The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez & The Story It Inspired Me To Tell

I had received a review copy of the The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez from my friends at Forever publishing, which I was so thankful for because at first glance it looked to be a novel I might enjoy. After seeing some early rave reviews for the novel, I quickly moved it up my to be read schedule. With an unexpected day off from work (thanks Houston floods), I sat down to start it. In less than 24 hours I had read it cover to cover. If you have not heard about this story, below is the synopsis.

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

To be published: June 11, 2019
About the book: Kristen Petersen doesn't do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don't get her. She's also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.

Planning her best friend's wedding is bittersweet for Kristen--especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He's funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he'd be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it's harder and harder to keep him at arm's length.

The Friend Zone will have you laughing one moment and grabbing for tissues the next as it tackles the realities of infertility and loss with wit, heart, and a lot of sass. [goodreads.com]

I was warned to have tissues near by while reading, but couldn't help but think: Why? Surely this story can't be THAT much of a tear jerker for me. Boy was I wrong. Not only did this book bring about the tears, but it also touched on a very personal, very emotional part of my own story. One that inspired me to share it on my Instagram stories after I finished reading it.

The amount of messages I received in response to my personal confessions surprised me. I had no idea so many others were feeling and understanding my own struggles with such a similar issue. I knew immediately I wanted to dig deeper with those thoughts here on my blog. So, here's my story that was inspired by this story.

Grief is the feeling we hold inside ourselves over the loss of something that's meaningful to us. 

I know that feeling of grief all too well since I am a motherless daughter and have been for 15 years. I never truly empathized with women who were grieving over lost children, or the reality of never being able to carry a child, because I had never walked in those shoes. It's still a topic I feel very strongly about because I do know women in my own life who have to endure those struggles, and still are enduring those pains. Reading this novel about the main character Kristen, and her own personal story about coming to terms with the thought that she may never carry her own child due to medical issues, struck a chord with me. Something in this particular story spoke to me and had me thinking about the choices I've made in my own life have led me to a very similar feeling of loss.

Because of the choices I've made, I am grieving the loss of ever becoming a mother myself.

Now I realize this is not something that has happened to me. I chose the path I chose. I am where I am today, without children of my own, because of reasons in my past. I am completely aware of that. I do not place blame on anyone, or anything else. But I'm starting to realize now that I am still allowed to grieve for a future I thought I'd have, but am not currently living.

Growing up I always saw myself as a mother. People always told me I had "motherly" instincts. Caring for, and loving others, just came naturally. I still value these qualities in myself today, and truly believe it's why I have taken the profession of being a teacher. When someone asks me, "Why don't you have kids? Do you just not want them?", I find myself sometimes agreeing because it's just easier to lie than tell the truth.

The truth is, I wanted to be a mother. 

In the author's note of this novel, Abby Jimenez wrote about the main character's happy ending: "It was about her recognizing that she wasn't defined by her ability to have children, and that her worth went beyond the state of her uterus." That one line stood out to me, as if Abby herself was speaking right to me. The choices I've made in my own life, that led me to not becoming a mother like I'd hoped to be, do not define me. There is more to who I am, as a woman, than just becoming a mother. Yes, this saddens me that I will never know the feeling of creating a life and carrying it, to watch it grow and evolve into a human being. That is part of my path I must live with.

I'm also recognizing that it is ok to grieve that loss. Feel what I feel, but not let it detour me. 

If you're reading this, and you see something similar in my story, I hope you don't feel alone in your grief. Know that it is ok to be sad for the future you thought you'd have. Know that it is ok to be angry with yourself for not making other choices. But also know that you ARE worth more than what you thought you'd become. I've always believed books come into our lives in just the right moments, and this book here, definitely presented itself to me when I needed it most.

8 Years of GReadsBooks!

Oh hello there! This week my blog turns 8 (yes, EIGHT!) years old!! It's hard to believe that I have been a constant in this bookish community over the course of eight years. That is such a long time if you consider how much has evolved since my early days here. What can I say, I love to read, and I will never grow tired of sharing that love with the world.

If you've been with me since the beginning, THANK YOU. I appreciate your views and your comments, so much. When someone tells me that they've picked up a book (& enjoyed it!) because of my recommendation, it brings me such joy. I do this not because I have to, but because I simply want to. Reading is such a personal journey and when I have any sort of influence on that in a positive way for someone else, it creates such a good feeling inside of me.

