Category: Great Books

It’s almost that time again…

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Last year Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and I hosted The Class of 2011: YA Superlatives Blogfest, a fun and interactive way to highlight our favorite YA novels, covers, characters, and story elements. We had a fantastic group of bloggers who signed on to participate, and we had a blast hopping from blog to blog to find out how you awarded your 2011 superlatives.

Jess, Tracey, Alison, and I had such a great time promoting awesome 2011 books and getting to know new bloggers through the blogfest, we’ve decided to do it all over again! This year we’ll highlight 2012 books, we’ll introduce a few new superlative categories, and we’re planning a giveaway as just one more reason to join in on the fun.

There will be lots more information about specifics of the The Class of 2012: YA Superlatives Blogfest in the coming weeks (I can tell you that it’ll take place toward the end of December), but we wanted to give you a heads up now, so you have plenty of time to beef up your books-published-in-2012 reading list (there’s a comprehensive catalog of titles HERE). And we encourage you to revisit our 2011 posts (Jessica’s, Tracey’s, Alison’s, and mine) to refresh your memory on the superlative categories we included last year.

Just like 2011, the The Class of 2012: YA Superlatives Blogfest will be all about FUN and promoting fantastic novels! Don’t worry if your 2012 reading list is on the short side, or if you don’t have a book/character/cover/element for each category; we just want you to jump in and participate any way you can!

Tell Me: Do you plan to sign up for The Class of 2012: YA Superlatives Blogfest?

Bookanista Rec: BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE

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I’ve got an oldie but a goodie for you… Today’s Bookanista recommendation is: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Because of Winn-Dixie

From Goodreads: Kate DiCamillo’s first published novel, like Winn-Dixie himself, immediately proved to be a keeper — a New York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor winner, the inspiration for a popular film, and most especially, a cherished classic that touches the hearts of readers of all ages… The summer Opal and her father, the preacher, move to Naomi, Florida, Opal goes into the Winn-Dixie supermarket–and comes out with a dog. A big, ugly, suffering dog with a sterling sense of humor. A dog she dubs Winn-Dixie. Because of Winn-Dixie, the preacher tells Opal ten things about her absent mother, one for each year Opal has been alive. Winn-Dixie is better at making friends than anyone Opal has ever known, and together they meet the local librarian, Miss Franny Block, who once fought off a bear with a copy of WAR AND PEACE. They meet Gloria Dump, who is nearly blind but sees with her heart, and Otis, an ex-con who sets the animals in his pet shop loose after hours, then lulls them with his guitar. Opal spends all that sweet summer collecting stories about her new friends and thinking about her mother. But because of Winn-Dixie or perhaps because she has grown, Opal learns to let go, just a little, and that friendship–and forgiveness–can sneak up on you like a sudden summer storm.

I recently finished reading Because of Winn-Dixie aloud to my five-year-old (on the recommendation of my CP, Temre Beltz — thanks, Tem!) and I’m not sure who loved the story more: my girlie or me. Protagonist Opal is just darling. She’s sweet and straightforward and open-minded. She’s curious and precocious, but she’s also desperately lonely. She has an intense desire to fit in, to make friends and find her place in the world. I loved Opal for her bravery and her inquisitiveness and her determination.

Loyal Winn-Dixie crashes (literally) into Opal’s life within the first few pages of the novel. Her world brightens immediately. Winn-Dixie brings change just by being his shaggy self. He’s the catalyst through which Opal’s horizons begin to expand. His wagging tail and cheesy doggy smile help Opal meet people and make connections and even address some of the issues she has concerning her estranged mother and her well-meaning preacher father. Pretty much everything Winn-Dixie did made me smile, mostly because he brought so much joy to Opal.

The new friends who enter Opal’s life throughout the course of this story are as colorful and special as Opal herself. They’re old and young, simple and educated, happy and sad (Otis is my favorite!). They’re a diverse bunch, yet through Opal and Winn-Dixie, they find common ground. The relationships Opal forms with her new friends are unique and beautiful. Each character is wonderfully flawed, allowing Opal to see that people shouldn’t be defined by their mistakes. They let Opal know them for who they truly are, and they teach her about herself in the process. Opal’s journey to self-acceptance and self-reliance makes for a captivating and uplifting story.

