Contests!

It's often really annoying that most book contests are only open to people in the states, but I've found a couple of great contests you lovely UK (or other not-from-America) people can enter:

My Favourite Books is holding an amazing contest to give away boxes of books to schools and libraries as well as individual books to UK school children, so if you happen to be a teacher/librarian/school child in the UK, go and check it out! And if you're not, go and give Liz and Mark some love anyway for doing something so cool. This contest ends 28th February, so get any entries in fast!

Chicklish is giving away sets of Sophie McKenzie novels. Again, I'm sorry this is only open to UK people. It ends, uh, today, so you'd better be fast!

The last is a contest open worldwide, and this is hosted by Amy from Addicted to Books. She's giving one lucky person five books so get over there and enter! (Please mention in your entry that I sent you guys). This one lasts until the end of March.

Book review - City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Clary is just a normal girl hanging out with her best friend Simon when she witnesses a murder. Then the body disappears and it seems she is the only one who can see the strange three people who hunted him down. Soon after, her mother disappears and she runs into these strangers again. They are somehow all connected and Clary realises she is not as ordinary as she once believed. Determined to find her mother, she enlists the help of the three shadowhunter children and finds herself in more danger than she could have dreamed of.

Although parts of this book were completely formulaic (pretty girl oblivious of best friend being in love with her) the writing and characters made up for it. Not only were the characters likeable, but they were also complicated. I could easily believe that they had lives and motives outside of the plot, people not being either good or bad, but a bit of both. The shadow-hunter children sometimes talked like they'd swallowed dictionaries, although this is probably to show how unlike normal teenagers they are, it unfortunately made them seem not like teenagers at all, but this was my only problem with the characters.

With enough twists to keep the suspense and an interesting plot, City of Bones was gripping and entertaining. Cassandra Clare is especially good at weaving the romantic elements into the plot, with exactly the right amount, not too much to slow down the plot. The book kind of resolves at the end, but leaves a big question for the reader (anyone who has read the book will know what I'm talking about - noooooo, he can't be!!!). I’m definitely going to be reading more in this series.

Author Interview with Julia Golding

Since 2006, the amazing Julia Golding has published 13 books, with at least 3 more written! These books include the popular Cat Royal series and Companions Quartet, as well as a series featuring a teenage spy, and a couple of standalone novels. Recently I got the chance to ask her a few questions.

What are you reading at the moment?
Books on Tudor England - many and various.

Ooh, exciting. I wonder if this has anything to do with a certain new Tudor book you’ve mentioned...
What was the first story you ever wrote?
Can't remember, but I filled many notebooks while at primary school with stories.

Your range of careers seems to have been as diverse as the genres of your books. Did you have a favourite job (other than author), or do you just enjoy the variation?
Oxfam

Can you speak Polish?
Tak

You’ve written an incredible amount of books in just a few years, so what’s the writing process like? What is a typical day for you, how many hours do you spend writing?
Fun, most of the time, but difficult when the family is at home (like now) and I can't get to it because they are under my feet (literally). Usually about four hours, starting off in a cafe and then at home in my study.

How long does each book take to write?
Depends - about 3 to 4 months spread over a year or more.

How did you find out that your first book was going to be published? What was your reaction?
It was a slow process of growing commitment from OUP so there was no Eureka moment.

How do you manage working with two publishers at the same time?
I have more than 2 and it's fine.

If you had to pick one favourite scene from any of your books, which would it be?
Cat boxing Syd.

Which is your favourite book cover?
Cat Among the Pigeons

I love Stingo, he’s amazing and just makes me smile. Do you know any real-life Stingos?
If only... I did know a very military minded human rights worker who did loads of dangerous stuff to find evidence of abuses and I suppose Stingo owes something to him. He was great to go hiking with because he carried all the equipment and whipped up a hot meal on top of a mountain.

Thanks Julia, for taking time out of your hectic schedule to talk to me.


What’s next?
The publication of Cat’s Cradle and Deadlock has unfortunately been pushed back until 2010 due to a cover rethink, but her next novel, Wolf Cry, is out in August.

