Five Authors I Have on Auto-Read

You have them, you know you do. Authors whose books you crave. Authors whose books you go to the bookstore for on release day. Or, even better, wait impatiently for by the mailbox because you ordered it months before. Authors you have on auto-read. Here are the authors I auto-read, and why I MUST HAVE THEIR NEWEST BOOK AS SOON AS IT RELEASES. (Yes, all those caps are necessary.)
 

 

Ally Carter

 

Ever since I got my hands on Heist Society, Ally Carter has been on auto-read for me. That series was just so me (not that I’m Robin Hood or anything), but Kat and Hale and ugh! It’s like Ocean’s Eleven for teens, but so much better. Plus, I’ve read and enjoyed Gallagher Girls. I rarely pre-order books (bad, Jamie!) but I did pre-order All Fall Down (signed edition!) and it was so worth it! I can’t wait for more Heist Society novels and the sequel to All Fall Down!

 

 

Gayle Forman

I realized as I was making this list that I’ve read all of Forman’s novels. Honestly, I was surprised. I consider Just One Day and Just One Year two of my favorites (definitely my favorites of her collection) and even though I don’t fangirl over her as much as some authors, Forman is a consistently great author. I know when I pick up a Forman novel (just as I did recently with I Was Here) that it will be a thought-provoking, soul-searching journey, and I love that about her.

 

Sarah J. Maas

Celeana. Chaol. Dorian. If you haven’t read the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, you must. This series is enthralling. You will read it fervently. The characters will make you gasp, laugh and cry. Oh, what I’d give to have Queen of Shadows, the fourth book that comes out this fall, in my hands. Also, my desire for A Court of Thorns and Roses haunts my soul daily. (I just pre-ordered it yesterday!)

 

 

Rainbow Rowell

I’ve read every single book that Rainbow Rowell has published, which is rare for me since her novels are all stand-alones. Eleanor & Park was my first Rowell adventure, and that impressed me so much I read an ADULT FICTION NOVEL. Whaaaaat? I know. I read Attachments, and loved it. I held off on Fangirl for a while because I knew it would be THE ONE for me. But I did eventually read it and I was right, it's my favorite Rowell so far! Then I read Landline (another adult fiction novel!) last summer. You can bet that I’ll be reading Carry On shortly after its release!

 

J.K. Rowling

I mean, duh. Harry Potter is the end-all be-all, and even though J.K. Rowling has yet to impress me following Deathly Hallows, I will read everything she publishes. Yes, I read Casual Vacancy and ehh. Yes, I read The Cuckoo’s Calling and was mildly intrigued. I haven’t yet read The Silkworm, but I will. Rowling writes across genres, and I’m ready for something science fiction. Or solidly YA. (Squeee!)

 

What authors do you have on auto-read?

 

A Short List of Bookish Gifts

Need something for a bookish friend? Check out some of the awesome things I've found while perusing the internets!

 

For the Tea Drinker… who loves Alice in Wonderland

 

etsy.com

Drink me! Check it out here.

 

 

For the Christmas fanatic… who loves Harry Potter


redbubble.com

This can be printed on a pillow! Check it out here.

 

etsy.com

How can I say no to this Harry Potter and Home Alone mash-up sweatshirt? Check it out here.

 

 

For those who accessorize… and love TFIOS

etsy.com

Actually, I have one rather similar to this. It's pretty and subtle! Check it out here. 

 

dftba.com

Okay? Definitely. Check it out here.

 

 

For the big kid at heart... who loves Peter Pan

etsy.com

Gorgeous! Check it out here.

 

 

For the love of YA


redbubble.com

Ooooh yes. Big books are the best! Check it out here.

 

 

Wishing everyone a happy, safe, festive, adventurous, fantastical holiday season! 

