It’s been a long time since I’ve done a “This Week in Reading” post or a “Links of Note” post. Since I have been keeping so many of these links in Pocket for weeks (maybe months!), I thought it’d be worth a giant dump of them into a post. Most of these are book or reading related, but many aren’t. They’re things that have caught my eye or been interesting reads in their own right.
If you’ve read something interesting lately you think would be up my alley, which is pretty obvious from this collection, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
- First: here’s a teaser for the upcoming YA Quarterly Box I am curating for Book Riot. I LOVE this box so much. I managed to get three books inside it, along with two bookish items, and there will be exclusive content from the authors, as well. This will be well worth your $50.
- Did you know I’m working on a new project with librarians Faythe Arredondo, Hannah Gomez, and Angie Manfredi called Size Acceptance in YA? It’s exactly what it sounds like.
- John Scalzi’s post on what he is and isn’t obliged to comment or write about has been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve made significant changes in my social media lately, and I continue to think about these decisions. Scalzi hit on some of the things I’ve been mulling over here.
- This piece at Rookie about body image and norms/standards/ideals of beauty is gutting and beautiful.
- The role of black dolls in American culture left me thinking about Addy from American Girl in ways I never had before. I have a complicated relationship with American Girl dolls in general, since I was a kid who could never have one because they were too expensive, but I remember Addy being my favorite when she was introduced.
- Cecil Castellucci talks about how anyone can be a good art ally.
- This is a fantastic interview between Kristin Halbook and Courtney Summers about rape culture and YA lit. If you missed it, I had the opportunity to talk with Courtney alongside legendary Laurie Halse Anderson earlier this year on the topic of rape culture, girls’ stories, and more at Book Riot. Easily, one of the most interesting and important things I’ve had the opportunity to do.
- If you’re an unagented YA writer, you should know about this contest Courtney Summers is having. You can win the chance for feedback from her agent on part of your manuscript.
- Speaking of writers without agents or contracts, I’m a judge for this year’s Elephant Rock Books Sheehan Prize. If you have a completed YA manuscript, you might want to enter this. The last winner of this prize was Jessie Ann Foley, who went on to earn a Printz and Morris honor.
- I love this round-up of 84 films by and about women of color. “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” is one of the most enjoyable movies I’ve watched in a long time and features this scene which will never, EVER not be the best. This is a skateboarding vampire:
- However you feel about Eleanor and Park — and I’ve been pretty clear that I liked the book quite a lot! — this master post about why it’s problematic in terms of its racism is a must-read.
- This post talking about the evolution of the cover of Me and Earl and The Dying Girl ticks all of my boxes: cover design, image evolution, and the feelings artists hope to create in a book cover. So, so good.
- Did you know next weekend is the 48 Hour Book Challenge? I will be participating.
- This year’s Kid Lit Con information has been trickling in. It’ll be October 9 and 10th in Baltimore, and you can register, pitch a panel topic, and more over here. I’m making plans to be there.
- Feminist noir? Yes please.
- This is a very, very tough read about mental illness, social media, and about how we can present one image to the world while struggling with something miserable inside. I think, though, this is important reading, especially for anyone who knows or struggles with mental illness themselves.
- Teen feminists who are changing the world.
- Finally, this piece about how horror movies are the one place where women are told their fears are real is SO good. I saw “It Follows” earlier this year, and this article sort of hit on why that movie really stuck with me and why it is I keep thinking about it. It’s about fear, about the things that follow and haunt us, and about how society doesn’t want to give credence to those very things that torment us.
Great list! I'm bookmarking this page to spend some time here checking these links out tonight.