Book Review: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Unspoken
Sarah Rees Brennan
YA Paranormal/Fantasy
Published: 2012

image: Goodreads

Back to book reviews! It's been awhile. This YA novel has been on my list for awhile. I saw the author at an Anderson's book event and knew I needed to read one of her books. She's so funny on an author panel, and quite funny on twitter if you want to look her up.

I noted this as a paranormal/fantasy, but Unspoken is tough to categorize. It's set in modern day in a quaint English village shrouded in mystery. An infamous family returns to town after a generation, stirring up trouble and gossip. School newspaper reporter Kami is on it, and immediately sets off to uncover the truth about this family and their rumored powers.

Beyond this premise, Kami also hears a voice in her head--she has since birth, which is not something she is afraid of, but she has grown completely accustomed to it. This voice is a part of her, which naturally means she sticks out like a freak if anyone notices her talking to herself (to the voice no one can see). I loved how well her internal voice meshed with the story, and I will leave it at that so I won't ruin it!

The writing here is charming and witty, and wonderfully shows off lively and spunky characters. So many smaller factors take this story from something that could have been generic, making it special and unique. It has a gothic aspect to it, but it's not super dark, so I could see younger teens really liking this.

Blogging A to Z Reflection Post

This was my second time posting for The A to Z blogging challenge, a massive blog hop with 1500+ blogs signed up to create a post corresponding to every letter of the alphabet during the month of April. Here are my thoughts on this year's challenge:

Positives:

• Categories: I loved how much easier the categories made sifting through the linked blogs. I could easily identify writing and book blogs. After those, I chose blogs based on a fun name, or if it was specific like Jane Smith, YA Author, which identified the type of blog I'd find. 

• Fewer dead links: I ran across far fewer dead links and spam sites, so nice work moderators!

• Great blogs and themes: Like last year, I found new blogs to follow. My favorites included fun themes, short and concise posts with an obvious tie to a theme, and a question to prompt some interaction.

Room for Improvement:

• Make categories part of the sign-up: I'd like to see two or three text fields: name of blog, category, direct link. Many blogs were unlabeled, probably because the sign-up did not prompt to enter a category.

• Comments: I noticed fewer comments on the blogs I visited and to my own. This could be a trend in blogging in general based on the sheer number of blogs flooding the internet. The hosts certainly promoted posting comments, so this may be a trend that doesn't have an easy solution.

Advice to future A to Z bloggers:

• Use a creative blog name! Sorry to say, blogs with names like: Another Random Blog, or Useless Info & Ramblings, I skipped. If you can't sell yourself, why would I click your link? (FTR, I just made those up!)

• Choose a theme and pre-plan posts. I suggest doing at least one of these, if not both. I saw many blogs that petered out around "E" or they seemed to struggle with how to formulate a post about a given letter. A theme provides structure and focus, plus it makes a post more engaging. Pre-planning means you aren't frantic the day of, or forget entirely when life happens.

• Find a relateable theme: This may be a personal preference, but I did not connect so well with blogs that were solely about characters in a writer's book. I applaud the effort, but it's hard to comment and interact about a post in someone's work-in-progress novel, or something that isn't widely read. An exception might be say, a line or two from a personal work, and then a few paragraphs in a broader theme like villains, where readers can comment on the larger topic.

Well, those are my thoughts. Did you participate, or did you visit any blogs doing this challenge last month?

Happy May Day! And Links

After a full month of the A to Z blog posts, here are a few updates and opportunities from the writing world!

