Why I Love My Local Library

As a soon-to-be-published author, I know I should be encouraging all of you to go out and buy books.  And I, myself, should be supporting my fellow writers by contributing to their royalties.  (And now that I’ll actually be earning, I can.)  But patronizing your library isn’t about not buying books.  It’s about loving books.  And so much more.  So here is my shortlist of why I love my local library.

1.  Lest this post end up being completely selfish, let me begin by saying that my library makes unfathomably generous contributions to the community.  Literacy programs.  Free Internet and computer access.  Children’s programs.  Activities.  Shelter.  Books.  Let’s not forget the books, magazines, music CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, research materials, etc., etc., etc.

2.  Libraries are great for children.  I’ve been taking mine since they were chewing on board books.  The library is where we discovered Harry the Dirty Dog, Ed Young’s Seven Blind Mice and then graduated to every single Magic Tree House ever written.  My library has story time and summer reading programs.  Several times a year they do educational shows – we’ve been to see a program on wolf rescue twice.  With real wolves.  Gorgeous.

3.   Research.  You knew I would get here eventually, right? When I wasn’t sure if I could write an entire book on Catherine Howard, I went to the library.  And through interlibrary loan, I got a fabulous, 40-year-old biography of Henry’s fifth queen that had been sitting quietly in a sister library in the sleepy little town of Colusa, California.  It still contained an old-fashioned check-out stamp card with stamps from the 70s on it.  How the book got to Colusa, I don’t know.  But I’m glad it did.  And I’m very thankful for interlibrary loan.  (The book, by Lacey Baldwin Smith, has just been revised and reprinted, and I now own a copy, but I read the one from Colusa twice.)

4.  Libraries buy books.  Hardcover and paperback.  Sometimes multiple copies.  And not just mine (I hope they buy mine!)  My local chain bookstore carries a seemingly infinite variety of paranormal YA.  But little-to-no historical.  And minimal contemporary.  I do my browsing at the library. 

5.  Librarians.  Not only can they help you find the book you want, they can help you find the book you didn’t know you wanted.  They know who just won the Printz and who wrote “that book about the vampire.”  They’re friendly.  Helpful.  Knowledgeable.  And cool.

Originally posted on the YAMuses blog, December 2010.  But I still feel exactly the same.

Confessions (and a Challenge)

I don't do resolutions -- at least I try not to.  Number one, they make me feel guilty.  And I can generally find enough stuff to feel guilty about without adding more.  Number two, any day is a good day to change behaviour and bad habits -- not just the first of the year.  Or so I keep telling myself.

So instead of my resolutions, I'm going to share with you two confessions.  And offer a challenge.  Ready?

Confession # 1.  I read NEVER EIGHTEEN by my 2k12 Classmate, Megan Bostic, a long time ago.  As soon as it appeared on Net Galley, I sent in a request.  I love contemporary YA (I know, crazy, because I write historical stuff) and this book had all the elements -- love, fear, friendship, tragedy.  There's nothing I like better than being so moved by a novel that I cry.  Not only this, but it's set in the Pacific Northwest, an area I haunted on and off for a year in my 20's, and still feel an enormous connection with.  Reading the book was like revisiting my youth.  The confession part is, that I haven't said a word about it until now.  Mostly because if I'd blogged about it back in May, it wouldn't have that much impact.  However, now the book will be out in two weeks (January 17).  And I'm hoping it will make a huge impact.

You see, it's the story of a boy, Austin Parker, who is doing what he can to change the lives of the people he loves.  He can't do much -- he doesn't have time.  But he does what he can.  He reaches out.  And sometimes, this is the most any of us can do.

Which brings us to Confession #2.  Until this past holiday season, I hadn't sent Christmas cards in nine years.  Nine years.  I have friends in many diverse places.  And, unfortunately, I've lost touch with many of them (not everyone can be found on Facebook).  But I want to be in contact with them.  So this past year, I had to try.  Thanks to Megan and Austin Parker.

It's hard to reach out into the void, not knowing if you're going to connect.  I knew I'd lost some people forever.  People move.  And move on.  I've already got one letter back -- Return to Sender.  But I also received a very sweet e-mail from an address in England telling me that the people I sent the letter to had moved.  That letter may never have been returned, and it felt good knowing that someone had the decency to let me know that I had it wrong.  So I could start another search.

Megan has kindly allowed me to participate in her Project Pass It On.  Not only is this a way to get the word out on her book, it's also a way to encourage readers to connect with others.  Check out the web page.  It's wonderful.  And think of ways you can connect.

