not your mother's bookclub

event tonight!

2008-07-18T16:58:21Z

Not Your Mother's Book Club Summer Series!

I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE - meet the author, Stephanie Kuehnert - tonite at 7!

Books Inc. Opera Plaza - 601 Van Ness, SF.

launch party!

2008-07-17T16:43:51Z

Hey there,

Tonight I am going to be at my friend Wendy Lichtman's launch party for her new novel WRITING ON THE WALL. Wendy writes eerily pitch-perfect young teen voices, and she is a great pal and neighbor, so I am very happy that we were able to put together a party for her. Join us, won't you?

Thursday, July 17, 7pm (tonight!)
Books Inc. Opera Plaza
601 Van Ness Ave, SF
415-776-1111

couple of things

2008-07-07T16:07:43Z

1) Draw some P.L.A.I.N. JANES fan art or reveal an embarrassing school dance or crush story, and you could win an advance copy of JANES IN LOVE! There will be four lucky winners. Contest rules and more info at Miss Cecil's blog...

2) There is an interview of little old me up at Beth Kephart's blog, in which I discuss the genesis of NYMBC and some other good stuff.

FYI, I am not a small boy in a blaze-coloured wig, though truth be told, that kid does look alarmingly like me.

no rest for the weary!

2008-06-24T22:45:30Z

Um, remember how Not Your Mother's Book Club was gonna take a summer break?

Well, I am a liar.

July 18 meet Stephanie Kuehnert, author of the very fun and rock-n-roll I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE. I know that our usual class groups and such won't be in attendance, so it is up to you heroes to haul yourselves over to Opera Plaza that night. Come on, it will be fun!

And because of popular demand, YES, we'll be having a midnight party for the release of BREAKING DAWN. Two, actually - one at our store in Laurel Village SF, one in Palo Alto. The theme is Masquerade Ball - yes there WILL be prizes for best costume, Best Bella, Best Edward, etc etc. Don't say I never did anything for you! More info to come...

contests and deals

2008-06-17T15:50:08Z

Holly Black is having a LOLcat contest - make a funny faerie-themed lolcat and win a fabbo Spiderwick DVD or other goodies.

Laurie Halse Anderson is having a book trailer contest - make a trailer for SPEAK or TWISTED, and you could win an iPod Touch.

If you are a YA book author or aficianado in or near San Francisco, you might be very interested in attending the Y-Pulse Mashup Pre-conference on July 14, featuring YA-centric editors, marketing folks and authors talking about how to make the books we love. Well, if you ARE interested, I can get you in for more than half off with a special NYMBC discount - email me and I'll send you details.

Finally, there is still some space left in next weekends WORDPLAY writing workshop featuring genius author Christina Meldrum, hosted by me. These workshops are REALLY fun and a great way to jumpstart your writing and give you inspiration - but space really is limited, so get your tix now!

zombilicious!

2008-06-15T20:59:59Z

Sick of eating disorders and autism? Had it with vampirism and shapeshifting? Well, there's a new literary medical condition sweeping the nation... um... DEATH. Yay?

GENERATION DEAD by Daniel Waters: Goth girl Phoebe has never run with the popular crowd at school. However, no one can believe it when she falls for Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids--the literally dead, living impaired kids who are doing their best to fit into a society that doesn't want them. (Now Available)

ZOMBIE BLONDES by Brian James: Hannah wants desperately to fit in--regardless of what her friend Lukas is telling her: if she doesn't watch her back, she's going to be blonde and popular and dead--just like all the other zombies in this town. (June 24)

GHOST GIRL by Tonya Hurley: Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really "is" invisible. Even worse: she's dead. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal. (August)

DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK by Marlene Perez: Samantha appears a little . . . well, dead, and all the most popular kids at school are copying her style. Is looking dead just another fashion trend for Samantha, or is there something more sinister going on? To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad. (September)

DEAD GIRL WALKING by Linda Joy Singleton: Amber may be upwardly mobile, but her sense of direction is lousy--so lousy that it has cosmic consequences. Instead of returning to her body after a near-death experience, she lands in the body of the wealthiest, most popular girl in school--who just tried to commit suicide. Amber soon figures out that being the queen bee isn't all it's cracked up to be. (September)

Did I miss any?

