According to GoodReads...

"Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters."

According to us...

The Reading Date: First of all, did we all read Fangirl? Were you interested in reading more of Simon and Baz's story?

We Heart YA: HAHA great question. I LOVED Fangirl, but I found the fanfic interlude chapters to be a bit of a distraction. Fun! But not necessary. So no, I wasn't all that interested in Simon & Baz as part of Fangirl. But I kind of trust Rainbow Rowell with anything, lol.

The Reading Date: For me, the fanfic parts of Fangirl weren't my favorite parts. But I was surprised how much I really enjoyed these characters in Carry On.

The Reading Date: Carry On kind of makes me want to re-read Fangirl now for more of their story.

We Heart YA: oohhhh GOOD IDEA. I think those sections would mean more to me now -- or mean something different, anyway

The Reading Date: I'm sure you've both read Harry Potter. Did you compare the two "worlds" as you were reading Carry On?

We Heart YA: Not intentionally, but it's impossible not to see some parallels. To me, Carry On felt like if someone took Harry Potter, Twilight, and Rainbow Rowell's voice and then shoved it all into a blender. I mean that in a good way! The story is very much in dialogue with other stories -- but it's also very much Rainbow's own.

The Reading Date: Oh I love that!!! And yeah, even though this is new territory for Rainbow, being a work of fantasy, it still very much had her contemporary touch on it if that makes sense. It was accessible for me - someone not that crazy about fantasy.

The Reading Date: What has your experience been with fanfic? Ever read or written any?

Teen Lit Rocks: I have read a lot of fanfic but all Harry Potter

We Heart YA: I've read lots of fanfic, and written some, but it was all well before YA's heydey, so it was mostly TV shows I liked (such as Star Trek and Sailor Moon)

We Heart YA: I think Carry On is distinct from fanfic, even if it has some roots there, or similarities.

The Reading Date: Right? This book concept is crazy like fanfic of a fanfic- and it sounds like it wouldn't work but it does!

We Heart YA: lol Rainbow is magic that way. She makes all sorts of things that shouldn't work, work

The Reading Date: Hee yes! I saw Rainbow speak at Comic-Con this summer and she was saying how writing Carry On was so difficult for her. Writing Fantasy vs. Contemporary was so new and different. But yup she makes it work!

The Reading Date: It's a long book but it reads quickly, doesn't it?

We Heart YA: omg yes. Rainbow's prose is so simple and honest, I zip right through it

The Reading Date: What's your favorite Rainbow book?

We Heart YA: Fangirl, actually. I identified strongly with Cath, and even though I've never been to Nebraska, the story transported me right back to my college days, which are among the best and most formative of my life

The Reading Date: That totally makes sense about Fangirl. Cath is so relatable,

Teen Lit Rocks: I think Eleanor and Park is still my favorite but I love them all

The Reading Date: I'm cheating because I don't know that I have a favorite! But Fangirl is a good one- I like them all for different reasons. I really didn't expect to like Carry On so much though.

We Heart YA: I like them all for different reasons too, hehe, and I also did not expect to like Carry On so much

The Reading Date: So, was this a book you were drawn into right away because you were familiar with the characters from Fangirl? How did it compare to Rainbow's other books for you?

Teen Lit Rocks: To be honest I would sometimes skim the story within a story in fangirl so I wasn't sure how it would work for me. I needed assurances from a close friend and book blogger that it wasn't going to be just a rainbow-fied spoof of HP

We Heart YA: Mm, I didn't remember too much about the characters from Fangirl, so that wasn't the draw for me. I just adore Rainbow's storytelling and narrative voice -- which were strong as ever in this, even though it was a very different kind of book for her

The Reading Date: Were you satisfied with the book in the end?

Teen Lit Rocks: Yes! In some ways Simon has to sacrifice more of himself than Harry did and I wondered if she was the sort of HP fan who felt like Harry got off a bit too easy

We Heart YA: I finished the book pretty recently, so I'm still parsing out my feelings... but overall I would say yes, I am satisfied. I especially appreciated the commentary represented by Agatha and by the Mage

Teen Lit Rocks: And I was worried about the romance because m:m written by het women can be seen as slash instead of genuinely romantic

We Heart YA: While I'm not sure how I felt about the romance from Simon's side, I got chills from Baz's perspective

The Reading Date: I definitely shipped those two. The book really came alive for me when Baz came on the scene.

Teen Lit Rocks: Yes!

We Heart YA: YES!

