Tag: young adult literature

Readers, Start Your Engines: the 48 Hour Book Challenge Starting Line

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Okay, so I should have written this post a few hours ago, but joining the 48 Hour Book Challenge was kind of a last minute decision and I wanted to dive in. I’ve seen the event online for the last couple of years but other activities always got in the way. But not this year!

photoStart time: July 7, 8:30pm

Update #1:

  • 3 hours total reading time
  • 365 total pages read
  • 2 cups of tea consumed

The Books

Review #1: I started with The Moon and More because it’s my most recent purchase and I was hooked when I started in line at Sarah Dessen’s reading. Lots of great stuff in this one. I think Dessen handles the various relationships really well, and touches on a lot of the complicated emotions leading up to college. Emaline is a likable and relatable narrator, and the minor characters shine. I especially liked that Emaline’s family situation is a little complicated; their relationships felt very genuine. One minor issue–I didn’t quite understand how Ivy could afford the most expensive beachfront rental property, especially when shooting on location. Even major award-wining documentary filmmakers aren’t exactly rolling in it. (But that’s probably just because I used to be a film department front-desker.) Overall I think this is a must-read for Dessen fans and anyone looking for a summer beach book with a lot of heart and honesty.

Friday Fifteen

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Anyone else feel like they’ve had about ten days in this week? Glad it’s finally Friday and time for the Friday Fifteen:

1. Lon Po Po by Ed Young
The wolf comes to visit in this gorgeous, creepy take on Red Riding Hood.

2. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
I think it’s supposed to be funny. Might have read it too young.

3. Samantha Saves the Day (American Girls: Samantha #4) by Valerie Tripp
I continue to want to spend the summer in Piney Point wearing nautically-themed outfits.

4. Richard III by William Shakespeare
At 16 I wrote a malevolent character with a hunchback, thought I was sooooo clever.

5. Girl Goddess #9 by Francesca Lia Block
Reread this collection a lot in high school. “Dragons in Manhattan” was probably my favorite.

Friday Fifteen

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Can you guys believe it’s already the last Friday in May? Although I can’t say I’m too upset–I’m psyched to move into June and into full-on summer weather. Let’s start the weekend with a few fifteen-word (or fewer!) book reviews:

1. Whatever Happened to Janie? by Caroline B. Cooney
Jane finds her real family, acts like a brat to them. Pre-Weasley family of redheads.

2. Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Fun memoir about a big family in early 1900s. TLC’s got nothing on the Gilbreths.

3. Brave Irene by William Steig
Irene battles winter to deliver a ball gown. Frequently read this on my own.

4. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Interesting look at pre- and post-colonial Nigeria, but more interested in Obierika than Okonkwo.

5. The Hostile Hospital (A Series of Unfortunate Events #8) by Lemony Snicket
The VFD mystery heats up–and a reference to Clarissa Dalloway makes this one a winner.

New Musical Inspiration

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If I’d known about Basia Bulat when I was writing QotA, she would have been all over my playlist. Especially “I Was a Daughter,” which you can listen to:

I love when songs remind me of a character or capture the tone of something I’m writing. What songs connect with your work?

Previously about playlists.

Links Galore

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Lots of good links for (at least around here) a rainy Wednesday:

Friday Fifteen

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So glad it’s Friday! Let’s start the long weekend with some fifteen-word (or less!) book reviews.

1. Beauty by Robin McKinley
My favorite Beauty and the Beast novel. Love that Beauty is close to her sisters.

2. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Excellent look at society terrorized by hate, hysteria. Would ove to see a good production.

3. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
Burton’s illustrations are fantastic, and I love a good inanimate object story.

4. Dawn’s Wicked Stepsister (The Baby-Sitters Club #31) by Ann M. Martin
Not everything’s ideal when your mom marries your BFF’s dad? Who could have foreseen this?

5. Poems on the Underground ed. by Gerard Benson, Judith Chernaik, Cicecy Herbert
Collection of classic and contemporary poetry featured on the Tube. Such a cool project!

Links Galore

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Links help us through Tuesday:

Friday Fifteen

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Finally Friday! And a beautiful Friday here, so let’s kick the weekend off with some good ol’ fifteen-word book reviews:

1. Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
Enjoyed the first half, didn’t connect with the second–didn’t feel like the same characters.

2. Emily’s Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary
Made me realize there were a few Salems in the US. Some outdated racial awkwardness.

3. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
A romantic comedy with stunningly complex characters. Portia can be cruel, Shylock can be sympathetic.

4. We Are in a Book by Mo Willems
Metafiction for the preschool set, as only Willems can do.

5. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Robin Hood with a kickass lady thief? Teen Annie would have been all over this!

Em Dashes, Fact Checks, and Timelines: Fun with Copyedits

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I love getting mail with this letterhead.

One step closer to publication–copyedits!

Copyedits are different than the editorial letters you may get from your editor. These all deal with the nitty-gritty of your manuscript–consistent spelling, where the commas should be, if your character is supposed to be going to the moon on a Tuesday or Wednesday, etc. Basically, copyeditors are like Nancy Drews for the book world.

This week I received my copy-edited manuscript from Candlewick and, thankfully, it was a pretty painless process. This is probably helped by the fact that I a) have worked in publishing, so I’m familiar with the process/terms and b) I’m a huge grammar nerd at heart. I feel like copyediting is basically a game in which you have to find all the secret, hidden mistakes. Get all the points with correct grammar!

A few things my copyeditor caught:

  • The manuscript!

    The manuscript!

    When I switched the spelling of one minor character’s last name and then switched it back.

  • Missing words in quotes by Amelia Earhart (which is probably why I shouldn’t try to type while holding a book open).
  • That if Halloween is on a Sunday, Christmas shouldn’t fall on a Tuesday.
  • Missing commas (a comma fan like I am was only too happy to put them in).
  • When I try to use words that almost sound like the one I actually meant to use.

I’m so happy that someone went through my manuscript and was able to pick out all these little errors that would have looked so horrific in print. And I’m even more psyched that this means we’ve taken another big step in the editorial process!

Links Galore

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Lots of cool links this week: