I think I’ve mentioned that I started a YouTube channel a few months ago. Have been a bit slow getting the hang of it, but it’s given me time to learn to appreciate the book vlogging community. The passion for books shared on YT is really quite astounding and I’m loving it. So now I’ve finally had a go at making my own vid and discovered that my laptop’s camera and audio is crap (sync is way off) – watch it and have a laugh! So now, I have to get myself organised to use the video camera.

While I get my head around that, we’ve had a guest vlog from Priscilla at The Readables and an upcoming one from Aura at Aura’s Book Box. There’re also a few reviews uploaded on the MdePierres channel from Jamie Marriage and Belinda Hamilton. We’ll keep developing it with a variety of book related material, so keep an eye out for what transpires. You know me, could be anything …

I have however resisted starting a Tumblr account because I know I would waste far too much time finding pretty images to post. MUST NOT! DO NOT LET ME!

Zen

Most of you know that I do rather like my TV these days. It’s taken over what used to be a passion for film. So I thought I’d share some of my latest favourites with you and say why they appeal. Then it’s your turn!

Spirited: an Aussie series about a middle-aged female dentist who can see ghosts, and falls in love with one. This appeals to me on a number of levels. There’s the romantic comedy hook, but for me its largely the dialogue which I think is brilliant – so authentic and not at all cliched. Some excellent characters, especially Suzie’s sister, Jonquil, and her ex hubby, Steve. Occasionally an episode will get a bit slow, but usually something nasty will usually happen to shake it up, soon after. This is some of Claudia Karvan’s best work. I’ve always found her quite ‘cool’ (as in cold) on screen and Suzie’s character fits her really well. Matt King is also a perfect dead rocker.

Zen: a three part cop series based on Michael Dibin’s Aurelio Zen novels set in Italy. Love, love, loved this one! So sad they’ve only made 3 episodes. The political machinations and the corrupt pollice are beautifully counterbalanced by Zen’s (Rupert Sewell) quiet but devilish humour as he walks a tightrope trying to keep his job and reputation in tact. Location filming is sensational, theme music not so. Caterina Murino is both beautiful, sexy, confused and selfish all at once. Great acting on the part of both main characters, I thought.

Luther: Am only two episodes into this series penned by Neil Cross. Idris Elba (The Wire) is a strong and charismatic actor and the stories are suitably twisted. The dialogue gets a little clever for itself sometimes, and Idris is altogether too brilliant at joining the dots on crimes, but I like its energy and Luther’s tortured character.

True Blood: what can I say that millions of fans haven’t? Nothing really, other than to add … if Joss is Boss then Ball is Better … ok, maybe not better, but certainly as good. Thumbs up for casting Alex Skarsgaard too. This is backwoods melodrama at its most vulgar and raunchy with some sly social commentary thrown in.

Fringe: I love Fringe but sometimes it bothers me because none of the concepts are particularly fresh to this SF writer (me). When I get past that though, I love the characterisation – I mean, you’d have to be comatose not to appreciate the talent of John Noble, Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson. Leonard Nimoy, however, doesn’t really work so well.

Leverage: The stories are cute and the chemistry among the team is really fantastic. Who wouldn’t want to be Parker? I once saw an interview with Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge (Hardison). They were asked who, out of all of them, was most like their portrayed character. They agreed instantly that it was Christian Kane. How cool – Eliot rules!

Use the appropriate twangy intonation with that …

Just saw the judges report from the Victorian Premiers Literary Award and Burn Bright was given a very nice mention. Here is the full transcript of the YA section from their website:

The judges for the Prize for Writing by Young Adults – Mike Shuttleworth (convenor), Leesa Lambert and Andrew McDonald – noted:

“The universe of young adult literature continues to expand in interesting and exciting ways. This year’s Victorian Premier’s Literary Award is an opportunity to assess some of these developments – in particular, those books that express and explore the specific aesthetic potential that writing for young people affords. This year, 68 titles were submitted to the award. The committee noted the continuing publication of nuanced realistic fiction, especially dealing with the intersection of identity, gender, family and community. Also evident is the emergence of urban fantasy. We applaud those authors whose work seeks to develop a unique voice and identity within the urban fantasy genre.

“A shortlist of just three titles cannot fully represent the developments and tensions within the broad field of Australian young adult fiction. We therefore note the following titles as important achievements in a year of quality writing and lament that that the shortlist is just that. Inspired by Charles Blackman’s paintings, The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky beguiles readers with a haunting story of memory and loss. Scot Gardner’s chiseled writing charts the dramatic life of a marginalised young man in The Dead I Know. Rebecca Burton’s closely observed story of obsession and desire in Beyond Evie and Laura Buzo’s assured debut Good Oil point to writers with a serious future. Lili Wilkinson showed a light touch, exploiting the tropes of domestic crime fiction in A Pocketful of Eyes. Leanne Hall’s debut novel This is Shyness introduces a boldly imagined world of dark urban fantasy. Rebecca Lim’s impressive novel Mercy blurs a realistic world with a story of angels and romance. Marianne de Pierres’ novel Burn Bright also tells a dark, dramatic story with arresting literary skill.

“Final decisions were not in any way easy, however, the panel agreed warmly on three shortlisted three novels. Each of these novels takes risks with the form of storytelling, show exceptional control of the material, and in doing so challenge notions of what fiction for young people can be.”

Congrats to all involved. Have to say, I’m rather chuffed about this. 70 entries for the YA section suggests that the YA market is in good shape.