mary e. pearson

to be on the watch for.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Feel free to add more in the comments that we may have forgotten!

A KISS IN TIME by Alex Flinn
ABSOLUTELY MAYBE by Lisa Yee
DEAD IS A STATE OF MIND by Marlene Perez
ETERNAL by Cynthia Leitich Smith
EVERMORE by Alyson Noel
FADE by Lisa McMann
FUNNNY HOW THINGS CHANGE by Melissa Wyatt
NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL by Justina Chen Headley
SAY THE WORD by Jeannine Garsee
SECRET KEEPER by Mitali Perkins
SHADOWED SUMMER by Shaundra Mitchell
SOUL ENCHILADA by David Macinnis Gill
TORCHED by April Henry
WINNIE'S WAR by Jenny Moss
WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson

Wow, lots of great reading ahead.

Happy Teen Read week!

Yes, I know I am a little late, but I have been busy celebrating teen reading with teen book clubs in the area.  Very fun.  And very encouraging to see so many teens who love reading and books.  On Monday I visited Bonita, and yesterday, Poway--both with big, BUSY libraries.

And while you are celebrating Teen Read Week, hop on over to the YA AUTHORS CAFE where YA authors, Kimberly Pauley, Annette Curtis Klause, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Kristopher Reisz, A.M. Jenkins, and Marlene Perez, will be yakking up Books with Bite!  Chime in with your own responses to the 13 Questions!

And speaking of books with bite--ones that hang on and don't let go--I want you all to know you are in for a treat when David Gill's (thunderchikin ) SOUL ENCHILADA comes out next year.  It has, hands down, one of the most unique premises, setting, and voices I have heard in a long time!  You are going to love it.  I did.

Today I am staying close to home and taking care of taxes.  That's right.  We are without doubt, the last people in the entire country to file our taxes.  And you can be sure that hubby will cut it close so we are racing to the post office and five to five.  Small thrills, right?  Hubby is a CPA and you know what they say about the cobbler's children . . .

ugh, now to go face all those numbers.  I am not a numbers person, but sometimes you have to bite the bullet.  Back to books tomorrow!

When I visit schools and book clubs, many of the teens show an interest in getting the arcs to read ahead of time. I know of two publishers who have actual programs that teens can sign up for: The In Group from Henry Holt on myspace, and First Look with HarperCollins. Does anyone know of others I can recommend?

Tomorrow kicks off TEEN READ WEEK sponsorsed by ALA and YALSA..  Today and in the coming week I will be visiting several teen book clubs and meeting avid teen readers.  I'm excited.  The theme this year is Books with Bite.  I've read a lot of books this year that bite--in a good way : )  They grab hold and don't let go.  I can't wait to share and hear what the teens are reading.  Right now I am reading SOUL ENCHILADA by David Macinnis Gill and loving it.  The voice is amazing.  What are YOU reading right now?

That's me.

I am the guest blogger over at Teen Book Review today and I decided to write about the topic that makes writers squirm. Crazy woman. Masochist.

In other news, I got word that The Adoration of Jenna Fox is on Barnes & Noble's Long List . Very cool!

And in still more news, major congratulations to Laurie Halse Anderson on winning the 2008 ALAN Award. Hop on over and add your cheers: halseanderson

And I just finished Impossible by Nancy Werlin. Wow. She's done it again. When it comes out in September, get it. Read it. Thank me later.

The June 2008 issue of VOYA has a list of teen books that will appeal to adults as well as teens. I was happy to see A Room on Lorelei Street listed, and a whole slew of other LJ'ers books:

Laurie Halse Anderson halseanderson
Libba Braylibba_bray
Sara Zarrsarazarr
Alex Flinnalixwrites
Sarah Dessenwritergrl
Gail Gilesnotjazz

In another recent article, David Levithan, editor and author, speaks about teen books appealing to adults too.

I am really happy to see YA books--any books for that matter--crossing age boundaries.

