THE RULES: 1. Write a challenge sign-up post on your blog. In that post provide a link to this original post acknowledging Booklover Book Reviews and put this Challenge Button on your sidebar, linking the button to my challenge post.
2. Add your name and the direct link to your AUSSIE AUTHOR CHALLENGE sign-up post in the Mister Linky list below. (here, not in this blog).
3. Decide which Aussie authors you will read in 2010, although you can change your book titles or challenge level at anytime!
4. Each time you read and review a book as part of this challenge, share this with other challenge participants by adding a direct link to your book review to the list at this post AUSSIE AUTHOR CHALLENGE Book Reviews.
Challenge starts 1 January 2010 and ends 31 December 2010
There are 2 challenge levels - TOURIST and FAIR DINKUM!
TOURIST - Read and review 3 books by 3 different Australian authors. FAIR DINKUM - Read and review 8 books by Australian authors (a minimum of 5 different Australian authors). Need help deciding which Aussie Authors are going to be on your list?
To get you started, Abebooks provides a great list of Australian Authors and book titles. Authors include Peter Carey, David Malouf, Tim Winton, Markus Zusak, Peter Temple, Shane Maloney, Kerry Greenwood, Gregory David Roberts, Frank Moorhouse and Kate Grenville just to name but a few...
***********
I'm joining (can't tell you if i'll succeed or fail. fail, most likely). My Level will be TOURIST.
Ellie and six of her friends return from a winter break camping trip to find their homes burned or deserted, their families imprisoned, and their country occupied by a foreign military force in league with a band of disaffected Australians. As their shock wears off, the seven decide they must stick together if they are to survive. After a life-threatening skirmish with the occupiers, the teens retreat to their isolated campsite in the bush country and make plans to fight a guerilla war against the invaders. Writing in a distinct voice and showing rare intelligence and sensitivity, Ellie recounts their courageous battles against the Goliath in control of their land. She also records her feelings and observations about the romantic partnerships that develop within her small circle of friends, and shows how they mature and blossom during this time of crisis. Though readers are left wondering whether these heroes and heroines will survive (one is severely wounded at the end of the novel), Ellie's uncommonly honest and clear narration makes this coming-of-age adventure a story they won't forget.
My Opinion:
I started reading this book when I read that there was going to be a movie based on it. I like reading the books first, then watching the movies.
I'd read many reviews that spoke very highly of this series, so I was expecting something more. I really liked this book, but I didn't OMG-love it. There were times were I wanted something to happen, but it didn't and then I'd get angry. For instance, when you're reading about a character who's in love with someone, but they daren't make the first move, and that drives me up the walls, you know what I mean? And it's silly, but you get attached to those characters, and you don't want anything bad happening to them. That's exactly how I felt here.
Tomorrow... takes place in the small rural Australian town of Wirrawee (fictional), and its neighbouring farms and mountainous areas. Hell is where the characters make their new home, after everything else's been invaded. Ironically enough, Hell is the safest place left in Wirrawee for them to hide. I enjoyed thouroughly the scenary in which Marsden placed these characters, it was beautiful in my mind, and I can't wait to see the movie and really see those places.
This story's narrator's Ellie, but I didn't feel as much for her as I do for other MCs. I did want her to be happy, and safe and end up with the one she wanted to be, but I just wasn't "in love" with the character. It's not like she's plain or without background, I just didn't relate to her. Ellie's the designated driver, because of her skills in driving. I was quite happy to see that it was a girl who was in charge of such dangerous tasks. Then we've got Homer, who's sort of the natural leader of the group. He's a rebel, and that's mainly what made me love him. Corrie's Ellie's best friend, Ellie thinks of her as her sister. She's a very practical girl. She's also Kevin's girlfriend. I don't know what to think of Kevin yet. I'll have to keep reading the series to find out more about him. Then there's Fi, your typical city girl. She was my favourite character, because when it came to making the really difficult and most dangerous plans come to fruition, she was there and up for it, no matter how scared she was. In Ellie's words: "I admired her courage in taking the job Homer had given her, because I guess true courage is when you're really scared but you still do it." I could see how much she changed from being someone who has her things done for her, to actually doing these things herself. And I felt a little proud of her, I must say. She also falls for Homer, forming an interesting match. Lee's Ellie's love interest. I loved how quiet he was sometimes, but how outspoken he could get when encouraged. Especially around Ellie. He's very passionate, and sometimes I was jealous of Ellie and wanted to knock some sense into her (that was one of those moments where I wanted something to happen but it didn't. Arghhhh!). Robyn is a very nice and lovable character. Religious, and very determined. She's the glue in this group. Chris is the last to join the group. He's always trying to make himself noticed. But unlike Fi, when it's time to get down to it, he's the last to volunteer. Just like Kevin, I still don't know what to think of him.
