I am currently reading/litening to the playaway of Girls Like Us: Carol King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon- and the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller.


Barnes & Noble synopsis (www.bn.com) - "Their stories trace the arc of the now mythic sixties generation — female version — but in a bracingly specific and deeply recalled way, far from cliché. The history of the women of that generation has never been written — until now, through their resonant lives and emblematic songs. "

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

I had been anticipating the arrival of Laurie Halse Anderson's new book, Wintergirls, as I had read and liked Speak, Prom and Twisted, also noting that she had won the 2009 Edwards Award for significant and lasting contributions to young adult readers. I am also from Upstate New York where she lives and have been a fan for years.

I had a hard time reading this book- not because of writing, but the content. Wintergirls is the story of two young girls, Lia & Cassie, who make a pact while in middle school. Since they can't be the most popular, prettiest, smartest, they agree to be the skiniest.

Throughout the story Lia speaks in two tongues. Anderson uses a very effective literary tool of crossing out the text of what Lia really thinks and does, and then prints what Lia is expected to say and do- communicating the push-and-pull within Lia and helping the reader to better understand the thinking behind Lia's and other's disturbed minds.

You learn early on that Cassie has died and she begins to haunt Lia to join her. Lia counts calories obcessively, excercizes to exorcise Cassie, she binges and purges and cuts herself to escape... to sleep... to feel... Will Lia succumb? Is she stong enough to save herself as her weight plummets below 90 lbs.?

An important read for anyone who has, or knows someone who has, an eating disorder, or people just trying to understand how anyone could punish themsleves so.

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

I stayed up until midnight finishing this book- I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed it so much that I was caught laughing on the bus! If you were a fan of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series- and you know you were!- you will love Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey.

Jessica seems like a normal girl starting her senior year at a rural Pennsylvania high school, but looks can be decieving. Although she knows she's adopted, Jessica knows nothing of her family's past. She soon discovers, with the help of one tall and gorgeous vampire named Lucius Vladescu, that her real name is Antanasia and that she is a vampire princess bethrothed to Lucius and in-line to save her vampire clan in Romania. WOW- that's alot to take in!

Lucius is part noramal teen and large-part terrifying vampire, but it's his correspondence with his Uncle Vasile back in Romania that begins to show the real Lucius and how he struggles with his responsibilities while trying to understand American teenage life. Lucisu is incredibly witty, loveable and troubled- poor vampire!

Can Jessica embrace her inner Antanasia and can Lucius survive his demons? I highly recommend this fun yet thoughtful read. AND if you're really into the Vampire-thing (which I will tell you I WAS NOT- never read any Anne Rice, but I've been intrigued since Twilight) I also recommend The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova and the original- Dracula by Bram Stoker.

As you can see from the image, this is a Playaway title. A Playaway is a pre-loaded audiobook- just plug in your own headphones. I've been enjoying this format as I commute to work and like listening to a book- especially nonfiction- this one can be found in the YA nonfiction collection at the Pitkin County Library. (This title is also available in print.)

As a journalist, Steve Almond, can certainly write, but it is his obsession with candy that makes him uniquely qualified to write a book called Candy Freak. As mentioned in the prologue “The author has eaten a piece of candy every single day of his entire life. The author thinks about candy at least once an hour. (and) The author has between three and seven pounds of candy in his house at all times.”

Part historical documentary, part travel log and no-small-part love story, Candy Freak is Steve Almond’s ode to his emotional bond with candy. As he travels the country visiting the small confectioners who, in some cases, are still struggling to produce their locally famous candies, he meets the people and visits the factories that keep the dreams alive. Has anyone out there ever tasted a Goo Goo Cluster, Five Star Bar, Peanut Chew or Twin Bing?

Our love affair with chocolate began in 1893 at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Before the Big 3 (you guess) bought everyone out and before it became impossible to get a candy bar on the check-out aisle at Wal-Mart without outrageous ‘slotting’ fees, small candy companies abounded. From Boston, Almond starts his cross-country travels from Philadelphia (Goldenberg Candy- Peanut Chews) to Hayward, California (Annabelle Candy- Rocky Road & Abba-Zaba) to rediscover a forgotten past. With a delightful use of language, Almond mixes literary wit with chocolate to produce an uproariously funny confection. I highly recommend it to anyone- its nostalgic and delicious!

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

I stayed up late last night finishing What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. This is a historical novel set in the post WWII era, but it's really a mystery and coming-of-age story of a young girl, Evie, caught up in her parents' lies. It is well writen and a page-turner- although I saw some of it coming- I still couldn't help myself from continuing until the end.
I give it a 4 out of 5 stars (I reserve the 5th star for the very best).




The book is a 2008 National Book Award winner and Judy Blundell has written for all age levels under several pseydonyms- she loves Star Wars (and writes as Jude Watson) and is writing The 39 Clues series which is so popular- http://www.judyblundell.com/.

Welcome

Hi everyone- this is my new blog- actually this is my FIRST blog

(it seems like a great way to communicate about great YA materials).

I read a lot since I am the Young Adult Services Librarian at the Piktin County Library in Aspen, CO. Reading the reviews and purchasing the YA collections (fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, manga, games and magazines) I get excited about the new materials and, as our TS staff can atest, I haunt the incoming boxes and cataloging shelves to put my dibs on the newest YA items as they arrive!


I also read a lot of YA because I think it's good writing, the stories are intriguing, and they just seem to pull me in! I'm actually in the process of trying to get more adults to chose YA titles to read because they're SO good.


I will use this blog to talk about the materials I am reading- I say 'materials' because I am a strong believer that reading encompasses many different types of materials and formats- it's not just about books. For instance I listen to many audiobooks- on CD, downloaded on to my MP3 player, on my iPod and our newest format- playaways (LOVE THEM!)- since I ride the bus everyday. I also read articles and websites about YAs. I've read fanfiction (http://www.fanfiction.net/) and I read graphic novels and manga, as well as the bestselling, award-winning and newly released books from my favorite authors, as well as the new ones. There just isn't enough time to read it all- but I try!


So please join me here on the PCL YA Blog to talk about what you are reading.

WELCOME and ENJOY

You can also find me at http://www.pitcolib.org/.