SPOOKTOBER 2020

September 28, 2020October 5, 2020 The YA RoomLeave a comment

It’s that time of the year again – the time when horror films are aplenty, pumpkin spice lattes are back on the menu, and you feel a sudden desire to string fake cobwebs across your bookshelves. Ahh, Halloween. How we’ve missed you.

Because Halloween is one of our absolute favourite times of the year (shh, don’t tell the other holidays), we’ve decided to celebrate it in style this year with all of you! We have so many epic things lined up for the month of October. We can barely contain our excitement!

Hands up if you’re excited too!

Book of the Month

We’re so thrilled to be reading None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney with all of you during October!

None Shall Sleep

The Silence of the Lambs meets Sadie in this riveting psychological thriller about two teenagers teaming up with the FBI to track down juvenile serial killers.

In 1982, two teenagers—serial killer survivor Emma Lewis and US Marshal candidate Travis Bell—are recruited by the FBI to interview convicted juvenile killers and provide insight and advice on cold cases. From the start, Emma and Travis develop a quick friendship, gaining information from juvenile murderers that even the FBI can’t crack. But when the team is called in to give advice on an active case—a serial killer who exclusively hunts teenagers—things begin to unravel. Working against the clock, they must turn to one of the country’s most notorious incarcerated murderers for help: teenage sociopath Simon Gutmunsson. Despite Travis’s objections, Emma becomes the conduit between Simon and the FBI team. But while Simon seems to be giving them the information they need to save lives, he’s an expert manipulator playing a very long game…and he has his sights set on Emma.

Captivating, harrowing, and chilling, None Shall Sleep is an all-too-timely exploration of not only the monsters that live among us, but also the monsters that live inside us.

Onto the activities…

First up, we have…

Bingo!

Bingo is back, baby! And this year, it’s spookier than ever. From carving pumpkins to reading a book with a ghost in it, there’s a variety of Halloween-themed activities to check off your list!

Not only does completing five tasks in a row (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) give you major bragging rights, we’ll also be giving you the chance to win a book of your choice (up to $25AUD) in our giveaway! There’s one prize for people who complete one row and another prize for all you high-achievers who complete the entire board. You got this!

All you have to do is complete the tasks you want to complete, post about it on social media, and use the hashtag #YASpookRoom! We can’t wait to see all the spooky challenges you accept in October.

The only rule is that you have to read / watch different things for different tasks! No doubling up! We’ll be posting recommendations all throughout the month, so make sure you follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook if you’re in need of some spooky inspiration.

The giveaway is open internationally and will be drawn in the first week of November. Time to get spooky, YA Roomies!

Here are all the prompts from the above graphic, in order of horizontal rows, with prompts from left to right.

ROW ONE: share a spooky story, dress as a book character for a day, read a queer spooky story, watch a foreign language horror film, read a book with murder in it.

ROW TWO: set up Halloween decorations, join a YA Room movie night, watch a horror film with a female protag, read a book with fog on the cover, (virtually) visit someplace haunted.

ROW THREE: read a spooky #LoveOzYA book, watch a spooky horror film from your childhood, read None Shall Sleep, carve a pumpkin, share a spooky shelfie.

ROW FOUR: watch a classic horror film, read a book with a black cover, wear a costume, eat Halloween-themed food, read / watch something with a ghost in it.

ROW FIVE: read a spooky short story, spell your name with spooky book titles, share your top 5 spooky movie recs, read a spooky 2020 YA release, recreate a spooky book cover.

We’ll also be hosting a ton of…

Netflix Parties!

We’ve been loving all our Netflix Parties every Friday night since lockdown began. This October, we’ll be watching a spooky film each week and talking all about them! Some of them are brand new, others are older, but we can’t wait to watch them with you.

If you haven’t joined a Netflix Party before, it’s really easy to use! All you need to do is download the free Netflix Party extension on Chrome, restart your browser, and then click the link to the viewing session we’ll be sharing before each film. Keep an eye out on our social media 10 minutes before the start time of each film to get the link and join the stream! There’ll be a chat bar at the side of your screen so we can all converse during the film.

Shaun of the Dead, Friday 2 October, 8pm AEST
Hubie Halloween, Friday 9 October, 8pm AEDT
A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting, Friday 16 October, 8pm AEDT
Rebecca, Friday 23 October, 8pm AEDT
DOUBLE FEATURE! A Quiet Place @ 7.30pm, followed by Bird Box @ 9.30pm AEST, Friday 30 October

We’re also lucky to be hosting a…

YA Spooktacular!

Hear Astrid Scholte, Michael Pryor and Anna Morgan talk all about their work and share their favourite Halloween memories on Zoom on Saturday 17 October from 7 – 8pm AEDT!

We’ll be discussing the dark and creepy aspects of their work, hear a little bit about what they’re currently writing, and learn how they get in the mood for writing all of the spookiest scenes.

Tickets now available! Click here to register.

Letter to a Villain

This month we’re (un)lucky enough to be joined by four literary villains, ready and waiting to answer your burning questions! Have you ever wondered where Count Olaf does his costume shopping? Or maybe you’d like some tips from Jadis the White Witch on garden ornaments?