Melissa Marr event - wednesday!

2008-06-04T01:58:48Z

Melissa Marr, who burst onto the YA scene last summer with New York Times best-seller Wicked Lovely, will be joining Not Your Mother's Book Club™ to present Ink Exchange. This is another dizzyingly sinister urban fantasy novel. Don't miss Melissa and our last event before we take a break for the summer!

Wednesday June 4, 7pm

Books Inc. Opera Plaza
601 Van Ness Ave, SF
415.776.1111
nymbc at booksinc.net

NYMBterview with Beth Kephart

2008-05-27T17:05:09Z

Summer is almost upon us, which means that after our next event (Melissa Marr, June 4!), we will be taking a break for a couple of months. We'll still be here, though, conducting our ever-insightful NYMB-terviews! Today I am pleased to present a dear friend-of-NYMBC, the wonderful Beth Kephart. She's the author of last year's UNDERCOVER; her new book, HOUSE OF DANCE, releases this week.

Hey Beth! Let's get right into it. Undercover was one of our favorite books of 2007, quiet, beautiful, heartbreaking and hopeful. Can you tell NYMBers about your inspiration for writing it?

It was enormously gratifying to me that you put UNDERCOVER on what is recognized to be a rather esteemed list. Not Just Any Favorite Book List, but yours. So first, thank you very much for that.

Elisa, the heroine of UNDERCOVER, had her antecedents in me — in my own awkward high school years, in my long-continuing venture in near-invisibility (less so now, though I still ghost write for executives as part of my day-to-day job), in my love of ice skating, in my passion for words, in my good fortune at having an English teacher who cared. Laura Geringer, the HarperTeen editor who bought the book, simply asked me a question one day over breakfast: “Who were you, as an adolescent?” Within 45 minutes I was on a train, writing the first ten pages of the book. Laura had stirred the sleeping giantess within.

So, would you say that your characters a reflection of your teenage self?

To some degree, of course. Elisa has a shell about her, at first; I have always had that as well. Rosie feels vulnerable, threatened, but determined to show strength, to figure the hard things out. That is me as well.

When you started writing Undercover did you intend for it to be published as a YA?

Always, yes. I had taught young writers for years—in my home and at a local garden. I had chaired the National Book Awards Young People’s Literature Jury in 2001. I still have young writers come to my house to talk about books and their dreams from time to time. I have had the privilege of watching my son turn into a writer. I have had, in other words, blessed proximity to these adolescent readers, and I wanted to write for them.

Okay I'll admit poetry usually isn't my thing but you wove it through your story so beautifully that I savored every word. Can you recommend some poetry for us that might make us total converts?

Total converts? Well, Jenn, dah-link. I cannot promise you a thing. But I can tell you the poets I love. I love Jack Gilbert. I love Stanley Kunitz and Mary Oliver. I love Pablo Neruda. Gerald Stern poetry cures my migraines. C.K. Williams can break my heart. Ted Kooser’s DELIGHTS & SHADOWS is good to read aloud, especially to someone who isn’t feeling well and needs the peaceful rise and fall of words. But I also think it’s a perfectly beautiful thing to grab a book like Robert Pinsky’s THE SOUNDS OF POETRY and learn—always, again—what a poem is, how a poem works, why a poem matters.

Your new novel HOUSE OF DANCE is coming out this week! Can you tell us a little about it?

I have hope for HOUSE, I really do. It’s the story of a 15-year-old named Rosie who is asked—expected—to take care of a dying grandfather during his final summer. Rosie’s mother is out having an affair with a married man, her father is long gone, her best friend, Nick, is stuck under the bellies of cars, and Rosie isn’t quite sure how to care, what to do. Do any of us ever really know how to care, how to respond to the inevitable losses? In the course of helping her grandfather sort through his things, Rosie learns about his life and his regrets, and about the role that dance played in his life. Soon she is taking ballroom dance lessons at a nearby studio. She has a plan for a final gift.

So HOUSE really is a celebration of life and love, in the midst of the many things that wound us.

We have a lot of NYMB'ers who are writers or who want to be writers. Do you have any advice for them?

I’m working with a young writer this month—a high school senior who is enormously talented. We’re learning together about how to overcome apparent barriers, how to keep pushing through, and so that is my first advice: Keep pushing through.

