#ranking sarah dessen books

[genieinanovel]

Ranking Sarah Dessen's Books

I’m going to say upfront that I haven’t read all of Sarah Dessen’s books at this time – I’ve read just over half of her published work so far. In any case, I thought it would be fun to rank those that I have read since I know it’ll be a while before I read all of them (and that’s if I decide to read them all). 8. Someone Like You (1998) This book fell short for me with what I was expecting from…

[leclerced]

do u have any book recs??

i wanna cry because i typed out like such long recs and i have to do it again. i love reading so buckle in. i’m saving the best for last

if you want short sweet summer romances, i like sarah dessen. they’re all kind of interlinked because they’re in the same universe so once you’ve read a few you’ll notice similarities like cities mentioned, vacation beach towns, the social media apps they use. no need to read in any specific order or anything. i love this lullaby and along for the ride most i think. i used to read these as a teen and would read literally one each day.

i love the cruel prince series by holly black, anything by holly black is good if you like fae, but that one especially. it’s about a mortal girl who lives in the fae world and is raised with the royalty because her adoptive father is like a general to the king? she helps overthrow the kingdom and makes one of the princes a king even though he doesn’t want to be king. enemies to lovers. they hate each other until they don’t. there’s a scene where she’s holding him hostage with a knife to his throat and im pretty sure he begs her to kiss him. its super hot.

the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater is incredible. it’s about a psychic’s daughter who doesn’t have powers of her own, she just amplifies energies. every psychic has always told her the same thing; if she kisses her true love, he will die. what happens when she goes searching for a dead king who grants wishes and falls in love with four boys??? has sm longing it makes me SICK i have reread it sm times. also has a sequel trilogy called the dreamer trilogy that made my head SPIN. if you like audio books i wholeheartedly recommend this one because it’s set in virginia and the narrator’s thick accent is incredible imo.

now the best. the king killer chronicles by patrick rothfus is my favorite unfinished series and has been for ten years running just about. i have reread it multiple times a year. i remember reading this for the first time and not being able to get into it because it was so slow, it took me like a hundred pages out of seven hundred or so. there’s now an illustrated version out that is absolutely breathtaking. i met the author and had like three books signed by him. im shaking thinking about it!! i have begged people to read this book more times than i can count. i also recommend these as audio books but there are two different ones and i prefer the ones by nick podehl.

it’s set in a fictional world with a magic system that has a well defined set of rules based on science and only people who study it and train their minds can use it. our protagonist is essentially a savant who can do anything but also an idiot who doesn’t think things through. you’ll see what i mean. i love him. there are a million things i love about this series. the world, the prose, the characters. he travels around the world so you get to see a variety of different cultures the author created inspired by real life. my favorite are the adem, they’re not really brought up until the second book but they are silent mercenaries for hire who have a secret hand language and are the best fighters in the world. speaking and music are barbaric to them, so when our loud mouth musician shows up in their part of the world and wants to know their secrets it causes trouble!

it’s got a frame story that follows an innkeeper in a war torn world, out in the middle of nowhere. it’s the only inn in sight so it’s where townsfolk gather after working a long day, and the first insight you get into the magic of the world is from them as they tell stories over dinner. the innkeeper has an assistant named bast who you’ll learn is a high ranking member of the fae. a scribe shows up and claims that the meager innkeeper is actually the infamous kingkiller, kvothe. after denying it a bit, he concedes and agrees to tell his story but it has to be in three parts over three days. as he tells the story of his life and how he gained such notoriety it’ll cut back to the frame story when townsfolk come in or they take a break for a meal. i cannot summarize it well enough because it is So Much but below is the publisher description.

“The tale of Kvothe, from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic. In these pages, you will come to know Kvothe as a notorious magician, an accomplished thief, a masterful musician, and an infamous assassin. But this book is so much more, for the story it tells reveals the truth behind Kvothe's legend.”