Now I just need to find the perfect place to pass my copy on.

Friday Five -- My Favorite Books of 2011

I hesitate to say the "Best" books of 2011, because the word is so subjective.  When thinking of "best" I encounter a difficulty choosing between a story I adore, a concept that is truly unique and simply stellar writing.  Plus I know I've read too few books really to be able to suggest that I know which books of 2011 were the "best".

Caveat over.  On to the books!  In no particular order.

1.  Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.  I blogged about this book back in June over on the YA Muses.  And I can't stop thinking about it.  It covers a segment of history about which I knew nothing, follows the story of a strong and compelling protagonist and tells a story of such poignance and power that it lingers many months in the mind.

2.  Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.  If you haven't read Anna and the French Kiss or its companion/follow-up, Lola, walk away now and go find a copy.  Feel-good romance and detailed characters you feel you know.  I was so glad to see Anna and St. Clair in Lola, but equally glad that it really told Lola's tale.  She's a character you need to meet.

3.  Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach.  I wasn't sure I would like this book at first, but it ended up being another one that seized me and wouldn't let go.  An somewhat unreliable narrator who knows he is unreliable but who the reader can look past and see the truth before the character himself can.  So cleverly done, I need to read it again to see how Herbach did it.

4.  Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace.  I love boarding school books.  And this one is set in the 80's (my favorite decade?  No, I guess the 90's were better) and in Zimbabwe.  I felt attachment to this novel before I even read it, and since reading it, I feel I know Zimbabwe better.  History -- only 30 years old -- that few people know or understand brought to life in a novel that could be contemporary.

5.  What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen.  I love Dessen's novels, and this one did not disappoint.  Beautifully rendered, with fully-developed characters each with quirks and faults and truth.

There are many more books out there that deserve to be on this list.  And I'm always on the lookout for recommendations from others!  Let me know what you've read this year, what's surprising, what made you cry, what changed you.  And, of course, what you're looking forward to next year!

5.

Best. Present. Ever.

I have a very dear friend -- we've known each other since we were fifteen -- who is always a breath of light and happiness when I see her.  We tend to fall into the same kind of chat and banter that we always have, even though we only see each other a couple of times a year.  We catch up -- "How's your dad?" "What are your kids up to?"and then we just are.

Wilathi is an artist, a gardener, a healer and a philosopher.  She is one of those people you love to know.  And she is also one of those people who treasures her friends and family.  I'm glad to be one of them.

Yesterday, Wil gave me a holiday gift.  When she handed me the square-framed, lensless glasses, I didn't get it at first.  She had decorated the temples and the rims, but the original rosy color shone through.  I put them on, asked, "Do these make me look more intelligent?"

And then I got it.

In our twenties, Wil delightedly accepted the fact that she sees the world through rose-colored glasses.  She wants to be the optimist.  The Pollyana.  The one who sees the good in the world.  "There's already so much negativity," she says. "So much darkness.  Why shouldn't we put these on to help us remember that there is also positivity, goodness and light?"

So I have my rose-colored glasses.  When things seem to be too much for me, when the fact of my father's illness or the snarky reviews or the weight of my responsibilities get to me, I can put them on, and remember the good, the positive and the light.  And Wil.

Merry Christmas

And happy Boxing Day, everyone.  Here's wishing that you are having a fabulous holiday!

Follow Friday -- Santa

'Tis the Season, right?

Several Christmases ago, I heard a story on NPR about how back in the dark ages, before Internet, a Colorado Springs Sears and Roebuck printed an add for kids to call Santa.  Unfortunately, the number was misprinted, and kids were directed to CONAD (the Continental Air Defense Command).  But the confusion gave the commander-in-chief a brilliant idea.  They track airplanes, right?  And other flying objects?  Why not Santa?

So from then on, they have.  And you can, too.  Through the present day North American Aerospace Defense Command.

Check out NORAD tracks Santa
And @noradsanta on Twitter.

Where is Santa right now?  Go find him.  And tell your kids.

Cover Reveal for IF I LIE by Corrine Jackson

I've been wanting to read this book since it was announced on Publisher's Marketplace back in March -- and I still have to wait until August to read it!  But the darling Corrine Jackson has just revealed her cover for IF I LIE, and I'm just desperate to share it here:

And here's the synopsis (from the synopsis that will be on the galleys):


A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.
Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.
Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.