A Reader to Writers: Boy Books

During the annoying Internet Apocalypse earlier this week, when I had NO FREAKING INTERNET CONNECTION IN MY HOUSE FOR ETERNITY THREE DAYS, I had to get my blog, Twitter, and email fix at the local library.  Despite the fact that I had oodles of books in the house and was currently in the middle of Madame Bovary which I'd been meaning to read for ages, guess what I did at the library?  Stepped into the teen section.  Right into the middle of temptation.  And guess what I saw displayed prominently in the teen section?  Two books by authors whose Twitter presence I LOVE and whose books I have been told I should read for ages.  And guess which books?  Looking for Alaska by John Green (do you know how hard it is to not write @realjohngreen there?) and Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.

Needless to say, I checked both out of the library and shoved poor Madame Bovary to the deepest, darkest regions of my book bag so that I could start Looking for Alaska immediately.  I finished it in something like two hours, cried, re-read all of my favorite parts, cried some more, and then started Little Brother.  I finished this one in something like three hours, not all in one sitting, and there was no crying involved - but seriously, the book blew my mind.  I walked around all day the next day freaking out that I didn't know how to encrypt my computer.  And then I returned to Madame Bovary, which I am enjoying, but still haven't finished because I keep taking breaks to re-read Looking for Alaska and Little Brother and also to squeeze in some Meg Cabot therapy, but that is a post for another time.  Check out the blurb for Looking for Alaska:

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave "the Great Perhaps" even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then . . . After. Nothing is ever the same.

And Little Brother:

Marcus, a.k.a w1n5t0n, is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works, and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school's intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.
But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they are mercilessly interrogated for days.
When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.

So, what did both books have in common that made them so insanely readable for me?  They were both boy books.  Genuine BOY BOOKS.  I am not implying that YA should be segregated by gender (on the contrary, and I'll get to that later), but there is definitely a difference in the readership of Meg Cabot and, say, John Green or Cory Doctorow.  Also, it's a lot more acceptable for a girl to read books geared towards guys than it is for guys to read books geared towards girls, so the fact that GEN-YEW-INE BOY BOOKS (say those last three words with a pleasant Southern-y twang) are so rare is something of a thorn in my side.

And what's not to love about boy books?  In my experience, they're usually geeky, funny, slick, smart, stupid, ridiculous, heartbreaking, sweet, disgusting, and, if you let the hormones do the talking, pretty darn sexy.  For me, a girl, it is the ultimate escapist experience, because how far can you get from your own experiences than in the mind of the opposite sex?  Even if I go into so-called *girl books*, especially the genre of paranormal romance, when I think of two of the ones that worked for me - Shiver and Beautiful Creatures - both featured a guy's POV.  (That's point of view to the uninitiated. And when I say paranormal romance, I'm not counting full-frontal urban fantasies like The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare or anything by Holly Black, by the way, because the two are very different in my mind.)  I even preferred Stephenie Meyer's draft of Midnight Sun to Twilight, and it wasn't because the writing was better.  (And yes, you can snicker.  I did go online and read Midnight Sun.) 

What makes a "boy book"?  Loosely, it's a story with a guy protagonist, preferably 1st person or close focus POV.  But beyond that, I'm not sure how to define the elusive quality that makes them tick.  Perhaps the general lack of emotional sentience?  But I think what really turns a book from just a tomboyish good time in my mind to the literary other piece of the gender puzzle is how boy books talk about girls.

Literature, inevitably, talks about sex and gender in a way that no other art form can.  It's the amber that traps the mosquito of our attitudes and paradigms, as anyone who's read Shakespeare can tell you.  There is no way Shakespeare could get away with writing his plays today.  (Can you imagine the feminist outcry after a modern-day debut of The Taming of the Shrew?)  And yet, because he wrote them when he did, we are given an invaluable glimpse into the role of women in Elizabethan society through the equivalent of romantic comedies and swashbuckling action flicks.