Second, writing, for me, has always been about seeing, and so I go about the world with every tool I can muster—a camera, a notebook, the books of others, the willingness to put myself into places that seem risky or hard so that I can learn from them. Writing demands that we keep seeing and keep learning. The worst thing to do is to lock yourself up in a room somewhere and wait...and wait. The best writing comes from lives lived.

Finally, read. Read everything Jenn tells you to read. She’s the expert.

Aww - flattery will get you everywhere, Beth. Now, quickfire! What is your ideal...

Ballroom dance?
Rumba

Fancy dessert?
Chocolate chip cheesecake OR a really big chunky cookie

Dream vacation?
A lovely city (San Fran comes to mind) in which I can walk and walk and walk and see hills and water and people and culture—all in the space of a few days. Oh, and buy things. I have to be able to buy things. Little things. Like a new pair of earrings for me, a bright tie for my son (who has a funky collection he rarely wears but likes to keep), a book of images for my husband, something to eat for my dad.

YA author you most want to meet?
Wow. Okay. This one is hard. I know: Michael Chabon. He’s written for adults and for younger readers. He seems like a very brilliant guy.

Superhero?
My son

Pen?
I prefer liquid gel ink, with a needle tip, black, thank you very much.

Bookstore?
I live out here, you know, like, on the east coast. So I’d have to say I prefer Chester County Book Company, though my own Barnes and Noble has been EXTREMELY kind to me, thank you, Maureen. And I love Readers Forum in Wayne. I’ve never walked in there and not come out with a book.

Library?
They’ve got cool stuff at the Free Library of Philadelphia. I go there for the first round of my historic research. My second round is spent at the Van Pelt Library at the University of Pennsylvania.

Book club? (ahem)
Do you need to ask?

Yay! Thanks so much for answering our silly little questions, Beth, and congrats on the release of HOUSE OF DANCE!

Get writing tips and more from Beth on her blog

Buy HOUSE OF DANCE from a very nice independent bookstore!

event tomorrow!

2008-05-20T14:47:02Z

Three of our favorite ladies have written the ultimate summer road trip book and they're coming to NYMBC to tell us all about it! Join us, won't you?

E. Lockhart is the author of some of our personal faves: Dramarama, Fly on the Wall and the amazing new Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. Sarah Mlynowski is making her first visit to NYMBC and we can't wait to meet her. Sarah has penned the wildly popular Magic in Manhattan series. Lauren Myracle is the dynamo who single handedly (and hilariously) brought text messaging to a whole new level with ttyl, ttfn & l8r, g8r.

Wednesday, May 21, 7pm
Books Inc. Opera Plaza
601 Van Ness Ave, SF
415-776-1111

nymbc at booksinc dot net

13 reasons why...

2008-05-17T16:43:53Z

Schrank believes the book’s momentum is ultimately the result of an unusual perfect storm of circumstances. “It is poetic and beautifully written, and conceptually it is extremely strong,” he says. “The topic is perennially fascinating and the characters are deeply relatable. And we were very pleased that when the finished book came out, the look of the physical package perfectly matched the qualities of the book. That doesn’t always happen.”

A glowing article about Friend-of-NYMBC Jay Asher and his book 13 REASONS WHY... check it out.

OMG

2008-05-16T23:21:23Z

If you think that I only like reading very literary, fancy-pants, thinky kinds of books -- well, you don't know me very well. In fact, I love candy-flavored books! And there's something about a 90-degree day that makes me want to veg out and read something just for sheer, silly pleasure. (I guess if there was a beach here, these would be beach reads. Instead, they are lie-on-couch-with-popsicle reads).

Enter MODEL by Cheryl Diamond. It's the book equivalent of a True Hollywood Story about America's Next Top Model... which is to say, it is awesome. I seriously stayed up almost all night to finish it.

When Cheryl Diamond was 14, she went to NYC for the first time to try her hand at modeling. She got some attention, took some great pictures... and then 9/11 happened. Everything shut down, and Cheryl went back home. At 16, she tried again. This time she moved to NYC, by herself, was briefly homeless, slept in a freaky storage unit, but managed to pull it together despite brokeness, drama, predatory men, drug-addled photogs, mafia stalkers, etc. She became a real working model, successful, a great book, headed for the top... until disaster. OMG.

