Liz Noland is the publicist for the new imprint Feiwel & Friends (as well as Square Fish) and after corresponding with her for some time during her tenure at Penguin, I was quite pleased to hear from Liz about all the new imprint had to offer. I reviewed several Feiwell titles this year, including Carpe Diem, The Shy Creatures and The Poison Apples. I'm really impressed by the collective teen voice Feiwel is offering and look forward to seeing what will be coming from them next season. But more than that, I've been enjoying talking books with Liz who always has bright things to say about books for the young. She's very cool and has a lot to offer this industry.

Here's what Liz has to say about her 2007 reading:

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My ongoing reading is basically divided into 3 categories: books I read for work, books I read for book club, and books I read for me. I’ve picked a few favorites of my year in reading for each group.

I’ve been very fortunate in my job at Feiwel and Friends and Square Fish to have a wonderful, varied selection of books to read, and it is so hard to choose my personal favorites. I was incredibly moved by Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate; her writing is readable and beautiful, and the images and experiences of Kek, the main character (a refugee from the Sudan who moves to Minneapolis), have stuck with me since I first read this book. Meg Powers in Long May She Reign, Anna Bloom in Get Well Soon, and Liz Hall in Elsewhere (which I had not read until I was working on the paperback edition this year) are three witty, refreshingly complicated girls that I wish were all real people who I could have been friends with when I was a teen.

For picture books, I am especially excited for Bloom by Maria Van Lieshout (coming out in January)—I think the story of falling for the wrong person, while the right person is under your nose all along, will strike a chord with readers of all ages, and the text and illustrations are adorably whimsical and funny. At my previous job, I was not disappointed by the newest series installments from two of my favorite author/illustrators, Anna Dewdney (Llama Llama Mad at Mama) and Judy Schachner (Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones).

Now that I’ve also been working on audiobook publicity, too, I’ve enjoyed learning to appreciate this format and the special things that an audio edition can add to a book. Meryl Streep’s and Stanley Tucci’s readings of the stories in The One and Only Shrek! are fabulous (as one would expect from these fine actors), and reminded me that William Steig was beloved not just for his recognizable illustrations and cartoons, but for his distinctive, humorous writing. Several months ago, I was looking for a teen audiobook to listen to at work when doing publicity mailings, and I thought I would try Twilight as an audio—I’ve ended up being fascinated by hearing Stephanie Meyer’s atmospheric story and intriguing characters brought to life by Ilyana Kadushin.

When Harry Potter 7 came out in July, my book club had an unusual assignment in which we were given a variety of children’s fantasy/sci-fi series to choose from—Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quintet, Susan Cooper’s Dark is Rising sequence, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc.—and each member was to read a book that was new to them, sparking a larger discussion at our meeting about the genre’s themes. I took the opportunity to finally read The Golden Compass, which was given to me by my parents in hardcover when it was first published but had languished on my childhood bookshelf for many years. Of course, after reading the first of His Dark Materials, I couldn’t stop until I had bought and read books 2 and 3, and it truly has been one of my favorite children’s book discoveries as an adult. We also read Marisha Pessl’s Special Topics in Calamity Physics for book club, and while this book was marketed for adults, the page-turning combination of history, literature/culture, and mystery reminded me of many of my favorite books growing up: The Westing Game, The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, The Twenty-One Balloons. The subject matter is of course older than what you will find in these middle grade classics, but I think Special Topics… is destined to become a classic for teen readers.

Favorite books I’ve read for pleasure this year include (in totally random order): The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Portraits of Married Life in London Literary Circles 1910-1939 by Katie Roiphe, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, The Dead Father’s Club by Matt Haig, Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris, and Julie and Julia by Julie Powell.

Happy (Holiday) Reading!
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What's interesting here is that all of the books Liz has at the end of her post as "favorite books for pleasure" are titles I either plan to read or have already read and raved about (see my review of Sherman Alexie's latest). I knew there was a reason I liked corresponding with her on books - we are 100% on the same wavelength! I've been dancing around Special Topics for a while now - several reviewers mentioned that it was a bit too cute for its good or used quirky format to carry it over narrative problems. Of course the author was saddled with being selected as a young and beautiful by most of the folks she gave interviews too, so I think there were chips on the shoulders of many who picked up her book. I am going to give it a shot though and see if it works as a teen recommendation. I'm always looking for something different to present to YA readers that they might miss otherwise.

As for Long May She Reign, Liz and I have actually emailed on this title because I'm not sure if I loved it or hated it (or loved parts and hated parts). I finally realized though that my issue with the book was all about Meg's choice in boyfriend - I just didn't think he was the right guy for her. Then I had an epiphany - Meg is in college! Of course the guy isn't perfect for her! Are we ever perfect for each other in college? (Do we even know who the heck we are in college?) At the end of the day, I think Long May She Reign is perfectly written for a teen audience and maybe not so perfect for adults. Which is the way it should be. I will be writing more about this in my review of Reign this spring, along with other books about teens who are facing some big life challenges. Final word though - loved it and looking forward to recommending it.

Thanks for stopping by Liz - back later with David Mack.