Contest: Win a copy of Stalker Girl by Rosemary Graham

Rosemary Graham and Penguin are offering one finished copy of STALKER GIRL to a lucky winner at The Hiding Spot!

Please be sure that you read through the information and rules below.

Prize:

(1) finished copy of STALKER GIRL

How to Enter:

You MUST comment on my review of STALKER GIRL or the interview with Rosemary. (One comment is required.) Then you MUST fill out this FORM. If you neglect to comment on the post or fill out the form, you will not be entered to win.

Extra Entries:
Not required. Extra entries are detailed on the entry form as well.
+2 Comment on the other post (either review or interview).
+1 Tweet this contest. (Leave a link.)
+1 Link this contest on your sidebar, in a post, or on FB. (Leave a link.)
Extra entries will not be awarded for following The Hiding Spot, but it's always appreciated!


Details:
Contest will close November 17th, 2010. Open to the US addresses only!

Good luck!

Interview: Rosemary Graham (Author of Stalker Girl!)

Rosemary Graham's STALKER GIRL is one of my favorite 2010 Contemporary YAs, so I was very excited to ask her a few questions about the novel. In addition to the interview, be sure to check out my review of the novel, here.

_________________

A Brief Bio

Rosemary Graham is the author of Stalker Girl, as well as Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude and My Not-So-Terrible Time at the Hippie Hotel. Her books have been among the International Reading Association “Young Adults’ Choices,” the Chicago Public Library’s “Best of the Best,” and the New York Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age.” Her essays and commentaries have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Santa Monica Review, and on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” She teaches English and Creative Writing at Saint Mary’s College of California and lives in Berkeley with her husband, the writer Kevin Griffin, and their daughter.

_______________________

The Interview

Give a short statement describing STALKER GIRL.
Broken-hearted girl learns that her ex—her first and only love--has found someone new just a few short weeks after they’ve broken up. Who wouldn’t be curious?

Carly’s still hoping that Brian will come back to her when she hears—directly from him—that there’s a new girl in his life. The first thing Carly does after hearing this news is look up the new girl—Taylor—on line. But Carly’s curiosity is only made worse by the information she picks up from Facebook and other Internet sources. She decides she needs to see the new girl live and in-person. Then—she tells herself—she’ll put it all behind her. Each step Carly takes to satisfy her curiosity only makes things worse. Soon, she’s behaving in ways that lead a popular blogger to dub her “Little Miss Psycho.”

Was there a particular story or idea that influenced the writing of STALKER GIRL?
I “saw” Carly before I knew what her story would be. I imagined her sitting in a café, watching another girl her age wondering what it would be like to be that other girl, wishing she could be that other girl. I wanted to explore the way human beings are always comparing ourselves to others, thinking we come up short. One of my favorite reviews of STALKER GIRL (from Caught in the Carousel) says it’s a “story about how we always seem to be chasing the parts of ourselves that we think are missing.” I couldn’t have put it better myself.

I was surprised at how easily I could identify with Carly; was it a challenge to see the situation from Carly’s point-of-view?
No, it wasn’t hard at all. A line printed on the back cover of STALKER GIRL goes, “There’s a little stalker in all of us.” A high school student said this to me when I visited her school to talk about the book. That statement led to a debate—girls versus boys—about who was more likely to behave stalkerishly (not a word, people, don’t use it in your book reports!). The boys said girls, the girls said the boys. But I think we’re all capable of stepping over that line between interest and obsession.

Notice how I keep speaking in generalities about all of humanity? Thereby avoiding the opportunity to incriminate or humiliate myself? 

Carly is not a crazy person. I felt like her obsession and subsequent behavior would have been kept in check if she would have had someone to confide in and a few other details had been changed. Do you think there are aspects of an individual’s life and personality that can amplify a similar situation that might otherwise be prevented?
Absolutely. I start the second part of the novel with the words “She wasn’t always like this” in order to get readers thinking about how Carly’s circumstances have contributed to her actions. This is why she’s so obsessed with Brian’s new girlfriend, Taylor. From the outside at least, Taylor appears to have everything Carly doesn’t: the boy, the cool mom, the great house, money and just enough fame. Carly is a fairly happy person, but she’s experienced a lot of loss and so when she loses the best thing that’s happened to her in a long time—Brian—she goes a little nuts. But she is not a crazy person. She is doing crazy things, but she’s not mentally ill.


As you wrote, did you have a specific message in mind, regardless of the message readers ultimately end up taking from the novel?
I love the title of Peter Cameron’s novel, Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You. I had a message something like this in mind. Carly wasn’t always like this and she won’t always be like this. While it would have been great if Carly had confided in someone about what was really going on in her life, if she had, I wouldn’t have a novel here. But more than that, I do think that there will come a point in Carly’s life when she will look back on her actions and be able to understand them far better than she can currently. And she won’t be ashamed of her actions. She’ll have empathy for the girl she was.


