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28th out of 200 books
—
489 voters
This is Shyness (This is Shyness #1)
by
Leanne Hall (Goodreads Author)
A guy who howls. A girl on a mission to forget.
In the suburb of Shyness, where the sun doesn’t rise and the border crackles with a strange energy, Wolfboy meets a stranger at the Diabetic Hotel. She tells him her name is Wildgirl, and she dares him to be her guide through the endless night.
But then they are mugged by the sugar-crazed Kidds. And what plays out is moving, re...more
In the suburb of Shyness, where the sun doesn’t rise and the border crackles with a strange energy, Wolfboy meets a stranger at the Diabetic Hotel. She tells him her name is Wildgirl, and she dares him to be her guide through the endless night.
But then they are mugged by the sugar-crazed Kidds. And what plays out is moving, re...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
August 2nd 2010
by Text
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Can this review be more of a warning? I'm not sure This is Shyness is for everybody.
To be honest, I don't think I've read anything like This is Shyness before and it's pretty difficult to give it a label. I'm going to play safe and tell you that, maybe, the only sure label is YA?
But let me give you a brief synopsis to give you an idea.
In an alternate or future world - I'm not sure - similar to ours, a strange dark area has descended on the city (or neighboorhood, still not sure) of Panwood. It'...more
To be honest, I don't think I've read anything like This is Shyness before and it's pretty difficult to give it a label. I'm going to play safe and tell you that, maybe, the only sure label is YA?
But let me give you a brief synopsis to give you an idea.
In an alternate or future world - I'm not sure - similar to ours, a strange dark area has descended on the city (or neighboorhood, still not sure) of Panwood. It'...more
26 likes · like · see review
view all 11 comments
2.5 - sadly not for me.
The bizarre goodreads summary of this book combined with numerous (mostly positive) reviews left me feeling intrigued, excited and just a little bit apprehensive about starting This is Shyness. I can deal with a certain type and level of weirdness, Margo Lanagan is one writer of the bizarre that I can appreciate a lot, but in this novel the strangeness just felt a little ridiculous. I couldn't connect with the characters and, after the initial surprise at this very strang...more
22 likes · like · see review
Readalong with the gorgeous Jo. Her review of This Is Shyness can be found here.
“This night was ours, just you and me..”
This book and I should not have been friends. I don’t like not being told things. I don’t like getting lost. I like plans and order. I am a list maker, not a risk taker. So, I am still at a loss as to how this book and I wound up holding hands and skipping merrily into the realm of five-star books.
There existed between me and this book a chemistry akin to that between Wolfboy...more
“This night was ours, just you and me..”
This book and I should not have been friends. I don’t like not being told things. I don’t like getting lost. I like plans and order. I am a list maker, not a risk taker. So, I am still at a loss as to how this book and I wound up holding hands and skipping merrily into the realm of five-star books.
There existed between me and this book a chemistry akin to that between Wolfboy...more
14 likes · like · see review
whoah - this was stunning and different and unexpected and just - wow.
I had no idea what to expect from this book and now it's hard to tell you all what to expect. In some ways, it's perfect going into it with no idea, but here's a small taste...
This is Shyness reads like a contemporary novel but there are fantastical elements.
Such as: the suburb of Shyness itself. It is a place where one day, the sun went down, and it hasn't ever risen again. It's in permanent night-time, but right next door (o...more
I had no idea what to expect from this book and now it's hard to tell you all what to expect. In some ways, it's perfect going into it with no idea, but here's a small taste...
This is Shyness reads like a contemporary novel but there are fantastical elements.
Such as: the suburb of Shyness itself. It is a place where one day, the sun went down, and it hasn't ever risen again. It's in permanent night-time, but right next door (o...more
24 likes · like · see review
“How could I not love a book about a secret suburb somewhere near Collingwood and Fitzroy, where the sun never comes up, and sugar-addicted kids and creepy monkeys roam around abandoned housing commission flats?” – That’s how Lili Wilkinson sums up This is Shyness on her blog. I could not agree more with that quote.
