2014 YA Reading

I'm finally doing one of those years where I actually keep track of every single book I read. For now I'm just using my phone, but I'll eventually update Goodreads. I'm hoping to get to 40 books. I'm a somewhat slow reader, so 40 books would be a good number for me.

Anyway, for Christmas I got this (from my dear friend Amy Del Rosso):

It's a t-shirt and the ARC of Grasshopper Jungle, by my very favorite author, Andrew Smith.

Luckily, I read an earlier ARC of this story, because I'm going to use my enthusiasm for reading this new copy to encourage myself to read three of my biggest kid lit gap books:

The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier

Jerry Renault ponders the question on the poster in his locker: Do I dare disturb the universe? Refusing to sell chocolates in the annual Trinity school fund-raiser may not seem like a radical thing to do. But when Jerry challenges a secret school society called The Vigils, his defiant act turns into an all-out war. Now the only question is: Who will survive? First published in 1974, Robert Cormier's groundbreaking novel, an unflinching portrait of corruption and cruelty, has become a modern classic.

Before there was such a thing as Young Adult (three years before I was born, in fact), Robert Cormier wrote one of the all time classic books about teens. I'm reading this one now, and am duly impressed by Cormier's grasp of character.

Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that's not safe. Because there's something she's trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.

I know all about this book. I even participated in the SPEAK LOUDLY Twitter campaign when it was (once again) being challenged, but I still have not read it. I know, I know. This one's up next.

Holes, by Louis Sachar

And so, Stanley Yelnats seems set to serve an easy sentence, which is only fair because he is as innocent as you or me. But Stanley is not going where he thinks he is. Camp Green Lake is like no other camp anywhere. It is a bizarre, almost otherworldly place that has no lake and nothing that is green. Nor is it a camp, at least not the kind of camp kids look forward to in the summertime. It is a place that once held "the largest lake in Texas," but today it is only a scorching desert wasteland, dotted with countless holes dug by the boys who live at the camp.

The trouble started when Stanley was accused of stealing a pair of shoes donated by basketball great Clyde "Sweetfeet" Livingston to a celebrity auction. In court, the judge doesn't believe Stanley's claim that the shoes fell from the sky onto his head. And yet, that's exactly what happened. Oddly, though, Stanley doesn't blame the judge for falsely convicting him. Instead, he blames the whole misadventure on his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather." Thanks to this benighted distant relative, the Yelnats family had been cursed for generations. For Stanley, his current troubles are just a natural part of being a Yelnats.

At Camp Green Lake, the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the treacherous warden is searching for something, and before long Stanley begins his own search—for the truth.

Fate conspires to resolve it all—the family curse, the mystery of the holes, the drought that destroyed Green Lake, and also, the legend of Kissing Kate Barlow, an infamous outlaw of the Wild West. The great wheel of justice has ground slowly for generations, but now it is about to reveal its verdict.

Having won a Newberry, I can only assume this book is more MG than YA, but the forced labor camp for young people aspect has often been compared to similar thematic elements in my own writing, so I figure it's another must read. No I have not seen the movie, and no I will not see the movie, since I can't stand Shia LeBouf.

What are you reading right now?

Reading Rainbow

Thank you, Geordi, for everything you've done for us.

YA Confidential

I'm over at YAC today, writing about a book I just finished. I'll leave comments open here, in case anyone has problems with disqus, but really, you should just head over.

Surprise! Kids are Reading (Duh)

Just something quick for you today. All you authors out there, but especially we kidlit authors, will be glad to hear: kids read.

Haha, I know. Obvious right? But according to this story, on NPR's Morning Edition today, kids are reading more than adults. And that's great news, isn't it?

Seriously, check the story out. It's not even a full story, really, just a quick bit about books and readers. The audio won't be available until 9 AM, but you can read the transcript at that link, above.

A Song of Ice and Fire

This series could have been called A Song of Onions, Turnips, and the Human Nipple. I'm only kidding, but Martin did seem a bit obsessed with certain things.

Anyway, I just finished A Dance with Dragons, the fifth book in this series, on Friday. I'm not really going to review the series, because, for one thing, I don't do reviews, and for another, the scope of this story is just too grand to be analyzed by me, especially when I'm not yet done absorbing everything the tale has to say.

I will talk about some writing mechanics type things that Martin does well. I won't talk about any possible weaknesses, although these books can be very frustrating at times. Mostly I want to talk about what it's like to take nearly a year to read a series, and then be nowhere closer to any kind of conclusion than you were before. This feeling is why I usually don't begin a series until it's all been published, but when I heard about HBO doing the show, I knew I'd be left with no choice.

The nice thing is, now I'll be able to read other books. It's not like I haven't read any other books while I was reading Martin, but each of the books in this series is at least 800 pages long, so there was a certain time commitment necessary to get through them all.