I recommend Because of Winn-Dixie to anyone who enjoys lovely writing and charming characters, and especially to those who love a middle grade novel that appears simple on the surface but hides a complex, intricately woven message within the depths of its pages. If you have a child in your life, read Because of Winn-Dixie aloud to him or her. You’ll be so glad you did! (Oh, and if you like films based on children’s literature, the movie adaptation of Because of Winn-Dixie is incredibly well done.)

Jessica Love rejoices over THE OPPOSITE OF HALLELUJAH by Anna Jarzab

Tell me: Do you have a favorite middle grade novel?

One-Word Wednesday

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First and most importantly, HUGE congratulations go out to my longtime blog friend Rebecca Behrens. Her debut novel When Audrey Met Alice is going to be published by Sourcebooks and I couldn’t be happier for her! Not only is Rebecca smart and sweet and generous, but her story sounds AMAZING. You can read more about it HERE, and you can read Rebecca’s official announcement HERE.

Congrats, Rebecca! I couldn’t be happier for you!

And, here’s what I’ve been up to lately…

#WhatImReading #TheRavenBoys #YALit #Books #Unputdownable #SignedAndDoodled
Spellbinding
(Seriously. This book rocks. And look! I splurged on a signed and doodled copy! Find The Raven Boys on Goodreads.)

#HearstCastle #California #NoFilter
Opulent
{My dad visited last week and we took him to visit Hearst Castle, the “ranch” once owned by William Randolph Hearst. The property and the house are gorgeous, and if you ever find yourself near San Simeon, CA, I definitely recommend checking it out. (Though, I don’t necessarily recommend driving down Highway 1, especially if you’re traveling with kiddos. My poor girlie had a bit of a carsickness episode about two miles from Hearst Castle, so that was fun to deal with. Oy.)}


Warm
{Indian Summer has arrived in Central California, and I’m SO HAPPY. I adore heat and sunshine and afternoons on the beach. :)}

#HighwayOne #PacificOcean #NoFilter
Prettiness
{Like I said… I love the beach.}


Boo!
{My husband loves Rice Krispie Treats, so my girl and I decided to surprise him with a very festive jack-o-lantern version. Yum… Homemade Rice Krispie Treats are the best!}

#Errand :: My girlie and I have a big #craft project in the works! #FMSPhotoADay #Peacocks  
Craftiness
{So, Dolly needed a bed. Rather than spend $150 on the American Girl version, my husband and father-in-law crafted her one from old banisters and crown molding, and I painted it. Then, I made Dolly linens from the somewhat garish peacock fabric my girlie picked out. All in all, it turned out pretty darn cute, and the final cost was a fraction of what American Girl was asking. Success!}


Gratuitous
{Because my girlie and I like to get our pose on!}

Tell me: When’s the last time you were crafty? What did you make?

Banned Books Week

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In case you haven’t heard, it’s Banned Books Week!

From BannedBooksWeek.org: Banned Books Week is the national book community’s annual celebration of the freedom to read. Hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982. According to the American Library Association, there were 326 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2011, and many more go unreported. 

As a writer of young adult fiction that might be considered “edgy” or for an “older teen audience,” book censorship is an issue that hits close to home.

Books are most often challenged by people and groups who, at their core, have the best of intentions: To protect children from explicit and/or difficult material. Still, censorship in any form is wrong. Parents have every right and responsibility to keep their children from material they deem inappropriate; librarians, teachers, religious organizations, and politicians should not.

banned books week

Still, year after year, people and groups continue to challenge books, most often for the following reasons*:

1. The material is considered to be “sexually explicit.”

2. The material contains “offensive language.”

3. The material is “unsuited to any age group.”

It’s all very vague and subjective, isn’t it? 