There is also this line from the novel which he says when he begins his life story and i love how cocky and arrogant he sounds bc tbh hes just baby. “My name is Kvothe. I have stolen princesses from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the university at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during the day. I have talked to gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me.”

i could write so much about these books. this is me begging someone to read any of them and talk to me about them because i have years worth of thoughts.

[granturn]

Comfort Stuff Game

thanks @somfte for tagging me! I love comforting things!

Comfort movie: Pride and Prejudice (2005), A Cinderella Story, Handsome Devil

Comfort food: boxed Mac and cheese (especially Annie's white cheddar) is a classic comfort go to for me if I have it available. Quesadillas are also quick and easy if I want comfort food. If I'm getting takeout, yellow Curry from La Que is sooo good for the soul imo.

Comfort clothing: cardigans!! I would die without my red cardigan. My slightly puffy sleeved green cardigan has moved quickly up the cardigan ranking as well. I will almost always have one with me

Comfort song: Whatever I've been listening to on repeat lately is likely comforting to me. When I'm in the mood for music, I tend to just really appreciate the repetition of whatever sounds pretty to me at the time. Lucy Dacus is comforting to me because I associate her with a comforting time. Also sometimes listening to a song a friend recommended to me can be really comforting? They liked that song and saw something of me in it, you know? Idk lots of bands and songs are comforting in similar ways because they remind me of someone/something/another time that brings me comfort

Comfort book: Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes, This Lullaby or Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen, Seven Tears into the Sea by Terri Farley

Comfort game: the only game I ever play: Skyrim. Genuinely though, this game was a big comfort to me in 2020, so it has very comforting vibes for me still

Tagging: @dorkytaire , anyone else who wants to!!

[homebody-nobody]

Can you share someone of your favourite enemies to lovers books? Also I loved the new jiara fic, you never disappoint 👏🏽

omg thank you!! I worked on it in so many fits and starts, I wasn't super satisfied with what I put out, so I really appreciate that!!

ummm.... enemies to lovers books.... so I read fantasy and contemporary romance the most, so I'll demarcate based on genre

(oops this got long so see below the cut)

for fantasy: Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros - this book is MAD controversial because so many people were like 'I simply do not get the hype.' Anon, I got it. I agree that the writing and worldbuilding has flaws but also I'm an SJM fan so like, I'm here for dragons and romance, not airtight fantasy worldbuilding and poetic writing. Xaden and Violet have literally the most deliciously toxic relationship and it fills me with much joy.

Divine Rivals - Rebecca Ross when I tell you I *gobble gobble gobble* ATE this book up!! The world is really unique and interesting, the rivals are truly divine, and I loved the fantasy premise -- a soft fantasy/magical realism world where the tech is legend of korra-esque and magic has depleted but still hides in delightful corners. Like, magical typewriters??? phenomenal. The love story is VERY compelling and the plot had me gasping and nearly crying til the end. Once you've read this one, make sure you've got 'Ruthless Vows' (the sequel) ready to go!!

Also, honorable mentions to Guarded Treasure [Mae Lovette] (a The Mummy (1999) inspired potato chip read my sister got my mom for Christmas that I read on Kindle Unlimited and thoroughly enjoyed) and Cities of Smoke and Starlight [Alli Earnest] that I am reading slowly but surely that has a fun world to hang out in but just hasn't held my attention. (The author advertises as a dynamic inspired by anya/demitri in childhood favorite 'Anastasia' and I'm not saying she's wrong but I have yet to see it. But other readers seem to love it!!)

for contemporary romance:

Anything Ali Hazelwood. LISTEN!!! I know. I know, okay! I know she's Sarah Dessen, vol. 2, but she made the jump from fanfiction writer to MASSIVELY successful romance writer so maybe we all have something to learn from her!! Also, she writes enemies to lovers with different characters falling in love in different ways every time, and it's comfortable for my auDHD ass that likes to know how things will end. Yes, I've read all of her books, and here's how I rank them --

Love, Theoretically Elsie, newly graduated PhD fights for a prestigious job at MIT, while her ultimate rival and physics nemesis, Jonathan Smith-Turner sits smugly on the hiring committee. Except, he's a lot hotter than she thought he would be. And he's also the brother of the guy she's been fake-dating for money bc adjunct professors make dick and diabetic physics proteges need insulin and cheese to live. I literally go back and read my favorite pieces of this book when I'm in a reading slump/missing my boyfriend when he's on tour with his band. 10/10. Some catastrophically silly moments but like, we aren't here for the next literary classic.

