#ya literature
Cambridge defends ‘woke’ trigger warning on Little House On The Prairie and Shakespeare classics
Cambridge defends trigger warning on Little House On The Prairie
Reasons why I Haye Trigger warnings. Stop pandering.
When I publish my book someday it won’t have any trigger warnings. Books have been out there for hundreds of years without them. We didn’t need them then and we don’t need them now.
I wrote a review of Holly Black’s spellbinding novel, ‘The Cruel Prince’. Read it here.
Throughout all my time as a reader, I have found just a few writers that seem to have almost a mystical prowess; that grab their readers attention immediately, and hold them in a trance from the beginning to the end of their novels. Among these spell-casters, Holly Black stands out as one of the best. I’ve raved over every Holly Black book I’ve ever picked up. I read ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’…
I have heard good things about Schwab’s other books, but I will not be picking up another.
In the past, I have spoiled myself on subscription boxes of adorable, bookish merchandise. The company that I use is Owl Crate, a monthly, Young Adult subscription box. They send all sorts of fun merchandise and a YA novel. The last book I received was ‘The Serpent King’, a book to which I gave very high praise. This month, I was less enthused. ‘This Savage Song’ by Victoria Schwab was, for the…
The Raven Cycle
(The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, The Raven King & Opal)
By Maggie Stiefvater
I was reluctant to read a book about a group of boys, but the dream elements in The Raven Cycle echoed some of the themes in my own book so I decided it would be valuable research. I tend to eschew male protagonists because I surfeited on a diet of them growing up when I longed to read about intelligent, daring, creative women.
ButThe Raven Cycle not only boasts a menagerie of multidimensional nuanced male characters, but also fierce, dynamic, wild females as well. I am so glad that Maggie Stiefvater lured me in with her brilliant premise, lyrical prose and unexpected landscape so that I could appreciate this gorgeous gritty tapestry of teen male kinship (and dare I say the sensuality of cars?) through not just a trilogy, but a quartet of books - plus a bonus short story. Oh, and for all of us that curse the end of a good series, guess what? There is a spin-off called The Dreamer Trilogy which I am enjoying now narrated by the brilliantly pliant Will Patten.
Blue Sergeant chronicles the names of the dead as the pass on the ley line each year. A seemingly ungifted seer in a house of talented female clairvoyants, Blue never seems to “see” anything until she sees the ghost of Gansey. This encounter catapults Blue into an adventure with a group of misfit prep school boys in search of a legend king.
With the kind of grand reveals that make a reader do a double take, Stiefvater builds a wholly unique world full of fantastical nightmares and earnest possibility that exists just a stumble away from our own.
Written with the intelligence of an adult but the poetry and wisdom that we lose as we age, this southern gothic tarot phantasm has the imagination of Erin Morgenstern and the dark possible magic of Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood.
So, let’s hear it for the boys, and for an author who has rendered such vivid multidimensional heroes - and heroines - to add to the canon of YA literature.
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The forever delightful Jessi Kirby sent me these pics yesterday while I was standing in Starbucks (iced venti decaf Americano, as you do). I let out a muffled scream and then pretended to casually browse the pastry display while trying not to melt down. I’m never quite ready to see my words beyond just a Word document on my computer.
(I also just want to clarify that Maya, Joaquin, and Grace are half-siblings, not triplets. Please don’t send me angry mail wanting to know where the heck the triplets are!)
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“Name one hero who was happy.“
I considered. Heracles went mad and killed his family; Theseus lost his bride and father; Jason’s children and new wife were murdered by his old; Bellerophon killed the Chimera but was crippled by the fall from Pegasus’ back.
“You can’t.” He was sitting up now, leaning forward.
“I can’t.”
“I know. They never let you be famous AND happy.” He lifted an eyebrow. “I’ll tell you a secret.”
“Tell me.” I loved it when he was like this.
“I’m going to be the first.” He took my palm and held it to his. “Swear it.”
“Why me?”
“Because you’re the reason. Swear it.”
