54:19.203-07:00featured June releases: *The Oathbreaker's Shadow* and *The Moon and More*<span style="font-size: large;">So many exciting books are out this month! Here are two new arrivals that we've been waiting impatiently for:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Oathbreaker's Shadow by Amy McCulloch</b>:</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=fL1Fm1B4rfEH_PyLAkPoFw"><img class="dropshadow" height="320" src="http://www.bookmanager.com/i/m.php?b=fL1Fm1B4rfEH_PyLAkPoFw" style="border: 1px solid white;" width="199" /></a> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: large;">From the flap copy:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">In the land of Darhan promises are bound by magic, tied into knots, and worn with pride. Those who break them are physically scarred, cast out into the desert, and tormented by vengeful shadows of their treachery. So when Raim agrees to give his life as a warrior to the future Khan, he knows that he must honour his word until the day he dies.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">But on the night he takes his vow, Raim accidentally breaks a mysterious promise that he has worn since the day he was born. Yet how can he break an oath he has no memory of making?</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">With the dark mark of a traitor seared into his skin, and forced into exile, Raim flees on a journey that will reveal the true meaning of honour, and uncover truths that will change his world for ever.</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
THE OATHBREAKER'S SHADOW is a fantasy pitched to fans of Philip Pullman and George R.R. Martin, and Kristen can't wait to read it. Forgotten oaths? Broken vows? Exile? Her heart-rate doubles just thinking about it.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: large;"><b>The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen</b>:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=aGbDppj7IVsqVQVDmhBOZA"><img class="dropshadow" height="400" src="http://www.bookmanager.com/i/m.php?b=aGbDppj7IVsqVQVDmhBOZA" style="border: 1px solid white;" width="265" /></a></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
</style>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026"/>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1"/>
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">From the flap copy:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have
been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where
they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline
wonders if perfect is good enough.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Enter Theo, a super-ambitious
outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a
reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of
all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Emaline's
mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life,
and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to
realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that
Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of
her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of
the happily familiar world of Colby? </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i> Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?<br /><br />
Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance,
yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: large;">Mandy loves loves loves Sarah Dessen and thinks that this should be in everyone's to-read pile this summer. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: large;">Also! Be sure to check out and enter our <a href="http://eoseventeen.blogspot.ca/2013/06/relaunch-giveaway.html">GIVEAWAY DRAW </a>here. The contest ends on June 25th, so enter as many times as you can before midnight on June 24th to win really awesome books.</span></div>
Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-77419879521916736302013-06-11T06:52:00.000-07:002013-06-11T06:52:38.364-07:00Book Links<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276"> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>A round-up of bookish news going around the interwebs:</b><br />
<br />
