Reading Without Walls Challenge

Friends, hello! So I recently came across National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Gene Luen Yang's nifty new project and reading challenge. It's called Reading Without Walls, and it aims to dismantle walls of ignorance, as well as to prevent future walls from being built, through the extraordinary power of diverse literature. I mean... WOOHOO! I'm in!

So. What are the rules? Click the following link to hear Gene Luen Yang's own explanation of the challenge and to access/download the official activity sheets.

Reading Without Walls

Did you click it? Sounds fun, right?

In order to satisfy the three parts to Yang's challenge, I'll be reading the following books. (Reviews to come, so keep an eye out!)

Part 1: Read a book about a character who doesn't look like you or live like you.

Karuna Riazi's The Gauntlet sounds like an epic Jumanji-ish tale, featuring a fierce and fabulous hijaabi heroine. I chose it because, as a white Christian from a very non-diverse and conservative community in the American Midwest, I know very little about what it means to be a person of Bangladeshi and Islamic heritage. I do not look like main character Farah, and I'm sure our everyday differs in significant ways. I'm very excited to find in her narrative a window to a world other than the one I'm most familiar with.

Part 2: Read a book about a topic you don't know much about.

So you all know that I'm a YA gal till the very end. The very end. But I decided to step outside of my comfort zone with this one. After all, that's the goal of the challenge, right? And let's be real, folks: This is probably definitely an essential read -- especially at this current moment in our political climate. Luís Alberto Urrea's 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist The Devil's Highway tells the story of a group of twenty-six men's attempt to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona. The book was recommended to me by a professor, and I'm eager to read it. I've heard it's gut-wrenching and thought-provoking and potentially transformative. Woot! Let's GO!

Part 3: Read a book in a format that you don't normally read for fun (a chapter book, a graphic novel, a book in verse, or an audio book).

Books written in verse? Not my thing. Romeo and Juliet retellings? Not my thing. So the way I see it, guys, I'm one step ahead of the game with this one. Pamela L. Laskin's Ronit & Jamil tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers, each on different sides of the barrier-fence between Israel and Gaza. Despite my disdain for verse and "violent delights" that meet "violent ends," I'm kind of looking forward to this one. Admittedly, I don't know as much as I should about the Israel-Palestine conflict, and I'm excited to have my interest sparked.

♡♡♡

I'll be sure to post reviews for each of these books, friends. In the meantime, I hope you'll consider participating in the Reading Without Walls challenge. If you do decide to participate, let me know which books you're reading in the comments below. And let me know what you think of my selections! I'd love to hear from you. And, of course, feel free to share this post with reader friends/fam who might be interested.

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

THE BOOK

Title: Geekerella

Author: Ashley Poston
Format: Hardcover

Pages: 320
Date Published: April 4, 2017
Publisher: Quirk Books

Description:

Cinderella goes to the con in this fandom-fueled twist on the classic fairy tale.

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. Geek girl Elle Wittier lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad's old costume), Elle's determined to win... unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons -- before he was famous. Now they're nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he's ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake -- until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
Books A Million
IndieBound
Indigo Books

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE REVIEW

Reviewer: Sam

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Source: Purchased from Barnes and Noble

Well, guys. Sometimes you know exactly what you want from a book. Sometimes you visit the bookstore with a very specific narrative in mind, and you are uber-prepared to scan the shelves until you find precisely that. And because every story has already been told, sometimes you get lucky and stumble across it before the staff kick you out at closing. Sometimes it's all as simple as that.

Geekerella is just such a book -- the kind you go looking for when your literary craving is extra specific and the one you purchase when you MUST HAVE, say, a contemporary Cinderella retelling with a diverse cast and a geeky twist. And hey! Lucky you! It's freaking AMAZING.