“I swear it,” I said, lost in the high color of his cheeks, the flame in his eyes.
“I swear it,” he echoed.
We sat like that a moment, hands touching. He grinned.
“I feel like I could eat the world raw.”–Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles
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Favourite Books → Cress by Marissa Meyer
“Captain,” she murmured.
“I think I’m in love with you.”
An eyebrow shot up. She counted six beats of his heart before, suddenly, he laughed.
“Don’t tell me it took you two whole days to realize that. I must be losing my touch.”
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In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.
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Are you ready for another rousing year at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy?
Reblog this post by midnight tonight with a mention of your favorite Finishing School instructorandour messenger mechanicals will dispatch to you* a vital piece of information that will help you “navigate” your final year of Finishing School.
Finishing School - Book the Fourth: Manners & Mutinyarrives in six days!
* Do make certain your submit box is on as our pigeons are for emergency use only.
For a lady of covert activities, a cleverly noosed cravat can be as deadly as a bladed fan or a well-applied crumpet. Unless you’re wearing burgundy gloves, you’ll want avoid weapons likely to produce excess blood, and the cravat promises a minimal risk of damage to one’s attire. (Blood is just near to impossible to get out of silk!)
Let us only hope your adversary is without an Anti-Garroting Cravat, which are all the rage among gentlemen targets these days. They make finishing so terribly inconvenient, and force a lady to resort to far messier alternatives.
Discover more from Finishing Fashion Weekhere.
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No point in shilly-shallying about with pleasantries this evening, students, there is fashion to be discussed!
Back by popular demand, Waistcoats & Weaponry author Gail Carriger returns to highlight more of her favorite and most useful steampunk accessories.
1. Pocket Belt
In the grand scheme of useful accessories, this is my most useful. You can buy some beautiful pocket belts around the interwebs, or you can make your own from an old pair of cargo pants (I know…more cargo pants, but they really are very good starters for steampunking).
2. Bolt Snaps
Perhaps not so notable in and of themselves, but the best solution I have found for clipping all my favorite accessories to my belt or corset are these bronze double ended bolt snaps. You can get these handy little guys in various sizes, styles, and finishes online, from a local hardware store, or from a marine supply shop. I happen to find this particular design the most useful.
3. Magnification Lens
I can’t remember where I picked up this little field lens, but I think it’s adorable. It’s just a bit of a magnifier, and it telescopes closed. I have used it to take a closer look at items in a dealer’s room, but it’s mostly just for show. I really love it because it reminds me of my former life as an archaeologist.
More from FINISHING FASHION WEEK hereandhere.
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Today’sFINISHING FASHION WEEK post reminds us that garrotes can be quite stylish and are the perfect accessory for finishing one’s enemy, especially at the opera. (Only make certain you sit directly behind your quarry. Very inconvenient to throttle one’s adversary when seated in front of them.)
if you choose to make the garrote your trademark weapon, you’ll require several in different colors to match all your outfits – but what a perfect excuse to go shopping in London!
For more FINISHING FASHION WEEK see POST No. 1 written by Finishing School author gailcarriger, and tune in tomorrow for more on the fashionably side of matters deadly.
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In honor of tomorrow’s release of Finishing School Book the Third: Waistcoats & Weaponry, this week has been declared FINISHING FASHION WEEK.
Throughout we’ll provide tips, tricks & lessons on how one may use fashion to confuse, manipulate, deceive, disguise, defend, seduce and, of course, finish.
To begin our week of finishing fashion, we have been graced with the presence of our favorite author with an eye for accessories, Ms. Gail Carriger.
They say the devil is in the details, but I say the steampunk is in the details. It’s the little touches to any costume (or any cosplay for that matter) that strike a cord with others. I don’t know about you, but I dress up so that I can meet and mingle with fellow enthusiasts. I want people to ask me why I have teaspoons attached to the neckline of my favorite corset. (My answer: Who doesn’t want spoons on their boobs?)