Bride is it published omegaverse fanfic reminsicent of the self-insert days of livejournal yore? yes. yes it is. It's also a pleasure to read, laugh-out-loud funny and a novel take on supernatural romance, bringing in elements of SJM's Crescent City, Twilight, and a touch of omegaverse. As a treat. Even if you're not into A/B/O dynamics usually, (I'm not), I would still rec this book. It's more supernatural romance and relies on the reader knowing nothing about omegaverse lore -- baby's first omegaverse smut, if you will.

Loathe to Love you this is a MAJOR shoutout to her UNDERAPPRECIATED short story collection!! Ali's niche is Educated Women in STEM ready to destroy asshole STEMlords that want nothing more than seeing them fail, and this anthology has THREE engineers fighting for recognition in a sexist world and falling in love along the way. The last one, 'Below Zero', is my favorite !!

Love on the Brain Another disabled protagonist that really needs to checked for Ehlers-Danlos and POTS but lives undiagnosed after my own heart. Bee, a hopeless romantic with an odd attachment to Marie Curie, has the opportunity of a lifetime with NASA -- except her grad school nemesis is co-leading the project. People criticize the 2014-esque fashion choices of the FMC, forgetting that the book came out DURING that era of fashion, and would have been the HEIGHT of cool, in fact. The love interest in this one is def my fave, and there's a very large, very improbable, and thrilling twist right there on the end.

Check & Mate Ali's foray into YA, about a chess prodigy returning to the world of professional chess after dropping from the public eye in her adolescence rises fast and is a favorite to beat 'the bad boy of chess', who is DEFINITELY an asshole and cold and emotionless... right? Liked it, but I'm just not the target audience for YA anymore and I adore Ali's smut, which she obvs did not write for the two 18 yr old protags. But still good!

The Love Hypothesis. Yes, I've read it. And yes, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. But it's still painfully obvious as published reylo fic and also Ali crosses some hideous lines about bio/chem lab safety in this book that I simply cannot forgive her for. Also, since it's her debut, it's just not as good as the rest of her work.

As I've already written probably FAR more than anon was looking for, I'll spit out the rest of my contemporary romance enemies-to-lovers recs and be on my way

It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey (the sequel is not EtL but imo is better)

Enemies with Benefits, Roxie Noir (all 5 loveless brothers are excellent potato chip reads, but only the first is EtL)

Icebreaker, Hannah Grace (obviously)

The Hating Game, Sally Thorne (a pioneer, in its own right)

Well Met, Jen DeLuca (again, her whole series is PHENOM - I mean, renaissance faire themed romance series?? what's not to love?? She's a small author that doesn't have NEAR enough hype as she should and I met her in person last year at the MD ren faire. she is SO nice and SO cool so I def rec the entire series, but only Well Met is EtL)

ANYWAY, thank you for your lovely praise, and let me know if you read anything on this list!!

[soyouwinagain]

thanks @charlesxcx for the tag!!

last book i bought: Book Lovers by Emily Henry!! walked into a bookstore on release day, got it, and already read it!! (actually it’s probably the worst of her adult romance novels but it was still fun)

was gifted: VERY good question, I don’t think I made my mom give me anything for Christmas... might’ve been a historical fiction about Maria Callas (proper published RPF lmao) that my friend gave me for my birthday last year. I get why she thought I’d like it but wow it was not my taste at all

gave/lent someone: Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, my friend went camping and it rained the entire weekend and she did very little but sit in her little tent and read this

started: The Travelling Cat Chronicles, reading this for a book club thing. not really my kind of book but it’s alright to listen to. gonna finish it today

