September in review

I haven't done a monthly wrap-up post since the end of June! I fail at blogging over the summer, it seems.  I'm going to work harder to get back into a blogging and reading routine.  So the bottom sections with the reading challenges will cover all three months but otherwise July and August's posts have disappeared from my head. Oh well. I hope September was a wonderful month for you... Bring on October and Halloween and some spooky/darker reads, eh?

Books Read in September 2013:

Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen
Popping the Cherry by Aurelia B. Rowl
Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott
The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle
Hell Without You by Ranae Rose
Dear Cassie by Lisa Burstein
Hostage Three by Nick Lake
The Rules by Stacey Kade
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner
Goodbye, Rebel Blue by Shelley Coriell
The Fall by Anthony McGowan
Prisoner In Alcatraz by Theresa Breslin
Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter
   
Total: 14

Total for 2013:187

My reading has slowed down considerably over the last month.  I have an exam in about 10 days, and that is taking up ALL of my time.  All of the books that I've read this month have been downloaded from Netgalley as I'm working very hard to increase my feedback ratio there (it currently stands at 22%)

I've read some wonderful books this month, including Through the Zombie Glass, Goodbye, Rebel Blue and Hostage Three...

What was the best of the bunch though?

September Book of the Month:

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott


It has to be Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott. She is definitely one of my favourite authors for a reason. I love how much emotion that she packs into every page of her books.

Books reviewed in September:

Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter
The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher
Goodbye, Rebel Blue by Shelley Coriell

Guest Reviews

Raining Fire by Alan Gibbons
Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn
Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

A very big thank you, as always, to (one of) my lovely guest review, Kulsuma! Thank you for your consistent and interesting reviews! I really do appreciate it. Especially as I'm a bit rusty on writing reviews lately...

Non-review posts during September:

How well do you market yourself or your blog?

Relationship History and what I'd like to see more of in YA
Break-up Songs that I'd like YA Authors to use as Inspiration
Books that didn't end with a couple-related HEA

Latest selections from my book club

My non-review bookish posts have been quite popular this month! I feel as though this is where the blog is headed, with less emphasis on reviews and more on discussion posts.  The blog self-promotion post surprised me by how well received it was. And I just had a blast ranting a little bit about the over-emphasis of happily-ever-afters in YA. You'll see one or two more posts on this subject soon, I'm sure.

UKYA in 2013

Jonathan Stroud's Favourite Places to Read

PTSD in The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher

I really wanted to bring you more posts covering UKYA in 2013, but it just didn't happen this month. I'm very happy to have hosted both Jonathan Stroud and Lucy Christopher on the blog this month. Both were excellent guest posts and I really do hope that you go out and read both of their books!

If you are a UKYA author with a book published this year, please do get in touch about guest posting here on Fluttering Butterflies! I'd love to have you.

Waiting on Wednesday

No Waiting on Wednesday posts this month, I'm afraid. Perhaps next month if I have the energy!

Bookshelf Requirements

Amanda Rutter's Bookshelf Requirements

Thank you so much, Amanda, for bringing us your wonderful bookshelf requirements post! I love the variety of different books that everyone chooses. 

This feature is sorely lacking participants. Please do get in touch either via comments, twitter or email if you'd like to take part in Bookshelf Requirements.

British Books Challenge update in July-September

Scissors, Sisters and Manic Panics by Ellie Phillips
Silent Saturday by Helen Grant
The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Dead Jealous by Sharon Jones
Rolling Dice by Beth Reekles
The Name on Your Wrist by Helen Hiorns
Night School: Fracture by CJ Daugherty
Undeniable by Liz Bankes
Diary of a Grace by Sarra Manning
ACID by Emma Pass
Popping the Cherry by Aurela B. Rowl
Hostage Three by Nick Lake
The Fall by Anthony McGowan
Prisoner in Alcatraz by Theresa Breslin

Total in July-September:15
Total in 2013: 50

Okay. Not bad. Sure 15 books in three months is not a lot, only 5 books a month on average, but I'm happy with this amount. And books by British authors currently makes up 27% of my overall reading this year. I say that's a success. I'll be working hard over the next few months to boost the numbers by the end of the year. Let's see how that goes!

Personal challenge to read 10 non-review books a month:

Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard
The Submissive by Tara Sue Me
Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt
Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Seven Years to Sin by Sylvia Day
Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar (re-read)
Pink by Lili Wilkinson
Dead Jealous by Sharon Jones
The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr
The Dominant by Tara Sue Me

Total in July-September:12
Total in 2013: 46/120

Ahh! In three months, I only read 12 of my own books. How and why am I failing so badly at this personal challenge?! Look at the total for the year... 46. When by now it should be almost double that number. Will I manage to complete this challenge by the end of the year? What do you think?

What was your favourite book that you read in September? 

REVIEW: Goodbye, Rebel Blue by Shelley Coriell

I really loved Goodbye, Rebel Blue by Shelley Coriell.  It was fun and thought-provoking and romantic and very heart-felt. More than anything else, Goodbye, Rebel Blue has inspired me to think more about what things I put my time and effort into, what I'm passionate about, what I'd like on my bucket list, what I'm afraid of and what my truths are. I love a book that makes me think and feel as much as this book.  I highly recommend it for that reason alone...

It is a great book though. I really loved Shelley Coriell's previous book, Welcome Caller, This Is Chloe, so I did have pretty high expectations for this book and all of those expectations were met and in some cases exceeded! Plus, I find the cover of this book to be very eye-catching. What a gorgeous blue.

Goodbye, Rebel Blue is the story of Rebecca (nickname: Rebel) who's a bit stand-offish and has an attitude and doesn't really connect with anyone in her life since her artist mother died and she was shipped off to leave with her aunt and uncle and her cousin, Penelope.  Since then, she's shut herself off from everyone else. And all of that comes to a head when in detention Rebel meets a girl, Kennedy Green, who dies that same day. In order to atone for some of the guilt that Rebel feels for the way she treated Kennedy, Rebel decides to do all of the things on this dead girl's bucket list. And in doing so, comes to some very important realisations about herself, her friends, her family and what she needs as an individual.

