The SundayYA Blog

#SundayYA is bi-monthly YA book chat that takes place every second and last Sunday of the month from 6 to 7pm GMT on Twitter, hosted by Rachel. Book Of The Month: Upcoming Chats: 10.03.19, 6pm GMT: Science in YA 24.03.19, 6pm GMT: SundayYA in conversation with Lauren James Go to Twitter feed →2>

[sundayya]

Guest Post: Science in YA by Lauren James

Today we are welcoming author Lauren James to the SundayYA blog to talk about a theme any fan of her books will be familiar with: science in YA.

The Quiet at the End of the World features two characters who study STEM, just like my other books (I have a niche, and it is intensely nerdy characters). This time, Lowrie, the protagonist, is an engineer and her best friend-slash-lifelong-crush Shen studies evolutionary biology. They are also both archaeologists, but they would never call themselves that. Lowrie has her own workshop full of tools and carries a supply around with her just in case there’s anything that needs fixing and/or breaking open. Shen has a permanent stack of books he wants to read, full of information he hopes will help him understand the crumbling civilisation around them. He’s not so great at the physical side of things, but he has Lowrie for that. She and Shen are the perfect team – skills and smarts, they call it.

I chose engineering for Lowrie not only because I’ve already done biology (The Next Together), computer science (The Last Beginning) and physics (The Loneliest Girl in the Universe), but because while representation of girls studying STEM in books is rare, there’s something even more rare. Fictional girls almost never get to study the hands-on sciences, like engineering, which is experimental rather than theoretical. I took GCSE engineering when I was at school, and I was the only girl in the class – and most of the boys had signed up because they thought it was about car mechanics.

Not only do Lowrie and Shen study science, but they love, love, love it. It’s one of the things they bond over the most. They spend a lot of time discussing things they’ve read (“I read this thing that said…”). Lowrie and Shen just like weird stuff. I wanted to capture a kind of pure enthusiasm for science – not the dull studying and memorisation by rote which is how most people experience the subject, but the excitement and curiosity of learning something interesting about a topic you’ve never heard of before. The joy of seeing a chemical burn green, rather than the density of learning chemical equations. Scrapheap Challenge and Robot Wars, instead of Horizon.

Science is wonderful – full of mysteries we still don’t understand, and facts so strange that they seem closer to magic. I firmly believe that if everyone let themselves explore the things they really enjoy, instead of assuming that the entire subject is equations and dry theories, then the world would be full of a lot more scientists. Scientists who came to it naturally, through the spirit of discovery, like Lowrie and Shen.

Thank you Lauren!

[sundayya]

Book of the Month: The Quiet At The End Of The World by Lauren James

Throughout March SundayYA will be celebrating The Quiet At The End Of The World with reviews, in depth theme discussions and a guest post from the author herself, Lauren James. Plus, we’ll have two Twitter chats based around the book (see below for more details). But first, let’s find out more about the book…

How far would you go to save those you love? Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking for artefacts from history and looking for treasure in their once-opulent mansion. Their idyllic life is torn apart when a secret is uncovered that threatens not only their family but humanity’s entire existence. Lowrie and Shen face an impossible choice: in the quiet at the end of the world, they must decide who to save and who to sacrifice...

The Quiet At The End Of The World is released on March 7th, and is available to pre-order from all the usual book outlets now.

Upcoming chat dates:

10.03.19, 6pm GMT: Science and YA

24.03.19, 6pm GMT: SundayYA in conversation with Lauren James

[sundayya]

Book of the Month: Fierce Fragile Hearts by Sara Barnard

Throughout February SundayYA will be celebrating Fierce Fragile Hearts by Sara Barnard with reviews, in depth theme discussions and book recommendations. Plus, we’ll have two Twitter chats based around the book (see below for more details). But first, let’s find out more about the book…

Fierce Fragile Hearts is the stunning companion novel to Sara Barnard's YA bestseller Beautiful Broken Things. It is about leaving the past behind, the friends who form your future, and learning to find love, in all its forms.

Two years after a downward spiral took her as low as you can possibly go, Suzanne is starting again. Again. She's back in Brighton, the only place she felt she belonged, back with her best friends Caddy and Rosie. But they're about to leave for university. When your friends have been your light in the darkness, what happens when you're the one left behind?

