Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, everyone! It may be September, but it still feels like summer in the Boston area, and I’m using that as an excuse to write outside and have as much ice cream as possible. Here’s a look at what I’ve been writing and reading, in fifteen words or fewer.

Reading: The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta
Marchetta is a master at balancing comedy, drama, and extended family stories. So my jam.

Writing: “I doubt they’d let you handle a deadly weapon like a lacrosse stick.”
My main character’s got a history of sports-related violence.

 

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, everyone! I know that in a few months I’ll be dreaming of summer again, but for now I’m so done with heat and humidity and I need fall to start asap. (Either that, or I need to find a way to spend the next few weeks reading by a large body of water.) Until then, let’s get the weekend started with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer:

ReadingThis Side of Home by Renée Watson
Touching look at growing up, growing apart, gentrification, and the people who make a neighborhood.

Writing: “You’re either going to start dating or bite his head off like a praying mantis.”
One or the other.

Links Galore

A few good links for today:

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! I’m hoping to have a super writerly weekend, so let’s start things off with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing this week:

ReadingAlthea & Oliver by Cristina Moracho
Loved Moracho’s writing, but very conflicted about one key plot point.

Writing: “…even though our Prospero thinks he’s friggin’ Gandalf, I think it’ll be a good production.”
Oh high school theater productions.

Links Galore

A few links I’ve been saving:

 

 

 

 

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! It’s the end of July, which to me means it’s Harry Potter’s birthday weekend. (Once a friend and I got an ice cream cake for July 31, and asked Dairy Queen to write “Happy Birthday Harry” on it in Gryffindor colors. Good times.) Before we head into Harry Potter weekend, here’s a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer:

Reading: Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood
Loved returning to Phryne’s adventures, and loved the intro of Jane and Ruth.

Writing: “I am the most pleasant mother pheasant plucker who ever plucked a mother pheasant.”
Got a chance to work in my favorite tongue twister to the new draft.

Quote of the Day

“Sure, it’s simple, writing for kids. Just as simple as bringing them up.”Ursula K. Le Guin

In case you need a response for when people tell you that writing for young readers sounds easy, Le Guin’s got you covered.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s meltingly hot in the Boston area, and all I really want to do is spend a week by a large body of water with a big stack of books. In the meantime, I’ll have to accept a giant iced tea and a little reading and writing at home. Here’s a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer.

Reading: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Even though it’s not set in summer, definitely one of my new favorite Dessen novels.

Writing: “Boo,” I say. “Too much Shakespeare, not enough smashing of pumpkins.”
High brow, low brow.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books Set Outside The US

I love reading all the Top Ten Tuesday posts, a weekly blog link-up feature hosted by The Broke and Bookish. This week, the prompt is ten books set outside the United States and, considering international vacations aren’t happening for me this summer, I’m happy to do a little bookish travel and share a few of my favorite internationally-set YA favorites. Although I could add a dozen other awesome international books, these are all novels I feel really capture a particular sense of place. In no particular order:

The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
A surreal and terrifying story of trust, self, and survival in Antarctica.

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
This powerful story of strength, family, and destiny centered around an arranged married wrecked me in the best way.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
It’s unfair how good Australian YA writers are, and Marchetta is the best of the best, and this book is her best.

The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
An arresting and touching look at child slavery in the chocolate industry, as narrated by a boy trying to protect the people he loves.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Nothing gets my Oxford-loving heart beating quite like Lyra’s thrilling adventures in this beautifully crafted story.

Sekret by Lindsay Smith
Spies, psychics, and secrets in Communist Russia–tell me you don’t want to see the movie version of this.

A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper
A charming and surprising story of a tiny European island and its royal family on the edge of WWII.

Caminar by Skila Brown
Told in verse, this stunning story of love and survival in Guatemala’s civil war in 1981.

Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae
Bright and charming and surprisingly touching, this Italian vacation has everything from love to grief to lots of gelato.

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
Powerful story of history, family, and sacrifice set in Ireland during the Troubles.

Happy Birthday, E.B White!

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This is one of my all time favorite quotes, and it feels like a pretty appropriate one to share on E.B. White’s birthday. (He would have been 118!) Thanks to a writer who brought us such a thoughtful, compelling story, and possibly the only spider I will ever like.

(Original photo by dixieroadrash)