The whole bucket list was pretty fun. Each chapter begins with a kind of jokey bucket list that Rebel writes to pass the time. They're all pretty ridiculous and because of how silly they are, they made me smile with each chapter that I started.  Kennedy Green's bucket list, however, is all about doing good for other people. Volunteering with the school's 100 club, daily acts of kindness, planting trees, adopting endangered animals, honouring her dead grandparents. And doing things on Kennedy's bucket list really pushes Rebel in ways that she hadn't been pushed. Rebel really starts off as being slightly unlikeable and brash.  But I always really liked Rebel's character. There's a vulnerability in her and you can tell she really struggles to find a place where she fits in after losing her mother and the lifestyle that they had together. Finding a place to belong is something I strive for as well, so I felt really connected to Rebel in that way.

I think what I like the most about Goodbye, Rebel Blue is how much Rebel changes over the course of the book not only in herself but also in her relationships with her family, her friend Macey and with Nate, the popular do-gooder that she slowly falls for. I loved Rebel for putting herself out there in these relationships. Rebel also has some great ideas about fear and truth which seem to go hand-in-hand.

Goodbye, Rebel Blue is filled with pie and turtles and shark teeth and blue hair dye ... but it's also filled with great characters, kindnesses, truth and identity. Someone remarks in the book that certain people come into our lives at certain times because of destiny and sometimes books do too.

PTSD in The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher (Blog Tour)

I'm hugely excited to be today's stop for The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher blog tour! The Killing Woods is an incredible book, one that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. I highly recommend that you do find yourself a copy of the book and dive into the mysterious, atmospheric and beautiful writing of Lucy Christopher. 

The topic for Lucy's guest post today has personal meaning to me. My father is a war veteran and I witnessed the effects of his PTSD throughout my childhood. I'm glad that PTSD is something that is being talked about and

If you'd like to know more about Lucy Christopher or The Killing Woods, please do visit the following websites:

Lucy Christopher ... Lucy on Twitter ... Lucy on Facebook ... Add The Killing Woods to Goodreads

PTSD in The Killing Woods

by Lucy Christopher

Lucy Christopher (c) Rolf Marriot

PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder, is a medical condition that may develop after a person has experienced something traumatic. This could come in the form of a sexual assault, an injury, the witnessing of something horrific, or an experience that was life threatening.

In my novel, The Killing Woods, Emily’s father is suffering from PTSD as a result of the disturbing things he witnessed as a combat soldier.  During the novel Emily recounts how her father, Jon Shepherd, experienced some of the most common symptoms of this disorder: recurring flashbacks, a blanking out of the event itself, a retreat into himself and a high level of anxiety. Jon Shepherd spends more and more time in the abandoned World War Two bunker in the woods behind their house, drawing dark, twisted images of death and the woods on its walls in an attempt to work through the pain inside of him. Emily and her mother do not know how to help him return to the strong capable father he once was, and there has not been enough general support since Jon was dismissed from combat. When Jon Shepherd begins the narrative of The Killing Woods by arriving out of the woods with the body of a dead girl and with no idea how it happened, it is assumed he murdered her. Jon has a reoccurring flashback of the last event he experienced in combat: where he accidently killed a civilian who was running to him for help. It is assumed that due to a flashback brought on by a thunderstorm, Jon Shepherd has done it all again.

Only Emily doesn’t believe it.  She remembers her dad as the kind, storytelling figure that existed before his last Tour of Duty. She knows he could never murder an innocent girl, even while in a flashback. 

This novel is about uncovering and acknowledging the dark cracks that exist within everyone.  It is about the blurring between different states of reality – whether that be while suffering a flashback, or a blackout from drinking too much – and what could be committed while in one of these states. It is about uncovering the truth through acknowledging dark urges.

I became interested in PTSD because I was fascinated by how a person’s personality can change completely as a result of an experience they’ve had. For combat soldiers particularly, the change often seems most extreme: fighters moving from being previously proud and capable protectors to being crumbling, scared and defenceless.  As a writer I am always interested in extremes and in how people move between them. I am also interested in different states of reality that mental disorders, as well as substance abuse, may provide. And I am interested in uncovering a more fuller understanding of why people may do the things they do. I researched PTSD through talking to retired combat soldiers and through reading articles and books about the disorder. My account of the disorder is not based on any one true experience and is a work of fiction. I tried to get across the fear of what it may be like to live with a family member suffering from this debilitating disorder, but I admit it may not always be entirely accurate to any individual’s experience.

For further research into PTSD, and into how mental ill-health affects ex-Service men and women of all ages, check out the wonderful and crucial work of the charity Combat Stress – www.combatstress.org.uk

REVIEW: The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher

I absolutely loved The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher. I loved the characters and how conflicted they feel. I loved pulling apart the mystery of this novel. I loved the urgency of the novel and also the atmosphere. Those woods feel like one of the main characters of the book alongside Emily and Damon! And while I felt like there was a lot going on with this book I thought that all the different strands of the story were weaved together and written with beauty and emotion.

This story begins incredibly dramatically. We have Emily's dad returning from the woods, holding the body of a teenage girl. Because he's a veteran suffering from PTSD it is assumed by him as well as police that he killed this girl while living out a flashback.  Emily doesn't believe this for a minute and sets out to find answers about what her dad was doing out in the woods and what reason this girl, Ashlee Parker, had to be out there as well. 

At the same time, Damon, the murdered girl's boyfriend is waking up after a crazy night and he cannot recall the details of how he got to where he is. All of his memories are a bit fuzzy of the night before. The night when his girlfriend, Ashlee, has been killed. So Damon and Emily need to work together to fit the pieces of what happened together including a World War II bunker, a dog collar, and a dangerous game played in the woods...

As the story goes on, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what's been happening in these woods and of the characters that populate the story. And then another secret is revealed, another layer of the story unfolds and I found myself completely at the mercy of Lucy Christopher as she gives us new twists and a very unpredictable outcome. I was a bit breathless with anticipation throughout this book because of the amazing pace and the slow-but-steady build-up to the finale.

I thought Emily and Damon were brilliant characters. Emily is very determined and has very strong opinions on what she believes her dad capable of and it does not in any way include murder. Her stubborness to see that possibility was heart-breaking to read about, especially as some doubt does trickle in as she learns more of her father's mindset at the time.  And Damon's doubt and uncertainty over what may or may not have happened made me feel a bit helpless on his behalf. Both of these characters are hoping for the best but are left staring into the possibility of darker things and at the same time I wanted the best for them both but it just doesn't seem likely... I was very emotionally invested in this story right from the start. The Killing Woods is an addictive and emotional story with a brilliant cast of characters and an unpredictable mystery. I highly recommend it!

Do come back tomorrow for a fab guest post by Lucy Christopher as part of her The Killing Woods Blog Tour!

REVIEW: Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter

I absolutely adored the first book in this series, Alice in Zombieland, so I was incredibly excited to start reading Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter.  These are the only two books by Gena Showalter that I've read so far, but I'm quite looking forward to reading something else by her. I love the characters she's written and their relationships to each other.

Because of the fact that many sequels I've read this year have been disappointing, I was slightly nervous to read this book. I shouldn't have been and I hope that you don't remain hesitant either. I was able to dive straight back into this story without any confusion and I quickly fell under its spell. 

With Alice in Zombie Land, I really enjoyed seeing little glimpses of familiar things from Alice in Wonderland.  It was comforting to read a book involving zombies and families dying in which there is also fluffy white rabbits in the clouds that is sending a message because I knew that in some small way the overall structure of the novel was following a familiar theme. I didn't have any previous knowledge like that with Through The Zombie Glass. There is a storyline that involves Ali's reflection in the mirror that I imagine would also be a storyline in Through the Look Glass, but other than that everything in the story was a new discovery.

All the other people we met from book one are here - Ali, who's just found out about zombies and the slayers who kill them. Her Nana, who I love to bits with her wacky 'teen' vocabulary and overall awesome ways. Kat, the somewhat annoying but loyal best friend with relationship drama. Reeve, the clueless friend that everyone is trying to protect. The other slayers, Bronx and Frosty. And of course Cole the brooding, smoking hot slayer and Ali's boyfriend who shared all those steamy visions with Ali.

I think the two main things that are being dealt with in Through the Zombie Glass are trust and change - two very scary things and I loved how each of these things plays out throughout the novel.  Things are supposed to be great between Ali and Cole now.  Things went down at the end of Alice in Zombieland, sure. Ali learns she's got crazy-awesome powers but gets badly injured in a big battle and yes, Cole feels responsible for that.  But he isn't supposed to pull away from Ali and keep secrets from her.  So when two other slayers from Georgia, Veronia and Gavin, arrive they bring with them all kinds of drama.  Because Veronica is yet another of Cole's ex-girlfriends set to win Cole back and if things couldn't get any worse, Ali shares visions with Gavin! 

There's so much more to this story than just relationship drama though. There's plenty of zombie-killing action and new information to be learnt - about Anima, Ali's powers, the visions, a spy in the midst. Everything about Through the Zombie Glass had my heart-racing and I cried at several points. This book is filled with so much emotion - heartbreak, determination, loyalty, passion. I await the next book in the series with baited breath! 

How well do you market yourself or your blog?

I've been writing Fluttering Butterflies for well over 7 years now. And it's only recently that I came to a very important realisation... and that is that I am absolutely CRAP at marketing either myself or this blog. I can't begin to count how many times I've been at a bookish event surrounded by other bookish people (librarians, booksellers, authors, other bloggers) who had probably never heard of my blog before.  And during the course of these events I'd have conversations with these people and the subject of my blog would come up. Here is a typical example:

Interested bookish person: And you write a book blog? I've not heard of it before, is it successful?
Me: I do okay. *quickly changes subject*

Once, I even had a lovely author (who I'm going to assume marketing herself and her books is somewhat of a requirement) jump into one of these conversations in which I was doing everything in my power NOT to be the center of attention and she sang my praises. Mentioned that I'd won awards, that I'd been doing this blogging thing awhile, that a lot of bloggers and authors and publicists know who I am, said a bit about my focus on Awesome Women and UKYA and Love month. And I just stood there silently. And afterwards I thought to myself 'why the hell didn't *I* say all that?'

Word of mouth 

So, I'm pretty much failing at the whole tooting my own horn thing. My family on the whole do not know of my blog. Many of my friends don't either. I've only recently started giving out the blog address to people that I know. The looks on their faces when I tell them I've been blogging for over 7 years is always interesting. Especially because it's a huge part of my life and I just never mention it to people. I'm not sure how many of my friends or family would regularly read my blog even if they knew that I did it? But that isn't a great excuse for why I don't tell people.

Have you ever googled ways to get more blog followers or more traffic to your blog? I have. I lap up those articles with top 10/30/50 Best Things To Do lists. And then I ignore nearly all of their tips and advice.

Business cards and link to blog in email signature
 
I've been to many events since I started blogging. I meet lots of new people at these places and every single time I'm at an event, I'll meet someone new. Somebody nice and interesting and I think 'I must go home and bookmark this person's blog/website address' and if they have a business card, all the easier. I love receiving someone's business card. Me on the other hand, I never promote myself at events, even when asked. I have a bunch of pretty business cards (that N made for me for the sole purpose of handing out at bookish events) that I also never give out. I feel shy and self-conscious about these things.

I've gone as far as including a link to my blog in my email signature and called it a day. What can I say? I don't like being showy about certain things. It's something that I need to get over already.

Commenting on other blogs 

I do pretty well with commenting on other blogs. I never think of it as 'networking' and I comment on the blogs in which I think I have something to say or add and while I hope comments will be incentive for that blogger to also visit my site and comment, I don't generally think of it in those terms. And I've never stopped reading or commenting on a blog because they've never visited/commented on my blog either.