The Writer's Voice!
Today May 1: If you have a finished Young Adult or Middle Grade manuscript you plan to query, you can sign up for The Writer's Voice hosted by several bloggers who've helped many of us find literary agents. 150 submissions will be chosen by lottery to advance to a judging round similar to the TV show The Voice. Coaching/mentoring will ensue before a final round of agent judges who can request pages. Details Here at Love YA

Author Brenda Novak's Auction
May is time for romance author Brenda Novak's on-line auction for diabetes research. There are tons of items to bid on for writers and readers: you can bid on query and manuscript critiques from a slew of authors (not just romance), agents, and editors. There are book bundles, gift baskets, conference admissions, workshops, VIP meet &n greets. Use the Browse by category to see what's offered. Some of the bidding gets pricey toward the end, but if you're savvy, some things end up a good value and open lots of potential possibilities!

For example, last year I bid on and won a 30-page manuscript critique from a Young Adult writer. She not only fulfilled what I bid for, but offered additional insight, advice, chatted with me on gmail chat, and we met in person at a book event where she introduced me to her editor, who now is open to having my agent send her my manuscript when we go on submission. You never know what type of connections you'll make!

RT Booklovers Convention
Chances are, if  you are reading this, you are not in Kansas City for the massive Romatic Times Convention for readers and writers (including some big name YA authors). I really wish I would have gone last year when it was in Chicago, but I hadn't realized how completely cool it is! Catch updates on twitter with the #RT13 tag, or read RT book reviews on their daily blog.

Conference Season!
Speaking of conventions and conferences, here are some upcoming events:
May:
Backspace Writers Conference, New York, NY
Book Expo America trade show, New York, NY
June:
Printers Row Lit Fest, Chicago, IL (Free!)
American Library Association conference, Chicago, IL
July:
Romance Writers of America Nationals, Atlanta, GA
Midwest Writer's Workshop, Muncie, IN (At Ball State, registration almost full!)
August:
Society for Children's Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Los Angeles
September:
Chicago Writers Conference, Chicago, IL

Looking for more local? Here are some resources I found that compile lists:

1. NewPages.com --sorts by state if you scroll down
2. Writer Stacy O'Neal's Blog which was pointed out on the Absolute Write forums
3. Search "book festivals 2013" or use a mix of key words including your region to find tons of events across the country that celebrate books or promote reading.

Please share in the comments if you know of an upcoming book or writing related event this year!

Blogging A to Z: Z is for Zadie Smith

Welcome to the Blogging From A to Z Challenge!

My theme for 2013 is Influential Women Authors.

My definition of influential is any author, classic or modern, who has inspired writers, readers, or the larger scope of culture. Some are personal favorites, or have special meaning to me.

What this list is not: a list of the most influential writers of all time. Rather, this is a collection of influential writers, corresponding with each day's letter.

For the full list of participating blogs, click here.

Today is the Last Day!! We made it to Z.

I had a few picks for Z, actually. Sara Zarr is one of my favorite Young Adult authors, but I decided on Zadie Smith today.

image: Goodreads

Zadie Smith is an English author who was named one of the 20 Best Young Authors by Granta in 2003 and again in 2013--a list which is only updated every 10 years, and was just updated this month with a new crop of talented young authors. She writes literary fiction that explores themes of race, class, culture, and gender. I always find it interesting to read about various settings in England, in a modern setting rather than historical.

Hooray for everyone who completed the A to Z Challenge in April!
I hope you stop by a few other blogs in the link. Those with codes after like BO=Books or WR=writing can  help distinguish which type of blog you're landing on. Also, you can stop by the A to Z blog and comment on the blog tour.

Blogging A to Z: Y is for Young Adult Author

Welcome to the Blogging From A to Z Challenge!

My theme for 2013 is Influential Women Authors.

My definition of influential is any author, classic or modern, who has inspired writers, readers, or the larger scope of culture. Some are personal favorites, or have special meaning to me.

What this list is not: a list of the most influential writers of all time. Rather, this is a collection of influential writers, corresponding with each day's letter.

For the full list of participating blogs, click here.

OK, Now I did some searching for Y-named authors and was really grasping at straws. Yes, some "Y" writers exist, but none I was familiar with enough for the list. So, today will be a freebie for a Young Adult authors of influence.

