Did anyone else start seeing the book Some Girls Are, by Courtney Summers, pop up all over their social media yesterday? I saw facebook articles posted about censorship and a plethora of tweets where people said they were buying the book … and then I got curious. Here’s what I found out. Incoming freshmen at a South Carolina high school were given the option of choosing this book or Riker’s High, by Paul Volponi for their summer reading. After one parent complained (that’s right just one parent) that she didn’t want her daughter reading the former, the school ended up pulling the book from the list and adding both Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson (a bold choice since it is so frequently banned), and classic A Tree Grows In Brooklyn as options. I’m not a parent and I haven’t read the book so you can definitely take my ramblings with many many grains of salt – but I thought I’d share them anyway. Continue reading “SOME GIRLS ARE, Censorship, and School Reading Lists”
Month: July 2015
Wordless Wednesday: What to Read After Paper Towns
Top Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds
I’m a total sucker for reading about characters who love to read or love to write. That’s what made me so excited about this week’s topic. Here are some of my favorite book nerds from literature. I’d love to hear who yours are in the comments! Continue reading “Top Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds”
Marry, Date or Dump: Quentin, Ben & Radar from Paper Towns
I am waiting for a few weeks so I can watch Paper Towns with my sister, like I did with The Fault in Our Stars. But I am so so happy about the good reviews and can’t wait to see it. In honor of the movie, I want to see who you’d marry and who you’d date and who you’d dump when it comes to Quentin, Ben, and Radar. I’m excited to see who you pick! Continue reading “Marry, Date or Dump: Quentin, Ben & Radar from Paper Towns”
Summer Love, by Jill Santopolo
Did anyone else read choose your own adventure books growing up? There’s something really fun about the ability to read the same book, but have a different outcome every time. Bringing this fun format into the perfect YA beach read is Jill Santopolo’s Summer Love, which I’ve been reading on the subway recently. Basically, it’s a contemporary romance where you get to make decisions at the end of each chapter which will lead you down different paths where you might (and let me emphasize might!) end up kissing one of eleven different guys.
From cute boys who clean swimming pools to tennis partners to the only other person reading a piece of classic literature on the beach, summer romance is actually just a page turn away while reading this book. Although let me warn you that not all of the pathways lead to romance. The great news is that if you aren’t happy with your ending (or if you are just feeling curious) then you can flip back and go down a different path. Continue reading “Summer Love, by Jill Santopolo”
Knowing What I Want But Not Having It (Yet)
When I first started blogging back in 2012 I wrote this (now) hilarious post about viewing a new job as my second chance at being an adult. I was starting a new job, trying to move out of my mom’s house, and wishing/hoping/dreaming/praying that the new move would give me some kind of pathway forward. A year later, when that didn’t work out I wrote this post which was the beginning of me starting to think of myself as a writer. What’s clear to me in both posts, and in looking back at my early 20s, is that I desperately desperately wanted to know what I wanted out of life and I was scared to want anything that I wasn’t 100% sure I would get. This was true about jobs, about friends, about relationships. I felt like I was kind of up for anything and just wanted something to happen…
That is no longer my problem. Continue reading “Knowing What I Want But Not Having It (Yet)”
Wordless Wednesday: Feminist Quotes
Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters
I’ve been super excited about this topic, because I’ve been trying to read more diversely this year. Some of these books I like so much because they really focus on the whatever makes the characters diverse (race, mental illness, sexual orientation, etc) and others are on here because they present diversity without ignoring it or making it the center of the story. Please share your favorite diverse books with me in the comments. I’m always looking for more! Continue reading “Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters”
Marry, Date or Dump: Little House Edition
I was pretty obsessed with the Little House books, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, growing up. I had my favorites (most perversely The Long Winter was among them), but These Happy Golden Years was the one I read by far the most for obvious reasons. Romance. You can pick any of the characters from the series to marry, date, or dump today. I’m picking Almanzo Wilder, Cap Garland, and Mr. Edwards (although I was very tempted to put Pa in the mix). Hope you have fun returning to a pioneer state of mind! Continue reading “Marry, Date or Dump: Little House Edition”
A School For Brides, by Patrice Kindl
I obviously like YA books, but you may or may not know that I’m a huge sucker for a Regency romance as well. I grew up devouring Georgette Heyer novels and am currently a huge fan of Lauren Willig, Sarah MacLean, and many other Regency writers. So you can imagine how totally pumped I was when I first heard about A School For Brides, by Patrice Kindl – a YA book set in the Regency period. Here was the book description that got me so excited: The Winthrop Hopkins Female Academy of Lesser Hoo, Yorkshire, has one goal: to train its students in the feminine arts with an eye toward getting them married off. This year, there are five girls of marriageable age. There’s only one problem: the school is in the middle of nowhere, and there are no men.
Alison Doherty 