There are lots of people out there who comment on blogs and end their comments with a link to their blog. I find that sometimes to be annoying but mostly I find it helpful as it's one easy click away to someone else's blog and I always think to myself that I just do that more often. Never do though.

RSS feeds

I know that I am not the best at putting it out there for readers to easily know the different ways of reading my blog. I should be. I should at least mention occasionally that you can follow me via BlogLovin' easily. I use Feedly and you can follow me on there if that's your preference.  Perhaps I should have a link in my sidebar for easy access to that?

Giveaways

One of the biggest ways that I've seen bloggers promote themselves is by giving extra entries in giveaways for things like following their blog, following them on twitter or liking a Facebook page. And while I can see the appeal of all these extra followers, I've never done it.  I read someone say years ago that they'd prefer to gain followers because of their own good content and the readability of their blog and I liked the sentiment of that.  But sometimes I also curse myself and my stupid ideals when I see other blogs gaining 100s of GFC followers and likes on their Facebook page during a giveaway and when I look back and realise that I haven't had a significant increase in any of my followers in a long time.

Twitter 

I am on Twitter. I don't think I use it to its full potential.  I'll mention a current blog post on Twitter occasionally, more if it's a guest post, blog tour, interview or giveaway. But I don't do timed tweets. I don't use hashtags to their full potential. I don't always link publishers into my reviews. I don't think I'm overly original or interesting in the way I tweet about my blog posts either. I do try my best to tweet about other interesting things, to help promote other blogger's or author's posts, but I think I could do more for my own possibly.

Facebook

Ah, Facebook. As I mentioned previously, not many friends of family know about my blog. Therefore, I don't update my personal Facebook page with links to my blog posts. I'm even shy about sending friend requests to other book bloggers or authors I know.

I do have a Fluttering Butterflies Facebook page that I update regularly and where I try to add content that isn't found on this blog. And while I do have several lovely readers who 'like' my status updates and comment on it often, it still has less than 100 'likes' and I don't know how to bump up that number in a non-annoying manner. It doesn't even automatically link to my current blog posts anymore!

StumbleUpon

All of the articles I've read about getting more traffic/followers to a blog recommend StumbleUpon. I'll admit, I logged onto it just now to see if this time would be any different ... and I still don't know how it works. It's too confusing for me and I hate that I just don't get it. I certainly don't use StumbleUpon to boost my traffic, though I remember that once, I did get a lot of traffic when someone else highlighted one of my posts.

Tumblr

Yes, I have a Tumblr account. And yes, I do check it ... maybe once or twice every few months. Only once in all of that time did I try to use that account (and my paltry number of followers) to promote a blog post. Mostly it's all funny gifs, right? I think if I were updating more and had more followers there than it might be more useful, but I can't see myself putting in that much effort to build a new following.

Pinterest

No. Just no. I know lots of people who use it. And I do get hits from Pinterest boards, which I'm thankful for. But I just don't want to do it. I don't want to take part in another online community where I'll be sucked into a time-waste. I just don't wanna. You can't make me.

YouTube

The BookTubing community is one that I've been hearing a lot about. Mostly it's other book bloggers that are concerned that BookTubers are becoming more widely known over book blogs. And that maybe book blogs are going out of fashion based on the popularity these BookTubers are gaining? Is all that true? I don't know. Creating vlogs is still something that I'd like to do (my YouTube channel), and I'd like to dip my toes in the BookTubing community ... will it lead to more traffic or readers of this blog? I'm thinking no, but it could still be fun.

Other online communities

 Can you think of other online communities that you're part of that you could utilise better? I have lots of friends on GoodReads. I'm part of the Nerdfighter community. Do I use either of these places to promote myself or my blog? Why are you surprised that the answer is still 'no' hmm?

So, what do you say? How well do you market yourself or your blog?

REVIEW: Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

Guest review by Kulsuma

Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale was a really dramatic story. This was a really fast-paced story with a lot going on. It captured my attention from the very first page. When Rose’s mother dies after suffering from Huntington’s disease, Rose is obviously devastated by her mother’s death. Added to this, as Huntington’s disease is genetically inherited, Rose has a 50/50 chance of developing the disease herself. But then she finds out that her mother wasn’t really her mother... To make matters worse, she was switched at birth.

Someone Else’s Life was full of twists and turns. There was something happening on every page. I loved how rapid the action was and the revelations. Rose was a good character to start with. I did feel sorry for her because of all that she had to go through. When she finds out the truth, I could understand her anger, frustration and confusion.

Also, I understood her desire to find her real mother. However, when we meet the people whose lives she will affect, my feelings towards her changed. She could have acted smarter than she did, thought things through and made better decisions.

Of course at such a tumultuous time in your life, it’s easy to make wrong decisions but I thought Rose turned out to be naive. I saw plot twists coming. I didn’t like the way she treated her boyfriend Andy and also the way they kept fighting, making up and then fighting again. It got wearisome and repetitive.

I felt sorry for the other main character, Holly. I agreed with her point of view. She felt like Rose was taking everything away from her and I could understand her. I related more to Holly than to Rose. Many dramatic events happen throughout the book. It really is a rollercoaster ride. Dale’s writing was easy to read. The story is poured onto the page.

Overall, I liked the characters and could understand their motivations. What dampened my regard for the book was a few unneeded twists at the end which lessened the impact that the story had on me. Other than that, Someone Else’s Life is a good story.

Thank you very much for your great review, Kulsuma!

Books that didn't end up with a couple-related HEA

I've been writing blog posts recently about wanting more realistic relationships in YA novels. It annoys me that many YA novels are overly focused on romantic relationships and that a lot of them end up with this overly romantic happily-ever-after in which two people are formed into a couple and ride off into the sunset. While I do love this sometimes I'd also like to see more variety in types of relationships. Couples breaking up. Things ending. Characters ending up single. Because of the majority of teenage relationships don't end up as being 'forever' or 'happily ever after' so why do so many YA couples? And what sort of message is that sending to people of all ages?  