 

Jamie's Favorite Wizarding World Things

Wizarding World of Harry Potter was an experience of a lifetime for me! Hogwarts Castle, Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, King's Cross, Platform 9 3/4, the Knight Bus, Ollivander's... and that's just the tip of the Sorting Hat when it comes to what I experienced at Universal Orlando. Of course, the park's not perfect, but there’s so much to explore and discover, especially now that there are two parts—Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. I spent two days at Universal, and went back and forth between the parks four times (three of which were on the Hogwarts Express)! Here are my seven favorite things from my Wizarding World experience:

7. Sweets

There's so much candy that I'm getting a sugar high just thinking about it! I dived into the selection at Honeydukes in Hogsmeade and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley. And yeah, I'm bringing home an assortment of sweets, including chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, jelly slugs, Fainting Fancies, and a Honeydukes container with fruit balls. (That's right, fruit balls.)

 

6. Photo Ops

There were just so many! It felt like I was handing my camera to my boyfriend every other minute and begging him to take my picture in front of this or next to that. Here are some of the best ones!

The Knight Bus

Muggle entrance to the Ministry of Magic

12 Grimmauld Place

The Vanishing Cabinet in Borgin and Burkes

 

5. Performances & Character Actors

Photo ops went from good to great when there was someone to pose with, like the Stan Shunpike look-a-like and the Hogwarts conductor below! Also, I was awed by the performances! I managed to catch the Hogwarts Choir in Hogsmeade and Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees in Diagon Alley. (Also, check out the Ravenclaw student who's pointing right at me!)

Knight Bus conductor

Hogwarts Express conductor

Hogwarts Choir

Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees

4. Hogwarts Castle

It’s just so pretty!

3. Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes

When I walked into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, I was wowed. (That's a lot of w's.) It's how I pictured it, except that I imagined it about five times bigger. Being able to walk inside and explore was amazing! The intricacies, including the tightrope Umbridge and the fireworks on the ceiling, made me love it even more! 

 

2. Hogwarts Express

Riding on the Hogwarts Express is awesome! It could’ve been a longer trip (though I understand why it wasn’t) and they could’ve gotten an actress to voice Hermione that sounded more like her, but the stations, the train, the cabins, and the view out the window are great!

 

1. Butterbeer!

No explanation needed.

 

 

Have you been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? If so, what did you enjoy about the experience? If not, are you planning on going? If you are, what are you most excited about experiencing?
 

Why I Love Anna, Lola and Isla

Okay people, it’s time for some book love! A few weeks ago, I finished Isla and the Happily Ever After, the last in the companion series by Stephanie Perkins. I indulged in Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door last November and I LOVED them. And I LOVED Isla even more (probably because she’s a redhead)! Here are the top five reasons I love Anna, Lola and Isla (in descending order):

5. Location, Location, Location

Paris, San Francisco, NYC and Paris again. For a Midwestern girl, traveling to these awesome cities is, well, awesome. I’m not a stuck-in-the-Midwest girl as I’ve been to Paris and NYC, so Anna and Isla's surroundings were easier for me to picture. And I love Lola because she re-introduced me to San Fran. (I say 're-' because I was introduced to San Francisco by Full House. Wasn’t that the case for every girl of my generation?)

4. Harry Potter references

Everyone loves a well-done reference to the Boy Who Lived.

 

3. Relatability

I relate to these girls. They drew me in and even though I relate the most to Isla (red hair, y'all), there was a strong connection to Anna and Lola as well (even though I’m not a movie-lover or designer).

Also, the BEST thing I’ve read about what redheads experience appears in Isla, when she's talking to Josh...

“And when a redhead hits puberty? You become this magnet for gross men. A month doesn’t pass without one telling me that I must be good in bed because all redheads are sex fiends, or I must be a bitch because all redheads have fiery tempers. Or they’ll tell me that they only date redheads, or that they never date redheads, because we’re all ugly… At least a dozen men have asked if ‘my carpet matches my drapes.’ And now there’s the ginger insult—thank you, England—and some cultures think we’re unlucky, and ohmygod, you know what the French say about redheads, right? They think we smell.” (page 133)

I know blondes have a bad rap and each and every woman is unfortunately a magnet for gross men in some way or another, but I’ve never heard it put this succinctly for redheads. To be honest, my experience hasn't been to the same extent as Isla, probably because I grew up in Indiana and she lives in NYC, but I still related. I RELATED SO MUCH. SO MUCH IT REQUIRES A LOT OF CAPS. Yeah.

