Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! It’s a beautiful Friday here in the Boston area, and I’m looking forward to a weekend of seeing friends, playing games, and walks with Bodo the dog. Let’s start the weekend off with a few micro-book reviews.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Sepetys knows how to craft a stunning gut-punch of a historical novel. Just my type!

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
I feel like a bad fantasy fan but…it was fine? The story/characters felt ‘meh.’

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Thoughtful look at police brutality. Loved Rashad, but wanted more from Quinn’s part.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! It’s been brutally hot here, but I used the indoor time to finish a revision I’d been working on and am excited about starting a new draft. I’m also excited about seeing friends at a wedding this weekend, which feels like a summer activity. In the meantime, let’s get the weekend started with some book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking
I might secretly be Danish because I am fully into the hygge life.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
A great look at OCD/anxiety, but maybe my least favorite Green book.

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Wasn’t quite as into the insta-love but fantastic look at immigration; loved the multi-POV.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! I’m starting off the weekend with a sick day (ugh, feels so unfair to have a sore throat when it’s like 90 degrees out), but hopefully this will be a mostly restful and relaxing weekend. Let’s start things off with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Winter by Marissa Meyer
A satisfying end to the Lunar Chronicles, but not my favorite of the series.

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown
A great look at managing the difficult times, when don’t know what path we’re on.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
Great contemp YA with strong voices and cultural background; wish they’d had more coding though!

Where the Books Are

Recently, I had a conversation with someone who had two kids who were both readers, but she wasn’t sure how to keep finding books they might like. “It’s hard to tell from an Amazon review,” she mentioned. Which got me thinking about the places I find books to add to my (never-ending) reading list. In no particular order:

Book blogs/social media
This is probably where I find the most books. I follow a lot of book/writing-related blogs, which often post reviews, lists of book recommendations on a particular theme or topic, or interviews with writers about their work. Some favorites include:

I follow these (and others) on Feedly and, when I see a good review or description that sounds interesting, add to to my list.

Browsing bookstores/libraries
This used to be the primary way I found books. From the time I was an early reader through high school, I’d go to the library or local bookstores and spend time scanning the shelves for titles that sounded interesting. I still love doing this, although most of my library browsing tends to be through their online catalog of available audiobooks to download.

Award lists
I don’t pay a ton of attention to year-end book lists (like “best of 2018”), but I do keep an eye out for which books win major awards. In the children’s literature/YA sphere, that includes ALA Youth Media Awards, the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards. These might be more popular/well-known books that I already kind of have on my radar, but the awards make me feel like I should check them out to get a sense of what’s being recognized in the kid/YA lit sphere.

Professional publications
Getting a good review from professional review organizations like School Library Journal, Kirkus, or Publishers Weekly can be a big boost for books in the market. It’s also a place I tend to read book reviews. I don’t put a ton of weight into whether a book gets a great review or not, but if I like the sound of a book overall, I’ll check it out.

Recommendations from friends
This one is actually a little iffy, because lots of times I get weirdly defiant when people tell me I have to read a certain book. Even if it’s a book I know I’d enjoy, a lot of times I’ll stubbornly feel like You can’t make me! I also tend to pick books from my reading list based on feel (like “I want something fun and scifi next”) vs. recent recommendations, so I don’t usually circle back to friends’ recommendations until later. But there are a few people I 100% trust with book recommendations and am always happy to get their suggestions–even if I don’t always end up reading them right away.

Books by friends
This is total literary nepotism, but I’m way more likely to read a book if I know and like the person who wrote it. Again, it may not happen right away, but friends’ books are always on my list. I’m also way more likely to buy friends’ books, when I can afford it, vs. getting them from the library, which is how I read pretty much everything else.

Books similar to what I’m writingA lot of times, especially in the early phases of a project, I’ll search for books similar to what I’m

writing to get a sense of what’s already out there and what other authors have already done. Sometimes this is in tone (quirky, funny, sad, etc.) or topic (books about military families, books about teens in theatre, etc.) or just genre (sci-fi, fantasy, contemp, etc.). I know a lot of people don’t like to work this way, in case they get too bogged down in other people’s stories, but I find it immensely helpful and inspiring.

Where do you find your next read? Share your recommendations in the comments!

