Is 'Asboville' Teen Fiction?

A genuine question this and one that I'm hoping might generate a few comments...

It's a teenage love story with teenage characters doing the things teenagers do, but does that mean it's a teen novel? It's been spotted in the teen section of some bookshops and in the general fiction section of others. It was promoted by Waterstones as a Paperback of the Year and as general fiction. On their website it is listed under fiction. It has been reviewed as teenage fiction in some places but reviewers have commented that it isn't teenage fiction at all.

I've been in schools who have used it with year 7 classes, year 8 classes, year 9 classes and year 10 classes. It has been promoted by some as a great book for boys but girls seem to like it. The cover has been criticised for trying to be teen trendy and celebrated for being original.

So what is it? And does it matter? I'm just asking.

Richmond Fontaine & The Endrick Brothers

Up in London on Tuesday evening for a great gig at Dingwalls in Camden. Richmond Fontaine are busy touring their latest album 'Thirteen Cities' and vocalist/guitarist Willy Vlautin's debut novel 'The Motel Life'. I managed to catch up with Willy at the end of the show for the briefest of chats. I wanted to swap him a copy of his novel for mine but naturally being a disorganised idiot I was late leaving home and forgot to take a copy with me. He probably thought I was a crazed stalker when I asked him for his address so I can send him a copy but he gave it to me all the same (well it is in Portland, Oregon and a PO BOX number so I'd have to be some stalker). He's on tour until early March so with a bit of luck there'll be a copy of 'Asboville' waiting for him the next time he checks his mail!!!

Just a word on The Endrick Brothers who are supporting RF on this tour. They're damn good and their new album 'Attraction Versus Love' is one of the best British 'Americana' albums I've heard since Lowgold. For those who like their comparisons, think early REM (Life's Rich Pageant territory) mixed with Teenage Fanclub...

Snow Day

I got as far as reversing my car out of the driveway this morning before it got stuck on the hill and I decided to call in. There were at least fifteen other staff off when I called and the school manager said loads of kids were off too so I'm spending the day at home. Not even 'glorified' baby sitting is the order of the day in most schools when the snow comes, with kids heading off home at random moments after begging their parents to save them from the ordeal of being in school when all their friends are off enjoying themselves, no lessons, random classes of frustrated teens that were forced to attend and anxious teachers worrying about getting home themselves.

Got 1000 words written on new book, did some marking and took some photographs. The snow is already on the way out and by the time tomorrow comes around it'll be a memory. The pic is of our resident squirrel. I had a fright the other day. There was a terrible fracas in the trees and a sparrowhawk (or something larger) appeared with a pile of fluff in its claws. It flew off towards the cemetery, sounding a victory cry as it went! It may have had a squirrel, but I think it was a dove...or just my imagination! Whatever, there's a squirrel in the garden today...

Modern Day Living

This is a one off.

Did anybody watch the brilliant Jack Dee series 'Lead Balloon' that was on before Christmas? I loved it for the 'everything is rubbish these days' grumpiness of Dee's character, a slightly less surreal take on modern life than 'One Foot in the Grave' and Victor Meldrew...

I had a moment today. We stopped off at the local supermarket for a few bits and decided to grab tea/coffee and cake from the attached coffee house. The plan was to take these to the woods and 'escape' for twenty minutes. But they didn't have any English Breakfast Tea, only Earl Grey and Darjeeling and they didn't have any brown sugar sasheys for the coffee either. They were waiting for a delivery. I tried pointing out to the undergraduates behind the counter that there was a supermarket next door. Couldn't they buy some tea bags? Nobody would notice. Nobody would care. But of course, they couldn't because they were not associated with the supermarket and did not have the power to make a decision like going to buy some tea bags until the delivery came. Instead they had repeat over and over that there was no English Breakfast Tea and no brown sugar sachets...

...this is the same coffee company (same city, different location) that ALWAYS runs out of mugs on Saturday mornings and is forced to serve their 'sit-in' customers with 'take-away' cups. Once again the place is manned by undergraduates who have no authority to do anything about the situation other than apologise. I can see the embarrassment written all over their faces. I don't go to that one anymore.

...and isn't this the point about globalistation? That nobody is allowed to think for themselves any longer. That there are procedures for everything. That common sense is dangerous.

On my drive to work there are now roadworks by a major roundabout. They're widening the road there, which has catered for two squeezed lanes of traffic for several years. Only in widening the road they've started by placing cones for three hundred yards, thus narrowing it for the duration of the works. And NOBODY IS EVER THERE DOING ANYTHING! They started a month ago and still NOBODY IS THERE! Occasionally there's a man, or two or even three men in yellow jackets sat in a van reading newspapers, and they have dug a little bit of the ground, but this has been going on three weeks! It could have been done in a day or two. It could all be over. Instead everybody is trying every alternative byway and lane to avoid the line of traffic that builds each and every morning and of course in the end nobody gets anywhere...

I could go on and on and on and on and on...but I won't.