Be sure to check out the Top Ten list as well (Otherwise known as Where Patrick Ness’ A Monster Calls Finally Gets Its Due).

I’d been trying to find a good place to place a teenager — a kid trying to grow up in that kind of craziness. A story about life growing up as a teenager in a small town you don’t fit into developed into a story about are we looking for the right things and do second chances exist, because while everyone in this town is preoccupied by this extinct bird coming back to life, the narrator’s younger brother goes missing. So then the story is sort of a parallel. He and his family are looking for their lives. Everyone else is preoccupied with this nonsense.

On a side note, someone might want to let the writer know that Where Things Come Back wasn’t set in the author’s hometown in Louisiana. Always best to get your facts straight before you publish . . .

Attention fans of Megan Whalen Turner’s brilliant Queen’s Thief series :

The lovely Chachic is hosting a celebration of this series over at her blog this week. Highlights include posts from beloved young adult authors Sherwood Smith and Melina Marchetta,* and the lady herself, Ms. Megan Whalen Turner.

What is the Queen’s Thief series, you ask? Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of The Thief and move right on to The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia and A Conspiracy of Kings and then prepare to wait in agony with the rest of us for the next book to be published.  You’re welcome.

Related Posts:

• A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

*Be sure to check out the comments on that post. Is there anything better than two amazing authors (and my favorite, I might add) fangirling each other? Didn’t think so.

Being a big fan of young adult literature, I was most interested in the Printz award, which was given to John Corey Whaley’s Where Things Come Back, which was also the recipient of the Morris award, which is given to ‘a debut book written by a first-time author writing for teens’.  Has that ever happened before in the history of these awards? Having just read the book recently, I can say that it is a worthy award winner, though it might be a bit of a tough sell to teens, especially with that cover (thank goodness the paperback cover shows more promise, but it won’t be out until May).  This is a book with a lot of heart and an intricate, layered storyline, and I think it could go over well with fans of the kind of stories told by the likes of Markus Zusak and John Green.

ETA: Click on through for the Figment Blog’s interview with John Corey Whaley on being a Morris Award finalist.

I have my doubts that the recipients of these literary awards are generally the kind of books that their target audience (i.e. teens) are drawn to, so I was delighted to see that Maggie Stiefvater’s The Scorpio Races and Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler were given the nod for the Printz Honor award. I adored The Scorpio Races and I know that Maggie’s other books have high appeal with teens, and while I haven’t actually read Why We Broke Up, I’ve heard teens asking our teen librarian to order it for our collection.

ETA: Daniel Handler Gives Relationship Advice on the HuffPo twitter feed. Let me just say, what a sassy man.

@huffpostbooks What if we love someone but that person is actually a cat? #DHHelpsU

Please, please tell me that by “cat” you mean “jazz musician.” I’m depressed enough already, @flavorpill. #DHHelpsU

I read another of the Honor books, Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey, purely on a whim — the cover is a gorgeous, mood setting piece of  photography — and while I quite liked it and can see why the award committee selected it for the honor, I think the story could have used a little tightening (I’ve never played cricket and I know nothing about it, so a lengthy section where a cricket game is described went totally over my head). The core of the book, however, is a heartbreaking look at race relations in Australia during the Vietnam war period.

The Returning by Christine Hinwood is the book I’m up in the air about as far as the Honor books go. On the one hand, my two favorite authors, Megan Whalen Turner and Melina Marchetta, blurbed this book, so that gives it points in its favor. On the other hand, some of the reviews I’ve read have been really disheartening. Obviously, places like Goodreads are not gospel when it comes to opinions on books, but when more one star reviews are given than five star, it gives a reader pause before she considers picking it up. Ultimately, I’m going to have to ILL that bad boy and decide for myself.

I was really hoping that Franny Billingsley’s Chime would at least be a Printz Honor book, especially after the Chime/Shine fiasco with the National Book Award, but, alas, it was not to be. *sniff* It’ll always be a winner in my heart. I was also disappointed that the fabulous A Monster Calls by the equally fabulous Patrick Ness was snubbed for the Newberry. It was one of my favorite books from last year and I’ve seen it on numerous best-of-2011 posts around the blogosphere, but that never seems like a good indication of the winners of these types of awards. Oh, well, the cover will look better without that award sticker to mess it up anyways.

