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ladybusinessMy book buying ban is almost up! Yeah, no more standing outside Waterstones pawing at the window for me (ok, so I didn’t do, but in my mind I was pressed up against the glass). The dilemma: what to buy first? The crazy answer in my economically careless mind: EVERYTHING.
I must be stopped and I have nominated you, Renay and Ana, to stop me. Friends don’t let friends blow their growing house deposit on books. But I don’t want to make this all ‘Tie me down with chains people’ and I do want to buy some books. So let's play a game here in the land of net sleepovers.
Below is a list of books I would really, really love to own. The list contains twelve books with female protagonists.You get to pick two books each and I will definitely buy them at the start of June. I know, the power! I’ve added some vague comments that will explain what I expect to find in each book. So much awesome, just to make your decision even harder.
Oh and I have deliberately removed books that I know you want me to read, because that would make the choosing too easy for me to predict. I am mean now – not being able to buy books will do that to you.
On with the game!
List of Fate
'Tricks' – Ellen Hopkins: It’s inappropriate to describe a book about kids struggling with really hard lives as awesome, but ‘Tricks’ sounds like an amazing story. It contains five intersecting teenage lives and if the author can write five main characters centre stage without compromising the character development of any of them, then I would like to see that circus trick.
'Reavers Ransom' – Emily Diamand: Drowned worlds, sea-cat companions, girls on boats and sea fairing raiders. I like books that involve sailing (understatement of the time space continuum).
'Plain Kate' – Erin Bow: A female woodworker, who goes a questing. Apparently this has been retitled ‘Wood Angel’ or summit in the UK, to which I say, weva. If you chose this one, I’ll be putting my money down on the US edition, which has the courage to imply that it contains a plain girl.
'The False Princess' - Ellis O’Neal: A different twist on the commoner becomes princess, trope. A princess finds out she’s just a regular girl, who was used as a princess impersonator, to shield the real royal gal from a curse. Off she must go to spin wool in a shack. I can just imagine the rich adults all ‘Gawd, be cool’ while she weeps. This rec reached my eyes via The Booksmugglers who bring the rec-ing ball repeatedly to bear on my TBR list (oh terrible puns, will I ever tire of you?). It also has a pink cover that I actually like!
'The Princess Curse' - Merrie Haskell: The story of the dancing princesses is one of my favourite fairytales and it doesn’t get adapted enough. The princesses must escape their rooms at night and dance in the woods, because they are cursed. That set up is so ready for some feminist deconstruction. The cover of this reimagining is made of tooth crumbling sweetness.
'Tell Us We’re Home' - Marina Budhos: Shameless promotion – this book is on the Nerds Heart YA 2011 short list. Three female best friends, whose mothers work as housekeepers, find their relationship rocked when one mother is accused of stealing. I predict complicated, but loving relationships, which are my favourite kind.
'Dirty Little Secrets' - C J Omololu: Another NHYA book. This one is about hoarding and teenagers dealing with parental mental illness. Personally I think the cover on this one is special. It draws you in through the key hole to the girl, clutching her knees. The black surround makes the eye focus, until puzzling out the girl’s situation (is she locked in, has she locked herself in?) is all important.
'Huntress' - Malinda Lo: I keep reading about Ash, but the more I read, the more I feel I’ll be disappointed by it. Huntress, on the other hand sounds action, adventure, romance awesome. In my opinion a journey quests should always lead to the characters falling in love/forming deep, deep friendships (ok maybe I’ve seen LadyHawke more times than is healthy).
'Diary of a Chav: Trainers vs Tiaras' - Grace Dent: I have to admit I’m kind of repelled by the glaring colours of the covers, although they’re a deliberate tie in with ideas about chav culture. Bookshelves of Doom tells me that this series about a girl growing up on an estates is fun and thoughtful. As, like a lot of British people I have chav issues it’s probably time to expand my empathy.
'Chains' - Laurie Halse Anderson: I’m a new LHA convert, which means I’ve got so much to catch up on. I kind of worry that this book will hurt my heart a bit. Hard things happen in LHA books and slavery is an institution that gives an author space to show really awful things happening to their characters.
'Wrapped' - Jennifer Bradbury: Victorian high society meshes with spies and secrets at the unwrapping of an Eygptian mummy. I found out about unwrapping parties last year (rich people had mummies unwrapped at their evening parties). Number ten thousand on the list of why being rich would be cool.
'Steel' - Carrie Vaughn: Female pirates, female pirates, female pirates, fencing!
So what am I going to buy ladies? My money is in your hands.
I must be stopped and I have nominated you, Renay and Ana, to stop me. Friends don’t let friends blow their growing house deposit on books. But I don’t want to make this all ‘Tie me down with chains people’ and I do want to buy some books. So let's play a game here in the land of net sleepovers.