Maggie Stiefvater is holding <a href="http://maggie-stiefvater.tumblr.com/post/52547548309/hi-i-love-the-raven-boys-and-i-was-wondering-whether">an art contest</a> to win an ARC of the The Dream Thieves. Go enter!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Check out the <a href="http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.ca/2013/06/divergent-movie-stills-so-far.html">first few film stills</a> of the Divergent movie over at Veronica Roth’s blog. (And if you haven’t seen the cover reveal for Allegiant yet, it’s <a href="http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.ca/2013/05/allegiant-cover.html">here</a>.) Oh, here she is again with Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm) <a href="http://shelf-life.ew.com/2013/06/04/veronica-roth-leigh-bardugo-divergent-siege-and-storm-interview/">talking about badass heroines</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Similarly, here's an <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2013/06/ya_author_sarah_dessen_and_her_book_editor_regina_hayes_of_viking_in_conversation.html?utm_source=tw&utm_medium=sm&utm_campaign=button_chunky">author-editor interview</a> with Sarah Dessen and her editor, Regina Hayes.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="color: #262626;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Two intriguing articles, one on <a href="http://www.stackedbooks.org/2013/06/female-sexuality-in-ya-fiction_2136.html">female sexuality in YA fiction</a> and the other on <a href="http://theamericanreader.com/green-screen-the-lack-of-female-road-narratives-and-why-it-matters/">the lack of female road narratives and why it matters</a></span></span><span style="color: #262626;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Also, the LAMBDA award winner for the YA Category was just <a href="http://www.lambdaliterary.org/features/06/04/25th-annual-lambda-literary-award-winners-announced/">announced</a>: <a href="http://bookmanager.com/1318225/?opt=bn&q=h.ts&so=oh&qse=43j-CzJdMg4H3Lmjtw_HkA">Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe</a> by Benjamin Alire Saenz.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
And the Seattle Public Library just broke the world record for their Domino Book Chain:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><object height="315" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Np450xMSncE?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param>
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Np450xMSncE?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last but not least, don't forget to enter our <a href="http://eoseventeen.blogspot.ca/2013/06/relaunch-giveaway.html">GIVEAWAY DRAW</a>. The contest ends at midnight on June 24, so make sure you enter before then.</div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-92107321628496906842013-06-10T11:05:00.001-07:002013-06-10T11:05:53.429-07:00Relaunch Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->In celebration of our blog's relaunch (YAY!) we're giving away three prizes of books and ARCs (baskets not included):</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FcacD4kDR-fmb7yjMoEmyC0EFNZhnB_1tZIQuxWadgIw1m-IwvJW_IqUUQ3RUNv0hR6mye8z3YTovb0YlDoiIhNf3tQHxX_5KeF2NRCRrQBY__SswKJAf0tN76dkGBBcggWBY00cbXBk/s1600/photo(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FcacD4kDR-fmb7yjMoEmyC0EFNZhnB_1tZIQuxWadgIw1m-IwvJW_IqUUQ3RUNv0hR6mye8z3YTovb0YlDoiIhNf3tQHxX_5KeF2NRCRrQBY__SswKJAf0tN76dkGBBcggWBY00cbXBk/s400/photo(2).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Basket #1: The
Testing Series</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau (Advanced Reader’s
Copy)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfDFjQCyDJeDvbofn3XBEO8NEfApVLka044t2cts3OOp3aJr-euJTAjFDYo0Ji3MVTratxeGUrDUQS5iWEoJHMzJu_nXdQUAlmRYXDuofPG8EUg_51s9bFOlCcSjjRv4aptJYBifIlkMu/s1600/photo(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfDFjQCyDJeDvbofn3XBEO8NEfApVLka044t2cts3OOp3aJr-euJTAjFDYo0Ji3MVTratxeGUrDUQS5iWEoJHMzJu_nXdQUAlmRYXDuofPG8EUg_51s9bFOlCcSjjRv4aptJYBifIlkMu/s400/photo(1).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Basket #2: Jenna Fox
Chronicles</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Fox Forever by Mary E. Pearson</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcb4fhZ8CmwPCFZwtBwTC0hg0gRkL1OjeoqFWgFlmVjHImIiTfqO1GrbnKTq10dkSmZAYBysRnMWP_dAV7cST6ZMB-6KzZF-57JoUHSezOW2OTWUHQwA7ebF15JEZ9NuuTmaETiGY6XxV/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcb4fhZ8CmwPCFZwtBwTC0hg0gRkL1OjeoqFWgFlmVjHImIiTfqO1GrbnKTq10dkSmZAYBysRnMWP_dAV7cST6ZMB-6KzZF-57JoUHSezOW2OTWUHQwA7ebF15JEZ9NuuTmaETiGY6XxV/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Basket #3: 7 Advanced
</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Reading</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Copies!</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
