Coming-of-age novel about two boys who fall in love in a writing class—one from a progressive family and the other from a conservative religious community. Three years ago, Tanner Scott’s family relocated from California to Utah, a move that nudged the bisexual teen temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, and no obstacles between him and out-of-state college freedom, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah. But when his best friend Autumn dares him to take Provo High’s prestigious Seminar—where honor roll students diligently toil to draft a book in a semester—Tanner can’t resist going against his better judgment and having a go, if only to prove to Autumn how silly the whole thing is. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity. It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four months is a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel the year before and who now mentors the class. And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him.* Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo write both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together have produced nine New York Times bestselling novels, including Beautiful Bastard and Sweet Filthy Boy.* Tanner's voice is humorous, compelling, and just snarky enough to make him insanely compelling. Teens will relate to his charm and fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants attitude, as well as his insecurities and vulnerability.* While Autoboyography isn't exactly a coming out story, it is about Tanner checking and understanding his privilege as a gay kid from a progressive family in Provo, Utah. Tanner slowly comes to see the world is far more complicated than he realized—even when he grew up with the evidence of it right in front of his face.* This book has moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity, but it also tackles serious topics important to teens—young gay teens in particular—making for a perfect, balanced read.
CONTRIBUTORS: Christina LaurenEAN: 9781481481694COUNTRY: United StatesPAGES: WEIGHT: 345 gHEIGHT: 210 cm
PUBLISHED BY: Simon & SchusterDATE PUBLISHED: 2018-09-06CITY: GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Coming of Age, YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Romance / LGBTQ+, YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Social Themes / Dating & SexWIDTH: 140 cmSPINE:
Book Themes:
Interest age: from c 14 years, Relating to LGBTQ+ people, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Relationship stories, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Dating, relationships, romance and love
"Once again writing as Lauren, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings (The House) tackle religion, identity, and sexuality, seamlessly interweaving Tanner’s Seminar project, his crush on Sebastian, and the fallout when Sebastian’s feelings conflict with his church’s expectations of him. A hopeful and moving love story.", "Manages to tackle the intricacies of sexuality versus organized religion in an intense but ultimately inspirational narrative. Lauren successfully tackles a weighty subject with both ferocity and compassion.", "Readers will cheer for Tanner's confidence in his sexual identity and for the quality bi representation he provides. Satisfying.", "This sensitive and complex story is as much about finding love as it is about finding and accepting oneself....The text deals sensitively with serious issues, especially Sebastian’s grappling with his sexuality in the context of a stifling Mormon upbringing, but it’s also hilarious and relatable. Readers will enjoy seeing Tanner find his voice.", "An impressively balanced approach to writing about the conflict between sexuality and strict religion. Members of the Mormon church are not painted as one-dimensional villains, but as multifaceted individuals with merits and faults....The teenagers are modern and relatable and the plot is emotionally engaging without becoming dark. VERDICT A thoughtful variation on the traditional high school LGBTQ+ romance"
Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of longtime writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the New York Times, USA TODAY, and #1 internationally bestselling authors of the Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, Dating You / Hating You, Autoboyography, Love and Other Words, Roomies, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, My Favorite Half-Night Stand, The Unhoneymooners, Twice in a Blue Moon, The Soulmate Equation, Something Wilder, and The True Love Experiment. You can find them online at ChristinaLaurenBooks.com and @ChristinaLauren on Instagram or Twitter.
Format: Paperback / softback
Coming-of-age novel about two boys who fall in love in a writing class—one from a progressive family and the other from a conservative religious community. Three years ago, Tanner Scott’s family relocated from California to Utah, a move that nudged the bisexual teen temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, and no obstacles between him and out-of-state college freedom, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah. But when his best friend Autumn dares him to take Provo High’s prestigious Seminar—where honor roll students diligently toil to draft a book in a semester—Tanner can’t resist going against his better judgment and having a go, if only to prove to Autumn how silly the whole thing is. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity. It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four months is a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel the year before and who now mentors the class. And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him.* Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo write both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together have produced nine New York Times bestselling novels, including Beautiful Bastard and Sweet Filthy Boy.* Tanner's voice is humorous, compelling, and just snarky enough to make him insanely compelling. Teens will relate to his charm and fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants attitude, as well as his insecurities and vulnerability.* While Autoboyography isn't exactly a coming out story, it is about Tanner checking and understanding his privilege as a gay kid from a progressive family in Provo, Utah. Tanner slowly comes to see the world is far more complicated than he realized—even when he grew up with the evidence of it right in front of his face.* This book has moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity, but it also tackles serious topics important to teens—young gay teens in particular—making for a perfect, balanced read.
CONTRIBUTORS: Christina LaurenEAN: 9781481481694COUNTRY: United StatesPAGES: WEIGHT: 345 gHEIGHT: 210 cm
PUBLISHED BY: Simon & SchusterDATE PUBLISHED: 2018-09-06CITY: GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Coming of Age, YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Romance / LGBTQ+, YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Social Themes / Dating & SexWIDTH: 140 cmSPINE:
Book Themes:
Interest age: from c 14 years, Relating to LGBTQ+ people, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Relationship stories, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Dating, relationships, romance and love
Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of longtime writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the New York Times, USA TODAY, and #1 internationally bestselling authors of the Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, Dating You / Hating You, Autoboyography, Love and Other Words, Roomies, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, My Favorite Half-Night Stand, The Unhoneymooners, Twice in a Blue Moon, The Soulmate Equation, Something Wilder, and The True Love Experiment. You can find them online at ChristinaLaurenBooks.com and @ChristinaLauren on Instagram or Twitter.
