Booklist Online: More than 130,000 book reviews for librarians, book groups, and book lovers - from the trusted experts at the American Library Association
Keir Graff and editors from Booklist's adult and youth departments write candidly about books, book reviewing, and the publishing industry
Monday, March 11, 2013 10:46 am Hostile Questions: John Barnes Posted by: Daniel Kraus
John Barnes has published over 30 books. So I guess he thinks he’s a real smart guy? Let’s dig a little deeper into these so-called “books” of his. Hmm. Twocollaborations with Buzz Aldrin. Well, I guess that’s not nothing. A 2010 Printz Honor for Tales of the Madman Underground. Fine, fine. I admit that might be something. Oh, screw it, John Barnes is the greatest living American writer and we should all be shielding our eyes lest we be blinded by his effervescent brilliance. All right?!?
Discerning.
Just who do you think you are?
At any given moment that’s a very good question. “An assembly of personality fragments flying in loose formation with numerous collisions, all sharing a single driver’s license and social security number,” might cover it pretty well.
Where do you get off?
I very seldom do, anymore. But I guess I could mention that I like it on the bus and if I stay there long enough, the bus comes back around to where I started. Or I suppose I could say that I try to only do that in private. Or I could answer the intended hostility with a shrug; I think I’m kind of a fossil anyway, my sense is that there are fewer people like me all the time and more are not being born or raised, so I see and say things I do because nobody has really put a dedicated effort into stopping me yet, and meanwhile the seeing and saying is what I do.
Flirty.
What’s the big idea?
There’s really only one big idea, and that’s “Pay attention.” All the other sort of big ideas like “Love when you can”, “Nobody gets out alive,” and “Wherever you go, there you are” are subsidiary to it.
What is your problem, man?
My favorite problems are mostly paradoxes, though in general I like any situation in which everyone is right and therefore no one can do what they want. Technically the problem is then to write from someone who is inside the paradox and can only see part of it (even if they can clearly see that it’s a paradox). So I’m less fond of stories, at least of writing stories, in which the question is whether Captain Bonzo of the Space Marines can recapture the Polymorphous Credenza of Humidor from the Forces We Capitalize Without Naming, and more in the ones where the arrows point to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and we went in to go beyond, but there’s only a blank concrete wall after the bath.
Debonair.
I like to think about the tiny people hired to paint the last few Quakers before the subatomic level on the Quaker Oats box, and wonder if they have tiny Quakers to model for them, and how they manage to work when their tiny brains can’t conceive of anything as large as an oat. I like to try to capture the experience of a finite mind bumping up against something transfinite. I don’t think I’ve ever actually done that, but I like the trying part.
Haven’t you done enough?
Probably, but that’s for others to decide. And I pride myself on how bad I am at taking hints.
Monday, March 4, 2013 10:17 am Hostile Questions: Christopher Paolini Posted by: Daniel Kraus
Christopher Paolini may think he’s king of his kingdom, what with the millions of copies of Inheritance Cycle books sold and being a global publishing phenomenon and whatnot, but I am not the meager serf that I seem. Yea, I hast memorized every one of the gazillion words Sir Paolini has written, all in preparation for this moment of usurping. Doubt me, you blackguard? Listen thou to my screed!
“No mere dauthleikr, whether he dvergr or könungr or Shur’tugal, shall rise up against me with skölir and sverd, shouting his blödhren, lest he find himself in pure Zar’roc. Pure Zar’roc, I say!!!”
Ye spotless spectacles shall soon be spattered with blood!
Just who do you think you are?
To quote Star Trek, an ugly bag of mostly water (who also likes telling stories).
Where do you get off?
Reading a book, watching a movie, listening to music, and just staring out the window and daydreaming.
What’s the big idea?
Personal transformation — the ways in which people can remake themselves. I’m fascinated by this and by the fact that most people remain fundamentally the same, even from very young.
What is your problem, man?
Commas, man. Those suckers are nasty. That and I hate unquestioning acceptance of authority.
Haven’t you done enough?
Never. Life is too short for all the things I want to accomplish, so I try not to waste any time.
Friday, March 1, 2013 1:18 pm National Book Critics Circle Award Winners Posted by: Sarah Hunter
If you were eagerly awaiting the announcement of the National Book Critics Circle award winners, you’re in luck because today’s the day! Well, last night was the night, but you get the picture. Here are the winners in each category, along with links to Booklist reviews when available.
Thursday, February 28, 2013 9:57 am Book Trailer Thursday: Salt Sugar Fat Posted by: Annie Bostrom
If the title of today’s book trailer is your answer to the question “What are your favorite food groups?” you are not alone. If the title of today’s book trailer is your answer to the question “What’s the name of that book by the Pulitzer prize-winning Michael Moss about how the food industry made us addicted to everything that’s bad for us?” you are also correct. Skip if you wish to maintain a level of trust in the world.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 7:40 am Reading the Screen: Hannibal trailer Posted by: David Pitt
Months and months ago I talked about the forthcoming NBC series, Hannibal, based on the characters created by Thomas Harris. The series takes place before the events in Red Dragon, the first of the novels featuring Hannibal Lecter, and the only one featuring Will Graham, the FBI profiler who’s the star of the NBC series.
