The Simpsons Mocks YA?! Surely You Jest!

At least it was all in good fun. And, I think, a rather poignant jab at not only the likes of YA manufacturers like Full Fathom Five but the tendency of the publishing industry to ride a wave raw.

The general gist of the show, Lisa gets her book bubble burst when she finds out that one of her favorite authors isn't actually an author but a cover model and the series this person supposedly penned was cranked out by a bunch of "drugged up lit majors." Homer, in all his glory, wants some quick cash and realizes the best way to do that is capitalize on the YA craze, get a team together and write a book. Lisa, of course, protests and vows to write her own book but, like any good writer, procrastination gets in the way. Neil Gaiman pops in with a prominent role in the episode, titled The Book Job, and serves as food bitch to Homer and Co.

While this article wishes the message were a little more accurate (that, really, not ALL YA is pumped out in a writing factory), I ultimately don't think it's needed. It is, after all, The Simpsons. This is, after all, a parody. Is the overall context true? Pretty much. But those of us that do the reading know full well that authors are real and something like this takes up a small corner of the market. And there are people out there that don't mind the manufactured books. I'm not talking about the copycats but books like I AM NUMBER FOUR that really are work-for-hire books, written by one person, or a couple o people and masked by a name that isn't theirs. That's okay if they do (I personally don't, especially with who owns that particular business, plus I'm not a fan of how it belittles reader tastes, but that's just me). Love for a book is love for a book and the show asks, does it really matter who wrote it?

For me, most of the time it does. I probably would have liked I AM NUMBER FOUR if it were actually well-written. I was a huge fan of THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB. A lot of popular books have been ghost written and pseudonymously authored. I like my authors, though. I like knowing that the book I hold in my hands was created out of love of writing, not purely out of want of money. Passion can't be faked, no matter how much money is involved.

If you still haven't seen the episode, you can catch it on Hulu. It's definitely worth the 22 minutes. It's hilarious!

Things I've Learned from Books + 128

Most of the time excess chest hair is immensely horrific . . . and the least of your worries, especially where the moon is concerned.

80s Awesomeness! ~ 137

1983 not only spawned me, but the world was bestowed with another enduring bundle of joy. Mother Hollywood shot out A Christmas Story that year, gracing us with the joys of leg lamps, triple dog dares and pellet guns. With tongues frozen to metal poles, dogs eating the Christmas turkey and 'oh fudge!,' but not, being uttered all over the world, it's really not a surprise that A Christmas Story has remained a classic. And plays for 24 hours straight at Christmas. I love the movie, but that's a little much. Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra!

Freaky Friday :|: 137

Title: Nightmare Hall: The Voice in the Mirror

Author: Diane Hoh

Published: November 1995

Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks

Summary:

Annie is terrified when she learns the truth about her friend, whose split personality includes an evil half that believes every girl he meets is the reincarnation of a girl he once murdered, and Annie may become his newest victim. (amazon.com)

The plot alone sounds a bit schizophrenic. I like it. Just not the mirrors. I hate mirrors. Shit lives on the other side of that reflective surface.

Awkward Family Pet Photos by Mike Bender and Doug Chernack

Published November 1, 2011.

Pets. They love us unconditionally, shower us with affection, and because of them, we actually live longer. So, what can possibly be awkward about our animal BFFs? Well...nothing. In fact, we're the awkward ones. Let's face it-- sometimes our adoration for them makes us go a little overboard. Like giving them middle names or convincing ourselves that they really want to wear the pink diamond-studded Prada collar. Truth is, what they really cherish is our companionship, a belly rub, and a treat every now and then. And maybe that's the reason we care about them so much - because for such simple pleasures, they allow us to be as awkward as we want. (netgalley.com)

From the people that brought you awkwardfamilyphotos.com and awkwardfamilypetphotos.com, they bestow upon you the book form of the latter, filled to the brim with awkward people and pets looking chagrined. Really, you're either going to love something like this or you're going to hate it. If you hate it, I'm pretty sure you don't have a soul. Because really, who doesn't like to gaze upon picture after picture of horribly awkward people inflicting their deep-seated dorkiness onto their non-human loved ones? It'll give you the chance to laugh, even for just a moment, as you project the horror onto someone other than yourself. That is, after you fix the antlers on your dog.

There's really not much to say about AWKWARD FAMILY PET PHOTOS other than poor animals and hilarious people. It's nice to know that people can laugh at themselves. Because when it's 1986 and you're posing with your cockatiel and you both have matching hair, if you can't laugh at that, you're going to give yourself an ulcer.

AWKWARD FAMILY PET PHOTOS would make a great Christmas gift for the jokester in your family, or a super stocking stuffer for anyone. Image the conversations that would ensue with this book lying about on your coffee table. You might find far more out about your neighbor than you were willing to live with. But that's okay. That's what evergreens are for. Really high evergreens.

With quirky commentary and photos so epically awkward they're have you laughing until you cry, AWKWARD FAMILY PET PHOTOS is something you not only need to buy for yourself, but for all of your loved ones. If they don't appreciate it, see above re: soul.

Ban Factor: Medium - Because banners can't laugh at themselves, it's nominally likely they wouldn't get the humor here and would want it killed dead.