To Be Perfectly Honest by Sonya Sones</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Earthbound <span class="bysmalltext">by Aprilynne Pike</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Ashes on the Waves by Mary Lindsey</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Spellcaster by Claudia Gray</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Confederates Don’t Wear Couture by Stephanie Kate Strohm</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
How to Lose Everything by Philipp Mattheis</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
The Wells Bequest by Polly Shulman</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if !mso]><img src="//img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" />
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
</style>
<![endif]-->RULES.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are a few ways to enter. These are the ways:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Post a
link to this giveaway on Facebook, twitter, tumblr, etc. Then come back
here and leave a comment with a link to where you posted it.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Like
our shiny new <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EdgeOfSeventeenBlog">Facebook page</a>. Similarly, come back here and leave a comment saying you did this.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Go into our <a href="http://wordsworthbooks.com/">store </a>and sign up for our newsletter. Make sure to sign up using the ballot box, instead of writing your name down on our sign-up sheet, or your name won't be entered in the giveaway draw. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Do all of the above. The more things you do, the more times your name
gets entered, and the more likely you are to get picked. Aw yeah.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">*IMPORTANT* The winner MUST be able to pick up their books <a href="http://wordsworthbooks.com/">in store</a> (96 King St. N, Waterloo, Ontario). So if you live in Halifax or Vancouver or New York, that's totally cool, as long as you have a way to get <a href="http://wordsworthbooks.com/">here</a>. :)</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Contest ends at midnight on June 24. We’ll announce the winners on June 25 here on the blog. So check back then.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Good luck!! </div>
Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-19086213904425480442013-06-05T13:55:00.000-07:002013-06-05T13:55:13.371-07:00Stay Tuned...<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>...while this blog gets an update.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRSAs5Xb0mw5TNcoGv6PTkqlnKrgsUNoS1s9L1GFIT-_Q7UC_5DowWNZTFNhcTrV7EAMtoFV1lfUnmc7a22debSZm_fHw8KI16_craQ2thoDd40UUNiuyUbBGXhUgwq7auqfDdhAYWIBB/s1600/IMG_0236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRSAs5Xb0mw5TNcoGv6PTkqlnKrgsUNoS1s9L1GFIT-_Q7UC_5DowWNZTFNhcTrV7EAMtoFV1lfUnmc7a22debSZm_fHw8KI16_craQ2thoDd40UUNiuyUbBGXhUgwq7auqfDdhAYWIBB/s320/IMG_0236.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">New things coming soon!</span></b></div>
Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-24351896299187209452012-09-03T05:26:00.000-07:002012-09-03T05:26:48.760-07:00Giveaway *(you) set me on fire* by Mariko Tamaki<iframe frameborder="0" height="575" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dFl5TWpvSkJyQlo5N2puTXdUZ0JLY3c6MQ" width="760">Loading...</iframe>Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-66448556297726866372012-09-03T05:10:00.004-07:002012-09-03T05:13:29.917-07:00(you) set me on fire by Mariko Tamaki <br />
Mariko Tamaki’s earlier graphic novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Skim</i>, (about an adolescent girl struggling with her sexuality) was
beautifully written and handled with honesty and sensitivity. Her new novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(you) set me on fire,</i> has a lot of the
same insight.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTYqHNVPUygqauIcpJwv7MCbIL7p9FGbmSW97p2-bB_yzjrBEj9Jw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTYqHNVPUygqauIcpJwv7MCbIL7p9FGbmSW97p2-bB_yzjrBEj9Jw" /></a>Allison Lee is seventeen and starting college in the fall.
She’s had a rough senior year in high school: she’s set herself on fire twice (accidentally) and been in love once, and the wounds
are still fresh. College, she imagines, is the perfect setting to start again.
And things seem to be going along as planned until Allison meets a rebellious girl
named Shar and her world goes dramarama.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You’ve probably heard people say that life after high school
is really just a rehash of the same old dramas. Or maybe it’s more accurate to
say that high school social structure is a super-concentrated slice of life.
