In need of life advice, part the first

You may have noticed I haven't posted here in, oh...six days.

This may have made you sad. Maybe not.

(Have I told you lately that I love you, dear followers?)

There's actually a very good reason for this. Two, in fact: the first is that I've started my fourth (and final) semester at my esteemed two year institution.

The second is that I am officially living away from home, for at least five days a week, every week, till May.

I KNOW. I'm excited. Also terrified, and a little homesick, and stranded in a basement without wireless internet. But the family I'm living with is lovely, I live closer to my friends, the commute to school is much shorter (which of course means more time to read books).

But also there's the internet thing, which means less blogging. But also there's the living away from home thing.

Which is where all of you come in.

Older folks: what advice would you give your own YA self as you were taking your first steps into the big wide world?

Folks in my age bracket: what are your favorite YA dreams?

Long, short, whatever, I want your answers. Send them my way with an alias, your real name, or whatever you'd like me to publish it under, and I'll run the post at some future date when I get enough submissions.

(There might be a giveaway in the works, too.)

So what are you waiting for? Have at it, and keep partying down with your big bad YA selves without me. I should be getting wireless sometime next week, so hope to see you around here more soon.

Review: Dead to You

Dead to You by Lisa McMann
Goodreads | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble
YA, Contemporary, 256 pages, Simon Pulse

• Series: 1st in Dead to You series
• Pub date: February 7th 2012
• Why I read it: Author I love, mystery, kidnapped
• Disclosure: Received an ARC from the Red Balloon Bookstore. Thanks!

Judged by its cover: Another mediocre one. It's not terrible, but it doesn't have much to do with the story, and close-up shots of eyelashes kind of freak me out.

Goodreads blurb:

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

The Long...

Readers who've stuck around the Bookshelf for awhile might remember my undying love for Lisa McMann's Wake trilogy, and my passionate open letter in its defense last January, and thus understand how excited I was for Dead to You. Those who haven't been around that long? Suffice to say I was excited. Really excited. Unfortunately, though, it didn't quite live up to expectations.

It's not that Ethan isn't a sympathetic character, or that his voice didn't ring true: he is, and it did. In fact, Ethan's voice was in many ways more distinctive than Janie's in Wake. It's not that the story wasn't interesting, or that there wasn't enough tension, or that it didn't keep me guessing till the very end. It's just that it felt...well, empty, like eating popcorn on an empty stomach. I put it down in a daze, and then didn't let it cross my mind for weeks.

The ending, in particular, felt like a sucker punch. Sick as I am of cliffhanger endings, I can't exactly hold it against McMann for trying to pull it off: they definitely sell books, and can even work as part of the story when done right. It's just that in a story already full of suspension of belief--a childhood kidnapping AND amnesia AND a girl-next-door romance AND family drama, and, and, and--one more gimmick was not what the story needed.

It's still a badass book from a badass writer. I just can't help thinking it could have been something more.

...and the Short:

McMann has the teen voice down pat, but the story left me wanting something...more. Worth reading, but maybe not pre-ordering.

The Final Word: Liked It.


Dead to You will be available February 2nd, 2012.

Review: Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey

Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey
Goodreads | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble
YA, Paranormal Romance/Fantasy, 332 pages, Flux

• Series: 1st in Witch Eyes series
• Pub date: September 8th 2011
• Why I read it: Action, small town secrets, witches, LGBTQ
• Disclosure: Received an ARC from the Red Balloon Bookstore. Thanks!

Judged by its cover: Just okay. It certainly works with the story, but it's not really my thing.

Goodreads blurb:

Braden was born with witch eyes: the ability to see the world as it truly is: a blinding explosion of memories, darkness, and magic. The power enables Braden to see through spells and lies, but at the cost of horrible pain.
After a terrifying vision reveals imminent danger for the uncle who raised and instructed him, Braden retreats to Belle Dam, an old city divided by two feuding witch dynasties. As rival family heads Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe desperately try to use Braden's powers to unlock Belle Dam's secrets, Braden vows never to become their sacrificial pawn. But everything changes when Braden learns that Jason is his father--and Trey, the enigmatic guy he's falling for, is Catherine's son.
To stop an insidious dark magic from consuming the town, Braden must master his gift—and risk losing the one he loves. 

The Long...

When I wrote about this book for my Best of Paranormal Romance 2011 post, I said it had a cinematic quality, punctuated by (and I quote):

"There's action! Explosions! Crazy powers! Sunglasses! Romance!" 

And really, I can't think of a better way to open this review. Witch Eyes is, in short, the perfect corny, silly, romantic, crazy, action-filled sort of read for a rainy day. It's a cult classic B-movie in the making. It's terrific. And I couldn't get enough.

The aspect of the book that has gotten it the most press--its gay hero--was actually one of the least "interesting" aspects of Braden's character, exactly as it should be. There are no soul-wrecking coming-out stories to be found here. Sure, there's a little angst, but in fact it all adds up to less than most straight paranormal romances I can think of. It's a Romeo and Juliet story in pure form, with the warring families of Belle Dam keeping Braden and Trey apart more than any blatant homophobia.