We've seen the women of boy books go from damsels in distress to femme fatales to Manic Pixie Dream Girls as guys' attitudes toward girls have changed over the years.  In my opinion, all of those are as cliched and more or less untrue as the mysterious tortured romantic type a la Edward Cullen and the dozens of other desirable stereotypes girls expect from guys.  But cliches and all, I think girls could learn a lot from reading "boy books", just as boys could learn a lot from reading "girl books".  I think it's important to receive that dose of perspective every once in awhile, to stop judging people for what they read, to realize that each book is a world no more or less important than any other.  (Fine words, I know, from someone who criticizes books for fun.)  When it comes down to it, as long as you're reading, I don't particularly care what.

And did I mention that there's something seriously sexy about listening to the guy's side of the story?  (Sorry.  Hormones talking again.)

So what do writers and publishers take away from this?  Believe it or not, I think boys would read if there were more books geared toward them.  Believe it or not, girls could read those books, too.  And if we could all become a little more socially open minded, hey, you never know. You might see guys start reading Meg Cabot, too.

Waiting on Wednesdays #10

 The Waiting on Wednesday meme is hosted  by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, so I suggest you go over there and check it out!  Good stuff.  This Wednesday I'll pick...

Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins.

What would you do if your mother were hungry and your only option to feed her was to fight in the army? What about if you saw soldiers burning your home and farm while you ran for your life? Wouldn’t you be terrified, like Chiko? Wouldn’t you be angry, like Tu Reh?
Narrated by two boys on opposing sides of the conflict between the Burmese government and the Karenni, one of Burma's many ethnic minorities, this coming-of-age novel takes place against the political and military backdrop of modern-day Burma.

Much to my chagrin, I have never read a Mitali Perkins book.  Ever.  This is especially annoying because one, I love multicultural fiction, especially when it has to do with Southeast Asia, and two, Mitali Perkins's online presence is incredible.  She is very active on Twitter @mitaliperkins, sharing links and stats, hosting book launch parties, and just being funny and sweet and incredibly kind.  She also has a spectacular website and blog, Mitali's Fire Escape, which I discovered recently and have enjoyed perusing ever since.

This book is especially interesting to me because I'd like to expand my knowledge of Southeast Asia beyond just India, Pakistan, and Bengal.  The release date is July 1st while I'm at camp, also to my chagrin, but considering I haven't even read her most recent book The Secret Keeper yet (check out the summary from her website), I suppose I can wait.  Anyway, I definitely plan on getting my hands on a copy as soon as I can!

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?  Leave the titles or links in the comments!

Why Paperback Swap rocks my socks

I live in a semi-rural area.  Generally, I am broke.  What does this mean?  It is a PAIN to get a hold of books around here!  My family has a huge personal library.  We're talking something like 10,000 books, and that is not an exaggeration.  I tried cataloging them once and made it two rooms of the house.  Final total in just those two?  3500.  Unfortunately, most of those I've either read or are nonfiction/picture books and not what I want to read for fun.  My local library system nearby (not the Hennepin County system, where I withdraw books occasionally) is not well funded, and they have a hard time keeping the books I like in stock.  They have no Mitali Perkins.  None.  Probably because there isn't enough demand in my area, but still!  (That is not a diss to the library, which I like, it is a diss to the lack of funding.)

What's the solution?  Paperbackswap.com!  (No, this is not an advertisement/paid endorsement, I just love this website.)  Basically, people post books that they no longer want.  Other people request those books.  The people who posted the books then mail them off, and upon receipt, the people who requested those books give credits to the people that sent them.  It is an amazing system.  So, say you end up with a book you hated or a book that just wasn't your thing, but you really want to read Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.  You post a book.  You wait for someone to request it.  (Sometimes that step takes awhile, but not usually.)  You request Uglies with the credit you earned by sending someone else a book (or go on the waiting list for Uglies if no one's posted it yet).  All you've had to pay is the postage to send the initial book!

As someone who loves to support authors, I try to buy books new.  I really do.  But it is REALLY EXPENSIVE.  And in the end, I think the authors would rather you read a legitimate copy of their book that's just being passed around a lot for almost free than read a pirated copy for free.  (Note: These are legitimate copies.  You can't post ARCs or stripped books or any kind of illegal/severely damaged book, and if you do, the person receiving the book won't give you a credit.  Also, it's not just for paperbacks - hardcovers, textbooks, audiobooks, you name it are also swapped.  And there's also a sister site for DVDs.)  The one flaw with Paperback Swap is that there are MASSIVE waiting lists for popular or newly released books - I think I'm spot #143 in line for Kathryn Stockett's The Help - but there are a heck of a lot of really great books up for request.  Sarah Dessen, Meg Cabot, and Stephenie Meyer always seem to have at least a few books there at any given time.