2011′s list of Most Challenged Books*:

  1. ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
    Reasons: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
  2. The Color of Earth (series), by Kim Dong Hwa
    Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
  3. The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
    Reasons: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence
  4. My Mom’s Having A Baby! A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy, by Dori Hillestad Butler
    Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
  5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
    Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
  6. Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
    Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint
  7. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
    Reasons: insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit
  8. What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones
    Reasons: nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit
  9. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar
    Reasons: drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit
  10. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
    Reasons: offensive language; racism

And, a few Classics that have been challenged at one time or another*: The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, Ulysses, by James Joyce, Beloved, by Toni Morrison, The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, and 1984, by George Orwell.

Banned books

So… How can we stand up to book challengers?

1. By defending our right to intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular. We can talk about the danger of restraining the availability of information in our free society.

2. We can voice the importance of the First Amendment and (especially) the power of literature.

3. We can support librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to who fight to keep “inappropriate” books in library and school collections.

4. We can continue to buy, borrow, loan, read, and recommend banned and challenged books. (Read Twenty Boy Summer and Speak and To Kill a Mockingbird and The Hunger Games and The Grapes of Wrath and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian!)

Happy Banned Books Week!

Tell me: What’s your favorite banned book? And, how will you celebrate Banned Books Week?

*Statistics and lists borrowed from the American Library Association’s Banned and Challenged Books page. Please do visit the ALA’s site for more information.

Reading Wrap-Up and Book of the Month

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway‘s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic. To participate, just answer the prompt on your blog and leave a link over at YA Highway.

This week’s question: What’s the best book you read in September?

I’m sadly behind on my reading wrap-ups. I haven’t done tons of reading in the last few months thanks to a big ol’ revision, but here are the books I’ve managed to knock off my To-Read list:

Breathe by Sarah Crossan (available October 2nd) – I enjoyed this dystopian’s concept and Sarah Crossan’s writing, and I look forward to finding out more about this world as the series progresses. That said, I had a little trouble connecting with the main characters, perhaps because there were three first-person narrators. I never felt fully immersed in any one protagonist’s life. Regardless, this one’s worth checking out next month, especially if you’re a fan of dystopian YA.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry – This was a very cool book, reminiscent of the gritty, no-holds-barred contemporaries of Simone Elkeles. Echo and Noah were both sympathetic main characters with distinct voices and fascinating backstories. I found myself rooting for them throughout the novel. My one criticism of this story was that their relationship was at times a bit… romance-novel-esque, which is to say, not exactly my taste. Still, this book is an entertaining read. I recommend it for lovers of more mature contemporary YA.

Skylark by Meagan Spooner – This disturbing world was so unlike anything I’ve read before, it took some time to get a grasp on all the details. Once I was immersed, though, I was intrigued by Lark’s plight and impressed by how she transformed into a smart, capable heroine. Meagan Spooner has a timeless writing style that was refreshing in this age of super-trendy teen speak. Definitely looking forward to this story’s continuation in Shadowlark.

Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook (available January, 2013) – I absolutely loved this beautiful, heartbreaking, fearless tale of two damaged teens on the run. It’s one of the best YA contemporaries I’ve read. I posted a full Bookanista review HERE.

And the best book I’ve read in the last few months…

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl

From Goodreads: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

Yes! An ADULT book is the best I’ve read in recent memory. I’ve seen Gone Girl recommended all over the place lately, specifically by Rachel, Ghenet, and Meredith (via Instagram), and when I purchased it at my local indie, the woman behind the counter couldn’t say enough about how fantastic she thought it was. So, I knew I was in for something good. I just didn’t know how good.

I refuse to give anything about Gone Girl away, but I will say that this book made me feel ALL THE FEELINGS. I was charmed, horrified, romanced, aghast, and sometimes even amused. Every chapter was a total trip, and most of the chapter endings left me reeling. In other words, Gone Girl is a page turner of the very best sort. Married protagonists Nick and Amy are tragically flawed, yet somehow weirdly lovable, and their marriage is a wreck. Nick and Amy are both presumably unreliable, which makes Gone Girl‘s mystery is a TRUE mystery. I had absolutely no idea what was coming next, and not even a guess at how the story would end. But, I was desperate to find out. And the writing! It’s fantastic, guys. Gillian Flynn is a master, and I pretty much wanted to stand up and applaud after every. Single. Paragraph. I’m a big fan of the thoughtful, well-placed adverb (yeah, yeah, they pave the road to hell… whatever), and let me tell you: Gillian Flynn ROCKS the deliberate adverb. All in all, Gone Girl is on my short list of 2012 favorites. It’s THAT GOOD.

