RSS

Category Archives: Reflections

Reading buddies

A trend I’ve noticed in my high school library over the last few months is buddy reading. Generally two girls, they come in looking for a book they can both read together. They might meander around the shelves picking up books and putting them down or asking for recommendations, but either way, they want the opportunity to connect with one another through literature.

This is easy to accomplish in our library. As a large high school, one of our collection development goals is to purchase multiple copies of many popular, well-written, and influential stories that could be used in the classroom, recommended during booktalks, and for times like these where friends are reading together. There’s nothing more frustrating during readers advisory to be talking up a book as we walk to the bookshelves, only to find it checked out. There are titles that always hit right with teens.

Book clubs are used for socialization more than deep literary conversation, so I have been excitedly encouraged by this newfound trend in our library. What better way to get to know your friend than reading and discussing literature?

Below are some of the favorites I recommend or have spotted friends reading together.

 

Best of 2023: YA extra love

Like the people whose birthday falls on or near a holiday, they’re often overlooked (but not always!) Books hit readers at opportune times or speak to an experience that connects to their life in a meaningful way. Here are a few that I wanted to give a little extra love to.

The creative juices flowing in these stories in how they’re told and what focus they took were what made these stellar additions to the top books of 2023 for teens.

You’ll notice the only format I didn’t focus specifically on was manga. I read widely in this format as well but often the series have been longstanding and thus not specifically published in 2023. There are always new series coming out as well but it’s hard to pinpoint publication when they are published in the United States. Yet I couldn’t not talk about my favorites of the year that may or may not have been published in 2023, but were read in 2023.

 
 

Best of 2023: YA nonfiction

Nothing that replace the feeling of learning about a new topic while reading. The special way that an author meticulously researches, bears their soul, and creates fluidity with factual information. It’s why nonfiction is my jam.

There is always overlap on lists– of course there are several graphic novels on this list that could have easily knocked off others on the YA graphic novel list but again, there are too many amazing books this year to limit ourselves. You’ll see iconic YA nonfiction authors like Steve Sheinkin and Don Brown, but you also have vivid memoirs and American history.

 

Best of 2023: YA fiction

Next up is YA fiction. So much is published each year that it feels like it’s a never-ending battle to read it all. I try to do what I can!

There is a distinct beauty to each of these stories. For the books whose authors have been around for some time or the newcomers, sentences, paragraphs, and pages can be read and reread. There are some explosive scenes, hidden histories, and even a little fun between the pages of these fiction titles.

 
 

Best of 2023: YA graphic novels

As promised, there were just too many amazing books for teens this year to have *just one* top ten list. Today I continue to highlight different categories and formats with my end-of-year listicles and today is graphic novels.

For several of these, I continue to be obsessed with the series such as Something is Killing the Children, Sheets, Fangirl, and Frights from Feral while there were standalones that stuck out for their coverage of emotional stories, humor, or thoughtfulness in addressing adversity.

 

Best of 2023: YA romance

Coming up on young adult literature for the best of lists for 2023 was too hard so I had to create several categories including today’s romance, nonfiction, and fiction (but I’ll also throw in a few bonus titles too). Romance is having a moment and I’m here for it!

There are some names that wouldn’t surprise you to be on the list along with some newcomers. Each spans the categories of magical realism to realistic, features queer and straight characters, and even representation such as in the Deaf community, Judaism, and women in medicine (from way back!) Indulge!

 
 

Best of 2023: Middle grade

… and today is middle grade, which was probably the hardest top ten to make. As with all of my top ten lists of the year, these are all books published this past year that were read and enjoyed.

The overwhelming statement of these middle grade were *chef’s kiss* one liners, paragraphs, and pages that readers can go back to revisit whether it’s a snarky gecko sidekick like in The Spirit Glass or Maldonado’s emotionally charged reading of Hands. Words have power.

 

Best of 2023: Picture books

It’s that time of year again! I’ll have a week’s worth of posts about best books of 2023, minus books for adults because they’ve had to be secret this year because of the committee work I’m doing.

As always, my books are always based on the publication year. So these are truly my favorites of the year published IN the calendar year, not what I read this year which could include oldies or even galleys of future books.

Tonight I’ll be sharing picture books.

What do they all have in common? A beauty in their storytelling and a powerful message be it nonfiction or imaginary. Either way I could spend my time staring at each page or going back to pour over the words.

 

Listening speed

1.00x (normal speed)— Who wants to be normal?

1.25x— It may be the reader or it may be the book, but we have to add a little pep in the step of the book.

1.50x— A sweet spot for an avid reader who not only likes to get pulled into a book’s orbit but also knows there are too many books and too little time on this earth (or there’s a deadline to finish the material).

1.75x— It’s probably the book because it’s not the best, but it’s also not the worst so we’ll stick it out and get through this together… just a little faster.

2.00x— I want to meet the person whose listening comprehension skills are this refined as to revel in a book while doubling it’s listening speed.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on November 29, 2023 in Audiobooks, Miscellaneous, Reflections

 

Anything better?

Is there anything better than unwrapping a gift that’s a book?

The answer is no.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on November 27, 2023 in Reflections