Reader, Writer, & Writing Teacher
Hi friends and happy Tuesday! It’s finally spring in Brooklyn and I’m about to take some essays to the park to grade in the sunshine, but before I do … here are ten books I’d slay a lion to get early (but definitely only a metaphorical lion, because I’m still a sensible scaredy cat). What releases are you eagerly waiting for? Let me know in comments! Continue reading “Ten Books I’d Slay a (Metaphorical) Lion to Get Early”
Hey there, friends! It’s been FOREVER since we’ve played marry, date or dump and there have been so many new, swoon-worthy YA characters written. I picked three of my favorites … which I’m already starting to regret. I mean, who am I going to dump? This one’s going to keep me up tonight. We’ve got the romantic, family-loving, and sensible Rishi from When Dimple Met Rishi, Chris from The Hate U Give with his fancy sneakers and knowledge of all things Fresh Prince, and the adorkable, Tolkien and Cadbury egg loving Reid from The Upside of Unrequited. Ahhhhhh … no actually I’m freaking out about who to dump. Why did I do this to myself? Continue reading “Marry, Date or Dump: Recent YA Love Interests”
All the vampire chat on twitter this week is making me nostalgic for one of the most consuming, encompassing book series of my reading history. So, even though the book often reads as a what not to do list of lessons (i.e. sneak into the bedroom of your crush to watch them sleep without permission), here you go: Continue reading “Five Life Lessons from Twilight”
I grew up taking hundreds of quizzes online. And I still do. But this is the first one that I’ve made for the Internet and it’s about one of my all time favorite books. I seriously wrote a paper for my YA and Identity class in grad school about my existential crisis in high school trying to figure out if I was a Meg or a Jo. Even though I made the quiz … I didn’t get the exact answer I was looking for.
Take my quiz and let me know in the comments what sister you get (and if you think it’s the right answer!)
Hello friends and happy Tuesday! Since I’ve listed my favorite quotes, I’ve picked these ones that I liked enough to writing into the back of my diary in the last two years. They are randomly picked and grouped together, but I think I stand by all of them as quotes that mean something to me!
“Where does a story begin? The fiction is that they do, and end, rather than that the stuff of a story is just a cup of water scooped from the sea and poured back into it.” – Rebecca Solnit, The Faraway Nearby Continue reading “Ten Quotes I’ve Copied into my Journal in the Last Two Years”
Happy Almost-Valentine’s Day, friends! Last year for Top Ten Tuesday I listed my favorite friends first romances. This year I’m going with another trope I love from romance, the love triangle. Maybe it’s cliched. Maybe it’s overdone. I don’t care. The automatic tension gets me every time. And here are ten of my favorites! Let me know how you feel about love triangles in the comments! And have a happy cupid day, no matter your relationship status, tomorrow! Continue reading “Top Ten Literary Love Triangles”
I don’t know if it’s the weather, my current online dating fatigue, or the political/#metoo bad vibes circling through my brain, but I’ve been on a massive romance novel deep dive this year. Seriously, more than 75% of the books I’ve read so far in 2018 have been romance novels. I used to think this was embarrassing or something to keep a secret, but not anymore – especially because I write about romance novels on the regular at book riot. Continue reading “My Romance Novel Deep Dive”
Happy Tuesday! I don’t even remember what it’s like to go into a bookstore and have no ideas for books I want to read. These are a collection of books that have been on my TBR – and in some cases on my bookshelf – for WAY too long. Tell me if you have tips in the comments for what to start reading ASAP and what I can skip/hold off reading a bit longer. Continue reading “10 Books That Have Been On My TBR For Way Too Long”
Hello friends. Happy Monday! Last night while most of the people I know were watching the Patriots play the Eagles (sports!), I was at Symphony Space in Manhattan celebrating 80 years of the writing goddess Judy Blume being on our planet. I LOVED her books growing up. There was nothing funnier than Fudge thinking he was a bird in Tales of a Forth Grade Nothing. No friendship more intense than Vix and Caitlin’s in Summer Sisters. And shortly after my first sex ed class, a copy of Forever magically appeared on my bed one day after school (thanks, Mom!). As a reader, Judy Blume feels like a dear friend. And as a writer, she’s like the ultimate inspiration. Continue reading “Happy Judy Blumesday!”
Happy Tuesday! I think I know my reading habits well enough to usually predict what books I will like and what books I won’t. But that wasn’t always the case. Also … sometimes when I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone, I’ve ended up loving a book, learning something new about writing or storytelling, or at least appreciating that I read it. This week I dived into my goodreads archives, and came up with these ten books that, frankly, I’m surprised I ever decided to read. Continue reading “Ten Books I Can’t Believe I Read”
Alison Doherty 