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A rush of emotions, action around every corner, suspision and paranoia to the max. This book had my gut wrenching and my head reeling.

This was another book I had no synopsis of before reading. I didn't even have a cover to go off of. All I had was a recommendation from a friend and his request that we read it "together". Meaning he had a copy on his phone, I had a copy on my Kindle and we would try to keep the same pace.

Last night he had the goal of finishing it by Tuesday. I said, ummm, no, we need to finish this tonight. And we did! (He actually finished it before I did.)

Cory Doctorow put a new twist on the old tale of 1984. I felt the same horror as I did when reading 1984 but could relate to it a little more because it was full of known technology and based in San Francisco, a place I've always wanted to visit. But it was more than that. The characters were brilliantly developed. You could picture each one of them and realize they'd probably be your friends if you knew them in real life. You too would be an "Xnetter", jamming with the best of them, if the government unjustly took over your city.

For a technologically savvy book, you don't have to be all that tech savvy yourself to understand it. I do know the power of code and the rush you get when a computer does what you tell it to do, but that's about as far as my technology knowledge goes. (I can't program a whole computer, just simple re-coding for websites. So, don't be impressed, please.)

Living with fear of a branch of the government that has gone rogue, hiding behind a movement with a code name M1k3y, unable to tell your parents you were jailed and tortured for 5 days, Marcus Yallow represents so many ideals and fears it's a wonder he doesn't implode.

Any high school and college age kid would get a lot out of this book. The controversy it brings up and the situations it thrusts the readers into creates a world we can all relate to in some form or other. We can all either be Marcuses or Charleses. Or maybe even Darryls or Vans. Or Anges. There's a character for everyone to put themselves into. What better way to read a story than to become part of it?

Jersey Shore goes global (airing in more than 30 countries this week. Will the "Shore" lifestyle [aka "guido" stereotypes] translate? Also MTV and VH1 ink a deal with Foursquare encouraging fans to join and "friend" their favorite cast member, the... Read the rest of this post

AMP Energy Rock Off (Pepsi's energy drink in Canada streams an event live  on Facebook. Plus "Bruno," Sacha Baron Cohen's latest character, promotes MySpace, asking fans to "freund" him) (MediaPost, reg. required) (Ad Age, reg. required) -... Read the rest of this post

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen, 2008).ISBN-13: 978-0765319852Hardcover: 382 p. List Price: $17.95***** (5 out of 5 stars: excellent; nearly flawless; a must-have for all libraries serving youth)“What’s the big deal? Would you r

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I talked about Cory Doctorow's Little Brother here a few months ago, because I loved it. They've used some of what I wrote on the blog, with my permission, as a blurb for the book; I'd stand by everything I said.

You can now read it at http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/ where it's available for download under Creative Commons. And you'll probably like it. If you do, buy hard copies for friends. Or if you happen to be a foreign publisher, buy the rights to it in your language, and publish it there.

In US bookshops, you'll probably find it shelved in YA -- Young Adult -- unless you are dealing with a smart store that has it on display up the front and has also put it in SF and Fantasy. (Lots of debate on Boing Boing and at Mr Scalzi's excellent blog about this. Not a lot I can add to the debate, other than that I sometimes really wish that all fiction books of all genres for any people over the age of about 12 were simply filed alphabetically by author, because as Patrick Nielsen Hayden once pointed out to me, shelving by genre simply tells people the places in a bookshop that they don't have to go. And Sturgeon's Law suggests that they'll be missing out on some good stuff that's shelved in those places.)

...

This was written last night after the signing, and then not posted because I wasn't sure if it was funny or just me being grumpy late at night after signing for many hours.

I get strangely punchy after a long signing. And it was a long signing, for about 500 people.

Back in my hotel room at midnight, wanting something to eat, I phone room service, after looking at the 24 hour menu, which has the same limited selection as any 24 hour menu...

"Room service?"

"Yes. Could I have a hamburger, please?"

"Ah. We've only got beefburgers here. But I could make you one from scratch."

"Make me one what?"

"Hamburger."

"Which is different from a beefburger in what way?"

"Well, we make them of ground-up ham."

"But a hamburger is a beefburger. It takes its name from the town of Hamburg in Germany. It isn't made of ham. It shouldn't be made of ham. It never has been made of ham."

(Unconvinced Five Star Hotel Night Chef.) "If you say so, sir. It's just people here complain if their hamburgers aren't made of ham. Do you want a slice of beetroot on that*?"

"Not really."

And now I wait in my room, looking at all the bags I've managed to strew all over the bed, and wondering whether, if I glare at them hard enough, they will climb off the bed themselves and arrange themselves tidily on the floor, or if I'm going to have to do it for them.

...

Look, me and Eddie Campbell, all blurry at Eddie's blog. I look like Harpo Marx.






*this is a normal query in Australia and not at all odd.

Chad Stephenson, San Francisco Friends School librarian, has been working on an extensive school project about Diwali, the Hindu winter Festival of Light, celebrated on November 9 this year. In a ‘personal views’ piece he’s contributed to the PaperTigers website, Chad gives us the scoop on the celebration of Rama’s victorious return from Lanka with his kidnapped wife, Sita. His article is chock full of great Diwali reading recommendations, including Uma Krishnaswami’s award-winning Monsoon, illustrated by Jamel Akib, and Hanuman, by Erik Jendresen and Joshua M. Greene, illustrated by Li Ming. Here’s a PaperTigers review of another book on Chad’s list.

Canadian Rachna Gilmore’s Lights for Gita isn’t on his list, but it will shed yet more light on the Diwali’s real meaning: Gita’s difficulties settling into her life in Canada are exemplified by not being able to celebrate the holiday the same way she would have back home.