I've witnessed young writers in their early days blossom into beautiful, published authors. It's always been important to me to support their talents and I do it because I believe in their craft. To all the authors I've worked with in the past eight years, thank you for trusting me with your words -- it will always be an honor to read something early from you and promote it here.

To the amazing publicists and editors I've worked with, thank you for thinking of me and taking a chance on my little space of the internet to share your authors' work. I know there is A LOT to choose from, especially now.

For every reader out there, young & old, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. Even if you don't leave a comment, I appreciate you checking out what I have to say and possibly discovering something new to read. If you've ever read a book because you saw me mention it, I would love to know!

In celebration of my eight years in this bookish community, I want to say thank you by hosting a giveaway & supporting an indie bookstore that I have grown to love (& hope to visit one day soon!). This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (due to shipping costs). Please enter the rafflecopter below for an opportunity to win a $25.00 gift certificate to The Ripped Bodice - A Romantic Bookstore.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hi, it's me.

Hello there.

If you saw my previous blog post, I had mentioned going silent for a bit here. I also mentioned that I'd come back when I felt like blogging again. I'm still not 100% certain on how often that will be, but... I'm here now, blogging, because I felt up to it again.

So, hello there.

What have you been reading? Any new books you've discovered that have completely consumed you? I love when books do that. Even though I haven't been in the mood to properly review any books I've read recently, I've still had the urge to keep reading. In fact I've sort of dubbed this summer as my unofficial Summer of Re-Reads.

It started with SUMMER SKIN by Kirsty Eagar. Y'all, this Aussie author is phenomenal! If you're a regular at my blog, then you already know my love for her writing. Since Summer Skin just published here in North America, I thought it was only fitting to celebrate that with a re-read. Next up was a visit with an old love, SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL by Trish Doller. Trish is a great friend of mine (in fact, we share a love for Kirsty Eagar's writing, among many other loves, ha!) -- reading her stories bring me calm, something I can rely on when I am searching for something I know I'll need. With all the publication hype, I had to do a re-read of THE KISS QUOTIENT by Helen Hoang. I read an ARC of this one back in January and loved it immediately. The second time around? I loved it even more. If you've been seeing all the great things being said about this one, they're true! It's amazing. My latest re-read goes to WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TRUE by Huntley Fitzpatrick. This has become a summer tradition for me. Y'all, this novel is everything a summer YA contemp should be. Each time I read this story I find something new to fall in love with. It's the perfect escape I needed.

I've been reading some new stuff, too. A few of those that deserve shout outs are: SAVE THE DATE by Morgan Matson, WILD ACES series by Chanel Cleeton, and THE PROPOSAL by Jasmine Guillory. On my shelf to read very, very soon are: STAY SWEET by Siobhan Vivian, ALWAYS NEVER YOURS by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka, and NOT THE GIRLS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR by Aminah Mae Safi. I've got my eye on some upcoming releases, too: JOSH & HAZEL'S GUIDE TO NOT DATING by Christina Lauren, FIGHT OR FLIGHT by Samantha Young, and THE GEOGRAPHY OF LOST THINGS by Jessica Brody.

Books aren't the only thing that's been occupying my time now that summer has officially began. I've been watching TV, too! For the past few years, TV has dropped to the wayside. Since Friday Night Lights and Parenthood, I haven't found anything that I felt was worth sitting down and making a point to watch (except for that whole Game of Thrones binge watch I did last summer). But then, I discovered Superstore. Never has a TV show come into my life at just the right time. I started watching past episodes on Hulu back in April. The day I had to put my sweet Daisy down, I found myself in a numb blur of motions. My heart ached and I just felt... empty. I didn't want to go anywhere, or really talk to anyone. Forget trying to read something. So I turned my TV on and started watching Superstore. There was just enough in the storyline to pull me in, but not completely consume me. It was exactly what my mind needed. As the weeks went by, and I started to settle into my grief more, I continued watching it season by season. I think this is one of the funniest shows I've ever seen, to be honest. The humor speaks right to me. Though I discovered it during a very difficult time in my life, it became an escape that I leaned on and then grew to love. Regardless of where you are in life, it's still a great show and worth watching.