Nothing I like better than a good old-fashioned rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches-to-? story. And Cheryl herself has a very compelling voice. She can be kinda obnoxious, but she's also funny and smart, and she seems to have her head on straight despite being in some seriously weird situations. And, whoa, talk about mature. I liked her. Nice one, Simon Pulse!

--

If you are between the ages of 14 and 18, Simon Pulse wants to hear from you. Click here to get free books and be a part of the Pulse IT Board!

madapple signing

2008-05-13T16:18:02Z

Debut author Christina Meldrum is doing a reading tonight at the Stanford Bookstore at 6:00 pm. If you are in or near Palo Alto, you should really check it out - Madapple is a wonderful debut novel that is getting rave reviews and a lot of attention.

Christina is well worth hearing, and the novel is really fabulous. Vanity Fair writes, "In debut novelist Christina Meldrum's mesmerizing literary mystery, Madapple (Knopf), the worlds of science and faith collide."

"With this spellbinding debut, Meldrum marks herself as an author to watch."
—KIRKUS (starred review)

"There is much to ponder in this enthralling achievement from a debut author."
—BOOKLIST (starred review)

Christina will also be leading a WordPlay Writing Workshop at Books Inc. in June! It will be great, click here for more info.

book review

2008-05-03T19:51:41Z

DEBBIE HARRY SINGS IN FRENCH by Meagan Brothers

Johnny likes to party. When he OD's at a club, his mom decides that he's too out-of-control and she sends him to live with an uncle in the country. Johnny is small, artistic, wears nail polish, and totally doesn't fit in with the jocks at his new school. But though he gets beaten up, Johnny is pretty much 99.999% sure he isn't gay. Cause, you know, he has an awesome girlfriend, and he isn't attracted to guys.

So Johnny isn't queer. Still, he does have a secret... he really likes Debbie Harry. Like he wants to be Debbie Harry. Tough and Glamorous. This is the story of how he gets there - and it is surprising and terrific!

new posters

2008-05-03T17:52:14Z

HEY, TEENAGERS!

2008-04-28T17:01:45Z

If you are over the age of 14, and you live in America, go enter the AUDREY WAIT video contest and maybe win a thousand bucks!

If you are under the age of 18, and you live on Earth, please go help E. Lockhart write her new book!

If you are any age, and alive, come to our NEW AUTHORS PARTY tonight!

event monday!

2008-04-27T04:53:57Z

Not Your Mother's Book Club presents three fabulous new authors. Don't miss the chance to meet these ladies before they are full on superstars.

Monday, April 28, 7pm
Books Inc. Opera Plaza
601 Van Ness Ave, SF

Robin Benway's debut novel AUDREY WAIT is one of our favorites of the season. Imagine you break up with your boyfriend. He writes a song about it. That song becomes a huge # 1 hit. All of a sudden you're an overnight tabloid sensation, everyone knows your name, the paparazzi won't leave you alone...YIKES!

Polly Shulman's ENTHUSIASM garnered rave reviews when it came out and is a must for any Jane Austen fan. If you haven't read it yet now is the time to snatch it up in paperback.

CONFESSIONS OF A TRIPLE-SHOT BETTY is Jody Gehrman's first foray into the YA world and she's given us the perfect summer read - full of friends, romance and a shot of sass!

reminder! event tonight...

2008-04-14T18:38:44Z

Hey guys and dolls,

Due to popular demand, we're continuing to do Not Your Mother's Book Club events in our Palo Alto store as well as San Francisco. That means that all you crybabies who thought that SF was too far will get your very own events, and they will be great, too!

But of course, if you don't come out and support the authors, we will have to scale back operations again... and yeah, that's a threat. ;)

So, don't forget, CASSIE CLARE TONIGHT!!! 7pm!! At our New Books Inc. Location, Town & Country Village, Palo Alto!

links! books! YAY!

2008-04-08T17:44:06Z

First of all, please go friend E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski & Lauren Myracle's new book HOW TO BE BAD on MySpace. They've got, like, 5 friends - Tom, HarperCollins, and themselves - and it's sorta embarrassing.