This post is going to contain spoilers for three really great books that I read this year.  I can honestly say that one of the MAIN reasons that I love them so much is because at the conclusion of the books, the main character (all three female) did not end up with their love interest.  I found it wonderfully different and refreshing reading these books. And I'm bringing them up today in celebration of bucking the HEA trend.  But I also don't want to spoil things for potential readers and have written the rest of my post after the cut. Only click and read if you're happy to read spoilers in this way!

Break-up songs that I'd like YA authors to use as inspiration

Last week, I talked about wanting more realistic relationships in YA. Be gone with all of those happily-ever-endings. What I want to read about are break-ups. The dramatic and angry ones, the ones that just peter out naturally and everything in between. And it was as I was walking to my sons' school that I realised there are some great break-up songs that I could definitely see as being great potential YA novels.  Stick with me.

 

You Oughta Know by Alanis Morisette

Is it just me? Man, I love this song. I love angry Alanis more than most things. And I can't help but belting out the lyrics to this one all these years later.  (I'M HERE TO REMIND YOU... etc.) Perhaps this is just my own personal preference, but I would love to see more angry girl characters in YA books ala Alanis Morrisette in this song. And not only that, there's so much emotion in it too. I listen to this song and I can just see it. This big, emotional relationship (and also 'perverted'?!) in which 'forever' is discussed. And they break up and he moves on straight away. Sounds like a great teen drama to me. No shrinking violets that will shrivel up and die under a broken heart.

It was a slap in the face how quickly I was replaced
Are you thinking of me when you fuck her?





We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is the Queen of the Break-Up Song, right? I could have chosen any of a number of Taylor Swift songs but I just love We Are Never Getting Back Together so much. It's fun and funny and catchy. Plus I just love the story I see behind this song  - of one of those back-and-forth exhausting and drama-filled relationships with break-ups and those three magical words solving problems that shouldn't be solved by saying 'I love you.'

And the idea of YA characters dancing around in pyjamas and animal costumes to help someone get over a break-up is pretty great!

I say, "I hate you," we break up, you call me, "I love you."




Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson

My favourite line of this song is 'Since U been gone/I can breathe for the first time' and I kind of love how Kelly trashes her flat and all of her clothes and then really belts out the bit about having her freedom to breathe. Some relationships are like that, stifling. And it's possible to become somebody that you don't recognise or like in that situation.There's no hint about running into the arms of someone else, just basking in that celebration of putting yourself first for the first time in awhile.




Someone Like You by Adele

I adore Adele. And this song. It is very over-played, but whereas I would mind with other songs, I don't with this one. I love the heartbreak in this song and how emotional it is. And I love how giving Adele is in this song. Obviously still in love but she seems genuine in wishing the best for her old flame. Obviously this relationship has ended and he's found someone else and poor Adele has the hope of someone else as she holds onto her old feelings. Aww. Not quite as angry or confrontational as some of the other songs, but still powerful in a quieter way.

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I'd hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over.



Irreplaceable by Beyonce
  
I'd love to see some Beyonce-attitude in some YA novels. Don't put up with any crap, ladies. Even though I hate the implication that she's moved on already after this crappy relationship but the thing I like the most is that she's clearly saying that there's a choice available. I think a lot of YA romance leaves out a lot of choice when it comes to falling in love.
 
So don't you ever for a second get to thinkin'
You're irreplaceable?

Do you have a favourite break-up song? Which song would you like YA authors to take inspiration from? 

Latest selections from my local book group

I'm not sure if I've mentioned before that recently I joined a local book group.  It's something that I've wanted to do for a long time and I'm very happy that I've found the group that I have.  I joined around the time of World Book Night. I was giving away copies of one book (The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness), it turned out the lady who runs the book group was giving out another (Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, I believe) and another school mum who I'd known for awhile invited me to join the next meeting which was happening in a few days' time.  The reason I went? My friend said that one of the books they would be discussing was Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman. A book group of adult women that discusses YA novels? Sold.

As it happens, my book group mostly reads adult books. Crime/thriller, historical reads, family dramas with only the occasional dip into teen fiction.  But that's okay.  I will do just about anything so that I'm able to meet up regularly with other people who likes books and don't bat an eyelid about sitting over lunch and talking books for a few hours. Those are my sort of people and I've been looking for that for awhile now.

So today I thought I would share with you a few of our latest book group choices.  In the same way that I'm attempting to bring more YA choices to the group, I am trying to diversify my own reading. There was a time when my book choices were evenly split between YA and adult fiction. Somewhere along the line, YA took over entirely. But it doesn't always have to be so.

Two Brothers by Ben Elton

The new novel from this well-loved, bestselling author.

Two Brothers is a heartrending story of two boys growing up under the darkening shadow of the Nazis. Born in Berlin in 1920 and raised by the same parents, one boy is Jewish, his adopted brother is Aryan. At first, their origins are irrelevant. But as the political landscape changes they are forced to make decisions with horrifying consequences.

I'm not the biggest fan of historical fiction but I'll read it occasionally. I've read books by Ben Elton before but this seems like a bit of a departure for him?  It was picked after it was discussed on the radio by Simon Mayo? I will definitely attempt this book.

Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell

The stunning new novel from Costa Award winning novelist Maggie O'Farrell: a portrait of an Irish family in crisis in the legendary heatwave of 1976. It's July 1976. In London, it hasn't rained for months, gardens are filled with aphids, water comes from a standpipe, and Robert Riordan tells his wife Gretta that he's going round the corner to buy a newspaper. He doesn't come back. The search for Robert brings Gretta's children — two estranged sisters and a brother on the brink of divorce — back home, each with different ideas as to where their father might have gone. None of them suspects that their mother might have an explanation that even now she cannot share. Maggie O'Farrell's sixth book is the work of an outstanding novelist at the height of her powers.
 
It is typical that not every book that is chosen for the month will be read by everyone. We pick and choose what we fancy but we do try to pick at least one book that most people will read and this time, that book is Instructions for a Heatwave. I've recently bought this book and I'm looking forward to it! 

