Evil? by Timothy Carter

Want some controversy? Protagonist Stuart has found himself with an overabundance: not only is he gay and out of the closet in a small Christian town that overwhelmingly believes him to be 'choosing' a sinful 'lifestyle', now his little brother walked in on him while he was jacking off in the shower and then told everyone at their predominantly small-minded church about it. Not so coincidentally, that same morning all the Sunday school teachers were compelled to change their lesson plans to the "Sin of Onan" (spilling seed), and the whole town seems suddenly to be obsessed with the utter wrongness of masturbation.

Stuart also regularly conjures a demon he can coerce into telling him only the truth, and that demon is his source for what really is or is not a true sin (guess where masturbation falls?). Stuart realizes that there is something weird going on in town and hijinks ensue as he works it out with the help of a few friends.

This book is a bit of an oddball, but was a generally enjoyable read for me. Stuart is a likable character and the ridiculous people and events surrounding him make for humorous situations which are mostly well executed. There were a few places where the dialogue didn't ring true to me, but only a few. The theme certainly feels familiar: the right-wing Christian fear of just about everything related to sex seems more and more prevalent in the media these days, and the inappropriate ways people have been acting lately make this book seem quite plausible. If nothing else, I learned a few new euphemisms.

Reviewed from copy provided by Flux

I am giving away my (paperback but not ARC) copy of this book to the first person to comment here on LibrariAnne (click through if you're reading this somewhere else) briefly describing your favorite (so-called) sin and why.

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci

This is one of the stronger teen short story compilations I've read. Not only is the list of contributors like a who's who of teen fiction, the geek stories run the gamut: LARPers, Star Trek fans, Star Wars fans, MMORPG players, Rocky Horror participators, trivia nerds, and more. There's definitely something here to suit most everyone, and I identified at least a little with many of the stories. Interspersed between the stories are humorous one-page features and comics, which sort of serve as palate cleansers.

I'm all about owning my geekiness and it's fun to revel in it sometimes, but the main thing that came across to me as I read this book is the universality of the characters' experiences. We all have our own pet passions, but our experiences of uncertainty, shyness, camaraderie, and so forth transcend the specifics. Recommended.

Reviewed from ARC provided by the publisher.

Thanks to the generosity of Little, Brown and Co., I have four free ARCs of this to give away. First four people to comment on the LibrariAnne blog win! (This means that if you're reading this on Facebook or LiveJournal or somewhere else, you'll have to click through to comment to enter.)

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

September 2009, Scholastic Press

reviewed from Advanced Reader Copy

First off - NO SPOILERS HERE. I'm not going to write anything that will spoil anything for you in Catching Fire. If you haven't read the Hunger Games yet, though, come back after you've finished it.

Katniss is back! This hotly anticipated sequel to the Hunger Games was one of the most sought-after ARCs at this summer's ALA. When I picked up the first book, I was not convinced that it would be awesome - I'm not really much for adventure stories on the whole, and I hadn't heard that much about it, but I gave it a shot and ended up reading the entire thing in one sitting. Damn!

Catching Fire is definitely a middle chapter in a trilogy, so there's a lot of references to events from the first book, and a lot of build-up to the finale (Can. Not. Wait.), but there's a whole lot of action here, too. In addition, there's more room for thinking about the deeper ramifications of the Games and the society Katniss lives in. It's awesome that Katniss and Peeta managed to survive, but what is the cost to them as individuals? That and many other, more specific questions, keep running through my mind. If you've read it and want to discuss, let's do so in the comments (spoiler-avoiders, don't peek!).



Free ARC to the first one to respond in comments (you won't receive it immediately as I already have a few people who are borrowing it, but you'll have it within a few weeks).

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

October 2009, Bloomsbury Publishing

reviewed from Advanced Reader Copy

I'm an admitted fan of Justine Larbalestier's previous books, and this one was no disappointment. It's the story of Micah, who is a compulsive liar. She lies about everything, so how, as a reader, can we know if she's telling the truth about anything? She's in trouble a lot and has issues with her family, her semi-secret boyfriend, and her identity, all of which are tied up in the lies and truths (?) she tells. Definitely recommended.

My only issue with this book is the cover art. Obviously lying about everything is part of Micah's character, but the description of what she looks like in the book is radically different than the cover model. I think the designer had a nice idea (mouth covered with hair, obscuring the truth of whatever she says, etc.), but it doesn't work for me because it doesn't fit with the character at all. The Australian cover art is much better. NOTE: Literally moments after I wrote this, the author herself posted about the cover.

My copy of this ARC free to the first person to ask for it in the comments.

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

Same Difference is the story of Emily Thompson, a high school student whose world changes when she attends a pre-college art program at a university in nearby Philadelphia. The city, and the people she meets at the program, are a far cry from what she's used to in her New Jersey suburb. She's grown up in a subdivision of McMansions, coddled by strip malls, Starbucks and catalog living (aside: I live in a suburb that seems to me very similar, though I grew up in a very different area). The other students in the art program are the odd kids out at their high schools: the goth, indie, alternative, and artsy teens who don't fit in and choose to celebrate it. In contrast, Emily feels like she doesn't fit in. She doesn't wear her art on her sleeve and she wonders if she's meant to be doing art after all. Add to this her BFF Meg's decreasing interest in anything that isn't her boyfriend, and Emily is one confused chica.

This book shows Siobhan Vivian's talent and skill just as much as her first book, A Little Friendly Advice, did. She is a master of depicting realistic teen life and feelings without falling into the traps so many authors do. The dialogue rings true, the characters act like real people (and they don't do those annoying things that so many characters do, the kind where you're yelling at them or rolling your eyes every two chapters), and the story unfolds with such graceful pacing that you don't want to put it down.

Highly recommended.

Same Difference will be out in March 2009.
reviewed from a pre-publication ARC

And in related terrific news, Siobhan Vivian has sold two books to Scholastic (David Levithan being his usual brilliant self), so even more awesomeness is on the way!

Originally published at LibrariAnne.