The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

So, it's been a while since I've posted, but I have been busy, honest. I coordinated a book tour for Vancouver Island for The Canadian Children's Book Centre for illustrator, Ron Broda whose paper sculptures are totally awesome; check his site out if you have any interest in becoming an illustrator.

Then came Xmas, which meant lots of cooking, lots of bodies in my tiny tiny house, and reading for fun. I read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield for one. It's a bit of a literary mystery and I'd totally recommend it, despite the slow start. Once you're into it, it's a great read.

I'm in the middle of Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (two of my favourite YA authors) which I am loving, and Tamar by Mal Peet, which is sooo well written, but is much heavier going given that it is about the Dutch Resistance in WWII. It was a Carnegie Medal winner which is not a surprise given the quality of the writing so far. I'll report back on both soon, but I am one of the judges for The Canadian Children's Book Centre' s national kid's writing contest so I have tons of kid's stories to read so it might take a bit.

Out of Order by Robin Stevenson

I read first time author Robin Stevenson's book, Out of Order, about a month ago but, a trip to Chicago, one to Vancouver, and my role as Canadian Children's Book Week coordinator on Vancouver Island have kept me too busy for reviews. Don't let the slightly old fashioned cover put you off. This is a realy good read.

Once you crack the spine, it isn't hard to related to fifteen year old Sophie, her new friends Zelia, and later Max. Having just moved to Victoria, Sophie is determined to shed her past and the extra pounds that she believes marked her as an easy target for bullying at her last school. The "new improved" Sophie meets a charismatic loner, Zelia and a fast friendship ensues. But, Sophie eventually finds herself more and more uncomfortable with Zelia's fast track to self-destruction. While Sophie remains blind to her own eating disorder, the "new" Sophie starts to show cracks. She turns to Max with whom she shares a love of horse-riding and who appears to be Zelia's opposite. Sophie desperately wants to let down her guard with Max, but is afraid of rejection. Max is hiding her own secrets; afraid of the label that her sexual preference might cost her.

Three girls; three different issues; three different approaches to coping with their world. It almost sounds like melodrama. And I admit that at times the balancing act was just a tad shaky. Somehow though, Stevenson keeps from tipping over the edge. Sophie and Zelia are particularly well drawn, and it's although it's easy although gut wrenching to follow their paths. I did have a little more trouble with Max, whose character is not as fully developed. For the most part though, these are kids that could live next door. As the mother of three daughters, one of whom hung out in the same spots as Sophie, Zelia and Max, I found Stevenson's characters maddeningly arrogant as well as achingly vulnerable. Having seen my fair share of teenage angst, I'd say Stevenson knows of what she writes, and I don't doubt that as her craft develops, she will be a writer we'll be hearing more from.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I have been reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and have finally finished. Although I have friends who'd read it in a single sitting, it took me several weeks. The story is a compelling one but I found it difficult to read more than a few pages at time. The Book Thief is so rich in details that readers will find themselves drawn into Liesel Meminger's life as I did. It is such a difficult life that I simply could not bear to read it all at once. Life's brutality is introduced from the very start, when in 1939, Liesel, her mother, and her younger brother are traveling by train to Munich where Leisel and her brother are to be given into foster care. Liesel is the first to discover her brother's death on route. She and her mother are put off the train at the next stop with the dead child. A sad funeral in frigid temperatures with virtually no one in attendance is all that can be managed. Upon leaving, Liesel who cannot read as she hasn't had the opportunity to attend school with any regularity, picks up a book dropped by the gravedigger. This becomes one her greatest treasures, even though it is only a gravedigger's manual. There is a witness to Liesel's thievery, albeit an unobserved one; death himself. Thus begins Liesel's book thievery, and Death's narration of her life story. Death is very formal narrator and he is as governed by courtesy and decorum as he is by his role of collecting the souls of each deceased the moment of their demise. He is always on hand to gently and respectfully transporting each soul to eternity. Given the state of affairs in Germany at the time, Death is a constant presence.