One of my favourite parts was when Ellie discovers the truth about the Hermit, a man who supposedly lived in Hell, isolated and alone (he goes there after having killed his wife and son; those are the rumours), many years before. My other favourite part, the one I can't wait to see in the movie, is one that happens at the end of the book. Those of you who've read it know what I'm talking about.
Marsden leaves us with a great cliffhanger, and I can't wait to keep on reading the series. I really wanted to love this book, after all those great reviews I'd read. Maybe the fact that I started reading last month, left it there, and picked it up again last week is one of the reasons why I felt there was something missing. But who knows, I might change my mind about this one.
Today we welcome blogger Holly Taylor, from Good Golly Miss Holly! She's been blogging for some time, and I'm really excited to have her here! Let's give her a big round of applause, people!
1. Why did you start your blog?
I'd spend hours on end hunting down awesome YA books so when I found the blogging community I was ecstatic and my wishlist grew massively over one or two days. I had wanted to start a blog for quite some time and felt I could contribute to the readers who had trouble finding new and interesting titles.
I believe my blog is a little different to the others as every now and then I like to feature Australian YA titles which can often be left behind in the blogging world, it's also run by me which I like think of as unique.
2. What are your favorite books? Your favorite authors?
There isn't one particular type of Young Adult genre I like the most but I do know I tend to stay away from the darker story lines and much prefer a light hearted story with a serious issue woven throughout. I've almost made my way through all of Sarah Dessen's books, I'm in the middle of the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty. One of the first YA books that really got my interest is Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist which lead me to Slam by Nick Hornby, Go Ask Alice and Gabrielle Zevin's YA titles.
3. What's it like to be an Aussie Blogger? Do you have to wait much for certain books to get published in AU, for you to buy and read them?
As a blogger, I feel pretty privileged to receive so many amazing books so having to wait a little bit longer for certain books doesn't bother me as much when my current reading stack is big enough to last me the entire year. Though, at the moment I am dying to get my hands on Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn.
I do have a few tips for other Aussie YA readers:
Find out if your local library offers the InterLibraryLoan service, this will allow you to request books from any library in your state. Order from The Book Depository as they ship almost any title for free to Australia. And keep your eyes on the blogs for updates on new books.
4. Tell us something about where you live.
Though, we do have to wait a little bit longer for new titles, we do have a flourish of great libraries! Most Australians have only seen a Kangaroo or Koala once or twice in their lifetime and they are not our only animals, we also have Wombats, Emus, Bilbies, Platypus and Dingoes. I'm not really sure what else to include, if you have any questions about Australia or my life feel free to hit up the comments :)
***
Thanks Holly for being with us today! One thing I love about the Blogging Community is that is can bring together people of all ages, living anywhere in the world! Leave your comment, and remember to stop by Holly's blog, which is great, really.
The premise of the book sounds amazing, but to make this a bit more interesting, why don't you watch the book trailer? I'm sure you'll love it.
1. When and how did you start writing?
I started thumping an old typewriter when I was about ten. That clunky machine gave me a way to externalise parts of my life that were hidden inside somewhere. I had lived through a lot of violence and abuse when I was very young and it made me distrustful and isolated. Writing about it, and destroying the pages immediately, was my way of ‘telling somebody’.
2. Could you tell me a bit about your novel?
My novel is about a teenage boy named Clem. Clem’s mother died when he was born and he’s always carried the blame for her death. His vulnerability results in further trauma, in part from a pedaphile when he was ten years old. He gets into trouble with the police and is at war with himself and the world.