There's nothing super exceptional about this novel... except for it's being just what every fangirl and fanboy never knew they needed!! What I mean is it's a retelling. A Cinderella retelling. You've got your wicked stepfamily, your gentle-hearted and taken-advantage-of main character, your pretty-perfect Prince Charming. You've got your not-entirely-reliable pumpkin transportation, your once-in-a-lifetime ball, your otherworldly ballgown. You've got your forgotten glass slipper. In this way, it's all pretty predictable. But don't think predictability is a fault! It's not. To search the shelves for a Cinderella retelling, after all, is to search for those very things. I'd have been quite disappointed had Poston's novel eliminated some or all of them, had it altered their syntax overmuch. 

So Geekerella is predictable in that it's a retelling... but it's got its surprises, too. The cast of characters is PERFECTION. I super-loved Elle and Darien and Sage and Cal. (Okay. Admittedly, Cal has her ugly moments. Still, though.) The best part? THEY'RE DIVERSE. The novel handles their diversity with tact, too. Darien's being of color, Sage's being lesbian, Cal's being lesbian/bisexual... each character is crafted with grace, their culturally non-dominant qualities depicted as essential but not inevitable to who they are. In so crafting and depicting, the novel challenges notions of normativity. Goodness, friends! It's refreshing! 

Finally, the fandom. Duh! It's totally the best part! Gotta love those Star Trek and Star Wars references, y'all! Gotta love the fangirl/fanboy lingo! Gotta love the LOVE for all things geek! If you're like me, you don't know too many people who share your passion for characters and narratives and cosplay. If you're like me, you kinda-definitely insta-love anyone who knows anything about any one of your fandoms, yeah? And if you're like me, you sometimes can't help but feel a wee bit lonely in your die-hardness... that is, until you find your people online and in-line at cons. Guys, if you're like me, give this book a whirl. It's all the magic of ordinary Cinderella finding her extraordinary. It's all the magic of you and me finding others like us and living happily ever after in the knowledge that we're not alone in our geekiness and quirkiness and passion for fictional worlds and characters (that may or not feel slightly more real and significant than our typical everyday).

☆☆☆☆

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

THE BOOK

Title: Holding Up the Universe

Author: Jennifer Niven
Format: Hardcover

Pages: 400
Date Published: October 4, 2016
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Description:

From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone -- and love someone -- for who they truly are.

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed "America's Fattest Teen." But no one's taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom's death, she's been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby's ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he's got swagger, but he's also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can't recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He's the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he can't understand what's going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don't get too close to anyone.

Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game -- which lands them in group counseling and community service -- Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel.... Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.

Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are -- and seeing them right back.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
Books A Million
IndieBound
Indigo Books

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE REVIEW

Reviewer: Sam

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Source: Purchased from Amazon

Oh, boy. I didn't know, guys. I didn't know when I opened this book at midnight several days ago that I'd be pulling an all-nighter. I didn't know that I'd fall head-over-heels in love with Libby and Jack. I didn't know I'd be forced to face some hard realities, that those realities would gut me in the way that they did. I didn't know I'd found a new favorite.

But I know now.

Obviously, there are a great many things I could say about this book, all really wonderful and fangirly. I could talk about the dialogue... PERFECT! I could talk about the romance... SQUEE! But I really, really wanna talk about its depictions of disability and mental illness. It's important. (Duh.)

Jack is diagnosed with Prosopagnosia, or Face Blindness. As he cannot recognize faces, everyone - including close friends and family - is a stranger to him.

I'll be honest: Prior to reading the flap description, I'd never heard the terms "Prosopagnosia" or "Face Blindness." I like to think, then, that I began my reading with lots of questions and a fairly open mind. Many of my questions were answered, thanks to Niven's thorough research. My reading granted me an awareness of and empathy for the challenges that someone like Jack faces on a daily basis; that said, the novel did not leave me with feelings of sorrow or pity for Jack (as a more ableist crafting of his narrative likely would have). Quite the opposite, guys. I mean, listen: Jack is probs the coolest dude you'll ever meet - on page or in real life. Seriously. He's crazy brilliant, passionate, loyal, tender-hearted... and he sees things. He sees through and beyond the superficially-uncomplicated masks his classmates, his siblings, his parents wear. He sees through them to the nuanced truths and precious vulnerabilities that they're meant to hide. As a result, he is able to immediately recognize Libby's unique goodness and general bad-assness. (Actually, maybe that's not the best example... I mean, Libby's unique goodness and general bad-assness are pretty apparent to anyone with eyes and a brain. It's just that some people - IDIOTS! - refuse to appreciate them because she is overweight.)