1) I noticed yesterday on sarazarr’s blog that her awesome book Sweethearts is a Kindle book. I watched the video on these books and especially took note that the screens can be viewed out in the sun. WHEN will they make laptops that can do the same? Summer is coming and I want to work outdoors.

2) I had a dream last night. I rarely dream and if I do, I rarely remember them. But this one was a doozy. It was me and Meg Cabot. Meg and I were left alone in the Henry Holt offices to keep an eye on things while all the editors were out. Yes, we were publisher sitters. And we got a little silly like teens left alone for the weekend. And Meg had some fabulous taffy she shared with me. And then we totally forgot we were supposed to be publisher sitting (sorry, Kate) and we took off on a sailboat that just happened to be downstairs. In New York. I’ve never met Meg Cabot, but if I do, I already know she is a heck of a lot of fun.

3) In book news, JENNA got a BBYA nom : ). And I had two interviews, one in PW Children’s Bookshelf, and another at Teen Book Review. Thanks Sue and Jocelyn!

4) And last but not least, I cut into your normally scheduled program for a Public Service Announcment. It's that time of year for me–I had my annual mammogram yesterday. So I am taking the time to remind all of you to make your appointments. Do I need to name names? I have always been pretty good about remembering these appointments, but a few years ago I became religious about it. My friend Kathy, had a routine mammogram and they discovered a tiny lump that she wouldn't have been able to feel for months. That early detection made a HUGE difference in her treatment and recovery. So, girlfriends, what are you waiting for? Go make your appointment.
And if you are a guy reading this, nudge the women in your life. Trust me, there is no better way to say, "I love you."

Hurray, the weekend is here. Have a fabulous one!

"When considering a book's worth, think about the quality of the writing and the story that is told, not the section it's shelved in or the label on its side—or the stigma or the hype or the cover, for that matter."

This quote is from an interesting article written by Little Willow slayground over at The Edge of the Forest about prejudging YA books. Check it out.

I am still mystified why someone who would read The Secret Life of Bees which is shelved in the adult section, would not read Surrender by Sonya Hartnett which is shelved in YA.

It's Teen Read Week. Of course, every week is teen read week I would hope, but this is a week of special events at bookstores and libraries to highlight books and reading for teens. So why is reading so important? Here are a few thoughts:

Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important,it finds homes for us everywhere.
--Hazel Rochman

You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture.
Just get people to stop reading them.
--Ray Bradbury

Reading is important to me because it offers me nothing less than all the world of human thought. It is one of the great gifts and helps to balance this life.
--Tyne Daly

I can't say it any better.

And I can't show it any better than this:



Over at Get Caught Reading they have free posters that you can download of famous folks reading. I think that is one of the best things we can do--let others see you reading. Take your books with you this week. Everywhere. And if you are lucky enough to get a picture of it, post it on your blog.

Get caught! I plan to.

If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland.

It is a book about writing--a very old and classic one. It was published in 1938 and it is interesting for me to see how some things have changed in the writer's world, and how some things have amazingly stayed the same, most notably, doubt. It was a staple then, and a staple now. Isn't that reassurring? I think every writing book has at least one chapter devoted to it--if not the whole book.

One thing I like about Ms. Ueland's book is her passion and protectiveness of the writer's imagination. I wouldn't want to be a naysayer walking across her path. She is fierce in a sweet, motherly way.

She is also passionte about writing everyday--even swearing that it will cure colds. That is one I haven't heard in a writing book before.

Here is a bit of encouragement from her:

"I want to assure you with all earnestness, that no writing is a waste of time--no creative work where the feelings, the imagination, the intelligence must work. With every sentence you write, you have learned something. It has done you good. It has stretched your understanding."