Now that it's officially summer, I am home for the season. It's my time to refresh and relax before another school year begins in August. I just got back from my family vacation to Colorado. We went back to the same mountain resort in the Rocky Mountains that my family visited almost 30 years ago, when I was a little child. It was amazing to experience it again. So much had changed, yet so much felt familiar, too. I hadn't appreciated the scenery at 6 years old, as I do now at 36 years old. Those mountains! It is breathtaking. To say I had a nice time is an understatement. It was a vacation I know I'll hold in my memories for years to come.

So what's next? Well, in a few weeks I'll be turning 37. I've got another vacation planned to visit my best friends in Chicago, too. I know the summer will be over in a blink and I'll be back in the classroom before I know it. I'm trying to slow myself down and relax for now. It's hard not having Daisy here, though. I still find myself wanting to walk her, look for her, pet her. Those are habits that will take some time to ease.

Tell me -- what are you reading? watching? any summer plans? Even though this blog is not what I had planned, it's still here, and I'm still giving it my voice. I hope you'll stick around and listen.

Where I've Been... & What's To Come

Hey friends... I've been a bit quiet on the blog lately and wanted to update my readers as to why. Those of you who follow me on social media may have already received this update, but for those who just follow this blog I have some sad news to share.

My sweet Daisy, who I adopted into my life over 14 years ago, has passed away. It was a very difficult decision to make as her fur-mama, one I know deep down was the right decision to make, but still so incredibly hard. She was 15 years old, and for a dog that's definitely a long life. I found out she was very sick and there wasn't much to do.

I told Daisy I loved her as much as I could. I held her in my arms the entire time. It was brutal on my heart, but the passing was peaceful. I lost a piece of myself that morning. There's a sadness that will forever be inside my heart. She was my companion for 14+ years. She was part of my every day routine for 14+ years. She came into my life just months after I lost my mom, and ever since then she had been the one taking care of me. It was now my turn to take care of her.

Yes I'm sad. Yes I'm heartbroken. I wasn't expecting the magnitude of this grief until it hit me shortly after. Is it getting easier? It's becoming more manageable, yes. I haven't been able to remove her leash from the hook beside my garage door. I still expect to hear her, see her, feel her as I walk around my home. Losing Daisy is like losing a piece of myself. It will never be found.

So, with that being said, my focus on things has definitely shifted. I had all these plans to kick off another year of Sweet Summertime Reads and every time I sat down to write a blog post for it, my heart just wasn't in it. I am not giving up on this blog, but my previous plans for it are changing. The school year is winding down this week and with it comes a lot more free time for me this summer. Perhaps I'll get back my want to blog and posts some new things here.

Until then, you can always find me on social media:

Twitter - @GReadsBooks
Instagram - @greadsbooks

I hope you're all taking care of yourself. If anything, I've learned through this grieving process is that there is no end date. We all go through it at our own pace, at our own time, and it never truly ends. I'm thankful for the love I've received from this book community. Your support has meant so much to me. I'm still here, and I'm still reading. Always feel free to recommend me books whenever you want! I promise to be back here at my blog when my heart feels up to it again.

Celebrating 7 Years of GReads with Morgan

All month long I'm celebrating my 7th year of book blogging with the help of my bookish friends. To learn more about the event, please visit my introduction post I've linked just below. There, you can also enter to win a book by one of the fabulous authors who will be joining me this month to celebrate, as well.

*~* Click Here for Intro Post & GIVEAWAY *~*

I'm excited to be featuring Morgan from the Bookish Beagle on on my blog today because I feel Morgan's blogging story is unique. I first met Morgan on twitter through bookish talks. It wasn't until she joined Jess at Gone with the Words, that I got to know her better. She's become a fun, fresh, and joyous voice to follow in the community. I adore her picture of her dog Andy, and always admire her pics from California with heart eyes. As someone who has been doing this for seven years, it's interesting to see the community grow and change. I'm excited for people like Morgan, to bring a fresh voice about the books we read. Please welcome Morgan to the blog...

My Blogging Journey

I'm so honored to help Ginger celebrate 7 years of blogging! Such an amazing accomplishment that I hope I'll be able to reach someday. I love her blog and how creative she is! My path to blogging is a little different than most, I think. For starters, I joined Twitter in 2009 to talk sports. I had a Lakers blog that I would update with my thoughts about each game because that was my outlet- at the time I had no one in real life to talk with about my passion so I turned to blogging. I didn't even know that the book blogging community existed! I'd always been a reader but I found most new books by browsing at Borders or the library (including Twilight). Ironically, the only YA I read was courtesy of my sister: she gave me The Hunger Games, The Golden Compass, and Graceling!