The experience of reading This is Shyness is much like having a lucid dream, like delving into some part of your consciousness that exists between waking and sleeping, where the line...more
The experience of reading This is Shyness is much like having a lucid dream, like delving into some part of your consciousness that exists between waking and sleeping, where the line...more
34 likes · like · see review
Original review posted on The Book Smugglers
(this book blew my mind away)
At first it seems like it is a night out like any other night out and two teenagers are drinking with friends at the Diabetic Hotel.
She: Wildgirl, from the other side of town, beautiful and dressed to impress, out with her work colleagues to forget her problems at home and at school.
He: Wolfboy, a local, super hot and yet low-key, waiting for this friends to arrive just like he does almost every night, trying to forget how...more
(this book blew my mind away)
At first it seems like it is a night out like any other night out and two teenagers are drinking with friends at the Diabetic Hotel.
She: Wildgirl, from the other side of town, beautiful and dressed to impress, out with her work colleagues to forget her problems at home and at school.
He: Wolfboy, a local, super hot and yet low-key, waiting for this friends to arrive just like he does almost every night, trying to forget how...more
5 likes · like · see review
Think of every single cliché in young adult fiction you can.
Go on.
Just do it.
Write them down if you want.
It’s OK, I’ll wait.
*twiddles thumbs*
Done?
This book defies all of them.
I understand in saying that this book defies all clichés is in itself also a cliché because it’s what reviewers tend to say when they can’t really be bothered writing a real review but they want to make it sound like they loved it and keep everyone happy but in reality they wanted to fling it out of the window and then go...more
Go on.
Just do it.
Write them down if you want.
It’s OK, I’ll wait.
*twiddles thumbs*
Done?
This book defies all of them.
I understand in saying that this book defies all clichés is in itself also a cliché because it’s what reviewers tend to say when they can’t really be bothered writing a real review but they want to make it sound like they loved it and keep everyone happy but in reality they wanted to fling it out of the window and then go...more
36 likes · like · see review
Long has paled that sunny sky: Echoes fade and memories die.
--Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
A fallen suburb where the sun never rises, a boy who howls, a girl who wants to escape if just for one night, shady people, shady places, shady pasts. Um, heck yes. Do any of you visualize scenes of books while you’re reading them? I often do and while I was reading This Is Shyness, my visualization was in the neo-noir, graphic novel style a la Sin City. I saw desaturated black and white scene...more
--Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
A fallen suburb where the sun never rises, a boy who howls, a girl who wants to escape if just for one night, shady people, shady places, shady pasts. Um, heck yes. Do any of you visualize scenes of books while you’re reading them? I often do and while I was reading This Is Shyness, my visualization was in the neo-noir, graphic novel style a la Sin City. I saw desaturated black and white scene...more
5 likes · like · see review
Rating: 4.5 Stars
The human race is constantly trying to describe love and attraction, summing it up to be an un-explainable draw to a certain person or thing. I like to think simpler and call it love at first sight. Maybe it can only happen with people, maybe it can't happen with books, but that's what happened with me. The moment I laid my eyes on the cover of This is Shyness, I felt it - that draw. Since then, I've been trying like crazy to get my hands on this book. You have no idea how diffi...more
The human race is constantly trying to describe love and attraction, summing it up to be an un-explainable draw to a certain person or thing. I like to think simpler and call it love at first sight. Maybe it can only happen with people, maybe it can't happen with books, but that's what happened with me. The moment I laid my eyes on the cover of This is Shyness, I felt it - that draw. Since then, I've been trying like crazy to get my hands on this book. You have no idea how diffi...more
7 likes · like · see review
This is Shyness has everything the fitting book description offers and probably more: Seventeen-years-old Nia has left her usual habitat, a trailer-park-area of a large city, to spend the night partying and drinking with her co-workers in nearby Shyness. Her mom's driver's licence and a too tight shirt with a boldly-lettered "Wildgirl" on it shove her past the bouncer of the "Diabetic Hotel", where she drowns her drink too quickly, has to fend of slimy Nick's advances, and lets her eyes be drawn...more
9 likes · like · see review
Wow. Mind = jumbled.
