Fairrosa Cyber Library: Bulletin Board

Nation! Colbert Interviewed Maurice Sendak!

fairrosa — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:16:23 +0000

Two-part installments on the Cobert Report – Best back-and-forth of two word cannons, firing one witty comment after another at each other and the audience.

Watch them

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/406796/january-24-2012/grim-colberty-tales-with-maurice-sendak-pt–1

and

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/406902/january-25-2012/grim-colberty-tales-with-maurice-sendak-pt–2

Re reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood…

fairrosa — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:33:51 +0000

Re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to make quiz questions. Enjoying it very much. Rowling is quite good at setting up scenes and coming up with surprising turns of events.

Since I am officially on the 2013 Newbery…

fairrosa — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:28:22 +0000

Since I am officially on the 2013 Newbery Committee now, I am going to stop blogging about specific titles I read this year. But, children’s and YA lit news and musings on writing for children and such will start appearing here!

This morning’s ALA Youth Media Awards Press Conference…

fairrosa — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:34:36 +0000

This morning’s ALA Youth Media Awards Press Conference was fun and full of great titles to cheer and to explore. See the whole list here: http://ala.org/news/pr?id=9108

Half way through Same Sun Here having a…

fairrosa — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:20:35 +0000

Half way through Same Sun Here (having a hard time remembering the title correctly….) and cried on the subway to work today reading the turn of events in the story. There are definitely enough life hardships for both characters to sustain my interest and and the two kids feel authentic and endearing. It also feels like a very good classroom, discussion-generating book. There are the concepts of stereotypes, fear of terrorists, environmental exploitation, illegal activities, illness and death of family members, and I just encountered the word “faggot.” I feel that the authors are courageous and honest — instead of sensationalizing daily life. I am waiting to find out how all these scenario play out in the story.

Just read this short article on The Guardian…

fairrosa — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:11:15 +0000

Just read this short article on The Guardian and will go and check out the battle between authors/publishers and readers/bloggers.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/16/ya-novel-readers-publishing-establishment?newsfeed=true

Reading Same Sun Here by Silas House &…

fairrosa — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:43:44 +0000

Reading Same Sun Here, by Silas House & Neela Vaswani — due out next month from Candlewick. About 1/5 into the book and finding it genuine and nice. Wondering if there will be tension in either of these kids’ lives to carry the reader through the remaining 237 pages. At this point, at least River’s life is going to get interesting with his Activist grandmother’s involvement in the environmental issues in Kentucky. What will Meena’s “problem” be? Does she NEED a problem? Question: How common is it for a young girl of 12 who’s only been in the States for 3 years to decide so easily to break away from the tradition of a matched marriage?

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

fairrosa — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:16:05 +0000

Finally finished it… and after 545 pages (in the ARC) I want it to keep going… so the wait begins, again, for the next installment.

How does an author touch one’s heart so profoundly? What did she do that’s just right? The pacing is perfect – without much battle or fight scenes. I knew the general direction that the story must follow and felt rewarded, rather than bored, when the story arc falls neatly where I anticipated — but, also surprised along the way with many little bits and pieces that Cashore masterfully inserted into the story to make it even more intriguing and the world even more realized.

The book is, though, filled with so much sorrow that one can almost not bear reading through. I hope young people (14 and up?) will not be as horrified as us older readers by Leck’s astrocity on his victims and his forced accomplices. I am amazed at the sympathy I felt toward him — the pure evil embodiment through the 3 books — and how damaged a mind and what a torture chamber that mind is for himself.

Glad to see the other beloved characters from Graceling and Fire and can’t wait to see what the next, culminating kind of story Cashore will bring us.

And — Kristin, please don’t worry about publishing the next book right away. We can wait. And if you are having trouble telling the next story, go do something else. Go write something else. Go present your insights on Fantasy world building, on character development, on capturing emotional truths, etc. to the world. Thank you so much for a most affecting story!

Filed under: 5 stars, YA

Work got in the way from reading a…

fairrosa — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:42:58 +0000

Work got in the way from reading a LOT more of the the story that I wished to… I love my job, of course, but at this point, I love the book more! Only one question tonight: why are all three couples in Cashore’s books deal with their relationships in agony, argument, and fights? Simply to keep the tension high or is that something the author believes to be the reality of love affairs between people?

Following one of the patterns in the book…

fairrosa — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:49:21 +0000

Following one of the patterns in the book, I am listing a few of my puzzles of Bitterblue’s tale: Does she have a Grace? What is it? I vaguely remember thinking at the end of Graceling that she MUST have a grace (probably MATH?) Do Teddy and Saf know that she’s the Lady Queen? What did Leck ask Thiel to do in the Prologue? Is it to MEND Ashen after he tortured her? Will Cashore set up a Love-Triangle? (Please don’t!) Will I be able to follow the forthcoming Ciphers and Codes or will I be too baffled and frustrated because it’s too high level for me? And —

Is Saf’s name inspired by William Safire who wrote about word origins for the Times Magazine?