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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Readerbuzz, and Book Date.

 

 

The Sunday Post #254

 

 

 

 

Public Service Announcement

 

I love the holidays and want to spread holiday cheer. (We could all use some cheer in 2020, right?) I’m giving away a $100 Book Depository shopping spree. The winner can choose whichever books they want! The giveaway is open internationally, as long as Book Depository ships to your country for free.

Click here to enter the giveaway. Please enter! You still have a few days before Christmas.

 

 

On The Blog Last Week

 

• On Tuesday I showed you what I’m (hopefully) going to read this winter.

 

 

 

 

On The Blog This Week

 

• On Tuesday I talk about the 2020 releases I’m still desperate to read.

 

 

 

 

In My Reading Life

 

Last week, I finished Brooding YA Hero: Becoming A Main Character (Almost) As Awesome As Me by Carrie Ann DiRisio and Linnea Gear. It was . . . not very awesome. It’s repetitive, and there’s not enough material in it to fill a whole book. I used to follow the “Broody” Twitter account, and I feel like everything in the book was already on Twitter. It’s not as funny the second time around. If you’re not familiar with the book or the Twitter account, they’re basically “How to write young adult fiction” instructions, but the lessons are taught by an arrogant, brooding YA character. It’s very meta. If you’re new to writing, this might be a quick, upbeat way to learn the basics, but I didn’t get anything new out of it. Wait, that’s a lie! I did get a cookie recipe! There’s a cookie recipe in the book, which I promptly made, of course. The cookies were delicious. I put M&Ms in them.

Then I read Flying Lessons & Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh. I liked this book a lot! If you’re searching for a good middlegrade short story anthology, I highly recommend this one. There are a few “meh” stories, and a few stories that try too hard to be profound, but there are none I disliked. A few of them made me smile, especially “Flying Lessons” by Soman Chainani and “Seventy-Six Dollars and Forty-Nine Cents” by Kwame Alexander. “Flying Lessons” is about a kid and his rich, eccentric granny who are trying to make friends on a beach in Spain. “Seventy-Six Dollars and Forty-Nine Cents” is about a kid who’s writing a memoir for English class, but he gives himself psychic mind-reading powers in his memoir. The best story in the anthology is “Secret Samantha” by Tim Federle. It’s about kids doing a Secret Santa gift exchange. The author perfectly captures that awkward preteen age where you feel confused and misunderstood all the time.

Right now, I’m reading Children Of The Cave by Virve Sammalkorpi. It’s historical science fiction about two scientists who discover a group of feral children living in a cave. It’s a quick read so far. The Jules Verne vibes are strong. If you’re a fan of his stuff, check this one out. I’m also reading Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky. I’m terrified because I know a lot of readers hate this book, and I love it so far. I’m scared that something will happen to ruin it! It reminds me of IT by Stephen King. A supernatural creature is threatening a town; a kid is trying to stop it.

 

In The Rest Of My Life

 

Five things that made me happy last week:

 

1. Watching Alias Grace on Netflix. I love the book and think the TV people did an excellent job with the adaptation. Now they should do The Blind Assassin!
2. Thank you to everyone who has entered my giveaway so far! Less than a week left to enter. Then I’ll stop Tweeting about it incessantly.
3. Christmas Cookies!
4. People seem to like the Christmas gifts I got them. Or, they’re just good liars.
5. It snowed.

 

Baby Brooklyn is "helping."

 

 

I’m Stuffed With Holiday Cheer (And Cookies)

 

 

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Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!