#dhonielle clayton what did you do

[bubblesparty]

thoughts on tiny pretty things

I started watching this show and I really have a lot of thoughts. MAJOR SPOILERS!! (for a show who came out in 2020 lol)

the way they frame caleb's islamophobia as being totally rational with no pushback from anyone is so weird. I get that they're supposed to be 17 or something, but can no one just say- "hey, it's actually not this french guy's fault that your dad was killed, and maybe you should go to therapy instead of fucking the headmaster" THE SHOW NEVER ADDRESSES THIS OR LETS NABIL STAND UP FOR HIMSELF

and I know that not just because something is portrayed means that it's endorsed by the show. but. caleb acting like his relationship with the madame is somehow less morally reprehensible than the typical old men-young girls dynamic is sad. (also I haven't finished the show so I'm sure this relationship will be exposed and be shown clearly as bad) because it's definitely not the job of the younger person to break out of a toxic grooming relationship (again, aren't they supposed to be UNDERAGE)

ALSO please, why do people get so upset at everything!! if my friend had an eating disorder and was clearly lashing out because of that, I feel like I'd be able to be a little more sympathetic... not saying that oren and shane are a perfect relationship, but damn why is everyone so confrontational (again, it's impossible to remember that they're high schoolers who are poor decision makers)

^this happened all the time in the earlier episodes too. everyone's just out for blood and they will twist everything into a confrontation!! my least favorite trope is miscommunication-- JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER

I have to say that they're supposed to be underage after every point because it's one of those shows where not a single person acts their age (why can't they just set these shows in college where it makes at least a tiniest bit more sense)

oh my god, I forgot about the INCREDIBLY unprofessional cop (she disappeared in episode 4). I'm really sorry that her wife died, really I am. but her whole show at the gala seemed so out of line

THE VOICE OVERS are sooo melodramatic. and they really don't add anything to the story, other than to give the audience a totally unnecessary ballet metaphor telling us what we should've been watching

what job would hire a 17 year old who needs to dance 6 hours a day (or something)

why do all of the dancers act like friends when it's needed for the plot, but when it's not, they immediately start hating each other again

WAIT so you're telling me Neveah is mad at her mom for protecting her brother from his abusive partner??! I can't begin to imagine what it's actually like to have a parent in jail, but being mad at her mom just seems backwards. (also I heard that the show changed it, which makes sense because it would be weird for a black author to write such a clear racist stereotype)

[displayheartcode]

What are some authors that did the magic school trope better than JKR? (Not that I hate HP, just thinking about that last ask)

it depends on what you look for in a magic school!

do you want a whimsy boarding school setting where adventures happen?

the worst witch by jill murphy (children's series and adapted later by netflix)

the marvellers by dhonielle clayton (middle grade series)

hex hall by rachel hawkins (ya trilogy)

exploring privilege and power?

ninth house by leigh bardugo (adult - please read the content warnings)

the scholomance by naomi novik (adult)

lobizona by romina garber (ya series)

books that get rid of the school entirely?

dark rise by cs pacat (ya series)

young wizards by diane duane (mg/ya series)

rivers of london by ben aaronovitch (adult series)

witchlings by claribel a. ortega (mg series)

the left-handed booksellers of london by garth nix (ya series)

the dark is rising by susan coope (children's series)

i have a larger list here!

[rustandruin]

The Marvellers

Dhonielle Clayton

June 2, 2022

I’m a big fan of magic schools, so I was extra excited to get my hands on what I hope will be the first in a nice long series. Because this world was fun as hell and the main characters were engaging, fun and memorable, even the teachers. I also really enjoyed the magic system set up there in and Clayton’s intentional choice to be inclusive.

That said, I wish — and I never thought I would say this — that the attempts at making this world more open for all were handled a bit more smoothly because it really felt like nationalities were getting ticked off a list at one point. Like, go ahead and stress the international nature of this school, I loved that aspect of it, but find a way to do so more organically (or rather elegantly). My other minor gripe, and I recognise that this is me specific, but Clayton name checks a whole bunch of YA and middle grade authors as professors at the school. And while this was fun at first, it proved a bit distracting and kept taking me out the more I kept reading. I will say, however, that these are still minor quibbles.

Given the theme and subject matter of this series, I know it’s going to get compared to Harry Potter and you know what? It does scratch that itch but it also gives you something new to dive into and fall in love with. I actually prefer The Marvellers and what it’s trying to say about who can do magic and even what that can look like because Clayton really has created a world with such intention. I trust that she won’t look back and try and rewrite any history regarding the series. The one point I will concede to R*wling is that she made introducing a magical world, school, and magical system seem effortless, and maybe that is her only true skill as a writer. Because Clayton does falter a bit in that regard as I felt like I encountered a few too many new words that were not introduced as smoothly as I would like. But that didn’t matter too much by the end because the book is so fantastically engaging.

In fact, the central mystery is gripping and unfolds at an excellent pace once we get past the set up and it even crescendos in an exciting manner towards the end. I literally did not want to sleep because I wanted to know what happened next. Clayton has created a winsome trio of main characters who I really cannot wait to get back to. The book is fun, fast and easy to read, which I cannot say is true for all books within this genre, so I really want to laud this book because it came on the tail end of another terribly drudging read that I ended up just quitting out of exhaustion.

Anyway, The Marvellers is one of the most engaging and fun books I’ve read in a short while and I cannot stress how many more people should read it.

[musingsofabookworm1]

My Last 13 Reads

Another "dump" post. School's done now, so hopefully I can keep up again. I read 105 books from the last day of school last year to the last day of school this year. Down from the norm. Hopefully next year will be better.

Without further adieu...

Nothing Sung and Nothing Spoken by Nita Tyndall - 3 stars - YA World War II novel set in the Swing Youth Movement (I did not know what this was prior). Charlotte, "Charlie", goes to an underground club and begins a queer romance with her friend, but the romance and the war both don't go the way Charlie had hoped. Lots of comparisons to books I've enjoyed, but it wasn't as good as those (ie Ruta Sepetys).

Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone - 4 stars - another YA by the same authors as last year's Blackout. Teens come together during a snow storm that shuts down Atlanta at Christmastime to help one of their own with a big apology. It's better than it sounds, and these authors are amazing!

Venco by Cherie Dimaline - 3 stars - Venco is a coven (See what she did there with the anagram?) posing as a business. A silver spoon that has "SALEM" engraved on it takes Lucky St. James and her grandmother on quite the journey. Another witch book that was average.

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica - 3 stars - Definitely not Kubica's best. Nina's husband goes missing. Her coworker and husband seem to be covering something up. More average lieterature. I still think Kubica's first novel, The Good Girl, is her best.

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty - 3 stars - This came highly recommended, but I found it, too, average. Vacca Vale, Indiana is a rundown town. Four teenagers who've aged out of the foster system live in old apartments searching for freedom. Side note: one of said teens is named Blandine, and that name made me roll my eyes in annoyance until the very end.

All Hallows by Christopher Golden - 5 stars - Horror fans, pick up this one that brought me out of an average slump. 1984. Halloween. Massachusetts. Two famlies are falling apart at the seams while children go door-to-door and run the streets afraid of The Cunning Man. You will not be disappointed in this supernatural thriller!

Sam by Allegra Goodman - 3 stars - And back to average. Maybe it would not have been if I'd known it was more the character route versus plot. Sam's parents divorced in her youth. Her father came in and out of her life and, at one point, got her into rock-climbing which was a positve overall.

Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal - 4 stars - I'd been waiting for this one. It wasn't as good as his previous two novels, but it was good. It is the love story of Mariel, who inherits a Minnesota supper club from her grandparents, and Ned, who inherits his family's restaurant chain.

Beyond That, The Sea by Lauren Spence-Ash - 5 stars - VERY good read. I heard about it on the All the Books podcast and bought it immediately with an Amazon gift card. As bombs fall in 1940s London, a couple sends their only child, Beatrix, to live with a family in American for safety. Honestly, you don't need to more than that. The story is rich, the characters are memorable, and there were some tears at the end. Not your average WWII novel as it's set in the US.