I honestly can't recall how I found Christina's blog Reader of Fictions but hers is the first I remember following and reading. I was starting to dip my feet back in the reading pool after years of casual reading (lots of Harry Potter and thick historical fiction) and here I found an amazing resource for books I'd never heard of but that sounded right up my alley.

I met one of my best friends (Lindsey @ Bring My Books) through Christina's blog and soon began following others- Gillian @ Writer of Wrongs, Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner, Ginger @ G Reads Books, etc- until it snowballed into the community I'm now part of. I met so many wonderful people just by getting into book conversations online- It felt amazing to have a place to really truly discuss books with other bookworms, to get recommendations and find new favorites, and to find other things in common as well. It kept me glued to twitter as I made friendships and discovered my love of Young Adult fiction. I also loved seeing everyone's creativity! So many original posts and memes and writing styles.

I started book blogging when I joined Gone with the Words in August 2014 after seeing a tweet that Jess was looking for contributors; I didn't know Jess but we had many mutuals and I felt so lucky that she picked me! It was so funny because lots of people assumed I was a book blogger already! Nope, just a girl enmeshed in bookish twitter and blog comments. Jess made it easy to dip my toe in the water and find that I really enjoyed blogging. She's one of the best people and so thanks again to blogging, I had another wonderful friendship! My first review: All Lined Up, perfect for football season. I still remember many of my firsts- my first physical arc: Lion Heart by A.C. Gaughen, o happy mail day! My first conference: ALA Annual in June 2016 where I got to meet blogging friends in person for the first time. Blogging has brought such joy to my life for so many reasons.

At the beginning of this year- February 13, 2017 to be exact- I started my own solo blogging journey for the first time. Starting The Bookish Beagle was scary because I wasn't sure if I could handle the pressures and expectations of doing everything by myself- reading enough, reading fast enough, posting on time, building an audience... even creating a website. But I've slowly relaxed and learned that content is more important than quantity, even though I try to post as often as I can. I'm still surprised when people comment or tell me how much they love my baby blog. And I love having an outlet for my bookish thoughts, which was my whole reason for blogging in the first place. I really enjoy being a book pusher ;)

There have been a lot of changes and shifts in the blogging community, even since I first started participating- some blogs are gone while many more have popped up. I'm not one for booktube but I enjoy posting pictures on Instagram even if mine aren't elaborate enough to be part of Bookstagram. I hope I'll be able to weather the changes as well as Ginger has! We'll see where the blogging world takes me next :)

Celebrating 7 Years of GReads with Trish Doller

All month long I'm celebrating my 7th year of book blogging with the help of my bookish friends. To learn more about the event, please visit my introduction post I've linked just below. There, you can also enter to win a book by one of the fabulous authors who will be joining me this month to celebrate, as well.

*~* Click Here for Intro Post & GIVEAWAY *~*

I could not celebrate 7 years of book blogging without including one of my most favorite people: Trish Doller. I first "met" Trish as her debut novel SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL was coming out into the world in 2012. I knew immediately this woman's work was something to keep on my radar. Through the years Trish and I have become good friends, and it's all thanks to books. We've shared a lot of conversations about what we're reading, what we're listening to, and what we're feeling. She is someone I am so grateful to this community for. If it weren't for our mutual friend Carla in the UK, I'm not sure if our paths would have crossed. I will always be a champion of her words, always. Please welcome Trish Doller to the blog...

When people ask me how long I’ve been writing, I usually tell them that I started as soon as I learned how. My mother still has one of my kindergarten stories—written on primary handwriting paper with a thick blue pencil—about a leprechaun in search of gold. But I’ve been a reader just as long as I’ve been a writer. Longer, if you ask my mother, who claims I learned to read when I was three years old.

One of my earliest memories is an evening when she was reading to me before bed. We were working our way through an old chapter book called “B is for Betsy” and I adored it. After my mother finished that night’s chapter, I begged her to read just a little bit more. She said, “If you want to read more, you’re going to have to read it yourself.” So I did.