Anyway, this post will end up going on far too long if I try to talk about everything that comes to mind ... maybe I should turn it into a series. No, that time would be better spent on my own novel. But I do want to cover what I think is Martin's greatest strength.

There are no heroes and no villains. Just like in real life, people do not go around thinking "I'm a good guy," or "I'm a bad guy." They just don't. Some people do the right thing, because they were raised that way, or because they enjoy it, or for any number of reasons, but people don't go to war, or on missions, because they want to be a hero. Some people have less than worthwhile motives and goals, but they don't set out to be evil, just for evil's sake. They generally believe what they are doing is right, or that at least the ends justify the means.

Martin is the master are both creating and portraying both sides of the spectrum. There are absolutely no heroes and no villains in this story. The characters you begin by absolutely hating, eventually come around to earn at least some sympathy. The characters you were at first convinced were full of nothing but honor or innocence, or both, reveal their humanity soon enough.

There is one particular section, I believe it was the fourth book, in which I was so over having to read chapters from this one character's point of view, because this character was essentially reprehensible, and yet. I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.

Have you ever experienced something like that? Obviously if this would have happened earlier in the story, I probably would have given up on it, but I think the way that Martin built the plot (or lack thereof, depending on your opinion), up to the point where even reading the POV of characters you essentially hated was still fascinating. I basically have no idea how he made it work.

Wow. So this probably makes very little sense to any of you. Has anyone read these books? Seen the show? Even if you've read them, can you make any sense of my spoiler avoiding ramblings?

How bout those Kansas City Chiefs?

Another PM Post

I'm writing over at Project Mayhem again today. It's kind of a highly personal topic for me, so please stop by my post, and recommend some books!

iPad and the Young Mind

So I went and bought an iPad on Monday night. We'd been saving for it for a few weeks, and I decided I needed one when I finalized my plans to visit WFC in San Diego next month, and meet up with wonderful writers and author friends like Simon C. Larter, Shannon Whitney Messenger, Carolina Valdez Miller, Sara Ann McClung, and Andrew Smith.

I won't get into the things that are cool about it, or the things that it ought to be able to do, but can't, because those would be long posts all on their own. I will, hopefully briefly, discuss how cool this thing is for kids.

My daughter Madison and I played a game of scrabble on it against each other last night. She has an iPod touch she's had for a while, that she paid for by saving up her allowance, and that allowed us each to play our tiles from our own device, so that we weren't too obviously revealing our letters to each other.

Now, I have to say, in some ways I'm a bit of a Luddite. I don't believe in kids walking around with headphones constantly in their ears, shutting out the world around them, eyes glued to the screen of some device like little LCD versions of The Mirror of Erised, but the potential for interesting educational opportunities with a device like the iPad is off the charts.

The coolest thing about it is how it excites my child. When she came into my room last night (I didn't have time to set it up after buying it on Monday) and saw me installing some apps on it, her eyes lit up, and she bounded onto the bed with me.

My kid never hangs out with me in my room. She's 10. I had the horrible Braves game on the TV, which she would normally never suffer through. But she spent the next few hours hanging out with me, talking to me about the iPad, and showing me cool things like how to organize my apps into folders so I don't have 5 pages of apps. Then we played some games. Like Scrabble, pictured above.

I'm not going to go on about this any longer, but I see a very high cool factor when it comes to technology and young minds. I think if we leverage these devices properly to our children, we can help them focus on the benefits, without turning them into backlit LCD zombies.

What do you guys think? Do your kids have e-readers? Smart Phones? Other tech?

Things That Make me Say Hellz Yeah: Part Something

I'm going to be critiquing a friend's novel today. Well, okay, continuing to critique, since obviously I can't do the whole thing in a day. I'll also be writing, so I'm just going to leave you with this video.

I love this song. I don't quite know why. Yes, I discovered it through a beer commercial. No, I don't care.



It's pop, I know, but it's Scandinavian pop, which makes it a lot more fun. And weird. Mette Lindberg and Lars Iversen are Danes. Which means they're not quite as cool as Dutch or Swedes, but still much cooler than Americans.

I'm SO Proud of my Young Readers

My daughter Madison is 9 years old. She is just about the most adorable, well behaved, and loving little girl in the world.

I wake up at 5AM every day and leave for work by 5:30 (I'm really not a morning person, so I usually shower the night before). It's a bit depressing sometimes, especially during the winter, how little sunlight I actually bear witness to.

Anyway the other day Madison asked me if I would please wake her up when I leave for work. Needless to say I was pretty surprised. When I asked her why she said that she wanted to get up early, before she had to start getting ready for school, because she wanted to have a little more time to read. Of course I quickly swallowed the lump in my throat and blinked away the tears that were threatening to well up behind my eyelids, but I told her of course I would.

