Most realistic (ie, not fantasy) YA novels with single-word titles are awesomely depressing. Moreover, they are frequently about hot-button social issues and are not uncommonly in verse.

Sold, by Patricia McCormick. Child prostitution is bad. In verse.

Cut, by Patricia McCormick. Self-mutilation is a serious issue.

Skinny, by Ibi Kaslik. ( Read more... )

Dan Davis, genius engineer, invents a household chore-doing robot (which I have to admit that I covet) but is screwed out of his patent by his partner and his double-crossing fiancée. Through a sequence of events too fun to spoil, he ends up in the future - and then back to the past, trying to fix things. And, alas, hit on an eleven-year-old. Sort ( Read more... )

From recent correspondence:

the-red-shoes: "In the classic Against Our Will Brownmiller writes of going to the library to look up The Fountainhead for that classic 'rape-by-engraved-invitation' (so it was described BY ITS AUTHOR) passage and the book FELL OPEN to the right page. Slightly scary."

Me: "As a young girl I was so desperate for information about ( Read more... )

This is not an actual review. I do not have the book on hand, and it has been a number of years since I read it. People who own it, have read it more recently, or merely wish to share their own memories are welcome to jump in with comments, corrections or reminisciences. Paging James Nicoll ( Read more... )

Which I will now share with you! Meet Ray Bradbury's talking penis.

My back hurts too much to concentrate to the level the memoir requires and way too much to train, so yay for livejournal and a pillow stuffed behind my back ( Read more... )