The best steampunk outfits that I’ve seen employ tiny details and nifty tricks to bring out the personality of the wearer or the character they are portraying. Since I am an author who is awfully fond of tea, most of the details in my outfits hint at writing or the sacred beverage. However, I also nod in the direction of my books and my former profession. That’s part of the fun of steampunk—hinting at persona with apparel.
Here are a few of my very favorite and most useful steampunk accessories…
1. Holster
My parasol holster is made from an old pair of cargo shorts. You can adapt the idea for any oddball accessory you may have from a Nerf-modded steampunk gun to a wine bottle or a burrito (I support the idea of packing food at all times).
2. Goggles
Yes goggles and steampunk get a bad rap, but I still love them. I go so far as to mock the pervasiveness of this accessory in my books. (In my final Finishing School book, the young ladies of quality wear floating goggles while cutting onions.) However, it doesn’t stop me from being the proud owner of my very own pair. But here’s the thing, they have that little twist that make them me-ish – they have tea strainers for lenses. So useful! Brute Force Studios made these goggles, but it’s pretty fun to make your own using found objects that have meaning to you.
3. Fan
Speaking of Brute Force Studios, I love their leather fan. Perhaps not the most practical accessory but one thing I have learned at conventions is that temperatures vary widely. If a girl can arrange her costume to be cool in some rooms and warm in others, it’s never a bad thing. This fan is always welcome. I love it so much I mailed it to my publisher in the hopes that it might be part of the cover of my latest book. And they used it! They added blades because my character is a spy meets assassin, thus blades must be part of the equation. However, I’m glad mine is just leather, otherwise I’d never get it through TSA.
Tune in all week for more on the fashionable side of matters deadly.
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What’s a #NOVLbox you ask? We like to think of it as a care package of bookish goods and quirky items from one of our favorite authors.
For November, we decided to ask steampunk rockstar gailcarriger, author of The Finishing School series and the Parasol Protectorate series, to curate a mystery box for our readers… and she said yes!
What items might you find inside? Possibly a Finishing School item that can double as a weapon. Maybe some tea (a lady should always have tea on hand). Perhaps a handwritten note. And well, a #NOVLbox wouldn’t be complete without a book…or three. In either case, we are quite certain that the contents of this package will be to your liking.
Enter for a chance to win here. Good luck to you all!
Silver hairsticks to use as anti-supernatural weapons? An exploding wicker chicken? A stack of deadly doilies? Whatever is inside, a mystery box curated by gailcarriger can mean only one thing to a student of etiquette and espionage: you want it. ENTER TO WIN HERE!
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Welcome to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy, the Empire’s premier institution for proper young killing machines.
Follow us for lessons in etiquette and espionage as taught in Gail Carriger’s bestselling book series, Finishing School.
To begin your education in the fine of finishing others, start reading here.
Congratulations to beigeloquatious, winner of our first “Finish the Lesson” caption contest.
Very prettily said, my dear. Please contact us here, so we may send you and your best friend copies of Gail Carriger’s Finishing School series, including Book the Third: Waistcoats & Weaponry (out November 4th).
As for the rest of you, there’s still time to finish the second lesson! Complete it here.
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For week 2, the free SYNC audiobooks for teens ages 13 and up are “They Went Left” by Monica Hesse and “Trell” by Dick Lehr. Once downloaded, they are yours to keep! You have until Wednesday, May 12, 2021 to downloaded them. To find out more about these books and how to download them, go to: https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/
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Happy Star Wars Day, and May the 4th be with you! Check out these YA Star Wars books as well as others on display on the 2nd floor at Headquarters. You can place these on hold through the PINES catalog at www.arcpls.org. For more ways to celebrate Star Wars Day, go to https://www.starwars.com/star-wars-day.
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Did you know that listening to audiobooks counts as reading? Starting today, teens ages 13+ can download free audiobooks fromhttps://www.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/ for the next 14 weeks! Each week, there will be two new audiobooks to download, and you’ll have access to them for a lifetime. Now through May 5th, you can download the books “Come On In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home” edited by Adi Alsaid and “Illegal” by Francis X. Stork. Happy listening!
