We’re gearing up for a week-long series on reader’s advisory this month — not next week, but likely the week after — so I thought I’d share one of my own displays above. It doesn’t really look like that anymore because it’s been picked through (an awesome problem to have) but one thing I love about reader’s advisory is how easy it is to pick up on something small and run with it. So here, authors with ties to Wisconsin or books set in Wisconsin. 

Here’s a roundup of interesting reads from the last couple of weeks. Many of these are longer pieces, so sit back, grab a coffee or two, and enjoy. 

• An interesting piece in the New Yorker about female beauty and literature. I hope someone tackles this subject from a YA perspective, as opposed to an adult literary perspective, at some point because it’s fascinating. 

• What does your favorite Babysitter’s Club character say about you? Not naming mine, but I will say about half of it is right and the other half is not. 

• Malinda Lo wrote a series of posts on LGBTQ in YA this week which are absolutely necessary reading. I particularly liked this post on “Coming out 2.0.”

• Are you a book blogger who has been doing this for a while or a former book blogger who has stopped? Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness has a survey for you to take on blogger burn out and more. 

• NPR had an interesting piece on what it is that’s terrifying teens today, as seen through YA fiction. I wish it had a little more to it and talked a bit more about realistic fiction, but this is a solid and fascinating read. 

• So this isn’t book related at all but it’s too neat not to share. Here’s what the Monopoly properties look like in real life. 

• While this is from a British source, it’s worthwhile reading and thinking. Here’s a discussion and book list for black girls, and why it is we need more books that empower them. 

• The Belle Jar is one of my favorite blogs. Every post she writes knocks it out of the park, and this one on tips for writers is no different. 

• I didn’t know how much I needed a post about literary magazines geared for YA fiction until I read this post over at YA Highway. I knew about YARN, but I did not know about many of the others here. Go check it out — and if you’re not in it for the writing angle, be in it for the fact it’s a resource for YA readers to find more to read. 

• What are the awards and recognitions in librarianship? Here’s a thorough look at it over at In the Library with the Lead Pipe, which refers to the excellent piece Val Forrestal wrote last month. 

• Don’t forget to nominate books for consideration in this year’s Cybils. The nominating period is open through October 15 — and I’m going to try to write up a post before then with titles that you can nominate if you have not done so by that point. Kim is serving this year on the second round of panels for YA Speculative Fiction. 

For some reason, our blog design isn’t playing nice with our giveaway box any more, so I had to take it down. I haven’t figured out a solution yet, but in the mean time, you have a chance to win Trish Doller’s Where the Stars Still Shine through the end of next week and a chance to win Jason Vanhee’s Engines of the Broken World through the end of the month. 

Also, if you’re a YALSA member and can help me out by signing my petition to get on the Printz ballot, I’d be so grateful. 

In addition to my teasing about a reader’s advisory week, I should also tease that I’ve got a contemporary YA week all set up to run in November and I am so excited about it. I took a long look at the ideas you suggested for topics you’d like to see addressed and merged them with some of the ideas I’ve been thinking about — and the slate of guest writers and topics is, I think, really great. There will be something for everyone. 

If you’ve read anything great in the last couple weeks I may have missed, I’d love to know in the comments.