Hi Readers and Lovers of YA!
As the thrill of Thanksgiving is over, the winter season is upon us. Now is the perfect to time to start trading in your cider for hot chocolate as you get ready to curl up with a new release you got at Colorado Teen Book Con. As the year begins to draw to a close, it's also the perfect chance to spend time with old friends and family to remember what matters most: the stories that bring us together.
Anna V., Tattered Cover Teen Advisory Board
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YA Authors Julie Buxbaum, Kara Thomas, and
Jared Reck visit Tattered Cover
By Kiana M.,
Tattered Cover Teen Advisory Board
Photos by Mary M., Tattered Cover Teen Advisory Board
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On October 26th, YA authors Julie Buxbaum, Kara Thomas, and Jared Reck hosted a panel at Tattered Cover’s Aspen Grove location. At moments, the audience was left clutching at their sides with laughter—while during others, they were quiet with reverent awe as they soaked in the wisdom the panelists had to offer.
Buxbaum’s newest release,
What To Say Next
, follows the growth of a relationship between two unlikely companions, told in the alternating points of view of Kit and David. Kit, pretty and popular, grasps with the reality of her father’s death, questioning everything she once knew. In David, the socially isolated boy that sits by himself, she discovers a refreshing honesty that leads her to places she never knew existed.
“It started with David’s voice,” Buxbaum said on how the book was inspired, “He had a story that I needed to tell.”
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In Reck’s novel,
The Short History of the Girl Next Door
,
the reader watches as the life of protagonist Matt Wainwright spirals. He fears that he’ll lose his best friend if he’s honest about his true feelings, he fears that he’s losing basketball, but most of all he fears that he’s losing his sense of normalcy. When discussing what message readers should draw from his book, Reck referenced the James Joyce quote, “In the particular is contained the universal.”
“It’s the idea that there’s motion, residence, and connection in the ordinary, little moments from our lives,” He explained, continuing, “I hope people pull [from my book] that those should be the moments that stick with us.”
In
Little Monsters
, Thomas’ latest book, new girl Kacey becomes enveloped in the mystery surrounding her friend Bailey’s disappearance in the quaint town of Broken Falls. Others begin to look towards her for answers, and the more she uncovers, the more she grapples with the question of who she should trust.
For all of the authors, they’ve grown throughout the course of their writing journey—they’ve dealt with both successes and failures. From their experiences, they shared key advice they had to offer for aspiring young writers.
“If I could give my younger self advice, it would be that every word that you write and get down on the page is important, even if you never finish it,” said Thomas.
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Buxbaum advised to “Read like a writer, not just a reader...see how the author pulls things off. If the words are singing, think ‘How did they do that?’ ‘Why do I care?’”
“It’s okay to fake it,” quipped Reck, “Just pretend, do the things you think writers would do—go to writer’s groups, share your writing with friends, and throw your stuff online. Fake it and play along, and after a while you’re actually doing it—you’re a writer.”
The panel was incredibly insightful—the authors discussed the uniqueness in the YA genre, how they fell in love with writing, the behind-the-scenes of their book releases, and much more. Most of all, readers had the opportunity to connect with the authors of books that had made them laugh and cry afterwards.
“We all read to feel less alone,” said Buxbaum, “If just one person recognizes themselves in my books, that will be enough for me.”
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Upcoming Events for
Fans of YA Fiction
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TODAY: Saturday, December 9, 1:30 pm, Colfax Avenue
Author Tom Lamarr will discuss and sign his new young adult novel
Zero Gravity
($11.99 Marcinson Press). In a world where gravity is losing strength and "lightweights" suddenly vanish into the sky, it's survival of the fattest for bulky Adam Weaver and his family. The Weavers embark on a dangerous journey to board NASA's Ark, a massive space craft that represents the last hope for Earth's survivors. Can a kid who once got picked on for being overweight prove that heroes come in all sizes?
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Thursday, January 4, 7:00 pm, Colfax Avenue
What if your life was a nightmare and you couldn't wake up? Journalist and Colorado author Jennifer Alsever will discuss and sign
Venus Shinin
g
($13.99 Sawatch Press), the third book in her
Trinity Forest
series.
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Thursday, January 18, 7:00 pm, Aspen Grove
Join us for a fun night of Epic Reads YA Author Speed Dating with YA authors Colleen Oakes, Maureen Johnson, Kasie West, and Sara Holland. Attendees will form groups of 10-12 and each author will spend 10 minutes with each group. Stay tuned for event details!
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Tuesday, February 6, 7:00 pm, Aspen Grove
Colorado author Scott Bergstrom will discuss and sign
The Greed
($18.99 Feiwel & Friends), the action-packed, high-stakes YA sequel to
The Cruelty
.
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December Kids' VIB & signed copies on
shelves now!
by Jessica Brody
"This book is beautiful. It combines grief and love ins such a real way that it feels like you are experiencing the world along with the main character Ryn. This book will make you feel all the feels and it’s so cool that it takes place out our local Denver Airport (conspiracy theories included!). It also references Tattered Cover, so you know the book has to be good!"
—
Zoe J., Tattered Cover Teen Advisory Board
"
The Chaos of Standing Still
is one of those books you didn’t know you needed to read until it was in your hands. With Jessica Brody’s amazing descriptions, intricate backstories, and lovable characters, this book is sure to be a hit. It brings you on a roller coaster of emotions and overall makes you think about your life decisions. The book really helps bring focus to how you grief and handle the troubles that everyone experiences in life. Highly recommend."
