I'm sitting at my desk and all I can hear is the drip-drip-drip of rain on the roof - good job I'm not going out today! I'm actually staying to work on some reviews, though I got completely sidetracked yesterday and instead of reading the pink / sparkly / fairy books that I should have been, I read Catherine Fisher's Incarceron instead...

OK, so it's not pink or sparkly, and *definitely* not for the under sevens, but I loved it - and in fact read it in pretty much one long, self-indulgent sitting. Set in a future dystopia (a favourite theme in her books) it's about a boy, Finn, who lives in a terrifyingly appalling prison, and Claudia, the daughter of the prison's warden, who has never seen even the doors to the prison. Her own life is controlled by 'the protocol', which means that though there is advanced technology, the whole world is designed to look and be like some Hollywood art-director's vision of ye olde worlde England.

There's a plot involving a tattoo on Finn's arm, and the whole world-creation is detailed and totally believable. There's also a brilliant twist - and at least one sequel in the offing.

I love Catherine's writing. She gives sci-fi a fantasy twist, and yet never lets you forget that the people in her books are real; they suffer and agonise and don't always get things right.

So - back to the fairy books!

Puffin 2008

To Puffin yesterday for a preview of their 2008 titles, with lots of exciting things on the way, it seems...

Picked up a copy of the new Kevin Brooks (yippee!), also a delightful picture book by Jeanne Willis and Gwen Millward called The Bog Baby (which Jeanne read to us); and many other goodies.

Among these others was a proof of the first official prequel to Anne of Green Gables (Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson) which for no good reason I object to in a vague purist sort of way, while still absolutely accepting that if I just give it a try I'll find (as promised yesterday) that it's wonderful, really well written etc. So given that I had just the same instinctive prejudiced aversion to Peter Pan in Scarlet, and then read it and thought it was utterly WONDERFUL (and indeed - whisper it... - possibly even better than the original...), I'll give this a try. As I will all the others in my goody-bag as soon as I can, and will report back.

Also at Puffin - Charlie Higson talked about his forthcoming Young Bond 5 (still titleless) and Ed Vere introduced us to his character Mr Big, a big, strong, very vulnerable, piano-playing gorilla... Looking forward to seeing that. I'm reviewing Ed V's Banana this week, btw, and think he's fab. You'll see a rave about his first book, The Getaway, in the Ultimate First Book Guide, where it's recommended by Kelly McKain.

(Puffin event also exciting because I bumped into the first disinterested person who'd seen a copy of the new UFBG and loved it! In balance, of course, Waterstone's today hadn't heard of it and looked it up and said vaguely, "Um, March?").

Danny has rose-coloured specs - just about the only thing that would make me look OK in violet!

Reading today has been Sam Llewellyn's Little Darlings, which I'm enjoying all over again. Still can't think that spit-roasted London pigeon would be anything approaching appetising, but other than that, it's great.

Also, I read in the Bookseller than the sales of Francesca Simon's Horrid Henry books have exceeded 10 million! Amazing, and good for both Ms Simon and for Tony Ross (Henry's wonderful illustrator, who brings the stories to totally wicked life) - they must be so proud!

Cornelia Funke, etc.

While Leonie (who does incidentally look just great in violet and mauve, btw) has been tucking into Cathy Cassidy, I've just made a start on 'Inkheart', which to my shame is the first Cornelia Funke book I've read. (Yes, I know, I know...) So far, fab, a really originally imagined sort of fantasy. We're all very excited too because Cornelia has just joined the ranks of UBG contributors, writing a lovely piece for our first 8-12 update. Not out for a year, I'm sorry to say, so you'll just have to wait and see which book she's chosen to recommend... (She has excellent taste, though, I'm pleased to report.)

Can't wait to get back to 'Inkheart' soon, and to get on to all her other books when that's done. Have already ordered them all. How lovely to discover someone new! Next will be 'Airman', by Eoin Colfer.

Our wonderful publicist Rebecca is working away planning our events for the launch of the 0-7 Guide next month, and we'll post details of them on here in case anyone can come along. Meantime I'm speaking at a school next Saturday, just generally approximately vaguely on the more-or-less subject of, y'know, 'Books'. Where on earth to start? Help!

D.

What with the weather being so dreary, I've been tucked up inside reading all sorts, including Cathy Hopkins Recipe for Rebellion, which is one of the Zodiac Girls series. It's not often I really don't like a character in a book, but to begin with Danu just exasperated me! Luckily, she was meant to, and after a while she even exasperated herself... When Cathy gets around to writing about the Aquarius Zodiac Girl, I'll be reading that too - just to find out what I'm meant to be like, as the last astrological portrait of me said I was tall, thin and looked good in all shades of violet and mauve - none of which are true!

Plans

Hi -

I'm one of the others.

As Leonie said, we're still working out what sorts of directions this blog will be going in - though books will of course feature prominently one way or other - but let us know if you have any thoughts, any requests...

I think it'll predominantly be a place we can talk about newly published and forthcoming books we're reading, and where we can enthuse about things between editions of the UBGs (so I don't have to wait for years and years before I can start telling people how much I loved Fly By Night last month, or The Invention of Hugo Cabret, or the new Emily Gravett picture book...).

We'll let you know about our forthcoming events - there should be a lot of exciting things planned for the coming months organised for the launch of our third volume, The Ultimate First Book Guide (pub. Feb 4th); and if there's anything you want to know ("Help! Just finished a great book - what should I be reading next?"), please ask!

More soon.

D.

PS Just received a press release from Puffin announcing a new Kevin Brooks book! Hooray! Am I the only person on here who thinks he's God?

Wow!

A UBG blog - who would've thought? And now that it exists, goodness knows what we'll all be writing about! The three of us (the UBG editors, that is) are Leonie Flynn (that's me, currently sticking my toe in the blogging waters), Susan Reuben and Daniel Hahn, and from time to time you'll be hearing from all of us.

So, what will we talk about? Well, books, mostly. Though you might get the occasional snippet about family, babies (though I must remember that Isaac isn't a baby, he's a toddler, and not only is he cute as a button he's also a major tester for picture books. He's Susan's), TV, the weather and - from time to time - book events that we'll be attending. As I work as a school librarian, there might even be bits and pieces about that.

Right now, it's time for breakfast, and another few chapters of Cathy Cassidy's Sundae Girl, which I'm loving - even though the story is breaking my heart! All I can say is, it'd better have a happy ending...