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30 Young Adult Books with Multiracial Protagonists

6/3/2020

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For the last year I  have been searching for books to put on my classroom shelves that would give more of a representation of multiracial heritages.  My current school is very diverse.  Many of my students are multiracial like me.  I want my students to be able to see themselves in the literature offered in my library instead of having the same experience I did (and still do) in reading.  I want my students to realize that we don't have to inhabit just one world, but we are all made up of many pieces of a puzzle. 

Unfortunately, it's a tall order to ask for a mirror of my specific story.  (Surprisingly, no one has written about living on a Midwestern farm with a White mom and a Black/Carib Indian father.  2020 has been both a liberating and a marginalizing time to be multiracial for me.) Not unfortunately, more and more authors are writing about their own multiracial experiences or creating characters that will represent them.  I pray that my students will see themselves in these books but will also be opened up to new cultures and inclusive ways of thinking.  

​Below are a few of the books that I have added to my classroom shelves for next year, listed in alphabetical order by title.   I even threw in a few middle grade novels!  Some I've read, and some I haven't.  I would love to add even more to this list with your help!  

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What to Do If You're Too Anxious to Read

3/20/2020

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Friends, we're in the thick of it right now. Life is changing by the second it seems, and all you want to do is escape.  It would seem easy enough to grab a book off your ever-growing book shelves, but what happens when your favorite pastime is something you simply can't concentrate on anymore?  Below I've compiled a list of tips and tricks that have gotten me back into my reading groove in the past. I'm hoping it will help you as much as it helped me.  

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Interview with Ed Duncan, Author of Pigeon-Blood Red

2/28/2018

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I’ve always wanted to ask an author more about his or her craft, and I finally got the opportunity with one of my latest reads!  Pigeon-Blood Red is a fast-paced and suspenseful crime thriller by Ed Duncan.  You can read my full review of this book (the first in a trilogy!) over on the blog!  In the meantime, get to know the author a little bit better with me and find out what inspired him to go from partner at a law firm to writing about the world of action, adventure, shootouts, and crime with this delightful interview.  Thanks to Book Publicity Services and Ed Duncan for the time and free copy of Pigeon-Blood Red to read and review.

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Best and Worst of 2017

12/28/2017

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Well, we did it, friends.  2017 was successfully Booked Up with my highest number of books read to date.  With a grand total of 166 books, I have a lot of factors to thank for my prolific reading experience this year: grad school, the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club, Anne Bogel, the Diverse Books Club, the Dysautonomia Support Network Book Club, my local Barnes and Noble Book Club, the Kid Lit Exchange, my friends on Bookstagram . . . the list goes on and on.  I think I would be remiss if I didn’t take some time to reflect back on my favorite (and not so favorite) reads of the year.  ​Many of these I have not featured on the blog yet, which is a true shame.   Join me as I share my five of favorites, five of my least favorites, a few great audiobooks, and my bookish superlatives of the year!

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Banned Books Week 2017: My Favorite Banned Books

9/29/2017

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It’s Banned Books Week, folks!  What better way to celebrate the freedom to read than by picking up a book that has been challenged or even banned?!  I’m celebrating by rereading a few of my favorites and sharing my top 20 banned or challenged books (in no particular order).  Some of the reasons these books were banned surprised me, but at the end of the day I celebrate that I was able to enjoy them regardless of the criticism they endured.  That’s one of my favorite aspects of reading-we all glean something different.  A book I love may be a book you hate, but we all should have the freedom to read and decide on our own.  Happy Banned Books Week! Tell me about your favorite banned book from my list OR tell me one I missed!

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August 2017 in Review

9/2/2017

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August was another banner month as far as my reading life goes.  I can’t believe I read another eighteen (18?!) books in the span of 31 short days.  Many of these books I shared with you on the blog, but I thought I’d give you a few of my thoughts on the rest of the reads.  There’s nothing like a good bookish list to make my heart happy.  As always, if you have something to add like a new perspective or a “Yeah, I agree with that!”, you can share them in the comments.

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15 Ways to Celebrate Book Lovers Day

8/9/2017

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​I’ve found my new favorite holiday, Book Lovers Day!  There’s always a new holiday popping up (Hug Your Cat Day, VCR Day, and Ball Point Pen Day are among my recent favorites), but this is one that I can definitely support and celebrate with the full amount of fervor it requires.  There are so many ways you can participate, no matter if you’re an avid reader or just the occasional book lover.  If you can read, this day is for you!  Here are some of my favorite ways to get into the holiday spirit.  Let me know in the comments what you’ll be doing today! ​

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July 2017 in Review: A List With Lists

8/2/2017

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July was a whirlwind of a month! 

It started out with the celebration of our independence on the 4th, had a 90th birthday celebration in the middle, and ended with birthday wish to one J. K. Rowling.   I squeeze a lot of reading in this month, and I think you'll enjoy seeing my list of what worked for me and what didn't.


At the beginning of a new month, I like to look back at the month before to see what I accomplished, what I learned, and what I need to keep working on. I thought you might be interested in seeing my bookish month in review. . .and a few extras.
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5 of My Favorite Bookish Podcasts

6/13/2017

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​If you're like me, you can't get enough bookish talk.  I look for it everywhere: on my Instagram, on my Snapchat, and even with my podcasts.  I narrowed down my list of favorite podcasts to my top five for you to enjoy along side of me.  I can't go one episode of these bookish podcasts without adding three or four new books to my ever-growing TBR pile (or my To Read List on Goodreads).   Check out a few of my favorites below (in no particular order) and let me know if I missed any of your favorite podcasts that help you become Booked Up!


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10 Audiobooks to Help You on Your Commute

7/2/2016

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Audiobooks don't get enough credit in my opinion.  There are a lot of great reasons to start listening to audiobooks, if you haven't already.  You can work with your hands while listening to great fiction or non-fiction.  You can listen while you're falling asleep or are just tired of reading printed words.  Sometimes I switch to the audio version of a book I'm reading if I can't seem to pay attention to the words on the page, and it usually captures my attention enough to finish the book.  In fact, I'm listening to an audiobook right now.  My favorite way to listen to an audiobook is while I'm cleaning or while commuting 40+ minutes to and from work.  Here is a list of my top ten favorite books or series that I've listened to so far.

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