Lone Women by Victor LaValle - 4 stars - If you've read Victor LaValle, you know his plots are unique. And this is not different. In 1915, Adelaide Henry, a woman in her 30s, leaves her parents for the first time and heads west to California to start fresh. WIth a trunk. The trunk is the key to the story. And you'll never ever guess what's inside.

Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick - 5 stars - I heard about this YA on All the Books and bought the ebook immedialtey after not finding in at the library or on Libby. Stevie is the daughter of very right-wing parents. They do not know about her secret girlfriend of two years and how the two of them plan to leave town at the end of the summer together as both have graduated. But in the first chapter, as Stevie and Nora (g/f) are hiking in the woods, Stevie falls, hits her head, and has short term amnesia. She cannot remember the last two years of her life - including Nora. And their relationship was a secret, so nothing in Stevie's life can jog that memory. Nora will do anything to help Stevie remember but does not want to upset Stevie's parents or her own mother.

Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah - 3 stars - Last book of the school year. This is a novelization of the year Jackie Kennedy spent in Paris as an undergrad. The writing is good. And the plot is good. But it got slow in parts in the middle.

Tell the Rest by Lucy Jane Bledsoe - 4 stars - First book of the summer. The ending made this one jump from 3 to 4 stars for me. In the opening chapter, Delia and Ernest are teens who've escaped from a conversion camp. They'd not seen or heard from each other since. Delia is back in her Oreogon hometown coaching high school girls' basketball after she gets "let go" from the college program she coached. Ernest, a poet, lives in NYC with his boyfriend but heads to Portland for a temporary teaching position and in hopes to write a poem that's been lurking inside him since his teens. I wanted more of the converstion camp storyline. It did come through at the end, but the buildup was a bit slow.

[acekatherineplumber]

End-of-year book asks!

How many books did you read this year? 500. No, that's not a typo

Did you reread anything? What? I reread a lot of things/ I reread RW&RB, The House in the Cerulean Sea, A Christmas Carol, Vinegar Girl, Written in the Stars, Romeo and Juliet, The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Giver, The Handmaid's Tale, War and Peace, Pride and Prejudice, Macbeth, The Count of Monte Christo, Les Mis, Taking Flight: From War Orpha to Star Ballerina, Hamlet, the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Windsnap books 1 and 2, Ballet Shoes, The Testamants, Annie On My Mind, The Mark of Athena, Alexander Hamilton, I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You, Fun Home, Orange is the New Black, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens, and Rhinoceros. I read Les Mis and Rhinoceros at least once a year because they're so relevant.

What were your top five books of the year? In no particular order, Sailing By Orion's Star by Katie Crabb, The Hate You Give (Angie Thomas), Macbeth (Jo Nesbo), The Language of Fire (Stephanie Hemphill), The Hacienda (Isabel Canas)

Did you discover any new authors that you love this year? Dhonielle Clayton, Jo Nesbo, Hafsah Faizal, Jess Rothenberg, Stephanie Hemphill, Julia Ember, Alice Oseman, Katie Zhao, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Isabel Canas, Sarah Penner, Samantha Cohoe, Ashley Herring-Blake, Maya Prasad, Amanda Bestor-Siegal, Grace Li, Vaishnavi Patel, Farrah Rochon, Courtney Kay, Darcy Coates, and Celeste Ng

What genre did you read the most of? Fantasy

Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to? Babel, The Ballad of Never After, Foul Lady Fortune, Bloodmarked, and The Shattered City

What was your average Goodreads rating? Does it seem accurate? 3.7. I'd say it's accurate/

Did you meet any of your reading goals? Which ones? My goal for the year was a 50 states plus DC challenge, and I managed to do it!

Did you get into any new genres? Underwater horror! Yes, that's a thing.

What was your favorite new release of the year? Sailing By Orion's Star by Katie Crabb

What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read? The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

Any books that disappointed you? This Is Not the Real World by Anna Carey. It was unnecessary.

What were your least favorite books of the year? Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson, Hotel Magnifique by Emily Taylor, Husband Material by Alexis Hall, and Shylock is My Name by Howard Jacobson

What books do you want to finish before the year is over? I'm done reading for 2022. All current reads are going to be counted towards 2023.

Did you read any books that were nominated for or won awards this year (Booker, Women’s Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer, Hugo, etc.)? What did you think of them? I don't keep track of that sort of thing.

What is the most over-hyped book you read this year? Her Majesty's Royal Coven

Did any books surprise you with how good they were? Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser

How many books did you buy? At least 20

Did you use your library? Every single week

What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations? Foul Lady Fortune, and idk, I haven't read it yet

Did you participate in or watch any booklr, booktube, or book twitter drama? I keep out of drama

What’s the longest book you read? Les Mis at 1,463 pages (my travel edition)

What’s the fastest time it took you to read a book? 30 minutes

Did you DNF anything? Why? Plenty. For even petty little things. There are too may good books out there to continue reading bad ones.

What reading goals do you have for next year? I'm doing an A-Z challenge!

[ram-reads]

End of the Year Reading Tag

I was wondering if something like this was going around! Thank you @ninja-muse for tagging me 💖

did you reach your reading goal for the year (if you had one)?

I hate to say it, but no I didn’t. My original reading goal was 72 and I was basing that number off of how many books I read in 2020 (which was 67). Then I realized that was stupid because I was out of work in 2020 for months so I had all the time in the world to read and now I don’t, so I ended up changing my reading goal to 60...still didn’t make it though. I did get up to 56 so I’m not too disappointed. I also don’t keep track of all the fanfiction and webcomics I read which is a lot so I know I technically did make my goal. 

what are your top 3 books you read this year?

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, The Deep by Rivers Solomon, and Master of One by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett.

what’s a book that you didn’t expect to enjoy quite so much going in?

A Universe of Wishes anthology edited by Dhonielle Clayton. I decided to read it because someone was looking for a buddy and I knew it was on my list. Didn’t think it would amount to anything special. Then I ended up liking all but three of the fifteen stories. I’m actually hoping most of them get turned into full length novels because I became too attached to some stories and need more.

were there any books that didn’t live up to your expectations?

Sadly, yes. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley. I’ve liked all of her books, so this was a bigger disappointment than usual. 

did you reread any old faves? If so, which one was your favourite?

I don’t reread books since I don’t have a lot of time to read and would prefer to read books I haven’t read before when I do. That being said I found myself going back to Nine by Zach Hines throughout the year to reread my favorite moments. I’ve been craving a sequel but I don’t think it’s going to happen so I’ll just have to satisfy myself with the one book. 

did you dnf any books?

YES! I’ve actually been meaning to make a post about this because it’s the first time I’ve dnf’d a book in my life. I’ve finally gotten to a point where I’m tired of wasting time reading books I’m not enjoying. The book in question is Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa. I got about halfway through the book, but I wasn’t connecting with any characters and I didn’t care about the plot so I finally gave up and let it go. It was such a great feeling. 

did you read any books outside your usual preferred genre(s)?

I’ve never been big on literary fiction but The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr. sounded so good so I gave it a shot. It was a pretty good read and I wish more people knew about it.

what was your predominant format this year?

Print always. I don’t have the attention span for audiobooks and my tablet is too big to hold comfortably for ebooks.

what’s the longest book you read this year?

According to Goodreads my longest book was The House of Hades by Rick Riordan because my edition had two additional short stories in it. I didn’t read those though, so I think technically my longest is Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo at 607 pages. 

what are your top 3 anticipated 2022 releases?

I actually don’t know a lot of what’s coming out in 2022 so my options are limited, but I will say The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman, So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens, and The City of Dusk by Tara Sim. 

what books from your tbr did you not get to this year, but are excited to read in 2022?

Oh, man there are so many. Where do I start? The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir, Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell, Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, and A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske.

Tagging @bvkspine @rensreadingrainbow @ireadiguess @otsoreads if you’re interested (and sorry if you’ve already been tagged)!