There are two other books that the group has chosen to read for our next meeting, but I won't be reading them. There's already enough to consider with this blog and my university exam coming up. BUT I am very happy that the final book choice for our group is the following...

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

“Every war has turning points and every person too.”

Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.

As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary.

But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

Our book group is officially a Film and Book group, so usually one of the books chosen will also have a film adaptation to go along with it. And we were all very taken with the film trailer for How I Live Now starring Saoirse Ronan.  There are plans for a group of us to take a trip to the cinema in October

Are you part of a book group? What book would you recommend for our book group?

REVIEW: Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

Guest review by Hayley

Writing about ‘Charm & Strange’ by Stephanie Kuehn is a pretty difficult task, I can definitely see what the author was trying to achieve here, but at the same time I couldn’t say I really enjoyed a moment of it. I’m sure this book wasn’t written to be enjoyable but I couldn’t say I found it very compelling or gripping either.

The story revolves around Andrew an incredibly complex and difficult teenager who is convinced he has inherited a dark curse that has been passed down through his family. The book flips back and forth between what is happening with Andrew as he navigates his prestigious boarding school life and his strange and tangled past.

Although I am usually drawn to difficult and troubled characters I didn’t really warm to Andrew so I found it difficult to feel connected to the story as it unfolded, and mostly felt disdain towards him and his behaviour.

Another reason this book is difficult to review is because there are some huge revelations which, while hinted at throughout the book are only fully revealed at the end, making it impossible to really discuss what ‘Charm & Strange’ is REALLY about.

At times I was reminded of ‘Liar’ by Justine Larbalestier, a book I read a few months ago with a similarly troubled narrator who can’t really be trusted to tell you the truth. Maybe that was one of my problems here, the story felt familiar and I knew I’d read better versions of it before.

I would still be interested in reading more books by Stephanie Kuehn but I hope that any subsequent books would be more compelling and less ambiguous with character development I could appreciate more.

Thank you, Hayley, for that interesting review!

Relationship History and what I'd like to see more of in YA...

I read an article recently by Holly Bourne, the author of the YA book Soulmates in which she mentioned the prevalence of happily-ever-after endings in YA.  And that got me thinking. And tweeting. And there were a bunch of people who agreed that all the HEA YA endings have been getting a lot of us down. Give us something new and refreshing, damn it!

And not long after that, I read a YA book that I was fairly sure before picking it up that it would end up with the two main characters NOT getting together (which was my main reason for picking it up) ... and then they did end up together. And that just made me upset. WHY?! There's absolutely nothing wrong with there being an element of romance or falling in love within a book, I just don't see why it seems mandatory for two people to end up together at the end.

And people are obsessed by these relationships. Everyone has something to say about their 'book boyfriends' and which couples are their favourites and if there's a triangle, everyone is on a particular Team with strong feelings one way or another. I'm tired of it all. I want less emphasis placed on couples in YA and a bigger spotlight on individuals and how they're forming identities on their own and with friends and family and hobbies and I want it be somewhat distant from the romantic relationships that happen in their lives. Is that so much to ask? But if these relationships are important in shaping who a person is or becomes, then at least make those relationships resemble actual life. 

I'm saying clearly here and now: I want to see more realistic relationships in YA. I want to see teenagers happily single at the end of books. I want teenagers to know that they can have a happily ever ending that has no bearing on their relationship status. In the same way that I'd like to see actual life (with diverse characters and disabilities and varying sexualities and so on) I also want YA to reflect on the fact that not at all teenage relationships work out.

Because they don't. From reading YA, you'd think that MOST teenagers fall  in love with THE ONE by the time they're 18, right (sometimes, but not always, madly and passionately)? That they fall into these life-altering relationships with a few hiccups here and there maybe, but ultimately, THAT'S IT.

And what a let-down that is in reality.  I'm not saying that that doesn't happen - teenage sweethearts that stay together forever. It must do. For, like, a small percentage of the population. But for the rest of us mere mortals? Not so much. 

Take me for example. My First Boyfriend was great. I met him when I was 16. He was the first person to tell me that I was pretty. He took me on my first date, gave me my first kiss. He was the first boy I took home to meet my dad. He was the first boy who held my hand in public and made me feel special. He was my 'first' for a lot of things. It was a magical time period for a lot of reasons. I read YA novels about two characters getting to know each other and starting a relationship and I remember what that felt like. Opening up with somebody, sharing. Being vulnerable.

But you know what? That relationship ended because he cheated on me with someone else. And maybe that's not very hopeful or romantic or whatever. But it is the truth. And yes, I felt pretty low about it at the time. But I picked myself up and out of that situation and realised that I deserved more than the way First Boyfriend treated me.  And I may have been hurt and angry with the way things ended, but that doesn't mean that the things I felt and the things that changed about me during the course of that relationship weren't important or that they didn't happen. They did. And I'd love to see more YA characters go through these things realistically. There was nothing wrong with my second boyfriend. He was funny and kind and we broke up with minimal dramatics because I wasn't ready to jump into a serious relationship after the disaster that was First Boyfriend.

Let me tell you now about my First Love. My First Love nearly broke me. I was going through a rougher-than-usual time when I met FL. And for a long time he and I were just friends. At first, I'd talk with him about unimportant things to distract me from larger problems in my life and then later, as we got closer, I'd tell him other things. Things I'd never told anyone else. He was a wonderful person to speak with, very caring and understanding and funny and I'd love his viewpoint on life. It gave me a new perspective... and as I thought more and more about him I realised that I was falling in love with him. There was something special and meaningful about our friendship but I also realised there was something pretty special about him as a person too. 

