Heebie-Jeebies

October. Bradbury Season. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday; I think it's the idea that there's more than meets the eye. More to whatever shell you're looking at. You're hidden behind makeup and costuming, and yet, maybe revealing a bit more than usual. A different side. A different way of looking at things. And THAT is scary - since there's nothing humans fear more than DIFFERENT.

And the Rumbaughs are definitely different.

Jack Gantos, author of the popular and funny Joey Pigza and Rotten Ralph books, as well as the notable Printz & Sibert Honor biography Hole in My Life, created a bit of a stir upon the publication of The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs last year. I hadn't read it but I'd wanted to, so when Colleen mentioned Bradbury Season for books that feel like October, well, I thought I'd finally see what all the fuss was about. It's WEIRD. Really, really weird.

First, a taste:

"An Introduction: I expect you might think the story I am about to tell you is untrue or perversely gothic in some unhealthy way" p 3.

Um, yeah, but I didn't know it then.

Chapter heading: "Squirrels are my favorite" p 113

Um...

"It is not perfection that captures the heart, but honesty" p 114.

I can get behind that.

"Hide the truth of who you are and you'll live a fiction" p 144.

Yep.

And then there's this whole discussion about free will - the crux of the matter. The creepy, creepy crux. See, the Love Curse of these Rumbaughs is that they love their mothers too much. So much that they take up taxidermy in order to preserve their dead bodies as giant dolls upon their deaths. No, I'm not kidding you. It's all about whether Ivy, the last of the Rumbaughs, has inherited this curse, whether one can choose one's fate or if choice is just an illusion.

We watch Ivy grow and battle with these issues, her possibly unhealthy attachment to her mother, and her extreme fear toward the idea of her mother's death. Control fate? Or let it control you?

The kinda amazing thing? At some point, as a reader, I crossed the line. I stopped being completely revolted and became amused. Interested even. Intrigued. And THAT is what this is all about. Crossing that line from the fear of the unknown, the different, and finding yourself on the other side. Without fear (Comfort is another thing entirely).

For More Bradbury Season, head on over to Colleen's post on Chasing Ray. You'll find a list of the usual suspects.

That they aren't Werewolves is a little weak

I'm a little bit of a wimp. I tend to stay away from things that fall into the horror genre. Like most everyone else, I did go through that phase where I read a ton of Stephen King (for the record my favs are The Stand & Bag of Bones) and reluctantly watched horror flicks (the original Psycho just made me laugh)...but... generally? I don't need those images knocking around my noggin. The fact that I now live alone... ok, yeah. That has something to do with it. There's no one to check behind the shower curtain or in the closets for me. No one to hear me scream...

Anyway. This is a book blog, right? In theory. If you've had any contact with Little Willow ANY CONTACT AT ALL, you will know that she's the Christopher Golden Proselytizer. She will eventually wear you down and you will have no choice to read him. Now, I had read, oh, 13 Golden titles (Body of Evidence & Outcast series) before I "met" LW. THIS DOES NOT STOP HER*. So, I gave in and read Prowlers.

Jack's life isn't carefree or easy, but he's happy. When his best friend gets brutally murdered, then shows up as a ghost, well, Jack's life gets even harder. He must avenge his friend's death in order to save the ones he loves, because the Prowlers are on to him, and they are amassing in numbers not seen in centuries...

Dude's got it down. It is the perfect genre book. It is exactly what you expect it will be. The tone is dark and a little gritty. It's not scary, but there's a discernible tension. Honestly, a lot like Stephenie Meyer's books are (minus the romance). More... paranormally thrilling than anything else. It's very much a crime thriller, just with ghosts and werewolves (fine. Prowlers.). The thing that always makes it fun to read a Golden book is that he writes so visually. I genuinely feel as though I'm reading something that belongs on the TV screen. This (as with Body of Evidence) could totally be a show. I'd watch it (but I want BoE first).

My only real issue (if you haven't already figured it out) is that we can't just call the dang monsters werewolves. So they don't change by the light o' the silvery moon. So they never were technically human. I don't care. They change into toothy, hairy beasties. Call the spade, people. They're werewolves.

LW didn't mention that it's a quartet until AFTER I read the book. It's not a waste of time. Golden never seems to be one. It's fun.

*LW, you KNOW I love you.

October 1st!

So today is huge.

First, starting today (6 am Central Time), you can head on over to the Cybils and nominate your favorite 2007 title in each of eight categories. Nominate! Nominate! Each title needs only one nomination, so be sure to check what's already been submitted and enter in your OTHER favorite 2007 title (cause, who, really, can pick just one?!).

Also, today starts Reader Girlz 31 Flavorites!! Chat with your favorite teen lit authors every night this month. EVERY NIGHT! 8 pm EST. Is there anything more awesome than that?!

I'm really excited about both the Cybils and 31 Flavorites. Really Excited.

Just for convenience sake, here's the reprint of 31 Flavorites:

Week One
Oct 1. Meg Cabot
Oct 2. Tiffany Trent
Oct 3. Brent Hartinger (I'm playing moderator)
Oct 4. Lorie Ann Grover
Oct 5. K.L. Going
Oct 6. Nikki Grimes


Week Two
Oct 7. Ellen Hopkins
Oct 8. Justina Chen Headley
Oct 9. Chris Crutcher (I'll be moderator)
Oct 10. Ann Brashares
Oct 11. Sarah Mlynowski
Oct 12. Cecil Castellucci (moderating again. hopefully by then I'll have read BEIGE. Assuming someone nominates it for the Cybils YA, 'cause those are the only books I'll be reading for a while. 'Cept those book group books. Sigh. Boring adults.)
Oct 13. Kirby Larson

Week Three
Oct 14. Tanya Lee Stone
Oct 15. John Green
Oct 16. Sara Zarr
Oct 17. Deb Caletti
Oct 18. Rachel Cohn
Oct 19. Kirsten Miller
Oct 20. Mitali Perkins

Week Four
Oct 21. Sonya Sones
Oct 22. Lisa Yee
Oct 23. Carolyn Mackler
Oct 24. E. Lockhart
Oct 25. Janet Lee Carey
Oct 26. Gaby Triana
Oct 27. Lauren Myracle

Week Five
Oct 28. Holly Black
Oct 29. Cynthia Leitich Smith
Oct 30. Dia Calhoun
Oct 31. Stephenie Meyer (midnight EST)

Perhaps I'll review books again someday. I read a really good one this weekend. But right now I'm going to go to bed. I's tired.