sweet and sour

it's rare to get an ARC for an author you know/have met. it's rarer still to get that ARC directly from the author. one of the perks of doing events!

Sweethearts, Sara Zarr's newest book, proves what i already knew -- she's not a flash in the pan. her first novel, Story of a Girl, has been a wild success -- National Book Award nominee, good critical reviews, etc. the second book can't help but be a worry, in this kind of situation: will people like it as much? will they not like it? is it too similar? is it too different?

i liked it better.

shock! blasphemy! wait, what? all kidding aside, it took me awhile to really get into Story of a Girl. deanna is a tough cookie, and i'm guessing that my hesitation was partly due to the fact that she was the girl i was afraid of in high school. this made the book more powerful for me, in the end, because by the closing pages i was right there with deanna, no longer afraid of her or confused by her. i got it, i got her, and loved the book.

Jennifer Harris aka Jenna Vaugh aka Fattifer aka JV (read it, you'll get it) of Sweethearts, however, i got right away. those of us who had a difficult elementary school experience will always recognize one another, so i felt right at home with Jenna. she's finally made headway -- lost twenty pounds, made friends at a new school, has a cute boyfriend -- and is able to ignore her difficult early years, for the most part. but then her only friend from elementary school, a boy she thought was dead, reappears. it's not an easy reunion, and the issues that Sweethearts addresses are genuine, heart-rending at times, and highlight the awkwardness of reconciling the many selves we carry around with us.

your reading list until it comes out:

This Is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis, another emerging author, is a great book about friendship, abuse, and identity. Ann Dee nailed the voice of her narrator, bringing unpopular, shy, troubled Logan to vivid life. Logan has trouble in spades -- a mysterious incident of abuse that he can't bring himself to talk about taints his life, making him simultaneously suspect and victim. his frank understanding of his own situation, his frustration with himself and his parents, and his fear of contact with his former best friend combine to create a fully realized and fully realistic story.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, of which you already know i'm a fan, is another one to add to the pile.

music and books

there are some books out there that remind us of just how much we love music. Audrey, Wait is one of those books.

in Audrey, Wait Robin Benway turns every girl's dream (to have a song written about them) on its head in a laugh-out-loud, bright, sharp novel. audrey is the voice of a generation. she is alternatingly air-headed and bitingly intelligent, angsty and insightful, but always genuine -- a refreshing change from the chic clique girls that overrun much of the ya genre.

you won't be able to read Audrey, Wait until April 2008, but don't despair! for your auditory enjoyment, i've scoured deezer for songs featured in the book -- below. and, for your reading pleasure, let me introduce you to two of my other muscially-inclined friends: War for the Oaks by Emma Bull and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

War for the Oaks was my introduction to rock and roll, and no one could have introduced it better than eddi mccandry, our heroine. she rocks like nobody's business, and that's what gets her into trouble. if you like a good fantasy, you've probably already read this book but i will say it anyway -- read it! guitars, drummers, the world of faerie, and a whole lot of rock and roll collide to create a book that i have reread more times than i can count, and fondly recall more often than that. expect a playlist as soon as i can find my copy.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower features charlie, a kid who just can't catch a break. i never did like Catcher in the Rye -- if i were a teacher and could replace it, this is the book i'd replace it with. life is rough, high school is rough, and no one knows it better than charlie. but unlike the self-pitying and self-obsessed holden caulfield, charlie actually has a heart. which is a good thing, because he needs it. music may not play as strong of a role in this book as in Audrey, Wait or War for the Oaks, but it's there to set the stage at key moments.

(note: these are all PG13 folks. razorbill seems to think that Audrey, Wait is suitable for 12 year olds, but i'd say wait a bit -- sex, drugs and language do play a role. not a huge one, but there nonetheless.)