The Best of the Best

Chime by Franny Billingsley

It’s amazing to think that a book I almost didn’t continue reading has turned out to be one of my absolute favorite books this year. Franny Billingsley gets a big high five for creating a book with a totally unique premise, incredible characters, and giving the main character, Briony, such a captivating voice (though this is initially what put me off on the book — I’m so glad I stuck with it).  This isn’t a book for everyone, but it’s definitely one you won’t quickly forget.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

If someone has asked me for a recommendation for a book this year, this is the title I have most frequently shoved in their hands. There’s just something so undeniably appealing about it, despite the fact that it’s dystopian fiction and that generally offers some unhappy account of how troubled our society is or will be some time in the not-so-distant future, which is the type of story that puts a frown on my face (so sue me, I like a book that offers the promise of a happy ending. DF generally does not). It seems like dystopian fiction is the new vampire in the young adult realm and all the books tend to blend in together anymore, but Veronica Roth has managed to pen a tale that stands out in the crowd. It might be difficult to imagine our society dividing into factions focused on the cultivation of a particular virtue, but that doesn’t mean I can’t suspend my disbelief in order to enjoy an amazing story like this one. Want a book with a herioine actually worthy of the title of strong female character, a realistic (but sizzling) romance, an action packed plot, and a “holy crap, I didn’t see that coming” sort of ending?  Divergent is the book for you.

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

I don’t want to say too much about Froi, since it is a sequel and not yet out in the States, but run, don’t walk to your nearest bookstore or library and find a copy of Finnikin of the Rock. Read. Repeat if necessary (and it will be necessary). Wait with eager anticipation until March rolls around and then inhale Froi of the Exiles. I won’t say I told you so. I promise.

The Best of Realistic Fiction

The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta

First things first: I finally got a copy of the Australian version with the awesome cover. *fangirl squeal* Goodbye generic American cover, hello gorgeous, moody black and white image!

*Ahem* Now that that is out of my system, let me say that Melina Marchetta is one of the few authors who can persuade me to read realistic fiction. She’s just that good. As amazing as all of her other books are, The Piper’s Son just might have blown them all away. Y’all, this is not a statement I can say lightly, considering how much I love, love, love Jellicoe Road. When I say you need to read this book, trust me, you really do need to read it.

The Best of Fantasy

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

This is a book for horse-lovers, especially if those horses are the mythological  variety with a penchant for eating and/or drowning folks. This is a book for those who couldn’t give a rat’s behind about horses. This is a book for those who like their heroines feisty and their heroes quiet and mysterious. This is a book for those who can appreciate the beauty and appeal of places that few others can. This is a book for those who like their mouths to literally water as they read. This is a book for just about anybody.

The Best of Paranormal/Supernatural Fiction

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

Ladies and gentlemen, I hate paranormal fiction. Ever since the travesty that is the Twilight series (I’m sorry, but they need a few more Vikings to make them a proper saga), practically all I can find in the young adult section of every bookstore is paranormal fiction. As if vampires weren’t bad enough, then we got werewolves and zombies and angels and whatever other mythological creature they  scrounge up next. I was so sick of it all, I could have puked.

Then I read Hold Me Closer, Necromancer.

And I liked it. A lot. It proved to me that perhaps paranormal fiction could be hilarious and unique and worth my time reading after all, which is the only reason I was willing to pick up the next title(s) on this list . . .

The Best of Adult Fiction

Feed and Deadline by Mira Grant

If you are looking for a zombie book full of blood and gore and horrifying images that are practically guaranteed to give you nightmares, then Mira Grant’s Newsflesh Trilogy will probably not be your cup of tea. These are not your typical brainless (ba-dum-ching) zombie novels, but if you’ve ever wondered how life might change if the zombie apocalypse were to occur, love a good government conspiracy, and enjoy books with twists so unexpected that you can’t help but giving them a stern talking to and/or throwing them at a wall, well then, Feed and Deadline (and the forthcoming Blackout) are most certainly the books for you.

The Best of Juvenile/Middle Grade Fiction

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Santa was good to me this year when he brought me this book. The prose is so incredibly lush,  the characters so delightful, and the plot so captivating and unique, that the only word that accurately describes how wonderful it is is delicious. And for once, a multi-dimensional antagonist who isn’t simply bad because she is the villain and that is how they are, no questions asked (*cough*  Disney villains *cough*).  If that weren’t wonderful enough, it has these gorgeous line drawings at the start of every chapter. Am I the only one who thinks more novels ought to have illustrations? Seriously, they’re not just for picture books.