2. Characters are people too

Anna, Lola and Isla are people to me. So are Etienne, Cricket and Josh. They are real. They are fleshed out and have unique interests and personalities. Also, CAMEOS ARE THE BEST. Anna and Etienne are in both Lola and Isla and Lola and Cricket are in Isla. There are conversations and updates and snark and even one MAJOR DEVELOPMENT. (You’ll find no spoilers here, though.)

1. Swoon-worthy romances that make you cringe and cry and cheer

Teens in love sometimes take a while to get it right. There are obstacles and misunderstandings and shyness and general fear and more misunderstandings. The romance between Anna and Etienne, Lola and Cricket and Isla and Josh are each wonderful in their own right. They made me cringe in the oh-my-gosh-I-can’t-believe-that-just-happened way. They made me cheer in a yes-you-go-girl kind of way. And they made me cry (though usually that came before the cheering). Real tears too, not just the sniffles.

Also, I need just a moment to swoon over these book boyfriends of mine. Etienne, Cricket and Josh. (Once again, I relate to Isla as my boyfriend’s name is—get this—Josh!) I mean, my toes are curling just thinking about them. *sigh* Book boyfriends...

 

Anna, Lola and Isla are one-sitting books. They are make-actual-facial-expressions/ make-actual-noises/ shout-at-the-characters books. They are yes-I’m-crying-but-I’m-going-to-grab-a-tissue-without-looking-because-I-must-keep-reading books.

Need a binge-read? Want a realistic YA romance? Want to travel? Want ALL THE FEELS?

Read Anna, Lola and Isla.

If JK Rowling cares about writing, she should write.

Beware, this is a rant…

So this happened last week. I suggest you give it a read. Unless you’re in a really good mood right now and don’t want it spoiled.

I read the article last week when it was published. There are so many things wrong with it that I almost don’t know where to begin. Almost.

1)      It’s shameful to read Harry Potter if you’re an adult?!?!

a.       I can’t even.

b.      Okay, maybe I can. Here’s another adult who thinks kids books (MG) and YA books are “below” them just because the books are written for kids. The common denominator between the people who say this: they haven’t read it! Ms. Shepherd admits to not having read Harry Potter. Others have written about how adults shouldn’t read Twilight or romance but if they haven’t read it themselves, how can they even judge? 

2)      It implies writing for kids is inferior.

a.       Writing, reading. Potato, potato. (This works better when spoken.) See above.

3)      If you’re taking aim at JKR, why not take aim at Patterson or Connelly or Roberts or the dozen or so other authors who dominate bestsellers with every release?

a.      I know JKR is a kahuna, but seriously, Patterson releases a new book every month and it’s always on the bestsellers. If that’s not domination, I don’t know what is.

b.      Ms. Shepherd singles out an author who wrote for kids before writing for adults. She didn’t mention all the adult authors who dominate the bestsellers (see above) who now write for kids too. (Patterson, Coben, Grisham and more have books in the MG and/or YA sections.) It’s like allowing people from Village A to move to Village B but if anyone from Village B wants to move to Village A? Their welcome looks like this:

Source: Warner Brothers

4)      Maybe if Ms. Shepherd had read Harry Potter, she would feel differently.

a.       If you haven’t experienced the magic, then sure, judge it all you want. (Hint: SARCASM.)

5)      Also, what if this was just a fancy *cough* lowly *cough* way for Ms. Shepherd to get more sales for her books? Did we just see a twerking episode of the publishing industry?

People reading books is good for the publishing industry as a whole. (I mean, duh.) And JKR gets people to read, no matter if it’s Harry Potter or Cuckoo’s Calling. She makes it more likely for people to visit a bookstore and buy books. (As do Patterson, Connelly, Grisham and all those mentioned above.) This is good for publishing, for authors and for literacy.

