A Short Story "Ghost Pictures"

Here is a short essay I wrote for a contest that I did not win, but still think is pretty good. It is a rare glimpse of my non-fiction/essayist side. Let me know your thoughts, if you'd like to share.

An Abstract, a YA Update, and What I'm Reading this Week

Well hello there!

I am headed to Orlando tomorrow to present a paper of mine at the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts' annual conference! I am beyond excited (and also a smidge nervous...).  In case you are VERY interested, the abstract is below the jump. 

I have also been working on my independent project, and I have created an annotated bibliography of seventeen titles from which I have been working on my paper. I will be in Orlando for a whole week, and when I'm not at the conference I plan on putting lots of work into the YA project.

I have started reading The Hunger Games for my YA lit class. So far, I like the book and I'm excited to work my way through the trilogy. I think I'm also going to read Twilight again soon. I covered Lunacon this weekend for IHogeek.com and there should be a few posts up about that this week. While we were there we ended up winning a bunch of books from a book raffle, which is super exciting to me. I donated a bunch, and then distributed most of the rest among friends and family. I love gifting books, so this made me immensely happy. Alright I have to get back to preparing for the conference, but I will be back with more this weekend!

As my favorite toddler once said:

"Au revoir! Filet Mignon!"

--Jenisaur

Touring the Bookstore: YA Lit at Barnes and Noble

2/10/11

I met with Professor Laura Nicosia on Monday (2/6) and we discussed my independent project. She and I went over some good secondary source material for this project, and then came up with a few ideas on how to start surveying the current climate in Young Adult literature. Some of my goals by the end of this meeting included identifying patterns in both content and marketing of YA literature. In addition to reading current and classic YA novels for Professor Nicosia’s course at Montclair State, I will be looking at actual “Young Adult” sections at local bookstores and assessing the same section of local library collections.

Today I went to Barnes and Noble in Stamford, CT. This is my hometown, and it also happens to house one of the largest Barnes and Nobles in New England. I heard somewhere it’s actually the largest on the East Coast… but I don’t think that’s true.

Regardless of rank it is rather sizable so I thought it would be a good place to start my research. I brought my 16 year old sister, Caitlin. Some important information about her: she is not what one would call an Avid Reader. She doesn’t like Harry Potter, and got over Twilight about three years ago. Currently, she is listening to The Hunger Games series on audio book, because she wants to read them before the movies start coming out and swears she has no time to sit down and read. I did not expect her to have much interest in the topic of YA literature, but she went ahead and surprised me throughout our visit.

We started by looking at the section as a whole; into what genres the section broke down, what titles were featured and which were hidden away. We tried to see whether there was a distinct break between books marketed towards boys and girls.  The “Fantasy and Adventure” section seemed to feature more masculine titles and covers, where the “Paranormal Romance” was definitely geared towards girls. The rest of the section was more difficult to define, however if the books did seem gender-targeted it was almost always towards girls. Many covers had girls or young women on them, sometimes just their faces or legs. Several of the titles had sexualized covers, which actually turned my sister off of them completely.  She commented on this, telling me that she was tired of “teen romance” stories because they’re all the same, and that sexualized covers like these sent a message she wasn’t interested in hearing.  I asked her what other kinds of books turned her off based on the cover, to which she responded “anything that’s obviously trying to be something else.”

This copycat marketing is running rampant through YA lit, to the point where classics like Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice have brand new covers that make them look more like the Twilight series, and getting blurbs that tie them to Bella and Edward’s love story. Most of the paranormal romance section had dark covers featuring black and red color schemes, though that can be attributed as much to the subject matter as the success of the Twilight series. Another trend is emerging of simple covers with an emblem or object, mimicking the Hunger Games series. There was an endcap display featuring books like the Hunger Games, and another for books like Bloodrose. This copycat marketing is very obvious at Barnes and Noble.

The theme of the day became a search for original, interesting books.  As we searched, my sister commented on something I hadn’t considered—balance between positive and negative elements of teenage life in literature. “Life doesn’t always suck when you’re a teenager.” She commented after picking up three books in a row about how hard it is to be a member of the Young Adult age group. After rejecting a handful of bright pink and yellow books, several books with kissing or half-naked couples on the cover, and a copy of Romeo and Juliet tauting itself as “the original forbidden love” with a black cover and a singular red and white flower, I handed her a copy of Uglies, the first in Scott Westerfeld’s series by the same name. Her response was just “whoa”.