finished: Along for the Ride, a little reread because the Netflix movie just came out. I actually liked this better now than I did when I was the target audience, it always ranked thoroughly mid in my Sarah Dessen books

gave 5 stars: according to Goodreads it’s The Marrow Thieves. keep in mind that five stars does not equal favorite book for me. and also that my rating system is based off of vibes and a complicated mix of elements I like to reward/punish. I also read this in a day? it was really good, don’t get me wrong! but this is also a book outside my comfort zone and it’s one that surprised me so I ended up being generous with my rating

gave 2 stars: The Spanish Love Deception, I’ve since read several books that I’ve not rated because giving them 2 stars isn’t fair if I’m not the intended audience/reading a book I wouldn’t normally read, but that one... goes on the long list of books that TikTok is so wrong about. easily 150 pages too long because it’s overwritten to the point of absurdity, keeps mentioning the cringe title, an enemies to lovers in which the guy said something slightly stupid 5 years ago and nobody except the girl remembers and she’s truly unreasonably angry about it but the guy is also blatantly in love with the girl the entire time so it’s just pointless

didn’t finish: I pretty much only dnf in the first 10% and I don’t even really count that as having started a book... and once I make that decision I immediately forget about the book... looking through library loans I’ve returned without reading them, it’s probably I’m So (Not) Over You, which I really wanted to read but found the writing style and the MC’s characterization unbearable of (like... the MC dated this guy for 18 months in college and when they met again a couple years later he preteneded that he didn’t know the other guy’s major?????)

tagging @juncosracing @denialricciardo @lyonsbutton @scuderiafiatpanda if you wanna do this <3

[welcometothebookreport]

In 2020, I read 40 books (with maybe a few more to be added after I post this) after discovering my love of reading all over again. I am not a very hard reader to please, so it will be rare for me to rate a book with a low score, so I doubt you’ll ever see any criticism from me. So, here we go!

A few things before I start: There are three series in this list (but technically only two, because I’ve only read Serpent & Dove so far) but I’ve limited myself to no repeat authors. That must have been the hardest part for me. Since Jessi went the extra mile and ranked them in order, I’ve decided to make myself suffer the same. And while most of these were not published in 2020, they were read in 2020.

I am (sometimes) a picky reader, but any book that is on this list, I have loved. I chose not to rate them because honestly, they would have all been high. I give ratings easily, and try not to pick things apart even for books I truly did not like.

Please keep in mind that I do my best to add trigger warnings, but you should always check for certain triggers before reading. Triggers vary for everyone.

10. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Warnings: There’s a male character that’s a creep and you’ll spot him as soon as you crack this one open. This tale deals with Peyton being sentenced to prison, and their mother practically glossing over what he’s done by victim blaming.

I have read Dessen’s books since I was 13 and I truly still enjoy her stories as much as I did then. While this was a re-read for me, it’s a tie for my favorite book of hers. It’s tied with Along For the Ride.

Sydney is left in the aftermath after her older brother, Peyton, is sentenced to prison after a drunk driving accident that paralyzes a boy. Formerly in his shadow, Sydney struggles to discover what it is she wants, and how she wants to be seen as her own mother seems to gloss right over her. It’s a YA read that always feels like more than the romance that originally interested me.

9.  Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Warnings: Misogyny. The church and religion plays an extremely heavy part of this plot, which was hard for me to get into. It’s clear that some characters do not value women in their actions and words toward Lou. It made me uncomfortable in spots because I just wanted to get past it, but I plan to read this one again since I know that it won’t bother me this time! Still, there is: violence in parts, religious zealots (in case that’s something that makes you uncomfortable like it did me), derogatory slurs toward women, and again, misogyny.

I finished this one two days ago, and I sincerely cannot wait to dig into the sequel. Lou is a witty, snappy character that was such a breath of fresh air from the normal. You usually see the male lead that’s a bit crude, a bit quick to pull the trigger, and the one that’s harder to crack. Is that what happened here? Absolutely fucking not. Shelby Mahurin took something I loved, enemies to lovers, and kicked its ass. Forced marriage? UM YES. A witch and a witch-hunter? Mortal enemies? Characters that can never possibly love each other? DONE DONE DONE.