Things did not work out between me and my First Love. I loved him and I know he cared about me a great deal. But we were in two very different places in life and we both had different priorities and goals. But his friendship and his presence in my life at a very trying time changed and fixed something inside of me. It didn't matter that we didn't end up together, that change still happened. It was very sad, and I cried a great deal over him, of course, but it wasn't the end of the world either. And what I also don't want to see in YA books is people like First Love being turned into villians or creeps just because we didn't end up together. That annoys me. There doesn't have to be this convoluted reason for us (or any two people) not to be together. And for gods sake, there doesn't have to be a perfect guy in the wings waiting for First Love and I to fall out to step in and be my happily-ever-after. I want YA books to stop telling girls that they need these things for a happy ending.

My point for bringing up these past relationships including First Boyfriend and First Love is just to ask, why are these relationships and these stories discarded within YA? Why do we need happily-ever-after romantic stories?

What do you think? I'd love to hear your relationship histories and your thoughts on Happily-Ever-After and what messages we're reading about in YA.

GIVEAWAY: Amber by Julie Sykes (signed) + Beautiful Amber Butterfly Paperweight! (UK)

Recently, I was contacted by a very lovely publicist, Georgia, who had an idea for a really fun giveaway to celebrate the publication day of this great new YA book coming out, Amber by Julie Sykes. 
 
Here is the cover and the product description.  I can't get over just how pretty that cover really is.  Isn't it gorgeous?! And something that I very much enjoy are books involving memory. I'm studying for my Psychology degree at the moment, things to do with the memory absolutely fascinate me. 

 How do you live by the rules if you don’t know what they are?

Amber’s lost her memory. She doesn’t even know her real name. The only clues to her identity are a beautiful amber necklace and a broken mobile phone. She’s determined to learn the truth about her past life, and the secrets she’s hiding, but how many rules will she break along the way?

Julie Sykes ... Curious Fox ... Add Amber on Goodreads

What do you think it all means? I'm intrigued!

Back to the giveaway! On offer today is a copy of Amber signed by the author. But that's not where it ends.  Georgia has also offered one lucky reader this beautiful Amber(ish) butterfly paperweight!  I love it.

I love how fitting it is to be giving away something amber like the character's necklace in the book. But it's an amber BUTTERFLY. *whispers* You may not know this about me, but I love butterflies.

So there you go! I'm very exciting to be giving you the chance to win both the book AND the paperweight.

Here are the rules of the giveaway:

Leave a 'pick me' comment below together with an email address.

This is a UK only giveaway. 

You don't have to be a follower of this blog to enter, though that is always appreciated.

Tweeting about or otherwise sharing this giveaway earns you smiles and virtual hugs.

I'll be picking a winner in a week's time and will notify the winner by email.

Good luck!

REVIEW: Raining Fire by Alan Gibbons

Guest review by Kulsuma

Raining Fire by Alan Gibbons was a fantastic book. I read it in a matter of hours as it was extremely fastpaced, well-researched and featured a cast of realistic characters. The story centres around Ethan and Alex, two brothers who live on an estate run by a gang called The Tribe. Relations between The Tribe and the neighbouring gang called the North Side Crew are tense at best. As Alex is pulled into the conflict, Ethan must decide just what he will sacrifice in order to protect his brother and how far he is willing to go to protect those that he loves.

This is the first book that I read by Alan Gibbons. He is a brilliant writer as he quickly immersed me in Ethan and Alex’s world. The pages are full of action. Though the story takes place over two years, so much happened that before I knew it, I was finished. Gibbons perfectly captured the essence of gang life, culture and warfare that many of us know about but have never had direct contact with. Our main character Ethan knows gang members and is even friendly with them, but he has higher aspirations than to be in a gang. He wants to be a footballer, and luckily for him, he has the skills to go along with the dream.

Ethan was a great main character. Though he has his own dreams, he is always looking out for his loved ones. It’s because he cares that he has to enter a world he would much rather avoid. Gibbons shows that it is all too easy to become a part of a gang. For many, they feel as though they have no other option.

However, I’m not going to excuse crimes committed by gangs and Gibbons doesn’t either. He shows that gangs are downward spirals that lead to destruction as they live by a motto akin to ‘an eye for an eye.’ I felt for Ethan and hoped he could leave the vicious cycle.

Overall, I would recommend Raining Fire to teenagers. It’s highly relevant to our society. I look forward to reading more from Alan Gibbons.

Very glad you liked it! Thanks for the great review, Kulsuma!

Giveaway: £50 Amazon Voucher (Open to UK/US/Can)

I'm sorry that I've been mostly absent on the blog, but I'm posting today because I couldn't pass up this amazing opportunity. 

I imagine that anyone reading my blog has an interest in books, so how many of you would be interested in a 50 pound voucher to spend at Amazon?!  How many books would 50 pounds get you, I wonder? Plenty, I say!

The very lovely people from an appliance company ao.com have offered to send one lucky Fluttering Butterflies reader £50 to spend on absolutely anything you like, books or otherwise. How great is that?

Here are the giveaway details:

To be in with a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a 'Pick Me' comment below and include your email address.

Competition is open to readers in the UK, US and Canada.

 

Winners will be contacted via email.  Giveaway ends at noon on Sunday the 8th of September. 

 

You don't have to be a follower of this blog to enter, though that is *always* appreciated. 

A massive thank you for this wonderful giveaway goes to ao.com

My Favourite Places to Read by Jonathan Stroud

Hello! Today I have the great pleasure of introducing Jonathan Stoud to the blog! I absolutely adore the books by Jonathan that I've read and the new book, The Screaming Staircase in his new series, Lockwood and Co was published by Random House on the 29th of August. You really must get your hands on a copy of this one, folks.

 And to find out more information about Jonathan Stroud or Lockwood and Co, please do visit the following websites:

Jonathan Stroud ... Jonathan on Twitter ... Jonathan Stroud Fan Page on Facebook

My Favourite Places to Read

by Jonathan Stroud

Since I was knee-high to an imp, reading has been my number one pastime. More than that, it’s been a sort of compulsion. Anything, but anything, was ammunition for my eager eyes. As a child I scoured the back of the cereal packets as I wolfed my breakfast; in the street my head rotated like an owl’s as I digested the interesting logos on the sides of passing lorries. Damp newspapers on roadsides, building regulations tied on lampposts: it was all fair game.