That book was the key that unlocked a hunger for reading. I finished the rest of the Betsy series. I revisited the Little Golden books that my mother had read to me. I went to the library once a week and I’d spend the next seven days rounding up wild ponies on Chincoteague Island. Crossing the prairie in a covered wagon. Traveling down the Mississippi with a turtle named Minn. Getting lost in the Alaskan tundra. Falling in love with a boy named Johnny Tremaine.

These stories grew inside me, inspiring me to put my own words on paper. My first attempts were basically fanfiction, trying to insert myself as the main character of my favorite stories, but my hand usually got tired of copying whole pages. As I got older, I wrote short story romances, usually spending more time on character creation and world-building than actual writing. Older still, I tried my hand at historical romance, but by then I had children and barely had time to write, let alone finish anything.

It wasn’t until I took a job as a bookseller that it all came back. I was walking past the YA section and the cover of Maureen Johnson’s “13 Little Blue Envelopes” caught my eye. I read it in one sitting and as I turned the last page, I thought maybe I could write a book like that. I thought that the ideas living in my head might finally find a home in YA. So I started writing again.

It’s been ten years since I completed my first manuscript (which didn’t get published, by the way) but I wouldn’t be here now, if I hadn’t first fallen in love with reading. Thanks, Mom.

Follow Trish Doller on twitter

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Celebrating 7 Years of GReads with Heidi

All month long I'm celebrating my 7th year of book blogging with the help of my bookish friends. To learn more about the event, please visit my introduction post I've linked just below. There, you can also enter to win a book by one of the fabulous authors who will be joining me this month to celebrate, as well.

*~* Click Here for Intro Post & GIVEAWAY *~*

To help me celebrate today, Heidi from YA Bibliophile is here to share some of her most memorable reading recs from the book community. I've known Heidi since my early days of blogging and feel that we've grown together in this community. I love that I can still recommend books to her, and she can also influence what I read. Heidi's voice online, as well as offline as a school librarian, is so important for YA books. She's been an amazing advocate, and her enthusiasm for reading is so contagious! Please welcome Heidi to the blog...

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First things first, I’m so pleased to be here celebrating 7 years of GReads! Ginger and I started blogging around the same time and I’ve loved getting to know her and talk books (and life.)

One of my favorite things about being a blogger (and part of the online bookish community) is being surrounded by people who love to read and recommend books as much as I do! To celebrate this, I thought I would share ten favorite books I've read because someone else recommended them! For most of them I no longer remember exactly who raved about it. It was likely lots of people! There are a couple I remember and I've noted the recommender :)

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (Recommended by Ginger, of course!)

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler (I think maybe because Andi from Andi's ABCs raved about her books!)

Raise by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Read because Melissa Marr blurbed it)

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Grace Mercy by Robin LaFevers

The Ruby Oliver Books by E. Lockhart

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Of course there are so many more I've read because of the buzz pre-pub. These are just the ones I picked up because bloggers and authors I trust were talking about them! Thanks to Ginger for always having great recommendations and for sharing her love of books for seven years!

Celebrating 7 Years of GReads with Sara

All month long I'm celebrating my 7th year of book blogging with the help of my bookish friends. To learn more about the event, please visit my introduction post I've linked just below. There, you can also enter to win a book by one of the fabulous authors who will be joining me this month to celebrate, as well.

*~* Click Here for Intro Post & GIVEAWAY *~*

I am honored to have one of MY blogging heroes on the blog today, sharing her own story on how it all began. Sara from Novel Novice is someone I've admired and followed since I began my own book blog back in 2010. I remember reading her reviews and following her twitter interactions for awhile before I really got to know Sara. It wasn't until Instagram that we became closer. She's been someone I've looked up to in the community, who's ideas are always thoughtful and true, and her reading tastes are phenomenal, ones I highly trust. She's a great asset to this community and I am so thankful she's still an active participant. Please welcome Sara to the blog...

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I’m so excited to help Ginger celebrate SEVEN YEARS of blogging! This book blogging world … man, what a wild ride it’s been. I started Novel Novice in January of 2010, but my book blogging dates back about two years earlier – when I helped teacher (and now author) Tiffany Truitt manage and run her then-fledgling site, Novel Novice Twilight. Tiffany used the site as a way to chronicle how she was using the Twilight books (pre-movie craze) to get her 7^th grade students excited about reading and learning. Her students had a reputation for being “difficult to teach,” but using the books they wanted to read and were sneaking under their desk during class, she got them excited about the curriculum and helped propel them towards academic success.