However you look at it, it’s fair to say that the teenage years are a goldmine
of dramatic possibility for novelists, and Mariko Tamaki takes advantage of
this in the best way possible. <i>(you) set me on fire</i> is reminiscent of the John Green at his best. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Erica <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-72066272252410844022012-08-20T13:18:00.000-07:002012-08-20T13:28:51.456-07:00I really hope this has something to do with the story...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyycjkW5Ni-j6hXLpWmQEkvNiFYsmTBviG6Jxdbl-1a-0JUDwMYhMEZk67kQykx2ekXXCcJvQ9I5CwHpRqPwuvhPPFwJEkjj6iLTsyzXSOj3DNKUPuGQUm9kqY1lwqA8h5zep0Arav4t1/s1600/TrixieBelden2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyycjkW5Ni-j6hXLpWmQEkvNiFYsmTBviG6Jxdbl-1a-0JUDwMYhMEZk67kQykx2ekXXCcJvQ9I5CwHpRqPwuvhPPFwJEkjj6iLTsyzXSOj3DNKUPuGQUm9kqY1lwqA8h5zep0Arav4t1/s200/TrixieBelden2.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Working at a bookstore, it's great fun to see the books that people special order. Often they are bestsellers from years back; sometimes they are obscure or hard to find titles; and, occasionally, they are kids titles that make me nostalgic.<br />
<br />
And, every once in a while, they have terrifying covers like the one to the right.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQjLCV3NmHFnmiWdK-DXi8QQSK7QmkZGWev2mmrpcS3OcW0_nYQpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQjLCV3NmHFnmiWdK-DXi8QQSK7QmkZGWev2mmrpcS3OcW0_nYQpg" width="130" /></a><a href="http://covers.openlibrary.org/w/id/844492-L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://covers.openlibrary.org/w/id/844492-L.jpg" width="121" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br />
I've never read any <i>Trixie Belden</i> books, but I think if I owned this one as a kid, I would have hidden it in the attic. Why is Trixie wearing a severed head on her hand like a puppet? I always suspected <i>Nancy Drew</i> had a bit of a dark side, but Trixie, you're, like, twelve years old! In all seriousness though, I probably would have read the book just to figure out what the heck was going on. I am always fascinated by book cover art. I'm particularily interested
in the differences between the US/Canadian/UK versions of books. Or when
a book wins a medal and they change the cover to supposedly appeal to
the masses. Case in point: Shannon Hale books. The original cover
(illustrated one) for <i>Princess Academy</i> is so much more representative
of the story, in my opinion. What do you think? <br />
<br />
-Erica</div>
Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-23317339627043155102012-08-20T13:11:00.000-07:002012-08-20T13:20:05.220-07:00Sassy Mag LivesBack in the late 80s, a friend lent me her copy of a yet-unheard-of-by-me teen magazine called <i>Sassy</i>. As I flipped through it's glossy, colourful pages I could almost feel my 13-year-old mind collapsing under the weight of all of my subverted expectation. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://giselaandzoe.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/johnny-depp-19901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://giselaandzoe.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/johnny-depp-19901.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Sassy</i>, for those who've never read it (and it's long defunct), was like a big, bad, sarcastic older sister to all the other goody-goody teen mags (<i>Seventeen</i>, I'm looking at you). Sassy introduced me to bands and musicians like Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Juliana Hatfield, and Liz Phair, and frequently published candid articles about sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. <br />
<br />
But the very thing that made <i>Sassy </i>so great, eventually led to the magazine's demise. A group of angry mothers killed <i>Sassy</i>. Not happy with the magazine's content ("How dare you try and inspire our daughters to be independent-minded, informed young women!"), the mothers started an advertising boycott. They wrote to all of <i>Sassy</i>'s major advertising clients and asked them to boycott the publication. And, as you can imagine, it didn't take long for things to go south.<br />