I say that it took me some time to finish The Book Thief, but I must tell you that it was Zusak's brilliance which put me off. He is far too good a writer, skillfully bringing to life the harsh details of a daily existence that goes from gut-wrenching to heart-breaking and then back again. Blow after blow is dealt to this most resilient of children who loses her brother and then her mother almost immediately after. Once her brother is buried, that interrupted train trip is resumed, and Liesel is given into foster care. She is luckier than some though, since the Hubermanns take her in. Her foster father's gentleness acts as a counter balance to his wife Rosa's bad cooking and worse temper. Hans can't, however, temper the perilous times they live in; times when books are burned, brownshirts are given license to harass Jews, and party politics leaves the Hans Hubermann without work and the means to support his family. It is a time when bombs destroy neighborhoods and snatch all that is dear; Liesel's home, her foster parents and her friend Rudy Steiner.

Although Liesel lives a long life, it is death who has the last word. "I am haunted by humans" Death writes. By the time you close the cover of The Book Thief, you too will be haunted; by Zusak's characters.

On-line Book Club sponsored by the BC Library

If you happen to be a teen in search of a great read or if you want to connect with and chat about books to other readers your age, visit the BC Library sponsored site TeenSCR . They provide categorized book lists and I'm thrilled that my novel, The Smell of Paint is one of the books suggested in the Weepers category. You can write reviews or just chat, and there are lots of other categories if tear-jerkers aren't your thing. Check them out.

The Darwin Expedition by Diane Tullson

Ok, I admit it. I totally hate it when a writer comes up with a book that's similar to one that I have been working on. And, I hate it even more when that book is really good; probably a whole lot better than the one I've been writing. So, it's back to the computer for me!

But while I pound the keyboard rewriting (figuratively of course), pick yourself up a copy of The Darwin Expedition by Diane Tullson. It's really really good. Gripping in fact and right from page one where we meet Tej who "white-knuckles the steering wheel." An accident on the highway, a logging road short-cut taken to avoid waiting, driving rain, and teenage bravado contribute to Tej and Liam getting stranded in the bush. Actually stranded is an understatement. After sliding out on the logging road, their truck flips end over end down the mountainside until a three foot tree stump stops them.

Fortunately, neither Liam who narrates the story, nor Tej, his best freind, is seriously hurt. But without cell service, and no one aware that they left the main highway, they are on their own with no choice but to hike out. Tej points out that no one would be looking for them for at least a few days since they were headed to Whistler to go snowboarding. After a long wet, cold night with nothing but a granola bar to eat, they start walking in what they think is the right direction. The day goes by before Tej admits he doesn't really know where they are. Tension between the boys escalates as fatigue, hunger and the ruggedness of the terrain take their toll. That tension is jacked up another notch when a grizzly bear is thrown into the mix.

Another cold wet night, grizzly bear tracks around their makeshift camp, and a double black diamond level scree with rock sharp enough to cut you in two, awaits an exhausted Liam and Tej the next day. But, Tullson knows her stuff, so be prepared for her to crank up the action and the tension even higher. The Darwin Expedition takes readers on a hell of a ride; one so real that you're heart will be pounding just as hard and fast as Liam's. Don't take my word for it. Read it. And if you have a lot of other things like: video games, parties, snow boarding and school cutting into your time, don't worry, this Orca Soundings title is a fast 100 page read.

Villianology by Art Slade

Ok, I've just been to Art Slade's website and you have to check out the trailer for his new book, Villianology: Fabulous Lives of the Big, the Bad and the Wicked. I admit that I haven't read it yet, but if it's anything like Monsterology: Fabulous Lives of the Revolting, and the Undead, you won't be disappointed. Then again, I admit that I'm a big Slade fan in general. I loved Tribes and read Dust in one sitting; I couldn't put it down!

The Smell of Paint just won the 2007 Moonbeam Award

Fantastic News. The Smell of Paint is the gold medal winner of the Moonbeam Award in the Young Adult category. How's that for making my morning!