Straight from the author: Courtney Summers

If you missed book club last week, you missed our exciting chat with Courtney Summers. Fortunately, she's given us permission to reprint the chat. Here's a little insight into her book, Fall For Anything, a bit of talk about RPatz, and a look into the publishing process -- something that will interest any aspiring writer!

all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: first question: where did your idea come from?




courtney: Hi! The idea for Fall for Anything sort of happened a little after my Grandfather died. I always knew I wanted to write a book about death/grief, but I kept putting it on the backburner. After he passed away, it was sort of cathartic to explore the topic. The specifics about the idea--the photography, the suicide etc--just kinda happened!


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: what character is most like you/do you most relate to in the story?


courtney: Hmm. That's a good question! I try not to cop to being like any of my characters, just so I can keep people's ideas of them separate from me. The ones I relate to most--I think Eddie. She has a hard time letting stuff go! I'm like that and understand it. I think her father, Seth, had a complicated relationship with art that I can relate to (though I do not relate to the lengths he went to... at all!).


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: well that's good.


courtney: Definitely!


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: are any of your characters based on anyone you know?


courtney: Nope. Although I do sometimes insert the names of family + friends to fill in for minor characters.


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: we're impressed how everything is off the top of your head -- "it's crazy!"


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: next question!


courtney: Hee!


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: Was Culler a good guy or a bad guy?


courtney: I think Culler was good! But I know a lot of people think he's bad. But I always see Culler as someone who is really struggling with the loss himself. Seth validated him as a photographer, which was important, and in losing Seth he lost a bit of his spark. I really think he believed he was helping Eddie, or didn't anticipate how badly it would go because he romanticized the outcome, like he romanticized his photographic process. So I think he's a good guy who did a not-so-smart thing.




all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: that was a great answer


courtney: Thank you. It was a great question.


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: what interests you about the topic of teen relationships?courtney: Hmm! In terms of my own writing--I am interested in how fragile and volatile they can be, how uncertain, but that could because I throw my teen characters into volatile situations that make them fragile. It's exciting to write about how many times characters can screw up before they get it right (or they don't!).


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: do you think the situations in fall for anything could really happen?

courtney: I think they are certainly within the realm of possibility... but maybe they wouldn't all happen at the exact same time. But then--life is often stranger than fiction!


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: if your book were to be made into a movie, who would play the main characters?


courtney: Aaah, so difficult to answer! I'm not sure. I'm bad at casting--my characters are vague in my head. St. Martin's got Eddie exactly right on the cover but as far as I know that model isn't also an actress. I always pictured some kind of young James Dean look-a-like. Milo's a blank for me! And this was not a real answer to that question. Sorry!


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: we have a protest that you cant even see the face of the model. one of our teens suggests: wynona rider for eddie since shes good at broken characters


courtney: Awww! Well.... when I picture my characters, I usually just see hair color in my head above all else. So... she works for me!


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: and


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: robert pattinson for culler because he's creepy


courtney: HAH.


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: BUT DEFINITELY NOT TAYLOR LAUTNER


courtney: What about Robert Pattinson for everyone???


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: we're all uncomfortable here


courtney: We can just a wig on him or something to play Eddie.




courtney: Aw.


courtney: It would be unintentionally art housey and brilliant.


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: what teens are you aiming at (this is our second to last question)


courtney: Any teens that feel ready to read my books, really. I write to the upper end of the YA spectrum though. I used to think 14-15 and older was best, but I started getting emails from 13-year-old readers, which reminded me that teens are great self-censors + know best what they want to read or not read.


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: "darn right we do" - justin


courtney: :)




all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: last question!


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: what was the publishing process like? we have interested writers.


courtney: It's intense! It's slow but it's also fast, once things start rolling. Once a book is accepted for publication, it goes through a lot of steps to become a book. It's edited (I'm in the thick of edits now for my next book), it's copyedited, proofed... I read my books so much to prepare them for publication by the time they ARE published, I never want to look at them again. That's pretty vague, I know. If there are more specific Qs about the process, I am happy to take them but there's a summary!


all-you-can-read buffet @ APL: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to chat with us!


courtney: Thank you for having me! The questions were great!

Upcoming Book Club Books

Want to get involved in the All-You-Can-Read Buffet? We've picked out the next several books we'll read, so grab a copy and join in the fun. We're open to high schoolers and we meet from 3:30 pm until 5 pm. Let your youth services librarian know if you need a book.

