Reading, Writing, and Me

This week, YA Twitter was alight with controversy over a number of things this week (per usual, unfortunately). Most of it was run of the mill discussion over labeling YA and creating new genres (which I've talked a little about and I'll link below the posts below). But there was one conversation at the start of the week that baffled me a little. It started with a YA author tweeting something insensitive about trigger/content warnings. She basically said that they shouldn't exist because they spoil stories and that the world is hard and bad or negative things can't and shouldn't be avoided. And the first thing I thought when I saw that original tweet, before reading anyone else's takes or more of the thread was "Wow. People really don't get what a trigger warning is and who they're for." Because trigger warning are put on media now for a small number of people who have a genuine need. It's a relatively new thing in books (and really mos

Serious Moonlight  by Jenn Bennett (April 16) To Buy From Your Local Bookstore Overview: There's a mystery to be solved. Actually, quite a few. There's the mystery of the boy from Moonlight Diner and the subject of a random hook up Birdie still doesn't understand. And then there's the mysterious author, Raymond Darke who comes into the hotel where she works the graveyard shift. Birdie loves mystery books, movies, and television shows, and they're her escape from her overly sheltered life. But, now, Birdie is eighteen, finished homeschooling, and braving Seattle for herself. Overall: 4 Characters: 4 Birdie is a lot of fun. She's quiet, mixed up, curious, and open. Originally, she lived with her young mom and her Aunt Mona, but, after her mom's untimely death, she moved in with her grandparents on Bainbridge Island. Her grandmother was overly sheltering after her conflict with Birdie's mother, and she homeschooled her to keep her confined. Since her

This Book Is Not Yet Rated  by Peter Bognanni (April 9) To Purchase from your local bookstore click here Overview: Ethan is the manager at the Green Street Theater. He has been since the owner skipped town. Running his rag tag group of employees at the indie film theater makes for the perfect gap year. And then the college that owns the building comes to shut them down. They're too far behind on rent to ever make up, and the building is filled with health code violations. As they rally to save the theater, though, Ethan finds out that maybe the movies isn't his entire life. Overall: 4 Characters: 4 I loved Ethan. He's the right mix of hilarious and introspective. I enjoyed learning about movies and watching Ethan grow. There's also an interesting friendship bordering on friends to lovers with Ethan's childhood best friend Raina who's become a Holllywood star. There's also a great ensemble class of varying ages who work at the theater and create a gre

I'm beyond thrilled and honored to host Kathleen Glasgow on the blog. She's in my Top 3 favorite authors, and I was honestly intimidated to reach out, but then she approached me about doing this. It's a dream come true for me, and I hope you'll love reading our conversation about her books as much as I do. If you don't know much about How To Make  Friends  with the Dark , I suggest, you check out my review   before going on. 1. Both of your books, but especially HTMFWTD, are deeply emotional. There were many moments as I read where Tiger’s feelings started to meld with my own. How do you make your stories so impactful and resonate? Do you have any tips for writing emotional or difficult scenes? I knew going into How to Make Friends With the Dark that it was going to be an emotional read. The death of someone close to you impacts you in ways you could not ever imagine. I lost my my mother and my sister within four years of each other. I had no idea what grie

How To Make Friends With The Dark  by Kathleen Glasgow (April 9) To Purchase From Your Indie Bookstore * Overview:  Tiger Tolliver has experienced the greatest tragedy anyone could imagine. Her mother, her sole parent, dies of a brain aneurism, and she's thrown into the foster care system. She's in shock, and all she can cling to is the dress her mother bought her for the dance- the ugly dress that she that she didn't ask for. Now it's all she'll wear. Then, one day, her social worker discovers a half sister, from the father she didn't know she had, who is willing to come care for her. Still in the now ratty dress, Tiger and her twenty-year-old sister try their best to make a life with each other, but it seems that Tiger still can't catch a break. Overall: 5  Characters: 5 Tiger is discovering who she is as her world breaks apart, and finding her self identity gets shifted to the back burner. Her life had always been defined by what her mother liked or

The Seven Torments of Amy and Craig  by Don Zolidis (342 pages) To Purchase From Your Local Indie Bookstore * Overview: This is a love story. It's a life story. There is not happily ever after, but it's not like the ending is sad. It's realistic. It's the out of order tale of seven break ups and six make ups during Amy and Craig's senior year of high school. Amy is Craig's first girlfriend, and he loves her, and she loves him, but life is complicated. Craig has to navigate his family's financial difficulties after his dad loses his job. He has to figure out if college, which was always a given, is even a possibility even more. Amy is taking care of her mom, who has cancer, and trying to balance leading the class and all her club commitments. Sometimes, there's only so much one relationship can take. Overall: 5  Characters: 5 I love Amy and Craig. Craig narrates the story, and he is hilarious. He plays on irony and sarcasm is perfect. He's ende