And don’t judge me, but who knew that dwarves could be hot? Just saying.

(Good) Interviews with my favorite authors make me incredibly happy. I love getting into their heads and learning more about how they have created these amazing worlds and characters and their plans for said worlds and characters. Here are a few for you.

Lorraine Marwood talks to  the lovely and talented Melina Marchetta about her fantasy trilogy The Lumatere Chronicles.  Ditto to everything she says about the draw to the fantasy genre.

I love how epic a fantasy novel is allowed to be. Everything is so heightened, more romantic, more tragic, more cursed. There is no such thing as blasé. It’s a bit biblical, in that way. Think of all the epic stories of the Old Testament. Brothers betraying brothers, men sacrificing their sons, women giving birth to dynasties, displaced people following a prophet to a promised land. It’s all those big themes of faith and questioning a higher power and redemption.

 

Goodreads interview with Veronica Roth, author of Divergent. Can I get an amen that there will be no love triangle in Insurgent? I am so over that YA cliche.

Need a gift idea for that special someone (or maybe yourself)? 

Chicken Spaghetti has whittled down the exhaustive list compiled by Largehearted Boy of all the ‘best of’ lists of 2011 to the ones including books for children and young adults.

YALSA blogger Kelly Jensen has analyzed the young adult books selected for the four major ‘best of’ lists for emerging trends and reports some interesting findings.

A total of four books–Chime, Anya’s Ghost, The Scorpio Races, and Blink and Caution–made all four of the “best of” lists. Three books–A Monster Calls, Between Shades of Gray, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone–made three lists. Thirteen titles made two of the lists. The majority made one list.

I’ve read  five of those titles (high five to Chime for being my most re-read book this year) and I concur that they belonged on those lists. I guess that means that I have good tastes (either that or I’m so not a hipster).

Want to proudly display your nerdiness (i.e. awesomeness) ? Threadless has a Harry Potter House Brawl t-shirt that I covet and a damask print Tardis shirt for the Doctor Who lover in your life (they even come in girly fit, which makes me happy — I hate t-shirts that are too big).

In other news

Hey girl, Ryan Gosling gets around. Not only does he love librarians, but he’s down with publishing and Young Adult fiction, too.

It may feel like sacrilege at first, but what else are you going to do with those moldering, beat-up old records that your turntable refuses to play?

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of books and they don’t always fit in my bookshelves perfectly. I could buy some fancy pants bookends at the store, but let’s face it, I’m a cheapskate and where’s the fun of buying something when you can make your own? Three cheers for CraftyAmy for rounding up 21 ways to create your own bookends.

I’m rather partial to the dragon (though I claim no skills with needles whatsoever), but can’t you see some great steampunk adaptations with the terrariums?

Blood sings to blood, Froi . . .

those born last will make the first . . .

for Charyn will be barren no more . . .

Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home. Or so he believes.

Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been trained roughly and lovingly by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds. Here he encounters a damaged people who are not what they seem, and must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad Princess.

And in this barren and mysterious place, he will discover that there is a song sleeping in his blood, and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.

Some books you just can’t wait five months for them to be released in the States. Some books are worth buying from an online company out of New Zealand in order to read them five months before the American release. Some books are worth staying up until four in the morning to read, even when one has to get up for work two and a half hours later. Melina Marchetta books are always worth going to such lengths (pretty sure she could make the phone book enticing to me). Having Froi of the Exiles in my hot little hands in October instead of March of next year was definitely worth whatever extra money I spent and sleep I lost in the process of buying and inhaling,  er . . .  reading it.

I will say that Melina Marchetta took a big risk in selecting Froi as the title character for this novel, considering he made few fans in readers for the way he tried to force himself on Isaboe in the previous book. But when has Ms. Marchetta ever played it safe? Jellicoe Road  confused the pants off of readers until they figured out how the two seemingly unrelated story-lines in the book were connected, and yet it managed to become one of her most popular works to date. She became known for putting out realistic fiction for young people of unrivaled quality, and out-of-the-blue she decides to write a fantasy novel that blew me and other readers away. Needless to say, her risks have paid off in the past and this one is no exception.

I’ll admit, despite my faith in Ms. Marchetta, I was a little wary about getting inside Froi’s head, given that when we last saw him, he was a bit rough around the edges (okay, a lot rough around the edges) and not a particularly likable guy. I think, however, that it was essential that readers get the opportunity to witness Froi’s mindset, to see first-hand that those events from three years past still weigh heavily on his mind and that they have done much to drive his redemption since then. It made him a much more sympathetic character in my eyes and made me root for him when he was faced with difficult decisions throughout the course of the book (and goodness sakes is he ever faced with some doozies).

