Today is 9/11. I remember when that day was just amusing because it was the same as dialing 911. It had no significance whatsoever. Now, it’s hard to escape its influence. I live in Virginia, far from NYC, but not that far from the Pentagon, and I still remember a school visit from two years ago that drove home for me just how much 9/11 had changed us.

I’d just finished speaking and packing everything up, and I headed out across the parking lot, which was full of students waiting for the buses. You could barely hear yourself think for all the talking. And then a plane flew over. We were pretty close to DC, so it wasn’t unusual that a flight was heading toward Dulles over the school. But something about the plane . . . it was just a little too low, and it was banking a little more steeply than usual. It was probably just redirected and reapproaching for some reason; who knows why it was so off kilter and so low over the school.

But every voice in that parking lot stopped. It had been years since the attack, but everyone remembered, and every teen stopped and watched the plane as it flew overhead and straightened out. It took almost a minute after the plane had disappeared for the voices to reach their original volume. And I thought: this. This is who we are now, forever.

I don’t normally post a 9/11 related blog post, just because there’s nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said. And even if I could say it differently, there’s nothing I can say that would change the events of that day.

But I read a book this year that changed my mind. It’s called LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW, by David Levithan. In the interests of full disclosure, I should mention that I both know and like David -- he’s editor Mixtape and we work together on SHIVER. I should also mention, however, that I know and like a lot of authors -- and yet I don’t blog about a lot of books. I’m really picky and though I like a lot of books, I only blog about the books that I really love.

I really love this book. And here’s why.

It’s about three teens’ experiences on the day of the attack, and how it changes them as people. I have to admit I was really leery about reading a book about 9/11 -- I didn’t want anything that was a) maudlin, b) manipulative, or c) intensely depressing. And I just didn’t see how a 9/11 book could avoid all of those things. But I thought, if anyone can pull it off, it’s David -- his novels all have this very innocent, open quality to them.

So I began to read. And on page seven, my eyes teared up, and I thought: here we go.

But here we didn’t.

That was the first and last time my eyes watered in this book, because LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW is not about reliving the horrors of 9/11. What can I say about it? It’s this incredibly inspiring, moving, and honest look at how something good can come out of something terrible. David’s love of New York City permeates the novel, and as a non-New Yorker, it was wonderful to have a window into that world.

And it was not a sad book. Incredibly, it was everything that 9/11 was not. Though as a writer I saw a ton of things that I would’ve changed about the book (remember this post about loving books that we had issues with? yeah, this was one of them), all I could think after I closed the pages was what a buoyant mood I was in. I was filled with faith in the ultimate good of people in the face of horror, and I, like the main characters, felt like I wanted to talk about where I was that day, how I felt, what changed.

I did. That night, I curled up with my husband in bed, lights off, and together we whispered back and forth what we remembered about 9/11. I still remember the exact place I was when I first heard the news on my car radio, not just the street I was on, not just the block I was driving through, but the distance from the curb and the quality of the light. I remember the payphone that I called my now-husband on as the ambulance he drove raced towards the Pentagon.

Ultimately, what I loved about LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW was the message -- that 9/11 was not for nothing if we let it change us for the better. If we remain better versions of ourselves, the versions that reached out to strangers and felt part of something bigger, then it wasn’t such a senseless, vicious tragedy, and it’s something worth remembering.The title says it all -- if it's not true, it's what ought to be true.

I have decided that, for me, giving a five star review to a book is like getting engaged to your boyfriend.

I have been thinking a lot about what makes me like a book and what counts as a good book. And I know the two things are not always the same, since reading is highly subjective (I was reading bad reviews of my favorite books this morning to comfort myself that some people aren’t careful readers tastes are subjective). But what I don’t quite understand is how sometimes they aren’t the same thing, even for me.

And this is where the boyfriend metaphor comes in. Because you know how you meet some guys and they’re just perfect, they say the right things, do the right things, fit the boyfriend mold . . . and leave you absolutely cold? And likewise, you’re dating your boyfriend, and you’ve been dating him long enough to know that his left eye puckers unattractively when he wakes up in the morning, he can’t read maps, and his left leg is marginally longer than his right* and still, you love him more than the KenDoll with no obvious flaws.

