My friend Lauren thought she was sending good news when she emailed: “The Clique is on Business Insider’s list– 37 Best Books We’ve Ever Read! ” Good? I think nawt. My first thought was, “37? How random. I kind of like it.” My second thought was, “It’s a sign! Here I am contemplating a Clique follow-up and it appears on this list!  I heart your mysterious ways, Universe!!!” Then I read the blurb:

[The Clique is] definitely complete trash, but at the time I totally loved and related to the savagery of the girlfriend group the plot revolves around. They also had the best clothes. — Caroline Cakebread

Needless to say, my third, fourth and fifth thoughts were not as upbeat as one and two. Out of 37 novels, why was mine the only one that got dissed? Would I ever be good enough to sit at the adult table? And why did Caroline put it on a “best books” list if she thought it was complete trash?

Had it been an unkind review (of which I’ve had many) I would have accepted it with grace because critics criticize. That’s what they do. But this wasn’t supposed to be a critique. It was supposed to be a praise-fest. At least that’s what the title inferred.

Lauren said I should be grateful I made the list. My friend Amy wondered if Caroline downplayed her praise because The Clique isn’t very “literary” and she was ashamed of her pick. I agreed with both of them. But it wasn’t enough. I needed to hear it from Ms. Cakebread herself. (Oh yes I dzid!)

Keep in mind, I am not one to track down my detractors. But I do believe everything in life is either a gift or a lesson. And since this didn’t feel like a gift and I couldn’t figure out the lesson…

Behold Monday’s Twitter exchange:

ME: Thank you for including me. I was confused by the “complete trash” comment since you chose it for the list. I’m going to blog about this on Wednesday. I’d love your take if you’re interested.

CAKEBREAD: Ah yes, I hope I didn’t insult you. By ‘trash’ I meant the subject matter–wealthy teenager girl drama–and not the plot-lines, which I actually think are excellent and well suited for the audience you are trying to reach.

ME: It did not read the way you intended.

CAKEBREAD: It might have just been poor word choice on my part…Very curious though, are you planning to ‘trash’ me back?

ME: I would never do that. I look for life lessons and silver linings. Your words felt like a sucker punch to the gut, I’d rather learn from it than punch back.

CAKEBREAD: Oh, ok, I am so sorry about that! I sincerely am a big fan of the series and think they taught me a lot during my own tumultuous pre-teen years if that lessens the punch at all.

While the series may have taught Ms. Cakebread “a lot”, she failed to learn that words matter. They are the wardrobe of our thoughts. We must dress them accordingly.

And what did I learn?

1. When someone hurts you, take a moment to consider what might be going on with them. Most times their behavior has more to do with their shortcomings than yours.
2. Blog don’t bitch. Not everyone is going to act, say, do, or write what you want. In fact, most people won’t. Find a productive way to make sense of it. For me, that’s writing. What is it for you?
3. Caroline Cakebread was very kind to respond to my texts. I believe she is a good person (with a great last name). Caroline, care to chime in? We’re all friends here. Anything to add? FYI- Nothing says I’m sorry like a stellar review of The Dirty Book Club.

TTYW

Lisi

The list:

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-young-adult-book-reading-recommendations

The post The Clique: Trash Talking or Talking Trash? appeared first on Lisi Harrison.

What does a book have to do to get banned? For censors, it’s usually that the content is too controversial. Maybe the book isn’t exactly “age appropriate.” Fortunately, the best way to sell a book is to ban it first. We are in the midst of Banned Books Week, the annual celebration of the freedom to read. From coast to coast bibliophiles are fighting against censorship and pushing for their right to read… anything they want. I’m in full support. So much so that I’m putting myself on blast and posting my favorite controversial book. Judy Blume’s Forever…

Blume is best known for her Young Adult fiction so this may come as a surprise, but over the last 40 years her books have been banned or challenged dozens of times over. In fact, Forever… is among some of the most frequently challenged books at libraries since its publishing. Blume’s novels were groundbreaking and went where other YA authors never dreamed. Several of her books are on the list of all-time best selling children’s books and she’s earned too many awards to count, possibly thanks to censorship itself. Forever… is truly ah-mazing but whatever you do, DON’T read it… You’ve been warned.

Next week I’ll be posting a video of me reading my favorite excerpt out of Forever… 

TTYW,

Lisi

The post Banned Books Have More Fun appeared first on Lisi Harrison.

Alisha here, guest blogging for Lisi today. We’ve decided to start posting the guest spots on her main page so you can find it at more than one site. The Office Elf blog is still up and will be the second home for these posts but, honestly, I was getting lonely over there and wanted a little more Lisi connectivity. Go Team LH! 

…

Some people love to throw around the adage “less is more” without knowing where that saying actually comes from. We saw it first in a Robert Browning poem  called Andrew del Sarto (Called The “Faultless Painter”), which tells the story of the Renaissance artist who possessed great technical skill in his craft, but lacked soul. You know… soul. That elusive aspect… that je ne sais qoui… that infusion of heart from the artist who created the work that hits you in the sweet spot and keeps you coming back for more. If you’re talking about a painting or interior design, I can understand how “less is more” is a popular critique. But if we’re talking about a story filled with the hearts and souls of its characters, more is most definitely more.

Ask any fangirl who just finished reading the very last page in one of her favorite author’s recent books. She wants MORE. We can practically go crazy waiting for the next installment of that lit goodness from a writer we love, and it’s heartbreaking when we’ve reached the end of a series. Like saying good bye to an old friend that’s come along with you on your journey; or more accurately, you’ve come along with them on theirs. Either way, you’ve connected with the heart of that story and you want more of it–plain and simple. Don’t believe me?

I rest my case. However, I think we’re on the same side of the gavel here so I know you’ll be as excited as I was to check out Barnes & Noble’s website for License to Spill, the second installment in the Pretenders series, and to see they’ve leaked a little more of the story for Lisi’s readers to devour. Want the first 24 pages and missed the reveal? Here you go. Want more? Thought so. License to Spill drops June 24th. We’re in the home stretch!

Lisi will be back next week with her usual post. We spoke this morning and she said she misses you guys. We’d love to see more of you here on the blah-g. What would you like to see more of each week?

xx,

Alisha

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