<br />
<i>Sassy</i> folded in 1996, and, since then, my heart has longed for another magazine to come along and fill it's stylish combat boots. <i>Bust</i> has been a worthy seatwarmer for a few years now, but it's more of a young women's (20+) <i>Sassy</i> and lacks some of the tongue-in-cheek charm of it's predecessor, though it definitely is a topnotch magazine.<br />
<br />
Anyway, let's skip to the happy ending. Through a recent article in <i><a href="http://www.bust.com/">Bust</a> </i>magazine, I discovered that 16-year -old fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson, with the help of a few others including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Pratt">Jane Pratt</a> (!) and <a href="http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CF0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FIra_Glass&ei=7JgyUP-CHoO_yQGth4DoAQ&usg=AFQjCNEp5yF5B_6dyFCGMf95j91TBcdh3g">Ira Glass</a> (!), have created an online magazine called <a href="http://rookiemag.com/"><i>Rookie</i></a> that effectively blows my mind. It's everything<i> Sassy</i> was and more. Tavi, thanks for loving <i>Sassy</i> even though you were not born before the last issue rolled. You have made my world a better place. <br />
<br />
And...just to send me right over the edge of happiness, Rookie has a <a href="http://bookmanager.com/1318225/?q=h.ts&opt=kw&so=oh&qs=rookie%3A+yearbook+one&x=0&y=0">book</a> coming out this fall. It's a collection of the best of the magazine's first year.<br />
<br />
-Erica Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-65978361073738010972012-02-13T06:47:00.000-08:002012-02-14T16:57:14.525-08:00In Defence of Romance<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3VeBLFspeOTB9hGsEZ4nMPcw4PSPCTDRhiskz1pymhBY91QfsO3-HpFlhJa7u-5Vn06h-obuAzqrMu7RDuFdtEwcvaxZDR6d2zCNJxzXZKqyN6cwLK_O7EwAru-2CkgayPvnO602mQA/s1600/rhymes+with+cupid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3VeBLFspeOTB9hGsEZ4nMPcw4PSPCTDRhiskz1pymhBY91QfsO3-HpFlhJa7u-5Vn06h-obuAzqrMu7RDuFdtEwcvaxZDR6d2zCNJxzXZKqyN6cwLK_O7EwAru-2CkgayPvnO602mQA/s200/rhymes+with+cupid.jpg" width="133" /></a><em>Rhymes with Cupid</em>
by Anna Humphrey is the story of Elyse: a seventeen-year-old employee
of Goodman’s Gifts and Stationery with a beyond-her-years jaded attitude
towards romantic love, and a passionate dislike for Valentine’s Day and
all of its associations. After a particularly bad breakup the year
before, Elyse just wants to make it through Valentine’s Day with her
head down and her spirits relatively unscathed.<span class="PreviewMsgText visualIEFloatFix" id="ucPreviewMsg_lblMessage"></span><br />
<br />
Enter Patrick, Elyse’s next door neighbour, secret admirer, and
indomitable flirt. Elyse tries her darnedest to deflect his advances,
but gradually begins to realize that Patrick may really be the good guy
that he seems to be. As in “what you see is what you get,” and “yes,
there really are good guys out there.” Remember Darcy from <i>Pride and
Prejudice</i>? Good guy, just some trouble with sharing his feelings. Lloyd
Dobler from <em>Say Anything </em>is another good example. He’s cool enough without you, but you’re still worth his time. Patrick Verona from <em>Ten Things I Hate about You</em> turns out all right in the end. And Cyrano de Bergerac has all the right words, if not the confidence to speak them himself.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOikaEptMEwuSPb4RwQpAitWvhqX1kUa8_4wHcrYujVdgv4XpcBepjont21KF6ELEjpg03arxH_ks_XZWWvN55gvHqikuKKdZrDKfwXArvxCL0u9kJuaPHFAlbe9vSlOFhS7j9sIDtwM/s1600/01d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOikaEptMEwuSPb4RwQpAitWvhqX1kUa8_4wHcrYujVdgv4XpcBepjont21KF6ELEjpg03arxH_ks_XZWWvN55gvHqikuKKdZrDKfwXArvxCL0u9kJuaPHFAlbe9vSlOFhS7j9sIDtwM/s320/01d.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, see? Nice guys are all over the place if you look closely enough.
