Big Blue Marble Bookstore YA Newsletter
January 13, 2015
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Contents and more:

1) Happy new year!  Thanks for a great Legend discussion last month!  Next up, next week already: Seraphina.  Find a friend, be it human or dragon, or some combination, and come talk peace and music!

2) We are hoping to host a number of discussions in February on race and history and the current tensions, and I'm planning for the YA book discussion to be one of them.  Glory Field seems a perfect book for this because it represents an unbroken thread of history in itself -- the main characters are teenagers in many generations of the same family (1753-1994), connected by the land and by their shared (and remembered) history.  And we need to have history if we're going to work with the present.

3) Bestseller lists below!  (both for 2014 and for the store's history to date.)

4) I was disappointed that NO ONE wanted to tell me their wish list of magical/technical items from sf/f, so I am asking one more time.  Come on, win an ARC!  (Which is kind of science fictional, if you think about it: a copy of a book from the future!)  To reiterate: if you could choose one magical object or piece of technology from the worlds of fantasy and science fiction (books or movies), what would it be and why?  Send me your own answer (by replying directly to this message, or sending to webmanager at bigbluemarblebooks dot com), and the third respondent will receive a prize.

4) Newsletter distribution lists: I neglected to mention last time that there's a link at the end of this message (Update Profile/Email Address) by which you can edit your bookstore newsletter lists yourself.

5) Call for teen musicians:  Youth Band forming for February Barn Dance!
Youth musicians are invited to play with a band of other 7th-12th graders for the Mount Airy Barn Dance on February 8 (at Summit church on Greene St.). It's a fun time, the band will sound great, and it's not a problem if you haven't played for dancing before. All instruments welcome, including piano.
 
There will be 4 practices (lasting a little over an hour):
 
             Sunday 1/18, 1pm 
             Sunday 1/25, 1pm 
             Sunday 2/1, 1pm 
             Sunday 2/8, 1pm, followed immediately by THE DANCE! 
 
Anyone interested please e-mail Rick Mohr <rick@rickmohr.net> or call 267-331-5889.
 
Keep warm, and curl up with a good book.
See you soon, 

Jen

JANUARY
Thursday, January 22, 2015
7:00pm 
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman


An excellent book that should resonate with anyone of mixed heritage whose ancestors are enemies, or anyone who is trying to come to terms with their families' histories.  Though possibly not everyone in those situations has the experience of being half-human, half-dragon.

"Here is a new and original voice that will set the Dragon genre on its ear! Seraphina has an incredible musical talent, one that she must not flaunt in case she draws attention to herself. For Seraphina is no ordinary girl; she is a half-dragon living in a human world that despises all dragons. In this lush world full of secrets and intriguing characters, readers will completely lose themselves. An exciting book!"
-- Meaghan Beasley, Island Bookstore, Duck, NC (from the Indie Next List)
FEBRUARY
Thursday, February 26
7:00pm

The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers

Glory Field cover 

"Those shackles didn't rob us of being black, son, they robbed us of being human."

 

This is the story of one family. A family whose history saw its first ancestor captured, shackled, and brought to this country from Africa. A family who can still see remnants of the shackles that held some of its members captive -- even today. It is a story of pride, determination, struggle, and love. And of the piece of the land that holds them together throughout it all.

-from Indiebound.org 

Young Adult Top Sellers of 2014
  • John Green boxed set -- photo by box designer Karen Kavett The Fault in Our Stars (paperback) - John Green
  • The Giver - Lois Lowry
  • Divergent - Veronica Roth
  • The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
  • Looking for Alaska - John Green
  • Insurgent - Veronica Roth
  • Paper Towns - John Green
  • The Fault in Our Stars (hardcover) - John Green
  • Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell
  • Legend - Marie Lu
  • Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
  • Maze Runner - James Dashner
  • Brown Girl Dreaming - Jacqueline Woodson
  • Every Day - David Levithan
  • Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
  • Song for Jordan - Mya Kay
  • Allegiant - Veronica Roth
  • The Freedom Maze - Delia Sherman
  • We Were Liars - E. Lockhart Flame in the Mist cover
  • The Flame in the Mist - Kit Grindstaff
  • Graceling - Kristin Cashore
  • Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein
  • Hollow City - Ransom Riggs
Young Adult Top Sellers to Date!
  • Hunger Games boxed set The Hunger Games
    - Suzanne Collins
  • The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie
  • Catching Fire - Susanne Collins
  • Mockingjay - Susanne Collins
  • The Fault in Our Stars (hardcover) - John Green
  • The Giver - Lois Lowry
  • Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
  • Divergent - Veronica Roth
  • Looking for Alaska - John Green
  • The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
  • Gifts - Ursula K. Le Guin
  • The Fault in Our Stars (paperback) - John Green
  • The Thief - Megan Whalen Turner
  • Dairy Queen - Catherine Gilbert Murdock
  • Paper Towns - John Green
  • Magic or Madness - Justine Larbalestier
  • Insurgent - Veronica Roth
  • Three Cups of Tea, Young Readers Edition - Greg Mortenson
  • New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
  • Tangerine - Edward Bloor
  • Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
  • The Wee Free Men - Terry Code Name Verity coverPratchett
  • Graceling - Kristin Cashore 
  • Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell
  • Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli
  • Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein

Big Blue Young Adult Book Discussion

For adults who read YA and teens who like to talk about books  

 

Upcoming books:

January 22: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

February 26: The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers    

 

Please join us on the fourth Thursday of the month (with some exceptions) for the Big Blue Young Adult Book Discussion, led by Jen Sheffield.  The young adult genre refers to the books under discussion; readers of all ages are welcome.  The books do not have to be big or blue, though that's always nice.

You can purchase the current month's and next month's selections at a 10% discount!

For a list of past selections, check out the Book Clubs page on the Big Blue Marble website.