“Are you racist, or are you just having a bad day?”
Tag: young adult
Summer Book Series Vol. 3
There’s still a month left of summer (only a month?!?) and I wanted to do one last entry in my Summer Book Series. There’s not much of a theme for this summer list, but I did try to not feature books that I’ve previously posted about on here before. Honestly, most of my favorites are in my first summer book post highlighting Sarah Dessen, Emery Lord, and Morgan Matson, but here are a few of my other favorites.
Summer Book Series Vol. 2
I LOVE travel YA books: road trips, trips abroad, even just the short little escape a few hours away from home. I live vicariously through these characters because I’ve never had the luxury to go on these kind of trips. Most of these type of books are set during the summer because what time is more alluring than the three months that make up a summer vacation. The sun stays out longer, the heat burning your skin as you travel through unknown territory—it just screams adventure and possibility. So! Here are a few of my favorite YA Summer Travel Recommendations:
LGBTQ+ YA Recommendations –
Happy Pride Month!
I do not identify with the LGBTQ+ community, but I am a major ally and advocate. I think the YA community has some incredible stories about teens wrestling with their feelings about their sexuality and trying to figure out what it all means. On the opposite side, there are some books about people who are so sure of themselves. So sure about who they are and what they represent. So, I thought I would round up a list of YA books that center around queer characters. Some of these are also own voices rep. These are all books that I have read and really love, but as someone who doesn’t identify, I’m not the person to accurately judge the representation. Just giving out my recommendations of some great stories and character arcs.
YA Recommendations: Mental Health
Here are my YA recommendations when it comes to mental health. You can find tons of lists just like this all over the Internet, but these are just a few that I’ve read that really resonated with me. I hope you’ll enjoy, but please be advised ***TRIGGER WARNING*** for depression, suicide, anxiety, and self harm.
Puddin’
“Riots. not diets!”
I devoured Dumplin‘, by Julie Murphy, when I first heard of it a few years ago. Fat main character? Sold! Puddin’, the companion novel, was no different. Instead of following the trials and tribulations of Dolly Parton obsessed Willowdean, we hear from two complete opposites: dancer Callie Reyes and Miss Positivity, Millie Michalchuk.
Spring Book Festival Wrap-up
Every spring brings two book festivals to Southern California: The LA Times Festival of Books and Yallwest. Over the years attending these two festivals, I’ve been able to meet some of my all-time favorite authors and listen to them discuss their process, the hardships of writing, and the joys of meeting readers. This was my first time where my health and my body really limited my time and experience but I tried to make it work. There was no way I was going to miss these events, as they are some of my favorite of the year. Without further ado, here is my wrap-up of the two festivals!
