Mayjune being this new, extended month I’ve made up, on account of my not keeping up to date …
Firstly news – I panelled at the Reading Matters 2011 conference back in May. It was a fantastic experience, particularly listening to the other authors talk. A huge thank you to the Centre for Youth Literature team, Express Media and the State Library of Victoria for an incredible couple of days.
Also in news – a big thank you to Irresistible Reads for coming up with the Aussie YA Reading Challenge 2011, and to inkcrush, who helped get it off the ground. In a similar vein, thanks to The Unread Reader, who came up with Go Aussie Book Tours and is very generously sharing Aussie writing around on the other side of the pond. To all those participating – a huge thanks from me (and all Aussie authors me thinks). If you haven’t heard about all this, check out any of the links to the sites above to find out more.
Reviews. Everything this special double month is about Raw Blue. (I should interrupt myself here and mention that I don’t have Google Alerts on, I only become aware of things when other people point them out to me – so, if you’ve reviewed something and you want to see it mentioned, drop me a line):
The Book Nerd Club: All my life I’ve lived within five minutes of the ocean, so for me this book is set in ‘my’ Australia. The cleansing power of the ocean is something I totally get. I don’t surf, but you don’t need to personally know about it to understand the power and freedom it gives Carly …
Book’d Out: It is wonderful to have a book that is so naturally, authentically Australian, and so gloriously, beautifully written …
The Perpetual Page-turner: I would definitely recommend this for readers who are looking for a little bit of more mature YA read … There was just the right amount of “drama” and love and growth…
Angieville: I loved this book from start to finish. It dropped me into another world, full of surfing lingo and weather reports, charmingly different speech patterns, and the ubiquitous word “mate.” … But even more than surfing, this book is a love story.
Musings of a YA Reader: A novel I’m going to recommend to anybody and everybody, Raw Blue will leave readers with a lasting impression and the indelible gift of hope.
Book Harbinger: Raw Blue hooked me from its portentous beginning to it’s chillingly perfect and poignant ending. Highly, highly recommended.
Thanks to all reviewers for taking the time to read the book – I know some of you had to buy an e-book to do it. And, as ever, thanks to bibliophile brouhaha for passing it on.
