The Librarian Writer

Title : Teeth: Vampire Tales Editors : Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling Publisher : HarperCollins Publication Date : April 5, 2011 ISBN-13 : 978-0061935145 480 pp. Reading copy via local library This anthology of 17 vampire short stories (and 2 poems) isn't part of the Debut Author Challenge since many of the contributors are well-established authors such as Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix, Melissa Marr, and Tanith Lee. But it was sitting so seductively on the shelf that I had to read it. I'm glad I did. I totally missed the Twilight bandwagon, and I wanted to see what other authors had to say about vampires. And this collection has all kinds of vampires. Funny vampires, gay vampires, creepy vampires, psychotic vampires, and regular teenage angsty vampires. I'm just going to list my top five favorites stories, but almost all stories are extremely strong (only one did I find a little clunky and I wasn't that interested in the tw...

Title : How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend Author : Gary Ghislain Publisher : Chronicle Books Publication Date : June 8, 2011 ISBN-13 : 978-0811874601 208 pp. Reading copy from local library Yeah, it's funny. Yeah, there's a sci-fi twist. No, there's no actual Johnny Depp. But don't let that stop you from reading Gary Ghislain's hilarious, hi-jinks filled book. David is a 14 year old living in France with his dad, a shrink for troubled kids. And when Zelda, a superhot girl who is supertrouble, becomes his dad's latest patient, David can't stay away from her. Even though she says she's from outer space. And on a mission to find her Chosen One. Who happens to be Johnny Depp. There's a ton of action, lots of laughs, and a French sensibility. By that I mean there is implied sex, although it works as both a plot point and character development. But this may be icky to some readers (especially given that David is 14; if he wer...

There are lots and lots of great blogs about the conference, but definitely check the Official Conference Blog . I can't chew gum and blog at the same time, so I left it to these speedy bloggers to give the play-by-play action. What I do better is ruminate and then sum up. So here's an overview at my time at the 2011 SCBWI Summer Conference. Day One: Friday I live in the area, so I skipped all the early morning sessions and showed up in time for the first keynote. Bruce Coville is all kinds of awesome, and I loved his speech about why what we do matters and how what we do affect others in ways we can never know. Jerry Pinkney's keynote was accompanied by personal photos and drawings and how to bring a sense of place to your work. Awe. Some. My first breakout session was Donna Jo Napoli's "Sources of Tension and How to Use Them." She did a very interactive session, taking suggestions from the audience how what were the elements of tension. But les...

It's been a busy, busy summer. Summer reading is going on full swing and I've probably read over 100 picture books. But that's not quite the Debut Author Challenge, is it? I did read Through Her Eyes , which hasn't gotten the buzz of some other new releases and really should be a must read. I also read Wildefire , which was muy caliente and another must read. So I'm caught up for the year, which gives me the warm fuzzies. I've started How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend , a hilarious read so far (and review forthcoming). I picked up a boatload of books at the SCBWI conference last week (thoughts on that forthcoming), and the first to be read from that pile will be Ruta Sepetys' Between Shades of Gray . Ruta signed my copy of the novel at the conference, and she was so gracious and sweet! That's all for now. Enjoy the rest of of your summer reading!

Title: Wildefire Author: Karsten Knight Publisher: Simon & Schuster Publication Date: July 26, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1442421172 400 pp. Advanced reading copy via Galley Grab Wowohwowohwowohwow. Wildefire grabs you by the throat and doesn't let you go. There's action! Untimely death! Cute boys! Crazy-ass sisters! (not necessarily in that order) Ashline and her big sis Eve were adopted from an Polynesian orphanage and they've grown up in an upper middle class Jewish family in upstate New York. They were close ... until Eve runs away from home. And when she returns, bad stuff happens. Really. Bad. Stuff. Stuff so bad that Ashline decides her only chance at normalcy is to transfer to a boarding school across the country. And that's when stuff starts to get really weird. There are too many twists and turns to give away the plot, but the long and short of it is that Ashline discovers that she's the reincarnation of a volcano goddess. And her new fri...

My husband thinks I'm a total Harry Potter nerd, but that's not true. I've never: gone to a midnight book release party dressed up in character read one of the books in a single day created a fan video Now that the final movie has come out, I find myself unwilling to say good-bye. So I've collected some of my favorite Harry Potter videos to watch (over and over) again. (And it's quicker than re-reading all the books.) Enjoy! Harry Potter in 99 Seconds : The entire series for those with ADD. Literal Deathly Hallows Movie Trailer : Now that I've seen both parts, this is even funnier. A Very Potter Musical : This is just the first part, but worth watching the entire musical (with Glee 's Darren Criss as Harry!) Gandalf vs. Dumbledore Epic Rap Battles of History : OMFG. Hilarious. Potter Puppet Pals : There's a slew of these very funny videos, but I heart this one the most. Harry Potter and the Brokeback Gobl...

Title : Through Her Eyes Author : Jennifer Archer Publisher : HarperTeen Publication Date : April 5, 2011 ISBN-13 : 978-0061834585 384pp. Reading copy through public library When I was thirteen, my parents moved our family from our suburban home to a small desert town. Let's just say that I was not happy with this new arrangement. Which means I instantly sympathized with Tansy Piper, the protagonist of Through Her Eyes . Tansy is used to moving from town to town since her mom is a writer and likes to live in the cities where she sets her books. But instead of some place like Austin or Memphis or San Francisco, Tansy ends up in Cedar Canyon, Texas, the small town her grandfather grew up in. She loves her Papa Dan, who lives with her and her mom, since he's the one who understands her best and has been her best friend no matter where they are. But Papa Dan isn't doing well, rarely talking and barely eating. And moving into their creepy new home seems to be making P...