Reader, Writer, & Writing Teacher
Not all of these books are hidden gems, but I do think all of them deserved more buzz and attention then they received. I loved all of these stories and am always excited when someone else discovers one of these beautiful YA contemporary gems. Continue reading “Ten YA Contemporary Gems”
My high school was heavy on the classics, which was (and continues to be) awesome. But I definitely graduated twelfth grade with no idea that anything good was being written in the present tense. Also the diversity of what is considered “a classic” is highly problematic. I’m all for reading The Great Gatsby and Chaucer and Catcher in the Rye… but here are then books that I would love to see on more high school curriculums – I know I would have gotten a lot out of them if I’d been assigned to read them in school.
Continue reading “Ten Books that Should Be Assigned in High School”
Happy weekend! I am having a huge good book streak. I’m really hoping it doesn’t end anytime soon – obviously. I might be losing sleep, but it’s one hundred percent worth it. Here are some favorite YA books that I’ve read in the last few weeks!
Eliza and her Monsters, by Francesca Zappia, blew me away and kept me up late at night. In some ways it felt like Fangirl on steroids. In others, it had its own special and unique magic. In the story, teenage Eliza is the creator of one of the most popular webcomics on the internet. She doesn’t do friends, at least not IRL, and her identity on the internet is a closely guarded secret. Then Wallace, her comic’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school and they develop a relationship through their shared interest. But he thinks that she’s just another fan and doesn’t know how to tell him. Ugh. This writing is beautiful. Like makes you want to cry and throw up at the same time beautiful. And the story is … I said on twitter that it made me feel like a mix between having a crush and the night before a new Harry Potter book comes out. And I stand by that strong endorsement. More people should be reading this book. Aside from being oh so swoony, it also has some of the best descriptions of anxiety I’ve ever read. Continue reading “Three Mini Reviews of Some Good (No Great!) Books I’ve Been Reading”
Books open us up to new worlds. They help us empathize and identify with people that are different from us. When characters are the same, even in small ways, they make us feel understood and less alone. They are powerful. There are only a few weeks left in summer. Here are ten diverse summer reads. Reading any of them would be a fantastic use of your time. Continue reading “Top Ten Recommendations for People Who Want Diverse Summer Reads”
Hi friends! I feel like I’ve been neglecting this blog a bit. I have a blessed life, but juggling writing, revisions, teaching, blogging for BookRiot, planning my syllabus for the fall…this is boring. You get the point. I’m in over my head, and I’m so so so grateful for your patience and for everyone that’s still reading. While I queue up some good post for next week, here are some of my favorite, recent BookRiot articles. Hope you all are having beautiful ends to your summers – where does the time go?
More soon … I promise. xoxo
Betsy and I met in college, but even though I had a big friend crush on her I was way too shy to talk to her much. Then I reached out about how much I loved her first book Tides and an online friendship sparked into being. In another life, we are roommates conquering the NYC publishing world together and drinking beers on the weekend at The Way Station. But since she lives with her dreamy family in Ireland, I have to settle for some of the kindest, most supportive emails a friend/aspiring writer could ever ask for. Betsy’s third book Venturess is out today. It is the sequel to the badass, feminist Cinderella retelling Mechanica and my very favorite thing that Betsy’s written so far. Expect a (glowing!) review soon. But for now, Betsy was kind enough to answer some questions for me… Continue reading “Author Interview: Betsy Cornwell”
Alison Doherty 