Anyhoo, guys. Here's the thing: Jack may be face blind, and he may have to overcome some tuff shit as a result; but, like... I want to be him... or, at least, I want his eyes. And his swagger. And maybe (definitely) his hair.

Libby is recovering from an eating disorder. Still needing to lose 190 pounds, she is the largest girl at her new high school. I have never been overweight; therefore I cannot know Libby's struggle personally. But I have a history of disordered eating that took me out of school and brought me very near to death. I have a history of anxiety that revolves around death and dying. I'm hyperaware of my mortality and the ephemerality of everything I love. I have panic attacks. In these ways, I can very much relate to Libby. Because I can relate to her, she is real for me. Because she is real for me, her courage and her strength and her sense of self worth are real for me. I couldn't help but think all throughout this book, "I can do it because Libby is doing it. I can love myself because Libby is showing me how." And, heck! It wasn't just that I could; it's that I suddenly wanted to, guys. I wanted to stand proudly before my peers in my own skin. I wanted to say to the world, "I am worthy, and I am lovely, and I am REALLY FCKING AWESOME!" Friends, I wanted to dance.

To wrap things up (because I know this review is getting kinda long), Holding Up the Universe is pretty perfect. Niven does an amazing job crafting nuanced characters that you can't help but want all the best things for. You love them with their struggles; and you maybe kinda start to love you with your struggles as a result. The romance is fun and flirty. You'll be grinning and squealing and clapping and dancing. Just you wait. And speaking of waiting...

I cannot wait for Jennifer Niven's next book (whatever it will be). Girl has never let me down, and her books just get better and better.

I'm giving this one all the stars!

☆☆☆☆☆

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

THE BOOK

Title: Finding Audrey

Author: Sophie Kinsella
Format: Hardcover

Pages: 286
Date Published: June 9, 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Description:

An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey's daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother's gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she's never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and  her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
Books A Million
IndieBound
Indigo Books

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE REVIEW

Reviewer: Sam

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Source: Purchased from local bookstore

This book is THE CUTEST, and HOLY FANGIRL, I'm in love with it!

Warning: This review is slightly spoilery.

I'll be honest: A major reason for my adoration is the crazy resemblance that Finding Audrey shares with... wait for it... MY ACTUAL LIFE, guys. It's crazy! I was like, "Who is this Sophie Kinsella, that she knows my family so doggone well?!"

Audrey and I are similar in that we both struggle with mental illness. When I was thirteen, I was hospitalized with Anorexia Nervosa. My hospitalization, of course, resulted in my having to leave the school I'd been attending. Later, I switched schools to avoid placing myself in a situation that would likely prove triggering. In addition to my eating disorder, I struggled (and still very much do) with social and general anxiety. Some days are worse than others, and I, like Audrey, know (and occasionally need to be reminded) that life is a series of ups and downs.

Audrey's brother Frank is almost-ridiculously similar to my twin brother. THE VIDEO GAME OBSESSION, guys. Also, his snarky quick-wittedness when arguing their value with his mother - I mean, he's my bro on a page! I love how Frank has this unconditional love for Audrey, too, despite the consequences of her illness on his life. When I was ill and in the hospital, my parents took turns driving the ten-hour distance from home to me. My brother's life was thrown into chaos for quite a while, but he was endlessly selfless amidst all of that. This novel gave me a whole new appreciation for the sacrifices that my family made for me during that crazy time. 

Unfortunately, I cannot say that I have a Linus. WHAT A CUTIE. I love his relationship with Audrey. I also really loved the way that Kinsella built up their relationship. It wasn't always easy. Both Audrey and Linus were pushed outside of their comfort zones due to Audrey's struggles; but in the end, their relationship was made stronger for it.