She explained that her recent increase in her passion for reading was because she wants to finish the Harry Potter series before the final film is released. She said she wants to be able to compare the movies to the books the way her older sister, Kylie, and I do.

I can certainly relate to that.

Harry Potter was introduced to our family by my oldest daughter, Kylie. I mean I originally bought the books for her, but I assumed they were "kid's books" at the time and so I dismissed them as beneath me. Kylie showed me the error of my ways a few years later.

I'm not sure why it took so long to get Madison interested. Kylie had read all 7 books at least 3 times by the time she was Madison's age, but I think Madison having seen all the movies first reduced her curiosity about the books. That's a little sad, but no big deal now that she's getting into them. She was more of a Rick Riordan/Percy Jackson gal for years, and has read just about every book that man has ever written.

Kylie is even more out of control with her reading. She reads 2 or 3 books a week, can never get enough, and even gets a lot of free ARCs from her friends, The Bookanistas, because they love to hear what an actual young adult thinks about YA lit.

Point is I'm one damn proud father.

Personally I'm reading a lot more lately too. I'm actually currently reading 5 books. I'm reading Matched, by Allie Condie, during my lunch breaks at work. I'm reading a novel by a friend that has not been named yet but will be released this year (don't ask, because it's a seekrit) while I sit on hold on the phone at work (which is often). I'm listening to the audio book of A Song of Ice and Fire, A Game of Thrones, book one, by George R.R. Martin while in the car and while I do the mundane part of my job. I'm technically reading The Shard, by my critique partner, Ted Cross, but we're actually taking a break right now because he is on vacation. Then finally, when I lie in bed at night, I'm reading No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy.

I've always loved to read, but I've never been the fastest reader (unlike my kids). I usually only read around 30 books a year, on a good year, so this is actually a lot of reading for me, but I'm enjoying it immensely nonetheless. And the best part? So far this year I have worked on my the re-write of my novel every single week day. With the NFL playoffs looming there won't be much weekend writing for a few weeks, but so far it's looking like 2011 is going to be a great year in our house.

What are you all reading right now?

Medicine Wheel

For the third part in this series I promised to go into the concept of the Medicine Wheel. A Medicine Wheel, or a Sacred Hoop, is first and foremost a physical circle, usually made from rocks, that is used to represent the directions, both cardinal and spiritual, in many Native traditions. But the wheel also exists in the air, and in the mind.

The wheel generally had certain colors, animals and directions associated with it, but which ones go where can very from culture to culture. I will share what I remember from my own experiences, but please don't assume that this information will be the same in every instance.

The Wheel is always divided into four main parts (five if you count the center as separate). Each section is associated with a cardinal direction. North is usually associated with elders, wisdom and introspection. North is represented by Brother Bear, Cedar, the wind and winter. It is most often drawn in black or white.

South is associated with youth, with young people in the twilight of their adolesence, along with passion, fertility, and energy. The South is represented by Sister Wolf, Sweetgrass, Earth and summer. Its color can vary but is often shown as red or yellow.

The East is associated with children, the dawn, and change. The East is represented by Eagle, Tobacco, fire and spring. The color also varies, but is sometimes green or yellow.

The West is associated with adulthood, responsibility, reflection. The West is represented by Buffalo, Sage, water and autumn. Its color is usually blue.

My understanding is that each Totem Animal falls into one of these categories, but I honestly can't remember (except for the main four listed here) which ones go where. You should be able to find this kind of information in some of the books I listed yesterday.

Now I will try to continue where we left off yesterday, and share some details of the less common Spirit Animals.

Dolphin: Dolphin symbolizes kindness and play energy. Dolphin has also always been seen as a messenger by many different cultures. Although it is a mammal, it lives in the sea, and has mastered the art of breath control, sometimes spending impossible amounts of time deep underwater without breathing. Since water is the symbol of life Dolphin brings us teachings from the water of life. Dolphin reminds us that time to play and relax is a crucial element to walking in balance throughout life’s journey. He tells us to move with the ebb and flow of life, and not against it.

Dolphin Medicine includes change, balance, harmony, communication, freedom, trust, understanding, the power of rhythm in life, the use of breath to release emotion and significant water power.

Cat: Native American tradition only refers to American cats like cougar, puma, and jaguar, but it should be safe to assume that the power behind all great cats is similar. Cat's are known for their fierce independence as well as their artful mystique. People with cats for Spirit Guides are usually wise leaders who teach others through example and without ego.

Cat's Medicine is independence, curiosity, many lives, cleverness, unpredictability, healing, the ability to defend oneself fiercely when backed into a corner, and seeing the unseen.

