I LOVED this book just like all of Kat Falls’ other books! So great, a futuristic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe complete with an evil kingdom, animal guides and a hole in wall that leads to a magical place. A zombie-like apocalypse happens in the US but, instead of turning in to zombies …
I am delighted to be serving on the PNBA awards committee when Leslye Walton’s debut novel was nominated. Reading The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender feels like dreaming or being under a spell. A heartbroken woman turns into a canary, a kiss on the neck leaves a permanent mark that only slowly fades through …
“Here’s an unexpected title to add to your Halloween tables…Conversion by Katherine Howe. It’s a YA novel by the author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, and it, too, has a connection to Salem and its witches. The story goes back and forth between contemporary girls at a prestigious high school in Massachusetts experiencing strange …
“When 16-year-old Shay’s brother goes missing, she and her social activist friends must take on an evil corporation based in Eugene, Oregon, in order to save him. The first of a new series, Uncaged is a wild ride with its fearless characters and heart-stopping plot twists.” — Xander, Powell’s, Portland, OR This thrilling teen book is the first …
Not long ago, I became frustrated with my inability to find fiction whose main character has a chronic illness or chronic condition. It seems there’s no lack of fiction about characters with terminal illnesses, but very little where the character has a chronic illness. Being afflicted with a chronic illness myself (chronic migraine) and being …
When Angela Hanson moved to the small Oregon town of The Dalles from Salem nine years ago, Klindt’s Booksellers was her “saving grace.” Hanson spent so much time there that the manager, Tina Ontiveros, finally asked if the store could hire her so she wouldn’t go broke buying books. While Hanson says she’s reputed to …
I’m books behind; Libba Bray has recently come out with Beauty Queens, and I haven’t read any of the Gemma Doyle trilogy. But I am awed by Going Bovine.
Portland author and librarian Sara Ryan has a great post about the recent YA extravaganza at Klindt’s Bookstore in The Dalles. It’s a nice response to Meghan Cox Gurdon’s recent Wall Street Journal essay about contemporary YA fiction being overly dark—and the storm caused by it, which is outlined well by bestselling YA author Laurie …