Send your questions for Count Olaf, Jadis, the Queen of Hearts, and Smaug to theyaroom[at]gmail[dot]com or use the below form for a chance to have your question answered! We’ll be posting one question and answer from a villain each week on our social media.

And finally, we’ll be having a…

Halloween Zoom Chat!

Join us (AND ELLIE MARNEY!) on Saturday 31 October AT 6.30pm AEDT for a spooky Zoom Chat! We’ll be doing a Q&A with Ellie all about her latest novel, None Shall Sleep, and there’ll be plenty of time for you to ask your spine-tingling questions as well.

Following the Q&A, we’ll be having more of an in-depth discussion about our Book of the Month. Make sure you pick up a copy of None Shall Sleep ASAP to join in the fun! We hope to see you there.

Tickets will be released in the middle of October, so keep an eye out on our social media!

We hope you’re as excited for Spooktober as we are!

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #YASpookRoom and tag us in all your social media posts! You can find us on Twitter @ TheYARoom_MELB, Instagram @ theyaroom, and Facebook @ facebook.com/theyaroom.

Stay spooky, YA Roomies!

The Chess Raven Chronicles

August 23, 2019 The YA RoomLeave a comment

Is there anything more exciting than a fantastic new #LoveOzYA series?! I don’t think so! That’s why we were thrilled to get out hands on not just the first book in The Chess Raven Chronicles, but the second one as well! Because BOY did we devour them.

These books were so fast-paced and fun, and Chess’ voice was fresh and fierce. If you’re looking for a stunning new fantasy series that will sweep you off your feet and have you wishing you could be whisked away to a whole new world, this is the book for you.

We were also lucky enough to ask the authors a few questions about their series! Check out our little Q&A down below.

Q&A with Michael Pryor

July 1, 2019July 1, 2019 The YA RoomLeave a comment

It’s finally here! Today is the official release day of the highly anticipated sequel to Gap Year in Ghost Town, which is Graveyard Shift in Ghost Town! We had the pleasure of hearing the first couple of chapters read aloud by Michael Pryor himself at Introverts’ Night Out, and we also did a little Q&A with him for all of you to check out as well.

Seriously, we couldn’t be more excited to see what happens next in the spooky and funny adventures of our two favourite Melbourne ghost hunters, Anton and Rani! And how cool is that cover?! LOVE. IT.

Anton Marin and Rani Cross team up again to fight the ghosts that are plaguing the city. And now there’s a vicious ghost-hunting faction in town as well. A highly entertaining sequel to the smart, snappy and funny Gap Year in Ghost Town.

So, how’s my gap year going? Is it giving me a taste of the ghost-hunting business or is it just dumping me into situations where I could end up dead, or worse?

Lingerers. Moaners. Thugs. Weepers. So many ghosts. Not enough graveyard shifts in a night.

When an extreme ghost plague descends on the city, Anton and Rani must work overtime to keep the city safe and to find the source of the new aggressive ghost outbreak. And it amps up to another level after ghost hunters become the hunted.

Anton and Rani will need all their wits and wiles about them if they are to manage the ghost influx, get to the truth about the Elsewhere and navigate the night with all their limbs intact.

Graveyard Shift in Ghost Town is thoroughly entertaining and full of nail-biting ghostly action and adventure.Read More »

Rainbow Reading Challenge | Pride Month

May 31, 2019May 31, 2019 The YA RoomLeave a comment

Hello, lovely bookish people! We’re so excited that it’s finally Pride Month (well, officially as of tomorrow)! It’s that time of the year again when stacks of rainbow books take over our bookstagram feeds, everyone brings out their knee-high rainbow socks again, and we read as many queer books as we possibly can.

This June, we’ve decided to host an official READING CHALLENGE! That’s right – it’s called the Rainbow Reading Challenge, and your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read some books off your TBR featuring queer protagonists! The aim is to attempt to read one book for each colour of the rainbow based on the colour of their cover (seven in total), but you can opt to do more or fewer should you so desire.

For example, you might choose to read Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda for Red, I Was Born for This for Orange, Kindred: 12 #LoveOzYA Stories for Yellow, you get the hang of it!

We’ll all be tracking our reading progress on social media throughout the month, and we’d love you to do the same. Please use the hashtag #RainbowReadingChallenge so we can check out which glorious queer novels you’ve decided to pick up!

You can check out our Rainbow Reading Challenge TBRs down below if you need some inspiration. We can’t wait to see which books you choose!

Keep Them in Suspense | Q&A

January 26, 2019 The YA RoomLeave a comment

It’s hard to believe YA Day is only two weeks away! We couldn’t be more excited for the epic day of #LoveOzYA goodness we have planned. With 15 Aussie authors and five panels (plus the chance to get all your books signed, and even win some prize packs), this is a day you won’t want to miss out on.

Make sure you’ve booked your tickets through the Writers Victoria website if you haven’t already!

Today we’re sharing a little Q&A with Fleur Ferris, Anna Snoekstra, and Sarah Epstein, who’ll be appearing at YA Day on the ‘Keep Them in Suspense’ panel, which is all about crime, thrillers, and what it takes to write an unputdownable novel. This is just a taste of what’s to come on Saturday 9th February!