Turtle: Turtle has always been seen as patient and tenacious. Turtles are known for making long, slow journey without ever deviating from the path.

Turtle's Medicine includes being a symbol for the Earth, connection with the center, navigation, patience, femininity, self-reliance, commitment, and non-violent defense.

Monkey: Monkey is not commonly referred to in Native culture, because they are not common in North America, but Monkey is generally known for cleverness and mischief.

Monkey's Medicine includes movement through ego, ability to change their environment, family, understanding excess, health, and understanding success.

Now I will try to break down two very specific examples, just for fun, and because two of my friends apparently really want to know what they mean.

Wolverine: Wolverine is thought of by many Native tribes, interestingly enough, as the Hyena of the North. Wolverines are very clever, and so are associated with the Trickster. A Wolverine also controls an extremely large territory in the wild, usually with no others of their species living within several miles, so they are often considered loners.

Wolverine's Medicine is made up of being considered the "last phantom of the wilderness." They are also associated with revenge, craftiness, resistance to cold, aggression, standing up for yourself and standing your ground, fierceness, elusiveness, strength, endurance, and courage.

Giant Sloth: A Sloth is like what? Part ant-eater and part bear? Sloths are generally folivores, but some have been known to eat insects and small birds to supplement their diets. I'm not sure how they catch them though, because Sloths are mainly known for being slow and plodding, and are certainly not known as great predators.

Sloth's Medicine includes persistence, rest, reflection, and balance. Sloth is known for being patient, friendly and adorable, or at least the ones we have left here on Earth are.

Space Monkey: Space Monkeys are mainly known for not actually existing, but hey, some people think Zombies don't exist either. Of course there are the actual primates that were sent into space by the government, to test for the safety of going into orbit, before sending humans, and I would imagine that those adorable little fellows would have to be known for their courage and their curiosity.

Space Monkey's Medicine includes droppin mischief on substitute teachers, overstating the value of corndogs to strangers, dealing with stinky burp breath, and breaking the universe with a cosmic space kapow!

So that's it folks. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The blog should go back into action on Monday, January 3rd, and will hopefully be able to get back to some slightly more serious business.

Spirit Animals

So now that you all know a little bit about my limited history with Vision Quests, I want to tell you some more about Spirit Animals, also known as Totem Animals, or Spirit Guides. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert, so if you really are interested, please find a true Native American shaman or Medicine Man (or woman) that you can talk to about the subject. You might be surprised how willing they are to share about their culture. You can also do some research on your own.

Two good articles I know of online are at the Manataka American Indian Council, and AnimalSpirits.com. There are also several books. Two decent examples are ANIMAL-SPEAK: The Spiritual and magical powers of creatures great and small by Ted Andrews, and POWER ANIMAL MEDITATIONS: Shamanic Journeys with Your Spirit Allies by Nicki Scully. There is a fun quiz, that can tell you a little more about Spirit Animals, but is also meant to promote a book and should not be taken wholly seriously, here at Jeri Smith-Ready.com.

So, now that we've gotten past all that I'm going to go over some of the details about some of the most common Spirit Animals. All of these are examples that exist currently in my WIP. I'm hoping it's a scene I don't have to cut during the re-write. I will go over some more obscure examples (as well as I can) for you guys tomorrow.

Dog: Among many tribes Dog was the sentinel who guarded the tribe’s home and protected them from attack and warned them of coming danger. He helped during the hunt and gave them warmth when it was cold. Dog is a symbol of loyalty, unconditional love, and protection, so if Dog is your Spirit Guide I would guess that you are a good, fast friend when you grow close to someone.

Dog’s Medicine incorporates the loving kindness of the best friend and the protective energy of the guardian. If Dog is your Spirit Animal then you’re a very kind and giving person whose devotion to their family and friends is unwavering. However, you must be careful not to be too trusting or be taken in by those who would take advantage of you. Make sure you always give your loyalty to those who are right and true.

Snake: Snake is a symbol of cunning and ingenuity, but also of rebirth. If Snake is your Spirit Guide it is possible that you are an old soul and this is not your first time in the world.

Snake's Medicine includes elusiveness, transmutation, goddess energy, exploration of the mysteries of life and connection to the magic cord by which the shaman travels to the spirit world.

Horse: Horse has shown up in almost every single mythological tale. From Pegasus, to Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse of Odin; from the stallions of Surya the Hindu sun god to the stallions of Apollo. No single creature has provided man with the freedom of movement and the ability to travel over long distances as has the horse. If you are drawn to Horse, you may feel a power in your spirit that is sometimes difficult to reign in, but remember, not all who wander are lost.

Horse's Medicine is made up of power, stamina and endurance. He is also known for faithfulness, freedom, awareness of the power achieved through cooperation, communication between the species (and between cultures), and the ability to overcome obstacles.

