Earlier this year our school librarian was thinning out the shelves to make room for new books, and I quickly scooped up a book by a familiar author. I’d read two books by Matthew Cody before–POWERLESS and THE DEAD GENTLEMAN–and I’d been meaning to read WILL IN SCARLET. I mean, who doesn’t love a Robin…
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MMGM: MY SECRET GUIDE TO PARIS by Lisa Schroeder
I love anything to do with Paris, so I was predestined to love this book. I even have a picture that looks very similar to this cover. Wow, I’m really young in this picture. It’s from 2007, before kids, although just barely as I realized I was pregnant while we were there. Anyway, one of…
YA Review: LOVE & GELATO by Jenna Evans Welch
Happy New Year! I’m a few weeks late, but I have excellent excuses–er, reasons. I was across the country for the first week of the year, doing things like attending my first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. (And, no, I’m not too old for Hogwarts.) Then I spent two weeks furiously revising so I…
YA Review: TWO SUMMERS by Aimee Friedman
I love books–and movies, for that matter–that play with time and space. When I came across the description for TWO SUMMERS by Aimee Friedman, I was intrigued by the premise. How much difference can one decision make? I really liked the way this story explored the question. ONE SUMMER in the French countryside, among sun-kissed…
MMGM: THE PECULIAR HAUNTING OF THELMA BEE Interview & Giveaway!
If you don’t know I participated in The Writer’s Voice contest in 2012, then you’re probably new around here :). But the reason I bring it up–again–is because one of the entries from that contest is now a real, live book! I had the privilege of reading Erin Petti’s THE PECULIAR HAUNTING OF THELMA BEE…
YA Series Recommendation: The Selection by Kiera Cass
Well, I already told you this recommendation was coming in my favorite reads of 2015 post. I actually ended up finishing two of the three books before the end of the year, so it’s probably a good thing I gave The Selection series an honorable mention for 2015. It wouldn’t be quite fair to list…
YA Review: WANDERLOST by Jen Malone
A couple of years ago my critique partner Kip Wilson told me about this sweet romance by Jen Malone that I would love–because she’d read it in advance. So when an opportunity arose to enter for an ARC of WANDERLOST, I was all in. Imagine my joy when I won and got to read this…
DAMAGE DONE and a Few Other YA Books You Should Read
Yes, I know it hasn’t been very long since I did one of these roundups. But here’s the thing. I went on one of those request binges at the library and was deluged with books, so I read them all very quickly and didn’t have time to devote to individual reviews. Actually, that’s not completely…
YA Review: THIS MONSTROUS THING by Mackenzi Lee
A couple of weeks ago my critique partner Kip Wilson sent me the lovely gift of a signed copy of THIS MONSTROUS THING by Mackenzi Lee. I’d been hearing a lot about this book already from another writer friend of mine, Anna-Marie McLemore (if you haven’t read THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS yet, do it!), so…
YA Review: A MADNESS SO DISCREET by Mindy McGinnis
Remember that ARC I mentioned I was reading last week? It was A MADNESS SO DISCREET by Mindy McGinnis, and it’s sooo good. It doesn’t release until Oct. 6, but you should pre-order it right now because I’m not passing this one along. It’s staying right here on my gorgeous shelves. Anyway, let me tell…
YA Review & Interview: FORBIDDEN by Kimberley Griffiths Little
Today I’m thrilled to feature an interview with Kimberley Griffiths Little for her new young adult historical, FORBIDDEN, which takes readers much further into history than the typical historical novel. Take a look at this gorgeous trailer for a glimpse. Kimberley graciously answered questions for me about the five things I loved best. 1. When…
YA Review: ILLUSIONS OF FATE by Kiersten White
I was a huge a fan of Kiersten White’s PARANORMALCY trilogy, and while I’ve enjoyed her last few books, they haven’t quite lived up to that series for me. Hey, when you really love something, that’s hard to do. However, her latest, ILLUSIONS OF FATE, captured that magic again–in more than one way :). The…
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