I can say that is true for me. I have learned something from everything I have written--both published and unpublished. I think we always struggle, trying to get our vision to match our execution. Sometimes we are closer than other times. But all those drafts, manuscripts, and deleted passages sink into us and broaden our understanding of writing and the creative process. It may be an internalized kind of "knowing" and not one that we can put to words, but it is there nevertheless.

I wish all my writing friends many, many words today. Nothing is wasted, and besides, as Ms. Ueland says, it just might cure your colds, too.

I found young adult author Melissa Marr’s response to a question posed to her at the Café very interesting. Paula Chase Hyman asked her:
“Because you come from a literary background, as a lit instructor/prof, I'm curious - where do you believe literary snobbery stems from?"

Melissa gave a very articulate and thoughtful response including this:"Literature is what speaks to the soul. If one readers' soul seeks Chaucer and another seeks Tupac, so be it. My soul is moody. I like both.”

She also posed that the way we tend to value one type of “text” over another is akin to basic sociology principles and how we define ourselves by our social groups. "It's not so different than cliques in high school: each exclusionary group is defining their way/music/art/clothes/stance as the superior choice."

This is interesting stuff. I know that on more than one occasion I have felt the need to “defend” YA literature–or my turf–but it is usually when a condescending remark has been made regarding it at a cocktail party where the offender is a member of another gang–er, I mean, has another reading interest. (You know the kind of remark: “When are you going to grow up and write an adult book?”)

But conversely, I wonder, when someone makes a disparaging remark about one genre, are they only trying to justify or elevate another that they belong to or want to belong to? And of course, even in the world of YA there is “genre turf,” endless subgroups of “texts” that are ready to rumble. Well, not really. All YA authors are nice. (Defending my subgroup of course.)

Is there one type of literature that is really “better” than another? Or is the one that “speaks to the soul” at one particular moment in time, the best one of all?

I am not asking this in a philosophical or idealistic way. I am asking it sincerely. Literature is word upon word, spun together to create an effect. Sometimes the effect is laughter, sometimes it is recognition, sometimes it is revelation, or maybe it is one of those other trace elements that fortify the soul. Can one spinning nourish better than any other?

What are your thoughts on literary snobbery–or the turf wars?

Every year about this time, I hear someone say, "This has been a bad year for books," or "Slim pickings this year."

Do you think that is true, or are there simply some years that aren't good for that particular reader?

To wrap up Teen Read Week I asked teen authors:

For you, what is the best thing about reading?

Here is what they had to say . . .

"Losing myself in another world. Reading a good book is like the best possible combination of exotic travel and a long, deep conversation with someone you like. "
Elise Broach/Desert Crossing

"Picking up new information and learning about new people."
Catherine Atkins/Alt Ed

"I get lost in a story."
--E. Lockhart/The Boy Book: A Study of Habits & Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them

"The connection I feel to other lives and other worlds. Being reminded of how similar we are even when our worlds and experiences appear to be very different."
Jennifer Jacobs/Stained

"Stepping into someone else's shoes; experiencing the world (or another world) with a fresh and often surprising set of eyes."
Tanya Lee Stone/A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl

"Same as the best thing about writing, when you get into the zone and you forget where you are because you're totally immersed in the world and the characters."
A.M. Jenkins/Beating Heart

"Getting involved in the lives of the characters I'm reading about. When I was a teen, I used to think up sequels and prequels and alternate endings in my head."
Alex Flinn/Diva

"I love to get lost in a fictional world with characters I've fallen in love with."
Debra Garfinkle Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won the Girl

"That sense of being swept away by another world, another life and yet
feeling that you are looking through the eyes of the characters, feeling
what they feel, a kind of transmutation that opens your own eyes to other
experiences."
Melissa Wyatt/Raising the Griffin

"I learn something new in every book."
Gail Giles/What Happened to Cass McBride?