Rabbit: Rabbit may be stereotyped as being a fearful, simple animal, but in fact they are quite ingenious, especially when it comes to working together. Among Native Americans they symbolize humility.

Rabbit's Medicine includes moving through fear, living by your wits, and receiving hidden teachings and intuitive messages, as well as quick thinking and relying on your instincts. Rabbit reminds us not to be afraid and that we cannot allow our fearful thoughts to reproduce (especially not like rabbits) for they will overcome us if we let them.

Fox: Fox symbolizes cunning, agility, and being quick witted and thinking on your feet.

Fox's Medicine is very interesting and is associated with the Trickster, almost as much as Coyote. Fox stands for shape-shifting, cleverness, unseen observation, stealth, feminine courage, persistence and gentleness.

Owl: Owl stands for deception, clairvoyance and insight, but in this context deception does not carry with it a negative connotation. Deception is often necessary for one’s survival and can be a very valuable tool. The Great Horned Owl is the only bird that can out fly the Golden Eagle so stamina probably ought to go along with those other things as well. Owl is a bird of prey so it can also stand for a person who is a great warrior, especially if that which is dear to its heart is threatened. Owl is also known for his great awareness and his ability to see everything around him, having vision that reaches for almost three hundred and sixty degrees.

Owl’s Medicine consists of seeing through masks and disguises, silent and swift movement, keen sight, messenger of secrets and omens, shape-shifting, link between the dark, unseen world and the world of light, comfort with the shadow self, moon power, and overall freedom and independence.

Bear: Bear has always stood for wisdom, power, and healing and has been associated with the North. Bears spend the winter months in hibernation and among Native people the symbolism of the Bear’s cave reflects returning to the womb of Mother Earth. People with Bear Medicine are considered by many as self-sufficient and would rather stand on their own two feet than rely on others.

Bear’s Medicine includes introspection, healing, solitude, wisdom, change, communication with Spirit, the cycle of death and rebirth, transformation, and being the creature of dreams, shamans and mystics.

This post is going on a little too long, but I promise not to stop here. I'll just have to break it up a little and pick up tomorrow where we left off today. Before we're done though I briefly want to introduce the idea of the Medicine Wheel. The Medicine Wheel is a little like a compass, and is associated with the cardinal directions. I'll go into it more tomorrow, but if you're curious you can read some more here, at SpiritualNetwork.net.

Thanks everybody, and please be sure to come back tomorrow!

Bouquinistes

Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty Images

I heard a really interesting story on NPR this morning about the book sellers who ply their wares on the banks of the Seine in Paris. These people are known as bouquinistes, which I guess means booksellers? I don't really know because I don't speak French. Anyway, rather than steal the story and represent it as my own, I will just point you to the article on the NPR website, here. The audio for the produced for radio version of the story will be available around 9 AM EST.

Anyway, the whole thing also reminded me of an awesome group of bloggers I know. The Bookanistas. Well, I don't actually know all of them, but I do know some of them. Here is a list of links to their blogs in case somehow, for some crazy unknown reason, you haven't heard of them:

Katie and Sarah Frances

Elana Johnson

Christine Fonesca

Shannon Messenger

Shelli Johannes-Wells

Scott Tracey

Kirsten Hubbard

Beth Revis

Carolina Valdez Miller

Jamie Harrington

Bethany Wiggins and Suzette Saxton

Myra McEntire
Michelle Hodkin
Lisa and Laura Roecker

So there you go. Enjoy the article, check out the Bookanistas and have a great day! I'm off to work on something for my crit group.

Ship Breaker

Today I will be discussing this wonderful new novel I just recently finished reading, Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi. First, I need to thank Karen Amanda Hooper, whose blog I won my copy on. Thanks Karen!

Anyway, this is the author's first young adult novel, but Paolo's writing has appeared in High Country News, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Salon.com, and Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. He is a Hugo and Nebula Award winner, and a National Book Award finalist.

From Booklist: This YA debut by Bacigalupi, a rising star in adult science fiction, presents a dystopian future like so many YA sf novels. What is uncommon, though, is that although Bacigalupi's future earth is brilliantly imagined and its genesis anchored in contemporary issues, it is secondary to the memorable characters. In a world in which society has stratified, fossil fuels have been consumed, and the seas have risen and drowned coastal cities, Nailer, 17, scavenges beached tankers for scrap metals on the Gulf Coast. Every day, he tries to “make quota” and avoid his violent, drug-addicted father. After he discovers a modern clipper ship washed up on the beach, Nailer thinks his fortune is made, but then he discovers a survivor trapped in the wreckage—the “swank” daughter of a shipping-company owner. Should he slit the girl's throat and sell her for parts or take a chance and help her? Clearly respecting his audience, Bacigalupi skillfully integrates his world building into the compelling narrative, threading the backstory into the pulsing action. The characters are layered and complex, and their almost unthinkable actions and choices seem totally credible. Vivid, brutal, and thematically rich, this captivating title is sure to win teen fans for the award-winning Bacigalupi. Grades 8-12.