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ok i think what gets me about the kind of post that’s like ’[children’s media] has child soldiers, where are their parents!!’ is that those stories really and truly aren’t forpeople who’ll think about that, they’re for the people the children’s age, who don’t, for the most part, want to be kept safe or told they’re too young to participate in the world, they want to be given a sword
i did not anticipate that this post was going to be this popular so like.
- when i said “a sword” i was speaking metaphorically. i mean, literally as well, swords are cool as hell. but metaphorically: agency and the power to do something about their situation and the situation of the world.
- a bunch of people have said that children who do not have supportive parents love this kind of thing, which is very true and part of a thing i was thinking of but is not in the post - often when you feel alone, reading about someone who is alone but in a much more dramatic way, with, again, the power to do something about it, is much more comforting than reading about someone who is kept safe and given the “right” supports. the dragon takes on the face of the fifth grade bully easily and naturally.
- when i said “where are their parents” and “child soldiers” i was generalizing these kind of complaints. “why didn’t any adult step in”/ “these are bad pedagogical techniques” are some of the ones i see a bunch. and the answer is the same. they didn’t step in or teach in a way that would be good in real life because it is the opposite of empowering for a child to hear “when you’re older” in fiction as well as in real life.
- someone reblogged this post with tags about how their younger self would have been furious if the events of one of those “villain gets mad at seer for sending children to fight them” posts had played out in real life, and that’s about right - one of the central things about being a child is not being taken seriously. those posts are by adults who have forgotten that, because being wrapped in a blanket and told to sit this one out means that you are not being taken seriously - as a threat; as an enemy; as a hero; as a person.
- if your “counterexample” is not directed towards people under 20, you’re misreading the post. The new crop of adult fantasy books really examining the post-traumatic stress of child heroes is very much not for me, but if people like it, that’s fine. but that’s very different from stuff focused on kids with heroes who are kid-aged. “wow, the hero of this book is too young, it’s kind of funny that no one else can do anything/this Great Mage War is between a 12 year old and a 10 year old/whatever” is maybe a funny joke but it is not any sort of real or, more importantly, interesting criticism of the work.
- kids’ literature is a great way of exposing kids to the thrill of danger while keeping them absolutely safe.
- kids’ literature where the adults are a problem is a great way of teaching kids that authority is not inherently trustworthy.
- kids deserve to be safe; kids deserve to feel powerful. a kid reading about an 11-year-old taking on the Dark Lord and winning is safe and feelspowerful.
Stories are Stories.
Not Real life
BOOK REVIEW!!
RUBY RED by KERSTIN GIER
4.5/5 stars
I’m very happy with this novel; I have actually never read a time travel book before so I was pleasantly surprised.
This book is about Gwen Shepard who is a part of a time travelling family. In this world you have to have a gene to be able to time travel and in Gwen’s case the gene is passed through the female line. When we meet Gwen she is just the average school girl with a very special cousin. Charlotte is the gene carrier and the family is expecting her to disappear at any moment. She has been preparing her whole life to travel in time. However soon Gwen is feeling dizzy and that is the #1 symptom of those who will soon travel. She keeps the feeling to herself, thinking that it’s impossible that she could be the actual gene carrier. Gwen does travel back in time, but she still keeps it to herself. By the third time she goes back she finally tells her mother Grace. Grace bring her to the temple to meet the de Villier family. No one believes Grace, because of something she did 16 years ago to do with the Chronograph and Lucy (Gwen’s cousin). Lucy we know has disappeared with Paul de Villier and we find out later that they actually stole a chronograph and Grace helped them get away. It is very clear through the book though that Grace is hiding something pretty important. Once Gwen finally proves that she is the gene carrier, by uncontrollably going back in time, she has to meet Count St. Germaine back in time. She goes with Gideon who is the current male time traveller. She meets him, he threatens her and thinks she has some special power. On their way back to the temple they get attacked and Gwen has to save Gideon. Eventually their time is up and they go back home. The next day Gideon picks her up and explains the mission that he is currently on is to get blood from all 12 time travellers since Lucy and Paul stole the other chronograph with all the time traveller blood in it. They have to get all the blood to reveal a secret. However Gideon is having trouble getting blood from Margaret Tilney, Gwen’s great-great grandmother. Gideon has travelled back to meet her, but she specifically requested Gwen come back to see her. They travel back to 1912 a completely random date as to avoid a trap. However they run into Lucy and Paul when they go back to meet with Margaret. Lucy tries to talk to Gwen about Count St. Germaine and warn her about something, but Gideon pulls her away. They go back to the present and the novel ends with Gideon and Gwen kissing. The Epilogue has Lucy and Paul talking about Gwen, but I’m sure we will figure out what they were referring to in the future novels.
