The Final Four Books for 2012!

It's the last day of 2012, so what better way to see out the year than with my final four books on my 20 Books for 2012 list? Only with these, I'm going to cheat slightly. Y'see, these books aren't actually out until 2013, but as the authors are my fellow Lucky 13s, I got to read the ARCs, and they are so fantastic I had to include them on my list.

CJ Flood - Infinite Sky

Iris's mum's has left home, her brother's going off the rails and travellers have set up camp in the family's paddock. When Iris befriends Trick, a traveller boy, tensions spill over and events take a turn that will turn Iris's life upside down. This is an exquisitely written book which will stick in your mind long after you've read it. I predict great things for INFINITE SKY!

Demitria Lunetta - In The After

There was Before – before the monsters came; before humanity as we know it ended. And there was After. That's where Amy and Baby live, struggling to survive.  When they're rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of fellow survivors with plenty of food and shelter, it's like a dream come true, but they soon realise that nothing there is what it seems… This is a tense, gripping thriller packed with twists and turns that keep you guessing all the way through. I loved it!

Elsie Chapman - Dualed

In Kersh, everyone has an Alt - a twin raised by another family - and when the time comes, they're both activated and must hunt each other down. Only the strongest alt will survive and be deemed worthy of a place in society. West Grayer's time has come, but a tragic mistake has left her wondering if she deserves to survive. DUALED is a thrilling, gritty read which deftly blends action, romance and suspense in a brilliantly realised dystopian setting.






And finally (drum roll please…)

Imogen Howson - Linked

Elissa's future used to look bright. All that changed when she started suffering terrible headaches and pains, and having strange visions, and unexplained bruises started appearing all over her body. Just as she's about to undergo a cure, she discovers the truth behind her problems: she's been sharing the experiences of a twin she never knew existed, Lin. Together, they end up on the run, hunted down by a government who'll stop at nothing to get them back. LINKED is a breathless roller-coaster ride of a book, with a denouement that will leave you reeling.

Want to check out some more amazing books that will be out in 2013? Then head over to my group blog The Lucky 13s – if I hadn't been limited to 20 books with this list, they'd all be on there!

Don't forget – today is your last chance to win a signed ARC of ACID! If you haven't entered the giveaway yet and you'd like to, head on over to my cover reveal post and leave your name and Twitter handle or email address in the comments. The competition closes at midnight GMT and I'll be announcing the winner on here tomorrow.

Thanks for reading this blog throughout 2012, and I hope 2013 brings you everything you wish for and more. Happy new year!

20 Books for 2012 - the Penultimate Post!

I realised yesterday that I'm long overdue for a 20 Books for 2012 post, and as there's only a few weeks left before the end of the year, I thought I'd better get off my you-know-what and get one written. For anyone who hasn't seen my original post, back in June, I took the Bookstart 20 Books for 2012 pledge and promised to share 20 children's and YA books on my blog. You can see all the books I've talked about so far on this page, and here are the next batch!

Abi Burlingham – A Mystery for Megan (Buttercup Magic)

When Megan and her family move to Buttercup House, she soon finds a friend in Freya, the girl next door. But a new friend is not the only surprise that awaits Megan; there’s the treehouse, some mice with magical powers, an extraordinary cat and a very special dog called Buttercup. This is a gorgeous book for 6-9-year-olds, or anyone who still remembers what it was like to be that age, about friendship, secrets and the power of using your imagination. I devoured it in hours and can’t recommend it highly enough!

Ali Sparkes – Frozen in Time

It’s the summer holidays, and Ben and Rachel are bored... until they find a secret vault buried at the bottom of their garden. Inside are the cryonically suspended figures of Polly and Fred, a boy and girl their own age, who were put there by their father in 1956, only for him to disappear and leave them frozen in time. This is a thrilling adventure for anyone who was or is a fan of Enid Blyton, following the ups and downs of Polly and Fred’s adjustment to twenty-first century life, and their search for answers about what happened to their father as they’re hunted down by sinister Soviet officials...

Chris Haughton - Oh No, George!

This is possibly my favourite picture book EVER. When Harris goes out to the shops, George, his dog, promises to be good. And he tries – he really does. But there’s the cake... and the cat... and some earth that’s just asking to be dug... You can probably guess the rest. Being a Hound minion dog owner myself, I could really relate to this book and just adored the bright, quirky illustrations, especially on the last page!

Ali Lewis – Everybody Jam

Danny lives in the middle of the Australian outback, and last year, his brother was killed in an accident. But nobody talks about it. His fourteen-year-old sister is pregnant, the rains haven’t come and as the annual cattle muster draws near, knowing he has his brother’s shoes to fill only increases the pressure on Danny. Then an English backpacker, hired by his mother to help out, arrives, a secret is revealed, and suddenly, the cracks are too big to paper over any more. This is a funny, gritty coming-of-age YA novel which I absolutely loved.