*these faults are only examples. Not real faults of Maggie’s Lover. Actual faults may vary. Please check your own Lover over carefully to determine what actual faults may be. Also, contents are sold by weight, not volume.

I find it’s the same with books. Some novels I will kick back with and find that it is perfect. It will have everything it ought to, like little checked off boxes were ticked.

_character flaws
_tragic backstory
_character hobbies
_conflict that will force character to a) abandon said hobbies or b) face said flaws
_a dog

And yet, I won’t connect. It’ll never speak to me. It's like reading a textbook example of what a UF novel should be, or reading a phD thesis on how to write a YA novel.

And then other times, I’ll read a book like HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY, which is the next book out from Audrey Niffenegger (I was lucky enough to snag an ARC), author of THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE (yet another flawed book that I love to death). And I’ll see an incredible number of flaws and things that drive me crazy, and I will say “Oh, man, she could’ve done this better” or “this character needs to die because I hate her so much” and still . . . I’ll love the book.

I swear it’s exactly like dating. Where you think that the guy's hair is just completely unlivable and you just can't. do. goatees., and then next thing you know, you're talking marriage and forever.

Because that is precisely what happened with HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY, a gothic-feeling ghost story with twins and graveyards and OCD. I savored it over about two weeks, and all the while that I was saying “wow, I love her writing style” I was also saying “This third person omniscient head-hopping is driving me to drink and reality TV.” And while I was saying, “wow, she’s so good at efficient characterization,” I was also saying “I hate this twin. So badly. I wish she would get killed in a freak propeller accident in the London Tube.” And while I was saying “Oh, the writer geek in me is just loving all these opposite pairs” I was saying “oh please, fewer people, please! This cast of thousands is giving me an ulcer!” And while I was saying “Ohh HO HO!! I see what you did there!” I was also closing the book and saying “What the hell just happened?”


And then thinking I am so reading that again.


It is precisely like deciding your faulty boyfriend is the one you’re going to stick with forever. Why am I willing to overlook the flaws? Why do I love him? Is it because the good parts are that much better than the sterile perfect guy? Do I actually love the flaws? What is wrong with me? Do I need medication?

This weekend, I actually thought that I was going to write a post about why I loved HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY, despite the things that I blatantly didn’t like. But . . . I still don’t know. I mean, I know I will read it again and I know that the second it goes on sale I am going to be buying a hardcover to replace my ARC. But I don’t know why. It remains as mystical to me as why I said yes to my husband after saying no to so many others. And why it seemed to have worked, for that matter. The books that I am the most conflicted -- the ones that keep me thinking (and sometimes fuming) about them for days -- are the ones that I love the longest. Why!? WHY!?

So what do you guys think? Am I the only one who seems able to love a book despite a ton of evidence to the contrary?

It's been awhile since I recommended the books I've loved the most recently, so i figured I would catch up with two that I read recently and loved. To make it onto the blog as a recommendation, it has to be something that sticks with me for longer than the amount of time it took me to read it. Or something really different. Sometimes I actually have to read a book twice before I really love it.I'm annoyingly picky, so a lot of times I won't finish books or will like something but not love it enough to gush. These are the gushers.

STITCHES: A MEMOIR, by David Small. (September '09)
I am not going to tell you anything about this book.

I'm sure you're thinking that's an odd way to begin a review, but that's how I went into this book, and it worked for me. I was doing an interview with Booklist last weekend and I asked the interviewer what he thought was the graphic novel of the year so far. Without even having to consider, he said, "STITCHES." My publicist picked an advanced review copy up for me at ALA and I am thrilled that she did. I didn't know anythi...more I am not going to tell you anything about this book.

I'm sure you're thinking that's an odd way to begin a review, but that's how I went into this book, and it worked for me. I was doing an interview with Booklist last weekend and I asked the interviewer what he thought was the graphic novel of the year so far. Without even having to consider, he said, "STITCHES." My publicist picked an advanced review copy up for me at ALA and I am thrilled that she did. I didn't know anything about it except that it was a memoir written as a graphic novel, and that it was supposed to be fabulous (which makes me naturally mistrustful, of course). I didn't even read the back -- just opened it up in the airport and fell in.