My blog is dedicated to my personal hiding spot, books. Who, what, or where can be credited as your personal escape from reality?
Ah. Well. I love reading, too. But I kind of do it for a living. (My day job is English Professor) so I don’t think it counts.

I guess my hiding spot is UNDER WATER. Three, four or five days a week, I start my day with a one-mile swim. (After coffee!) Things don’t seem to bother me as much when I’m propelling myself through water. Luckily, I can swim outdoors all year round here in Northern California. I love to swim in the rain.

Review: The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur

Title: The Ivy
Author(s): Lauren Kunze & Rina Onur
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pub. Date: 8.31.2010
Genre: Contemporary
Keywords: Ivy League, Frienship, Love, Relationships, Reinvention
Pages: 320
Description (from GoodReads):
Freshman year at Harvard--glamorous parties, blossoming friendships, steamy romances, and scandalous secrets. Skip the campus tour and get right to the good stuff: classes are for scoping guys (and their Facebook profiles), not taking notes. The library is for study dates (the medieval history stacks get a lot of action), not studying. And success is a 4.0 GPA... plus getting into the most exclusive parties. How will Callie--a California girl with brains, beauty, and big dreams--and her three roommates survive?

Get admitted to The Ivy, the first book in a provocative new series about the world of the Ivy League.

THE IVY may not be the most accurate portrayal of freshman year at University, but that's besides the point: Rina Onur and Lauren Kunze fully succeeded in writing a fun, dramatic, boy-filled novel that I kept me distracted for hours.

While THE IVY exaggerated some aspects of college life, there were definitely situations that happen on campuses across the country. For me, this novel was a perfect balance of reality and fiction - too much reality would be horribly boring, too much fiction and I wouldn't have related to the characters. Every time I stumbled across a phrase or situation I recognized, like moving into the dorms or Thirsty Thursday, a little lightbulb popped on and I was pulled just a bit deeper into the story.

I honestly can't discuss this book without mentioning that there are many, many boys within its pages. Good looking boys, I might add. This fact may not pull in those male readers, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to seeing quite a few of those boys in book two. *daydreams*

Speaking of boys, this book definitely has a romantic plot line... or two... or three. The main character is apparently a boy magnet and is never without at least one admirer. Best of all, being such a boy magnet allows for different types of romance... there's a tension-charged relationship and a sweet relationship. Something for everyone!

THE IVY may not be a new or revolutionary concept for a novel, but Onur and Kunze did a phenomenal job with this familiar plot and I, for one, will be reading any subsequent novels. THE IVY is relateable, despite some of the far-fetched material, and extremely amusing!

Grade: A

Cover of the Week (24)

Cover of the Week is a weekly feature at The Hiding Spot, in which I share a cover that gives me that swoony feeling.

The Revenant by Sonia Gensler

Knopf/2011

Description (from GoodReads):

Seventeen-year-old Willemina Hammond thinks it'll be simple to assume a new identity far away in Indian Territory. Anything would be better than laboring on her mother's failing farm in Tennessee. "Borrowing" the credentials of a local schoolteacher, she secures a position at the Cherokee Female Seminary and eagerly sets out toward an easier life in the summer of 1896.

But the Seminary is not what Willie expected. It's more like a castle than a school, and it houses refined young ladies who couldn't be less like the rustic natives she imagined. Divided by prejudice, the school community still reels from the recent murder of a mixed-blood student by a spurned full-blood suitor. Spooky noises, cold spots, and violent accidents have convinced the students that the dead girl haunts them. All this makes for an uphill battle as Willie struggles to establish control over her high-strung pupils.


To make matters worse, the ghost seems to be reaching out to her, and its communications are growing more frequent and intense. Willie determines to learn more about the girl's death, thinking it the only way to quiet the angry spirit. But the more she learns, the more difficult it is to maintain her secret identity. And the closer she gets to unraveling the secrets behind the murder, the closer she is to becoming a victim herself.

I like that the cover model is nearly transparent... I'm assuming she the ghost referred to in the description of THE REVENANT. I also like the bright blue used for the title and the author's name.

THE REVENENANT sounds like a spooky, traditional ghost story. I'm sure there's a unique twist in there somewhere, but I'm liking that the description makes it sound like one of the ghost stories I used to read in elementary school.

Review: Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Title: Hunger (Horseman of the Apocalypse #1)
Author: Jackie Morse Kessler
Publisher: Harcourt Graphia
Pub. Date: 10.18.2010
Genre: Realistic YA
Keywords: Famine, Eating Disorders, Apocalypse
Pages: 180
Description (from GoodReads):
“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons?

Wow. I'm impressed by Jackie Morse Kessler's HUNGER. I expected a dark novel, but, while the subject matter is definitely intense, Kessler successfully wove humor and lighter elements into the story.

I was most taken by Kessler's characterization of Death, Famine, War, and the other Horseman. Not only are Kessler's depictions a welcome change from the stereotypical descriptions, I was surprised at how quickly my imagination adopted the unique characters... I actually find it comforting. Death dons "old-fashioned Converse high tops, untied" and has long blonde hair and a sexy scruff. I'd much rather imagine Death as a philosophical rockstar in Chucks than a scary figure cloaked in black.

HUNGER follows Lisabeth Lewis as she assumes the role of Famine and defies the laws of time and space to travel the world and witness the horrifying effects of hunger. Lisa struggles with an eating disorder, which is, of course, apparent to the reader and Lisa's friends and family while she's in complete denial. Despite the fantastical aspect of HUNGER, I found Kessler's portrayal of a young girl struggling with anorexia to ring true. The Author's Note mentions Kessler's experience with her own eating disorder as well as a close friend's, and her intimate knowledge of the subject matter is apparent in Lisabeth's actions and thoughts.

I'll definitely be reading the next three Horseman novels - Rage and Loss are the aptly named second and third installments - and I may even find myself looking into Kessler's adult titles.

Grade: A

Contest: Win a copy of Where the Truth Lies!

Bloomsbury is offering one finished copy of WHERE THE TRUTH LIES to one lucky winner at The Hiding Spot!

Please be sure that you read through the information and rules below.

Prize:

(1) finished copy of WHERE THE TRUTH LIES

How to Enter:
You MUST comment on my review of WHERE THE TRUTH LIES (Comment is required.) Then you MUST fill out this FORM. If you neglect to comment on the post or fill out the form, you will not be entered to win.


Extra Entries:
Not required. Extra entries are detailed on the entry form as well.
+1 Tweet this contest. (Leave a link.)
+1 Link this contest on your sidebar, in a post, or on FB. (Leave a link.)
Extra entries will not be awarded for following The Hiding Spot, but it's always appreciated!


Details:
Contest will close November 10th, 2010. Open to the US addresses only!

Good luck!

Review: Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman

Title: Where the Truth Lies
Author: Jessica Warman
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pub. Date: 9.28.2010
Genre: Contemporary YA
Keywords: Family, Secrets, Lies, Boarding School, Love, Relationships
Pages: 320
Description (from arc):
Between the past and the future... Between pain and forgiveness... Between the ones you know and the ones you love... Is where the truth lies.
On the surface, Emily Meckler leads the perfect life. She has three best friends, two loving parents, and the ideal setup at the Connecticut prep school where her father is headmaster. But below the surface, Emily is suffering from devastating nightmares about either fire or water, and nobody knows why.
When the enigmatic Del Sugar enters her life, Emily is immediately swept away - but her passionate relationship with Del is just the first of many things that aren't quite what they seem in Emily's life. And as the lies she's been told start to unravel, Emily must set out to discover the truth regarding her nightmares; a journey that will lead her to question everything she once thought she knew about love, family, and her own idyllic past. This companion novel to Warman's critically acclaimed Breathless proves that sometimes the biggest lies you tell are for the ones you love the most.

Lately I've been reading a lot of books that are good, but not great. All that changed with WHERE THE TRUTH LIES. Jessica Warman had me totally and completely engrossed in Emily's story. I even spent dinner explaining to a patient friend what was happening in Emily's life - how compelling, yet shady I found the curiously named Del Sugar, my hypotheses about the secrets the various characters were hiding, and my fears regarding how the novel would end. I was, in short, consumed.

Poor Emily... she just can't get a break. There were very few times when I could confidently say that I knew what was going to happen next... and half of those times I still wasn't right. The more I read, the less I'm surprised by novels. That is, I feel that I've become more adept at noticing small details and interpreting foreshadowing, which means that I usually have a basic idea of how the novel will end. With WHERE THE TRUTH LIES, I honestly thought I knew where the clues were leading, but I hadn't even started to imagine all the lies and twists that were so intricately knotted around Emily and her past.

It almost seems like it'd be easy to judge Emily... for the reader to shake her head and think sadly, she was warned. But I felt as though I was there with Emily... and I was thinking, right along with her, but.... But they don't know him. But they don't know me. They just don't know. I know. And I understood her choices... her fears. Life is not simple and that fact is abundantly clear as Emily's story progresses.

Relationships are an important part of this novel. What makes a family? A best friend? A boyfriend? A true love? A mother? Yet none of these ideas are defined. Instead they are given a vague sort of shape, that can shift to fit to even the most unexpected individual... or the person you should have expected all along.

WHERE THE TRUTH LIES is a companion novel, but it isn't necessary to have read BREATHLESS before delving into this story. But I can assure you that you will want to have both novels on hand. You won't want to leave behind Warman's gorgeous writing... and, regardless, her characters will refuse to let you go.

Grade: A+

Cover Comments:
An absolutely perfect fit! Gorgeous.

Review Copy provided by publisher.

Cover of the Week (23)

Cover of the Week is a weekly feature at The Hiding Spot, in which I share a cover that gives me that swoony feeling.

Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves
Simon Pulse, 1.4.2011
Description (from GoodReads):
Happiness is a bloody knife.

Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters of the best kind: best friends, best confidantes, and best accomplices. The daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, Kit and Fancy are used to feeling like outsiders, and that’s just the way they like it. But in Portero, where the weird and wild run rampant, the Cordelle sisters are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around.

It’s no surprise when Kit and Fancy start to give in to their deepest desire—the desire to kill. What starts as a fascination with slicing open and stitching up quickly spirals into a gratifying murder spree. Of course, the sisters aren’t killing just anyone, only the people who truly deserve it. But the girls have learned from the mistakes of their father, and know that a shred of evidence could get them caught. So when Fancy stumbles upon a mysterious and invisible doorway to another world, she opens a door to endless possibilities....

I love that this cover is almost cute, until you notice the blood. Pastel colors and little teacups, then the rickety, sinister title font.

BLEEDING VIOLET was one of my favorite 2010 novels and I fully expect SLICE OF CHERRY to make the 2011 list. Dia Reeves' debut novel was incredibly twisted and, based on the description, this next novel has the potential to be as well - maybe even more so. I'm a fan of Showtime's DEXTER, and was just pondering how I'm able to find myself relating to a serial killer... I'm curious to see whether the two sisters in SLICE OF CHERRY inspire the same response... or something else entirely.

Contest: Win a copy of Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin!

Bloomsbury is offering one finished copy of LOW RED MOON to one lucky winner at The Hiding Spot!

Please be sure that you read through the information and rules below.

Prize:

(1) finished copy of LOW RED MOON

How to Enter:
You MUST comment on my review of LOW RED MOON (Comment is required.) Then you MUST fill out this FORM. If you neglect to comment on the post or fill out the form, you will not be entered to win.


Extra Entries:
Not required. Extra entries are detailed on the entry form as well.
+1 Tweet this contest. (Leave a link.)
+1 Link this contest on your sidebar, in a post, or on FB. (Leave a link.)
Extra entries will not be awarded for following The Hiding Spot, but it's always appreciated!


Details:
Contest will close November 5th, 2010. Open to the US addresses only!

Good luck!

Review: Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

Title: Low Red Moon
Author: Ivy Devlin
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pub. Date: 9.14.2010
Genre: Paranormal YA
Keywords: Grief, Murder, Love, Family, Loss, Werewolves
Pages: 256
Description (from arc):
Her parents are dead. She can't remember what happened. And now she's in love with the most dangerous creature in the forest.

The only thing Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver - deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed them, she can't, and there's nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together.

Then Avery meets the new boy in school - Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she's ever experienced. Ben is a werewolf, but Avery trusts him - at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash an inhuman silver. And she learns that she's not the only one who can't remember the night her parents died.

Oddly, LOW RED MOON was both more and less than I had expected.

I started the novel thinking that the paranormal aspects would be the focus, but quickly found that this was not the case. From early on in the novel the reader knows that Ben is a werewolf. To be honest, the reader actually knows as soon as they read the description. I assumed, since this fact is clearly pointed out, it would be a much bigger focus. Instead, this element is almost unnecessary. This novel could have had the same ending without anything paranormal occurring. I would have appreciated more backstory and lore regarding this aspect of the novel.

I was much more impressed by the rest of LOW RED MOON. In my opinion, Avery's grief ended up being the main focus. Sometimes I felt like it was almost too much of a focus... I sometimes find it frustrating when reading novels with strong themes of loss and grief. I understand why Avery would spend so much time grieving - her parents were just brutally murdered - but I felt that it made much of the novel repetitive, especially when she was trying to recall what happened that night. She never really moved past having seen "a flash of silver" that was "inhuman." I felt like that element could have been further developed...

I found the romance to be surprisingly intense. Most of the novel seemed to move at a slow pace, but not when it came to Ben and Avery. Those passages are what kept my interest when it occassionally flagged. I wish the relationship and why they felt so strongly for one another would have been explained in more detail. I felt like I was missing some key information.

Overall, LOW RED MOON was a good mystery with a passionate romance and a dash of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. Not the best, but it could've been. I'd definitely read more from Ivy Devlin, but, in her next novel, I hope to see greater exploration of the paranormal elements!

Grade: B-

For a chance to win your own copy of LOW RED MOON, go here.

Review Copy provided by publisher.

Title Unveiling: The Sequel to Sophie Jordan's FIRELIGHT is...

I loved Sophie Jordan's YA debut, FIRELIGHT, and I found the title to be a perfect fit. Naturally, I've been wondering what the second installment will be titled... and whether it will fit as well as the first.

**DRUMROLL PLEASE**

IT DOES! I'm happy to announce that the title of FIRELIGHT's highly anticipated sequel will be:

VANISH: A Firelight Novel

And this is what Sophie had to say about VANISH ... (and the origins of the title):

"This title is actually inspired from a line I wrote in the second Firelight novel. My editors kindly pointed it out to me and suggested it. "Vanish" is just one of those words I found myself typing more than once as I wrote the book. Those of you who've read FIRELIGHT and recall the ending might also have an idea what motivated the title choice. The title speaks to Jacinda's state, both physically and emotionally, through many points of the second Firelight novel ... and it also hints at a major twist you'll learn upon reading the very beginning VANISH.


Be prepared for more romance, suspense and adventure as Jacinda's story continues in VANISH!"

Thoughts? Comments?

Those who comment on this post will be entered

 to win some fun FIRELIGHT related swag - some signed!

Those of you who spread the word about VANISH and this post

will get an extra entry... just leave me a link to

your tweet, post, or FB status!

Now we just have to wait for the cover unveiling!! I've got high hopes for that as well!

Contest: Win a copy of Freefall!

I have a finished, signed copy of FREEFALL for one lucky winner at The Hiding Spot!

Please be sure that you read through the information and rules below.

Prize:

(1) finished, signed copy of FREEFALL

How to Enter:
You MUST comment on either my review of FREEFALL or interview with Mindi. (Comment is required.) Then you MUST fill out this FORM. If you neglect to comment on the post or fill out the form, you will not be entered to win.


Extra Entries:
Not required. Extra entries are detailed on the entry form as well.
+1 Tweet this contest. (Leave a link.)
+1 Link this contest on your sidebar, in a post, or on FB. (Leave a link.)
+1 Follow Mindi on Twitter (@mindi_scott)


Details:
Contest will close October 31st, 2010. Open Internationally!

Good luck!

Interview: Mindi Scott (Author of Freefall!)

I was extremely lucky to be able to read Mindi Scott's FREEFALL in June, but I've been waiting (im)patiently to be able to say "Run to your local bookstore and pick up your own copy. Now!" I'm still a bit premature, but FREEFALL will be hitting shelves October 5th in the US so you can at least prepare yourselves! To be super prepared, you might even want to preorder it. Not sure? Maybe my review will convince you. Read it here!

I'm very excited to have Mindi here at The Hiding Spot to answer a few questions about FREEFALL and its subject matter!

__________________________

A Brief Bio

Read more about Mindi HERE.

Mindi Rochelle Scott lives near Seattle, Washington, with her drummer husband in a house with a non-sound-proof basement. Her first novel, Freefall, will be published by Simon Pulse on October 5, 2010.

________________________

The Interview

Give a short statement describing FREEFALL. (This should be in your own words and is meant to draw in readers, so no copying from the book jacket, etc.)
Freefall is about Seth McCoy, a bassist in a rockabilly band whose nickname is “Dick” for arguably legitimate reasons. This is the story of how, two months after finding his best friend dead, Seth is now at a point where he thinks he might be ready to start living and feeling again—he just has to learn how.

To me, Seth was incredibly real, which I found to be commendable, since you are, after all, not a teen boy. I feel like many girls and women feel like they think they know how the male mind works, but guys are forever telling them they actually have no idea. How did you find a way into Seth’s head? Did you find it difficult to make him believable? Was there research involved? Did you have a male “consultant?”
While working on this book, I read lots and lots of other YA with male POVs to kind of get the flavor. My husband was a big help, too. He’d read each of my scenes and sometimes he’d say, “Really? You think a guy would say/think/do that?” Then I’d try again. The thing that was cool is after a few months of working on the project, our discussions shifted from being about whether the narrative was boyish enough to whether it was Sethish enough. I was very proud when I got to that point because it was like, Seth had become a real enough person that “boy” or “not boy” was no longer a consideration. If that makes any sense.

I appreciated the frank portrayal of underage drinking in your novel. Do you think teens fully understand the negative consequences of drinking? What message did you hope to impart by its inclusion in the novel?
Despite the fact that my dad was killed in a collision with a drunk driver when I was four, I know that I didn’t fully understand the negative consequences of underage drinking when I was a teen. For instance, it seemed like puking was a thing that should automatically happen while partying. (It isn’t.) I also didn’t grasp that a 100-pound girl trying to keep up with, like, 175-pound boys was not only stupid, but could be dangerous for a multitude of reasons.