Fierce Fragile Hearts is released on February 7th, and is available to pre-order from all the usual book outlets now.

Upcoming chat dates:

10.02.19, 6pm GMT: Friendship and YA

24.02.19, 6pm GMT: SundayYA in conversation with Sara Barnard

[sundayya]

Guest Post: David Owen’s Guide to Loneliness

Today on the SundayYA blog we have author David Owen, sharing his guide to loneliness...

Loneliness sucks. Despite living in a constantly connected age, more people are experiencing it than ever. Recent research shows that around 9 million people in the UK frequently feel lonely. Young adults (people aged 16-24) are the most affected.

I have suffered with loneliness since I was a teenager. Knowing that so many young people feel the same inspired me to write a book about it (shameless plug alert!). All the Lonely People is about the isolation and disillusion young people can feel in a connected world, as well as how the internet can also alleviate these issues.

I hope the book will help people who are struggling with loneliness. If it isn’t something you experience, perhaps the following guide to the symptoms of loneliness – and how you might overcome them - will give you some insight.

1. Endlessly refresh social media

You’re sitting alone in your underpants, a repeat of your favourite show playing on Netflix, Pringle crumbs littering your chest. It’s almost self-flagellation to refresh your Instagram and Twitter feeds every five seconds in case you miss further evidence that every single other person on the planet is leading a better life than you. For some reason, you can’t stop doing it.

Try setting a timer for an hour and not looking at your phone again until it goes off. And clean up those crumbs! (Yes, you can use your tongue).

2. Cancel plans while wishing you had plans

Going out and seeing friends seems like such a brilliant idea when those plans are made. You’ll laugh! You’ll drink! You’ll feel like you actually exist for a few hours! Until the moment you actually have to step out the door and anxiety stops you in your tracks. It’s so easy to make an excuse and break out the Pringles again – only to wish you’d gone out after all because now you’re miserable.

It’s okay to stay home if you’re not feeling up to it. But try pushing through the anxiety once in a while. Chances are you’ll enjoy yourself and be glad you made the effort.

3. Act surprised when friends stop inviting you out

The problem with never accepting an invite (or cancelling last minute when you do) is that eventually your friends might stop inviting you altogether. How dare they?! You were totally going to go next time! Probably.

It almost certainly isn’t anything personal. Your friends are probably trying to respect your space. Try keeping in touch as much as you can, and suggest plans that you know you’ll be comfortable following through on.

4. Worry that everybody hates you

When you do eventually go out, loneliness makes it easy to feel like you’re stuck on the outside of the group, and even that you’ve turned invisible. This can make it easy to believe that the people you’re with are all secretly thinking how much they don’t like you, and are actively trying to exclude you.

That almost certainly isn’t true. Do your best to get involved. If you’re not comfortable in groups, invite friends to meet up one-on-one.

5. Go out by yourself and have a terrible time

At some point after weeks or months of sitting inside every single night, you’ll run out of Netflix shows to watch and crisps to eat. You’ll decide it’s time for a change. Who needs other people? You’ll go out and do something just for you, without the pressure of company! Fast forward an hour and you’re already bored of your own company despite the new setting, and you wish you’d stayed on the sofa.

Practice makes perfect. Learning to enjoy your own company can take a little time. Take yourself somewhere low-stress like the cinema, where all you have to do is focus on the movie, and go from there.

6. Spend money for the sake of it

Being determined to get out of the house can be a problem when you don’t really have anywhere to go. Often your only options will involve spending money you don’t need to spend. Visiting a supermarket is unlikely to quench your loneliness, and you’ll just end up spending money on more Pringles.

Try and find some free things to do near where you live, like going for a walk for visiting your local library. We all know libraries are lovely.

7. Make fictional friends

It’s important to make the distinction here between ‘fictional’ and ‘invisible’. Don’t start talking to your favourite floral tea towel. Instead, read a good book full of great characters and think of them as proxy friends. It might sound sad, but it’s been proved that books can help alleviate loneliness. They’re probably more interesting than your real friends anyway.

8. Fade from existence completely

Yes, this last point is another shameless plug for my book, All the Lonely People. It’s about a teenage girl who literally begins to fade away as a result of her loneliness. It’s a not-so-subtle way of exploring how detached and isolated loneliness can make you feel, especially when you’re at an age when being lonely isn’t considered acceptable.