In the TV series Graham is working with Lecter, unaware the man is also a serial killer — the series, in other words, fleshes out the background Harris hinted at in Red Dragon. (Which makes the show, if they do it right, not a ripoff, but a sort of backwards extension of the books and movies.)
There’s a new trailer for the series. I think they’ve got the atmosphere right, at least. We’ll have to see how they develop the story. Check it out:
Monday, February 25, 2013 10:35 am Hostile Questions: Zoe Archer Posted by: Daniel Kraus
Zoe Archer knows how to mix it up. This ain’t plain old la-la romance she’s writing. We’re talking paranormal historical romance (Hellraisers series). We’re talking steampunk adventure romance (Esther Chronicles). We’re talking magical Victorian romance (Blades of the Rose series). We’re talking spaceship science-fiction romance (Collision Course).
In fact, I’m betting you could put any two descriptive words in front of “romance” and Archer could own it. Aztec quilting romance? Des Moines roller derby romance? Dang, I kinda hope she actually writes those.
Goggles protect the eyes from romantic steam.
Just who do you think you are?
For my senior year in high school, I described myself in the yearbook as a “pint-sized curmudgeon” and not much has changed in the intervening twenty-plus years. I think I was born to write—I started writing short stories and novels when I was a little kid, and never really stopped, despite the fata morgana of other potential careers (illustrator, costume designer, dramaturge [I don’t even know what that really is], academic). I am the only graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop who has made a career as a romance novelist, but I don’t think they put that in the promotional brochure.
Where do you get off?
At the intersection of Romance Boulevard and Feminist Avenue. The two streets actually intersect, which a lot of people—even women—don’t realize. Feminist Avenue isn’t always well-maintained by the city, and some people go out of their way to avoid driving down it altogether. A few folks even think men can’t or aren’t welcome to drive down Feminist Avenue, but that’s not true. Everyone can drive down Feminist Avenue, and I think we’d all arrive at our destinations happier and better informed than if we’d taken the Casual Misogyny Expressway.
What’s the big idea?
Romance novels and feminism aren’t incompatible. That’s where I come in. As my bio states, I write romance novels that are chock full of adventure, sexy men, and women who make no apologies about kicking ass. You’ll also find that my romance novels are not particularly kind to the aristocracy—I don’t believe in lionizing people who were given wealth and power. Meritocracy 4 eva!
I love romance novels. I love their settings. I love watching two (sometimes three) people face external obstacles while learning about the needs and wants of their own hearts. I love that they aren’t ashamed to celebrate emotion, and deliver happy endings in a world that’s notoriously stingy about handing out said happy endings. I love that the majority of the readers and writers and publishers of romance are women. I love that there can be a wide spectrum in the genre, from contemporary, to paranormal, to historical, to erotic, to inspirational. I love the fact that, no matter how embattled or criticized romance is by our culture and the establishment, the sale of romance novels basically supports the publishing industry.
Oh, and if I’m going to do some promo, I’ll have you know that in April, my book Sinner’s Heart comes out, which is the third book in the paranormal historical Hellraisers series for Kensington. In June, I start a new series for St. Martin’s Press, called Nemesis, Unlimited, which is basically a mash-up between Leverage/Burn Notice and Ripper Street. Gritty, sexy stuff.
What is your problem, man?
A romance author can’t really talk about romance outside of the world of romance without being placed in the position to defend the genre. Everything we say will sound self-justifying, when the truth is that I’m proud of the work I do. Romance authors believe in their work, and we don’t drift around our pink-walled houses wearing peignoirs. The people I know who are the most informed about the business of publishing are romance authors. There are no ivory towers for romance writers.
Thursday, February 21, 2013 3:44 pm Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalists Posted by: Sarah Hunter
L.A. is where it isn’t 10 degrees, right? In case you haven’t guessed, we’ve passed the happily tramping-through-the-snow phase in Chicago’s winter to the point where any place warmer than the temperature at which moisture from your breath freezes your scarf to your glasses starts to look mighty appealing. The mythical land of “Los Angeles” promises temperatures warm enough that you only need to wear one pair of pants and definitely no gloves, or so I’ve heard. L.A.’s appeal isn’t all weather-related, though: a well-respected book prize doesn’t hurt either! Here’s the shortlist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes, with links to Booklist reviews when available.