Overall I thought it was well written and I’m excited to read the rest of the trilogy.
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achilles and patroclus aka slap me in the face with that gay shit
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One of my favorite books of all time at one of my favorite places of all time
ALT
Star Rating: ***** (5/5 Stars)
I’m consistently impressed by Cory Doctorow. I also think it is important to know a little bit about him and his background in order to fully appreciate his books. Doctorow is a blogger, a geek, a computer and gadget guy, a character in XKCD, and one of the champions of the Creative Commons movement. If you don’t know what that is you should go check out the website HERE. He is outspoken and knowledgeable about copyright and open source issues. His nonfiction is, in my opinion, at least as good a read as his fiction.
That said, his fiction is excellent. Little Brother is an updated 1984. Most of George Orwell’s inventions actually exist in the world now, but when they were conceived they were just that: conceptions of what the world might look like someday. Doctorow does the same thing, and his imagined near-future world is terrifyingly plausible.
His characters live in what is essentially a police state, where Americans are kept docile by the nebulous threat of terrorism. When a teenage hacker, Marcus, experiences the illegal and unjust practices of Doctorow’s Department of Homeland Security firsthand, he decides to take down the government using his cracked Xbox. Doctorow does a good job of exploring all of the ways a decision like that is terrifically stupid, and also the ways in which it is incredibly smart. Marcus doesn’t get away with anything just by virtue of being the protagonist, he has to work to achieve each tiny victory, running the risk of imprisonment without trial if his identity is discovered.
Little Brother is about revolution, surveillance, hacking, and the power of the people. It’s not hard to see where Doctorow got his ideas. All you need to do is look around. Much of the technology he writes about exists already. Doctorow is good at explaining complex technical subjects in ways that make sense to the uninitiated. I know nothing about cryptography, but his descriptions of how it works made sense to me, and he interspersed the technical stuff with a lot of interesting true history. Do not be put off. It was a great book with a chilling message: you are being watched. Read it with attention to detail.
“you’ve missed me.”
“hardly.”
alina starkov & zoya nazyalensky belong to leigh bardugo.
that iconic photo of jessie & sujaya was used as reference.
please do not repost or edit.
trust in yourself, phoenix.
zofia belongs to roshani chokshi.
please do not repost or edit.
For the first time in a long time I’m asking for book recommendations. I’ve read a couple Murakami books recently and would love something light hearted and fun to read. Could also be serious but was thinking YA lit because they are my favorite. I also adore well written books that almost read like poetry. I.e. Jellicoe Road and The Sky Is Everywhere.
Thanks in advance!
“Jean,” he said. “Hey, Jean. Jean Valjean. Hey. Hey. Hello.”
-Aftg, Nora Sakavic
I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much I appreciate this lesmis reference in Trk. I LOVED IT
So I basically forced my guy friend to read the Raven boys
and he came running to class today screaming „Noah is Czerny AND he is actually dead! This is awesome!!“ Through the day he read and he finished it. The first thing he said to me after finishing the book was „What the f does Ronan mean when he’s saying he took chainsaw out of his dreams?!!!“ Now he’s reading the shit out of the rest of the series