I'll string together a few words until I can make sense of this book.
Weird. Cool. Fun. Quirky. Unique. Odd. Confusing.
That's about as good as my thoughts are gonna get right now. Haha.
I'll string together a few words until I can make sense of this book.
Weird. Cool. Fun. Quirky. Unique. Odd. Confusing.
That's about as good as my thoughts are gonna get right now. Haha.
Aug 07, 2011
Arlene
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Arlene by:
Street Corner Bookers - Aussie Tour - Nic
Rating Clarification
Overall writing style: 4 stars
Storyline – first half: 2 stars
Storyline – second half: 3 stars
Well, this story was definitely a head trip. I’m not quite sure how I would categorize it. I guess it’s a hybrid between dystopic and fantasy??? Maybe a bit of a freakish dream??? I’m still reeling in my mental spin, but I do have to say I was entertained.
Overall, I have to admit Aussie writers have a flawless ability to capture you and take you on a journey that feels vivid and engag...more
Overall writing style: 4 stars
Storyline – first half: 2 stars
Storyline – second half: 3 stars
Well, this story was definitely a head trip. I’m not quite sure how I would categorize it. I guess it’s a hybrid between dystopic and fantasy??? Maybe a bit of a freakish dream??? I’m still reeling in my mental spin, but I do have to say I was entertained.
Overall, I have to admit Aussie writers have a flawless ability to capture you and take you on a journey that feels vivid and engag...more
16 likes · like · see review
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh... this book is so damn weird. Like a really weird fairy tale with lots of crazy characters, googly eyes and a pink ukulele.
This is Shyness, ensconced in eternal darkness because the sun has decided to take a break. A tourist, named Wildgirl, sits in a bar('The Diabetic'), bemoaning her life. A few ways from her sits a local, Wolfboy. Their gazes clash; he howls, she falls, and we have a fun, strange ride on the Far-fetched Express.
Well, this book isn't for everyone. It's quite u...more
This is Shyness, ensconced in eternal darkness because the sun has decided to take a break. A tourist, named Wildgirl, sits in a bar('The Diabetic'), bemoaning her life. A few ways from her sits a local, Wolfboy. Their gazes clash; he howls, she falls, and we have a fun, strange ride on the Far-fetched Express.
Well, this book isn't for everyone. It's quite u...more
3.5/5
Couple the unresolved moments and the simplicity of telling in All I Ever Wanted with the oddness of Burn Bright, less the latter's more steam punk feel, then throw in some tarsiers. That's right... tarsiers!
And you just might get a feel of how richly imaginative, yet definitely odd THIS IS SHYNESS was. I’m still weighing odd versus good though. So, odd? Or, good? Good? Odd? Both?
This was insanely surreal. Him guiding her through his side of things, I wasn’t certain if I was to take thi...more
Couple the unresolved moments and the simplicity of telling in All I Ever Wanted with the oddness of Burn Bright, less the latter's more steam punk feel, then throw in some tarsiers. That's right... tarsiers!
And you just might get a feel of how richly imaginative, yet definitely odd THIS IS SHYNESS was. I’m still weighing odd versus good though. So, odd? Or, good? Good? Odd? Both?
This was insanely surreal. Him guiding her through his side of things, I wasn’t certain if I was to take thi...more
This book has left me a little confused! Now don't get me wrong the book was ok and in fact I started and finished it in the same evening! The context and the characters however have left me in the dark - pun intended as this book is based on a little suburb that is in perpetual darkness and has been for a few years now!
The book is told from 2 points of view, Wild girl and Wolf boy. The chapters flick from one to the other, this was a little confusing to begin with but you get used to it!
The sto...more
The book is told from 2 points of view, Wild girl and Wolf boy. The chapters flick from one to the other, this was a little confusing to begin with but you get used to it!
