THE AMBIDEXTROUS LIBRARIAN

UPPING THE DIVERSITY Jenny Han on YA Literature (link to Huff Post article) I haven't been reading YA for that long so I am by no means an expert... but in this digital age, knowledge is no longer a prerequisite to opinion so eh, I will go ahead and throw in my two cents. I was reading an article on Huff Post about YA author Jenny Han.  The article primarily discussed her novels and her writing process, but it also covered Han's perceived representation of Asian-Americans (and other minority social groups) in YA fiction, and the positive effect her YA stories have on her readers (particularly Asian-American readers). It got me to thinking that as I reader, what better experience is there than to enjoy a novel where you feel deeply connected with the characters?  To whoop with joy or lament in despair, to feel like you've been there, done that, and know exactly how it feels? From Han's comments, it's evident that her stories speak strongly to a young Asi...

Sandy Feet (Nikki Buick) This bright little number caught my eye a few months back, as it subconsciously spoke to my longing for some sort of beachy, sandy, tropically, salty, breezy, sunny, happy respite (I love a good adjective list to emphasis a point) to the misery that is a Melbourne winter in the perpetually sodden Dandenong Ranges .  The cover of the book is yellow with a palm tree... it says "sandy".  That was enough for me. So I read the book and it was OK.  Perhaps not as sunny and sandy on the inside as the cover would have you believe (if you judge books by their cover - which I do), but it certainly kept me coming back despite being a bit slow to get off the ground.  Basically, the protagonist, Hunter, is a guy who has a few issues in life; his mum suffers from depression, his stepdad (endearing called "Step"), is a bit of a toss, and his sister is a pain.  And he is stuck on a loooooooong family car trip up north to "getaway" and "f...