I don’t imagine that it would be a stretch to say that other teens out there might be clueless in the ways that my friends and I were clueless. And, yes, this is probably pretty obvious, but what I really hope readers will come away with after reading this book is that taking care of yourself and making smart choices is never a bad thing.

I loved Mrs. Dalloway and Seth’s Interpersonal Communications class. What was your inspiration behind her character and her often zany lessons?
I took an Interpersonal Communications class in college. Mrs. Dalloway is a less annoying, but more out-there version of my instructor. For the class I took, we had to choose fake names for ourselves and make lists of ways that we would challenge ourselves. I stole those ideas, and also came up with things that I thought would make the format of the class in the book more interactive and unexpected.

Can you tell us anything about your next YA novel?
I don’t actually know what my next published novel will be, but I have a few YA projects in the works which might be contenders. I hope that I’ll know more in the coming months!

My blog is dedicated to my personal hiding spot, books. Who, what, or where can be credited as your personal escape from reality?
A combination of a book and a tropical beach is the ideal hiding spot for me.

__________________________

I urge you to pick up FREEFALL. There's been a lot of talk about the lack of males narrators and "guy" books in YA lately, so Scott's debut is worth picking up for that reason alone, but there are many, many more reasons to pick up this amazing debut. Be sure to check out my review and the book trailer:

Character Interview: Noah from The Absolute Value of -1

Today I'm joined by Noah from Steve Brezenoff's THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF -1. I found Noah to be one of the most interesting and, in ways, elusive of the three main characters in the novel. I think readers will get a good sense of Noah's attitude in his answers below... actually, I'm a bit surprised he didn't just decide to blow off the last few questions. I'm impressed.

__________________________

The Interview

Describe yourself in 5 words or less.

Um, high? Horny? Handsome? How many is that?


Name 3 of your favorite things and, for good measure, 3 of your least favorite too.
Number one is getting a good buzz on. I also like playing Madden and listening to Biohazard in the basement, especially if dear old Dad is out and I can pump it up. Least favorites? How about watching Lily fall all over herself to get Simon’s attention for half a second.


School doesn’t seem to be your scene… If you could be anywhere or go anywhere, where would you be?
Back in the OC, definitely—Orange County, CA. I’d like to be on Laguna Beach right now, actually, with a nice buzz, laying out and watching the girls.


You, Simon, and Lily are in a bit of a predicament. You’ve got a thing for Lily, but she only has eyes for Simon, while Simon’s head is somewhere else entirely. Why do you suppose Lily’s so blinded by Simon… what draws her to him?
Who the hell knows what goes her mind. Same as Mom, I guess. Same as most of the girls in school: they love the guys who treat them like garbage or ignore them completely. Hey, maybe I’m wrong, but if I am, how else can you explain it?


From the outside looking in, Simon doesn’t seem like the greatest friend… why do you stick around?
I don’t have a lot of options, first of all. The guy was my only friend when I moved out to Long Island. But hey, he’s also my number-one customer. Besides, I’ve got feelers out, looking into new social situations, you know?

_______________________________________

I was extremely impressed by this novel! Be sure to check out my review of THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF -1 here.

To win -1 bookmarks and other fun swag, leave a comment
on this post or the review linked above!

Waiting on Wednesday (40)

WoW is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Memento Nora by Angie Smibert

Marshall Cavendish Children's Books/July 2011

Description (from GoodReads):

Nora, the popular girl and happy consumer, witnesses a horrific bombing on a shopping trip with her mother. In Nora’s near-future world, terrorism is so commonplace that she can pop one little white pill to forget and go on like nothing ever happened. However, when Nora makes her first trip to a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic, she learns what her mother, a frequent forgetter, has been frequently forgetting. Nora secretly spits out the pill and holds on to her memories. The memory of the bombing as well as her mother’s secret and her budding awareness of the world outside her little clique make it increasingly difficult for Nora to cope. She turns to two new friends, each with their own reasons to remember, and together they share their experiences with their classmates through an underground comic. They soon learn, though, they can’t get away with remembering.

Whoa. Just... whoa. This description caught my attention and the cover cemented it in my mind. Whoa.

Review: The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff

Title: The Absolute Value of -1
Author: Steve Brezenoff
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Pub. Date: 9.1.2010
Genre: Contemporary YA
Keywords: Love, Friendship, Multiple POV
Pages: 264
Description (from GoodReads):
The absolute value of any number, positive or negative, is its distance from zero: I-1I = 1.

Noah, Lily, and Simon have been a trio forever. But as they enter high school, their relationships shift and their world starts to fall apart. Privately, each is dealing with a family crisis—divorce, abuse, and a parent's illness. Yet as they try to escape the pain and reach out for the connections they once counted on, they slip—like soap in a shower. Noah’s got it bad for Lily, but he knows too well Lily sees only Simon. Simon is indifferent, suddenly inscrutable to his friends. All stand alone in their heartache and grief.