Lani en Elliot balanseer nie en die vonke spat uit die staanspoor
Elliot tree totaal buite karakter op toe hy langs die hoofpad stop om ’n ryloper op te laai. Hy neem haar boonop na sy ouerhuis toe en vind aanhoudend redes om haar binne sy sfeer te hou. Mens sou dit liefde met die eerste opslag wou noem, maar gewilde skrywer, Madelie Human, noem dit Kortpadliefde.
Moenie verwag dat alles glad gaan verloop nie. “Hy en Lani is beslis nie die twee kante van ’n wiskundige vergelyking nie. Hulle balanseer nie. Kyk maar net hoe die vonke tussen hulle van die eerste oomblik af gespat het.” (p.50)
Moet verder nie verwag dat dit die standaard romanse is nie. Daar is baie diepgaande kwessies wat oopgeskryf word, soos ouer-kind verhoudings, beroepsbedrewendheid, soeke na sosiale aansien, selfs ’n cougar wat skaamteloos die mooi verhouding tussen Lani en Elliot verontagsaam. Dwelmsmokkelary, verdagmaking en vooroordeel is dinge wat negatief inwerk op die ontwikkelende verhouding, maar gelukkig gee die skrywer dit in kleinerige porsies deur aan die leser.
Kortpadliefde is die nuutste in ’n lang lys van suksesvolle Romanzas deur Madelie Human, wat uitgegee is deur Lapa.
As ’n gesoute leser van romanses, mag jy dalk dink dat jy ’n goeie idee het oor romantiese liefde. Lees jy egter René van Zyl se nuutste Romanza, Sigeunerliefde, gaan jy ’n nuwe definisie raaklees wat die skrywer gaan leen het uit die opera, Carmen. “Liefde is ’n sigeuner se kind wat hom nie aan wette steur nie en nie gedwing kan word om lief te hê nie.” (p.182)
Karmen se verhaal het my skoon nostalgies gehad. Ek het self die voorreg gehad om Spanje te besoek en goeie herinneringe het kom aanklop: Flamenco-dansers, Gaudi, die Sagrada Familia-basilika, metrotreinritte deur Barcelona, sangria by ‘n kafee, stap met La Rambla langs. Jy hoef egter nie te vrees dat dit gaan lees soos ’n reisbrosjure nie. Die agtergrond is presies dit, die verhoog waarop ’n hartroerende verhaal afspeel van ’n jong vrou wat geteister word deur verwyte, gemis van haar ouers en veroordeling deur haar ouma.
Die straatmusikant wat haar hart kom steel, leer haar ook dat sy nie mag het oor lewe en dood nie. Sy moet die skuldlas laat vaar wat haar dryf om soos ’n sigeuner rond te swerf en nêrens rus te vind nie.
Die skrywer gee subtiele wenke oor sekere elemente van die storie, net genoeg om nie die oomblik te bederf wanneer die kloutjie en die oortjie mekaar vind nie. Hierdie is ’n heel oorspronklike storielyn wat ek geweldig baie geniet het, selfs ’n traan afgevee het.
This is one of the best books I've ever read.
At first, it seems like a simple story about farm animals who rebel against their owner in search of a better life. However, as the story progresses it becomes clear that Orwell is making a much deeper point about politics, corruption and power.
What I found most interesting was how the pigs slowly become just as bad as the humans they replaced. Napoleon’s rise to power feels frustrating to watch, especially because the other animals trust him so easily. Characters like Boxer are particularly memorable because they show how loyalty and hard work can be taken advantage of by those in authority.
Although Animal Farm is based on historical events, its message still feels relevant today. The book highlights how propaganda, misinformation, and blind trust in leaders can allow people to gain and abuse power. Orwell presents these ideas in a way that is easy to understand without making the story feel like a history lesson.
Overall, I really enjoyed Animal Farm. Its simple writing style makes it accessible, but the themes are complex and thought-provoking. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books that make you think about society and human nature or just people that really enjoy political satire.
Met die pragtige Helene de Kock Inspirasie-omnibus in my hand, het ek vrymoedigheid geneem om by die skrywer aan te klop met ’n paar vrae, wat sy goedgunstiglik beantwoord het.
Ek wou in die eerste plek weet of sy sulke romans wat vir herpublikasie oorweeg word, moet redigeer. Haar antwoord was baie duidelik en goed gemotiveer: sy skaaf nooit aan heruitgawes nie omdat dit goed is dat lesers ’n boek binne sy tydvak lees. “Al beweeg die karakters teen die tydsgees in”, het sy gesê.
Verder wou ek weet of sy, as skrywer, insae het in die keuse van boeke vir ‘n omnibus, waarop sy positief geantwoord het dat sy wel insae het en dit moet goedkeur.
Die produk van hierdie proses is die kombinasie van Kruispad vir Kara, oorspronklik uitgegee in 2018, en Engel op die drumpel, uitgegee in 1999. Daar is nogal heelwat raakpunte tussen hierdie twee romans in die geestelike fiksie genre. Die hoofkarakters in albei is studente aan Tukkies en albei is pratige meisies wat die aandag trek van mansstudente wat sosiale en akademiese aansien geniet. Jannes Conradie en Hein Leroux deel egter ’n swakte: hulle is nie ouens wat erns maak met verhoudings nie.
Liriese taalgebruik en goeie kennis van die Woord asook die gawe om dit toepaslik in die storielyn te verweef, maak van Helene de Kock se boeke iets besonders, sonder om prekerig oor te kom. Haar karakters ly verlies, hulle voer ’n geloofstryd, het baie wroeging, en hulle moet indringend selfondersoek doen alvorens daar uiteindelik oorwinning kom. Vir die romantiese siele is daar ook die belofte van liefde wat oorwin.
Die Inspirasie-omnibus is uitgegee deur Lux Verbi, die geestelike druknaam van Jonathan Ball Uitgewers. Jy sal dit oral in goeie boekwinkels kan opspoor.