Updates

Back on March 5 I talked about Defining Dulcie, which still won't be out until next month. I wasn't exactly overwhelmed by the book, but I predicted that other reviewers would be. I was right with that prediction. You can check out the reviews at author Paul Acampora's website. You will notice that Kirkus Reviews and I were the only hold-outs. With three starred reviews, Acampora doesn't have to worry about what Kirkus Reviews or I think.

Then on March 13th, I, like three-quarters of the kidlitbloggers in the U.S., weighed in on Naomi Wolf's article on YA series books for girls. (The Gossip Girls, The A-List, and The Clique) Roger Sutton ended up holding a sort of discussion group on the subject at his blog that same day. Scott Westerfield's blog became a gathering place for younger people to discuss the Wolf article and the books involved.

What was particularly interesting about the discussion at westerblog was that many of the young women commenting there hadn't read the books involved because they weren't interested, had read them but hadn't liked them, or had read them and liked them but outgrown them. One reader said she found the books funny, though she didn't believe they were intended to be.

The books are big sellers so someone is reading them. Westerfield's fans (he writes science fiction) just may not be into this particular teen girl...thing?...genre?

I picked up a couple of these books last week, so I'll be reading them soon. I hope to try some of Westerfield's work, too.