You can visit Julia’s wonderful website here, which includes a question and answer section with the cast from the Cat Royal series – at the moment Syd is in the question chair, so get any questions you have in fast.

Series spotlight - Bayern series by Shannon Hale

There are so many good books that have been out in the market for ages. Series Spotlight will be featured every week and is to introduce readers to series they may not have heard of before. Usually, these series will be ongoing, like today’s spotlight – Shannon Hale’s Bayern series.

These are based on a group of friends in a fictitious land – Bayern. Each book is told from a different character’s perspective, but includes all of the main characters. The first book, a retelling of the fairytale The Goose Girl, sets up this group of friends. The subsequent books, while not being retellings of specific fairytales, still retain the fairytale-like quality. This series is so beautifully written, humorous yet deep, fantastic yet realistic. I’ve heard the series described as lyrical and I have to agree. When reading any of this series, I have the feeling that every single word has been agonised over. There’s not a single word more or less than there needs to be to tell the perfect story.

The Goose Girl
Crown Princess Anidori Isilee has struggled all her life in the shadow of her mother, the perfect Queen. More inclined to go riding with her father, or learning the language of the birds with her aunt than holding court, she fears that she is a failure as a Princess. Only her father, her horse and her maid Selia are her true friends. But when her father dies, she discovers that she is not to inherit the crown after all, but be sent to a strange country and marry a Prince she has never met. When she is betrayed and left alone in a foreign country, Ani must learn to be herself, as a humble goose girl, before she can set things right again.
A beautiful story. As a fairytale, a certain amount of the plot was formulaic, but the writing was clever and enchanting, making the whole tale feel fresh, which essentially it was. Shannon Hale has taken a few small paragraphs of a fairytale and created a comprehensive world, characters and story. This is an old favourite, so satisfying and memorable, highly recommended. From the premise and title, I’d assume that this book finds more of a home among girls, but I’d like to add that when my brother read it, he enjoyed it.

Enna Burning
What would it be like to learn the language of fire, an element so destructive to everything in its path? Enna is about to find out. Bayern is going to war and Enna is right there in the action. Desperate to use her secret new talent, she disappears on illicit missions to enemy towns. However, soon these missions will put her in great danger, leading her to question her loyalties, motives, love and herself.
The plot for Enna Burning is much more complex than that of The Goose Girl. It is also somewhat grittier. Although still beautifully written, and retaining its fairytale qualities, Enna Burning addresses issues of death, grief, kidnap, and war. Most of the characters from The Goose Girl are back in this second chapter in the lives of the animal workers from Bayern. When most stand-alone books result in sequels, the results are disappointing and badly planned. Fairytales don’t have sequels do they? Apparently they do! And they can be just as good as the original.

River Secrets
Razo is short and skinny, not that great at fighting. That’s why when Talone chooses him to go on the peace mission to Tira, he assumes that it’s more to do with his being friends with Finn and Enna than his actual potential usefulness to the peace process. Relations between Bayern and Tira are still very tense following the war featured in Enna Burning. Razo’s unshakable cheerfulness and outgoing friendliness might just be exactly what the peace process needs.
Razo is one of the greatest characters from this series. Practical joker, cheerful, loyal and incredibly amusing, he’s a wonderful main character. I also liked that this main character doesn’t develop any nature-speaking talents – he doesn’t need them. With an interesting plot focusing on court intrigue and a new vibrant culture for a setting, River Secrets is a great addition to the series. I’d also like to include a well-done to Ms Hale for writing so well from a boy’s perspective.

What’s next?
Forest Born, starring Razo’s sister Rin, out in October 09 (I think)

These series are being re-covered both in the UK and the US. What do you guys think? I love the original covers myself, but I think they’ve done a wonderful job with the new covers, especially the photographic Goose Girl.

