This Week at Book Riot & HERE WE ARE News

December 2, 2016 |

Before a round-up of the last few weeks of posts at Book Riot (whoops), a couple of awesome updates on Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World. First, the book earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly:

Blogger and editor Jensen compiles a scrapbook-style collection of diverse reflections on feminism’s past and present from more than 40 authors, poets, and artists. Each of the book’s seven sections (“Body and Mind,” “Gender, Sex, and Sexuality,” etc.) features thoughtful and challenging essays that consider the intersection of feminism with body image, disability, mental illness, privilege, appropriation, sexuality, gender identity, and creativity. Brief “FAQs About Feminism,” lists, reading suggestions, and artwork intersperse with longer pieces; most are original to this anthology, though well-chosen excerpts of published work from the likes of Roxane Gay and Mindy Kaling are also included. Laurie Halse Anderson and Courtney Summers discuss rape culture in life and their literature; Sarah McCarry, Kayla Whaley, and Erika T. Wurth offer compassionate appeals to their younger selves; and comics artists and poets are also represented (“We were taught that just because something happens/ doesn’t mean you are to talk about it,” writes Zariya Allen). Sophisticated yet entirely accessible, the collection is valuable both for the breadth of thought and perspective it represents and for the support it directs toward readers.

As exciting — maybe even more exciting — than that is that Algonquin has decided to push up the publication date. The book will now be available on January 24, 2017. Woo hoo!

A few things I’ve written over on Book Riot. As I began pulling this together I realized I have forgotten to do this pretty much all of November. Apologies for duplicates:

How reading only women over the last year changed my life. Not lying, this was one of my favorite pieces to think about and write in a long, long time.

YA read alikes for Moana. This isn’t a list of books “just like” Moana, but books which capture a number of the different appeal qualities of the movie.

Great bookish gifts for $20 or under. Because in my mind, a “stocking stuffer” isn’t anything more than $20. And honestly, most non-stocking stuffers are not, either.

2017 YA books with faces of color on the cover. There needs to be more, but at least this is the start of a really great reading list.

A look at the best of Barack Obama’s bookish presidency. Get your tissues.

Why is it that nonfiction for young readers doesn’t get the kind of love and attention that young adult fiction does?

A handful of “3 On A YA Theme” posts: YA books from 1956, YA books featuring adopted characters, and a curious YA cover trend featuring water towers.

This Week at Book Riot

November 11, 2016 |

I wasn’t going to do my Book Riot link up this week because I’m still trying to wrap my head around the election results. But I’ve been reminded numerous times that talking about books, about reading, about teenagers, that those things are helpful, rather than hurtful right now.

First though, some reflections on what now.

3 On A YA Them looks at 3 recent YA books where there are water towers on the cover. Weird microtrend?

Where is the love for nonfiction for young readers? Why is it we don’t talk about or get excited about YA or middle grade nonfiction like we do fiction?

If you don’t already get the Book Riot “What’s Up in YA?” newsletter that I write, you might want to subscribe now. Monday’s piece is a guest writer and it was everything I needed to hear and see and think about. The newsletter is moving from biweekly to weekly, which means more YA talk in your inbox — and I’m committed to keeping it the best that it can be.

Thanks for being our readers. Pick up a good book or two this weekend, and press them into the hands of young readers. It matters.

If you’re at Book Riot Live, I hope you say hello to me this weekend. I’ll be there Saturday and Sunday all day. If you would like a Here We Are bookmark, too, ask and I’ll pass one your way.

This Week at Book Riot

October 28, 2016 |

I’ve been out of town on a much-needed away-from-the-internet hiatus, so it’s been quieter on the writing front. Here’s what went up on Book Riot this week . . .

A nice round-up of YA books featuring orange book covers.

This Week at Book Riot

October 21, 2016 |

Before I go into this week’s round-up of posts at Book Riot, can I share an exciting thing? It’s this:

The galleys of my anthology showed up! I’m so thrilled with how the book looks and am eager for more people to read it. Putting it together felt like keeping so many delicious secrets, and it’s nice knowing how much of a surprise readers are in for, both from the standpoint of what the book says and what it looks like. Algonquin killed it in the design department and I could not be happier.

Do note: if you have a galley or acquire one, there are a few tiny errors. They will be fixed for the final edition (there is one half sentence in one of the pieces that was removed in an earlier draft that hung on in the galley, for example, as well as a few tiny tweaks elsewhere).

Early and finished copies will not be coming with the above pictured rabbit, who proceeded to take a nice sized bite out of the spine.

Over on Book Riot this week…

Three YA books where technology perhaps goes too far . . . and since these are backlist titles, what I wonder is: are these things more real now than they were 5 or more years ago?

A big, huge round-up of nonfiction about girls and women, famous and not, perfect for tween and teen readers. I loved putting this together, as it came from an email request.

This Week at Book Riot

October 14, 2016 |

It’s been so nice to finally find an establish a routine when it comes to writing. Here’s a look at what I’ve tackled in the last week at Book Riot . . .

A look at queer phobia and the public library. This is a plea for public librarians to do better. And it’s really not that challenging.

A round-up of 100 (!!) must-read YA books which feature little or no romance. Not that romance is bad, but you know you’ve seen that request once or twice. Voila — 100 answers!

Three sweet YA-themed tote bags.

I interviewed author Maria Padian, author of the just-released must-read Wrecked about rape culture, college-set YA stories, and much more. This is a great interview, and I hope if you haven’t picked up her book, you do after this!

To lighten it up after some heavy-hitting posts, here’s a look at 40 awesome Frankenstein covers.