We had been in the store for almost two hours. I decided to ask Caitlin, if she had to choose five books to buy immediately which five would she choose. She decided on the following:

The Hunger Games—Inspired by the upcoming movie, the books’ popularities in general, and the fact that she has enjoyed the parts she has read already.

Uglies—Due to the fact that, as Caitlin said, the book has a “different” plot than what she usually sees, and the main storyline is not a romance.

The Looking Glass Wars—Caitlin had never heard of steampunk before, so this book appealed to her because it was a new genre to her, and because we met some people in the Adventure section who recommended this specific title.

Fairest of All—First of all this book has the Wicked Witch from Disney’s Snow White on the cover. Second, it is a story told from the villain’s point of view, another storyline that we do not see that often.

The Alice Series, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor—this is a series our other sister Ali used to read when she was younger, and Caitlin likes that they come in volumes which are bigger than the average YA novel, which Caitlin said is sometimes too short.

Final thoughts: I don't know that either Caitlin or myself noticed that every book she chose (except Fairest of All) is part of a series... It's very difficult to define the YA genre without breaking it down into subgenres, which break down into sub-sub-genres, which break into.... anyhow. This is definitely not a one-trip process. You will be hearing from us again soon!

Saturday I will continue my updates with an early bibliography and my adventures in YA criticism.

A Long, Long Time Ago... When I Last Updated.

Alright. I'm back. Here's the short list of why I've been away for over a month:
1 Appendix removal
2 weeks of bed rest
3 funerals
4 days out of town
and
30 pages of comprehensive exams, which are due this coming Monday.

I would say I've had a fairly full plate. HOWEVER I will be checking in tomorrow with the first post in a new series, which will chronicle my newest research project in Young Adult Theatre! Tomorrow's post will be "the project thus far" (and there is a LOT to report) followed by the first of regular Saturday postings. This week: working through an annotated bibliography... slowly, and under the influence of '90s television.

And for those still interested, once the comps are over, I WILL in fact be resuming the writing challenge. Because this will be the year of completed challenges and I refuse to let even the smallest challenge fall by the wayside.

In the mean time, there's some sleeping to do.

Book Review Saturday: Taft 2012

Jen: Hello again everyone and welcome to the second part of Book Review Saturday! Lauryn and I are talking about Jason Heller's Taft 2012, which released this past Tuesday. Hi Lauryn!

Lauryn: Hello Jen!

Jen: Taft 2012 is a satire about American politics, following what the author thinks would happen if Taft was found alive just in time for the 2012 elections. I enjoyed this book, but it was not my favorite. How did you like it, Laur?

Lauryn: Well I really liked it! I love President Taft and I thought that it was really interesting seeing what “Taft would do if he came back to life”.

Jen: I have to admit, I didn’t actually know a lot about Taft except that he was fat, so when there were the fake news articles about him disappearing I had to check whether or not it was true.

Lauryn: I wasn’t sure about that either and I’m still not sure about it actually. Since the novel does have some truth to it, I was confused on whether it actually happened or not.

Jen: Oh I looked it up. He did not disappear--he died like everyone else and he hasn’t come back... yet... that we know of.

Lauryn: I think that it’d be pretty cool for him to come back like he did in the book. Do you think he would have the same views about processed food as he does in the novel?

Jen: Probably. I thought it was strange that out of all the political issues in the world, Heller chose to give Taft agriculture to deal with. But I guess it’s appropriate, considering the fatness thing. I kind of agree with Taft’s views in the book because I wish it was easier to get fresh, healthy food instead of resorting to everything being cheap and processed.

Lauryn: I agree with that. I think that its so easy to get the processed food and junk that people just take advantage of it. Eating it on a daily basis instead of going to a natural food market is how the world works today. Although some people do think about what they’re eating and get natural foods instead.

Jen: Except that in this day and age, organic or natural sources are almost always way more expensive. Let’s get back to the book a little bit. What did you like best about it , and what was your least favorite part (without giving away any spoilers!)

Lauryn: Well my favorite part was definitely when Taft found out that he had a great granddaughter and they reconnected. My least favorite part was in between chapters with the interviews with Pauline Craige. I thought she was a real jerk. What about you?