In his luminous YA novel, Steve Brezenoff explores the changing value of relationships as the characters realize that the distances between them are far greater than they knew.

Having never heard of THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF -1, I had no expectations as I cracked the cover. Not one. Which is why I was shocked to discover that this novel, Steve Brezenoff's YA debut, has landed squarely on my Best of 2010 list.

The novel is divided into three main sections - one for each character - but the first and last pages are told by Suzanne. I'll admit to being a bit confused when I saw her name printed largely on the first page... there's no mention of a Suzanne in the description. It doesn't take long to figure out who this mysterious narrator is, but it takes the majority of the novel to make sense of her role and meaning to each of the main characters.

I ended up preferring Lily and Noah over Simon. I appreciated seeing the events unfold from each POV, but Simon set me on edge. Even at the end of the novel, I wasn't completely sure I understood his motivations, which made is actions difficult to reconcile. In the end, I resigned myself to disliking his character, which was difficult for me because I can't help but try to connect with each character, even in a small way.

I found it easy to identify with Lily. She's the typically high school girl, in love with a boy who is oblivious to her. Or worse, is completely aware and chooses to act oblivious. I feel confident saying that every girl feels like a Lily at some point, whether it occurs in high school or later.

Noah was my favorite character, though it's hard to say exactly why. Part of me wonders if it's due to the fact that he had the smallest section. It's almost like when you meet someone for the first time and you think they're pretty cool, but then, the more you get to know them, the more you're aware of their flaws. And then they just don't seem so cool anymore. Simon and Lily's flaws were painfully clear, while Noah was just a stoner boy with an unrequited crush. He was much easier to like. Maybe I would have ended up liking him less if he was more of a focus, but I still can't help wanting to hear more of his story.

THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF -1 is unflinchingly honest and beautifully written. I'm very curious to see what Steve Brezenoff offers next, but, in the meantime, I'll be pondering this novel's final pages...

Grade: A

Part of the reason I decided to read THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF -1 was the book trailer... I always thought book trailers were more fun than functional, but, more and more, I've found that book trailers have caused me to give a book a second look!

Cover of the Week (22)

Cover of the Week is a weekly feature at The Hiding Spot, in which I share a cover that gives me that swoony feeling.

You Against Me by Jenny Downham
David Fickling Books/12.2.2010
Description (from Amazon):
If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right? If your brother's been accused of a terrible crime and you're the main witness, then you banish all doubt and defend him. Isn't that what families do? When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her at a party, his world of work and girls begins to fall apart. When Ellie's brother is charged with the crime, but says he didn't do it, her world of revision, exams and fitting in at a new school begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. Brave and unflinching, this is a novel of extraordinary skillfulness and almost unbearable tension. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love - for one's family and for another.

I'm really liking the image on the cover of YOU AGAINST ME, but my favorite aspect is the lines of text across the bottom. I haven't seen that done many times before and there is something beautiful about it... that small snapshot into the novel. The one aspect that I don't like is the little bubble mentioning BEFORE I DIE. I understand why it's there, but I feel like it takes from overall effect of the cover.


And can I just say that I am unable to express how much I'm longing for this novel. BEFORE I DIE caused me to sob uncontrollably and I feel like I've been waiting forever for Downham's next novel. Now that I have a description and cover, I feel like I can finally allow myself to imagine walking into the bookstore and taking it home with me where it will live happily on my bookshelf. There is "unbearable tension" in this book. UNBEARABLE. I think you all know how I feel about tension. Especially when it's unbearable.

Review: Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart

Title: Dangerous Neighbors
Author: Beth Kephart
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pub. Date: 8.24.2010
Genre: Historical YA
Keywords: Sisters, Twins, Grief, Regret, Love
Pages: 192
Description (from GoodReads):
Could any two sisters be more tightly bound together than the twins, Katherine and Anna? Yet love and fate intervene to tear them apart. Katherine's guilt and sense of betrayal leaves her longing for death, until a surprise encounter and another near catastrophe rescue her from a tragic end. Set against the magical kaleidoscope of the Philadelphia Centennial fair of 1876, National Book Award nominee Beth Kephart's book conjures the sweep and scope of a moment in history in which the glowing future of a nation is on display to the disillusioned gaze of a girl who has determined that she no longer has a future. The tale is a pulse by pulse portrait of a young heroine's crisis of faith and salvation in the face of unbearable loss.

At times, when I'm reading one of Beth Kephart's novels, I find myself distracted by the gorgeous phrasing and richly described settings and characters. It's easy to find oneself swept away by the beautiful writing, but I always remind myself to go beyond that aspect Kephart's novels because the writing isn't meant to distract readers from a mediocre tale: Kephart is a thought-provoking storyteller as well.

DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS is a slim volume, but the I felt Katherine and Anna's story fit well within its covers. This novel is not for readers who favor action and a quickly paced story. At all. The story begins slowly and continues at a leisurely pace, meandering between past and present.

I found Katherine's relationship with her sister, Anna, and her father interesting. There isn't very much dialogue in the novel, but each interaction holds weight and meaning and I found myself analyzing the words exchanged and considering how Katherine would have reacted and felt. The flashbacks, to me, held the most meaning, as they were the only time readers are able to observe Katherine and Anna's interaction. I couldn't help imagining Katherine collecting these memories like a crow collects shiny baubles, though many of the memories lacked the luster of happiness.

Kephart tells her characters' stories with a delicate hand and deposits them carefully into the reader's heart. DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS, with it's beautiful language and acute heartache, is no exception.

Grade: B+

Cover Comments:
This cover is perfect for DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS. The colors and image both convey the delicate subject matter and writing.

Review copy provided by EgmontUSA.

Review: Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford

Title: Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters
Author: Natalie Standiford
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub. Date: 9.1.2010
Genre: Contemporary YA
Keywords: Sisters, Inheritance, Secrets, Rebellion, Family, Love, Grief
Pages: 320
Description (from GoodReads):
The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless.

Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year's Day, she will reinstate the family in her will. Or at least consider it.

And so the confessions begin....

I find it difficult to verbalize just why I adore Natalie Standiford and her novels so much. There's something almost cinematic about them. Her characters are always unique and they seem to sparkle. They catapult themselves off the page and into my imagination so naturally that it's like they belong there. I find that oddly comforting.

I tend to be drawn to love stories and romantic characters, so it's understandable that I particularly liked Norrie's confession. Not only does she fall in love, she blatantly disregards the wishes of her grandmother, the one and only Almighty, to be with her beau. But, even without her role as a star-crossed lover, I'd still identify with Norrie. She's a smart, sensible girl and often makes observations and comments I find myself agreeing with, like: "I had to admit he looked nice. He has very regular features and straight teeth. I'd just read that even, regular features are universally recognized as beautiful. So no matter what I think of Brooks as a person, I'm genetically programmed to find him attractive. I resent that."

I was won over by the straight-talking Jane right from the start of her confession. Jane blogs about her family, primarily Almighty, on the blog myevilfamily.com and her version of family's history is both amusing and relateable. My family is nothing like the Sullivans, yet exactly the same. Despite having a vastly different backgrounds, I can identify with the cynical feelings Jane feels toward her family and her overbearing grandmother, even if the feelings only last during a particularly trying period of time. Every family has a skeleton or two in the closet and issues swept under rug, but sometimes they just won't stay hidden away.


The last confession is Sassy's and it's... interesting. I wasn't quite as taken with this character as I was with Norrie and Jane, so I was happy to find that her section of the novel isn't nearly as substantial as her sisters'. Still, I felt for Sassy. Despite the ridiculousness of her fearful belief that she had committed a horrible crime against her grandmother, especially in light of what she thought she had done, her guilt and fear could not be disputed. I just didn't connect with her character as strongly as the other two sisters.


I loved the entire novel, but I was most taken with Almighty's confession on the last pages. I can't think of a better way Standiford could have finished this novel and I can honestly say I found Almighty's confession the most shocking of all... not only because of it's content, but that Almighty would confess anything, no matter the circumstances.


After reading Standiford's debut, HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT, I had high expectations for her sophmore novel, and I was in no way disappointed. Standiford makes the shortlist of novelists I feel comfortable preordering... and that's saying a lot.

Back to school!

I'm back at school... which means multiple things for The Hiding Spot.

First off, I have a lot less time for anything I actually want to do. Like sleep. And blog. And *sob* read. It's the last that hurts the most. In fact, lately, every time I try to read a few chapters, I find my eyes are unable to stay open and I'm quickly asleep. I feel like my parents. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

Also, due to time constraints, nothing in my room is organized or set up. Just the other day, a friend came over to raid my bookshelves, and informed me that it looks like I'm "living in a jail cell." Sadly, this is an accurate description. Which is why I was thrilled to find an email from CSNstores.com in my inbox. It's almost like the kind people over as CSNstores could hear my room crying after it heard its unkind description.

I'm now on a mission to find CSN products that transform my jail cell, ahem, room, into a comfy, cozy, library-like habitat.

I've browsed everything from office items to bookshelves to patio and garden. I spent a few mintues flipping through end tables... I've discovered end tables and bedside tables are pieces you take for granted until they aren't there. My books end up on the ground as I drift to sleep... and then I trip on them in the morning!

I don't know what I'll end up with, but I'll have fun choosing!

I really like this one! Part table, part bookshelf. Perfect!