Thursday, February 21, 2013 11:32 am Book Trailer Thursday: Breaking Point Posted by: Annie Bostrom
“Watch out, guys,” Ilene Cooper warns in her review of Breaking Point (follow-up to Article 5). The breathy, emotional voice-over and electric heartbeaty soundtrack of the book’s trailer seem to say the same thing.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 9:10 am Hostile Questions: Sarah Dessen Posted by: Daniel Kraus
Let me just throw a few Sarah Dessen titles at your face. That Summer. Someone Like You. Dreamland. What Happened to Goodbye. Did that hurt? Not enough? Well, she’s got a bunch more, so you might as well relent and read a few. Refuse and face the wrath of her army of devoted fans–seriously, they’ll outflank, outnumber, and overwhelm you and then you’ll be forced to join their ranks. Your boot camp will drill into you Dessen’s finely observed poignancy, angst, and wisdom, and you know what? When it’s all over you’ll be thankful for the tough love. Which means I can stop throwing books at your face.
Resistance is futile.
Just who do you think you are?
It depends on the time of day you ask me. If it’s 5:45am, when my dogs and kid want to get up, I am basically that grumpy old person who looks like they’ve been hit in the face with a frying pan. Mid-morning, I’m that frazzled mom at Whole Foods trying to get through the line before preschool pickup. But 1-5 each weekday, if my sitters show up as scheduled, then I get to be a YA writer. When that’s over, I’m Fred Flintstone, sliding down the back of his dinosaur, the workday done. Except for Twitter, where I am always that person squinting at my phone/ipad, one finger raised, saying, “Just one more second.” I’m not proud, but there it is.
Where do you get off?
People always think that because I write about teenagers I am somehow an expert on them. Not true: I haven’t been a teen since 1989. (Oh, my God, is that TRUE? Sadly, yes. I just did the math.) So clearly, I’m not exactly current, and I don’t make a concentrated effort to keep up with what’s happening in the teen world today. That said, I am a bit of a pop culture junkie and I love TV, so I’m not oblivious either. When it comes to writing, though, I don’t draw on what’s around me as much as go back to what I remember. High school was not a good time for me. I was sad and kind of lost and only made it through because of good luck and great friends. Technology and slang and fashion can all change, but that sense of what it feels like to be dealing with so much, all at once, never changes. That’s what I draw on. All these years later, I still remember it pretty well.
What’s the big idea?
There’s all kinds of labels on publishing. For the longest time, I was a Young Adult Writer, but now I also get called a Romance Novelist, or sometimes Realistic Fiction YA Author. To me, the monikers don’t mean much. I never set out to specifically be a writer of teenage fiction. I just wrote a book with a fifteen year old narrator, and the agent who bought it said, “This is YA.” At first I was really resistant. I’d just come out of a really competitive undergrad writing program and was all about being Taken Seriously as a Real Author, and I felt like YA might not give me that. I was SO wrong. The adolescent voice is what I do best, and even without labels or genres I can only hope that I’d have found my way to where I am, somehow. The bottom line is, I write the kind of books I wanted to read when I was a teen, as well as the ones I want to read now, in my forties. Good stories with strong characters, at times touching, other times funny, that I can take something from and carry it with me. There’s not a label or manual for that. But when you know, you know.
What is your problem, man?
If I could change anything about myself it would be to agonize less about writing. You’d think that by the eleventh book, I’d feel a certain amount of confidence in my process and the final product. You would be wrong. I am just as in knots about this one as the last, and the one before that, all the way back to the first. To me, writing is like this lovely miracle that I have NO CONTROL OVER WHATSOEVER. I can do the same thing every single day—sit in the same place, at the same time, with the same preliminary and necessary chocolates—and the results are always different. Some days are great, like the narrator is dictating right to me. Others I want to crawl under my desk and curl up into the fetal position. And you just never know what you’re going to get. I used to try to figure out why this was, and how I could change it, but now I’m thinking is all just part of the process. You have to be a little crazy to do this. And that’s the thing: I keep doing it. So there must be some sense in it, somewhere.
Haven’t you done enough?
Apparently not, as The Moon and More is, as I said my eleventh book. How did THAT happen? And because of the lag in time between finishing final edits and a book release, I’ve actually already turned my attention to the NEXT one, whatever that may end up being. Whenever I finish a first draft, I think, “That’s it. That’s the last one. I cannot do this again. I must spare everyone around me the madness it causes.” Then I take a few weeks off, watch a lot of Bravo, eat pizza, see some movies. And before I know it, another story starts bubbling up. I can fight it off awhile, but eventually I just get too squirrelly and have to sit down and see where it goes. I’ll curse myself later, but I’ll do it. It’s how everyone of my books begins.
John Barnes has published over 30 books. So I guess he thinks he’s a real smart guy? Let’s dig a little deeper into these so-called “books” of his. Hmm. Two collaborations with Buzz Aldrin. Well, I guess that’s not nothing. A 2010 Printz Honor for Tales of the Madman Underground. Fine, fine. I admit that might be something. Oh, screw it, John Barnes is the greatest living American writer and we should all be shielding our eyes lest we be blinded by his effervescent brilliance. All right?!?