I loved blogging with Tiffany, and getting swept up in the excitement of the Twilight fandom as the movies become a hit was a wild time, and tons of fun. But after a couple years, I started to get Twilight burnout – and I started thinking about where the blog would go next.

I was on a road trip with my dad in October of 2009 when the idea for Novel Novice in its current form was first born. He took notes while I drove, and we brainstormed together. Always, the idea was to remain true to the site’s roots: using the books kids wanted to read to get them excited about the books they were required to read.


Over the years, many things have changed. The Twilight site has since faded away (though you can still find it online, if you know where to look). The look and feel of Novel Novice itself has changed; and my blogging habits have changed as contributors went their own ways, and I moved on in my life to a new career, a husband, a house. And while you can still find me on Twitter and Facebook, I’ve fallen in love with Bookstagram – plus, blogging has also seen the rise of “book tube,” even though I’ve found it a poor fit for me personally.

All this is to say: book blogging has changed a great deal in the nearly ten years (WHAT?!) I’ve been blogging. But one thing has stayed the same, and that’s the people.


I have made some of the best friends through book blogging, in whatever format it takes. I still talk to Tiffany sometimes on Facebook or Twitter. Early in my blogging days, Katie at Mundie Moms was a huge inspiration and supporter of my work – and we finally met in person for the first time last year, and it was like seeing an old friend – not meeting someone new. I’ve met local friends through blogging, and now we get together for drinks or dinner or just to hang out. (In one case, our significant others have become best friends!) And there are people all over the WORLD whom I consider my friend, because of how book blogging has brought us together.

And here I am with Ginger, helping her celebrate her own blogging milestone.

Because that’s what we do. We support each other; we become friends. We form bonds. And that’s what I cherish most about being a book blogger.

The books are great. The friendships are better.

* * *

Sara is the founder of Novel Novice, where she blogs about books. She lives in the Portland, OR area with her husband, in a house full of books, and has been known for reading past her bedtime.

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Celebrating 7 Years of GReads with Amy

All month long I'm celebrating my 7th year of book blogging with the help of my bookish friends. To learn more about the event, please visit my introduction post I've linked just below. There, you can also enter to win a book by one of the fabulous authors who will be joining me this month to celebrate, as well.

*~* Click Here for Intro Post & GIVEAWAY *~*

Today's guest post comes from Amy at Tripping Over Books, who I've gotten to know in the last few years thanks to the bookish community through twitter. It was there I first discovered her blog and learned we share a love for romance reads. Amy has always been a positive light in this community, especially when she started the On the Same Page Secret Sister project with her fellow besties. Her kindness shines bright and I loved learning more about the inspiration behind her own book blog. Please welcome Amy to the blog...

***

Hello Friends! I’m so excited and glad that Ginger asked me to be a part of her SEVEN YEAR BLOGIVERSARY feature. First of all, CONGRATS, GINGER! That’s amazing. You’ve been doing you and creating excellent content for seven years. WOOO! Second of all, thank you for prompting so many people, including me, to look back on what made us blog in the first place. I think that getting back to your foundations is so important for perspective, direction, and keeping things fresh.

So, with that in mind, I’m feeling excited and nostalgic to share some of my early inspirations for my blog, Tripping Over Books!

I went to library school in the spring of 2009 because I’d recently lost my science/medical publishing job, like so many other people lost jobs in every field, and wanted to pursue a career in something I loved: Books. Library school had been on my radar for a long time, but knowing myself incapable (read: too lazy) to work and go to school at the same time, I’d always put it off. I viewed this as one of those “one door closes, another one opens” kind of moments.

When I started my classes, I was focusing on school librarianship, which meant a focus on YA and MG books. Taking my first Young Adult Literature class was like coming home. I’d already dipped my toe into YA: I’d read all of Twilight, and of course, Harry Potter. But to my awesome surprise, one of the books we were assigned to read that first semester was GRACELING by Kristin Cashore, a book I’d actually already read because I saw a review of it in People Magazine. It all felt like things were falling into place.