I’m a 26 year old adult. I have a Harry Potter poster above my bookcases. Those bookcases are full of YA. I own children’s books and adult books too. I’ve even read some of them.

I know YA is for me, but I’m not about to degrade or judge someone who reads MG or mystery or true crime or biographies or adult fiction or romance. So I’d appreciate it if people who prefer other genres didn’t do that to MG and YA readers.

Yes, I love YA. But most importantly, I LOVE BOOKS.

And no one I MEAN NO ONE tells JK Rowling to stop writing.

(See what I did there?)

/rant

Interpreting Happily Ever After

And they lived happily ever after… or maybe they didn’t. Maybe they broke up in a fiery fight a month or year later. Maybe there were curse words and flying objects. Maybe there was couples’ counseling.

OH WAIT.

As readers, we like to believe that certain fictional couples—our favorites usually—stay together forever. I like to believe that Katniss and Peeta, Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny, Cath and Levi, Etienne and Anna all lived “happily ever after.” Or that they lived together, and worked every day on their relationships.

Some YA authors don’t give their couples a “happily ever after” and I understand why. Teens are young. Who finds their soulmate in high school? Okay so I know a few couples, but mostly, no. These young couples are still growing, still changing, maybe one or both aren’t ready for a long-term relationship or maybe they don’t know each other that well.

As it turns out, even if characters are together in a flash-forward epilogue, it doesn’t mean they live happily. I did relish Ron and Hermione’s get-married-have-children-send-them-off-to-Hogwarts-a-dozen-years-later ending. The “happily ever after” I imagined for them changed with Emma Watson’s interview with Rowling. I realize now that Ron and Hermione might have needed couples’ counseling. Maybe (even though it pains me to admit this) Hermione would have been happier with Harry or someone else entirely. But Rowling didn’t leave the Deathly Hallows epilogue open for interpretation. That ending is unchangeable.

(I take solace in the fact that no matter how many people that interview reaches, it will never be able to reach as many people as the books have.)

Seven years ago, people disliked the resolute nature of the Deathly Hallows epilogue. Now, this revelation has readers fired up again. However, I’ve also seen readers criticize authors that leave endings open for interpretation. Even though it’s not right that it’s a lose-lose situation, it’s the nature of writing beloved characters.

It's my opinion that no matter how a story ends, I can imagine the ending any way I like. Authors can’t take away my imagined ending, whether it was mirrored in text or not. In the end, books belong to their readers.*

So, I imagine Ron and Hermione together, living mostly happily. They may argue on a semi-regular basis and they may need an occasional trip to counseling. But they love each other. It’s not a romantic life, but it’s realistic. And it’s my interpretation.

 

What's your interpretation of Ron and Hermione's happily ever after? What about any favorite YA couples?

 

*John Green said this, but I imagine others have as well.  

Three Traits I Require to Love Fictional Characters

I’m not on board with all fandoms. I don’t LOVE every YA book I read. (Though I do like quite a lot.) When I read a book or watch a TV show/movie, there are three things I’m looking for. If these three things are well-done and if they are all there, it can nearly guarantee my love for the characters.
 

Charisma

They need to be likable. I need to be drawn to them. I need to be unable to stop reading or watching their stories. They are intelligent and courageous. They are revolutionaries. Protectors. Individuals. They are good. (Though not necessarily wholesome.)

 

Chemistry

They have chemistry with their friends, companions and/or lovers. Real, strong relationships. Like Sherlock and John or the Doctor and his companions. Heroes find people to complement them and to keep them sane and laughing. Because where would Katniss be without Peeta’s good heart? Where would Harry be without Ron and Hermione?



 

Quirkiness

They’re weird. Which makes it okay for me to be weird.
 

Okay really just any excuse to use this picture.
(Not that I would visit Buckingham Palace wrapped in a sheet.)

 

Bowties are cool.