I have to say, as a fervert admirer of Stacked, I am absolutely thrilled to be jumping on board as a contributor and blogger. I have been connecting with Kelly and Kimberly for the past year or so on Twitter and am quite excited to add my input to the portion of the blogosphere that they’ve carved out through this blog.

I’m a recent graduate of Simmons College’s School of Library Science and an voracious reader. While my favorite books usually fall under the heading of young adult and middle-grade novels, I pretty much read anything–adult fiction and nonfiction, chick lit, picture books, graphic novels… You can check out my Goodreads page for an idea of my interests.

I generally tend to stay away from paranormal fiction, instead gravitating toward realistic, contemporary books that depict relationships (familial and romantic) and coming-of-age. I’m also a huge fun of well-done dystopian, fantasy, and ‘issue’ books.

Some recent books that I have raved over and proceeded to shove into everyone’s hands include The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z, by Kate Messner; The Red Umbrella, by Christina Diaz-Gonzalez; Before I Die, by Lauren Oliver; Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins; Monsters of Men, by Patrick Ness; Forge, by Laurie Halse Anderson; Chasing Brooklyn, by Lisa Schroeder; and It’s Not Summer Without You, by Jenny Han.

(Yes, I could go on, but I do realize I’m trying to give you just a little insight into my reading habits!)

When I’m not curled up on my couch with a book or adding to my endless ‘to be read’ list, I enjoy running, biking, and rollerblading, watching Jeopardy! obsessively, writing, and commenting snarkily on pop culture on Twitter.

You can connect with me on Twitter at @jpetroroy or on my GoodReads page.