But these were the aperitifs, the snacks between the nourishing main meals that were my books. And I read my books whenever I got the chance. Sometimes, it’s true, I read them conventionally, sitting in a chair (my first true ‘reading memory’: demolishing Enid Blyton’s Five on a Treasure Island one afternoon, when I was six, happily cocooned in a big high-sided armchair), but more often than not I tried other locations. My life was busy, after all, and I had a lot of books to cram in.



1. Walking along

    I had a 20 minute walk home from school, along a somewhat dreary expanse of suburban street. Potentially a tedious waste of time, but not if I held a paperback in front of my face and read it as I strolled nonchalantly along. I relied for my survival on intuitively remembering where every street edge came. Miraculously I was never (to my knowledge) seriously run over, and the number of street-lamps I hit can be counted on the remaining fingers of one hand.


2. On the lavatory

    Looking back from an adult perspective, my childhood existence must have been a lot less hectic than my current one, judging by the merry hours I was able to spend reading in the bathroom. Some people would head to the toilet with a rolled up newspaper under their arm. I’d stroll in with Anna Karenina or War and Peace, and not emerge until I’d made fairly decent headway. What physical or psychological harm this did to me (or to the family members waiting outside) is yet to be fully determined.


3. In the bath
  
    Again, just how languorous an existence did I have in those days? I once read an entire book (it was Doctor Who and the Power of Kroll, fact fans) from beginning to end while lounging in the bath. The water got cold, and I came out all grey and shrivelled and not unlike something from Doctor Who myself, but that didn’t seem to bother me.


4. While doing my teeth/washing etc

     I confess I still quite often read while brushing my teeth, which probably explains why I only have six left. But in my youth, I quite often continued reading even while doing the full ablution. I even had a particular technique for washing both armpits while maintaining unbroken view of the page; if writing fails me, I could probably find employment doing this at a circus.


5. In Bed

    I still do this too, of course, but there’s a difference. As a boy I could quite contentedly stay awake until the early hours, devouring the latest epic novel. Now, I tend to manage a maximum of three pages before subsiding grotesquely into middle-aged slumber. Which makes me ask: where’s the panache, where’s the energy gone?!*

* Answer: children.

Thank you, Jonathan! Where is YOUR favourite place to read?

Amanda Rutter's Bookshelf Requirements

Today I am very happy and honoured to have Amanda Rutter, the lovely editor for Strange Chemistry on the blog today talking about some of her favourite books and why these books are important to her. I love the range of books coming out of Strange Chemistry and I think Amanda has amazing taste in books. Please do let us both know what you think of her choices.

And if you'd like to know more about Amanda or Strange Chemistry, follow the links below:

Amanda Rutter on Twitter ... Strange Chemistry

About Me

I am the editor of Strange Chemistry Books. I have been reading since I was a young girl, and I love all flavours of fiction. I started out on pony books (for which I still have a very nostalgic regard), moved to fantasy, and, from there, tried just about anything. I have an enduring love for fantasy which, combined with my more recent predilection for YA novels, suits my job perfectly.

The Books I Will Never Get Rid Of

1) First of all, let’s get this one out of the way – my favourite book of all time. I used to think it was difficult to name just one book, but there is only one novel that I have read more than eight times. When you factor in that it is over 1,000 pages long, that is a fair commitment to make! No, it isn’t The Lord of the Rings, as you’d maybe expect from a fantasy fan. It is, rather, The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman. This is a historical fantasy detailing the life of Richard III, and part of the War of the Roses. It is fascinating, epic, sprawling (in a good way) and just a stunning way of learning some of our English history. I love it to itty bitty pieces – in fact, I’m starting to think I’m due another re-read soon…

2) My Charles de Lint shelf. The grand-daddy of urban fantasy, the creator of rich worlds and the writer of beautiful prose. I first discovered him when I was sixteen, by randomly borrowing The Little Country from the library, and there began an enduring love affair that continues to this day. He hasn’t been published much in the UK, which means either importing his novels or buying them when I visit the States – an expensive collection, to be sure! I still have at least twenty of his novels to try and pick up, although those are the very rare ones…

3) Next up are my two (so far) Steven Erikson special editions of his Malazan novels. I have Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates at the moment. The other eight will gradually be released. They cost something like $160 dollars, have different artwork on the cover and internal illustrations as well – released by Subterranean Press. They are so pretty and strokable and rare and my only true book indulgence.

4) Diane Duane’s Wizard series, starting with So You Want to be a Wizard. I read the first few of these when I was in my early teens and just adored them. I remember reading the whole of the first one in the library while waiting for my dad to finish some Open University research, and then requesting all the others immediately. I didn’t buy them until I found the whole series re-issued in Forbidden Planet, and snapped them up – including a couple I hadn’t read before. Diane Duane never writes down to her audience. These books are complicated, emotional and incredibly entertaining.

5) Jacqueline Carey Kushiel series. These six novels (she has written more, but the Kushiel ones are my absolute favourites) have been permanent books on my shelf since I read the first one – Kushiel’s Dart. I think these are some of the best fantasy ever written, although they do get a bit sexy at times, considering the main character is a very beautiful and talented courtesan and spy.

6) The ‘Samaria’ angel trilogy by Sharon Shinn. Similar stories as the above really – the author has written more, but it’s these three books that I always return to. I borrowed the first from the library on a whim because the cover was utterly stunning, and then bought all three immediately. I had to wait and buy these from the States at a much higher cost (things like Amazon and The Book Depository weren’t around then – in fact, the Internet itself was only just kicking off at the time) but they were well worth it.

7) The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle. When I was a young girl, my parents got me a VHS video called The last Unicorn. The animation was so gorgeous, and I fell in love with the story. I didn’t realise it had been based on a book until I was in my teens. I immediately went out and bought myself a copy, and fell even more in love with the book. I also have a graphic novel version of the story. It’s the ultimate fairytale and so beautifully written.


Those are my keepers! Please let me know yours!