[baby-bearie]

this is love

jj maybank x reader

tags:@sunflowermotel @howdyherron @drew-starkey @yelyahryan @obxwriterfan @avashroom @rewindlr @raekenliar @imsad05 @ceruleanjj @dolanfivsosxox @maybe-maybanks @katie-avery @maraseavey @outerbanqs @heyhargrove

a/n: this is heavily inspired by the short story “The Way We Love Here” by Dhonielle Clayton from the book Meet-Cute (my favorite book ever you should read it). and definitely an odd choice for a jj fic but i kind of liked it! you know, believe in magic every once in a while!

warnings: mention of violence, a few swear words

You study the wavy line across your wrist. It’s still so bare. You’re not old enough for the thin tattoo to have developed, grown a pattern, vines, anything. 

This is the way soulmates find each other. 

Everybody is born with a tattoo across their wrist. A simplistic line. A variety of them. Dotted lines, wavy lines, straight lines, diagonals. All of your possible soulmates have the same type of design. And as you grow older, as you get closer to learning how to love someone and love yourself, the lines develop. Some grow a mixture of flowers and vines, some develop a stripey pattern or more lines. But once it’s done developing, the tattoo matches the one on the wrist of your one true love. 

You’re young, too young for the tattoo to be developing. It’s okay. 

You can wait. 

You can wait, knowing he’s out there. He’s out there and one day he’ll be yours and you’ll be his. 

Until then, you have no knowledge of love. To love, to be loved, it’s all so foreign. You’re sure you won’t even know love when it does finally hit you. 

That is, to love someone new. 

You love your family. You love your dog. You love the feel of the wind in your hair on evening bike rides. You love sitting on the steps of your house and watching the people pass by. And you love surfing. 

More than anything, you love surfing. 

You’ve paddled out onto the water a while ago. Your hair is dripping with saltwater, and you now straddle your board, legs dipped into the blue. 

It’s so peaceful out here. The sun is setting now, dipping under the water, casting an array of pinks and oranges over the waves. 

At times like this you wish he would hurry up and find you. 

You wonder if he’s not ready and that’s why your line hasn’t developed. 

You think you are. 

“Hey!” You hear a deep voice yell out. You look up from your hand and see a boy on a board paddling towards you. 

“Hey.” You call back. You don’t know him. He paddles closer and closer, and you see that his hair is blonde, and just as soaked as yours. Locks fall onto his forehead. 

“I was watching you surf earlier. You’re, uh, you’re pretty good,” he smiles. It’s a pretty smile. 

“Thanks. You too.” That’s a lie. You haven’t seen him surf. 

“I’m JJ, by the way.” 

“Y/n.”

“That’s a nice name.” “Is that all you came to ask me about?”

You don’t mean to snap at him, but your evening surf is usually to decompress. Take in the sunset and just think for a while. “I came to ask why you stopped.” “To watch the sunset.” “You weren’t really, though. You were watching your board, more like.” 

Well, he’s a no bullshit type of guy, isn’t he. 

You hold up your wrist. There’s no point in keeping anything from this stranger. You probably won’t see him again. 

He smiles and holds up his wrist in return. So he is from here, if he has the tattoo. 

As you lean forward to look at it, you’re surprised to see the same wavy line on your wrist. 

This boy could possibly be your soulmate. He’s cute, you’ll give him that. He’s also annoying. You’ll give him that, too. 

He uses his hand to push his hair back. 

“I don’t meet many people with my mark.” You nod at his wrist. 

“Yeah, me neither. Only like, 4 or 5.” 

It’s quiet and you appreciate it, savor it before he starts talking again. 

“You know, they say if you touch someone with the same mark, you can see your possible futures together.”

Oh, so he’s crazy too. 

“Yeah, they also say that you could die if you do that.” He shrugs. 

“Fuck it. What have you got to lose?” “This. Sunsets. My family. The water.” 

“I think you got a hell of a lot more to gain.” He argues. 

“Yeah? Like what?” You scoff. 

“Me,” he smiles, a wide one. “No, I don’t know what your plan is here, but we are not doing this.” “Come on, it could be fun. How often do you get this chance?”

“How often do I get the chance to die? You’re right, not often. I like to avoid it when I do.” “You won’t die. I promise! I’m pretty sure they just made that up to scare little kids.” “Did anyone ever tell you you’re like really good at reassuring people?” Your voice is dripping with sarcasm. He laughs. “Oh, yeah, all the time.” 

It’s silent for another second. 

JJ’s proposition settles in and you realize you really don’t have anything to lose. 

You’ve grown sick of waiting. 

“I’ll do it.” 

JJ’s eyes widen almost cartoonishly and his eyebrows jump a mile up. 

“Really?”

You bite your lip. There’s no backing out from here.

“Yes.”

“Ok, ok, let’s do this.” JJ slips off his board and begins to tread water to stay floating. You follow suit, slipping into the water. 

“3, 2, 1,” he counts before you dunk underwater. 

Once the waves have enveloped you completely, you open your eyes. 

JJ is looking at you, and you nearly laugh at how much he looks like a pufferfish with his cheeks puffed out. His hair is sticking up all around his head and yours floats around you. 

He raises his eyebrows at you, and you can almost hear the “sure?” he would ask you if he could talk. 

You nod and he puts his hand up. 

You close your eyes for a second, remembering how the water feels around you, trying to sear it into your memory before you open your eyes. You press your hand up against JJ’s. 

The lines connect. 

Slowly at first, and then faster and faster, the deep, dark water around you begins to swirl. It begins to create a whirlpool around the two of you, and you turn to JJ with panicked eyes. 

He seems completely calm, but you can’t breathe and you’re now sure that this is how you die.

What a way to die. 

JJ grabs your other hand with his free one, squeezing it. It grounds you. The water is faster now, nearly cyclonic. 

You close your eyes as JJ closes his, and you can’t remember if the water is spinning or you are. 

Suddenly, you can no longer hear the rush of the water anymore. You open your eyes, and find you’re on dry land. You gasp for breath. 

You swivel your eyes around, trying to spot something that will clue you into where you are. 

JJ is nowhere in sight. 

It’s cold out, and you’re wearing a huge sweater. It’s definitely not yours. You’re in the middle of the street. By the look of it, you’re still in the Cut. 

A door swings open in a house near you. You turn to look at it and a familiar face runs out. “Y/n!” JJ yells. 

“JJ!” You’re overcome with a sense of familiarity and comfort at the sight of him. He’s no longer in his swim trunks either. He wears a t-shirt and cargo shorts. You don’t know how you know, but you know the t-shirt smells like JJ. Saltwater, pine trees and freshly cut grass. 

He rushes to meet you in the middle of the street. 

His hands cup your cheeks, and his eyes are filled with concern. 

It feels safe. 

“Are you ok? Nothing hurts?” His eyes wash over you, and by the look in them you know he feels the weird sense of comfort too. 

“I’m okay. Are you?” 

JJ nods. 

“Where the hell are we?” You look around you. 

“My house.” He turns back and waves towards the small house. 

“What are we doing here?” 

“I don’t know. Is that my sweater?” JJ points to the comfy clothes you have on. 

You’re about to tell him you don’t know when you realize you do, and it is his. You nod. 

“What future is this?”

JJ’s face lights up as if he’s been reminded of who he is. “We’re in love.” “We’re in love?” You ask him apprehensively, but suddenly the memories rush back to you too. 

Nights together on a couch you seem to know. Wearing his sweater everytime he tries to wear it out anywhere. His lips on your shoulder. A loud bonfire and an arm around your waist. 

“We’re in love.” You’re dumbfounded this has worked. 

“Can I try something, then?” He’s looking at your lips and you nod. If you’re going to have your first kiss, this is as good a time as any. 

He could be your soulmate, right? He leans in and meets your lips and you can’t begin to explain the warmth that spreads over you. 

It feels like you’ve felt it a million times before. But it still feels beautiful. 

He pulls away and both of you are breathless. 

“Woah,” he whispers, and you begin to notice that the water is rushing around your ears again. 

You close your eyes and you’re underwater again. The water is still swirling and you don’t dare open your eyes. 

You hold your breath, the pressure building on your chest until the rushing suddenly stops. 

You open your eyes and you’re standing outside a huge marble stone house front. There’s a small statue next to you and you know for sure you’re not in the Cut anymore. 

