10. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah The story of two sisters in occupied France, this is a gripping mix of Resistance history, wartime domesticity, and romance. Isabelle, the plucky heroine, joins a secret group that helps captured Allied soldiers escape through the Pyrenees. Her sister Vianne raises a Jewish child as her own after hisContinue reading “The Best Books of 2023”
Tag Archives: YA
Letters To Me
When you hear the word epistolary, you might think of novels told through letters, such as the classic 84 Charing Cross Road or its successful knockoff The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Books written in journal form can also be called epistolary, though. They might be seen as letters to the self, aContinue reading “Letters To Me”
Gangs, Guns, Prison, Poverty
I once attended a publishing panel featuring YA authors of color. The general vibe was downbeat, which can be expected from any discussion of fiction. Nearly 90% of first novels don’t get published, and those that do often make less than 10K for the author. It is a tough industry with a star system thatContinue reading “Gangs, Guns, Prison, Poverty”
When History Becomes Fiction
Recently on social media an acquaintance posted the following exchange: Officer: Why were you going 100 in a 60 zone? Me: You see, if your foot presses down on the gas petal, the car moves faster. Officer: Get out of the car. Obviously, the man who posted it was white. This scenario is humorous toContinue reading “When History Becomes Fiction”
Transitions
Even as a teen, I never read much YA. I think I was too busy processing my own angst to live vicariously through fictional scenarios. More recently I have come to appreciate the genre. There is a theory that all literature is about the hero’s journey from innocence to experience. This is certainly true forContinue reading “Transitions”
Regrets Only
If you could erase a memory from your mind, would you? And would you be the same person without it? This is one of the central questions of Adam Silvera’s More Happy Than Not. Published in 2015, this queer YA novel envisions a distant future in which a company named Leteo offers medical procedures whichContinue reading “Regrets Only”
Books Smitten 