So I won't tell you what this book is about. I will tell you this: David Small shines in illustrating the small details that make people real. This is a fairly dark book, but there were parts were I laughed out loud at Small's cunning characterizations. If you read other reviews, you'll see they call the style "cinematic" and "stunning" and it's both of those things. It's also whimsical, sad, and ultimately uplifting. It has possibly the best final line of any book I've read. Definitely one I'll be buying in hardcover and my favorite graphic novel for the past several years. Stunningly done and a good pick for adults who haven't stuck their toe in the graphic novel pool. The water's fine.

HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT, by Natalie Standiford (October 2009).
The best favor I can do to everyone considering reading this book is to tell them that it's not a YA romance. Once you get that out of the way, you can enjoy this book for what it is: a quirky, intelligent YA novel about two lost teens finding their way back to normalcy -- or not.

While the two main characters in this book are earnestly 3D, the real star of this novel is the late night radio program that both of them listen to. The quirky and sincere and bizarre and fascinating calle...more The best favor I can do to everyone considering reading this book is to tell them that it's not a YA romance. Once you get that out of the way, you can enjoy this book for what it is: a quirky, intelligent YA novel about two lost teens finding their way back to normalcy -- or not.

While the two main characters -- nicknamed 'Ghost Boy' & 'Robot Girl' -- in this book are earnestly 3D, the real star of this novel is the late night radio program that both of them listen to. The quirky and sincere and bizarre and fascinating callers enchant both the narrator and the reader, and ultimately, this book ended up on my five star list because the show and the ending remained in my head for longer than it took me to read the book.

I think this one also goes on my top five YAs that ought to be movies list -- I can see it perfectly in my head.


I'm hoping to have more posts up soon once I get through my ARCs for ALA. I'm really looking forward to them . . . don't let me down!

If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged. Take a photo of your bookshelf and post it on your blog so we can see what it looks like. No quick clean up allowed!

I have a million bookshelves, so I just picked one random fiction shelf and one nonfiction.

( Under da cut. . .  )

I just finished JELLICOE ROAD, a book I owned from before it won the Printz, in case anyone asks. I loved SAVING FRANCESCA and so I had high hopes. So. Here's the review:



I will preface this review by saying that I love this book. But not every will love this book.

I will also preface this review by saying that you shouldn't decide whether you belong in group A or group B before you get to page 125 or so. The first 125 pages are a confusing, emotional slog that seems to be about territorial "wars" between rival teen sects in Australia. But it's really brilliantly done -- because that is exactly what the main character, Taylor Markham, thinks of things. It's busy and there are plot threads everywhere and all I knew was that I loved SAVING FRANCESCA and Melina Marchetta was doing all of this for a reason.

And she was. It ties up beautifully in the end, and there's a scene which even made me shed a tear -- me, who has not cried since THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE (three tears) and while writing my second novel SHIVER (one tear from each eye) -- and I'm left feeling just about cheerful about everything in the book though it was not a Hollywood happy ending by any stretch.

I think quite possibly my absolute favorite thing that Marchetta does is the character reversal. She introduces a character which we view in a terrible light because the main character views them in a terrible light, and then she completely changes our mind about them in a subtle and realistic way throughout the book until finally we and the main character are in love. She did this in SAVING FRANCESCA and she pulled it off again in JELLICOE ROAD even though I was watching for it. By the time we get the first kiss in the novel, I was sort of clapping embarrassingly like a seal.

This is one of those books that I know will be wonderful on the reread, because I'll get to look past the busy beginning to see the groundwork Marchetta was laying.

Happy sigh. I'm very happy this one won the Printz this year.

Here's the link to Amazon.

and Powell's.

Real conversation overheard at Wal-mart today:


hm. In other news, I read two good books this week that didn't have any supernatural creatures wandering around for visual or plotting interest. This is obviously such a shocking occurrence for me, a self-admitted genre ho, that I feel compelled to mention them.

The first is Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta. It's about a girl of Italian heritage who has just started at a previously all-boys school -- the book's about her going through the school year after her previously vivacious mom falls into depression. If the plot summary doesn't turn you on, no worries, it didn't do anything for me either; I picked it up on recommendation. (Normally I go for books with summaries that are like: a girl of Italian heritage starts at a previously all-boys school and proceeds to find out there are scary supernatural animals in the toilets.) Anyway, ignore the summary and just pick it up on good faith like I did. 