Below is a list of books I would really, really love to own. The list contains twelve books with female protagonists.You get to pick two books each and I will definitely buy them at the start of June. I know, the power! I’ve added some vague comments that will explain what I expect to find in each book. So much awesome, just to make your decision even harder.
Oh and I have deliberately removed books that I know you want me to read, because that would make the choosing too easy for me to predict. I am mean now – not being able to buy books will do that to you.
On with the game!
List of Fate
'Tricks' – Ellen Hopkins: It’s inappropriate to describe a book about kids struggling with really hard lives as awesome, but ‘Tricks’ sounds like an amazing story. It contains five intersecting teenage lives and if the author can write five main characters centre stage without compromising the character development of any of them, then I would like to see that circus trick.
'Reavers Ransom' – Emily Diamand: Drowned worlds, sea-cat companions, girls on boats and sea fairing raiders. I like books that involve sailing (understatement of the time space continuum).
'Plain Kate' – Erin Bow: A female woodworker, who goes a questing. Apparently this has been retitled ‘Wood Angel’ or summit in the UK, to which I say, weva. If you chose this one, I’ll be putting my money down on the US edition, which has the courage to imply that it contains a plain girl.
'The False Princess' - Ellis O’Neal: A different twist on the commoner becomes princess, trope. A princess finds out she’s just a regular girl, who was used as a princess impersonator, to shield the real royal gal from a curse. Off she must go to spin wool in a shack. I can just imagine the rich adults all ‘Gawd, be cool’ while she weeps. This rec reached my eyes via The Booksmugglers who bring the rec-ing ball repeatedly to bear on my TBR list (oh terrible puns, will I ever tire of you?). It also has a pink cover that I actually like!
'The Princess Curse' - Merrie Haskell: The story of the dancing princesses is one of my favourite fairytales and it doesn’t get adapted enough. The princesses must escape their rooms at night and dance in the woods, because they are cursed. That set up is so ready for some feminist deconstruction. The cover of this reimagining is made of tooth crumbling sweetness.
'Tell Us We’re Home' - Marina Budhos: Shameless promotion – this book is on the Nerds Heart YA 2011 short list. Three female best friends, whose mothers work as housekeepers, find their relationship rocked when one mother is accused of stealing. I predict complicated, but loving relationships, which are my favourite kind.
'Dirty Little Secrets' - C J Omololu: Another NHYA book. This one is about hoarding and teenagers dealing with parental mental illness. Personally I think the cover on this one is special. It draws you in through the key hole to the girl, clutching her knees. The black surround makes the eye focus, until puzzling out the girl’s situation (is she locked in, has she locked herself in?) is all important.
'Huntress' - Malinda Lo: I keep reading about Ash, but the more I read, the more I feel I’ll be disappointed by it. Huntress, on the other hand sounds action, adventure, romance awesome. In my opinion a journey quests should always lead to the characters falling in love/forming deep, deep friendships (ok maybe I’ve seen LadyHawke more times than is healthy).
'Diary of a Chav: Trainers vs Tiaras' - Grace Dent: I have to admit I’m kind of repelled by the glaring colours of the covers, although they’re a deliberate tie in with ideas about chav culture. Bookshelves of Doom tells me that this series about a girl growing up on an estates is fun and thoughtful. As, like a lot of British people I have chav issues it’s probably time to expand my empathy.
'Chains' - Laurie Halse Anderson: I’m a new LHA convert, which means I’ve got so much to catch up on. I kind of worry that this book will hurt my heart a bit. Hard things happen in LHA books and slavery is an institution that gives an author space to show really awful things happening to their characters.
'Wrapped' - Jennifer Bradbury: Victorian high society meshes with spies and secrets at the unwrapping of an Eygptian mummy. I found out about unwrapping parties last year (rich people had mummies unwrapped at their evening parties). Number ten thousand on the list of why being rich would be cool.
'Steel' - Carrie Vaughn: Female pirates, female pirates, female pirates, fencing!
So what am I going to buy ladies? My money is in your hands.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-18 07:42 am (UTC)Reavers Ransom - the sea-cats might have done it.
Wrapped - because I can't NOT pick this one :P
no subject
Date: 2011-05-18 09:07 am (UTC)I will also second Ana's vote for Reavers Ransom. I MAKE NO SECRET OF MY UNIRONIC LOVE FOR WATERWORLD STARRING KEVIN COSTNER OKAY. I MAKE NO APOLOGIES.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-18 10:25 am (UTC)Also sea-cats, I knew that would get you! I am a Costner fan, but that film where he is a Postman in an apocalyptic world is my fav really awful one (the one where he is a cowboy that is not Dance With Wolves is good OK!).
no subject
Date: 2011-05-20 07:37 am (UTC)