But what made me start to notice blogs? Once we’d read a few books--THE HUNGER GAMES was one; it had just come out--I wanted more. So I Googled. And I found some great blogs that helped feed my addiction, and I thought, “I could do this. Maybe. Probably.” The Story Siren had the best posts for putting books on my radar, The Book Smugglers had all-around great content and thoughtful reviews. Good Books and Good Wine had a unique and very conversational voice that I loved. Makeshift Bookmark was the same.

I stewed for a long time because I’d tried starting personal blogs before and lost interest, but I thought that if there was one thing I could always be interested in talking about, it would be books.

I wrote up and posted by first post while I was living in a hotel with my family after Hurricane Sandy, when we had no power for three weeks. I was basically terrified and exhilarated that I did something on the internet.

It makes sense, of course, that I would be inspired to blog by the books I was now devouring. In addition to GRACELING and THE HUNGER GAMES, I started venturing out on my own and grabbed books from the library that I’d seen on my blogs: THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, AMY & ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR, and my very first Maggie, SHIVER. I read all of these books before I started blogging, so I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed them properly, but I’ve loved them all for ages, and SHIVER led me to my heart book, THE SCORPIO RACES. Hashtag grateful.

Aside from the other adults in my library classes, I knew NO ONE even close to my age who was reading YA. I made some friends in library school, and that was magic. But then I discovered the community on Twitter, and I was agog at all the people who shared my love. It was hard to put my thoughts out there, even though no one was following me at first. As I continued to post things on my blog, though, including two awesome features for newbs, In My Mailbox and Top Ten Tuesday, the following began to grow, and connections were slowly made.

It was like--CHEESE ALERT--a whole new world opening up to me. It kept, and continues to keep, me going, albeit at a much less frequent rate these days (jobs ruin everything).

All in all, my blog has been so wonderful for me, even if my posting has dwindled lately. It’s brought me some of my best friends, my fondest memories, and legit helped me really come into my own, even when I was well into my 30s.

Congrats again, Ginger!

Celebrating 7 Years of GReads with John Corey Whaley

All month long I'm celebrating my 7th year of book blogging with the help of my bookish friends. To learn more about the event, please visit my introduction post I've linked just below. There, you can also enter to win a book by one of the fabulous authors who will be joining me this month to celebrate, as well.

*~* Click Here for Intro Post & GIVEAWAY *~*

Today's special guest is very dear to my heart. I first met author John Corey Whaley (or Corey as I know him), back in my early years of blogging. His debut novel WHERE THINGS COMES BACK had just published and I remember thinking: Wow, this is one talented dude! We first met at the Austin Teen Book Fest (now called the Texas Teen Book Fest), and kept up a habit of meeting up at future author events in the Texas area. He's been a great supporter of me and my blog, but also in my personal life as a teacher and educator. His voice in this YA community is profound, and one you should definitely be listening to. It's an honor to not only call him an author I admire, but also my friend. Please welcome John Corey Whaley to the blog...

Why, eh?

There's this funny thing that happens when you write books primarily for teens--you meet people who tell you, in earnest, that maybe one day you'll get to write an adult book. Or, more often, they ask Do you want to write adult books someday? And after this happens a few dozen times, you stop laughing at it and you start to question what this kind of attitude really means--especially for young people.

Why do so many adults still think stories written about teenagers aren't appropriate for them? Adolescence is one of the very few universal experiences that connects us all. We all have to be teenagers. It's one of the reasons I'm fascinated by it, really--it's like a physical and mental purgatory between childhood and adulthood, a cocoon where innocence starts to fade and the cynicism and anxiety of adulthood start trickling in.

I write YA because that teenage experience fascinates me in a way that "adult" life never has. I actually find being an adult quite boring most of the time, which is another reason it's nice to escape into stories of youth and coming-of-age and first steps into the chaotic world.

It should be no surprise that when I found myself welcomed into the YA Community almost seven years ago, blogs like this one opened my eyes up to a world where the cynicism and negativity directed at young people wasn't just unacceptable, but was being actively challenged--not just through the power of fiction, but in the voices of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and authors who set aside competitiveness and the bottom line to constantly come together for the better good of their readers. I met a community where being yourself was celebrated and where discussions of diversity and proper representation continue to evolve and progress everyday. I met a community devoted to speaking up for LGBTQ rights and fighting to get queer kids the respect and dignity they deserve. And I met, became a part of, and fell in love with a community that never, ever devalues young people and always appreciates what we can learn from them about ourselves.