Teen Lit Rocks: And you have to read like a third of it until he makes an appearance

We Heart YA: OMG I KNOW IT WAS TORTURE (I mean, not really torture, lol... But I was definitely anxious to meet him, and to find out why he was missing. (Numpties! Lol)

Teen Lit Rocks: Basically her romances ALWAYS work for me. She's the YA goddess of tension and anticipation

The Reading Date: Yes! I was super impressed with the story, the magic, the friendships and romance. And I was so skeptical but won over at the end. But I still want Rainbow to write more contemporary ☺

Teen Lit Rocks: Yes! I felt the same way

We Heart YA: In terms of diversity, there is the very obvious same sex coupling. But there was also subtle racial diversity (with Penelope and her family being Indian -- which wasn't an Issue at all, just a sidebar fact). And then there was what I thought was some interesting socioeconomic/class diversity, which was actually part of the plot.
Teen Lit Rocks: Indian Weasleys

We Heart YA: LOL so true. Although grumpier?

Teen Lit Rocks: I thought of Penelope as a mashup of Ron and Hermione. One True Friend, no romantic tension, large wizarding family, boyfriend she met on wizarding exchange.

Teen Lit Rocks: Lauren and I also noticed several Twilight references with the vampire romance

We Heart YA: Oh for sure! There were some good jokes/jabs in Carry On too, in reference to Twilight, Harry Potter, and a few other pop culture things I forget now. (Good natured jabs, I should clarify)

The Reading Date: I love that Rainbow is a Twilight fan!

We Heart YA: ME TOO. I hate how much hate Twilight gets. (There's a diff between criticism and hate)

The Reading Date: YES def.

The Reading Date: It was nice to see a gay romance at the center of the book. That's rare in fantasy, no?

Teen Lit Rocks: As the central story line yes. Although they exist… I just haven't read them! I did love Alex London's sci-fi/dystopian duology

The Reading Date: Oh right- Proxy was really good.

The Reading Date: Would you want to read more stories about Simon/Baz or should Rainbow move on to something new?

Teen Lit Rocks: I feel like she should go back to contemporary

We Heart YA: Hm. I feel like Simon/Baz is fairly complete at this point... She took them through their big journey

We Heart YA: I know that when we love stories, it's tempting to want more, but sometimes when authors give us more, they just muck things up... :P

The Reading Date: Agreed!

Teen Lit Rocks: Yes! I also think that sometimes publishers want bestselling authors to stay with their beloved universe/characters too long. It's like the equivalent of jumping the shark

We Heart YA: Exactly

Teen Lit Rocks: Like there are a few authors I want to read more from -- but not if it's yet another series about the same fairies/demonhunters/vampire lovers

We Heart YA: I love how Rainbow keeps moving on, giving us great standalones, but creating this body of work that is distinct but still satisfies fans hungering for more


Are you hungering for more CARRY ON? Then be sure to check out all of our great posts:

• "Keep Calm and Listen On: The Carry On Audiobook Experience" at The Reading Date
• "5 Things to Know About Rainbow Rowell" at Teen Lit Rocks

The entire YA Diversity Book Club archives can now be found on Tumblr, along with information about our upcoming book selections.

If you would like to join us in reading diversely next month, pick up a copy of DELICATE MONSTERS by Stephanie Kuehn.

Recently at Joseph Beth's YA Author Panel, I asked seven authors:  What can you get away with in fantasy that you can't in Contemporary (and vice versa)?

At first there wasn't an obvious answer because, as Christine Johnson pointed out, as long as you write consistently, there's not much difference in what you can get away with.  There are rules you have to follow no matter what genre.

So I prompted with "death" being a much deeper issue in Contemporary books.  For instance, in Kristina McBride's ONE MOMENT the entire book pivots on the death of one character (not a spoiler, it's on the jacket copy).  But in fantasy, like Rae Carson's THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS there are deaths in battle, deaths on the journey, death from injury and illness, etc.  You can't harp forever on these things or the books would be even longer!

I personally think that "body count" is something you can't "get away with" in Contemporary.  Everything pivots so much on the emotional arc of characters that death is too big to be brushed over (as in a fantasy battle scene).

Julia Karr seemed to agree.  She said that in Contemporary, the "emotional reaction, it must fit, go with what the real world is."  It's a limitation of sorts.

Similarly, Rae Carson said that fantasy "takes real world concepts" and "puts them in a fun atmosphere" to examine issues such as government, environment, economics, politics, etc.  In doing so, fantasy oftentimes gets away with things that just wouldn't fly in real life.  And isn't that why we love it so much?  It allows a space for escape so that serious issues--even death--can be examined.