In fact, returning to the cult classic theme, Belle Dam is almost a character of itself; oozing with magic and secrets buried deep. Sure, I would liked to have seen it sketched out in a little more depth, but what we got was so fantastically against the typical YA grain that I can't really complain. Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but a little less high school and a little more old money gothic.


My biggest complaint, frankly, was the twists. They weren't exactly a big mystery, and the tension wasn't wound quite tight enough to make up for it. Still, Witch Eyes was easily one of my most entertaining reads of 2011, and it's a great example of what paranormal romance can be when it steps off the beaten path.


...and the Short:

A terrific, cult-classic sort of read that had me cheering all the way. Bring on book 2!

The Final Word: Loved it! 

Happy MLK Day, or, whatever happened to the melting pot?

If you didn't know, hey! It's Martin Luther King Day! And if you're wondering why it's still necessary to celebrate one of the greatest civil rights leaders (and true-blue Americans) of all time, I present the news story I woke up to as evidence:

"Tuscon schools ban books by Chicano and Native American authors." (The Narcosphere.)

Read it? Angry yet? Good. Some highlights in case you missed them:

• "Students said the banned books were seized from their classrooms and out of their hands, after Tucson schools banned Mexican American Studies, including a book of photos of Mexico. Crying, students said it was like Nazi Germany, and they were unable to sleep since it happened."
• "Biggers said Shakespeare’s play 'The Tempest,' was also banned during the meeting this week. Administrators told Mexican-American studies teachers to stay away from any class units where 'race, ethnicity and oppression are central themes.'"
• "The reading list includes world acclaimed Chicano and Latino authors, along with Native American authors. The list includes books by Corky Gonzales, along with Sandra Cisneros’ 'The House on Mango Street;' Jimmy Santiago Baca’s 'Black Mesa Poems,' and L.A. Urreas’ 'The Devil’s Highway.' The authors include Henry David Thoreau and the popular book 'Like Water for Chocolate.'

Also worth reading is this Salon article on the topic, quoted in The Narcosphere's piece. A particularly memorable line for me:

• "...[books were singled out by] Arizona state superintendent of public instruction John Huppenthal, who campaigned in 2010 on the promise to 'stop la raza.'  Huppenthal, who once lectured state educators that he based his own school principles for children on corporate management schemes of the Fortune 500, compared Mexican-American studies to Hitler Jugend indoctrination last fall."

I'm not going to touch the Nazi accusations being slung on both sides, since Hitler has a tendency to quickly derail even the most logical of arguments. I'd just like to point something out:

This is censorship.


I frankly don't care what your political leanings are. I frankly don't care how you feel about ethnic studies being taught as a distinct subject in schools. And as stupid as I think it is to ban what is widely regarded as one of the most revolutionary and excellent textbooks in America, that's not what the core issue is for me here.

The core issue is that we're keeping kids from reading books they clearly adore; books that resonate.

The core issue is that we're banning stories and authors so firmly entrenched in American culture--Like Water for Chocolate, The House on Mango Street, Thoreau, goddamn William Shakespeare--in the name of, and forgive me if I misunderstand, allowing kids to think for themselves.

This isn't just the systematic erasure of cultures and peoples. It's the systematic erasure of thought.

Like I said, I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican or a blend of both or neither. I smell a rat. I smell a heap of rats.

And I'm sad.

When I went to go see Winona LaDuke--an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) activist, former vice-presidential candidate, and one of the writers on the banned list--speak last year, she said something that resonated with me deeply. I don't remember the exact words, and I'm fairly certain she was quoting someone else (attribute away in the comments section), but the gist of it was this:

If we're not at the table, we're on it. If we're not a part of the discussion, we're no longer human.

If talk of race is no longer allowed at the table, if talk of ethnicity is no longer allowed at the table, if talk of oppression is no longer allowed at the table: where are we? Where is the challenge? How do we grow? How do kids learn what's beyond their horizons?

The question of whether or not we should have classes on Mexican-American studies is a complex one that I can't answer in a blog post. The question of whether or not it's okay to censor the authors, art, and literature of a culture--any culture--is a little simpler: it's not.

Whatever happened to the melting pot?

If Martin Luther King were alive today, that's what I think he'd be asking: if the color of our skin doesn't matter, what are schools afraid of? Why are we banning books? Why aren't we letting kids make up their own damn minds?

I still don't know the answer. I just know there are still so many questions to ask.

Updates to my review policy

Just wanted to direct any newcomers to the blog to some pertinent changes in my review policy. A couple of new highlights:

• My professional email address is no longer mdesmondobrien@yahoo.com. It is now mdesmondobrien@gmail.com. I will do my best to stay on top of the trickle of Yahoo! emails still coming, but if you want a guarantee that I'll get back to you, please direct all emails to the Gmail address.
• The Middle Grade Monday feature has been officially discontinued. Unfortunately my darling 11-year-old sister Ellie has decided that, while she loves reading, blogging and reviewing is just not for her. This means that I am no longer accepting middle grade books for review, unless they have significant teen and adult crossover appeal.

