Reading, Writing, and Me

Hello, everyone! It's been a while since I've done an update post, so I feel it's about time. This one will be a bit different, though, because I'm not recapping books or even talking about them at all today. (Though you can find some extra bookish content treats- including my last library haul- on the blog Instagram ( @readingwritingandme )  I wanted to talk about a new adventure I'm embarking on, and, yes, it is literary. While writing is a part of this site, I haven't uploaded much to the section. That's for a number of reasons. Many of my pieces are often tied up waiting for contest results or other publications, but, also, I just don't feel like some of my creative work is a fit for the type of content I like to post here. I absolutely adore running Reading, Writing, and Me, and nothing is going to change about the site. In fact, I have some pretty awesome things coming up for you! But the community I've become a part of through a love of

The Fragile Ordinary  by Samantha Young (June 26) Overview: Comet's life in a small suburb of Edinburgh, Portobello, has been mostly consumed by books. They keep her from being lonely and leave her informed about the world she's missing by skipping going to parties with her friends Vikki and Steph. That's until Tobias King, a new American boy, shows up on campus to turn Comet's life upside down. Finally finding someone who pays her notice, Comet starts to come into her own though she always battles the fear of becoming dependent on another person like her parents who all but abandoned her as their "unhappy accident." Comet is an inventive dresser, a poet, and a wonderful friend; she just needs the right people to continue building her toward her dreams. Overall: 4.5 Characters: 5 I loved Comet. She's probably in my top favorite characters of all time. I identified with Comet and her story on such a deep level. She's independent, smart, focused, and

As someone who has recently connected the dots to realize maybe gluten isn't her friend, the idea of leaving my house and my kitchen, full of safe food, was terrifying, but, alas, being a hermit is no fun, and I had college tours to attend in both New York and Boston. As a devout planner, I decided to quell my anxiety with research and felt a bit better. Armed with plenty of safe place to eat that not only offered gluten free but (mostly) healthy foods, I got on the plane. The food turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip. I wanted to take a minute to highlight the deliciousness of New York City, I just wanted to say that no one else in my family has to eat gluten free, so they had much higher standards for foods where they could have the real deal, and I managed to blow them away with some of my picks. Gluten free can be totally delicious, and if you have to eat this way, it is in no way culinary death sentence. Wild Right before I found out I was gluten into

Made You Up  by Francesca Zappia (428 pages) Overview: Alex has schizophrenia which means that hallucinations are a major part of what she sees as reality. Some blend seamlessly into her world while others, like the phoenix who flies over town or the armed men who guard the school, are easier to distinguish as nonexistent. Through carefully developed procedures, Alex has been able to control her hallucinations and paranoia well enough to continue going to high school. Though there are certainly difficult times, the people she meets senior year at East Shoal High will forever change Alex's life for the better. Overall: 4  Characters: 4 While I read tons of mental health books, I had never read one with a main character coping with paranoid schizophrenia. It was a very interesting experience to live in her world of total uncertainty with her mind. I also love how Alex doesn't let her difficulties define her, and, while they are always present, she works to live her life to