The Weekly Wanting (12)

So a lot of things happened this week. Firstly, a delusional woman started stalking a number of bloggers and reviewers known for their snark and started a website where she posted their personal information, real names, addresses, and where they could be found at certain times of day. She claims it's the only way to deal with "bullying."

Now, do I believe the blogosphere should discuss and start a rational dialogue about professionalism in book reviews? Definitely. But there's absolutely no way to have a reasonable discussion when one side has completely and undeniably crossed the line of appropriate response into vengeful terrorizing. The minute you take the low road and violate another person's privacy and sense of personal safety, there's no way anyone can take your argument seriously, because that's lending credence to your inappropriate and immoral means of making it.

My first response to this mess was to take to my bathtub with my smelling salts (and by smelling salts I mean salt-and-vinegar chips), but I think later this week I might want to have a post about the importance of free speech as well as responsibility. But for now, BOOKS!

What I Didn't Say, by Keary Taylor 

 Genre: YA, Contemporary

Cover Snark: What I didn't say ... was that I have no respect for personal space. 

The Story: When a teenage boy gets into a car accident and is rendered mute, he regrets all the things he never had the guts to say out loud, and has to learn how to do so without the use of his voice.

Why I Want It: It takes place in a small town setting, which I love, and the idea of learning, of having to learn, how to express the more important things without words, sounded like a great story. One of the blogs on my blogroll posted a great review of it, but I couldn't add it to my wishlist at the time because it wasn't being distributed in Canada until now. Unfortunately, I've since forgotten which blog recommended it.

  Some Kind of Fairy Tale, Graham Joyce
Genre: Fantasy, Literary
Cover Snark: No singing mice, then?
The Story: 20 years after she vanished into the woods and was presumed dead, a girl returns to her family, without seemingly having aged a day, with a fantastical tale of being abducted by fairies. But how can they believe her?
Why I Want It: A tip of the hat to the Booksmugglers for this one. What caught me about this was their review, which mentioned how the story isn't really about fairies (or even whether the girl's story is true or not) but about the effect a person's absence can have on a family and a community.

 Fly by Night, by Frances Hardinge
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Cover Snark: Wait, they banned this before it even came out? That's dedication!
The Story: A girl who loves books and words lives in a world controlled by guilds who fear and restrict words because of the power they can have on society - so there's not much else for her to do but to go on an adventure with a mysterious but articulate con artist.
Why I Want It:  As mentioned in the Booksmugglers' superb review, this is a book all about words, beautiful words, and the way they can be used. I love books that have gorgeous turns of phrase, not only excellent stories, so a book that promises both will definitely wind up on my wish list.

What books are you eagerly wanting this week?