My mild obsession with the seven season mother-daughter dramedy is no secret, so today I’d like to honor it by examining the bookish side of Stars Hollow.
Read moreNavigating the Holidays: Defending Print
When people — family friends or uninvited acquaintances of invited guests or that couple I found myself sharing awkward wall space with — hear the word “books,” they immediately start trying to dissuade me from a future of certain, abject poverty.
Read moreCan Books Be Our Safe Spaces?
I can’t help but wonder, when physical safe spaces are hard to come by, whether our books offer us the sanctuary we need to begin moving forward.
Read moreIndependent Bookstores: McNally Jackson Books, New York
Founded in 2004, McNally Jackson thrived during the economic downturn that shuttered so many independents by using books as the centerpiece of several revenue streams, including a café, events, and printing and self-publishing services.
Read moreIndependent Bookstores: Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle
When we walked into the store, I knew right away that this was a good one. The books extended as far back as I could see, with carefully curated selections on every endcap, handwritten staff recommendations dotting the wooden shelves, a coffee shop in the back and an upstairs whose low ceilings made it feel like a treasure-filled attic.
Read moreBook Review: Beast
Hairy all over and rapidly approaching seven feet tall, 15-year-old Dylan resents how perfectly he fits his nickname: Beast. After a particularly bad first day of sophomore year, Dylan climbs out onto his roof to get some peace and quiet, and wakes up in the hospital. His leg is broken, and he’s been enrolled in group therapy for self-harmers. Though he’s determined to stay detached in group, to say nothing and hear nothing, he can’t help but notice beautiful, confident Jamie—and she notices him, too. The two connect in a way Dylan’s never connected with another person before—let alone a girl—but Jamie has a secret. It shouldn’t change anything, but it changes everything.
Read moreMy Favorite Fictional Witch
In honor of Halloween I want to take a moment to celebrate my favorite fictional witch. There are a lot out there, from Macbeth's Three Witches, to The Grand High Witch, to Big Witch and Little Witch. But my favorite is, and always will be, Old Black Witch.
Read moreBook Review: Holding Up the Universe
Libby Strout is no longer “America’s fattest teen,” but her biggest fear in returning to school for the first time since fifth grade is that her classmates won’t look past her weight. Nonetheless, she’s ready to leave the house where she’s been grieving her mother’s death, and embrace everything high school has to offer. Meanwhile, Jack Masselin’s devil-may-care attitude may seem effortless, but nobody knows how hard he has to work, because nobody knows about his face blindness—how, even among his closest friends, he feels as though he’s surrounded by strangers. That is, until a vicious prank lands Jack and Libby in the same counseling group, and they’re forced to see beyond each other’s masks.
Read moreBook Review: Phantom Limbs
Otis and Meg were neighbors, best friends and sweethearts, until tragedy left Otis’ little brother dead and both families shattered.
Read moreSoapbox: Casting Judgment on YA Lit
Every once in a while (at least once a month) someone writes an article using one or two examples to cast judgment on all of young adult literature and all of its readers. Usually I just skim, sigh, and move on. But sometimes I’m compelled to jump up on my soapbox and respond
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