You look at yourself in a window. You’re wearing a peach silk dress. The straps are thin, and your hair is immaculately curled. You look outside and recognize the function. Midsummers. You’ve never been a part of Midsummers. 

You know this means change for you and JJ. You’re not sure what kind of change. You’re not sure who you are. 

A man in a suit approaches you and offers you a glass of champagne. You accept it and before he can leave, you stop the man. 

“Hey, what am I doing here?” 

He laughs a little as if you’ve made a joke. 

“It is your house, Mrs. Thornton.” 

Mrs. Thornton?

You look down at your hand and a dazzling diamond ring graces your ring finger. 

Mrs. Thornton. 

The memories flood back into your head. Topper Thornton. Overseas vacations. Private planes. Designer dresses, personal servants, golfing. 

“There you are, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Another unfamiliar man approaches you, and presses a kiss to your forehead. 

“Topper.” The name comes to you. 

“The party’s started, what’re you doing in here?”

“Just needed a couple seconds.”

He nods reluctantly but leaves you in the room, returning outside. 

“Mrs. Thornton? Really? There’s a future where you pick this Kook over me?” You turn and JJ is standing there, smirking at you. 

“Oh, thank god, I was so scared I wouldn’t find you.” You sigh in relief. 

“Look at you, all dolled up.” He sticks his hands in his pockets. 

You take in his neatly brushed hair, and the suit. It’s the same suit the man who offered you champagne wore. 

“You’re not here for the party are you?” You give JJ a sad look. “No, actually, I think I’m here catering?” he laughs. 

“JJ,” you begin. He shakes his head. 

“No, it’s okay, I wouldn’t want to be a part of this life if I could.” 

“Right,” you nod, but somewhere deep down you have the feeling that if you could, you would give him this life in a heartbeat. 

Your eyebrows furrow. You still love JJ in this future. 

“You feel it too?” 

You nod. 

“I guess it just,” he pauses to shrug, “didn’t work out in this timeline.” 

You look out the window again and meet your husband's eyes. They’re angry and dark. Topper begins moving towards you. 

A feeling of terror and anxiety settles in your stomach and you’ve felt it before. He’s going to come hurt JJ. You grab his hand. 

“JJ, we gotta go, now.”

“I don’t know how to control this!” He cries out. 

Topper has reached you now, and lands one blow on JJ before the water starts rushing again. 

You’ve been dunked underwater again and you wait patiently before the rushing stops. 

You open your eyes and this time you’re lying on a couch. There’s a huge weight on your chest and you quickly recognize the familiar blond head of hair. You run a hand through it and JJ picks up his head from your chest to look at you. 

He smiles at you, a soft one. You stretch. It feels like you’ve laid here for your whole life. 

“So, where are we now?” You ask. “This one I don’t know.” 

JJ picks up your hand and places his against it. 

There’s a simple gold band around his ring finger and yours. 

“We got married.” He smiles at you. It’s pure bliss. 

“We’re married and we got our own house?” You laugh. 

“Hey, I didn’t think I could do it either,” he mimics your expression. 

JJ tucks his head into your chest again. It feels right. As if it’s muscle memory, you run your hand up and down his back, and he sighs against your skin. 

“You’re a big baby, you know that?”

“Shhh, let me enjoy this. I don’t know if I get to keep it.” His voice is muffled against you. 

“JJ,” you look at the picture frame on the small table next to the couch. 

He hums. 

“JJ, we have a kid.”

His head shoots up, nearly knocking your chin. 

He gives you a confused look, then you watch the realization pool in his eyes. 

“John?”

“Yeah, John.”

A new set of memories floods your mind. The small wedding, your son, all the times JJ has laid on this couch with you. 

You feel safe. You feel happy. This is love. 

“If it’s worth anything,” you whisper, “this is my favorite one so far.” 

“It’s not. Would you kiss me again if I asked?” “I think I have to in this future.”

JJ laughs and leans up to kiss you. He pulls away with his eyes still closed. 

“I feel like I’ve done that a thousand times, and I still never get used to it. What if we just stayed here?”

“I don’t think it’s up to us.” You pat JJ’s back as the water rushes around you again. 

You close your eyes and the rushing goes away. You’re still underwater. 

You kick upwards and break the surface. 

JJ whoops loudly near you. 

He swims towards you, but is careful not to touch you again. 

“We did it,” his smile is uncontrollable. 

“There are future’s where we’re not together. And you get hurt.” 

“There’s a future where we have a kid, Y/n.” 

“You’re insane, man. We might not even be meant to be.” “I have a feeling that’s not true.

JJ gestures to your wrist and you mouth parts when you realize the wavy lines have grown peaks and dips. They’re turning into actual waves. 

JJ holds up his wrist. The same pattern. 

You laugh, loudly, slapping a hand over your mouth. Nothing you just felt beats the joy you feel right now. 

“I’ll race you back to the beach,” JJ challenges you, smirking. 

“We both know I’m faster than you.”

“We both know that’s a lie.”

JJ takes off, paddling his board, and you follow him, yelling to him how big of a baby he is. 

You’ve called him that before. 

You know you’ll call him that again. 

[bookswritinghappiness]

Title: Shiny Broken Pieces • Series: Tiny Pretty Things (#2) Authors: Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton • Number of Pages: 384 • Rating: 4/5 Published: July 12, 2016 • Read: February 26, 2021 - March 16, 2021

Content Warnings: eating disorder, self-harm, suicide, blood, vomit, adult/minor relationship, racism

Goodreads Synopsis: June, Bette, and Gigi have given their all to dance at Manhattan’s most elite ballet school. Now they are competing one final time for a spot at the prestigious American Ballet Company. With the stakes higher than ever, these girls have everything to lose…and no one is playing nice. Ever since June landed the starring role in last year’s performance, she can finally see herself as a prima ballerina. Being the best means making sacrifices, though, and getting what she wants might cost June everything—including the only boy she’s ever loved. Legacy dancer Bette is determined to clear her name after she was suspended and accused of hurting her rival, Gigi. But even if she returns, will she ever regain the spotlight she craves? Or has she tarnished the treasured family name forever? Gigi endured a year of torment from Bette and other dancers who envied her success. It nearly ended her ballet career—and her life—and Gigi is not going to let them go unpunished. But as revenge consumes her, Gigi may be the one who pays the price. After years of grueling auditions, torn ribbons, and broken hearts, it all comes down to this last dance. Who will make the cut? And who will lose her dream forever?

My Review: After reading the first book and watching the first season of the Netflix series, I just really wanted more of these characters and I really wanted to know what happens next, so I checked the second book out of the library. The book and the show are very different from each other and the show deviates from the book quite a bit, but I’m glad I got to find out what happens in the book’s version of canon.

I remember it took me a little bit to become invested in the story when I was reading the first book, but that definitely wasn’t a problem this time since I was on the edge of my seat with excitement to find out what happens. I do think that Shiny Broken Pieces has a different tone than Tiny Pretty Things did; instead of constant drama and fear, there was a greater sense of maturity and the characters realizing that they’re better than their scheming younger selves. Bette especially had a lovely bit of personal growth and while I hated her in the last book, I was proud of her while reading this one. June grew up a lot too; I think between her book persona and her TV show persona, she’s become one of my favorite characters in this series. Gigi had a bit of a regression into petty territory, but she gets the sense knocked back into her and I felt so proud of her by the end. The best moment was seeing a certain character getting the just desserts she deserved at the very end of the book ; ) After the big reveal midway through the book (which I didn’t even think was real at first - I was expecting another twist later on), the book shifted into more of a subdued victory lap for these characters, which honestly after everything they went through in the last book is what they deserve along with their newfound maturity.

As much as I enjoyed getting the closure I was waiting for, I think that the fact that so many little things happened in this book made the plot feel a little rushed and like not enough attention was paid to the big reveals and events in the plot. Specifically, I don’t think enough weight was put on the big reveal midway through the book and the subsequent effects on the school, as well as on the blatant racism in ballet, though Gigi does talk about it a little. The maturing of a certain character also felt quite rushed and out of nowhere, so I would have liked to see that developed more. I also would have liked to see some kind of retribution for the character who is known for having relationships with students.

