[YA] Books For The Girl Who Always Wanted Blue Hair

Last weekend I was asked to come up with a few recommendations of books all featuring characters with unnatural hair colors through either natural or supernatural means and unfortunately I was totally stumped. So I turned to Twitter and you all came through for me in a major way! So here's the list as it stands now. With these books it isn't always the MC with the unnatural hair color; sometimes it is the supporting characters or the villains. Thanks to everyone who gave their suggestions. If you have any other suggestions feel free to add them to the list in the comments.



But overwhelmingly, the number one book that was recommended via Twitter was Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone.

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

This book sounds AWESOME!  I can't wait until it releases in September so this is my Waiting on Wednesday pick.  Know what else is cool?  Laini has some seriously pink hair and she totally rocks it too! Love it!

[YA & Books] A Reading Funk

Guys, so I finished Divergent by Veronica Roth not too long ago and OMG.  It was SO good!  It was SO good that it blew my mind.  It was SO good that I couldn't sleep at night.  Over three weeks later, I am still trying to decide what faction I would have chosen.  This is some serious business, folks.  I've got it bad. 

Now I can't seem to get into any other book that I start reading.  Memorial Day weekend was supposed to have been spent at the end of the dock with a book in my hand and a box of Pop Tarts at my side. But nothing is hitting that sweet spot quite like Divergent did.  It's like everything else is a plain Pop Tart but all I want is the Strawberry Frosted ones.  I am drooling in eager anticipation for more, and it feels like nothing else will do.

So you might say that I'm in a funk, a reading funk. Usually when this happens I take a quick break and turn to some craft projects to get me through it. There is a certain sense of achievement that comes of making something with your own hands whether it's art, pottery, writing, or sewing.  It is usually grounding enough to distract me from the euphoria of having found something marvelous and new. When I get into these manic moods, I'll start and finish a new project. But since finishing Divergent, I've crocheted three scarves and will be starting on a Hunger Games themed project next that may very well take me all summer to complete.

So my questions for you this week are: does this ever happen to you (obviously I don't mean fiber-art based anxiety attacks). What do you do to get out of these reading funks?   Do you turn to a hobby?  Do you read out of your normal genre?  Do you reread beloved favorites?

And since it's Wednesday, let's hear some of those #WaitingOnWednesday picks.  Maybe something will inspire me to pick up a book again.

P.S. Read Divergent. Do it. You must. Do it now!

[YA] So Pretty It's Art: Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

Wow, I love this!  I love this cover so much that I want to hang it on my wall. And best yet, the the story appeals to me too.  It's the kind of dilemma that's not only really relevant to teens today, but it is also one that even adults struggle with.  I'll have to pick this one up when it releases later this month.

About Awaken: Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking. In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

"The Big Six" and why I hate that phrase

Buzz words are problematic.  While the phrases are easy to recite, they tend to also propagate misinformation in their simplicity.  Some processes and organizations are just too complex to be boil down to a handful of words or titles that will paint an accurate picture. 

Nothing drives me battier than the terminology "The Big Six", a phrase used often to refer to the six major trade houses in the USA: Random House, Macmillan, Penguin Group, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins.  I've always felt that this misnomer leads readers to think of the publishing industry as smaller than it is. 

"The Big Six," it reduces a publisher like Random House to one of only six publishers.  It addresses none of the variety or diversity of Random House as a collected whole.  Here is the Wikipedia entry for Random House, listing all of it's domestic and international imprints: Wiki Divisions and Imprints. I stopped counting at a dozen, but there are many, many more.  Every imprint is different and unique in pursuing their own publishing goals and opinion of excellence.

Another thing that bothers me about the use of  "The Big Six" is how it undervalues the roll small presses play in the publishing field.  Why is it only ever the actions of "The Big Six" that appear to be shaping the industry?  Digital technologies are leveling the playing field through e-publishing and advancements in print production and efficiency.  Every day, small and independent presses are making decisions that will affect their markets, authors, contracts, accounts, and consumers.  These decisions in turn create ripples in the community, slowly fanning out to affect a larger surface area.

Finally, and this observation may only be the result of the blog posts that I have read, I see the phrase "The Big Six" used frequently enough to imply that there is some secret society among publishers.  And it boggles my mind every time.  There are anti-trust laws in this country to prevent collusion between corporate powers against any one industry, retailer, or consumer group.  I'm not naive, people in this industry do talk with one another, but there is no roundtable secret meeting between publishing execs at which they decide how as one, they're going to move and position themselves around one another. This is a highly competitive market, with low margins, and an abundance of goods.  It benefits the large corporations to be closed lipped with one another.

I doubt it bugs very many people, but there it is.  I've said my peace.

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Mythbusters: The Publishing Edition

One of the big gripes with traditional publishing these days is that due to the economic downturn, it is only a handful of books that receive -any- marketing at all.  That if you aren't Stephen King, you can expect to go it alone.  Here is the good news:  that's not all that true!  Most every book receives some marketing and publicity attention with few exception among all the major trade houses. 

What is true is that only a few books receive money for some of the bigger things such as ads in The New York Times Book Review, and that's okay.  It's only a certain kind of book that benefits from such things.  

Every book receives at least three big things: review galleys, a place in catalog, and attention from your marketing department and sales force at major meetings.  None of these are insignificant.  The catalog is a hugely important sales tools that goes out to booksellers, libraries, and reviewers everywhere to pitch the upcoming season of books.

The thing you should also know is that it is never all or nothing.  Between those big books that get those ads in USA Today and the ten city tours, there are a lot of other tiers.  Some books get a lot more galleys and advertising perhaps in lieu of author appearances due to the budget or an author's schedule and travel restraints.  Some books get a lot more of an online push with little to no print attention because that's just the best way to reach its target audience. 

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Kick-Off Contest: YA Giveaway

Some of you may be old readers of my former blog, and hopefully some of you are new from parts unknown.  But to all of you, welcome! 

So how shall we kick things off? How about some free books to start you on your summer reading?  Does that sound good?

Well it better because check out the fabulous prizes I've collected for you:

One lucky winner will receive a dozen YA novels.  The prize pack contains a mix of both hardcovers and ARC's.  There is something for everyone in this prize pack; from paranormal romance to contemporary to dystopian.

  

How to Enter:

We'll be using a very simple point system in which each point gains you one entry ticket for the giveaway. 

+1 Answer one of the questions:  "Who is your favorite author?" or "What is your post-apocalyptic society survival skill?" (Or both if you like.  Points will only be awarded once.) 

+1 Link to my contest from your blog (provide link)

+1 Link to my contest from your Twitter or Google Buzz (provide link)


Please post your answers and links as a comment to this post.  

This contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and will end on Friday, June 18th.  The winner will be announced by June 25th on the blog and I will contact you then.  The winner will be chosen at random by means of random.org. 

Good luck to all of you.  And I look forward to getting to know you.  

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