A couple of old highlights that still bear repeating:

• I am still open to teen books in any genre as long as they capture my attention. Yes, even romance, though your chances are better with a contemporary or sci-fi title. I'm a fairly open and voracious reader, so give it a shot! The worst I can do is say no.
• I am still open to indie books in any genre as long as they capture my attention. My experiences with indie authors have been among the best I've had here at Maggie's Bookshelf, and despite some frustrations with the self-publishing machine, that's not likely to change anytime soon.
• I am still open to adult books, but I am more discriminating than I am with my teen choices and would prefer to receive requests for titles with teen crossover appeal (please, no more war hero biographies).

Thanks to all, and please keep the review requests coming! They make this bibliophile's day every time, even when I say no.

Review: Stick by Andrew Smith

Stick by Andrew Smith
Goodreads | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble
YA, Contemporary, 292 pages, Feiwel & Friends

• Series: stand-alone
• Pub date: October 11th 2011
• Why I read it: Brothers, LGBTQ, gritty stuff
• Disclosure: Received an ARC from the Red Balloon Bookstore. Thanks!

Judged by its cover: Just okay. It does a decent job of conveying the story, but it screams I AM READING AN ISSUE BOOK OF GREAT IMPORTANCE rather loudly (and not in a good way). It is also a rather excellent example of why stock photos aren't the best idea for YA covers: see Harmonic Feedback.

Goodreads blurb:

Fourteen-year-old Stark McClellan (nicknamed Stick because he’s tall and thin) is bullied for being “deformed” – he was born with only one ear. His older brother Bosten is always there to defend Stick. But the boys can’t defend one another from their abusive parents.
When Stick realizes Bosten is gay, he knows that to survive his father's anger, Bosten must leave home. Stick has to find his brother, or he will never feel whole again. In his search, he will encounter good people, bad people, and people who are simply indifferent to kids from the wrong side of the tracks. But he never loses hope of finding love – and his brother.

The Long...

From the minute I read the summary for Andrew Smith's previous release, The Marbury Lens, I knew he was an author I had to try. When I got the opportunity to check out The Marbury Lens from the library and get my hands on an ARC of Stick in the same week this summer, I jumped on it. The problem? I'm still reeling.

Of all the words you could use to describe Andrew Smith's writing, "easy" is not one of them. The Marbury Lens was easily the most intense YA book I have ever read, and while Stick was slightly less brutal, it's still a white-knuckler the whole way through. Every time something goes right, you know something's about to go wrong in a big way, and while I couldn't tear my eyes away, it sometimes felt more like rubber-necking than reading.

Still, there's no denying that Smith's writing is as affecting as it is difficult, and Stick's voice--words skipping around the page as we imagine he hears them--was distinctive and excellent. Stick's connection to his brother Bosten, even as it tears him apart from everything he knows and loves, was my favorite part of the book, especially since I've always wanted a big brother. And while, as with The Marbury Lens, Smith's treatment of his gay characters is less than consistent as the book goes on, it's less an issue of content than of genre: the book feels more like literary adult fiction than YA.

All that is to say nothing of the conclusion, which was easily the most devastating (while hopeful) I've read in a long time. I was ready to leave the characters behind, but they weren't ready to leave me, and I still catch myself thinking about it in odd moments. I'm still not sure I can be entirely coherent about this book. I'm sure it will be as polarizing as it is thought-provoking, and it's certainly worth a read, if only to set your head spinning for awhile.

...and the Short:

Brutal, visceral, intense: love it or hate it, this book will stick with you for a long time.

The Final Word: Liked it.

YA and music: Call for submissions!

Back from the brink of No-Internet-Landia, I finally have the chance to bring my desperate shout-out for YA playlists to a place beyond Twitter: to make a series of long, boring tweets short, I'm looking for submissions of playlists or even single songs that make you think of particular YA novels or authors.

Basically, I love YA, and I love music, but I'm terrible at making playlists. So please, help me out.

If you feel like making a few (or have some already made!), please drop me a line at mdesmondobrien@gmail.com, and I'll repost them with your permission ASAP. Or, if you have particularly good YA playlist links to share, whether author- or reader-created, I'm happy to re-post those, as well.

Or guest posts. Or anything related to both music and YA, really.

For example, see this awesome playlist author Steve Brezenoff made for his book, Brooklyn, Burning, which you can find my review for here.

If you are so inclined, some books I would particularly love to see playlists for:

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King (Goodreads/my review)
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (Goodreads/review forthcoming)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (Goodreads/my review)
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (Goodreads/my review)
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves (Goodreads/my review)
And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky (Goodreads/review forthcoming)

I hope I've gotten your creative (musical) juices flowing. Submit away!