You can visit the author's website here and you can buy the books here (UK) or here (US)

Book review - The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen

Macy is cool, calm and collected. She is ‘fine. Just fine.’ But on the inside she is still struggling to come to terms with her dad’s sudden death. Her perfect boyfriend has gone to brain camp, leaving her with the prospect of an endless summer, spent studying and working at the library with two girls who hate her. Enter Wish Catering, who serve the food at a party her mum hosts. On a whim, Macy takes them up on a job offer and is suddenly thrown into a chaotic, disorganised world. For Macy, who’s become organised as a way of dealing with her dad’s death, this is difficult to handle. But she soon makes new friends and begins to learn that she doesn’t have to be perfect after all.

From people who like Sarah Dessen, I always hear that they love all her work, but The Truth About Forever one of their favourites (This Lullaby usually being the other). Why it took me this long to read it is really down to the cover. And not even all of the cover. I don’t like the hand. It’s an odd reason not to read a book, but that’s me. Anyway, I got this at the library and I’m so glad I did! It’s wonderful. The characters are absolutely amazing. I believed in every single one of them and of course, the romance with gorgeous, sexy Wes didn’t hurt. Macy’s job with Wish is the kind of dream job that you’d love and her co-workers are all ideal. I did find that Wes and Bert living on their own near their aunt, who is also near Kristy and Monica was a bit of an idealised community, but then this is storyland! And most of this book is extremely believable, especially Macy’s recovery.

If you want a contemporary teenage book that includes realistic life today without overdramatizing, or becoming patronising, try one by Sarah Dessen. Yes, they usually include recovery from some problem or other, but that’s not the point of them. The point is that they’re fun, emotionally engaging, and realistic with amazing characters that you will want to be your friends.

In other news

The Hunger Games has won the Cybils YA fantasy and science-fiction award! I loved this book, and think it deserves all it gets. So well done to Suzanne Collins!



Other winners include Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.



Congratulations to all authors and let's hope this introduces more readers to some of the amazing books released last year.

Book review - The Goldsmith's Daughter by Tanya Landman

Itacate was born under an ill-fated sky just before dawn. The priests predict a terrible future for her, effectively destining her to a life of domestic drudgery. Her twin brother, born seconds later just as the dawn rises, is predicted a life of glory. Itacate doesn’t accept her fate though – secretly she is fascinated by the crafting of gold. This dangerous secret is threatened when the strange warriors arrive and Itacate’s strong Emperor welcomes them as guests rather than meeting them in war. These fearsome warriors seem to love nothing so much as gold and the Emperor is determined to appease them. As Itacate finds herself in the Emperor’s palace working for the very people she believes are her enemy and fighting to keep her secret (and so herself) safe, she catches the attention of one golden haired stranger. Soon the fate of herself, her family and her beloved city are all under threat.

This is the first book I have ever read that features the Aztecs in a sympathetic way. I think most authors are put off by the millions of human sacrifices, but The Goldsmith’s Daughter looks beyond that. What would it be like if you truly believed that for the sun to rise, it requires sacrifice? And what if one of those sacrifices is someone you love? This book by no means justifies the ancient practise, but it uses the Aztec culture as a rich and vibrant backdrop for an interesting story.
Following the events leading up to the Spanish destruction of Tenochtitlan, the great Aztec city, The Goldsmith’s Daughter in one sense has only one possible outcome. However, it is the outcome of Itacate and her family that the reader is emotionally invested in, more than the city that has caused her such pain. The characters were interesting and believable, from the brother who has never needed to be jealous of his sister to the neighbours who mistrust Itacate because of her ‘destiny.’ I loved following Itacate on her journey as she tries to shape her own destiny, both at times achieving and failing in this. My biggest problem with this book is that I don’t believe in love at first sight. I don’t believe that just because two people saw one another on a bridge means that they will be willing to die for one another. I just don’t. In that respect, I found the relationship between Itacate and Francisco quite shallow.


Other than that though, it was a great book set in an interesting culture. If, like me, you don’t know much about the Aztecs other than that they did a lot of human sacrificing, then The Goldsmith’s Daughter will help you to see a whole new side to them. Itacate’s journey is both triumphant and grim, worth reading.