Book Details
Title: Ship Breaker
Author: Paolo Bacigalupi
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 326
Year: 2010
Language: English
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-316-05621-2
First published: 2010

The QQQE take: I certainly won't disagree with any of that, and the characters are in fact very compelling, but the thing that really drew me into this tale was the voice of the narrator, and the language of the world in which Nailer lived. Instead of injecting these very real characters full of foul language that honestly would have been perfectly believable, Bacigalupi gives them their own unique slang. Phrases like "grind that," "blood and rust," "sliding high," and "crew up" replace contemporary oaths and exclamations.

The writing is pretty straight forward, not too literary, but the description does have a few very lovely moments. Just the kind of stuff I like to read. Here is a passage that was selected for the inside jacket flap:

Even at night, the wrecks glowed with work. The torch lights flickered, bobbing and moving. Sledge noise rang across the water. Comforting sounds of work and activity, the air tanged with the coal reek of smelters and the salft fresh breeze coming off the water. It was beautiful.

There are also some underlying themes about the environment, socio-economic issues, human rights and other things, which although I found them very interesting, I won't have time to go into here. I did find an excellent review on another blog if you are interested in reading more: Val's Random Comments.

Anyway I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA, and even many who don't. Let me know if you have any questions.

CassaStar Blog Tour

I'm really excited to be taking part in this blog tour today because Alex is a good blog buddy and he has a really exciting book coming out soon. Plus, it gives me an easy post that I barely have to think about!

Just kidding. Most of you probably know Alex, since he is one of the most prolific bloggers out there, but just in case any of you don't, please go stop by his blog now and become a follower, you won't regret it!

So without further ado, here is some info about both Alex and CassaStar:

Alex's Bio:

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He’s experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Currently he lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

Book Info:

CassaStar by Alex J. Cavanaugh
October 19, 2010 Science fiction/adventure/space opera
ISBN 9780981621067 Dancing Lemur Press LLC

To pilot the fleet’s finest ship …

Few options remain for Byron. A talented but stubborn young man with a troubled past and rebellious attitude, his cockpit skills are his only hope. Slated to train as a Cosbolt fighter pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth and begin a new life as he sets off for the moon base of Guaard.

Much to Byron’s chagrin, the toughest instructor in the fleet takes notice of the young pilot. Haunted by a past tragedy, Bassa eventually sees through Byron's tough exterior and insolence. When a secret talent is revealed during training, Bassa feels compelled to help Byron achieve his full potential.

As war brews on the edge of space, time is running short. Byron requires a navigator of exceptional quality to survive, and Bassa must make a decision that could well decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission that may stretch their abilities to the limit?

“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal

Trailer:



Links to purchase:

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

BAM

POWELLS

ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN EBOOK – KINDLE, IBOOKSTORE, NOOK, AND OTHERS

The Trickster

Today we're back to a fundamental Jungian Archetype which is of course also quite prevalent in literature and film: The Trickster. This archetype has its roots in mythology and religion, but as a character type it permeates nearly all culture. The Trickster can be anything from chaotic evil to lawful good but generally must have at least some of these characteristics:

• Fundamentally ambiguous and anomalous
• Deceiver and trick-player
• Shape-shifter
• Situation-inverter
• Messenger and imitator of the gods
• Sacred and lewd bricoleur

The Trickster is quite common throughout folklore, such as the Coyote from many Native American Creation Myths, or Hermes from Greek Mythology. Some might also consider the Serpent from the Garden of Eden to be a Trickster.

Keep in mind that a Trickster can also fit another archetype, such as Fizban from the Dragonlance Chronicles who was also a Wise Old Man/Sage, or Aang from Avatar who is also a Hero and a Child (not just literally, but also as far as the Jungian archetypes he fits into).

Some other good examples might be Spider/Anansi from Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, El-Ahrairah from Richard Adam's Watership Down, or Jareth, the Goblin King from the Labyrinth played by David Bowie with the impossibly exaggerated junk.

These would all be great examples. For my pick I'm going with Loki the "god of mischief" from Norse Mythology and the Prose Edda. Sometimes Loki is referred to as a god, sometimes as a Jotunn, which is like a supernatural giant. At times he serves the other gods and at times he causes major problems for them. He is also the father of many important mythological creatures and even the mother of Sleipnir, the eight legged horse I mentioned yesterday.

So who would you pick as an example of a Trickster? It doesn't have to be your very favorite, or even all that well known. Feel free to pick from folklore, literature, or film.