The sto...more
"A guy who howls. A girl on a mission to forget.
In the suburb of Shyness, where the sun doesn’t rise and the border crackles with a strange energy, Wolfboy meets a stranger at the Diabetic Hotel. She tells him her name is Wildgirl, and she dares him to be her guide through the endless night.
But then they are mugged by the sugar-crazed Kidds. And what plays out is moving, reckless...dangerous. There are things that can only be said in the dark. And one long night is time enough to change your lif...more
In the suburb of Shyness, where the sun doesn’t rise and the border crackles with a strange energy, Wolfboy meets a stranger at the Diabetic Hotel. She tells him her name is Wildgirl, and she dares him to be her guide through the endless night.
But then they are mugged by the sugar-crazed Kidds. And what plays out is moving, reckless...dangerous. There are things that can only be said in the dark. And one long night is time enough to change your lif...more
I really wanted to love this book.
The blurb looked awesome, I was expecting something that was quirky and dark and different.
Unfortunately, despite the premise being promising, the book never manages to take off. Right from the very first paragraph, I was disappointed with the well... pedestrian nature of the opening. I expected to be hit with world-titling quirkiness, but instead all I got was a meek and somewhat boring voice. I read on, hoping that it was just a shaky start.
The blurb looked awesome, I was expecting something that was quirky and dark and different.
Unfortunately, despite the premise being promising, the book never manages to take off. Right from the very first paragraph, I was disappointed with the well... pedestrian nature of the opening. I expected to be hit with world-titling quirkiness, but instead all I got was a meek and somewhat boring voice. I read on, hoping that it was just a shaky start.
Despite the two lik
A mysterious, beautiful boy with a scruffy appearance and tendency to howl introduces himself as Wolfboy. A fearless, captivating girl with an adventurous spirit insists on being called Wildgirl. In one night these two are drawn together with only a look. But this is no ordinary night, for in the suburb of Shyness there exists only darkness and the night, and Wildgirl has chosen Wolfboy to be her guide to this endless night.
In their separate lives Wolfboy and Wildgirl are both fighting a darknes...more
In their separate lives Wolfboy and Wildgirl are both fighting a darknes...more
Wow! From page one it was clear to me why This is Shyness won the Text YA prize. Quite simply, it's amazing.
Wildgirl meets Wolfboy in a pub in Shyness, a place where the sun never rises. That's not just a saying, it really doesn't. Shyness is not your ordinary city - it's infested with gangs of roaming Kidds who get high on sugar and use trained tarsiers (weird, weird monkey things. Go on, search for an image) to rough you up for your cough drops. It has people hooked on sleep like junkies. It's...more
Wildgirl meets Wolfboy in a pub in Shyness, a place where the sun never rises. That's not just a saying, it really doesn't. Shyness is not your ordinary city - it's infested with gangs of roaming Kidds who get high on sugar and use trained tarsiers (weird, weird monkey things. Go on, search for an image) to rough you up for your cough drops. It has people hooked on sleep like junkies. It's...more
Three things:
1. This is not the story you think it is.
2. That's a good thing. Go with it.
3. Also, there are monkeys.
This is one helluva graceful book. In human form, it would be a dancer - not a self-conscious, over-muscled, underfed prima donna, but someone who moves for the joy of it, so that everything else flows outwards from that passion. Jointly narrated by its protagonists, Wolfboy and Wildgirl, the events of This is Shyness all take place in a single, significant night, in a suburb where...more
1. This is not the story you think it is.
2. That's a good thing. Go with it.
3. Also, there are monkeys.
This is one helluva graceful book. In human form, it would be a dancer - not a self-conscious, over-muscled, underfed prima donna, but someone who moves for the joy of it, so that everything else flows outwards from that passion. Jointly narrated by its protagonists, Wolfboy and Wildgirl, the events of This is Shyness all take place in a single, significant night, in a suburb where...more
She meets him in the suburb of Shyness, at the Diabetic Hotel. He’s a hairy cowboy, all swagger and intensity. He howls upon meeting her, and calls himself ‘Wolfboy’. The words emblazoned across her chest earn her the nickname ‘Wildgirl’.