Just like with Tom from The Piper’s Son, I found myself wanting to give Froi a stern talking to and a Gibbs head-slap whenever he acted poorly*, but by the end of the book, I was more than willing to forgive Froi for his past ways and I quite fell in love with him, just like I have with all of the other Marchetta men** He’s got an acerbic wit, is strong-willed, freely speaks his mind even when he probably shouldn’t, and has a bit of an anger-management issue, but underneath all that, Froi has a good heart and a desire to do the right thing.

All of these qualities made him more than a match for half-mad Princess Quintana whom he’s thrown in with during his super-secret mission to Charyn. I don’t want to give too much away about the former or the latter, but let’s just say that I whole-heartedly agree with Ms. Marchetta when she said that the Charynites make the Finch-Mackee family look like the Brady Bunch.  The things that poor girl had to undergo broke my heart, but the strength with which she bore up under it simply amazed me.

Before you get your knickers in a twist, yes, we do get to catch up with everyone’s favorite royal couple, Finnikin and Isaboe (with bonus appearances from the ever delightful Trevanion, Beatrice, Tesadora, and Lucian), but the unexpected treat, however,  was  meeting the menagerie of brand spanking new characters (and I do mean menagerie –there’s tons of secondary character goodness for us to feast on). When I saw that we’d be seeing part of the story from one of these new character’s perspective, I’ll admit that my face might have looked a little something like this: o_O but Phaedra, Lucian’s estranged wife, deserved a fist bump, high five, AND a pat on the back for being so awesome.

She is a Charynite, the sworn enemy of Lumatere, yet when a group of Charynite refugees arrive in the valley outside her husband’s territory, it is shy, timid Phaedra who is instrumental in helping curb the cycle of hate between these two people groups.  I adored the slow kindle of the relationship between her and Lucian, which started with a small kernel of respect and gradually blossomed into a sweet love (though each of them was  under the assumption that it was not reciprocated by the other).

Of course, before the two of them could figure things out, Stuff That Will Not Be Named happened. Argh, that ending! Calling it a cliffhanger would probably be the understatement of the century. Being the filthy reprobate that I am, I’m pretty sure I replicated that line of Georgie’s from The Piper’s Son when I finished:

“You screamed. And swore. Like this. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.”

Related Posts:

• Books That Rock: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
• Teaser Thursday: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

* I think  that’s the sign of a job well-done on an author’s part — if I’m willing to look like an idiot by lecturing an imaginary character in public while I read, then the author must have done something to get me invested in the character he or she has created. Am I right?

** Now if I could just find one of them in real life, then I would be set. Would the real-life Jonah Griggs please stand up? Anyone? Bueller?

Now for the rockin’ and/or rollin’ part of this Books that Rock review. Note the name change from Music Monday, because I am a slacker and cannot seem to consistently shell out these reviews on a set day.

The same rules still apply: this is where I provide a soundtrack of sorts that describe events occurring in the chosen book (be warned that spoilers may occur in the song descriptions). If you haven’t yet read the book, don’t let that stop you from enjoying the music.

Hopeless Wanderer by Mumford & Sons

“Wrestled long with my youth/tried so hard to live in the truth.”

This is so Froi’s song. Can’t sum it up better than that.

Ghosts by Mumford & Sons

Just when I thought I wouldn’t find a song fitting to portray Froi and Quintana’s relationship, Mumford & Sons come out with this absolutely gorgeous song that demonstrates Quintana’s reaction to Froi’s attempt at protecting and saving her and the way he tries to help her understand that not all men are abusive and treat women as possessions. It’s not easy for her to believe him, given her history, but toward the end of the novel, she’s come around to the mindset demonstrated by lyrics in this song, especially the chorus:

“So give me hope in the darkness/that I might see the light/Cause, oh, it gave me such a fright/But I will hold as long as you like/Just promise we will be all right.”

Bonus Track: Letters by Matt Corby

“Love is like a letter wrote/and life is like an envelope. Be careful whom you give it to/they might not give it back to you.”

This song describes the heartbreaking point in Lucian and Phaedra’s burgeoning relationship when they have come to truly care for the other, yet still are under the assumption that the other cares not a whit for them. And then all that crazy stuff happens.