"The power of a good book to take you inside another soul."
Nancy Werlin/The Rules of Survival

~~~~~~~
For me, the best thing about reading is that while I am reading a story, I feel like I am "let in" to someone's private world. All the social taboos of communication and distance are gone. I get to intimately know their life. And maybe in the knowing, I understand more about my own.

How about you?

What was a favorite book you read as a teen? Do you have one word to describe it?

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. Dark."
Alex Flinn/Diva

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. Raucous. "
--E. Lockhart/The Boy Book: A Study of Habits & Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them

"Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Conversational."
Catherine Atkins/Alt Ed

"It's hard to pick out one in particular, but then and now, I adored JANE EYRE. One word: mesmerizing."
Nancy Werlin/The Rules of Survival

"Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier. Breathtaking!"
Elise Broach/Desert Crossing

"'Teen' covers a period of seven years, to it's hard to single any one book out. I read everything from Victoria Holt to Stephen King to Ayn Rand. I also kept rereading my favorites from when I was younger--still do, as a matter of fact."
A.M. Jenkins/Beating Heart

"CATCHER IN THE RYE. Honest."
Debra Garfinkle/Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won the Girl

"It's so hard to pick just one, since that was a time of such delirious discovery. But I'll go with THE PRINCESS BRIDE. It showed me that depth could be great fun,that wit could be warm, that an author could invite a reader to follow him into an absurd world and yet invest as if it was as real as waking life. Goldman even tells you flat out 'This isn't real.' He warns you not to get too swept away and yet he knows that you will and that is the great joy of reading. Oh! I was supposed to keep it to one word. How about "delight?"
Melissa Wyatt/Raising the Griffin

"THE LORD OF THE FLIES. Brilliant."
Gail Giles/What Happened to Cass McBride?

"I'm afraid I'm becoming a broken record, but it was Forever. One word? Honest, with a capital H."
Tanya Lee Stone/A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl

"Mister God, This is Anna by Fynn (not to be confused with a similar Judy Blume title). Provocative."
Jennifer Jacobs/Stained

Do you have a favorite from your teen years?

What was the best thing anyone ever did to encourage you to read?

Wow, we have quite a range of answers to this question today--from great booktalks to garage saleing. I came from a household of modest means, meaning, after putting food on the table and shoes on three kids there wasn't a whole lot left over for extras, but my mother somehow managed to have two sets of encyclopedias in our house--the grown-up set and the illustrated kids version which I thought were pure treasure, randomly opening them up and discovering another world each time. Besides the encyclopedias in my parents bedroom, wedged in our narrow little hallway, was another small bookcase with a variety of books--children's and adult--which if you wanted to go anywhere in the house, you had to pass by. Books were always in our face. I wonder if that was my mom's reasoning in placing it there? (It worked, Mom.)

Here is what some other teen authors have to say:

"I remember a booktalk from the school librarian when I was in first grade. She described the books in such an exciting way that when she was done, kids raced for the shelves to be the first to check the books out. I remember getting one of them and feeling like I'd really won something."
Catherine Atkins/Alt Ed

"My parents made books available in a steady stream. And the public librarian in my town was always happy to pile books in my waiting arms. Sometimes I couldn't see over the stack!"
Tanya Lee Stone/A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl

"When I was 7 years old, my second grade teacher, Mr. Gross, handed me a copy of Beverly Cleary's Ellen Tebbits and said, 'I think you're ready for this.' I felt so honored and read the book several times."
Alex Flinn/Diva

"Expose me to lots of wonderful books. We had regular family trips to the library, and my parents read aloud to my brother, sister, and me at night from The Little House books, The Secret Garden, The Great Brain, and many others until I was 8 or 9."
Elise Broach/Desert Crossing

"I don't know. I just always wanted to. I loved made up stories of other places that weren't my home."
Gail Giles/What Happened to Cass McBride?

"I didn't need encouragement to read, so what I most appreciate is that my parents didn't try to stop me. There was none of that silly, "Go outside, get some fresh air, do something active." They took me to the library for more books."
Nancy Werlin/The Rules of Survival

"My mother read aloud to me every night until I was a teenager."