So, have I raved enough? Will you please, please, please read Gone Girl?

Tell me: What’s the best book you’ve read recently?

Bookanista Rec: NOBODY BUT US

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Today’s Bookanista recommendation: Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook (Expected Release: January 29, 2013)

Nobody But Us

From Goodreads: Bonnie and Clyde meets Simone Elkeles in this addictively heart-wrenching story of two desperate teenagers on the run from their pasts. They’re young. They’re in love. They’re on the run. Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected their escape to be so fraught with danger…. When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can’t run fast enough. Nobody But Us, told in alternating perspectives from Will and Zoe, is an unflinching novel, in turns heartbreaking and hopeful, about survival, choices, and love…and how having love doesn’t always mean that you get a happy ending. 

Nobody But Us isn’t expected to release until January, but if any book deserves early buzz, it’s this one. Kristin Halbrook’s beautiful, heartbreaking, fearless tale of two damaged teens on the run is one of the best contemporaries I’ve read in a long time. And I read a lot of contemporary…

I’ll admit, when I saw mention of Bonnie and Clyde on the ARC cover, I was skeptical. This is YA and Bonnie and Clyde were legitimate criminals. How much trouble can Will and Zoe possibly get into? Uh, a lot, it turns out. Nobody But Us is intense, and Kristin Halbrook holds nothing back. Will’s backstory is one of the saddest I’ve read, and poor Zoe doesn’t know love until she meets this boy who wants nothing more in the world than to rescue her. They literally are on the run–from her father, from their pasts, and from the law–and they make some pretty terrible choices along the way. The crazy thing is this: I was rooting for them. Even in the midst of a multiple-state crime spree, I wanted Will and Zoe to persevere. Kristin Halbrook, through flawless character development and stark, elegant prose, made me believe that Zoe and Will deserved a happily ever after.

Nobody But Us is a roller coaster of emotions. Zoe and Will are both adorable, and both so very broken. But together they are whole, taking on the world that’s wronged them. Their devotion, while young and sometimes misguided, is palpable. They love each other deeply, sweetly, tragically, and the ferocity of their relationship had me at times laughing, cringing, and nearly in tears. I was both charmed and appalled by the sacrifices they were willing to make for each other, and even when they did horrible, deplorable things in the name of love, I got it, because their motivations were so strong, and their bond so unbreakable.

I’ll say one more thing about Nobody But Us: The ending… shocked me. It was courageous and heart-wrenching and unlike most YA endings. Yet, it was perfect for the tone of the novel. I’m STILL thinking about it.

Head to Goodreads now and add Nobody But Us to your To-Read shelf, and please pick this book up when it’s available early next year. I think you’ll  love it!

Check out what a few of my fellow Bookanistas are up to today:

Corrine Jackson adores ADORKABLE

Jesscia Love speaks up for UNSPOKEN

Tracy Banghart tells the truth about IF I LIE

What’s the best contemporary you’ve read lately? 

One-Word Wednesday

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Happy Wednesday, friends! Here’s what I’ve been up to lately…


Exploration
{Headed out to hike Big Sur.}


Flailing
{This is how all literary masters do it, right?}


Glorious
{Sunrise on my running route… Why I get up at 5 a.m. to pound the pavement.}


Veggie-licious
{I’m experimenting with a vegetarian lifestyle… It’s been almost two weeks, and I’ve only fallen off the wagon once (turkey burger at a barbecue). Despite that one little slip, I don’t miss meat much at all.}


