Friday, November 13, 2009

What is Lauren Strasnick reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Lauren Strasnick, author of the debut YA novel, Nothing Like You.

Her entry begins:
Right now I’m halfway through The King’s Rose by Alisa Libby – A YA historical novel about Catherine Howard, King Henry VIII’s doomed fifth wife. Catherine was fifteen when she married the king, who was nearly fifty and in poor health (he had some sort of festering wound on his thigh – H.O.T.). I feel such sympathy for this girl, and find it absolutely unreal that there was a moment in time when an aging man might marry a teen...[read on]
Lauren Strasnick grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, now lives in Los Angeles, and is a graduate of Emerson College and the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) MFA Writing Program.

Among the early praise for Nothing Like You:
“Sex, alcohol and grief mix with gentle humor to drive Strasnick’s first novel…. [T]he writing is tight and avoids melodrama. Secondary characters are strong, and Holly’s emotional growth is believable…. The fast-paced story will appeal to fans of Meg Cabot and Sarah Dessen.”
Kirkus

“First-time novelist Strasnick reveals the all-too-frequent scenario of a boy using a girl for sex and a girl trading sex for a semblance of love….[T]he book’s complex characters and realistic ending will intrigue teen readers and may serve as a none-too-subtle object lesson for future relationships.”
Booklist

Nothing Like You is candid and quick-paced, with characters you can’t help but want the best for.”
–Deb Caletti, National Book Award Finalist for Honey, Baby, Sweetheart
Visit Lauren Strasnick's website.

Writers Read: Lauren Strasnick.

--Marshal Zeringue