Mini Q&A with Danielle Binks

January 19, 2019 The YA RoomLeave a comment

It’s hard to believe YA Day is just three weeks away! How exciting! We can’t wait to hear from 15 incredible Aussie authors who’ll be appearing on five epic panels. It’s a full day of bookish goodness, created in partnership with Writers Victoria! Click here to grab your tickets if you haven’t purchased them already.

Today we’re sharing a mini Q&A with literary agent, editor of Begin, End, Begin: a #LoveOzYA Anthology, and all-round amazing human being, Danielle Binks. Danielle will be appearing on the “It’s Alive!: How to Get Published” panel with Ellie Marney and Nina Kenwood on the day, and we can’t wait to hear all of them chat about their own writing and offer up tips and tricks on how to get published.

If you’re a writer and you’re looking to get published one day, this panel is sure to give you the insider knowledge you need to better equip yourself for this journey – so make sure you bring a pen and paper!

Ask an Author Anything | Q&A

January 12, 2019 The YA RoomLeave a comment

YA Day is coming up fast! We couldn’t be more excited for our #LoveOzYA-filled day, which comprises of five panels and 15 incredible authors! There’ll also be games with prizes up for grabs, and The Younger Sun will be our bookseller for the day.

In the lead up to our most anticipated event of the year, we’ll be sharing little Q&As with the attending authors to get a little sneak peek at what they might be talking about on the day. How exciting! And if you haven’t booked your ticket yet, places are going fast – reserve your spot here so you don’t miss out.

First up we have Michael Earp, Katya de Becerra, and Alison Evans from our ‘Ask an Author Anything’ panel sharing their tips and advice for all aspiring authors! Check it out!

Throwback Month

December 1, 2018 The YA RoomLeave a comment

It’s finally here! Say hello to Throwback Month – AKA the month we get to reread all our trashy faves and gush about them! It’s okay, we know you love them, even though you’re still pretending you’re over your The Fault in Our Stars phase. We’ve all been there.

Join us this month to read some of the best (and worst) YA novels published before 2013 and relive a simpler time. A time before the trashfire of a movie Allegiant came out (well, half of it, at least). A time before Instagram’s algorithm wrecked havoc on our bookstagram likes. A time where our biggest memes were Nyan Cat and Grumpy Cat. I wonder how those cats are doing.

Anyway! We hope you’ll be participating by reading some older YA novels and attempting to complete a line of the #ThrowbackBingo board! Don’t forget to check out this post to find out the rules and to hear about all the prizes up for grabs. Exciting!

Today we’ll be sharing the books we’re planning on reading this month in case you need a little bit more inspiration. But it’s pretty simple. If the book you want to read is generally counted as YA (and yes, we’re counting all the Harry Potter books as YA) and it was published before 2013, you can read it for this challenge!Read More »

Throwback Bingo Challenge

November 25, 2018 The YA Room2 Comments

It’s hard to believe that we’re almost at the end of 2018! But before we bid this year adieu, we want to celebrate surviving the last 11 months by doing a bit of fun reading with all of you. Last year, we had #LoveOzYA Month – which was heaps of fun – and so this year we wanted to do something equally exciting!

Say hello to Throwback Month! That’s right! We’re going to be rereading some of our favourite YA novels and reminiscing about what we read years ago. Remember the days of The Hunger Games and Divergent and Twilight? The days where we all fangirled over the movie release of City of Bones and cried over the ending of Allegiant? We’re going to be experiencing those feels all over again next month during Throwback Month!

Whether you read those novels as a teen or if you’ve never read them before, we hope you’ll join us for our month of fun. There’s going to be a bingo challenge, and virtual viewing parties, as well as special content! We’re super excited about Throwback Month, but today we’d like to introduce the main element of the month – the bingo challenge!

If you’ve participated in a bingo challenge before, you’ll probably know how this works. But for those of you that haven’t, please scroll down to check out the rules. There are also prizes to be won, so make sure you get involved!Read More »

Highway Bodies | COVER REVEAL

November 9, 2018November 9, 2018 The YA RoomLeave a comment

It’s finally time to reveal the stunning cover for Highway Bodies! It’s been so hard keeping how gorgeous this cover is a secret, but finally you can all feast your eyes upon it! We’re so excited to get a copy of Highway Bodies, and devour it, and then put in on our shelves along with Ida – and every other book that Alison blesses the world with!

Congrats again, Alison! We’re so happy for you and we can’t wait for Highway Bodies to be out in the world. Everyone, make sure you go ahead and preorder your copy so you can read it as soon as it’s out!

Bodies on the TV, explosions, barriers, and people fleeing. No access to social media. And a dad who’ll suddenly bite your head off – literally. These teens have to learn a new resilience…

Members of a band wield weapons instead of instruments.

A pair of siblings find there’s only so much you can joke about, when the menace is this strong.

And a couple find depth among the chaos.

Highway Bodies is a unique zombie apocalypse story featuring a range of queer and gender non-conforming teens who have lost their families and friends and can only rely upon each other.

The YA Room

Melbourne

Tag: reading