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! No long no blog, but it’s officially summer, which means summer reading season is on. Which means I should probably catch up on my mini-book reviews. Let’s get the weekend (and summer) started with some book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Cress by Marissa Meyer
Great continuation of the Lunar Chronicles and a fun adaptation of Rapunzel.

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
Loved getting to see early Granny Weatherwax. Eskarina is a proto-Hermione in the best way.

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Hell yes we should! Required reading for all genders.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! It’s been a while since my last Friday Fifteen, but I’ve been busy with the work life and the writing life, and the throwing the squeaky toy for Bodo the Dog life. Fortunately, this is the Friday before Marathon Monday, aka the best day of the year, so I’m super excited to head into the weekend. Let’s get things started with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
A fantastic look at disability, friendly, struggle, and strength. As a runner, I’m a fan.

Summerlost by Ally Condie
A sweet and sad and real middle grade about loss and family. Loved the setting.

Paperweight by Meg Haston
A sensitive, real portrayal of a girl battling an eating disorder. Recovery is complex here.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! I feel like every time I write one of these, I want to start with “it’s been a week” but that’s fully the truth. Good things from this week: getting a haircut, chocolate caramel oreo pie, Olympics figure skating, and nice weather for walks. Let’s get the weekend going with some book reviews in fifteen words or fewer!

I’m Just a Person by Tig Notaro
Frank, funny, and touching discussion of sexuality, family history, and how we cope with illness.

An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
Ishiguro’s perfect combination of a restrained narrator and emotional anguish, set against post-WWII Japan.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
A great sequel to Cinder; Scarlet’s voice captured me and I fully ship Scarlet/Wolf.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! I’ve been having a very exciting week and am hoping to share some good writer news soon. In the meantime, let’s start the weekend off with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Jane by April Lindner
A lot to like here, but never quite felt the Jane/Nico connection.

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed
It’s hard to image getting emotional over an advice column, but Strayed delivers the goods.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
Not convinced that running cures all, but a fascinating look at long-distance running.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! Even though it’s a short week, it’s felt really long, and I’m already kind of done with winter. (New England, I love you, but can we not with winter this year?) Fortunately, we’ve still got weekends, and we’ve still got book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
Love the series overall, but this was the weakest link for me. Not enough tension?

The FitzOsbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper
Set at the edge of WWII, feels so important now. Make this a Masterpiece series!

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Kept nodding along with this. Now can we get rid of phone calls please?

Friday Fifteen – Favorites from 2017

Happy Friday, guys! It’s also the last Friday of 2017, which feels like a great time to share fifteen of my favorite books from this year and why you should read them in fifteen words or fewer. I’ve done a lot of great reading, in large part thanks to audiobooks, and will spend 2018 recommending these books to pretty much everyone. (Most of these are not books published in 2017 because I’m way behind the times.) In no particular order:

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
A gut-punch of a book, and a necessary read about Soviet work camps in WWII.

George by Alex Gino
A sensitive, hopeful story about a transgender girl who proves she’s the perfect Charlotte.

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
A powerful and deep dive into the history of cancer, cancer research, and healing.

The Countdown Conspiracy by Katie Slivensky
I’m kinda biased but SO MANY FEELS! I love this STEM adventure. Also, RUBY LIVES!

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
I devoured this tale of family, courage, and how storytelling makes us who we are.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
This stands in for all the Tiffany Aching books; funny, fierce and so friggin’ good.

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
I. Loved. This. Book. Shetterly’s writing is fantastic, and these stories are so powerful.

The Light Fantastic by Sarah Combs
Sarah’s writing is so good, it made me tear up in a Panera. Beautiful, arresting.

Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
My kind of middle grade–sensitive and sad and joyous and true.

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
The whole series is great, but PS is my favorite. I’m still ship Lara Jean/John.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
The book I want to shove into people’s hands. Gorgeous writing, so many feels.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
My new fav contemporary YA romance–funny and sweet and sad and fun.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey
This Jane Eyre adaptation has stuck with me in ways I didn’t expect. Love Livesey.

The FitzOsbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper
Finally read and LOVED it. On the edge of WWII, feels very relevant right now.

Ana of California by Andi Teran
Stays true to the spirit of the original Anne of Green Gables, with contemporary spins.

What were your favorite books from 2017? (Bonus points if they’re available via library audibook borrowing services, just saying, it’s a great way to read.) Share them in the comments! And sending you all happy reading wishes for 2018.