The absolute best part of the book is the characters. Francesca starts out despising the boys of St. Sebastian's, but as she warms up to them and eventually loves them as friends and sometimes more, I did too. Francesca's voice is strong, compelling, and humorous without being overdone. Plus there are many, many laugh-out-loud bits and I loved the relationship between her mom and dad. It reminded me stunningly of myself and my husband. And oh - oh -- the ending was great. No Disney-esque tying up of threads but I felt completely happy when I closed the covers. I checked this one out from the library, but I'll be buying myself a copy to sit on my shelf for rereads. High praise from me! Especially for a book without any dead bodies!

The second is Say the Word by onegrapeshy  (Jeannine Garsee). I was lucky enough to get an ARC from Jeannine last week. I'll admit right now I was desperately afraid. I was afraid (no offense, Jeannine) that it would suck and I would have to think of nice things to say about it or just not say anything or send her an e-mail that said mumblemumblethanksmumblemumble. Because remember of course I have that problem with books lacking supernatural creatures or dead bodies or blood-letting in general. But to my surprise, the plot and characters were compelling enough that I read the entire thing through on a Sunday. Imagine my shock. The book is about Shawna, a girl whose world is turned upside down when her estranged lesbian mother dies. Another I would've never picked up on blurb alone, but the character relationships were interesting and always compelling and even though I sometimes wanted to strangle Shawna (especially in the second half) and thought some of the issues were a bit heavy-handed, I can't argue with a contemporary fiction that I just had to finish in one sitting. 

. . . for my sleepless night. I climbed into bed at 10, thinking I'd get an obscenely early night and lots of sleep so that I could gloat at my husband on his night shift. Well, sleep evaded me. So I got up and grabbed FROSTBITE (Richelle Mead's sequel to VAMPIRE ACADEMY), which my 17 y.o. sister had shoved into my hands and said "Top of to-be-read pile. Now." So I started reading, thinking I'd read for a half hour and feel sleepy.

Instead, I stayed up until 1 a.m. and finished it. So consider this a recommendation -- if you liked VA, you'll like this one. In fact, I actually thought the plot was a lot tighter in this one, and she's introduced some new characters that will be fun to see played with in the next one. I don't want to be spoilery, but there's a scene in the climax that I really didn't see coming and that made me very happy. It was very gutsy and it really worked!

I should add her that I'm not a fan of series books, but Richelle does a really good job of making each novel satisfying on its own right, without leaving you hanging. I'm also not a fan of vampire books, but again, Richelle does the same thing I do -- really grounds it in folklore so that it feels very . . . fantastical instead of horror . . ical. Horrorical is not a word. Horror-like? Horrific? Oop, there we go, that one's a real word.

I would give a plot summary here, but heck, Amazon already did a nice job with it, and anyway, the summary doesn't really do the entertainment of the novel justice. So I'm just going to sniff and say, what, my word that you should read it isn't enough? Go buy it if you haven't already. Go on.

Sundays are my reading days. Being self-employed means that I work my butt off during all my free time during the rest of the week, but Sundays are for me. I get to read all the books I've been stacking up or work on writing that novel I don't think will sell but makes me happy. This week I'm reading Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron. It came highly recommended by my editor, and I'm glad he did, because it's not the sort of book I would've picked up without a recommendation.

I'm about a third of the way through it and I'm really really liking it. Really. Liking. It. It's about a disaffected teen just out of high school, unsure of his direction. Yeah, yeah, sounds boring. It's not. The narrator's voice is so funny and likable, I'd read 200 pages of him doing nothing and be happy.

I think part of it is that James, the narrator, reflects so much of my teen experience. I could quote all my favorite poets and mourned the pitiful nature of modern society, wore black turtlenecks, and most importantly, despised the cheerful flitting things that were other kids my age. I always felt profoundly out of place, and James is so me. I suppose something terrible could happen at the end of the book, but barring that, I'm going to really recommend this one. I'm going to go curl back up with it now. It's a perfect dreary reading day and all the dogs want to sleep on me.

* ** EDIT: I just finished reading the novel and siggggh it didn't finish as nicely as it began. There was a particular bit of conflict (I won't do spoilers) that I was hoping would be resolved a bit better or at least in a more novel way . . . and it wasn't. And James lost a lot of his humor. Still recommend it . . . but not in the house-a-fire way I recommend my favorites. ***