Flora
{Everywhere! Our town has the coolest farmers’ market. Yesterday my girlie and I went and came home with plums, smoked salmon, avocados, fresh flowers, and that super cute, hand-knit hat she’s wearing. JUST what we needed!}


Charming
{Love Carmel by the Sea so much!}


Heart-wrenching
{This book yanked me out of my reading funk in a major way. I loved it SO MUCH. Seriously… I smiled, I swooned, I stressed, I cringed, I *almost* cried. I just wanted to hug Zoe and Will so much, and the final pages… CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT THEM. Add Nobody But US to your Goodreads shelf, and PLEASE pick this book up when it debuts in January!}


Sweet
{The girl and the Fudgsicle. :)}

Tell me: Now that summer is coming to an end, what will you miss most about the season of sunshine?

YA Book Club: Zombies FTW!

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{YA Book Club is the brainchild of writer/blogger Tracey Neithercott.
For guidelines and additional info, click the image above.}

August’s YA Book Club selection is: This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers, which dropped June 19, 2012 from St. Martin’s Griffin…

This Is Not a Test

From Goodreads: It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

{Back in May, I reviewed this book over at YA Confidential. I’m reposting below because, upon reading my initial thoughts, I’ve realized that my opinions regarding This is Not a Test and Courtney Summers’ writing in general haven’t changed a bit. So, here ya go…}

I don’t really consider myself a zombie girl, but I ADORED this book.

Much like Sarah Dessen, Melina Marchetta, and Lauren Oliver, Courtney Summers can be counted on to provide a captivating story. This Is Not a Test is full of twists and turns, flawed-but-awesome characters, and a teen voice that rang almost alarmingly authentic. While This Is Not a Test is not regular Courtney Summers contemporary fare, it is just as absorbing, just as unputdownable, as any of her other novels. Possibly more so.

This Is Not a Test begins with the world as we know it coming to an end. A zombie apocalypse is a brilliant backdrop against which to observe human—specifically teen—behavior. People’s true colors shine vividly when resources are limited and their lives are at risk. Cortege High School becomes the perfect little microcosm to study shifting motivations, constantly changing loyalties, and breaking points of the teens hunkered down inside. Surprisingly, the Dead lurking outside Cortege High are not the biggest challenge the teens have to face; they torment and torture each other far more than the zombies ever do.

Main character Sloane Price is another unpredictable element of This Is Not a Test. Her back story proves to be horrifying, but much like the protagonists from other novels written by Courtney Summers, she doesn’t do a whole lot to make herself likable. She’s stubborn and self-centered, and she has a tendency to be sort of blind when it comes to the emotions of those around her. Still, Sloane’s so real, so very damaged and vulnerable, it’s hard not to root for her. She thinks the way teens think, and she says what teens—albeit wrecked teens—say. She’s depressed, but she’s smart and fair and loyal when it really counts. I wanted Sloane to pull it together so badly, both for herself and for the other teens stuck inside Cortege High with her—particularly Rhys.

Speaking of Rhys… I won’t give too much away, but awhile back I read a blurb about This Is Not a Test that called the book “sexy.” I had my doubts—this is a story about zombies, for crying out loud. But yeah, I admit it: This Is Not a Test IS sexy. And Rhys? Also sexy. Come to think of it, Trace and Cary (two more boys from Cortege’s group of six) aren’t too shabby either. And Grace, Sloane’s fellow female, is awesome in her own right. Even Harrison, who’s a bit of a cry baby, has his redeeming moments. What does all of this mean? Courtney Summers writes characters who rock. She also writes books that rock!

Have you read This Is Not a Test? Thoughts? What’s YOUR favorite zombie story?

July Reading Wrap-Up

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And, my summer of amazing books continues. Here’s what I’ve been reading…

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama – A sophisticated, intricately told tale with something for everyone: A complex plot, multi-dimensional characters, a thrilling, chilling mystery, strong writing, a fresh spin on tried and true paranormal, a bit of history, and romance that will have you swooning. Full review HERE.