Overall, I think Shiny Broken Pieces is a great sequel and ending to these characters’ journeys at the American Ballet Conservatory. I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing more of the Netflix series, which I highly recommend if you haven’t already seen!

Shiny Broken Pieces on Goodreads This Review on Goodreads My Goodreads

Shiny Broken Pieces on StoryGraph This Review on StoryGraph My StoryGraph

Purchase this book from Bookshop using my affiliate link to support indie bookstores while helping me earn a commission at no extra cost to you!!

[everythingisawayoflife]

BOOKS👏YOU 👏SHOULD 👏 READ 👏

1. The Wrath & The Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

If you love stories with Middle Eastern Influence (or if you like Aladdin), this story is for you. This book is about the Caliph of Khorasan. He is a boy king who takes a bride each day, only to murder her at dawn. In comes Shahrzad Al-Khayzuran, who volunteers to be his bride. After he killed her best friend, Shahrzad marries the Caliph with a purpose: she intends to make him pay for his crimes and survive the next day. Her experience at the palace soon evolves into something more. This book includes love triangles, a smidge of fantasy, and so many characters with interesting personalities! I give it a 10/10!! This book does have a sequel called The Rose and The Dagger so go check that out as well!

2. The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye

In a fictional Imperial Russia, there is much more fantasy involved. Vika and Nikolai are both enchanters. The only two in Russia. While the tensions of battling the Ottoman draw closer, the tsar needs an enchanter to be his guide. So, he enlists both Nikolai and Vika to battle in The Crown’s Game, a battle where only one enchanter may survive. Nikolai, however, begins to have different views on Vika but those views are challenged when his best friend, Pasha the tsarevich begins to fall for her as well. Read this book for a whirlwind combination of history and magic, with a sprinkle of romance! This book has a sequel called The Crown’s Fate so go check this series out!! 10/10!!!

3. The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz

With the same elements as The Crown’s Game, this tale is a little more lighthearted. In medieval France, three children have extraordinary powers. Jeanne, the peasant girl, can foretell the future. Jacob, who’s Jewish heritage plays an important part, can heal wounds. William, a monk, has the strength of 10 men. These kids cross paths and are soon on the adventure of their lives. With different backgrounds, these kids soon learn to put aside their differences and bond to face the greatest challenge they will ever face. This story is told from a bar by several different people who interacted with the kids. Oh, and did I mention there is a holy dog? Her name is Gwenforte and she is a very good girl. 10/10!!

4. The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection is a very popular dystopian series which I personally didn’t think I’d like, but ended up loving. It has a decent sized fanbase on Tumblr too! Anyway, onto the story. America is no longer America and is now a country known as Illéa. Castes have been set in place, One being the royalty and Eight being “The Untouchables”. For every royal family of Illéa, there has been a selection so the eligible prince may choose a wife. America Singer, a Five was chosen. She’s headstrong and knows what she wants. She does not want The Selection. She’s in love with Aspen, a Six whom she is not supposed to be involved with. When America is selected, her whole world is changed. And she begins to doubt who and what she truly wants. This book series has a love triangle (wow a lot of books I read do lmao) that made me feel how a lot of people do during sports. If you like the series, America’s tale continues in The Elite and The One.

5. The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

One of my absolute favoritessss. So, on the island of Orleans, Belles are idolized among the common people and the royal family. Belles are said to have been given gifts by the Goddess of Beauty. They are her children. They have the power to give beauty. This story really exhibits the “beauty is pain” mentality. When Camellia Beauregard and her Belle sisters are invited to the royal palace, Camellia prays she’ll be chosen as “The Favorite”. Her best friend, Amber, another Belle, is chosen instead so Camellia pretends to be happy. Under mysterious circumstances, Camellia is summoned to the palace and quickly assumes the role of “The Favorite”. Camellia soon discovers that the palace has dark secrets to hide. 100/10 imo! This story does have a sequel called The Everlasting Rose if you’re interested.

6. One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus

Imagine this: you’re watching The Breakfast Club but it takes a dark turn. Someone dies. That is basically what One of Us is Lying is. Five strangers walk in but only four walk out alive. Soon, these teens are at the center of a crime, not knowing how it happened and while they are in the public eye as suspects, these kids band together to solve this mystery. Secrets are revealed as the story is told throughtout the perspective of all the kids. Described as The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us is Lying is intended to leave you on the edge of your seat. (10/10)

There you have it, these are books I think people should read. While all of these are YA books, I still enjoyed them and believe they are enjoyable for anyone as long as your mind is creative and imaginative. Books are way more enjoyable if there is a imagination behind the reader. If you ever need something to read, I surely pull something from my shelves! Just shoot me an ask or send me a message! Happy reading!!

[aimmyarrowshigh]

aheavenlyrush replied to your post “I’ve been on tumblr since 2012 and I was even a John Green fan for a...”

i checked and it happened in 2015

aheavenlyrush replied to your post “I’ve been on tumblr since 2012 and I was even a John Green fan for a...”

i saw that jg post on my feed and i had no energy to comment on it but truly when i saw that you had i felt such relief!! i remember making that one post about stiefvater defending him and telling teenage girls to be quiet and the response to it still fucking haunts me i swear

Oy, was it really that recently? The last three years have taken 900 years. And yeah... Maggie Stiefvater’s post about it was a Really Bad Look, and iirc that was the environment that spawned the beginning of the batshit “Keep YA Kind”* concern-trolling thing (yep, also 2015) that was mainly used to silence girls and women and people of color whenever the four white cishet men in YA fucked up between 2015 and 2018, when it finally publicly came out that most of them were, yk, fucking up because they’re legitimately horrible people and maybe the people calling them out should have been taken seriously.

* The other notable “why the fuck is this happening???? why is HE the one getting the sympathy here?????” events from “Keep YA Kind,” which, listen, I would bet you anything that it was very very nearly called “Keep Kidlit Kind” until the only person involved with 1/4 of a braincell managed to realize the acronym on their Twitter handle looked REALL BAD:

Andrew Smith, a straight white adult man, says out loud with his human adult man mouth, that he knows he can’t write female characters well and relies on fetishization and stereotypes because he never really met a girl until his daughter (??? SO WHAT IS YOUR WIFE, ANDREW? CHOPPED LIVER?) and, being as that is Bullshit and also his books were also being lauded as though they were Infinite fucking Jest Jr. even though the interview in question was for a book in which mutant grasshoppers take over the earth and a teenage boy gets trapped in a bunker with a teenage girl who eventually has to git to birthin’ babies she doesn’t want and isn’t medically prepared to have safely For The Good Of Humanity, he’s called out.

He’s called out mostly on a technical, writing level at first, even! Like, “Here’s how to write a female character: you write a fully considered, well-rounded character. They’re a girl.” And Andrew Smith FLIPS HIS SHIT, does some op-ed about how his mother used to beat him so he can’t see girls as people, and makes his twitter private. The “Keep YA Kind” sycophants support him HARD.

And then this happens to pop up on a mysterious Twitter that just HAPPENS to start while HIS twitter’s offline...

NOTE: Jay Asher, author of 13 Reasons Why, was literally dropped from his publisher and SCWBI for being a sexual predator. So like, I don’t think he was bullied, I think his predation was being remarked upon. Like, idk, maybe that he was being called creepy or sth idk idk idk

And then when A.S. decided to unsockpuppet to promote his next book, The Alex Crow, which is about mutant crows and a bunker or whatever:

The “asshole” in specific that Andrew Smith was calling an asshole was delightful human being and fellow author Kate Messner, who, coincidentally, was one of the victims to come out against Lemony Snicket’s sexual harrassment, so she’s had a BULLSHIT time just trying to do her JOB of being an author while female.

Which leads to Tommy Wallach! All-around fucknut! Whose major interest seems to be being That Guy In Philosophy 101 Who Always Has To Be Devil’s Advocate, Even Though No One Asked, and has a deeply vested interest in making sure that teenage girl readers -- who are his target audience, because he chose to write YA, as an adult man who made a choice in what he wrote and chose to make it YA, and not, like, any of the hundreds of genres that AREN’T largely written about and for teenage girls, yk -- know that teenage girls are Dumb. Victoria Schwab actually wrote an essay for YA Books Central about the incessant problem that IS/WAS Tommy Wallach called “We Need To Talk About Tommy” back in -- you guessed it! -- 2016, but it’s offline now and I’m not going to go Wayback it rn.

