Reader, Writer, & Writing Teacher
How is the year already half way over? Luckily, even though time flies I’ve managed to fit a lot of great books into 2015. Here are my favorites so far. My “adult” reading is at an all time low, so you won’t be surprised to see it’s mostly YA. What have been your favorite reads of the year so far? Continue reading “Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2015”
Who else was OBSESSED with this series when they were growing up? Even if you weren’t – even if you’ve just seen the movie – I’d love to know which babysitter you would marry, which you’d date, and which you’d dump. Obviously, once they’ve grown up of course. You can pick from any of the sitters in the series, but to narrow things down I’m going to stick within the original four: Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, and Mary Anne. Let me know your choices *and your reasons* in the comments! Also have great Mondays, everyone!
Continue reading “Marry, Date or Dump: The Babysitters Club”
When I picked up Hold Me Like a Breath, by Tiffany Schmidt, I was expecting a very different story than the one spelled out on these pages. Somehow the teaser of fairy tale retelling, left me with images of pretty dresses, princesses, and fanciful language. I was wrong, but I was not disappointed. There are echoes of The Princess an the Pea in this story, but there’s also illness, black market organ selling, murder, and betrayal. Which, let’s face it, is equally if not more compelling than the fantasy images I approached the book with. The story follows Penelope Landlow. Her father is the head of one of the three crime families that controls the black market organ transplants. She has body guards and has never been anywhere by herself. She is almost never touched by anyone (not even her parents!) because of an autoimmune disorder that makes her bruise at all but the lightest of touches. See the princess an the pea connection? Continue reading “Hold Me Like a Breath, by Tiffany Schmidt”
Today is the five year anniversary of the Top Ten Tuesday book meme. In celebration, here are my top favorite top ten tuesday posts that I’ve done! Continue reading “My Ten Favorite Top Ten Topics”
I feel like fantasy novels are coming back in a big way lately … or maybe I’m just on a new YA fantasy binge-read lately. Here are three of the heroes from books that have been getting a lot of buzz recently. We’ve got Arin (from The Winner’s Curse, by Marie Rutkoski), Elias (from An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir), and Tamlin (from A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas). Full disclosure, I haven’t read A Court of Thorns and Roses yet, but I thought it would still be a good one to include on the list. So most of you know the drill, let me know who you would marry, date, and dump in the comments! Continue reading “Marry, Date or Dump: Arin, Elias, and Tamlin”
I’m two (maybe three chapters) away from finishing the first draft of my new novel. In some ways it is very different from DREAMERS, which some readers know is a novel I decided to put away earlier this year. But in some other ways it is very similar. In fact, at the advice of the few agents who read my last manuscript, it uses the same characters but is in a fully contemporary setting instead of being part fantasy. It actually is based on a subplot from my NaNoWriMo project from 2013. In part because a few people have asked in the last few weeks and in part because I think it will be good motivation for me (and would love to get people’s opinions) here is a short description of the new(ish) novel I’ve been working on with the working title of THE REVENGE PLAY. Continue reading “What I’m Working On”
If I had my way, every summer would be the summer of Sarah Dessen. Seriously, is there a better book than you could be reading on the beach or on a picnic blanket in the park than a Sarah Dessen novel? That doesn’t mean they are all light and fluffy or just beach reads. In fact, the book I’ve been asked to review this week Just Listen is anything but. Still, it is one of my favorites. The first time I read the book I finished it in less than four hours and I’ve reread it several times since. Let’s talk about why…
But first, here is the book’s description from goodreads: Last year, Annabel was “the girl who has everything” — at least that’s the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf’s Department Store. This year, she’s the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong.Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen’s help, maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.
Usually, I share something visual for Wordless Wednesday. But today, I thought I’d share something auditory instead. A podcast recommendation. I’ve been listening (and loving!) First Draft with Sarah Enni. The podcast of a woman taking a roadtrip to visit different YA authors to ask them about their books, craft, and lives in general. All the episodes are great, but I suggest starting with Libba Bray. Here is the link. If you have been listening, I’d love to know your favorite episode in the comments!
My favorite thing about being an “adult” in the summer, is that we get to pick our own summer reading. Don’t get me wrong, I read some great books for school over the summer, but I also read some dull, boring ones that I never would have picked up for myself. It’s almost overwhelming how many books I want to get to, but here are ten I definitely want to cross off the tbr list in the next three months. Continue reading “Top Ten Books On My TBR For Summer”
Alison Doherty 