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore – I never thought I’d say this, but I loved Bitterblue even more than Graceling. This book… It wrecked me in every way possible. It romanced me, it made me laugh, it made me angry, it broke my heart and, at times, it absolutely horrified me. I can’t say enough about this novel. In my humble opinion, it was just about as perfect as a story can get. A definite favorite. Full review HERE.

The Doll People by The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin, illustrated by Brian Selznick – Quickly paced and charming, decidedly contemporary but with a delightfully timeless feel, and illustrations that are gorgeous and perfectly match the enchantingly magical quality of the story. Full review HERE.

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone – I’m a romance girl, so if I can fall for a couple, I usually end up a fan of the book. I thought Anna was a fantastic MC, and I found Bennett to be adorable. Their relationship developed believably (considering the absolute inconceivability of their situation), so I was rooting for them. I do wish Bennett’s love for music and the mystery of the “missing person” had been further developed, but I truly loved the ending of this book. Check out my interview with author Tamara Ireland Stone HERE.

*The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – This book was so unique in format (letters to an unnamed “friend”) and voice, it was nearly impossible to put down. The existing and emerging relationships felt genuine, and the characters leapt off the page, especially main character, Charlie, and his crush, Sam (played by Emma Watson in the upcoming movie!). If you haven’t read Wallflower, it’s a definite recommend!

*Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card –  I checked the audio version of this one out from the library and took it with me on a twelve-hour road trip. It wasn’t exactly a Katy Book (no romance, no butterflies, no kisses, TONS of battles and action sequences), but I can certainly understand why it’s become a classic. The writing is fantastic, the world-building exceptional, the depth of main character Ender and his plight astounding, and the ending… It’s one of those oh-em-gee! endings I love. Also, the audio version concluded with a long talk by Orson Scott Card about the history of Ender’s Game, the beginning of his writing career, and his thoughts on the writing process. It was fascinating.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick – I heard about this book when my friend Elodie raved about it, and it’s very much a Katy Book. It’s an upper YA “romantic drama,” which is what I write and what I prefer to read. BUT… I think the romantic drama is also one of the toughest genres to pull off well. Huntley Fitzpatrick does so beautifully. Sam and Jase are freaking adorable, and they share tons of sweet moments and steamy kisses. Plus, Jase’s huge family is awesome, and enviable characterized. Another recommend!

And, last but not least, July’s Book of the Month: *The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart…

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-BanksFrom Goodreads: Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14: Debate Club. Her father’s “bunny rabbit.” A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school. Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15: A knockout figure. A sharp tongue. A chip on her shoulder. And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston. Frankie Laundau-Banks. No longer the kind of girl to take “no” for an answer. Especially when “no” means she’s excluded from her boyfriend’s all-male secret society. Not when her ex boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places. Not when she knows she’s smarter than any of them. When she knows Matthew’s lying to her. And when there are so many, many pranks to be done. Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16: Possibly a criminal mastermind. This is the story of how she got that way.

I have to admit… When I read secret society and pranks in the jacket summary, my interest wasn’t exactly piqued.  But, I love books set in boarding schools (hello, Jellicoe Road) and Frankie came highly recommended by many of my trusted YA friends, including Erin Bowman, Caroline Richmond, Copil Yanez, Ghenet Myrthil, and Sarah Enni.  Turns out they were all spot on in their gushing. Frankie was so perfectly fun and bizarre, I couldn’t stop turning pages.

Frankie has a pitch-perfect YA voice (even though the story is told in third-person). Protagonist Frankie Landau-Banks is brilliant, dry, and witty, and she’s not afraid to take charge and go after what she wants. That said, she can be sort of thick and she makes plenty of mistakes over the course of her story. But, that’s what makes her so endearing. The best part of this book was how it ended. I won’t give anything away, of course, but I will say that when I read the final page, I felt like every character had experienced the consequences he or she deserved, and that the conclusion was handled realistically, but with the same intelligence and charm the rest of the book possessed.

If you’ve yet to read The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, I highly recommend you check it out!

Don’t forget to head over to YA Highway to check out other July favorites. 🙂

Tell me: What’s the best book you’ve read so far this summer?

*Gap Books