The Steadfast Steed

I was going to say loyal, but I already used that term for sidekicks. This is definitely not a Jungian Archetype, but it is a pretty common character in film and literature and besides, my good friend Leigh T Moore convinced me to do this one just so that she can pick a certain character. So she better get here quick to be the first one to comment about him.

I should clarify. This doesn't have to actually be a horse. This is sort of like a sidekick/mount/animal companion category. I'll even accept Chewbacca even though Han doesn't ride him around (as far as we know, at least). Gurgi from the Chronicles of Prydain would be another example of an animal companion that no one actually rode. You could also go with actual classic horses, like Rocinante, Red Hare, Shadowfax, Hasufel, Arod or Bill the Pony, or even mythical horses (with eight legs no less) like Sleipnir, Odin's horse from the Poetic Edda.

I'm going with a character from a film today, slightly different from my other choices, but probably not a huge surprise to most of you. I have always loved Artax from The Neverending Story. He was noble. He was swift. He was Atreyu's only companion on the greatest journey of his life. Well ... at least until the Swamp of Sadness that is.

I can tell you I wept like a crackhead without a rock when I first saw that scene and I still cry freely today whenever I watch it with my family. My one daughter calls me a tear-dropper and the other calls me sentimental. I'm not afraid to admit I cry during movies, hell, I don't really enjoy a movie that much unless it makes me cry. I'm an emotional writer, remember?

So who is your favorite steadfast stead or loyal animal companion? Did I give way too many examples and left nothing for you guys to come up with (except for Leigh)? I hope not.

The Wise Old Man/Sage

As you've probably noticed I've been going over some of the most common archetypal characters in literature and film this week. Not all are Jungian archetypes, but this one certainly is. Today I would like hear who your favorite Wise Old Man/Sage is. This archetype is slightly different from the Mentor, though of course in certain tales one character can fit both roles (think Dumbledore from Harry Potter).

I'm betting by now you can guess who may favorite is. I do love TLOTR and OMG (Olorin/Mithrandir/Gandalf) is certainly an awesome Wise Old Man but I'm getting a little tired of picking characters from Middle Earth every day, plus it feels a little lazy. I could go with one of two great examples from Star Wars, but instead I'm going to go with something a little more obscure today.

One of my favorite Wise Old Men is Dallben from the Chronicles of Prydain. I haven't actually even read all five volumes but I did read the Book of Three and the Black Cauldron when I was young. These books are not that famous but some of you may remember a rather well done animated Disney adaptation of the stories from the 80s. I can still remember exactly how Gurgi sounds when he talks about crunchings and munchings.

Anyway Dallben is a sort of sorcerer who acts as both the guardian of and mentor for the protagonist Taran. Dallben is 379 years old at the beginning of the Book of Three, and has one of the most interesting back stories I can remember (paraphrased from Wikipedia):

In a manner similar to the Welsh legend or Gwion Bach, one day as a boy he was helping three enchantresses by stirring a potion they were making when it boiled over and scalded his fingers. When Dallben put his burned fingers into his mouth, he accidentally ingested some of the liquid. It was a potion of wisdom, and immediately Dallben was able to see the enchantresses for what they really were, and to understand everything around him. Deciding they couldn't have so much wisdom living under one roof, the enchantresses sent him out into the world, with three gifts to choose from before leaving.

The first gift was a sword, which would have made Dallben the most powerful warrior who had ever lived. The second gift was a harp, which would have made him the world's most famous bard, had he chosen it. Instead he chose the third gift, a book called the Book of Three. Orddu told him it contained everything that was ever known or would ever be known, and knowledge was something Dallben valued more than power or fame.

So who is your favorite Wise Old Man/Sage? Don't be afraid to pick OMG just because I've already mentioned him, and don't be afraid to pick Y or OWK just because I've already alluded to them. Choose whoever you like!

Loyal Sidekicks

Today I would like to hear about your favorite loyal sidekick, and no please don't ask me anything about pro sports from last night. I'm not too torn up about the Vikings loss, but the Braves losing to the Giants and thus ending the wonderful career of Bobby Cox is pretty sad.

Anyway, let's move on to more literary pursuits.

Who is your very favorite loyal sidekick? You can choose someone from literature if you like, but I'll allow film and TV as well, after all, those are just other ways of telling stories. You can select a courageous warrior, or a cunning wizard. You can pick a steadfast friend or a loyal pet. Or you can pick an irritating but hilarious dirt eating dwarf like Mulch Diggums from Artemis Fowl. No he's not the main sidekick, but he is fun as hell to read about.

You probably won't be that surprised to hear who my favorites sidekick is. If you know me well you know that I am an absolute fanatic for all things Tolkien and Middle Earth. Can you guess where I am going with this? That's right.

