Category: Friday Fifteen

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! This week has felt like nine weeks long, so I’m super excited to be heading into a long weekend of fun with some great friends. Let’s head into the weekend with a couple of fifteen-word (or fewer) book reviews.

Ana of California by Andi Teran
My favorite kind of adaptation–gets the spirit of the original, but expands the world.

My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind by Scott Stossel
Felt like it went off on a lot of tangents; too personal to be helpful.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everybody! I’m spending some time in an old project today, and trying not to melt in the heat because Boston suddenly realized that spring is almost over so it better hurry up with this warm weather. Let’s get the weekend started with some book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
Beautiful take on friendship and first crushes and loss and hope, with Stead’s gorgeous writing.

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary “Jacky” Faber, Ship’s Boy by L.A. Meyer
Fun and historically interesting, but for girl-on-a-ship, Charlotte Doyle still gets my vote.

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery
More an exploration into people who love octopuses. Not as scientific as I’d hoped for.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! It’s been a week of ups and downs, but I’m trying to keep the good stuff in mind–like flower-y raincoats and good friends and long walks and pups and, of course, books. Let’s head into the weekend with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

The Light Fantastic by Sarah Combs
Aka “Writing So Beautiful It Makes Annie Cry in Panera.” Combs = contemp YA feels.

The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett
A lovely send-off to Tiffany Aching books. Terry Pratchett, I wish I’d known you sooner.

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
A touching novel in verse about family and art and grief and home.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everybody! It’s been a week, and for some reason it’s snowing again, but that’s a good excuse to stay inside and talk about what I’ve been reading in fifteen words or fewer.

Irises by Francisco X. Stork
Touching story about sisters, sacrifice, grief, and moving on.

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
Another fantastic Tiffany Aching book; excellent look at fear and violence.

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
Powerful and moving account of the amazing black women who got us to the stars.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! Or more accurately, OH THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY WILL THIS WEEK NEVER END?! This week was cold and snowy and I want to curl up in a comforter with a giant cup of tea until it’s actually spring out there. Who’s with me?

In the meantime, here are a couple of book reviews in fifteen words or fewer:

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
Puberty’s hard when you also have to fight endless winter. Continue to love Tiffany Aching.

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
Beautiful writing and atmosphere, but not sure it ultimately left me satisfied in Ruth’s story.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! How is it that this week’s felt so long and so short all at once? Also it snowed today and all I want to do is wrap myself in a comforter and not leave the house until April. Fortunately, in that scenario I could still read, so let’s get the weekend started with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
Great collection of essays about race, sexism, education, media, and Scrabble.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
Wanted more from Oscar as a character, but Díaz’s writing is stellar.

Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Wish I had a fifth grade class to share this with. Heart-wrenching and heartwarming.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! It’s been a week, so let’s head into the weekend with some book reviews in fifteen words or fewer:

George by Alex Gino
Hopeful story of a trans girl longing to play Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web class production.

Pieces of You and Me by Erin Fletcher
Charming story of a second-chance romance; Rylee and Chase’s chemistry feels so real. So needed this!

A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
Full-steam-ahead on the Tiffany Aching books. Witchcraft, hard work, common sense and community!

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! This week has had some ups and downs, but the ups included beautiful sunny weather and seeing Newsies the Broadway musical movie experience with some awesome author friends, so I’m gonna call this week a win. Let’s kick the weekend off with some book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Engaging family drama with strong writing. Lydia and Nath stood out the most for me.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Why did it take me so long to read a Discworld book? Tiffany forever!

Running in Literature: A Guide for Scholars, Readers, Runners, Joggers and Dreamers by Roger Robinson
An interesting look at running in myth, poetry, and stories. Atalanta is my new favorite.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everybody! We’re digging out of a snowstorm here in the Boston area, which means all I want to do this weekend is curl up with a lot of books and baked goods. (Gotta get a run in there, too.) In the meantime, let’s kick things off with a couple of book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
A beautiful story about family and kindness and the power of stories.

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Epic and engaging look at the history of cancer. Literally cried at some parts.

If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
Whether it’s poetry or books for adults or YA, Woodson more than delivers.

Friday Fifteen

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Today feels like a good day to share a couple lines of poetry, in slightly more than fifteen words. From “Poetry as Insurgent Art [I am signaling you through the flames]” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

“What are poets for, in such an age?
What is the use of poetry?

The state of the world calls out for poetry to save it.”

Read the whole poem here. Other poems I’ve been reading recently include “A Song on the End of the World” by Czeslaw Milosz and “Good Bones” by Maggie Smith.

Keep writing, keep fighting.