So, now that I'm finished with my freebie promotion (you owe me, Paperback Swap!!!!), I shall regale you with a personal tale.  Four nights ago, having just gotten off the phone with my best friend at midnight, I felt like a major insomniac and was lamenting the fact that I won't make it down to Hennepin Co. Library to pick up my books before camp.  (I'm SO SORRY, Mitali Perkins, but I won't be able to read The Secret Keeper for at least another month and a half now!)  As I said, I was glum, and so went on a total book requesting binge.  We had about 25 credits on the site, and I spent 13 of them in the space of about a half an hour.  Then I spent another credit the next morning.  Upon opening her email inbox the next day, my poor dear mother was ASSAULTED by notifications of my overindulgence, but because she is a truly kind and beautiful person, her only comment upon my tentatively asking if she'd seen that I had requested the books was "Yes, yes I did."

Yesterday, I received a package in the mail.  Today, I received two giant ones.  Tomorrow, I expect to receive even more.  YESSSS!  Upon receiving my final packages, I'll list all of the titles and what have you for my readers, but here's just a sampling of authors:  Ian McEwan, Meg Cabot, Jerry Spinelli, Sarah Dessen, Toni Morrison, Scott Westerfeld, Scott O'Dell, Walter Dean Myers, and Libba Bray.

And that's why Paperback Swap rocks my socks. =)

Wild Roses

Wild Roses by Deb Caletti

Associate Links: Amazon/IndieBound

• Why I picked it up: Received in my Book Blogger Con swag bag!
• Disclosure: See above.

You would have never recognized the Dino I lived with in the books that had been written about him before the "incident." No one had a clue. No one seemed to see what was coming.
Seventeen-year-old Cassie Morgan has a secret: She's living with a time bomb (a.k.a. her stepfather, Dino Cavalli). To the public, Dino is a world-renowned violinist and composer. To Cassie, he's an erratic, self-centered bully.
Dino has always been difficult, but as he prepares for his comeback concert, something in him begins to shift. He seems more high-strung than ever, set off by any little thing. He stops sleeping, starts chain-smoking. And he grows increasingly paranoid, saying things that Cassie is desperate to make sense of, but can't. So she does what she thinks she must: She tries to hide his behavior from the outside world. Before, she was angry. Now, she is afraid.
Enter Ian Waters: a brilliant young violinist, and Dino's first-ever student. The minute Cassie lays eyes on Ian she knows she's doomed. She tries everything to keep away from him, but is drawn to him in a way she's never felt before. It should be easy. It should be beautiful. It is not. Cassie thought she understood that love could bring pain. But this union will have consequences she could not have imagined.
As the novel crashes through two irreparable events and speeds toward its powerful end, one thing becomes clear: In the world of insanity, nothing is sacred.

I believe this book was the only YA book that I received as part of my BBC swag bag, excluding the ARCs I received directly from authors.  I started it in the hour-and-a-half-long taxi ride from the Javits Center to LaGuardia airport (I honestly think it would have been faster to walk!), kept reading while my dad and I waited to board the plane (more delays, are you really surprised?), and finished while I was 36,000 feet in the air somewhere over Lake Michigan.  I’m sure I freaked out the people sitting next to me, because one, I hate sitting next to strangers on airplanes and so was decidedly antisocial and squeaky when the flight attendants asked me if I’d like peanuts, pretzels, or cookies, two, I kept tucking the book into the seat pocket in front of me and pressing my face up against the window every time we passed over a particularly interesting cloud formation, and three, my shoulder was so bady thrown out at this point that I’m sure my trying to frantically massage it back into place was starting to look like a particularly bizarre and scary tic.

Thank goodness I had this book, then, because despite its flaws it is exellent escapism.  Funnily enough, I didn’t find the world or characters particularly well-drawn—there was too much focus on Dino’s issues and not enough on Cassie’s own, in my opinion—but it was quite absorbing.  My other problems would be its insane predictability—Dino gets a cute student and Cassie falls for him?  Really?  And highlight to see spoiler: Ian breaking his wrist is the way he gets out of auditioning, but then Dino sends in a tape?  I could have guessed that would happen from the first page and the blurb on the back, unfortunately.