But sometimes real life is depicted so well--even the horrors--that Contemporary informs us of those simple and basic themes of human nature.  For me, personally, this is an advantage rather than a limitation.  And a way in which both Contemporary and Fantasy inform each other as genres.

Of course there are exceptions.  And you might not agree with me.  So what do you think?  Do fantasy writers get away with murder? Do Contemporary authors harp on too much over issues?

To Be Clear:  This is not pitting one genre against another, but rather a comparison that, I think, highlights the strengths of both genres.  xx

Ever since the Harry Potter books were published, there has been an explosion of YA Fantasy. But people seem to forget that fantasy has been around a long time.

This week I thought I’d recommend some nearly forgotten fantasy novels that have been collecting dust on your library shelves. These have been around long before Harry went to Hogwarts, some even before Bilbo left the Shire.

The Princess and The Goblin by George MacDonald

"The story of young Princess Irene and her friend Curdie, who must outwit the threatening goblins who live in caves beneath her mountain home." — I read this when I was a little girl, and I was enchanted by its magic. Just a fun note: MacDonald's goblins were part of the inspiration for Tolkien's orcs.

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany

"The heartbreaking story of a marriage between a mortal man and an elf princess is a masterful tapestry of the fairy tale following the 'happily ever after.'" — I found this book in high school and fell in love with it. I felt like I was dreaming while I read it. It was written when Tolkien was just a young man and influenced his creation of the elves of Middle Earth.

The Once and Future King Series by T. H. White

"A masterful retelling of the saga of King Arthur is a fantasy classic as legendary as Excalibur and Camelot, and a poignant story of adventure, romance, and magic that has enchanted readers for generations." — I love the world the T. H. White created, so strange and beautiful and authentic.

Quest for a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry

"Meg Wright is nine when she hides under a table and hears her sister Inge kill the King of Scotland by witchcraft, setting in motion a treacherous power struggle." — This one had me from the first line. The story is set in a magical world, but its heroine has no magical abilities. She has to rely on courage and cleverness, and I loved that.

The Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce

We've all seen this phrase in practice. Authors such as Jane Austen, Lucy Maud Montgomery, and Charles Dickens have left behind clear depictions of the world they lived in, and it’s true, their writing is compelling because it gives us an authentic glimpse into their lives.

Lately though, my shelf is flooded with books about things their authors couldn't possibly have seen or experienced. Though I'm pretty sure JK Rowling has never been to Hogwarts, never seen a quidditch match, or had any luck with Wingardium Leviosa, I completely believe her.

So what makes an imagined story as compelling as one based on real life?

Characters that stay with you — Stories like ENTWINED, PEGASUS, and TUCK EVERLASTING have characters that make us believe they're real. The best authors know their characters like they know their best friends. Whether you’re a fan of Stephenie Meyer or not, you have to admit you get the feeling there’s so much more to her characters than you’ll ever read on the page.

Places you've seen for yourself — What draws us to books like THE BLUE SWORD, INCARCERON, and THE NEVERENDING STORY? It’s the atmosphere. These stories somehow manage to lift you out of everyday life and immerse you the in the unknown. You can close your eyes and just picture Middle Earth, because JRR Tolkien was so well acquainted with his magical realm, he was able to give us a firsthand account.

The winding road with a purpose — You can reread PATHFINDER, THE INHERITANCE CYCLE, and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA several times before you notice all the clues that were in place. In real life, we can look back at the string of decisions that brought us where we are today. As you begin the Harry Potter series, the story seems relatively straightforward, but as the plot unfolds, you realize how complex it really is, and that gives it a sense of reality.

Conviction that changes you — Every time you pick up of a book, there is a chance you will save the world or encounter greatness. Everyone loves an entertaining read, but we treasure the stories that change us. Who can forget old classics like PETER PAN which speaks to our heart's deep-seated longing to hold on to childhood, or how THE LORD OF THE RINGS shows us the meaning of hope? New stories like THE HUNGER GAMES and MATCHED teach us to value our freedom and fight to defend it.

It's not difficult to nail down what makes an imagined story resonate like a genuine experience. It's passion. Real passion transcends fiction. It leaps off the page and compels us to believe what we're reading. Write what you know? More like believe what you're writing. Know it in the pit of your stomach. Make it real.

What about you? Is there a book that was so real to you or made such an impact that you were different at the end of it?

Love YA,

Steph

(Don't forget about our giveaway. Only a little over a week left!)