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Friday, December 11, 2009

We must say farewell to Kirkus

Tip of the day: When you walk the dog in 15 degree weather, it's a good idea to put on the old long johns. Brrrrr....

In case you didn't hear the news yesterday, Nielsen Business Media has announced it is closing its book review publication Kirkus Reviews.

I find this really sad. As much as people bashed Kirkus because of their often times harsh and negative reviews, I know a lot of librarians relied on their reviews to make their purchasing decisions. And it starts to feel like the walls of the publishing world are crumbling just a little more around us.

Interestingly enough, just last week, my editor sent me a very nice review from Kirkus for CHASING BROOKLYN. I don't know how soon the closure takes effect. Is it immediately? I have no idea. The review is scheduled to be in the December 15th issue. In case there isn't going to be a December 15th issue, I thought I'd post it here.

Schroeder, Lisa

CHASING BROOKLYN

New Year’s Day breaks hard for Brooklyn as she faces the one-year anniversary of the car accident that killed her boyfriend Lucca; across town, Nico, Lucca’s younger brother, also mourns. Rocked hard by this grim anniversary, both teens are further aggrieved to learn that on this same day their friend Gabe, the driver of the car, has committed suicide. Following Gabe’s death, Brooklyn and Nico are drawn together, not by familiarity but instead by supernatural visitations from the two deceased boys, who seem determined that Brooklyn and Nico must continue to live. Written as a novel in verse, the text alternates between Brooklyn’s and Nico’s voices and thoughts, dreams and fears, creating an intimate and raw snapshot of their evolving relationship. Capitalizing on the elasticity of the form, Schroeder masterfully creates a parallel structure within the text, the energy and emotion of each scene heightening its overall drama, underscoring the sorrow and, above all, strengthening its final message of hope. (Fiction. YA)

Thanks for letting me share.

~Lisa, Miss Crafting a Career

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5 comments:

  1. TabithaDecember 11, 2009 at 7:51 AM

    What a great review!! I can't wait to read it. :)

    I'm both shocked and saddened by Kirkus closing. I mean, they're *Kirkus*. I hope this isn't a sign of more to come...

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  2. C. K. Kelly MartinDecember 11, 2009 at 8:25 AM

    That's a really cool review, Lisa. Kudos!

    Like you I feel really sad about this and can't help feeling the closure speaks to the overall health of the industry. I hope I'm wrong but I think moving forward things could get very tough.

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  3. Kate FallDecember 11, 2009 at 11:51 AM

    That is a great review, Lisa. "Masterfully." I'm glad you posted it and I'm looking forward to the book.

    And Kirkus closing and all the bad publishing news this year is tough to read about. How could the world be done with BOOKS? I understand that people want affordable books (so do I) but I wish corporations would understand that free content does not equal good content.

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  4. DeenaMLDecember 12, 2009 at 6:04 AM

    The Kirkus thing shocked me -- almost as much as the fact that they gave a good review! ;) Congrats on that!

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  5. Kristina SpringerDecember 14, 2009 at 11:02 AM

    Awesome Lisa!!

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