--E. Lockhart/The Boy Book: A Study of Habits & Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them

"Read to me."
Jennifer Jacobs/Stained

"My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Cochran, read out loud to us, a chapter every day. I was already a big reader, but she introduced me to authors I never would have known about on my own: Kate Seredy, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Carol Ryrie Brink. She'd start a book and then I couldn't stand not knowing what happened next, so I'd go get it from the library and read the whole thing as quick as I could. Then I'd read everything else I could find by that author. God bless Mrs. Cochran!"
A.M. Jenkins/Beating Heart

"My parents let me read whatever I wanted, so books came to signify freedom for me. I remember in sixth grade, I read very adult books like THE HAPPY HOOKER and sweet children's books like LAD, A DOG. I'm still an eclectic reader and still love the freedom to explore all kinds of different worlds."
Debra Garfinkle/Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won the Girl

"Provide me with books. Books and reading were not represented as important in the household I grew up in. If anything, reading was considered a frivolous, odd and even suspect activity. But my mother could never pass up a bargain and used to buy up boxes of books at yard sales, with the intent to resell them. But before that happened, we were allowed to pick through the boxes and take what we wanted--without supervision. That resulted in some widely varied reading experiences, not always age-appropriate. (When you read FOREVER AMBER at age ten, you miss some crucial subtext. I never could understand why everyone was so mean to Amber.) But some of my very favorite books came out of those boxes, from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE to THE PRINCESS BRIDE."
Melissa Wyatt/Raising the Griffin

What was your best encouragment?

Since this week is all about reading, I thought we'd check out some books, so I asked:

What are you reading this week?

"A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry, for my book club. I don't know yet if I like it."
Nancy Werlin/The Rules of Survival

"After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, And Flew Away, by Joyce Carol Oates. A contemporary realistic YA about a teen girl healing in different ways after being in a car accident that took the life of her mother."
Catherine Atkins/Alt Ed

"Cathy's Book. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, Black Swan Green"
Gail Giles/What Happened to Cass McBride?

"Talk about eclectic reading: I just finished the third Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants young adult novel and started the adult memoir Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy!"
Debra Garfinkle/Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won the Girl

"Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. I chose it because I heard it had been banned a lot. Apparently, I haven't gotten to that part yet, but it's interesting anyway."
Alex Flinn/Diva

"Caddy Ever After, a little younger than YA, but Hilary McKay is delicious at
any age. A beautifully wrapped box of chocolates."
Melissa Wyatt/Raising the Griffin

"Until I Find You, by John Irving. He wrote one of my favorite books ever -- A Prayer for Owen Meany."
--E. Lockhart/The Boy Book: A Study of Habits & Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them

"Just finished Day of Tears by Julius Lester, about the largest slave auction in American history, told in dialogue. It's an amazing book; has an innovative structure, heartwrenching scenes, and a refreshing willingness to deal in ambiguities. I'm just starting An Na's Wait for Me."
Elise Broach/Desert Crossing

"I'm rereading the Awakening Land Trilogy by Conrad Richter."
A.M. Jenkins/Beating Heart

"Literacy and Longing in LA by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack"
Jennifer Jacobs/Stained

"On the desk/nightstand right now: Stuart Nicolson's definitive biography of Ella Fitzgerald, The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin, and re-reading a perennial favorite of mine: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Basil and Josephine Stories, simply to remind me of how beautiful sentences can be."
Tanya Lee Stone/A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl

How about you?
What are you reading this week?

Where is your favorite place to read?

My favorite place to read is in my backyard with my feet propped up on the patio table. I love being outside, hearing the wind blow through the trees and chirps from nearby birds, who I am sure are trying to get a peek at what has me so engrossed. But I can read anywhere, and do. Even at a red stoplight, which of course is never red long enough when you are absorbed in a good book.

Here is what some other YA authors had to say about their favorite places to read:

