-
April 25, 2014 • Fiction: MG & YA
OTP: “One True Pairing.”
Ship: To endorse a romantic relationship.
Now that you know what I’m talking about, here are ten random ships that are truly meant to be together.
-
March 27, 2014 • Fiction: MG & YA
(Image via)Forget fantasy, drop school fiction, paranormal romance was so yesterday -- dystopian trilogies are the new It Crowd of YA literature.Ever since The Hunger Games exploded in popularity, promoting a YA novel as “dystopian” seems like an easy ticket to increase sales. Unfortunately, "dystopian" has become confused with action and adventure, post-apocalyptic, and even science fiction stories rather quickly. And with all of the marketing that claims these new YA books are "dystopian," readers are getting confused. What is dystopian? What is not? Factions and fandoms grip their precious genres close to their hearts and hiss at any book that claims to be a "dystopian science fiction" when it is only science fiction.Oh my.So what is dystopia? -
March 21, 2014 • Fiction: Ben Winters, Fiction: Hockensmith, Fiction: MG & YA
This weekend, Nook is running an incredible First in Series promotion, with a ton of fantastic books discounted to $2.99. And over the course of the sale, you'll be able to wrangle up a few great deals on select Quirk titles. Check it out!
-
February 27, 2014 • Fiction: MG & YA
Pigs often get a bad rap. They’re known for being dirty, shrewd, and violent, even though they actually make excellent companions. But for every Animal Farm villain, for every terrifying pigoon in Oryx and Crake, there is a work of literature that, rightfully, shows pigs as the intelligent and good-natured animals they are.
That my favorites are all from children’s literature should not dissuade kind readers, for what is more truthful than a child’s story? In honour of National Pig Day [March 1], let’s take a closer look:
-
February 24, 2014 • Comics, Fiction: MG & YA
There’s been a blank space in my heart—and my TV schedule—ever since the majority of shows went on hiatus before Christmas. I’ve already welcomed back Supernatural, Community, Parks and Recreation, and Sherlock with open arms.
TV downtime offers a perfect opportunity to crack open that book series you’ve been meaning to start, right? But wait! Books, unfortunately, have hiatuses, too, and we often have to wait much longer for their next installment. That being said, in the season of returning TV shows, here are four series that have us eagerly awaiting what will happen next.
-
February 18, 2014 • Fiction: MG & YA
One of the perks of working in a bookstore is that a new person will ask a new question everyday. Sure, there’s the standard, “Where’s the bathroom?” and “I’m looking for that blue book,” and “Where’s that book by Jane Eyre?”
But my favorite questions are along the lines of recommendations. Those are fun and wonderful – because booksellers love talking about books. Hearing you list your favorite books and genres helps us narrow down your interests, and exposes us to new material!
But with children, it can sometimes be difficult. They’re either extremely picky – “She only likes to read books about ballerinas” -- or they read everything under the sun. They either have a narrow direction, or their habits are so sporadic even the parent doesn’t know which way to go.
I recently had someone ask for middle grade historical fiction. You’d think it’d be easy, but middle grade fiction is almost exclusively fantasy these days. It can sometimes be made more difficult for boys, because there are very few Dear America and American Girl types of books for them.
The next time you’re stuck in a rut for good historical fiction for younger readers, take a good hard look at this list. It just might point you in the right direction.
