Well, hey, bet you didn’t see a two-parter coming. While we certainly don’t want to exhaust the topic, there are just a couple more things to mention about Young Adult male readers.
Since so many good books were suggested last week, We Heart YA decided it might be a good resource to make a list of them. And, well, that list became sort of long. Too long for this post, so we’re in the process of adding a special page with a list of books for male readers (or anyone, really, who is looking for well-portrayed male protagonists in YA). Those we’ve read and recommend will be highlighted. The others, YOU’ll have to let us know about!On that note, just wanted to mention Mike Mullin’s ASHFALL.
Since so many good books were suggested last week, We Heart YA decided it might be a good resource to make a list of them. And, well, that list became sort of long. Too long for this post, so we’re in the process of adding a special page with a list of books for male readers (or anyone, really, who is looking for well-portrayed male protagonists in YA). Those we’ve read and recommend will be highlighted. The others, YOU’ll have to let us know about!On that note, just wanted to mention Mike Mullin’s ASHFALL.
It’s a story about a fifteen-year old boy, Alex, who must figure out a way to both survive and find his way back to his family after a natural disaster -- specifically, a supervolcanic eruption. At times this book reminded me of McCarthy’s THE ROAD and sometimes it recalled Paulsen’s HATCHET. He's been getting lots of good reviews (starred review from Kirkus) and has sold out his first printing. The sequel ASHEN WINTER is coming out next October. Good stuff.Mike has been in Cincinnati a few times on his promotional book tour and I (Sarah) happened to catch him at Joseph-Beth Booksellers last night. I absolutely recommend this book to fans of adventure/survival stories. AND it just so happens that this story has a strong female character that I love. Totally want her on my side in an apocalypse.
Here are some awesome pics of his Tae Kwan Do demonstration:
Here are some awesome pics of his Tae Kwan Do demonstration:
(Alex, the protagonist in ASHFALL, has a black belt in Tae Kwan Do...good survival skill to have in a fight against starving cannibals. eep.)
Considering survival, what do you think: is your life more dependent on Mental or Physical attributes? I'll tell you how Mike Mullin answered this in the comments.
xx Sarah
you need both mental and physical attributes to survive. i don't think you can just survive very long without both.
ReplyDelete-michelle
I think Michelle is probably right!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love that he actually brought a volcano. That is way too awesome.
It's definitely got to be a combination of both... I think if you've got 1 without the other you're totally sunk. If I had to pick I guess I would prefer mental attributes, because they might let you work around a solution that lets you use less physical strength.
ReplyDeleteI have this one for review and I still need to read it :P. hahaha gotta love that volcano!
ReplyDelete@chelley and @ashley...Mike said that 90% of survival is dependent on Mental, which just boggles me.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense, but just imagine if you were terribly out of shape and had to survive in the wilderness. Apparently, your chances of surviving also increase if you have family with you.
The most likely to survive? Women. (carry more fat, therefore can survive longer without food). The first to lose the battle? Men built-up with muscle...Rambo, etc. Interesting stuff!
@iluvreadingtoomuch...hope you like it!
@kristan...yeah, the volcano was cool. :)