Returning to the positive, while it wasn’t a great book, I would say it was a good one—one that I can see many people picking up and enjoying.  It felt like the author had spent a lot of time researching the issue of the high correlation between genius and insanity, and it’s an issue that I’m interested in.  Author dedication to a project is definitely a perk.  And despite being predictable, Cassie and Ian’s romance was sweet.  And there were a lot of wacky characters that I had a hard time believing in, but were still fun to spend time with.

Back to the negative for a paragraph, though.  I did not like was the cover.  It kind of screamed, “Sarah Dessen fans are going to love love love this!”  I haven’t read Sarah Dessen, so I’m not sure how it compares, but the covers look pretty similar and I know the stories are, too.  It also screamed “AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL, EVERYBODY!”, and the book kind of was.  While I appreciated the trauma Cassie was facing at home, I wish that the author could have placed her in the real world a little bit more—it felt like we were living in a bubble for most of the story.

In the end, I was happy to have it with me, but I’m not sure I’m keen on looking up the rest of this author’s work.  Honey, Baby, Sweetheart looks good, however, and they generally don’t nominate bad books for the National Book Award.  But this one was one of those where I can’t tell if it just wasn’t as well-written as it could have been, or if I just wasn’t a huge fan personally.

The Final Verdict: Sweet and absorbing, but not as fleshed-out as I would have liked and not really worth going out of your way for.  Three out of five stars.

Sisters Red

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
Associate Links: Amazon/IndieBound

• Why I picked it up: Received ARC, young author, fractured fairytale
• Disclosure: Received signed ARC through a contest - no other reimbursement from author or publisher

 Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris-- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.
Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.
Twenty-five-year-old Jackson Pearce delivers a dark, taut fairy tale with heart-pounding action, fierce sisterly love, and a romance that will leave readers breathless.

In my preview of this book I gave a rough overview of my feelings, I'll try to go into more detail now.  (By the way, this is a scheduled post, so at the time of this writing it is still fresh in my mind.)  I have to say, both my biggest problem with this book and also one of the biggest assets I thought it had was utter multiple personality disorder.  Sweet wolf-slaying sisters who drop F-bombs but seem to live in a part of Georgia that time forgot?  Part of me adores it - it's fresh, funky, and different.  Part of me hates it - this kind of book gives me whiplash!

As I said in my preview, I hated the beginning.  It was like Splenda to me; sweet but not quite ringing true.  I especially hated the characters of Rosie and Silas.  We all know they fall in love already! I was thinking.  And also, How the heck did they not realize they like each other, like, three years ago???  Even by the end the romance felt a little weak.  It didn't exactly "leave me breathless".


However, by the end, this book revealed a number of surprising strengths that more than made up for the rest.  One of them was the character of Scarlett.  Wow.  Not quite on the same level as Katniss, she still kicked enough holy you-know-what to blow my mind.  And there was depth and reason behind it.  In the end, I would have preferred just staying in Scarlett's head.  I think it would have been cooler to watch the story unfold from that perspective.

Another strength was the cover.  This cover made me feel cool.  Pay attention, cover designers - this book both gives you an idea of what the book is about (who could look at that and not think Little Red Riding Hood with a twist?), and looks indie-hip-chic enough that you don't need to make a paper bag dustjacket.  Um...wow.  I still sit there and turn it over in my hands from time to time.  If/when my novel is published, I sincerely hope it has a cover that good.

The grand finale was great.  Build-up to action without total annihilation of everything we've grown to love at the end.  I loved how the focal point was less on outside action and more on internal conflict, without being bogged down by too many introspective thoughts.  So, authors, you could take a page out of Jackson Pearce's book on that one.  It did have a few false endings, which was annoying, but according to Goodreads it will be a series, as it lists the title as Sisters Red (Sisters Red, #1), so I guess that's to be expected.  To quote my preview, "It actually got poignant without getting icky".  I can't think of a way to say it any better than that.

The Final Verdict:  Some clean-up would not have gone amiss, but all in all, this is an intriguing and more or less fresh addition to the supernatural romance pack.  Three and a half out of five stars.