It’s hilarious in parts. Serious when it needs to be. A bit spicy too, while not a lot, which I certainly appreciate. Reid’s character development is a wonder to watch, at least for me, and by the end of the book, I am so in love with him that I don’t know what to do with myself. I have so many annotations for this novel.

8. The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

Warnings: There’s a fair bout of murder. Women are expected not to take lovers before marriage while men are not held to the same standard. Gross. Allessandra is continually underestimated so let me say: let the women do the work.

It’s called the Slytherin romance we’ve been waiting for, and I agree. While this is a shorter read, and a standalone, I was pleased with it. Both characters are incredibly ambitious, but it’s Allessandra that steals the show. The plan? To enter the palace, woo the king, and then kill him in order to take his kingdom. She’s wicked in all the ways I love.

I loved this book, and each page, but this was the line that will make me return to it: “I’m not a trollop,” I announce to the empty room. “I’m a sexually empowered woman, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

The Folk of the Air Series by Holly Black

Warnings: Aside from murder, there’s nothing that stands out to me as a trigger.

A series! The first! There’s something interesting about this series for me, and it’s that I didn’t fall in love altogether, all at once. It was gradual, like wading into water until it went right over my head. By the final fourth of The Cruel Prince, I was fully invested in this world and I absolutely needed to know how Jude and Cardan would become, well, Jude and Cardan.

As a YA series, I was not expecting the sheer amount of mystery, political intrigue, and plot twists that came with this series. However, I never knew what was going to happen, and if I did guess what was coming, Black had at least two more twists to send me for a loop. The Queen of Nothing was likely my favorite book of the series, with The Wicked King as a close second.

6. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Warnings:  Discussion of attempted non-con assault, forced disclosure of sexuality

I laughed until my eyes watered and I nearly cried in this book. Delightfully funny, and snappy, RW&B delivers on everything I didn’t know that I needed. I had never read a book where LGBTQ was represented in such a positive light. As someone raised in a more conservative household, I’ve known my own sexual orientation for a long time, but this book made me feel like I could relax in my skin because this story was stunning.

Alex and Henry left me with so much hope that it’s impossible to ever put the lid back on. I’m so happy I read this.

(oh, god, we’re in the final five.)

5. The Caraval Series by Stephanie Garber

Warnings: Physical and emotional child abuse.

I could dedicate multiple posts to this series. Maybe I still will. While this is at number five, it’s my favorite series I’ve ever read. If I could only have one series to read for the rest of my life, I would choose this one. Hands down. Full stop. These characters live in my head constantly and I would give an obscene amount of things to read it all over again for the first time. I actually read this with two of my closest friends in our many book club, and we all loved it.

Doused in magic, this world is unveiled to us with excellent descriptions. Truly, Garber owned my heart within a few chapters. Scarlett is the elder sister, Tella the younger, and if you don’t love Tella by the end of Caraval, I promise you will. I know because I was skeptical, but here I am. I’ve said it to my friends, but Scarlett is the one who holds my hair while I have a hangover. Tella is the one that helps me start the bar fight.

With non-stop turns, and magic, everything comes to life on these pages. And the romance, the romance. Please, please give me my great love in this style. It’s not too much to ask for, is it?

4. Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Warnings:  loss of sibling, loss of parent, alcoholism, mention of infidelity, mentions of previous physical and emotional child abuse.

Mae sent this recommendation to me, and I devoured all of Kemmer’s books post-haste. Declan and Juliet fall in love without knowing who the other is, while also not liking the real version of their penpal. Juliet has lost her mother, and she’s treading water, but not well. Declan has suffered in the years that follow a family tragedy, and he’s not adapting to life with his new step-father.