~~~~~~~

"At the table, during meals. I'm great company, let me
tell you."
A.M. Jenkins/Beating Heart

"I can read anywhere. The leisure to read is more important than the place. But ideally, I like the corner of a comfy sofa by a window that looks out on quiet green."
Melissa Wyatt/Raising the Griffin

"In bed"
Gail Giles/What Happened to Cass McBride?

"I sometimes sneak into the bathroom and read when I'm supposed to be doing something else."
Alex Flinn/Diva

"Oh, I can block out the world with a good book almost anywhere. But a comfy chair where the light streams in is my fave."
Tanya Lee Stone/A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl

"By the fireplace."
Jennifer Jacobs/Stained

"Bed. But I also love listening to audiobooks at the gym."
--E. Lockhart/The Boy Book: A Study of Habits & Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them

"in bed."
Nancy Werlin/The Rules of Survival

"The wing chair in the living room or the big armchair in the playroom, both of which have footstools and little tables nearby for my cup of tea."
Elise Broach/Desert Crossing

"On the beach. Preferably Maui, with a strawberry daiquiri in hand."
Debra Garfinkle/Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won the Girl

~~~~~~~

I love these. Yes, I've snuck into the bathroom but never would admit it before! Thanks, Alex.

So how about you? Where is YOUR favorite place to read?

Today is the first day of Teen Read Week sponsored by YALSA

I'll confess right here, I am a former teacher who used to teach reading so I am a little biased when it comes to this "reading thing," but when you have seen a child who is struggling with reading, I mean, they love books and love listening to stories but haven't crossed that bridge yet where they can read them on their own and experience the wonder of savoring a story privately and on their own terms, and you can see in their eyes how desperately they want to have this treasure, you realize how much you, yourself, and so many others take the enormity of reading for granted. My god, a few squiggles on a page convey to me a human experience that cannot be witnessed in any other way! It is a miracle really, when you think about it, and one, if we wish to, we can experience every day.

Oh! And another miracle! We have these things called libraries and they are filled with books that you can--get this--read for FREE. I kid you not. And they have every kind of book you can imagine. Can you see me walking into Starbucks and saying I'd like a latte for free? And even if, by some miracle, they gave me one, it wouldn't stick to my ribs for a lifetime the way a book would.

So I love Teen Read Week, not just because it encourages teens to read, but because it reminds old fogeys like me, what a true gift reading is, and maybe when a teen is asking for a lift to the library to check out this "Teen Read Week thing," they might even get their parent to peek inside too. Spread the miracle.

Alice Hoffman says, "Books may well be the only true magic." To which I add, "Amen."

To celebrate Teen Read Week, I have asked some teen authors to share their thoughts on books and reading. Each day I will post a new question and their answers. I hope you will join in too, with your thoughts. To kick off the week, I asked them:

What is your favorite quote on books, reading, or writing?

Here is what they said:

~~~~~~~

submitted by: Jennifer Jacobs/Stained

"I suggest that the only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little farther down our particular path than we have yet got ourselves."
~E.M. Forster, Two Cheers for Democracy, 1951

~~~~~~~~

submitted by: Alex Flinn/Diva

"We read to know we are not alone." ~C.S. Lewis

~~~~~~~~

submitted by: Catherine Atkins/Alt Ed

"A great book should leave you with many
experiences and slightly exhausted at the end.
You should live several lives while reading it."
~William Styron

~~~~~~~~

submitted by: Nancy Werlin/The Rules of Survival

“Whether it is done quickly or slowly, however splendid the results, the process of writing fiction is inherently, inevitably, indistinguishable from wasting time.”
~Deborah Eisenberg, in The Eleventh Draft

~~~~~~~~

Submitted by: E. Lockhart/The Boy Book: A Study of Habits & Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them

:Writing is turning one's worst moments into money"~ J. P. Donleavy

~~~~~~~~

submitted by: Elise Broach/Desert Crossing

"A book should be an ice-axe to break the frozen sea within us."
~ Franz Kafka

~~~~~~~~

submitted by: Gail Giles/What Happened to Cass McBride?