They have one night together, in the suburb of Shyness where it’s darkness all the time, and the sun hasn’t made an appearance in three years.
Sometimes, one night is all you need.
Leanne Hall won the Text Prize in 2009 for her debut young adult novel, ‘This is S...more
They have one night together, in the suburb of Shyness where it’s darkness all the time, and the sun hasn’t made an appearance in three years.
Sometimes, one night is all you need.
Leanne Hall won the Text Prize in 2009 for her debut young adult novel, ‘This is S...more
This books won the award thing and it definitely deserves it. This story is about speaking out and forgiving yourself and everybody else. I would not say this is a fantasy book because it doesn’t have any witches or good and evil forces or a quest to save the world from flying monkeys or whatever but it has some imaginary elements. For example there are sugar crazed Kidds that will do anything (absolutely anything) to get their sugar food. And this place called Shyness don’t have daylight anymor...more
hmmmm so the book This is shyness Is definitly different. I did enjoy it.
Its hard to explain this book, it was kinda confusing and I didnt like the ending, mainly because it leaves you with a number of questions and I dont think there is a second one. I dont like books that do that to you, infact it drives me insain.
Another thing I didnt like about this books was the terms "Wild girl" and "Wolfboy". It just anoyed me, kindov ruined the writing which was not that bad in the end. The characters A...more
Its hard to explain this book, it was kinda confusing and I didnt like the ending, mainly because it leaves you with a number of questions and I dont think there is a second one. I dont like books that do that to you, infact it drives me insain.
Another thing I didnt like about this books was the terms "Wild girl" and "Wolfboy". It just anoyed me, kindov ruined the writing which was not that bad in the end. The characters A...more
I’ve been sitting here staring at my blinking cursor. You know it’s bad when you’re suffering from a mild case of ‘reviewer’s block’ (get it? heh). Maybe I shouldn’t blame myself per se, perhaps I should hold this book responsible for rendering me speechless, grasping for words to describe the mentally stimulating experience I just had.
The entire book happened in one night…or one day, depending on how you look at it. Shyness is a city in perpetual darkness and in most instances, lawless and tim...more
The entire book happened in one night…or one day, depending on how you look at it. Shyness is a city in perpetual darkness and in most instances, lawless and tim...more
3 likes · like · see review
I was thrust upon a world I knew nothing of, I was suspended with strange, alluring people I have never met, I was all but trampling over my disbelief as I got lost in this beautiful place called Shyness, and I had the best time of my life in the process.
Refreshing characters. Breathtaking prose. Incredible writing. Otherworldly. Whimsical. Magical. I am in love. I can't wait to read the second book.
Refreshing characters. Breathtaking prose. Incredible writing. Otherworldly. Whimsical. Magical. I am in love. I can't wait to read the second book.
Utterly weird and trippy but I loved it! I realise that those elements may not appeal to many readers, but it worked for me.
Back in the day, I visited the Salvadore Dali gallery in London. It sort of felt like I was on drugs [have never taken any, but it was how I imagined being on some kind of hallucinogen must feel!]. The experience was utterly surreal, with darkness and lumo lights and unimaginable creations. It was an out-of-body experience.
Anyway, reading this book evoked similar feelings....more
Back in the day, I visited the Salvadore Dali gallery in London. It sort of felt like I was on drugs [have never taken any, but it was how I imagined being on some kind of hallucinogen must feel!]. The experience was utterly surreal, with darkness and lumo lights and unimaginable creations. It was an out-of-body experience.
Anyway, reading this book evoked similar feelings....more
Meine Meinung:
Leanne Hall ist es gelungen mit ihrem Buch einen Fantasy-Roman zu schreiben, der etwas neuartiges und ungewohntes mit sich bringt. Das bedeutet aber auch, dass der Leser sich zuerst an all dies Neue gewöhnen muss. Die Charaktere werden ebenso wenig eingeführt, wie dem Leser die Welt erklärt wird. Nein, mitten hinein geht es. Hinein in die Nacht von Shyness.