--

Now, let's get you some free stuff, eh? Sweepstakes time!

Win your very own copy of HOW TO BE BAD

Win a beeeyoutiful necklace and a copy of Sarah Dessen's new book LOCK AND KEY

--

That's enough, greedy-boots. Now it is time for you to do a good deed: Join YALSA and Readergirlz for Operation T.B.D.! This is an amazing coordinated effort to get more than 10,000 YA books into pediatric hospitals across the country, and released into the wilds of your neighborhood, too! Check out the link for how you can be a part of the fun on April 17.

congrats, cassie!

2008-04-06T15:54:50Z

I love to see my pretty friends on the New York Times bestseller list. I spy with my little eye, Jay Asher, Stephenie Meyer, Libba Bray, Sarah Dessen, Markus Zusak, Ellen Hopkins, Holly Black and Cassie Clare... all former guests of NYMBC!

Special congrats to Cassie Clare, whose CITY OF ASHES came right outta the gate at number three. If you haven't read CITY OF BONES or CITY OF ASHES, you are seriously missing out. Get on it, cause Cassie will be at NYMBC Palo Alto next week!

three times the fun...

2008-04-04T18:45:56Z

Check out this terrific interview with Lauren Myracle, E. Lockhart and Sarah Mlynowski. These ladies are so funny together, I can't WAIT to read their collaborative novel HOW TO BE BAD - I've been saving it to bring on vacay with me!

Lauren, E. and Sarah will be visiting NYMBC in May - stay tuned for more details...

frank portman at opera plaza

2008-03-31T22:38:23Z

Have you ever been in love with a book? I have. KING DORK by Frank Portman. In case you were wondering, that's why we've done 9 bajillion events for it... swoooon!

To celebrate the release of KD in paperback, Frank and his magic guitar will be at Books Inc. Opera Plaza tomorrow at 7pm. And that is it, until his next book comes out. So, you know, don't miss it.

wiiiiiiii!

2008-03-25T23:45:33Z

Check out this cool contest for the new book WAKE by Lisa McMann. The book is a totally creepy thriller about a girl who gets sucked into people's dreams.

You could win a Nintendo Wii, iPods, or autographed books, and all for just writing a little story about what YOU would do if you could jump into people's dreams -- or nightmares... more info and contest rules here. Good luck!!!

Meanwhile, if you haven't seen Simon Pulse Blogfest, hurry up, cause it will be over soon -- a ton of NYMBC fave writers(you know, like Scott Westerfeld, Robin Wasserman, Sharon Draper, etc etc...) are taking on a different question every day. It's all right here.

congrats neal and barry!

2008-03-15T15:13:24Z

Tomorrow's New York Times brings a pleasant surprise - two terrific YA books, and NYMBC faves, get nice long reviews.

UNWIND by Neal Schusterman

BOY TOY by Barry Lyga

While I don't think that reviews in fancy newspapers are any indication of a books "goodness", there is no doubt that they positively impact book sales. So for that, congratulations gents!

david & siobhan!

2008-03-13T08:24:06Z

I hope to see many of you at our event for David Levithan & Siobhan Vivian!

THURSDAY, MARCH 13 (um, that's today, people!), 7pm

Books Inc. Opera Plaza
601 Van Ness Ave, SF
(415) 776-1111

and the poster one more time, just cause I love it...

dr. frank at our new store!

2008-03-06T00:07:09Z

I know it must seem as if I've forgotten you, my dears, but really, I am just super busy planning AWESOME EVENTS for the rest of 2008. The "upcoming" section of the website seems to change practically every day - so do keep your eyes peeled, cause there is some great stuff a'comin.

This Friday, March 7, our NYMBC peninsula edition kicks off! The brand-new Books Inc. in Palo Alto will be home to Not Your Mother's Book Club events on a semi-regular basis. For our first event, we're pleased to host Frank Portman for an evening of punk rock and pizza to celebrate the release of KING DORK in paperback.

So come see Frank, and us, and our new store in the Town & Country Village at El Camino & Embarcadero. It is a great space. Plus, a percentage of all sales from the event will benefit Palo Alto High... cause we are as generous as we are adorable.

I straight up stole this off Dr. Frank's website. Sorry. But isn't it cute?