I’m just going to copypasta YAinterrobang’s Wallach timeline because he’s exhausting, he reminds me of undergrad.

Wallach’s continual pattern of behavior is worth discussing, especially in the context of sexism in YA and the continual marginalization of “diverse” voices in the community despite the efforts of the We Need Diverse Books movement.

Wallach’s problematic behavior runs back over a year, starting with a defense of Andrew Smith where he ignores the opinions of author and advocate Tessa Gratton in favor of a dictionary definition of sexism. (Andrew Smith’s behavior and the fallout around his statements have, of course, already been documented on YA Interrobang in “The Curious Case of Andrew Smith, Twitter & sexism.”) Wallach postures that women are inherently “other” from men, accuses Gratton of “gin[ning]up the controversy” and explains that he is a feminist because he was “raised by a single working mother and she’s still my best friend in the world.”

[View Wallach’s defense of Smith and attack on Gratton as a .pdf.]

Fast forward to later that year. Author Justina Ireland takes to Twitter to discuss a book where she feels the black character is self-hating. Ireland, being black herself, is asked about the book in question; she says that it’s Wallach’s debut novel We All Looked Up. Though Wallach is not tagged, he swoops into the conversation and demands Ireland provide proof that his character Anita is self-hating before claiming that author Dhonielle Clayton, who is also black, is friends with him and “engaged” with him on the issues in the book.

Clayton later stated publicly that she had not done any sensitivity reading on We All Looked Up.

What brought Wallach’s behavior to the attention of the YA world as a whole came this past November in the wake of the horrifying terrorist attacks in Paris. When the hashtag #prayforparis went viral, Wallach responded with multiple social media posts and a blog post about how atheism was the only belief that could make the world a better place. (Though Wallach argues that it is not, in fact, a belief: “The fact that we have a word for it makes it seem like it’s equivalent to other belief systems, but it’s not. The absence of something is not equivalent to the thing itself.”)

[View Wallach’s comments on atheism as a .pdf.]

After Wallach Tweeted that he was a “a rabid atheist, and the world would be a better place if more folk were” – a Tweet he subsequently deleted before deleting his account in its entirety – he doubled down in a block post that outlined all the way religions failed and all the reasons atheism was awesome.

Those who tried to explain to him why this behavior was – to say the least – problematic found themselves quickly blocked or shut down; at once point, Wallach tried to explain anti-Semitism to Jewish author Hannah Moskowitz before claiming that “if [her]parents are atheists and [his]dad is Jewish, [he’s] as much Jewish as [her].”

(For those wondering, Wallach blocked me during this incident despite being friendly with me and having taken my advice previously; while he did believe me in regards to his behavior towards Justina Ireland, which you can see in Tweets above, my snarky comment to him about “the only good people are the people who are exactly like me” was, apparently, too much for him to take. As Wallach’s account has since been deleted and I purged my social media account in January, that interaction is no longer publicly available.)

Take this behavior in comparison to author LJ Silverman, who recently received a sea of anti-Semitic hate mail – including crude manipulated images of her in an oven – for Tweeting that she was worried about the upcoming election in the context of history. Wallach painted himself to be the victim, somebody “attacked” for insulting all of the religious folks in the YA community, while Silverman, who simply shared a worry plaguing her, became a victim of virulent trolls.

While Wallach deleted his social media accounts after this, there were no public consequences to his actions despite ill-will from the YA community at large. If another member of the YA community had spoken out – one of our Catholic or Islamic or Jewish or Mormon authors, for instance – the backlash would have been substantially worse, possibly career-ruining.

Wallach’s career, however, was not ruined; he recently landed a six-figure deal for a book trilogy centered around a “holy war.”

And thus, we return to Wallach’s dismissive comments on suicide – which, it turned out, were neither new or original. In a blog post deleted after it came to light during this discussion, Wallach rated “the top ten literary suicides (organized by emo-ness)” which included all of the characters of HBO’s Girls – “It’s really just a fantasy of mine.” – and, ranking at number one, Sylvia Plath – who is not a character but a real person who suffered from depression before taking her own life at a young age.

[View Wallach’s post on suicide as a .pdf.]

“I’m only going to talk about the fact that a successful YA author found it appropriate to glorify, romanticize, and mock what for many of his readers is among the highest causes of death,” wrote Schwab in her “We Need To Talk About Tommy” post. “That this author could be so very careless and flippant and insensitive about such a very serious issue is abhorrent. That two years after penning this post he still sees suicide as something to be made light of, to be used as a marketing tool.”

Simon & Schuster made no public comment about any of Wallach’s comments. His career, save for making enemies of some fellow authors, seems relatively unscathed by his callous actions.

Anyway, the moral of the story is, like, if you wanna read books by straight white dudes, go for it, but check them out from the library. Spend your book-buying money on books by women, nonbinary/other folks, and dudes who aren’t straight and/or white. Straight white men, PARTICULARLY in categories of literature that are largely targeted towards girls and women, and largely written by girls and women -- but published, edited, and marketed by other straight white men -- are lauded FAR above what they’re actually worth, as like, storytellers or human people go.

The Glass Escalator is a one-way trip to wonderland, but YA is a skyscraper that was built by women and I PROMISE you, whatever book by one of these dudes you’re considering reading, there’s a better version by a woman and/or person of color on the shelves nearby that just didn’t get 1/10th of the marketing money.

And of course there should be an effort to be kind on social media, but “keep YA kind”... to whom? To the people who were being silenced when they were pointing out legitimate problems with the behaviors of men in social power? (And one of whom, in the case of Jay Asher, was LITERALLY DANGEROUS BC HE IS A SEXUAL PREDATOR.) Like, really? There had to be a hashtag campaign to silence dozens of people with legitimate, not-bullying-just-pointing-out-problems-that-are-problems-with-stuff-you-did-dude problems, to make social media feel more comfortable for four middle-aged straight white men?

As though the outside world isn’t comfortable enough for middle-aged straight white men????

[problematicya]

The 2017 College Grad Who Got Attacked by a Horde of YA Authors Had No Idea What She Was Getting Into

She spent the weekend deleting her social media accounts because of all the harassment.

For the past 10 years, Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota, has assigned all of its first-year students the same book to read. The Common Read program, funded by local donors, then invites the author or a related speaker to discuss the book on campus. A recent short feature story in the Aberdeen News marking the program’s 10th anniversary quoted a 2017 graduate on why she decided to volunteer for the selection committee during her junior year: to prevent a book by YA author Sarah Dessen from being chosen for the program. “She’s fine for teen girls,” English graduate Brooke Nelson said. “But definitely not up to the level of Common Read. So I became involved simply so I could stop them from ever choosing Sarah Dessen.”

The quote was punchy, even intemperate. But the backlash it inspired online was exponentially more so. The saga that ensued would be worthy of a dystopian YA novel if it weren’t for the fact that 100 percent of the characters are technically adults.

Dessen is an extremely popular YA author who has written more than a dozen novels. Her teen romance The Rest of the Story debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times’ YA bestseller list this summer, soon after Netflix announced that it had optioned three other novels for adaptation. The fracas this week began when Dessen herself somehow found the South Dakota story and mournfully tweeted a screenshot to her 268,000 followers. “Authors are real people,” she wrote. “I’m having a really hard time right now and this is just mean and cruel. I hope it made you feel good.” [Update, Nov. 15, 2019, at 4:02 p.m.: Sarah Dessen posted an apology for her initial tweet on Friday afternoon. “I want to apologize to the person who was quoted,” she wrote, adding that hearing from people who don’t like her work is “part of the job.” “With a platform and a following, I have a responsibility to be aware of what I put out there,” she wrote. “I am truly sorry. Moving forward, I’ll do better.”]