Jen: GUH I know Pauline was so annoying, but she reminded me of a lot of newscasters today, so I thought that part was realistic at least. I think my favorite part about the book was whenever we got to learn about Taft--when he described his trips to the deli or when he reminisced about his wife and how much he loved her. I did not like the ending, I actually thought the book was a little too short.

Lauryn: Me too, I think that adding another couple chapters about years later would be interesting.

Jen: I wonder if the website will fill in the blanks. Have you been following the “Campaign” online?

Lauryn: I follow the “Taft 2012” fan page on Facebook so I’ve seen the status updates in the words of Taft himself. Have you been on the website lately?

Jen: Not since the book came out, but leading up to its release that website was cracking me up. I think one of the reasons I like it is because it reminds me of what Stephen Colbert and John Stewart do with their shows--they comment on real events in politics but in funny ways. They are how I like to get my news, so I love it when Taft tweets about the presidential debates and various candidates in the 2012 race.

Lauryn: I liked that the author included some of the “Taft connections” to twitter in the book.

Jen: Yes and the website shows how much thought went into the book, like you can read things about Taft’s campaign that aren’t in the book because it wouldn’t have made sense to include them. Okay, final question: who do you think the best audience is for Taft? Obviously we both enjoyed it, but who do you think it was really written for?

Lauryn: I think that it was mainly written for young adult audiences and older. Most of it was pretty kid friendly but there were a few parts when I asked myself “WHAT just happened????”

Jen: I bet I know exactly what you’re talking about, but lets not spoil it for our readers!
Thanks for helping me talk about Taft 2012 today, Lauryn. I think I know who I’m voting for this fall.

Lauryn: Well if I were old enough, I would too.

Jen: Taft 2012 is available now where ever you buy your books!
Lauryn: Yayy!! Now go and read a brand new review about The Thorn and the Blossom 

Jen: haha thanks Lauryn.

Lauryn: Noooooooooo problem. (:

Book Review Saturday: The Thorn and The Blossom

I come to you all today with great news! Quirk Books had two exciting releases this past week, Taft 2012 and The Thorn and the Blossom. Later today, Lauryn and I will dual-review Taft, but for now I'd like to talk about The Thorn and the Blossom, which I may have mentioned is printed in a unique way.

Source: Thingsmeanalot.com

According to an interview with the author, Theodora Goss, the concept for the accordion-style printing was decided on before the actual story. "The format came first, and then the story. I told my editor that a story in an accordion format could either be a mystery or a love story. We both agreed that I should write a love story--that was what felt right to me at the time." And what a love story it is.

I read this book in two sittings, neither of which took longer than an hour. I couldn't put the book down once I had started; I had to see it through from both points of view. The story follows two young lovers, Brendon and Evelyn, as their lives intersect, diverge and then come back to each other over the course of several decades. Their story, however, may be even older than either of them know, as it draws parallels to a legend from King Arthur's court in which two lovers are cursed to live intersecting lives for a thousand years before finally coming together again.

Goss defied my expectations from the very beginning by telling the story from two truly unique perspectives, making both versions of the story highly enjoyable regardless of where you start reading. Without giving anything away the endings of each story were truly unexpected, and avoided any stereotypes that spring to mind INCLUDING the happily ever after. While there are loose connections made to the characters of The Book of the Green Knight, the legend that brings Evelyn and Brendon together, nothing is ever so explicit as to be known for a fact, and each struggles with their own obstacles as they move through the book.

Possibly my favorite part of the book is the fact that it's written in a very modern world where magic is waiting just under the surface, ready to boil over at any moment. yes, it takes place in the 21st century, but it was written in a style akin to Epic poetry, exactly the kind of tale that would fit in an anthology of fairy tales. It was the kind of book that warmed my heart and made me want to come back to it again and again. Not only was the story enthralling, but the world was beautiful and the characters so intricately crafted that I'm only just getting to know them. In a market quickly becoming over-saturated with supernatural love stores, The Thorn and The Blossom is a pleasant surprise.

You can pick up The Thorn and the Blossom at a bookstore near you!

And another round for the Goonies

I guess.... I don't know.
I have been absent for a few days because of personal reasons that do not amount to a good excuse. HOWEVER. I will be back tomorrow to continue the challenge, and soon (Jan 17th) Lauryn and I will be back for a blog chat regarding Taft 2012. So excited! See you soon!