Samwise Gamgee.

Has there ever been a more loyal, courageous, humble, and un-assuming hero? Yeah, sure, Frodo is the one who bears the real burden and the one who endures the agonizing weight of The Ring as it weighs upon his mind, but in the end [SPOILER ALERT] it's Sam who puts Frodo on his back and carries him up the slopes of Mount Doom and into the bowels of Mordor.

What a brave little fellow. I'm not afraid to admit the Mount Doom scene makes me cry every time. There are a lot of literary theories about Sam and Frodo's relationship being an allegory for the relationship between an officer and his sergeant in the British armed forces, and they are very interesting, but I won't go into them here.

Who is your very favorite loyal sidekick?

Sympathetic Villains

Today I would really like to hear from everyone who your favorite sympathetic villain is. They can be an antagonist, an anti-hero, or just a supporting character who happens to be a real bad guy, but also one that you feel for, for whatever reason.

I'll allow you to select from film as well, just so that someone can pick Darth Vader, because even though he doesn't seem very sympathetic at first, once you know his whole back story how can you not pity poor Anakin Skywalker? [SPOILER ALERT] Driven to the darkside by fear and manipulation, forced into the killing younglings and attacking his mentor? Is there a more tragic tale out there?

The character you pick doesn't have to be completely evil, in fact it's best if they're not. They can even be a red herring, like one of my two favorites: Severus Snape from Harry Potter. Professor Snape certainly is a tortured individual, and one who we spend thousands of pages essentially despising on Harry's behalf. [SPOILER ALERT] But once we discover the truth about his past and the full depth of his courage, we really begin to admire him, in spite of some of his distasteful personality traits, or at least I know I did.

Or your character can be even more pathetic, like my second favorite sympathetic villain: Smeagol/Gollum from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit. Like most sympathetic villains it takes quite some time to discover Gollum's past, [SPOILER ALERT] but once we do we certainly feel for him in his experience of being twisted for centuries by the addictive power of the ring.

So who is your favorite sympathetic villain? Try to pick just one but if you must break the rules like me and go with two, I won't really mind.

Nightshade City Cover Lover

I just started reading Nightshade City last night. I'm only through the prologue and the first chapter (I was busy) but I can already tell I am going to enjoy this story. I know I am an adult and this is a MG novel, but there are several things to be excited about. I haven't really read enough to talk about the writing yet, but I will say that I can already tell that this charming story is going to win me over with its subtle prose. I'm loathe to compare it too quickly to The Rats of NIMH or Watership Down, as I'm sure those comparisons are many, but I will say that I can already tell that Hilary Wagner has Richard Adam's skill for taking something simple and making it grand.

What I would rather concentrate on for now is the production quality of the first hardcover edition. The cover is beautiful. As a sort of online friend of Hilary's I have talked about this book more than once and I know most of the photos I've shared don't really do it justice. I've shared the best one I could find here but just in case I would like to describe the scene.

A rat who I can only assume is Juniper graces the front cover, filling a cobbled earthen tunnel choked with roots and shiny brown worms. He bears a torch and dons a leather pouch and a dark blue cape or cloak around his neck. His most prominent feature, his eyes, appear as plain black globes at first, but at a closer glance there is cunning and intelligence behind those milky orbs. Behind the featured rat and curling earthworm is a room that probably is not clearly visible on most online representations of this cover. The revelry occurring in the background says more to me about this story than anything else.

There is a golden room, likely lit by open flame, full of rats in several different states of celebration. Some hold spears. Other hold flagons of ale. But all appear jubilant and hint of a society that is beyond your everyday expectation of rodent culture.

If I had to voice a complaint it might be that the rear cover is simply a close up and reverse of the front, but I'm guessing that there is a poetic reason for this choice within the story. Needless to say I expect the mass market paper back may feature a different cover.

The fonts, both the beautiful gold letters of the title that graces the front cover, and the typeface within, are both lovely. Unfortunately the copyright page doesn't tell us which font was used to set the type for the text. Perhaps I can get Hilary to stop by and tell us what it is.

Finally we come to the blurb on the back cover. This may be the most exciting thing about this edition. The blurb is written by Rick Riordan. You might have heard of him. One of his books was turned into a little movie recently. Here is what he has to say about Nightshade City:

"Fans of Redwall and the Warriors series will love
this heroic tale of good versus evil in a subterranean
society of rats. The world of the Catacombs is
so compelling readers will wonder if it really
might exist under our city streets. Expect
great adventures in Nightshade City."

Can you imagine having someone like Rick Riordan write that about your novel? Awesome.

Well done Hilary. I'm really looking forward to getting into this story and enjoying the entire ride!

Hilary's blog.
Nightshade City's website.
Holiday House books.