Jean-Claude Mourvelat – Winter Song

Originally published in France, this book is a dystopian YA with some fantasy elements blended in, set in a fictional country in a wintry, bleak world. A sinister force called The Phalange have seized power, and four teenagers, Milena, Bartolomeo, Helen, and Milos, must escape from their prison-like boarding schools in to help join the fight against the authorities, who killed their parents many years before. I’m not usually a huge fan of translated books, but this had been done incredibly well and I was captivated by the story and the imagery the writing conjured up.

 

 

Andy Mulligan – Trash

Raphael, Gardo and Rat live on a rubbish site, eking out a living by sorting through the mountains of trash other people have thrown away. Then, one day, he finds a bag containing something which leads him to an exciting and special discovery. But he’s not the only person after the bag’s contents, and soon he and his friends are playing a cat-and-mouse game with the authorities, who will stop at nothing to get what they want. Apparently this novel was inspired by the time the author spent in the Philippines (although it isn’t specifically set there), and gives a real insight into the grinding poverty many people in the real world are forced to live in, yet it manages to be incredibly hopeful.

So, just four more books to go and I'll have fulfilled my pledge. Hurrah! What about you? What are you reading at the moment that's just too good to keep to yourself? Tell me in the comments!

In Two Places At Once, Plus More Books for 2012

I'm in two places at once today! As well as being here, you can find me interviewing Sangu Mandanna about her awesome dystopian debut THE LOST GIRL over at The Lucky 13s. THE LOST GIRL released yesterday and is a gripping tale of love, loss and life with a unique dystopian twist. I absolutely love it and I'm hoping to have Sangu on this blog for a chat when TLG releases with Random House in the UK early next year (publisher siblings, yay!).

I reckon it's time for some more 20 Books for 2012 now, so here are the next three I'm adding to the list:

FROSTFIRE by Zoe Marriott

A fantasy YA about a girl who is possessed by a demon, and when she's forced to join a band of rebel soldiers and grows close to their two leaders, is terrified she won't be able to protect them from her own terrible power. I just finished reading this, and thought it was wonderful. The writing is exquisite and the heroine is brilliantly kick-ass. And the cover is beautiful!

SECOND CHANCE SUMMER by Morgan Matson

I've always been a huge fan of Sarah Dessen, but I reckon she now has some serious competition for the crown of realistic romantic contemporary. I already loved Morgan's first book, AMY AND ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR, but this one, a story about a girl whose family take one last vacation together before a life-changing event, forcing her to face up to the ghosts of her past, just blew me away. Warning: do NOT read this book in public unless you don't mind total strangers seeing you flat-out bawling. And make sure you have plenty of tissues!

THE WITNESS by James Jauncey

A gritty, near-future dystopian set in Scotland, where conflict over who should own land in the Highlands is escalating. A teenager witnesses a massacre and ends up on the run with the only survivor, a young boy. Everything about this book is just breathtaking. One of my favourites of all time.

From next week, I'm going to be AWOL (at least from blogging) for a while. My book 2 deadline is looming ever nearer, and I need to take time away from the blog to make sure I get the MS finished. However, it won't be sitting in the corner of the internet gathering cobwebs. Some of my fellow Lucky 13s are taking over, starting with a post next week from the awesome Ellen Oh, so I hope you'll still stop by for a read.

Until then, to the writing cave… see you again at the end of September!

Book Bashing, Back to School (Again!) & Four More Books for 2012

Usually, I chill out on Sundays. Get up late (well, as late as The Hound will let me, which isn't that late, but, y'know), drink coffee, read and generally ignore my to-do list. This time last week, however, found me getting up at stupid o'clock and prising hubby out of bed to drive me over to Matlock, where I'd volunteered to help out at the Big Book Bash. It took a few cups of tea, but I eventually got us both upright with eyes open (sort of), and off we went.

The Big Book Bash, a day of workshops and author talks, has been taking place since 2004 and is aimed at children in care and their foster families. I was there in my day-job capacity and was looking after Annabel Pitcher, author of the amazing MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE. After meeting my teenage helper Molly I went to help set out the room where Annabel would be giving her talk (which basically entailed trying to figure out how to level a projector with a wonky foot, and hoping the laptop attached to it didn't crash, as I had no idea how to work it). Then it was off to find Annabel and show her to the authors' green room before the Big Book Bash was declared officially open.