But he opens with CemetaryGirl (Juliet) and it’s raw in the best of ways, and the openness between them that eventually moves from their bubble to reality is one of the most pleasing things to read. I’ve read it twice this year. I will read it again next year too.

I also read this twice this year and will for sure be reading it again in 2021.

3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Warnings: Child abuse.

This was another novel that I fell in love with as I went, and that’s definitely because of the non-linear narrative. It was a little confusing, but I’m going to read it again someday since I know everything now! I read this to follow-up to Caraval with my book club pals, and it’s just what I needed to leave Caraval behind. Marco and Celia are incredible and I absolutely believe that the ending of this novel is one of the best endings I’ve ever read.

My book club has not finished this book entirely this so I’m not sharing any spoilers, but I would like to share one of my favorite quotes. “What did you wish for?” “I wished for her.”

2. Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Warnings: Cuba is in the middle of a revolution, and it’s tense in parts. There are some bittersweet elements and I think the parts of the ending are like the punch in the gut you need in order to wake you up and remember to live.

This was my first read once I really dug back into this hobby in August. It was picked by Reese Witherspoon for her book club, and she always picks good books. This is a dual timeline romance, and mystery. It’s an absolute stunner of a book. It’s a dear favorite to me now. I’ve never been to Cubs, or heard stories, but Cleeton manages to make you feel like you’re right there feeling saltwater spray across your face.

The romance made me feel breathless, but truly it’s the strong familial ties that make this such a beautiful gem. It leaves you with hope even in the dark and with love in the absence of it. I could scream about this book for the rest of my life, which I absolutely intend to do.

Favorite line? “You’re going to be difficult to walk away from, aren’t you?” “I hope so.”

1 In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Warnings? There are none that strike me. This is a lighthearted read that pulls at the heartstrings, but it’s by no means short on the laughs. And, I’m sorry for the long wall of text below.

In A Holidaze is the story of a woman stuck in her ways of never going after what she truly wants until a stray wish lands her in a time loop over the holidays. It's only after repeating the same day a few times that she quite literally says "fuck this," and starts living for HER. I really expected this to just be a Hallmark kind of read, but it was SO MUCH MORE. You should read it, even if it's after the holidays.

It's witty, and heart-wrenching, and it's just everything I didn't know I needed. Mae is snarky, and brave when she figures out that there is nothing stopping her, and the romance is - GODDAMN. Andrew. I need an Andrew and a fan.

It's not quite a love triangle, which was what I expected and I was so pleasantly surprised. I have grinned like a goddamn fool all day. I have giggled all day in front of customers, and my co-workers. I have nearly CRIED in my bedroom when my heart fell out of my ass and landed somewhere near my ankles, because hello, it's gonna get you.

This is going on my yearly re-read list for the holidays.

In the two days since I’ve finished, I’ve convinced my two friends in book club to read it, convinced Jessi to order it from Book of the Month Club, convinced another friend to read it, and bought it for Mae on Christmas day because her library had a six month hold and that was simply unacceptable.

[bookishly-kate]

Top ten books of the decade

Thanks for the tag, @bookofmirth!!

Rules are simple:

list 10 books that you either loved or that particularly shaped your life over the last decade.

the books do not have to have been published in the last 10 years, they just need to be something you either read or reread in the last decade.

I’m not posting in any particular order since ranking things is hard.

Feel free to add explanations as I did.

This list took some thought since I didn’t start my Goodreads account until 2018, but I really enjoyed thinking back on my biggest moments and what I was reading at the time.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I read this in my senior year of high school and at the time, watching Sense and Sensability and the 2005 P&P with my mom and sister were already loved traditions. The book captured my imagination and I come back to it when I want to get a little lost in the romance.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I started reading this on a break from my Freshman year of college. I still remember taking a snack break and telling my mom Rue and Katniss had just become friends and I hoped she didn’t die. My mom’s poker face is incredible - that dream was crushed not 15 min later.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling - My sophomore year of college was really trying for me - it was full of math and logic analysis and I was drowning. I asked my 10 year old brother to find all of my HP books and give them to me for Christmas and I decided to do a reread over break. It reminded me that I love reading and I could make a little time each day for something I love.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth - This is the first book whose ending surprised me and I felt the pain more deeply than anything I’d ever felt before. I sobbed for what felt days and still get sad when I think about it.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas - SJM’s books got me out of a reading slump but it was ACOMAF and the promise of ACOWAR that drove me to tumblr and this wonderful community.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - This book was enchanting and I just love the story.