Dessen scratched out Nelson’s name in her screenshot, but the story was easy to find, and Dessen’s many influential fans and followers quickly piled on their sympathy—and rage. Roxane Gay tweeted that Dessen now has a “nemesis” and suggested that Nelson had an “inflated idea” of her own “taste level.” (Gay has since apologized for these tweets.) In a since-deleted tweet, YA author Siobhan Vivian replied, “Fuck that fucking bitch.” (“I love you,” Dessen replied.) Fellow YA writer Dhonielle Clayton chimed in: “Can I add a few more choice words for Siobhan’s brilliance … fuck that RAGGEDY ASS fucking bitch.” Vivian replied with the clapping, cigarette, and nail-painting emoji. (Dessen, Vivian, and Clayton have since deleted their tweets. A request for comment sent through a website associated with Dessen did not receive a reply. Clayton did not reply to a request for comment, but Vivian expressed regret by email: “I tweeted something I should have DMed. I was hurt because my friend was hurt and now I’ve hurt someone else. I’m truly sorry for my part.”)

Author Jennifer Weiner, who has made a career of defending so-called chick lit from misogynist criticism, elaborated. “When we tell teenage girls that their stories matter less—or not at all—there are real-world consequences,” she tweeted. She added the hashtag #MeToo and linked to a Vox story about why it took so long for the teenage victims of gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar to be heard. Incredibly, the implication seemed to be that there was a connection between sexual assault and the literary taste of one committee member of a small college’s common reading program.

Nelson, for her part, emailed me on Thursday night: “In 2017, I was a college junior who joined a committee because I wanted to have a voice in what text was selected for a college reading program. I was only one vote on a large committee of college students, faculty, staff, and community members.” After spending the week deactivating her social media accounts in response to harassment, she had agonized over whether to make any statement at all. She was worried the episode could “torpedo” her career—she’s in graduate school—and she was too skittish to talk to a journalist by phone after her last experience doing so.

continue reading at Slate

[retro-rezz-the-est]

8, 13, 15, 21, 28, 94

(8) Did You Wake Up Cranky?

Surprisingly no lol

(13) Do You Sing In The Shower?

Damn right I do!

(15) Grab The Book Nearest To You, Turn To Page 64, Give Me Line 14.

“Two pills aren’t enough to erase those images and feelings.” - Tiny Pretty Things by Dhonielle Clayton (who I actually know!!!) and Sona Charaipotra

(21) Favourite Animal?

Axolotls!

(28) What Makes You Happy?

Thirsting, being on here sometimes, eating, video games, reading books/fanfic, corny jokes and talking/texting my friends

(94) Name Something That Relaxes You.

The sound of laundry machines and the smell of freshly dried clothes

[vrenaewrites]

My Favorite Books Ever (2019).

In June 2018, I did a video about my all time favorite books. I included 13 books and only a couple were young adult, which is the genre I write in.

Boy how things change in a year. I’ve read probably 20 books since then which isn’t a lot compared to other people, but you’d be surprised how many of those were absolute knockouts for me, quickly moving into my hall of fame favorites. So let’s revisit my top 10 list.

10. TIE: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee and MATILDA by Roald Dahl.

[previously #5 and #10, respectively]

These books have to be included on the basis of how much they meant to me as a child and young teen who was bookish, compassionate, and open-minded in my rural (read: often racist) southern community. Scout Finch and Matilda Wormwood were little girls I needed as a little girl, and while I may not reach for these “favorites” too often anymore, they’ll be some of the first books I share with my kids of reading age. They made me who I am.

9. THE MERCILESS by Danielle Vega Rollins.

[new addition]

Boy, oh, boy. If you didn’t catch the pop culture influences on my new WIP, you don’t even know what kind of impact this book had on me. If The Exorcist and Mean Girls had a baby written by Stephen King, this would be it. Sofia Flores is welcomed by the popular, virtuous girls at the expense of outcast Brooklyn, and the price for inclusion is higher than anyone could have known. This is a brutal, BRUTAL book. Full of intrigue, pulpy dirty laundry, and tons of gore, it’s not for the faint of heart. But it is right up my alley.

8. SHARP OBJECTS by Gillian Flynn.

[previously #8]

This book messed me up so bad I had to let my little sister borrow it so I had someone to talk about it with. It worked. Journalist Camille Preaker returns to her small Midwest town to investigate the disappearance of little girls, she has to reconnect with her toxic, dysfunctional family I’ve mentioned it before: a fucked up family and a strong sister dynamic - good or bad - are two of my favorite elements to read about. SHARP OBJECTS comes through with that in spades, along with questionable allies, mental illness in the protagonist, twist after twist, and the classic Gillian Flynn style of stylistic, highly personal writing.

7. THE EXORCIST by William Peter Blatty.

[previously #6]

I am totally and utterly obsessed with this story. I did see the movie before I read the book because I’m a horror movie junkie and I saw this movie at like, ten years old. Twelve year old Regan MacNeil makes an imaginary friend through a ouija board and things...get...weird from there. But of course, the story isn’t really about Regan. It’s about Father Karras, the titular exorcist who wrestles with the imaginary friend within Regan - the demon Pazuzu - and his own personal demons. The vulgar violence Regan is subjected to during her possession will burn into your brain forever, and the exploration of the relationship between god and man and devil feeds my dogmatic interests like few things really can.

6. THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson.

[previously #7]

I can’t overstate how much I love this book. From the queer coding of Theo and Nellie to the unsteady narration, Hill House has been ridiculously impactful on me since I read it almost two years ago. A parapsychologist invites people with paranormal experiences to spend time with him in the titular home, where he plans to prove the existence of paranormal activity. That’s right, this is the start of the ghost hunting trope, guys. Basically, these people get real fuckin’ haunted. As the sanity of each guest of Hill House is threatened and questioned, we as the reader start to wonder what the truth really is.

5. A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS by Paul Tremblay.

[previously #4]

Paul Tremblay is a contemporary to Stephen King. I said what I said. The Barrett family is torn apart by the change in Marjorie, the oldest of their two daughters. As signs of acute schizophrenia become more prevalent, the father turns to religion and the mother turns to mental health professionals. As their resources deplete, they are forced to allow a reality tv show to document Marjorie’s affliction for the paycheck, where the reality and sanity of all involved comes unraveled. The narrators. The twists upon twists. The unrelenting tension as you become invested in finding out what is really wrong with Marjorie. It’s a book I wish I wrote.

4. THE FORBIDDEN GAME trilogy by LJ Smith.

[previously #3]

I just don’t know how to explain what this book did for me creatively. It’s 90s pulp horror and it made me realize that I kinda want to write 90s pulp horror...in 2019. It’s engaging, well written, interesting, unique, diverse, and quick. LJ Smith can do no wrong in my book.

3. HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN by JK Rowling.

[previously #2]

Do I have to get into this? The introduction of Remus Lupin, my literal father. The introduction of Sirius Black, my literal son. The introduction of not so annoying Hermione, literally me. The Draco punch. Buckbeak. Big baddies on the horizon. The first YA entry in the series. Chef’s kiss. Also the best film, I said what I said.

2. CARRIE by Stephen King.

[previously #1]

I know, I’m shook. Carrie has been dethroned. Don’t tell her though - we don’t want a prom repeat. Stephen King’s debut is ridiculously good - gritty, scary, brutal, sad, and believable despite being about a telekinetic teen who’s abused into massacring most of a town. Spoilers? The book is like 40 years old. Too bad.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Alice Hoffman’s PRACTICAL MAGIC [previously #9]

Grady Hendrix’s MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM [new]

Dhonielle Clayton’s THE BELLES [new]

1. WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson.

[new addition]

Oh my God, y’all. I read this book in one day while I was in upstate NY last month. I read it on a dock, on a lake, in 80 degree weather, and I had goosebumps by the end. Mary Katherine Blackwood and her sister Constance live alone in the Blackwood mansion, hated by the villagers, jeered at in the grocery store, and gossiped about - for good reason. Six years prior, their entire family was poisoned and the prime suspect, Constance, was acquitted to the disdain of the public. But when a long lost cousin hungry for the Blackwood fortune comes to visit, secret after secret is unearthed along with little Merricat’s various treasures of protection. Talk about twists. Jackson has a KNACK for the vicious town opinion - The Lottery, anyone? - and how it can ruin a family, a person, and how there can be no sole responsibility for mob mentality. I just cannot overstate how much I love this book.