I've already mentioned several YA authors throughout the month, so here are a few more women who are really making a difference in books written for teens:

Malinda Lo: she advocates for diversity in YA fiction--not just cultural, but she pushes for discussion on gender equality, and sexual orientation. She writes YA with a fantasy or paranormal theme.

Kirsten Hubbard: the author of Like Madarin, and Wanderlove, both beautifully written, although quite different. Both explore themes of abandonment, loss, and identity. Wanderlove is a beautiful escape as it details a post-high school grad's trip to South America to find herself. The author travels extensively and it shows in her writing.

Sarah Rees Brennan: I just finished her "Sassy Gothic" Unpsoken, and it is a delight. A strange family in a strange English village, a girl who hears voices in her head...it's spooky-fun. Plus the Irish author is a delight to see in person--I believe she's touring now with mega-author Cassandra Clare.

There are so many more but I'll need more to blog about in the coming year, so I'll save my accolades for book reviews and author features. If you've read any Young Adult fiction, who is an influential woman author you like?

Blogging A to Z: X = Free Square!

Welcome to the Blogging From A to Z Challenge!

My theme for 2013 is Influential Women Authors.

My definition of influential is any author, classic or modern, who has inspired writers, readers, or the larger scope of culture. Some are personal favorites, or have special meaning to me.

What this list is not: a list of the most influential writers of all time. Rather, this is a collection of influential writers, corresponding with each day's letter.

For the full list of participating blogs, click here.

X is when the challenge topics start getting strange. I'm viewing X as a FREE SQUARE, like when you play Bingo. X is going to an influential author who didn't make my earlier round.

My freebie today: Louisa May Alcott, another classic author, who has influenced generations with Little Women.

image: Wikipedia

This was one of the first non-kids books I ever read, and also one of the first I read more than once. As a writer and creative-minded gal, of course I always connected with Jo. (It didn't hurt that Winona Ryder played Jo in the 1994 version of Little Women either).

I always wished Jo and Laurie ended up together, but I do kind of like how Laurie had a fascination with all of the March girls to some extent, and how each of them had an impact on him. It's also interesting to me how much feels relatable--Amy being harassed by mean girls at school, women getting shut down by patriarchal dudes. Louisa May, you were really onto something.

Have you read Little Women, or perhaps Little Men? Who is your favorite of the March family?

Blogging A to Z: W is for Jeannette Walls

Welcome to the Blogging From A to Z Challenge!

My theme for 2013 is Influential Women Authors.

My definition of influential is any author, classic or modern, who has inspired writers, readers, or the larger scope of culture. Some are personal favorites, or have special meaning to me.

What this list is not: a list of the most influential writers of all time. Rather, this is a collection of influential writers, corresponding with each day's letter.

For the full list of participating blogs, click here.

W: The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls

image: Goodreads

The Glass Castle is a wonderfully written, although disturbing, memoir. The author is a mainstream columnist, but most of her colleagues had no idea of her bizarre upbringing by intelligent but highly neglectful parents. This memoir details her family's struggles as they move from town to town like vagrants, the children fending for themselves while their father drank away their grocery money, and their mother longed for a childless existence where she could paint.

The way this story is told is why she is so influential to me. She tells of horrifying experiences with a child's wonder, and her tenacity and will to survive bleeds through on every page. You can't help but have your heart melt when a teacher takes notice of her dirty clothes and shows her special attention, recognizing she's a bright girl despite her circumstances.

If this book sounds like too much of a downer, I highly suggest her companion novel Half Broke Horses, which is about her grandmother's life, told in a first person narrative; the genre lands somewhere between biography and fiction. Her grandmother rode hundreds of miles across the desert by horseback for a teaching job. You can see glimpses of how much her grandmother tried to save the author's mother, but ultimately could not help her daughter from her mental illness. It's wonderful to see the admiration the author has for her grandmother through the pages. And after reading The Glass Castle, it's refreshing to see that she had a worthy influence in her family.