The Deal by Elle Kennedy - This was my first dive into the romance genre. I found I loved the format and I’ve read many, many more books that I never would have given the chance before. They’re comforting at times when I can’t find the energy for any deep reading.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen - Another comfort from my teenage years that I reread often. This particular one is good for reminding me that bad things happen but you have to live and embrace the chaos.

Physiology by Berne & Levy - While not a novel, this book signaled my return to academia. It’s the first textbook I had to read for my Masters and I’ll keep it forever.

I’m going to cheat for the last book - I’ve spent the majority of the last two years in and out of reading slumps but one constant has been reading amazing fanfics on AO3. I’ll forever be grateful and a little in awe of those stories and the time, creativity, and skill that go into them for free. I may not be the most vocal reader but if you’re a fanfic writer - THANK YOU!

[penguinteen]

I bought my first and favorite Sarah Dessen book at a small store near me that was going out of business when I was 13, six years ago. The Truth about Forever wasn’t about a stuck up girl, wasn’t about an outcast, but was real. Since then, I have read and own all of her books because they all read like it is real girls living a real life. Every other summer, I can’t wait for the release of her new book to see where it will rank among the others.

[onebook-oneplace]

May 2015

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

at the baltic sea

This picture captures the exact moment I fell in love with this book. While there were some storylines, that I would have liked to learn more about, it is a lovely story about Sidney, a girl who sealed herself off from the world. And it wouldn’t be a true Sarah Dessen summer read if she stayed that way. So we watch her making friends and starting to trust people, letting them (back) in her life. Her first new friend, Layla, immediately wins you over with her passion (especially for fries and how they should be eaten) and  spontaneity. The romance develops tentatively but sweetly and you’re rooting for them all the way. But maybe even more for Sydney reconnecting with her family.

For me, Saint Anything ranks somewhere in the solid middle when it comes to Sarah Dessen’s books, clearly not replacing my all time favourite (Just Listen). As for the merely brushed ideas, there is always hope they will be picked up again in the next book, or the one after that. (In case you haven’t read one of her books: a) you totally should, b) they take place in the same two cities, overlapping here and there)

[thenovelescapes]

february 2017

February is my favourite month. My birthday's in February. In February, daylight begins to stretch longer, reminding us that there will be an eventual end to winter. There is always a ton of discount chocolate available after Valentine's Day. So many reasons to celebrate!

- the television -

I continued my re-watch of The Good Wife this month with seasons six and seven. Really, the only good thing to have come from the last two seasons of the series is Lucca Quinn. I am very happy that she is a major part of the spin-off, The Good Fight. The constant firm reshuffling in season six is exhausting, and I definitely did not find Alicia's States Attorney campaign nearly as interesting as the writers wanted me to, but Jeffrey Dean Morgan's face and presence was a truly wonderful distraction from how bored I was by the plot.

And now, because I've been thinking very hard about this - my definitely ranking of seasons of The Good Wife:

1. Season 5  2. Season 2  3. Season 1  4. Season 3 5. Season 6 6. Season 7 7. Season 4 

After finishing Broadchurch with my parents, I was tasked - yet again - with finding a show we could watch together that they won't hate. As frustrating as this can be, I take pride in the fact that I've expanded their taste in television beyond Big Bang Theory reruns and 48 Hours (my dad) & House of Bryan (my mom). This month, I selected Mad Men. I'd heard all the rave reviews, scrolled past the live tweet sessions during it's final season, vaguely registered the Peggy Olsen meme, and watched everyone celebrate when Jon Hamm finally won an Emmy in 2015. But I'd never seen an episode until this month. Hey... hey guys. The show is good. (I am definitely the first person to make this observation). We're currently halfway through season 3, because we have terrible timing - the show was pulled from Netflix on March 1st - but my parents like it so much that my dad wants to buy the whole series on DVD. THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED FOR HIM.