[firstdove15]

1, 3, 8, and 13 for the end of the year book ask

Hey hey! ❤️💕

1) How many books did you read this year?

56. I'm trying to finish Furthermore in a day and a half to make it 57.

3) What were your top five books of the year?

I'm happy to say I had a hard time narrowing it down but in no particular order:

- The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones (It was so creepy and while the twist started to become more obvious as you read, it was still well-written.)

- Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali (Fluffy Muslim love story with important commentary on Islamophobia.)

- If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann (I'm aware that, once again, Kann doesn't have the strongest conflict in her books but I feel like she gets people like me and I'll always appreciate that)

- The Gentleman's Guide of Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (Funny and surprisingly heartbreaking AND heartwarming. The plot AND romance slapped.)

- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Funny enough I read Daisy Jones and the Six first and....this book was way better for me. Broke my heart several times. Wasn't expecting that.)

8) Did you meet any of your reading goals? Which one?

I've met my yearly reading goal which was 40 books. But I had hoped I would finish the Fallen Isles trilogy and several other books by now. Oh well. I'll get to them when I get to them. XD

13) What were your least favorite books of the year?

- The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton (I feel bad not enjoying it after finding out she was going through a serious illness while writing this but...I just didn't. I get what she was going for and I appreciated the message that women should be allowed to feel their anger and do something constructive about it but..yeah.)

- Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst (The romance was well-written but the plot/worldbuilding felt lacking to me. OTL And this book was hyped up by a few Booktubers I follow so I lowkey felt betrayed. 😂)

[blacknerdproblems]

Out this month, Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America, edited by Ibi Zoboi contains more than 15 stories of Black teens. A star-studded anthology with stories of being young and Black in America from Zoboi, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Renée Watson, and more, the anthology demonstrates a wide variety of experience, across class, region, and religion. To talk through all these stories, two of our book reviewers, Leslie and Carrie, got together. The good and weak, the fantastic and omitted, we cover it all.

Edited by Ibi Zoboi

Leslie Light: Let’s start with some establishing questions: Did you know anything about the editor, Ibi Zoboi, when you picked up the book, or did you pick it because of the title? Or some other reason?

Carrie McClain: I haven’t had a chance to read any of her work as a writer yet but I’ve seen social media light up about American Street and Pride. I keep seeing both books in Bookstagram land. The Authors in the Black Enough anthology have been talking about the book online, so word spread that way.

LL: I picked the book up because of the writers, but now that I’ve read her short in the anthology, I do want to read her book Pride, as well. It sounds great.

CM: Pride and Prejudice adapted with Black and Brown folks in the Bronx?

LL: I’m not even a Pride and Prejudice fan and I’d rock with it. Out of the authors in Black Enough, I’d heard of Justina Ireland and Dhonielle Clayton, so this was a chance to read so many more authors I hadn’t touched on before.

Best in Class

CM: Justina Ireland was a name that sealed the deal for me too. As we loved Dread Nation.

LL: TOTALLY LOVED IT. Her story in this one, “Kissing Sarah Smart”, was fantastic.

CM: It was. The ending really worked. The characterization. That was a fave story for sure.

LL: I’ve got a sweet spot for summer romance stories too, but that one had a unique twist.

CM: The twist for sure. There were a few stories that endings didn’t pay off for me, but hers did. It felt organic.

LL: I’m at the point where I’ll read everything Ireland writes. What other stories stood out for you?

CM: “The Ingredients” by Jason Reynolds. He just gets the voices right. When I was reading his book Miles Morales: Spider-Man within the first five pages, I heard the voice of my father. I loved his story in this anthology of Black Boy Joy and silliness. The boys’ dialogue comes across as believable. Black boys shooting the breeze. The ending is funny too.

LL: I (obvi) had to read “Black.Nerd.Problems” and I would say the same about Lamar Giles’ voice. His kids are so right there. His characterization of teens in a mall is spot on. This was a nostalgia trip for me right back to Severance Town Center (shout out Cleveland!).

CM: I used to work retail in a mall and it is spot on! Different personalities for different stores. It brought me back. Black folks making up fashion as we go too!

Black Enough

LL: That’s what was under these stories for me: Not just that the characters were Black, but that their *worlds* were Black too. Sometimes you read stories with Black people and it really, it feels like Blackface, like white people pretending to Blackness to sell a story. The stories in Black Enough weren’t that at all.

CM: Yeah, I see where you’re coming from. Which goes back to the theme of this anthology.

“…Black is urban and rural, wealthy and poor, mixed race, immigrants, and more — because there are countless ways to be Black enough”.

Some stories made me tear up a bit. Renee Watson’s “Half A Moon” story, the first entry was a good way to start off the anthology. It’s about two half sisters at a summer camp. Watson wrote Piercing Me Together, a great middle school book for readers who liked The Skin I’m In.

Watson writes Black girls well. Her short story made me think about my own half sister. The tensions between sisters is something readers will pick up on. About ten years ago my older half sister pretty much said she didn’t want anything to do with me or my brothers and it devastated me. Reading about these sisters eventually get it right made me happy at least someone gets to work at a happy ending.

LL: Many of these stories don’t have happy endings. Is that indicative of teenage years?

CM: *WHEW* Many of these stories don’t have happy endings. You’re right. Because clean cut and wrapped with a bow happy endings just aren’t realistic to be honest….Dare I say it? For Black youth. Keep it 100.

LL: Dare say it! And I think as these teen stories diversify, as there are more of them from different writers, we’re beyond pretending that they do.

CM: Noted.

Read on here. [x]

[richincolor]

5 Books I'm Excited For in 2019

I was inspired by Audrey's post last week about the books she's looking forward to in the early part of this year, so I thought I'd do the same. There are some books coming out this year that I've already read (Thank you NCTE & ALAN) and I can't wait to share them with you when they come out. 

Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi

Balzer + Bray

Black Enough is a star-studded anthology edited by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi that will delve into the closeted thoughts, hidden experiences, and daily struggles of black teens across the country. From a spectrum of backgrounds—urban and rural, wealthy and poor, mixed race, immigrants, and more—Black Enough showcases diversity within diversity.

Whether it’s New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds writing about #blackboyjoy or Newbery Honor-winning author Renee Watson talking about black girls at camp in Portland, or emerging author Jay Coles’s story about two cowboys kissing in the south—Black Enough is an essential collection full of captivating coming-of-age stories about what it’s like to be young and black in America. — Summary and cover image via Goodreads

Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan Bloomsbury YA

Jasmine and Chelsea are sick of the way women are treated even at their progressive NYC high school, so they decide to start a Women’s Rights Club. They post everything online—poems, essays, videos of Chelsea performing her poetry, and Jasmine’s response to the racial macroaggressions she experiences—and soon they go viral. But with such positive support, the club is also targeted by online trolls. When things escalate, the principal shuts the club down. Jasmine and Chelsea will risk everything for their voices—and those of other young women—to be heard. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Everlasting Rose (The Belles #2) by Dhonielle Clayton Freeform

In this sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller, Camille, her sister Edel, and her guard and new love Remy must race against time to find Princess Charlotte. Sophia’s Imperial forces will stop at nothing to keep the rebels from returning Charlotte to the castle and her rightful place as queen. With the help of an underground resistance movement called The Iron Ladies-a society that rejects beauty treatments entirely-and the backing of alternative newspaper The Spider’s Web, Camille uses her powers, her connections and her cunning to outwit her greatest nemesis, Sophia, and restore peace to Orleans. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds Katherine Tegen Books

Jack Ellison King. King of Almost.

He almost made valedictorian.

He almost made varsity.

He almost got the girl . . .

When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. Jack’s curse of almost is finally over.

But this love story is . . . complicated. It is an almost happily ever after. Because Kate dies. And their story should end there. Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Beautiful, radiant Kate. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do—and let go—to save the people he loves.  — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo HarperTeen

Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.

— Cover image and summary via Goodreads