Annabel's talk was fantastic - it was so interesting to hear about how she came up for the idea for her book while she was travelling with her husband, and how she started writing it in the middle of the night, and had to tie a sock round his head because she needed the light on, but he was trying to sleep! I can't wait to read her forthcoming novel KETCHUP CLOUDS, which is out at the end of the year.

In the afternoon, I got to sit in on a teenage fiction panel with Annabel and two of my other favourite authors, Phil Earle and Ruth Warburton. The talk was great, and I enjoyed chatting to them afterwards, too (thanks, Phil, for the second-book-nerves reassurance). I came home with a pile of signed books and a huge grin on my face. Events like this are why I love my day job!

So after that, you'd think I'd let myself have an easy day, right? Well, not exactly. Because on Monday I was booked in to do my second ever school visit (you can read more about the first one here). This time it was closer to home, at Brookfields Community School in Chesterfield, where I was doing an author talk and running a workshop for 13 members of their creative writing group. After a warm welcome from head of English Kate Foster, I was taken to the library to meet the group. I started by telling them a bit about how I started writing, and read them the first chapter of ACID. I was pleased with the good reaction it got, as I've read it sooo many times now, I'm starting to wonder how anyone else can possibly find it interesting - I forget that to other people, it's brand new!

After that, we did a warm-up exercise on the theme of 'Lottery'. The scenarios everyone came up with were all so different. One group member even wrote something that had a sci-fi twist, which contained some really powerful imagery.

Once everyone who wanted to had shared their work, we did some work on character building, then had a break for chocolate biscuits (vitally important to the creative process). Finally, I talked about story-writing and got the group to start writing the opening scenes of a story, using the characters they'd created earlier on. Unfortunately there wasn't time for me to hear what they'd written, but the group were loads of fun, and their talent levels were through the roof. A big thank you to Kate and the group for inviting me to talk to them, and I hope I'll be seeing their books on the shelves one day!

Finally, I thought it was about time I added some more books to my 20 Books for 2012 page, so here they are:

SAVING DAISY by Phil Earle
This is Phil's second book and is just as gritty and hard-hitting as his first, BEING BILLY. I remember getting through it in just a few days, desperate to find out what was going to happen next even though I was reading it through my fingers at some points. If you love honest, unflinching contemporary YA fiction, this is definitely the book for you!

MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE by Annabel Pitcher
Another heart-breaker - you can see why it was shortlisted for the Carnegie medal and has just won the Bransford Boase award. From beginning to end, the story never goes quite where you expect it to, keeping you hanging on until the very last word.

A WITCH IN WINTER by Ruth Warburton
A very different sort of book (and the first in a trilogy - hurrah!), spooky and atmospheric with a paranormal plot. I love that it's set in Cornwall, as I lived there for 3 years, and the descriptions of the towns and landscapes made me feel extremely nostalgic! And I just adore the cover.

POP! by Catherine Bruton
I didn't want to like the heroine of this book at first, but after just a few pages, she'd sucked me in. Set against a backdrop of strikes, and tensions over immigration, this book has one of the quirkiest and most original plots I've ever read. I just loved it!

Annnd… I think that's it. Phew! What have you been up to this week?

Happy Birthday Bookstart!

It's the 20th anniversary of Bookstart, the first book-gifting programme in the world, which was launched in 1992. Part of Booktrust, it offers free books to all children during their first year and between the ages of 3-4, usually via health visitors and nurseries. They also run the Bookstart Bear Club online and in libraries (including the one where I work) to encourage young children to read. To help secure future funding, they're asking people to pledge to share 20 books in 2012. Many celebrities are taking part and if you want to join in, you can view the pledge wall and make your own pledge here.

As it says on the Book trust site, there's many ways you can share books - reading them to your own kids (or in my case, The Hound, although he does tend to doze off…), recommending books to friends in person or on line, joining a reading group, taking part in book swaps or posting reviews online. As a writer, encouraging reading (and more importantly a love of reading) is something that's very close to my heart, so I've made my pledge, and I'm going to share my books via this blog throughout the rest of this year. They won't all be books for young children but they will be children's or YA.

So here are my first three books! (I'm cheating slightly, as they're a trilogy, but they're some of my favourite books EVER so I just have to include them.)

1. Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
2. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
3. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

So, why the His Dark Materials triology? Because every time I re-read them, I get something new out of them. They're exciting, beautifully written, intelligent and thought-provoking, and I can highly recommend them!

In other news…
The copyedits for ACID are done! Woo-hoo! That means I'll be returning to my WIP, which I'm having lots of fun with despite its messy first-draft-ness. And happy book birthday to my dad, whose book Insect Photography - Art & Techniques came out on Wednesday (you can read a bit more about it in last week's post here). Hurrah!