While I felt that this novel accurately depicted aspects of mental illness, and while I felt that mental illness is certainly a theme, I wouldn't say that mental illness is strictly what Finding Audrey is about. It's about being young and vulnerable; it's about being adult and vulnerable; it's about finding courage and strength in new and familiar love. And while it's all of those things, it's laugh-out-loud funny and wonderfully heart-warming.

I'd recommend Finding Audrey to anyone and everyone.

☆☆☆☆☆

Done Dirt Cheap by Sarah Nicole Lemon

THE BOOK

Title: Done Dirt Cheap

Author: Sarah Nicole Lemon
Format: Hardcover

Pages: 336
Date Published: March 7, 2017
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Description:

Tourmaline Harris's life hit pause at fifteen, when her mom went to prison because of Tourmaline's unintentionally damning testimony. But at eighteen, her home life is stable, and she has a strong relationship with her father, the president of a local biker club known as the Wardens. 

Virginia Campbell's life hit fast-forward at fifteen, when her mom "sold" her into the services of Hazard, a powerful attorney: a man for whom the law is merely a suggestion. When Hazard sets his sights on dismantling the Wardens, he send in Virginia, who has every intention of selling out the club -- and Tourmaline.

But the two girls are stronger than the circumstances that brought them together, and their resilience defines the friendship at the heart of this powerful debut novel.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
Books A Million
IndieBound
Indigo Books

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE REVIEW

Reviewer: Sam

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Source: Purchased from Barnes and Noble

If I were to high-concept pitch this novel, I'd say it's Katie McGarry's Thunder Road series meets Emma Cline's The Girls. Folks, if that's not enough to catch your interest... \_(:/)_/.

I read this book two weeks ago. It's one of those where you really need to step back a moment and clear your mind before summarizing your reaction... or so I thought. I maybe should have dived right into the review because, heck, I'm still not entirely sure what I think and how I feel about this book. I'm a little just like, "Whoa! Did I read that, or did I dream that?" 'Cause it feels like a super vivid dream, friends - one you hope to conjure up again and again.

So. Did I enjoy it? YES. Would I recommend it? YES! But I'm really kinda struggling to put my finger on why. Like any dream, the harder I try to put my finger on the specific, the quicker it slips and slithers away. Not in a frustrating way: it's alluring, and I'm already sensing a reread in my future. I want to re-feel all the feels and re-fit all the puzzle pieces. 

But you're here for the why, right? So I'mma do my best: It could be the breezy, enigmatic vibe that kisses every aspect of this story - the characters, the pacing, the setting, the stakes. It could be the nuanced characterization of the female protagonists. It could be the unexpected (and perhaps inevitable) bond that develops between them - two young women alone in an oil-slick and unforgiving world. It could be the hard-edged and forbidden (*ahem* really-super lickable) love interests. It could be the motorcycles. (Because MOTORCYCLES.) It could be the mystery. Friends, it could be the sexy swagger of Lemon's words on page. (Uhuh. Girl knows what she's doing. 'Nother book, please!) 

In summary (because you probably definitely need one after trying to make sense of the word-mess that is this post), get your hands on a copy of this book if you like edgy, fast-paced, high-stakes reads; if you like heroines who bite (metaphorically, obviously), super-sexy guys on bikes, families with secrets, and/or narratives of finding peace and one's place in an often-cruel and ever-complicated world. Get your hands on this book if you want something new, something fresh... something really-super badass.

☆☆☆☆ 

(I'm THIS close to awarding that fifth star because THAT COVER. It's glorious, no? And it totally captures the feel of the narrative.)

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

THE BOOK

Title: We Are Okay

Author: Nina LaCour
Format: Hardcover

Pages: 240

Date Published: February 14, 2017

Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers

Description:

You go through life thinking there's so much you need.... Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother.