"We read to know we are not alone." ~C.S. LEWIS

~~~~~~~~

submitted by: A.M. Jenkins/Beating Heart

"Outside a dog, a book is your best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read."
~Groucho Marx

~~~~~~~~

submitted by: Tanya Lee Stone/A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl

"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense."
~Tom Clancy

~~~~~~~~

submitted by: Melissa Wyatt/Raising the Griffin

"A book is not an answer; it's a question." ~Richard Peck

~~~~~~~

How about you? Do you have a favorite quote about books or reading?

I read two books on my vacation. Both adult books and NYT best sellers. The first had great characters and complex relationships, a well-realized setting, but the plot was enormously flawed. You could drive trucks through the holes and coincidences.

The second book had a hook that wouldn't quit. The concept was fascinating, but the characters were flat and frustrating, and the prose, while hailed as beautiful, was so over the top and repetitive it nearly drove me mad. Sometimes it was so enamored with itself, it truly made no sense.

But both books got me to thinking about the things we will forgive in a book if one part is compelling enough. Obviously, to be NYT best sellers (assuming hype isn't a factor) readers of these books felt the strong points were strong enough to forgive the weaker points.

For me, I was able to forgive the plot holes of the first book much easier that I was able to forgive the convoluted, repetitive prose and flat characters of the second book. With the former my response was just a quick internal "ha!" at the hole because I was engrossed in the setting and characters, while with the second one, I found myself getting quite impatient at the whole thing because of the flat characters and language. Only the promise of the hook kept me going. (but sadly, the hook paid off poorly. grr)

So what is it for you? What can you forgive in a book? What has to be strong to keep you reading? What will frustrate you more than anything else?

cedarlibrarian has an interesting post about first lines in novels. First lines get a lot of attention. When first starting out, writers know they have about 5 seconds to grab an editor's attention. Later that translates to maybe 10 seconds to grab a reader's attention. If a reader can't get past your first line, paragraph, or page, they won't bother to read the rest. Opening lines and paragraphs ARE important. But there is a less spoken of part of a book that I think carries even more importance: The last lines.

The last lines of a book, I find, are where you draw your judgements about the whole thing. I know of several books that I thought were just "okay" through the whole thing, but wow, that last chapter or lines, really crystalized and left me with something to think about. It makes you forgive all the just "okay" stuff that went on before. All you remember is the wow ending. Of course, to even get that far, the book had to be decent, but the last lines push it to a new level.

Any thoughts on closing chapters, paragraphs, or lines? Can they push you over the edge so you love the whole book? Or hate it?

No, I am not stuttering. I am talking about Cynthia Lord’s cynthialord forthcoming book, RULES. I was lucky enough to snag an arc–it comes out in April–and I just finished it. I don’t know what to say about this book. It is so well written, so pageturnable, and I will never forget the characters. It’s about 12 year old Catherine who is excited about a new girl moving in next door–a friend!–but she also worries how her 8 year old autistic brother, David, may affect her ability to have a friendship with this girl.
What I loved about this story was its honesty. We see a family, warts and all. They are not heroes, they are not martyrs. They could be you and I. They are real. Sometimes failing, sometimes rising above it all. I had the chance to read the first few chapters months ago and I have been waiting ever since to read the rest. It fulfilled all the promise of those first chapters. I know this had to be an incredibly difficult book to write, but Cynthia did it with the perfect mixture of insight, humor, and reality.
I will forever remember Catherine, Jason, and David. Brava, Miss Cynthia! (If I ever need to “borrow” some words, I know who to come to ; )

note: If there are any librarians out there reading this who would like me to pass along my arc, email me privately (mary@marypearson.com) and I will pop it in the mail to you.