Jack the Ripper

I know. Good way to catch your attention, right?

Anyway, I'm always intrigued by a phenomenon one occasionally encounters in publishing--books with similar topics suddenly appearing (it seems) out of nowhere at the same time. Favorite example: THE ALIENIST by Caleb Carr and WATERWORKS by E. L. Doctorow, both published at exactly the same time on separate lists. Both of them dealt with a serial killer in old New York, both of them had climatic scenes at the reservoir that once stood in the place where the New York City public library now stands on Fifth Ave. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

And the other night when I was working at TKE, I noticed there are two new YA novels about the Ripper. I picked up Maureen Johnson's book THE NAME OF THE STAR, which features the Ripper haunting modern day London as a ghost. The voice is strong and surprisingly funny given the subject--Johnson is always a likable writer. The other is something called RIPPER (now that gets straight to the point, doesn't it?) by Stefan Petrucha. I don't know anything about it, but I may read that one, too.

First vampires. Now Jack the Ripper. Why am I always the last writer in America to spot a trend?

New YA novel alert!

First, snaps to Lisa B. for introducing me to the hysterically funny website www.gofugyourself.com. Day in and day out, creators Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan bring the crazy and make me happy to be alive. Thanks for that, ladies!

And second, their debut YA novel SPOILED appears on bookstore shelves everywhere today. It's a mighty fun read--sort of what you would expect (in fuggirl talk) if CLUELESS and PARENT TRAP got together and had a baby.

Meanwhile I am reading manuscripts for the upcoming WIFYR conference, and I am impressed. I hope with all my heart that I'll be announcing the publication births of those books one day, too.

Next year . . .

. . . I'm totally gonna live-blog the Super Bowl so I can discuss how EMBARRASSING it must be for all those boys to show up at the same event wearing the exact same outfit. Looking forward to that.

Right now I'm trying to decide if I should go read a new YA novel about a teenage Sherlock Holmes called DEATH CLOUD (I think) or watch GLEE. Feel free to advise.

Another YA novel

I just read a new YA novel called THE AGENCY: A SPY IN THE HOUSE by Y. S. Lee. It's a mystery set in Victorian London, featuring an intelligent young woman who goes undercover as a lady's companion to solve a crime.

Anyway. I enjoyed it a lot. I would have LOVED it as a thirteen year-old. I wish I'd written it. But what else is new?

Meanwhile, my belief that Mormons make the best lemon bars IN THE WORLD was strengthened by the lemon bar I ate in Centerville tonight at an awesome Young Women's function. Thanks to the Hintze family for their invitation.