Category: Review

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! Tomorrow I’ll be taking part in B-Fest, Barnes & Noble’s national teen book festival, in Charlottesville, VA, aka one of my favorite places ever. If you’re in the Central Virginia area, swing by and say hi. In the meantime, let’s get the weekend started with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer:

Reading: Bleed Like Me by Christa Desir
Christa has such a way of writing about teens in pain struggling to find peace.

Writing: “Well I didn’t throw a plate in anyone’s face so [my day is going] fabulously.”
It’s the little victories.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! I had a pretty good writing week, got to hang out with lovely bookish people last night (more below), and we’re heading into a long, relaxing weekend, so I’m feeling good. Let’s kick things off with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer.

Reading: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
I got to see Maggie at a reading yesterday and she’s a literary awesome wizard.

Writing: “Can we sit with you?” “Is that an actual question or is it like rhetorical?”
New main character is not a joiner.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! We got some much-needed sun this week, and I got some good writing time in. Here’s a look at what I’ve been reading and writing, in fifteen words or fewer:

Reading: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō
I’m both side-eying this advice and compelled to clean my closets.

Writing: “…I felt her warmth beside me, and it felt like we were happy.”
I think I’m settling on my new project. Fingers crossed!

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everyone! It’s been the grayest, rainiest week in the Boston area, but between NESCBWI last weekend and jumpstarting the YA Buccaneers‘ Spring Writing Bootcamp, I’ve been feeling the good writing vibes. Here’s a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer:

Reading: The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
Parts didn’t quite hang together for me, but love her characters and settings.

Writing: “We were born for bad luck.”
We’ll see where this goes.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everyone! This has been a pretty exciting week for me, and I’m having a birthday redo this weekend (since my actual birthday involved food poisoning and frozen pipes), and today’s the second anniversary of The Chance You Won’t Return‘s publication, so I’m giving mid-April a big thumbs up. Let’s get the weekend started with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing.

Reading: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Characters solved mysteries a while after I did, but enjoyed the writing a lot.

Writing: He doesn’t say it, but I think it—no one else who wanted you.
Ping-ponging around new projects. We’ll see where I land.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! It’s April Fool’s Day, so instead of a regular Friday Fifteen, let’s change things up with some gif book reviews:

Flying Too High by Kerry Greenwood

The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt
And a gif for the writing process:
Happy Friday Fool’s, everyone!

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everyone! I’m looking forward to a weekend with long runs, bookish friends, and Easter festivities. To kick things off, here’s a look at what I’ve been reading and writing, in fifteen words or fewer.

Reading: Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
Quiet YA contemp with family drama. Ockler’s writing is lovely; need to read more.

Writing: “The first thing we do at practice is pray.”
The slow and (not so) steady slog through the first draft continues.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! This weekend starts Daylight Saving Time, which always seems like a cheat because even though the days are getting longer (major yay), I always hate losing that hour. (Let’s be honest, it’s always an hour I would have spent sleeping.) That means we have to soak up every moment of weekend we can, so let’s kick things off with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer.

Reading: Rising Strong by Brené Brown
Love “the story I’m making up” as a way to process emotional reactions.

Writing: “They tell me I’m better now. I don’t know what I was before.”
From my latest short story, now up at the Hanging Garden.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! Thanks to some support and enthusiasm from my crit group, I managed to power through the first few chapters of a new project, and I’m heading into the weekend with a good writerly vibe. Here’s a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer:

Reading: Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
Not my favorite of the series, but writing was still gorgeous and I love Karou/Akiva.

Writing: “…it’s surprising Lily’s managed to keep her limbs in tact as long as she has.”
I’m glad that writing isn’t a contact sport.

Happy Book Birthday to THE BITTER SIDE OF SWEET!

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Being part of a critique group means that you see drafts way before they hit the shelves, which means that you spend a while wishing that you could tell absolutely everyone about this amazing book that they have to read right now.

Fortunately I don’t have to hold back my enthusiasm any more, because The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan, because it is available today! That’s right, you lucky readers you–you can now own your very own copy of one of the most powerful, touching books I’ve ever read. There’s totally a reason why this book has four (yes, four!) starred reviews.

The official Goodreads summary:

For fans of Linda Sue Park and A Long Way Gone, two young boys must escape a life of slavery in modern-day Ivory Coast

Fifteen-year-old Amadou counts the things that matter. For two years what has mattered are the number of cacao pods he and his younger brother, Seydou, can chop down in a day. This number is very important. The higher the number the safer they are because the bosses won’t beat them. The higher the number the closer they are to paying off their debt and returning home to Baba and Auntie. Maybe. The problem is Amadou doesn’t know how much he and Seydou owe, and the bosses won’t tell him. The boys only wanted to make some money during the dry season to help their impoverished family. Instead they were tricked into forced labor on a plantation in the Ivory Coast; they spend day after day living on little food and harvesting beans in the hot sun—dangerous, backbreaking work. With no hope of escape, all they can do is try their best to stay alive—until Khadija comes into their lives.

She’s the first girl who’s ever come to camp, and she’s a wild thing. She fights bravely every day, attempting escape again and again, reminding Amadou what it means to be free. But finally, the bosses break her, and what happens next to the brother he has always tried to protect almost breaks Amadou. The old impulse to run is suddenly awakened. The three band together as family and try just once more to escape.

In the Boston area and want to celebrate this powerful book in person? Come to The Bitter Side of Sweet’s launch party tonight at Porter Square Books!

This is a book that gives voice to the tragic reality too many children face today, and deserves to be on everyone’s reading list. Get your copy of The Bitter Side of Sweet today!