I certainly didn’t find myself hanging around with a bunch of adult literary flunkies who'd settled on writing teen books just to pay the rent. These were artists and teachers who knew the impact they had with their stories could reach beyond the page. And now, after this year of political turmoil, I've found myself in a community that has risen to the occasion of fighting in the Resistance.

Reading has brought me many things. My career. My inspiration. Lessons about humanity and life that can't really exist outside of a good, authentic literary journey. But of all the inspiring things that reading has brought me, that books have provided, I've come to realize that none of them hold a candle to the inspiration I've found in this community of fellow booklovers.

Follow John Corey Whaley on twitter

Add his books to your goodreads

Stay up to date through his website

Celebrating 7 Years of GReads with Sarah

All month long I'm celebrating my 7th year of book blogging with the help of my bookish friends. To learn more about the event, please visit my introduction post I've linked just below. There, you can also enter to win a book by one of the fabulous authors who will be joining me this month to celebrate, as well.

*~* Click Here for Intro Post & GIVEAWAY *~*

Today on the blog, I have my good friend Sarah from What Sarah Read helping me to celebrate my seventh year of book blogging. I first met Sarah as a fellow reader through twitter, about four years ago. Immediately we connected because we liked to read the same books. Our friendship has since grown, and she is someone I consider very close to my heart. When I have something funny to share, she's only a text away. Or when I need to just vent, I know she's there to listen and be a shoulder to lean on. I am a lucky girl to have found Sarah, and it's all because of books and this community! Please welcome Sarah to the blog...

***

More than three years ago, I started on this wild adventure called blogging and my life hasn't been the same since! discovered the book blogging community via Twitter in January of 2014, and by May of 2014 I was ready to give it a try. With a little encouragement and support from some amazing friends I had met just a few months earlier on Twitter (thank you Ginger and Andi), I decided to start my very own book blog on May 15th, 2014. I was totally nervous and intimidated at first but they were super encouraging of my desire to start a blog and showed me a LOT of love. Little did I know what an amazing journey these past three plus years would be, how many cherished friendships I would make, and how life-changing this whole experience I was embarking upon would be.


I won’t lie though, the journey has been overwhelming and discouraging at times. I’ve worried over how many posts I should be publishing each week and if I’ll be able to read a book fast enough to post a review in time for its publication date. For the first year or so my stress levels over how many visitors I had to my blog each day or how many official blog followers I had got little out of hand. I got really insecure a lot and wondered if my posts were even interesting to other readers and how I’d never be as “cool” as the other bloggers I’d met. Then in the Summer of 2015 my life got super busy and I was forced to take a more casual approach to my blog. I slowed down, stopped stressing out as much and just started blogging for ME...and I haven't looked back since.

More than anything, what I LOVE about blogging is the joy I get out of reading and sharing the excitement with other readers. I’ve fallen in love with books that I never would have heard of otherwise and fangirling with the rest of you over amazing books is basically the best thing EVER! There is nothing I love more than finding a good book and then convincing a friend or family member to pick it up and start reading it too.


When I was putting together this post to celebrate Ginger's AMAZING seven years as a blogger (seriously how epic is that?), I thought it would be fun to share the ten books or series I would recommend to someone who is new to the Young Adult books community.

Before I share that list, I just wanted to wish my dear friend Ginger a very happy seventh anniversary! She's been such an amazing source of friendship and inspiration and I cannot wait to see all the wonderful ways she shares her voice and spirit in the years to come. Thanks for being you, G! We love you!

OK...on to THE LIST! This is by NO means THE definitive top ten list, it's just my picks for books I've read over the past three plus years that have stuck with me. There's swoony love stories and epic adventures, and my hope is that you find one (or two or three) that are new to you and you find a new book or author to fall in love with! That's the whole point of this book blogging thing anyway, isn't it?

I'll Meet You There / An Ember in the Ashes Series / The Grisha Trilogy / The Remnant Chronicles / The Scarlet Series / Fangirl / The Start of Me and You / My Life Next Door / Just One Day / The Star-Touched Queen

I also want to share two of the most recent additions to my faves list! The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and Warcross are both 2017 releases that will are now permanent fixtures of my best of lists! Seriously, these books are some of the best of the best!