I've been meaning to read this book, and now I really want to see the movie, given this review. I think this also speaks a little to yesterday's discussion of categories, etc, don't you think?
Friday, March 7, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Ah, to be young and outraged now that spring is here
You know, if someone were to put together a service that emailed me one of these stories everyday, I think I'd be a happier person. I love high-school protests.
In Mesa, AZ , students protested a no-hugging rule with a hug-a-thon.
Don't miss the video.
In Mesa, AZ , students protested a no-hugging rule with a hug-a-thon.
Don't miss the video.
Carrie Jones, case in point
Man, this is why I love Carrie Jones. She's a category killer.
Not only is she a rock star in Maine this week, but Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend is also the recipient of much YA-blog-review love from Boys Blogging Books (featuring thrilling action shots of guys reading books!) and of an award nomination from the Romance Writers of America (the Gayle Wilson Award for Excellence).
Let's leave this with a quote from Kurtis, the blog reviewer: "This book was completely inspiring to me. Carrie Jones has a way of making you rethink how you see people who live life in a way that might not be your ‘normal’. I couldn’t put this one down."
Not only is she a rock star in Maine this week, but Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend is also the recipient of much YA-blog-review love from Boys Blogging Books (featuring thrilling action shots of guys reading books!) and of an award nomination from the Romance Writers of America (the Gayle Wilson Award for Excellence).
Let's leave this with a quote from Kurtis, the blog reviewer: "This book was completely inspiring to me. Carrie Jones has a way of making you rethink how you see people who live life in a way that might not be your ‘normal’. I couldn’t put this one down."
Duck and cover
Everybody's favorite bow-tie-wearing polemicist is at it again (and thank goodness, life was getting dull). Do check out Roger Sutton's latest on his Horn Book blog. The killer quote: "Whatever whoever chooses to read is their business, of course, but adults whose taste in recreational reading ends with the YA novel need to grow up." (Please read the rest of the piece, though. He makes some interesting observations before he tosses his grenade.)
For my part . . . Sure, fine, whatever. I finally got around to Zadie Smith's On Beauty (liked it, as I have her others), so I guess my grown-up card is stamped for a while. But, Roger, aren't you assuming that "YA novel" has some objective, useful meaning for readers beyond a bookstore and library category? I think this assumption is both faulty in practice (as evinced by the number of books whose YA labels are gained or lost according to where they're sold, e.g. Markus Zusak) and dangerous in principle because it casts readers as passive, uncritical recipients of categorized books (like Moby Dick is a fish story; Jane Austen is the first romance novelist). No thanks. This is a dumb, reductive way to read. Genre and age category labels exist largely for shopping and shelving convenience. Beyond that, readers should forget about them and consider only the personal "aesthetic bliss" each book offers.
(It's interesting to imagine what Roger Sutton's 18th century antecedent might have written in a similar circumstance. I suspect you could simply substitute "novel" for "YA novel" in the quote, as the prose novel category was considered lightweight popular entertainment, certainly not suitable for the bulk of an educated person's serious reading. History hasn't been friendly to these kinds of generalizations. They simply give too much credence to category and genre labels and ignore individual talent.)
For my part . . . Sure, fine, whatever. I finally got around to Zadie Smith's On Beauty (liked it, as I have her others), so I guess my grown-up card is stamped for a while. But, Roger, aren't you assuming that "YA novel" has some objective, useful meaning for readers beyond a bookstore and library category? I think this assumption is both faulty in practice (as evinced by the number of books whose YA labels are gained or lost according to where they're sold, e.g. Markus Zusak) and dangerous in principle because it casts readers as passive, uncritical recipients of categorized books (like Moby Dick is a fish story; Jane Austen is the first romance novelist). No thanks. This is a dumb, reductive way to read. Genre and age category labels exist largely for shopping and shelving convenience. Beyond that, readers should forget about them and consider only the personal "aesthetic bliss" each book offers.
(It's interesting to imagine what Roger Sutton's 18th century antecedent might have written in a similar circumstance. I suspect you could simply substitute "novel" for "YA novel" in the quote, as the prose novel category was considered lightweight popular entertainment, certainly not suitable for the bulk of an educated person's serious reading. History hasn't been friendly to these kinds of generalizations. They simply give too much credence to category and genre labels and ignore individual talent.)
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Congratulations to Carrie Jones!
Andrew's usually on top of these things. But given that he's a new dad and swamped with work upon return and no doubt getting no sleep at night, it falls to me to extend congratulations to Carrie Jones whose debut novel, TIPS ON HAVING A GAY (EX) BOYFRIEND just won the 2008 Maine Literary Award in the Young Adult Category.
Carrie is very much looking forward to attending the awards ceremony in April when former Maine governor Angus King will be reading a passage from the book (you'll have to ask her why that's so significant).
In related news, Carrie's follow-up book, LOVE (AND OTHER USES FOR DUCT TAPE) came out just this month and is enjoying a love fest by all who read it.
Monday, March 3, 2008
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