You can’t actually fade from existence, of course. It’s almost as if this book I’ve written is total nonsense...

Thank you David!

[sundayya]

Review: All The Lonely People by David Owen

All The Lonely People is the third book from David Owen and follows Kat, who lives her life online, and Wesley. Following a troll attack spearheaded by Wesley, Kat decides to delete her online presence, but the effects are far more far reaching than anyone could have realised.

All The Lonely People was a book I had been excited about since I read the sampler given out at YALC, and it really did not disappoint. Although the concept of the story is a fairly simple one, the way the main characters’ lives weave together, despite seeming entirely separate on the surface, adds a complexity to the story that makes it utterly compelling. Kat and Wesley may never be the best of friends, but seeing them come to understand each other in a way only two people in their situation can is both a learning curve for them and a stark message to anyone reading about kindness and acceptance. This shines through in many of the relationships in All The Lonely People, and is a reminder that we may be different in our views on the world, but underneath we are all just the same - scared, lonely and desperate to fit in.

One thing that really struck me when reading All The Lonely People is just how real the whole story felt. From the way David Owen describes the loneliness we all feel to the description of life on council estates, living from one payday to the next, this is a book that just gets it. The feeling of being on the edge of society has always featured in David Owen’s books, but where previous releases have been gritty but rough around the edges, All The Lonely People has an eloquence that can only come from experience. A lot of this is down to David’s development is an author, but the character’s lives, particularly Wesley, give rise to a sense of desperation and longing that many readers are sure to identify with, and will open others to another way of living. It is this, as well as the compelling plot and nuanced storytelling, that make All The Lonely People stand out as David’s best work yet.

All The Lonely People is a frank, open and sometimes terrifying look at just how much social media impacts our lives today. Yes, the narrative is inherently science fiction, but underneath is a dark message about our reliance on the Internet in defining who we are. It’s hard hitting and sometimes pretty scary, but it’s a winning formula that is sure to get readers away from social media and stuck into a good book.

Have you read All The Lonely People? What did you think? Share your thoughts using the SundayYA tag now!

Thank you to Atom Books for sending me a free proof of All The Lonely People in exchange for an honest review. 

[sundayya]

Book of the Month: All The Lonely People by David Owen

Throughout January SundayYA will be celebrating All The Lonely People with reviews, in depth theme discussions and a guest post from the author himself, David Owen. Plus, we’ll have two Twitter chats based around the book (see below for more details). But first, let’s find out more about the book…

Everyone tells Kat that her online personality - confident, funny, opinionated - isn't her true self. Kat knows otherwise. The internet is her only way to cope with a bad day, chat with friends who get all her references, make someone laugh. But when she becomes the target of an alt-right trolling campaign, she feels she has no option but to Escape, Delete, Disappear. With her social media shut down, her website erased, her entire online identity void, Kat feels she has cut away her very core: without her virtual self, who is she? She brought it on herself. Or so Wesley keeps telling himself as he dismantles Kat's world. It's different, seeing one of his victims in real life and not inside a computer screen - but he's in too far to back out now. As soon as Kat disappears from the online world, her physical body begins to fade and while everybody else forgets that she exists, Wesley realises he is the only one left who remembers her. Overcome by remorse for what he has done, Wesley resolves to stop her disappearing completely. It might just be the only way to save himself.

All The Lonely People is released on January 10th, and is available to pre-order from all the usual book outlets now.

Upcoming chat dates:

13.01.19, 6pm GMT: Social media and YA

27.01.19, 6pm GMT: SundayYA in conversation with David Owen

[sundayya]

Welcome to the SundayYA blog!

SundayYA started in the winter of 2015 as a way to bring book lovers together on a Sunday evening. We’ve talked about hundreds of books and had the joy of the company of many brilliant authors, but now the time has come for more. 

Instead of having a different chat every week, SundayYA will have a book of the month. The chats will now only take place on the second and last weeks of each month (one themed and one with our author of the month), but there will be so much more content for you to enjoy in between each chat. This will include book reviews, recommendations, mood boards, guest posts and so much more, as well as a roundup of what else we’ve been reading at the end of the month. Not only that, but each blog post will also include a chat prompt for Twitter, so SundayYA never stops! 

So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining us, whether you’re new or you’ve been with us from the start, and happy reading!