The bad boy fantasy makes it all too easy for women to excuse bad
behaviour and settle for being treated like they don’t deserve more. <em>Rhymes with Cupid</em>
is a sweet, good-natured romance that made me smile on more than one
occasion. The story is a classic and the writing is witty and smart, to
boot. Read <i>Rhymes with Cupid</i> this Valentine’s Day and indulge all of
your good guy fantasies. Lloyd Dobler would approve.<br />
<br />
-EricaWords Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-5566192217981001032012-01-18T14:54:00.000-08:002012-01-18T14:57:37.546-08:00The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars...<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://guygonegeek.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/johngreen.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://guygonegeek.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/johngreen.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Green, with misplaced manuscript</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sixteen-year-old Hazel Grace has stage four cancer that is spreading to her lungs. Thanks to a hopeful new trial drug, the growth of her cancer has been halted for a time. At a cancer support group meeting to help her deal with her depression, Hazel meets Augustus Waters, a handsome, charming young man whose own cancer prognosis looks better than Hazel’s. Hazel is drawn to Augustus' sense of humour, unique worldview and thorough grasp of irony and metaphor. Augustus has a weird habit of dangling an unlit cigarette between his lips, but later explains: “It's a metaphor, see. You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">” Hazel’s relationship with Augustus and their shared love of a book called <u>An Imperial Affliction</u> by a reclusive Dutch writer named Peter van Houten take them along an unusual path of self-discovery.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Beautifully written and filled with humour, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Fault in Our Stars</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is also one of the most highly anticipated Young Adult titles this year. And it’s no wonder. It’s author, John Green, has almost two million followers on Twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/realjohngreen">http://twitter.com/realjohngreen</a>) and a whole community of nerdy fans at vlogbrothers (http://www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers) , a collection of video journals that are a back and forth correspondence with his brother Hank. The videologs are caffeine-fuelled musings on just about everything worth talking about. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Green’s fans are of the die-hard variety, regularly posting encouraging comments on his website like “I can’t wait to receive my signed, pre-ordered copy of your new book so I can lick your signature!” OK, maybe no one <i>actually</i> said that, but you get the idea.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTnCC7vc02cOX1gby2TRYvzuHTdGC70J3vt3eEbVrhMgZZ9UN5qZQ" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTnCC7vc02cOX1gby2TRYvzuHTdGC70J3vt3eEbVrhMgZZ9UN5qZQ" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The new book does NOT disappoint. The plot and topic of this new book was a closely-guarded secret with Green and his publishers for a while, so I had no idea what this one was about. John Green could sell his shopping lists on ebay and make a fortune so it almost seemed like what he chose to write about was irrelevant. But here’s the kicker:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Fault in Our Stars</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is about one of the single most difficult topics around: childhood cancer. In a lesser writer’s hands, this would be the kind of book I would diligently avoid; however, this is why it’s not a problem:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1)</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">John Green’s previous (and award-winning) book<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Looking for Alaska</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>deals with death in a sensitive, intelligent, and even, at times, humorous way.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2)</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Green writes teenage dialogue good enough to make Joss Whedon (Buffy) and Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls) sit up and take notice.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">3)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><u>The Fault in Our Stars</u> is filled with lots of literary references and poetry. I love that Green never assumes that his audience is stupid.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: underline;">The Fault in Our Stars</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">will be a feast for existing John Green fans, and--for new readers--a great introduction to a young adult writer at the top of his game.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">-Erica</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4054085285665003329.post-80126611124025528532011-11-10T14:37:00.000-08:002011-11-15T11:58:25.239-08:00*Wonderstruck* giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvlGB9y4Z4QMeqNwACSvg57VamTDvH897nSXDEO_hNUufDwIxvVUH3Am8HamcFay9VOKQPn0SHy2zYuzA9wHPyDytNY0XAJghxBXO7yuXjH9ML3dYV4m32-Rq97i7P5ue0BFTzNSwtPRh/s1600/Wonderstruck.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvlGB9y4Z4QMeqNwACSvg57VamTDvH897nSXDEO_hNUufDwIxvVUH3Am8HamcFay9VOKQPn0SHy2zYuzA9wHPyDytNY0XAJghxBXO7yuXjH9ML3dYV4m32-Rq97i7P5ue0BFTzNSwtPRh/s400/Wonderstruck.jpeg" width="265" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From <b>Brian Selznick</b>, the creator of <b><i>The Invention of Hugo Cabret</i></b>, the Caldecott Medal winner, comes another breathtaking tour de force.
Set fifty years apart, two independent stories — Ben's told in words and Rose's in pictures — weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ever since his mom died, Ben feels lost. At home with her father, Rose feels alone. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He is searching for someone, but he is not sure who. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She is searching for something, but she is not sure what. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Ben finds a mysterious clue hidden in his mom's room, </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When a tempting opportunity presents itself to Rose, </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Both children risk everything to find what's missing. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> With over 460 pages of original drawings and playing with the form he invented in his trailblazing debut novel, <i><b>The Invention of Hugo Cabret</b></i>, <b>Brian Selznick</b> once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful, Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><iframe frameborder="0" height="673" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dFpISUNTS0htQUtBWENVNGtFZ3kwdEE6MQ" width="760">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe>Words Worth Blogs!http://www.blogger.com/profile/13203541992033159617noreply@blogger.com0