Reading, Writing, and Me

Today, I'm sharing my interview with Valerie Koehler of Blue Willow Bookshop which is an awesome indie bookstore in Houston. Even though I don't live there anymore, Blue Willow will always be the first bookstore I ever visited. As I've gotten older, morning American Girl events turned into evening author talks and attending Teen Book Con, which they put together every year. I'll link all of the posts I've written about events at the store below. I hope you enjoy the look into a different area of that touches the YA books.  1) Local bookstores are amazing places. What are your favorite features of the store or unique things that only indies can offer? I think indies offer opinions and service. We are all readers so if you want some help deciding what to read next, that's what you will get when you come in the shop. We are not judgmental about what you read. We want to help expand your horizons. 2) How did Blue Willow begin? What was the inspiratio

Imagine Us Happy  by Jennifer Yu (October 23) Overview: Stella Canvas knows that her love story is disappointing. That's why she tells you how it ends from the outset. The final fight is the opening chapter. From there, we learn about their tumultuous, unhealthy relationship that started in philosophy class and went up in flames when they realize that they're just two teenagers, and it's impossible to be the world for each other. While dealing with the scraps of her own relationship, Stella is also contending with her parents constant fighting and her two best friends who are slowly slipping away from her as she falls into Kevin. Most of all, Stella is fighting to get to a place of stability with her own depression. Overall: 5  Characters: 5 Everyone in this book is so real. From her best friends Katie and Lin to her struggling parents and Kevin's best friend, Yago. Even passive characters have their own motivations and complexities. I loved Stella. Her battle with

Broken Things  by Lauren Oliver (408 pages) Overview: Brynn, Mia, and Owen have been living in exile since they were twelve and thirteen years old for a crime they did not commit. They were not involved in the Summer's murder. They were framed by their fan fiction and a clueless police force that needed a scapegoat. Mia has been forced to homeschool through high school, unable to leave her house. But it hasn't been all bad. Two years ago her now best friend Abby moved to town and joined her schooling group. Owen has been at boarding school in Scotland where he started over after being acquitted, and Brynn has been artificially extending her time in rehab since her accidental almost overdose after Summer's death. That's where the story begins with Mia coming to get Brynn out of rehab so they can clear their names once and for all. Overall: 4  Characters: 4 I enjoyed the whole cast. Brynn was probably my favorite because she had the strongest identity of the group and