OH! And be prepared not to just talk about the books. We do things that might be a little . . . strange. Be ready to have to make things out of Legos, chat with the authors, draw, and much, much more.

March 10 @ Aram Public Library, we'll discuss Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson

March 24 @ Starbucks, we'll discuss Michael Northrop's Gentlemen.

April 7, location TBD, we'll discuss Matthew Quick's Sorta Like a Rock Star.

Hope to see you there!

Teen Review: Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff

Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff

I loved the fact that not only did this book have more than one perspective, but each one was told so well and precisely that I could remember nearly each detail in the sitautions, as if I had already lived it. I also really liked the fact that each character was real and authentic when they could have easily been stereotyped. Each character held a strong role and influence on the other and they each had their own point of view on things that intertwined perfectly in the end. I give this book 4 stars. -- Simona

Teen Book Reviews

Laura brings us two more book reviews, both of which she gave 5 stars.



Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelson: I liked this book because I can connect to it and it seems so real! It reminded me also a little bit about the movie "Brother Bear" by being mysical and about getting back to Indian roots.

Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey: I couldn't put this book down at times, but at other times I had to shut it closed. It is interesting enough to read on a rainy or snowy day but with breaks in between.

Next session of the All-You-Can-Read Buffet

We had an excellent book club meeting last week at Starbucks, which included some photos, drawing, and a lot of great discussion about Julia Karr's XVI. We even got to chat with Julia, who let us know there is a second book in the series.

Next up for the All-You-Can-Read Buffet is our meeting February 24. We'll meet at 3:30 in the library meeting room to discuss Courtney Summers's Fall For Anything. She's agreed to chat with us for a bit at 4:30 to answer questions we may have about the book. Oh, and in this meeting, we're going to have a little discussion with Legos.

If you need a copy of the book, get in touch with Kelly, your youth services librarian. You can drop a comment here or email her at aramkids@aramlibrary.org. Hope to see you there!

Teen review: Beautiful by Amy Reed

Simona, one of our teens, has another book review to share. This time, she's talking about Amy Reed's Beautiful:

This book is amazing. I loved how Reed made everything so authentic, vivid, and detailed. I seriously felt as thought I was one of the characters because of how well the book was written. Everything throughout the book was so realistic and down to earth. Beautiful was nearly impossible for me to set down for a fraction of a second. Yes, it was that good. The main character ran into something new each chapter, and sometimes I had hope for her, and other times I didn't. I actually felt for the character in the book. Although I really enjoyed reading this book, I was not a big fan of the ending. But, it deserves 5 stars automatically! :)

New Teen Books

Don't forget that the Teen Masquerade Ball is THIS SATURDAY f rom 6-8 p.m. You know, AFTER the library is closed. This is just for those age 13-18. We'll have contests, games, and plenty of food and drink for all. We'll make some swanky masks, too. Come dressed in your finest.






While you're waiting to come to our hauntingly fun affair, check out some of the new books in our teen department. All links take you to the catalog.









Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith: Even as teenaged Quincie Morris adjusts to her appetites as a neophyte vampire, she must clear her true love, the hybrid-werewolf Kieren, of murder charges; thwart the apocalyptic ambitions of Bradley Sanguini, the vampire-chef who "blessed" her; and keep her dead parents' restaurant up and running before she loses her own soul.








Taking Off by Jenny Moss: In 1985 in Clear Lake, Texas, home of the Johnson Space Center, high school senior Annie Porter struggles with her desire to become a poet, but her resolve to pursue her dream is strengthened when she meets Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher to go intospace.






Good Behavior by Nathan Henry: A memoir of a teen's life in jail. This is a true story.

Two more teen reviews

Looking for a good book to read? Alex shares two of her recent reads and tells us exactly why we should read these books!

Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison: The story was well-told and highly detailed. The tale makes the reader go through a rollercoaster of emotions and throws in unexpected twists. The only thing I didn't really enjoy was the fact that it wa a little TOO sappy. It was cringe-worthy in some spots. Overall, Morrison did a wonderful job. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards: The main reason why I liked this book was because it had multiple narrators and Richards tied their stories flawlessly. Ricahrds also tells the story in a vivid, simple yet descriptive poetic form. The characters also grow and develop throughout the tale, and they all have to overcome their hardships together. 5 out of 5 stars.