Reading, Writing, and Me

Verona Comics  by Jennifer Dugan TW: Mentions of Suicidal Thoughts, Depictions of Panic Attacks Overview: Romeo and Juliet are a symbol of romance, even though they're totally tragic. Ridley and Jubilee are also romantic and kinda tragic, but not really, because this is real life not a Shakespeare play. They do share a chance meeting at a party, a serious family feud, and a dramatic moment right before the resolution. Jubilee's moms own Verona Comics and an indie comic line, and they're fighting for survival against evil super chain, the Geekery. The Geekery happens to be owned by Ridley's dad. But they don't know that when they have their first electric connection. Will their relationship survive secrets and family conflict, or will their divides tear them apart? Overall: 5 Characters: 5 I loved both Jubilee and Ridley, and I appreciated being able to read from both perspectives. Jubilee starts off the book with a singular focus: get into the cello conservat

Since so many of you read and supported last week's flash fiction post, I figured I'd share more regularly. These posts are all disconnected fragments. Most are just tiny moments that feel like everything and nothing. That's my favorite part of short fiction. It doesn't have to have some thought out plot to resonate with someone. This particular one has no plot (hopefully you're okay with that). It's just an ode to a feeling I miss, and apparently others do too. I read a tweet about missing the collective feeling of walking out of a concert, and I wanted to capture what that's like and why it's so special. Hopefully I've succeeded.  Anyway, enjoy! Feel free to comment what you think of it and share with friends. And all at once, the noise stops. It’s pitch black and still; then the lights click on. There’s a moment of silence, held by the thousands of us, as we take a beat to process. Linger in the shared experience a second longer. The

I'm so excited to get to introduce today's guest on Into YA, Marisa Kanter! Her debut book, What I Like About You , has been one of my top picks of the year, and I talk about it all the time. I loved getting to read a book that valued online friendship and connection so much, and as strange as it was at times, focused on a book blogger. I've both never felt so seen and called out by a character whose life looked scarily like mine. Also, these teens feel like teens through and through, and Marisa never discounts their potential. It's inspiring to see someone move through the book community from teen blogger to author. Marisa and I discuss that, online personas, who YA is really for, what's next for her career, and more. If you haven't had the chance to read What I Like About You , make sure you check out my review so that you have a bit of context for our conversation.  1. Halle, or Kels, runs a book blog called One True Pastry where she pairs cupcakes with

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I think the importance of recognizing it is even clearer this year. According to the WHO, one in four people around the world will be impacted by either a mental or neurological disorder over the course of their lifetime. That means that 450 million people are dealing with one of these conditions. It's amazing to think that the most prevalent health issue worldwide is still so stigmatized and misunderstood. The importance of understanding and being open about mental health is paramount because the silence and stigma that surrounds it leaves people feeling alone, isolated, or stops them from discovering a diagnosis that will put them on the path to healing. Books play an important role in spreading both empathy and understanding. They allow the reader to live fully in someone else's experience and more deeply understand what it's like for other people. They dispel the idea that people battling these diseases are broken, weird, or

We Were Promised Spotlights  by Lindsay Sproul Overview: Taylor is perfect. She's gorgeous, she's homecoming queen, everyone wants to be or be with her. She can do absolutely no wrong. It's a little infuriating- even for her. And while Taylor might look perfect, there's plenty of mess going on inside. She's dealing with unrequited love, a mysterious, absent father, a mother who doesn't care much for mothering, and a future that is looking bleaker by the minute. The 1999 to 2000 school year marks a lot of changes for Taylor as she sees just how hard she can chuck the social rulebook out the window. Overall: 4 Characters: 4 Taylor is almost the definition of an unlikeable character. That's not a dig or a bad thing at all. She's just so human and misguided that she's sometimes hard to cheer for. She's more than a little jaded. Everyone at school bows down to her. She's super pretty. But she's mean to everyone. When it starts out, she h