Puns and Praise (and More Puns)

I brought the Bones & All galley along on vacation this past month, and all four of my family members got to read it. (Jill went first, and finished the book at the end of an all-night bout of insomnia—she literally did not sleep. I was amazed she could function the next day!) They made groan-worthy puns, asked salient questions, and posed a few theories of their own. (Maren's curse as a metaphor for an eating disorder? How had I never consciously considered that?!) It was like we'd formed our own little on-the-road book club. I like to tell people this is the one project from which I've completely disengaged—that you can say whatever you like about it and my heart won't reply with that aggravating fight-or-flight business—but it still gives me pleasure to know that my family and friends are enjoying what I've written.

"A tasty treat."

"I was hungry for more."

"It's a book you can really sink your teeth into."

"It takes a couple of readings to digest it all."

"Ravenously good!"

"You are one sick, sick mother-effer." (This one from my own sister.)

And last but not least, after stopping by a Tel Aviv ice cream parlor: "We devoured them, cones and all."

@cometparty The banner ad on today's Shelf Awareness email got my really excited :) pic.twitter.com/qj7ilR44YR— Mackenzi Lee (@themackenzilee) December 5, 2014

Love these words from @cometparty on reading, writing, & how we shape our identities http://t.co/hZrW3sEK61 also books as necessary candy ;)— Adam Maynard (@agmaynard) December 6, 2014

 Terrible fake-blurbs aside, there is actual cool stuff to share. First, I have an essay on Book Reporter that went up on Friday as part of their blog series on holiday bookgiving. And in save-the-best-for-last fashion, check out these generous (and, y'know, legit) blurbs I've received from two terrific authors:

"From its opening, grab-you-by-the-gut paragraph to its chilling, perfect ending, I was captivated by the story of Maren Yearly, a character unlike any I've ever encountered before. Bones & All is a riveting, utterly original, and unexpectedly tender exploration of one of the scariest things in the world: growing up."

— Elizabeth Little, author of Dear Daughter

"A dark and mesmerizing vision of adolescent desire—this book will devour you."

— Robin Wasserman, author of The Waking Dark and The Book of Blood and Shadow

Thank you very much, Robin and Elizabeth!