Category Archives: rant

Girls and Boys and Books, Yet Again

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Michelle

Oh, no! The YA publishing industry is dominated by girls! Girls reading books, girls writing books, girls actually allowed to be main characters in books . . . It’s out of control and it has to stop, says Robert Lipsyte … Continue reading →

Posted in books, rant, young adult | 3 Comments

Just A Girls’ Book, Redux

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Michelle

Last year, I posted a rant about a couple of YA book reviews that had evoked my feminist rage. One of the book reviewers, Malcolm Tattersall, subsequently contacted me and expressed an interest in taking the discussion further. We were … Continue reading →

Posted in books, rant, this writing life, young adult | 5 Comments

Hermione Granger Rules The World

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Michelle

I love the Harry Potter books, but I also agree with Sady Doyle’s feminist criticisms of them. Ms Doyle discusses the REAL hero(ine) of the books in her article, In Praise of Joanne Rowling’s Hermione Granger Series, and follows this … Continue reading →

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A Public Service Announcement: Smoking Is Bad For You

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Michelle

As I’ve previously mentioned, I love the North American cover of The FitzOsbornes in Exile, which features a girl in a glamorous 1930s ballgown. One of the shadowy figures in the background is a young man who seems to be … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930s, books, rant, The Montmaray Journals | 4 Comments

Fifty Books A Year

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Michelle

The British Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, has announced that school children should be reading fifty books a year. Leaving aside the irony of this coming from a politician whose government is slashing funding to libraries, the proposal … Continue reading →

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How To Write A Novel

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Michelle

The Saturday edition of The Sydney Morning Herald has been running “a series about how to write”, which I have been reading with increasing irritation. First there was Sue Woolfe, who stated that anyone can write a novel, provided they … Continue reading →

Posted in language, rant, this writing life | 2 Comments

ARCs

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Michelle

I am feeling very Oscar the Grouch because I’ve just seen ARCs of the American edition of The FitzOsbornes in Exile for sale, for almost twice the price of the real book, five months before publication date. This is not … Continue reading →

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Just A Girls’ Book

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Michelle

So, I was reading the latest edition of Viewpoint and came across a review of India Dark, Kirsty Murray’s new novel. This book has been on my To Read list ever since I heard of it, because a) it’s by … Continue reading →

Posted in books, rant, young adult | 18 Comments