Tag: writing

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books Set Outside The US

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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.

Quote of the Day

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My Heroes - Maya Angelou connected with countless people through her powerful poetry
“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” ― Maya Angelou

I feel like I’ve bene hearing a lot recently about fear and about courage–universe, are you trying to tell me something? I feel like this quote about courage could apply not just to romantic love, but love for yourself or your work, too. Here’s to being courageous, one more time.

(image by Adria Richards)

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, all! I was feeling the good writing vibes this week, and I’m looking forward to a beautiful weekend here in the Boston area. Let’s get things started with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer.

Reading: Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars by Nathalia Holt
This made me wish I’d been naturally better at science. High five, NASA ladies!

Writing: It always seemed like friendship at first but they always wanted something.
Girl, you gotta stop being so suspicious.

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.

Best of Best Friends in YA Lit

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The internet tells me that today is National Best Friends Day, and while it doesn’t seem like there’s info about how this day became a thing, it is a great opportunity to talk about some of my favorite friendships in YA literature.

Way too often the conversation about relationships in YA veers toward the romantic, but for so many teens, their friends are the strongest and most solid relationships in their lives. And YA novels that feature engaging friendships and friends who are just as complex as the main character are my jam. For example:

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston
An adaptation of A Winter’s Tale, Hermione and Polly are smart, fierce, and strong in so many ways.

Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler
A touching portrait of what happens when two best friends are pulled in different directions when contemplating their futures.

Dairy Queen series by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
DJ is one of my favorite characters in YA, and I love that her best friend, Amber, is going on her own complex journey throughout the series.

code-name-verityCode Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Julie and Maddie’s friendship is one of the most powerful I’ve seen in literature as a whole.

Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty
Another one of my all time favs, and a great look at how friendships change over time.

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
I love Gabi’s circle of friends and how they offer each other a support network while they all face some pretty significant struggles.

Dramarama by E. Lockhart
Summer theatre camp? Big yes to that. And I love how Sayde makes some major mistakes, and how Demi gets his own chance to thrive.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Not all friendships are positive, and this story about two friends with eating disorders show how destructive relationships can be.

Wildlife by Fiona Wood
A great look at how subtly a so-called best friend can have a very negative influence.

Favorite best friends from YA lit that didn’t make my list? Share them in the comments!

Join Me at Teen B-Fest at Barnes & Noble in Charlottesville!

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Good news: going to Charlottesville, VA, (aka my favorite place) for a visit in a couple weeks.

Even better news: my visit also coincides with Barnes & Noble’s national teen book festival, B-Fest.

Best news: I get to join B-fest for a reading and signing at Barnes & Noble Charlottesville!

The details:

Saturday, June 11, 2pm
Barnes & Noble – Charlottesville, VA
1035 Emmet St Suite A, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903

Come hear me talk about writing, the awesomeness of YA lit, and why I dream of Bodo’s. Check out the Facebook event page for more info, and come say hi on Saturday, June 11!

Quote of the Day

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My friend Stephanie is a writer, blogger, wedding planner, editor, and professional athlete. She’s been sharing updates about her journey to the Olympics on her site, Fête, and I’ve loved hearing about her training and racing and the pressures and prep that drive that goes into being a professional runner. Recently I saw this from one of her updates and loved the sentiment:

Smith & Sons (1)

I love this reminder that, even if you have the training and the talent and the drive, you still need courage. Putting yourself out there and trying to achieve your dreams is scary, whether that’s at a big race or at your desk, staring at a blank page. You need to show up, and you need to have that confidence and that courage.

So train hard, put your heart into it, and be brave. We got this.

(Original photo by nchenga nchenga)

Links Galore

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Lots of good links:

Talking Good: on Grammar and Communication

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Love this video about language, linguistic prescriptivists and descriptivists, and why it’s okay to bend the rules.

I’m a big rule-follower, especially when it comes to language. (I’ve gotten a major thrill from referencing specific sections in the Chicago Manual of Style in non-writing work conversations.) But communication is more than a set of rules–each situation has its own flow and language is a living entity that evolves with time.

So maybe let it go the next time someone uses “me” instead of “I” when telling you about their day. That doesn’t mean you don’t respect language–it just means you respect communication.