Mit Shyness erschafft die Autorin eine Welt, die irgendwo zwischen Urban-Fantasy und Dystopie liegt. Das erschwert die Orienti...more
Leanne Hall ist es gelungen mit ihrem Buch einen Fantasy-Roman zu schreiben, der etwas neuartiges und ungewohntes mit sich bringt. Das bedeutet aber auch, dass der Leser sich zuerst an all dies Neue gewöhnen muss. Die Charaktere werden ebenso wenig eingeführt, wie dem Leser die Welt erklärt wird. Nein, mitten hinein geht es. Hinein in die Nacht von Shyness.
Mit Shyness erschafft die Autorin eine Welt, die irgendwo zwischen Urban-Fantasy und Dystopie liegt. Das erschwert die Orienti...more
This review is also posted on my blog, In The Good Books.
This Is Shyness seemed, initially, like a simple, sweet, coming-of-age novel. And I was pleased to find it was actually much more than that.
Shyness is an odd town. The sun stopped rising there years ago, leaving the residents in perpetual darkness. No one knows why, but the people bothered by it have mostly left and the others, the Mushrooms, have flourished in the dark. There are cults like the Dreamers, full of people who sleep constantl...more
This Is Shyness seemed, initially, like a simple, sweet, coming-of-age novel. And I was pleased to find it was actually much more than that.
Shyness is an odd town. The sun stopped rising there years ago, leaving the residents in perpetual darkness. No one knows why, but the people bothered by it have mostly left and the others, the Mushrooms, have flourished in the dark. There are cults like the Dreamers, full of people who sleep constantl...more
I had expectations up to the moon for This is Shyness--all of the gushing reviews and the unique, awesome synopsis, and just look at that cover? It was pretty much one of my favorite books the second I fell in love with the holding hands and smudgy lights. (The cover, believe it or not, is even better when I actually get to hold the book. Call me shallow but I love a quirky, artsy cover.)
Then when I finally got around to ordering it, it was an enormous pain but I still had a bad case of gottaha...more
Then when I finally got around to ordering it, it was an enormous pain but I still had a bad case of gottaha...more
5 likes · like · see review
his book proves that Australian young adult is alive and thriving!
Its been a long time since I read a book like this one. This is Shyness gives the reader a glimpse into the lives of Wildgirl and Wolfboy for one night only. In this way, the book feels like the first chapter of the rest of their lives, but in a way that leaves you feeling contented, as if you know that they will, one day, work out their problems.
The characters are by no means perfect, they both have their faults, more so than any...more
Its been a long time since I read a book like this one. This is Shyness gives the reader a glimpse into the lives of Wildgirl and Wolfboy for one night only. In this way, the book feels like the first chapter of the rest of their lives, but in a way that leaves you feeling contented, as if you know that they will, one day, work out their problems.
The characters are by no means perfect, they both have their faults, more so than any...more
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Leanne Hall lives in Melbourne and works as a children’s specialist at an independent bookstore. She is the 2009 winner of the Text Childrens and Young Adult Writing Prize, with This Is Shyness, her first novel. She has far too many future books living in her head to ever consider a sensible, full-time job.
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“There’s a pause so yawning I can’t help but think about what it would be like to lean in and kiss her, but if I’m getting the signals wrong then I’m about to destroy the best run we’ve had all evening. It’s been at least ten minutes since I’ve done or said anything stupid.”
—
13 people liked it
“They envy your youth. You two are like exotic creatures from the land of the young.’
I’ve never understood all that these-are-the-best-years-of-your-life crap. If this is as good as it gets then I might as well quit now. Let me get to the shimmery oasis of adulthood.”
—
11 people liked it
More quotes…
I’ve never understood all that these-are-the-best-years-of-your-life crap. If this is as good as it gets then I might as well quit now. Let me get to the shimmery oasis of adulthood.”