The novel opens with a very angry Clem starting in a high school for hard to handle boys. The school counselor asks him to write letters to his grandmother, and the title ‘They Told Me I Had To Write This’ is the first sentence of his page rage.
Clem’s journey is tough, but is ultimately a celebration of finding a future.
3. What inspires your writing? Are there any authors who particularly influence your work?
Most of my writing is short stories and is inspired by things I see in people’s lives. I don’t write about those people, but I see things like resilience under pressure, or failure through pettiness, or how a family celebrates itself. My stories are mostly about how the characters cope with trauma, whether it be real or imagined.
William Golding is probably my favourite author, and some of my writing has references to his work much as a jazz musician will add in a line of a famous tune. Golding had the ability to write around a subject so the reader formed the story in his or her own thinking.
I also like reading current Australian YA as it keeps me up to date with teen language and thinking.
4. What are you working on now? (if you're working on something)
There is a character in my novel who has a powerful part to play but he disappears half way through. He likes burning things down – something that the cover art suggests. My work in progress is that boy’s story.
I’m also working on an adult novel set in the early days of colonial Australia. It starts with a murder that is kept hidden. The novel tells how the energy of that crime works itself out in the life of the murderer’s family. The trouble is, it’s the family of the murderer’s brother who suffers.
There are more short stories in the pipeline, and a book of disgusting poems for ten year old boys. That’s fun.
5. Do you write with music on or off? Have you ever made a "writing playlist"? (a playlist you listened to while writing certain book) If so, share it!
It’s music off for me. I don’t handle distraction very well and music draws me into itself too much.
6. Name 3 books from last year that you loved/really liked.
‘After’ by Sue Lawson. Australian YA.
It’s the story of a city boy sent to live with his grandparents in the country. They don’t like him, and everyone in the town seems to know more about him than he knows of himself. The reason for him being sent away slowly emerges, and as it does so some of the social fabric of the town starts to disintegrate. It’s a powerful work.
‘Auto Fiction’ by Japanese author Hitomi Kanehara.
Not YA but the narrator is a teenager in the second half of the book.
The story starts when the MC in her twenties and her life is dissolving around her. Each subsequent chapter is from an earlier part of her life, going back to when she is fifteen. We understand the dissolution of her life more fully as each layer is peeled away. This is the first ‘back to front’ book I can remember reading.
‘Dream Rider’ by Barry Jonsberg. Australian YA.
This is an extraordinary book. The character is the fat kid in high school who is always being bullied. He escapes the trauma by falling asleep and dreaming. He can almost do it on command. The trouble starts for the reader when we get a bit confused about what is real and what is dream. Things come to a crescendo and we realise that Jonsberg has created a character of greater power and evil that we ever suspected. It is as if every layer in the story is transparent, and we thought ‘this layer is built on that layer’ and we’ve got those layers totally wrong.
6. What Aussie YA author(s) do you think people should read more of? (Authors that most of us don't know, since we don't live in AU, and it's hard for us to get ahold of their books).
Names like John Marsden and Isobelle Carmody and Tim Winton are the stuff of legend. But there are other names that should be broadcast into the YA world ‘out there’. Here are a few.
Bill Condon’s books have taken my time recently. He has a deft touch with teen issues.
Barry Jonsberg I’ve mentioned.
Michael Gerard Bauer wrote his first YA novel, ‘The Running Man’, in his fifties I think. It sold like crazy, enough for him to move into full time writing. He’s got two very funny books in the Ishmael series and I imagine there’s more yet.
Hazel Edwards is a prolific children’s and YA author. She has just co-authored a YA novel called ‘f2m’ about female to male gender change. Her first children’s book is now thirty years old and still in print.
Shane Thamm’s recent first novel, ‘My Private Pectus’, breaks new ground on boys and body image.
Justin D’Ath has several books in print. His ‘Hunters and Warriors’ should be required reading for high school boys.
Jack Heath is an interesting writer. He wrote his first novel at sixteen, published at nineteen. He’s now at university and book 4 in the series has just been released. It’s teen fiction about a boy who was genetically engineered in a laboratory to be a super-spy - James Bond meets the Bionic Man.
Paul Collins is my publisher, but he also writes YA fantasy, lots of it, good stuff.
Bookwordlover's hosting a very interesting Challenge:
