Tidbits

Hey guys.  Guess what?  It is still winter.  I'm starting to think that perhaps the Game of Thrones books are a little less fiction, a little more alarmingly nonfiction, about the winter coming...sigh.  Here is a big dump of stuff, because I feel a little too lazy to sort it out, and you never mind, right? RIGHT. 

• "Alright, listen up playboy.  This book be an allegorical effort to take on all the effed up shit in society and find its origin in human nature. By watching these little white boys loose their minds, we are reminded of humanities capacity for evil and how man made moral systems be straight-up superficial." Whhhhhattt? Thug Notes on Lord of the Flies, everyone! 
  
   (That said, I have mixed leaning towards positive feelings about Thug Notes. But I do appreciate stick figure artwork, good natured humor, encouraging reading, and sound analysis, so...I suspect Thug Notes wins?)
• A Monster Calls gets a movie director: I am...I guess I found this book sufficiently devastating in its power; not sure I need to see it to believe it, but do like that it could be beautiful and get a wider audience? Aka: fence.  I am on it.  
• If you haven't heard about Hoopla yet and work in libraries, you should.  It's like Netflix for us.  And I think it's brilliant, and possibly what our future will look like if we can (I'm looking at you publishers) get our acts together.  
• While admittedly cool, this new app to allow you to read a novel in under 90 minutes seems to kind of be missing the point of reading a novel entirely.  
• Maybe it's just me that finds army ration packs a little bit fascinating in the actual trying to make real food happen out in the wild/on a battlefield/etc...but maybe not because the Guardian did a really cool piece about what is in ration packs from around the world. If we were going to put them in a contest to win, I think work to food ratio needs to be considered, as does what the food is...but then again, we eat very different around the planet.  Regardless, France probably wins.  Negative points for having your food wrappers look like condom wrappers.  Seriously, Spain?
• I lovee: Eggs for breakfast. Eggs for lunch. Eggs for dinner, Eggs all DAY. .Did I mention how much I love eggs? 
• I find this literary-inspired fashion piece charming!  

Tidbits

News team assemble! 

• Well, we all knew this had to happen someday, and it's honestly not bad.  But nothing trumps the original, stunning Harry Potter covers.  NOTHING!  
• From Fiction to Fashion get into my closet, now.
• Curiously, Morgan Freeman wasn't available to play death in a movie about 1930's Germany: the Book Thief is going to be a movie, and they've already cast it.
• Beautiful Creatures is in theaters, and I'm excited to see it next week.  Fingers crossed its not too Disney hokey, and just enough Southern Gothic to not ruin it!  I'm also kind of excited for Warm Bodies...which I've never read (confessions!).  
• Vicious cycle alert: In news that shocks nobody, Chick Lit isn't exactly great for feeling super awesome about your body image...which is maybe why some ladies are reading it in the first place.
• I'll see you in November, Bridget Jones.  
• The first chapter of Patrick Ness's new adult book is available to be previewed.  Squeeeee!  
• Places I want to go to include this gorgeous underground train station in NYC.  If I wasn't afraid of rats...or prison...
• Because I love you, I found the specialist Valentine I could for you guys.

The Selection, by Kiera Cass: When The Bachelor does Dystopia, we ALL win

The Selection

by Kiera Cass

HarperTeen, 2012 (available 4/24/12)

In this highly anticipated vision of the future, the United States is no longer a democracy.  Monarchy has returned and a caste system is now in place with social groups rated one (highest) to eight (lowest).  Straight shooting and musically talented America Singer and her large family are fives, artisan class.  When The Selection is announced, a reality show to find teenage Prince Maxon a wife and a future Queen, America feels obligated to enter.  Entrants are well compensated for their participation, and her family can use the money.  But America is madly in love with her secret boyfriend, Aspen, a six, servant class, and for the obvious reasons is hesitant to enter.  Aspen clears the way when he breaks up with her instead of proposing; his pride can’t bear to drag her down a caste level.  Soon America is flying off to the palace with 34 other contestants, one from each province, to compete to win the heart and hand of Prince Maxon.  But things in the palace are not as they seem to be on a TV screen; there are frequent attacks by rebels, not to mention learning to navigate the new royal caste expectations, trying to make friends in a tinderbox, and trying to fall in love with a broken heart.  This book has high pop appeal (a TV pilot has already been filmed), and should find its way into all YA collections with high demand anticipated from girls (11-16) and adults when the pilot airs.

Guys – I think we can all cop to the obvious.  A summary of the basics of this plot is like a recipe for Paperblog kryptonite.   It’s basically The Bachelor meets The Prince and Me meets a beauty pageant meets a girly version of dystopia meets the CW meets fantasies of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s wedding, shaken, and served in a glass labeled: Strong Potential for Highly Addictive Case of the Terribles.  HOW COULD I SAY NO?  Now, before I go much further, I’ll make a disclaimer:  I have not actually finished this book (my copy is not a complete one), and the origins of my copy, while legit and legal, are slightly not directly from the publisher.  Let’s just say the bidding war paid off for all of our curiosity about this buzzed about book (and don’t worry, HarperTeen legal department, I’m not passing it on...unless of course you want to send me a real ARC, which I’d be delighted to pass on to my many, always eager to read fun things teenage students…). 

Now that we’ve cleared that up and all the boys have stopped reading, let’s debrief. 

Tidbits: Little libraries are dauntlessly fashion forward

• Little libraries may be the cutest advancement in the housing market since the birdhouse. 
• For those of us who still want to dress like Stacy, Claudia, Dawn, and Maryann in the Babysitters Club, Lucky Magazine UNDERSTANDS.  They have created a YA inspired fashion guide. +1 for including The Saddle Club, but -1 for those Boxcar Children inspired horrible overalls.  No, girl, no.  Other lovely books from my youth included are Nancy Drew,  Little House on the Prairie, and Sweet Valley High.
• I haven't stayed up past my bedtime (okay, my bedtime is like 10, but WHATEVER) to finish a YA book in a while.  But I did last night...Divergent.  I held off, but once I started, there was no stopping.  Thank the YAgawds the sequel drops in a few months!  And DOUBLE thank the YAgawds because a preview of Insurgent, the sequel, is available on the EW website.  This made my breakfast ohsodelightful. And then...OHO!  Fast forward to the next item, because this, my friends, is what we call a CLIFFHANGER in YA:
• And this, friends, is what we call the SEQUEL:  Lo, just as I was thinking to myself this morning that there would totally be a Divergent faction quiz online, what do I see?  A Divergent Faction quiz*.  Thank you internet!  Please divert your attention if you are in Abnegation, because I'm about to do what is called BRAGGING:  yes, I am a Dauntless (even if I do think that, like, sky diving and face tattoos are not for moi).  And double smug, I'm totally always a Gryffindor too.    Humbleness is one of my greatest traits.  Though, I think the real question is how does one buck the system and test as divergent?  Does having this thought make me...divergent?!?
  (*You do, however, have to offer up your info for this Facebook quiz.  Which I assume is how the Erudite will control us all!)
• Something really exciting happened to me on Valentine's Day.  No, not my student publishing a piece on the back page of the school newspaper of the eight reasons I should be his Valentine (true story, I cannot make these things up).  It may not have been romantic, but I know my favorite authorcrush was totally thinking of me on Galentine's Day when she linked to my review of her latest book on her site.  Melina Marchetta, thank YOU for being my Galentine!
• Well hey there, potential case of the terribles: the cast of the Hunger Games is touring the malls of America, in case you had any doubts about this being an Oscar nominee.   Life, imitating art.  Do you think Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will accidentally on purpose start a revolution?  And yet,...still really excited for the movie.

Tidbits - Book fashion

• So...a little book called The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo?  Maybe you were one of the one billion people on the planet not to read it.  Rebel.  You're a little like Lisbeth Salander, except maybe not as edgy.  BUT YOU CAN BE.  Because H+M is coming out with a line of clothes based on the movie.  I would look more, but don't subscribe to Women's Daily Wear.  Based on the Jezebel pic, it looks moody.  Do you think sales of eyeliner will jump?  They should include temporary dragon tattoos in this line. Then and only then will I consider a pair of pleather pants.
• A book I am excited for got itself a dress!  Behold:
  
  
  
  
  I am reserving judgment based on material it is printed on.  If it's shiny, heck no.  The fault is in the reflection of sticky fingers on the cover.  If it's more matte, I'm in!  Also, does the cover indicate that someone is dark and stormy, someone is happy cloudy, and they cross paths and do something with chalk, perhaps involving Shakespeare?  Calling it.