—
Veronica L., Tattered Cover Teen Advisory Board
"In
The Chaos of Standing Stil
l, Ryn struggles to move on from her best friend's death -- and that one unread message from her. At the Denver International Airport, Ryn manages to bump into a cute-but-also-hiding-a-secret boy named, Xander. As Ryn tries to move on from her tragedy, she is plunged into a series of adventures, including a New Year's Eve party and thinking about what happened to her best friend.
Chaos
gives you a sense of comfort."
—
Rachel B., Tattered Cover Teen Advisory Board
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On shelves now!
by Peter Bognanni
"Things I’m Seeing Without You
is a novel about learning to deal with loss. The characters are complex and realistic. The book takes on death and the people affected by it in a delicate, true way. It’s a bridge between adolescence and adulthood, so a good read if you’re looking for something more mature than YA but not yet adult fiction."
—
Vivian, Tattered Cover Teen Advisory Board member
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On shelves now!
by Brenna Yovanoff
"
Places No One Knows
is a novel that takes place in a dream world, as two completely different teens meet in the middle of the night. A study in contrasts, the two characters learn about each other and about themselves. They learn how to heal and how to improve. If you’re a fan of
Perfect Chemistry
or
By Your Side
, then you should check this out!"
—
Vivian, Tattered Cover Teen Advisory Board member
"Two high schoolers who really only know 'of' each other, meet in their dreams at night and create this complicated and heartbreaking relationship. The writing is incredible and unique. There’s a depth in seemingly mundane, everyday activities that literally blew me away. But it’s not just depth. It touches far-reaching levels of intellect that should be impossible to incorporate into simple sentences, yet it's so accessible. Don't miss this one."
—
Kristen Gilligan, Co-Owner
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Signed ARC Giveaway: December 2017
HOW TO ENTER
Email
Kristen
with "ARC Giveaway" in the subject line expressing your interest in being entered into the random drawing to win the Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC).
THE RULES
You agree not to sell the ARC. You agree to not quote from the ARC. You must be able to pick up the book at one of our
Denver Metro locations
(Colfax, LoDo, Aspen Grove)
.
ABOUT THE BOOK
From the author of
We Were Liars
, which John Green called "utterly unforgettable," comes a unique novel that showcases E. Lockhart's unmatched ability to play with style and deliver a perfectly plotted, well-written novel with a surprise twist.
Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat. Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete. An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two. A bad romance, or maybe three. Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains. A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her. A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
E. Lockhart is the author of the highly acclaimed
New York Times
bestseller
We Were Liars
and the
Ruby Oliver
quartet, as well as
Fly on the Wall
,
Dramarama
, and
How to Be Bad
(the last with Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle). Her novel
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
was a Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book, a finalist for the National Book Award, and winner of a Cybils Award for Best Young Adult Novel. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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Tattered Cover's
YA Bestseller List
November 2017
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Give the Gift of a Tattered Cover Experience this Holiday!
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You can give the Tattered Cover experience as a gift! We've paired a $35 gift card with a TC "campfire" mug, along with a special bookmark with upcoming events, for $40. Only available in stores and in limited quantities.
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What's your favorite thing about the holidays?
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Spending time with family and friends on break
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Catching up with reading on break
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Holiday decorations and lights
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Results from last month's poll:
How many books have you read so far this year?
31+
66.7%
0 - 10
16.7%
11 - 20
11.1%
21 - 30
5.6%
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Write a
Book Review!
Have you ever walked through a bookstore and seen little cards sticking out of shelves with book reviews? Have those reviews ever made you want to buy a book?
Those cards are called shelf talkers, and we're looking for teens to write shelf talkers for their favorite books. Your friends and family -- and a lot of total strangers -- can see your reviews on the shelves at Tattered Cover. How cool is that?
To write reviews, send an email to
Kristen Gilligan with "Teen Book Review" in the subject line.
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Teen Writing
Group
Teens come together to share and critique writing, often with a nationally published young adult author as a mentor and participant. An incredible opportunity for aspiring teen writers! Free and open exclusively to teens.
Meets that last Sunday of each month. This is free and open exclusively to teens. Email
Kristen to RSVP.
* Sunday, December 31, 2:00 pm, Aspen Grove.
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Teen Advisory Board
This is a group of book-loving teens who meet every month or so to plan and produce programming for anyone excited about YA literature.
Board members have the opportunity to use their creativity, social media skills, and enthusiasm for books to help with all aspects of event promotion, planning, and execution; introduce (and hang out with) authors at events; write book blurbs; give book talks; get FREE advanced reading copies; and even help select authors who come to the store for events or visit schools.
It's fun, rewarding, and a great resumé builder. Currently, we meet at our Aspen Grove and now our Colfax locations. For more info, read our
TAB Info & Application
. To sign up for the TAB, email
Kristen Gilligan
. (And tell your bookish friends!)
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Author Visits
in Schools
They're FREE!
I mean, who doesn't love a school assembly? Seriously though, Tattered Cover can bring an author into your school to speak to smaller groups of English or writing classes, or a full school-wide assembly.
The best part is that's there no cost to the school. If this sounds interesting, just connect us with your school librarian or principal.
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Listen:
It's a great way to enjoy a book!
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Download the free Libro.fm app, buy an audiobook and get stuff done. Listen while you workout, fold laundry, go on a road trip. Libro.fm has just about every title you could want. It's easy and convenient!
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