Before this month, I had tried to watch the pilot of Crashing three separate times. Each time, I ended up aborting seven to ten minutes in. But I am incredibly glad that I gave it another shot and powered through the first episode. The series is so damn funny (and at times uncomfortable). I ended up watching all six episodes in a single night, staying up way too late and keeping a hand clapped over my mouth so my laughter didn't wake the whole household up. Watch the (unfortunately, solitary) season on Netflix!

I decided, after finishing Crashing, that I needed more Pheobe Waller-Bridge in my life and immediately began Fleabag. It has an extremely different style and sensibility than Crashing but is so interesting and different. I haven't quite finished the first season yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

- the movies -

My general feeling about the movies I watched this month is: "Meh."

The Heat was funny - Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are great - but I was comparing it to Spy in my head the entire time, and for me, nothing is going to win out over Spy. Mother's Day was very blah and it featured Julia Roberts in a truly terrible wig, but it was fine? La La Land was sweet, the music was good, and Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone are wonderful together, but it was mostly forgettable.  

- the books -

Last month, I fell into a bit of a reading slump post-vacation, but came into February raring to go and read eight books.

Here are some (approximately) tweet-length reviews of my favourites of the bunch:

The Wangs Vs. the World by Jade Chang -- A delightfully dysfunctional family struggling with bankruptcy, disenfranchisement, and communication issues. Funny, smart, emotional.

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen -- Dessen's latest novel deals with grief, love, marriage, & dating in such a compassionate way; remains one of my favourite contemporary YA authors.

Dead Girls Society by Michelle Krys -- This book needs a sequel. The cast of characters - a diverse group of teen girls - are determined, brave & duplicitous. The twists are legitimately twisty and the ending is equal parts hopeful and anxiety-inducing. Seriously, sequel.

Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman -- I finished this novel two weeks ago & I cannot stop thinking about it. Set in the '90s, Girls on Fire, focuses on passionate, violent, intense female friendship and is absolutely unputdownable.

The other books I read this month were: Where We Belong by Emily Giffen, To This Day: For the Bullied and Beautiful by Shane L. Koyczan, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, and The Assistants by Camille Perri.

- podcasts -

In February, I started a new job! It's a grown-up, adult job in an office, and I am very excited about it, but it also means waking up at 5:30am and commuting nearly three hours a day. Podcasts have become my best friends.

I've written about Ask Me Another before, but I hadn't listened to it in months and months. Now, it is my favourite thing to listen to on the morning drive to work. It is always funny and high energy and the trivia games force my brain to wake up in the morning. In the afternoons, I've been alternating between Embedded (from NPR), Criminal, and Missing & Murdered: Who Killed Alberta Williams (CBC). There's something kind of perfect about listening to people talk about crime and murder while stuck in rush hour traffic. These trivia and crime podcasts have been occasionally interspersed with Bad With Money With Gaby Dunn and Missing Richard Simmons. Bad With Money is funny and honest and provides good information about loans, debt, investments, and so much more. Missing Richard Simmons is utterly fascinating. Dan Taberski, a filmmaker who was a regular in Richard Simmons' fitness class, searches for the fitness guru. From the website: "On February 15, 2014, fitness guru Richard Simmons disappeared. He stopped teaching his regular exercise class at Slimmons, cut off his closest friends, and removed himself from the public eye after decades as one of the most accessible celebrities in the world." Only three episodes have aired so far, but I'm already invested.

- other -

Dear Evan Hansen is a new Broadway musical centered on the title character, Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety disorder who becomes tangled in a family tragedy following the death of another teen. The cast album was released on February 3rd and I have been listening to it constantly ever since.

I hope you all enjoyed the shortest month of the year, and as always, happy reading, watching and listening!