Marin hasn't spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she's tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit and Marin will be forced to face everything that's been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

An intimate whisper that packs an indelible punch, We Are Okay is Nina LaCour at her finest. This gorgeously crafted and cheeringly honest portrayal of grief will leave you urgent to reach across any distance to reconnect with the people you love.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
Books A Million
IndieBound
Indigo Books

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE REVIEW

Reviewer: Sam

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Source: Purchased from Amazon

I was killing time in the University bookstore last week. I spotted We Are Okay while browsing a table of new releases. I didn't recall there being much buzz about this latest work by LaCour preceding its publication, and I typically save my spending pennies for the highly-anticipateds. But there was something about it, something about that haunting description and that cool-toned cover. I had to have it.

I spent that evening reading We Are Okay and drinking hot chocolate at a corner table in Starbucks. Never would I have chosen such a public place, friends, had I known: This book is a ruiner (in the best possible way). The final chapters had me not-so-silently weeping in my not-so-private corner. (I received several questioning looks from baristas and café-goers.) Still, days later, I'm a bit funky. I can't get Marin and Mabel and LaCour's lovely prose out of my head.

I'm choosing to refrain from saying any more about the plot than that which is provided already by the description. To say more, I feel, would be to say too much. There is beauty in the mystery of Marin's tale. There is beauty, too, in truth's delicate and deliberate revelation. I'm in awe of the way in which mystery and truth's revelation are simultaneously crafted in this novel, the way in which they are interwoven as though not mutually exclusive but, rather, as magnifiers of each other. Here, mystery magnifies truth. Here, too, truth magnifies mystery. It's devastating, really - because it means that Marin's understanding of the world and of herself can never be black and white and will always be new. There is no truth uncomplicated by ambiguity.

Goodness, friends. This story feels real. These words stick to and dance along your skin like sand, like snow, like pine needles. Like tears. This story feels like holding your breath; but, then, at the last moment, at the best moment, it feels like breathing.

Read this novel if you're looking to encounter art; if you're looking to encounter humanity; if you're looking to be swept up in a current of deep thought and desperate feeling; if you're looking to be transformed.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

THE BOOK

Title: The Hating Game

Author: Sally Thorne
Format: eBook

Pages: 384

Date Published: August 9, 2016

Publisher: William Morrow & Company

Description:

Debut author Sally Thorne bursts on the scene with a hilarious and sexy workplace comedy all about that thin, fine line between hate and love.

Nemesis (n.) 

1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.

2) A person's undoing

3) Joshua Templeman

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can't understand Joshua's joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy's overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job... But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached a boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn't hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn't hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
Books A Million
IndieBound
Indigo Books

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE REVIEW

Reviewer: Sam

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Source: Purchased from Amazon

Friends, help. I can't get over this book.

I tucked myself into bed last night and thought I'd give The Hating Game a try. I'd heard a bit about it - just enough to catch my interest. But ohhh. Oh, friends. *trembles* I wasn't prepared. WHAT A BOOK! I loved everything about it: the major characters, the minor characters, the setting, the plot, the dialogue, the ending. It's PERFECTION, let me tell you. My heart burst when I flipped the last page; and I'm still oozing feels.

My favorite thing about this book is, of course, the romance. And when I say romance, I really mean SEXUAL TENSION. (That back-and-forth, though! *swoons*) These two are so evenly matched in wit and passion; and I was totally a wild woman in her pjs screaming, "KISS, DAMMIT!" and pounding pillows with her fists. (Yes, that happened.)

Lucy Hutton is adorkable in all the best ways. She had me laughing out loud and rolling my eyes and thinking, "No. You did not just." Too, she's a successful and driven woman. She fights for what she wants, and she never backs down.

Joshua Templeman is handsome and broody; but the ways in which he responds to Lucy and her personal brand of craziness are what make him so lovable. Too, he's got this am-I-good-or-am-I-bad complex that sounds silly, but IT'S NOT, okay? It makes him vulnerable in sweet and surprising ways, and I WANT TO HUG HIM FOREVER. *sobs*

Dare I say it? I may have found a new OTP.

And hey! Let's not forget that this story is set within and around the publishing industry. It does not get any better than that, folks.

If you're a fan of cute and quirky characters, sexy work-place banter, and/or slow-burn romance, add The Hating Game to the tippy-top of your TBR.

It is my bookish honor to bestow upon it...

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