Welcome to Litsy!

I'm not out here trying to pick a fight with a book for teens, but insisting that someone "go live" always rubs me the wrong way, as it acts as if there is a single correct way to do that thing.

Scarlett Epstein hates it here was actually a book i randomly picked out in the store and is also one frustrating teen romance . Many times you may hate the decisions and choices made by her but in the end its still a master piece

I won a Christmas giveaway from Book Beau for an XL traveler and a mystery book (book is tagged) and it arrived today! I really love the quality of Book Beau so I was shocked that I won. Christmas keeps on coming!

This was a super cute and funny read. I'm glad I found it for a dollar. It pulled me out of my reading slump. 🖤

I'm finally getting into my current read. This might help me out of my reading slump. (I hope.)
Also, I haven't posted a picture of Happy in a long time. :)

Hauled earlier. Seems like my batting average per booksale so far is 5. 😅 But I‘m real giddy about finding #scarlettepsteinhatesithere (otherwise known as the book that had me crying at 3 in the morning) in hardback 🎉🤩😭 and because #mytbrlistisnotlongenough just neverending, more titles! #hahahuhu #bookgeekery 🤓📚#nbswarehousesale

Tl/dr: Fan fiction writer finds love and heart ache.

Good:
Funny turns of phrase
Some surprises in situations
Well-drawn main character

Bad:
Feels a little derivative of Fan Girl

Enjoyable, fast, light story with a strong female main character.

Finally getting some much needed reading in #scarlettepsteinhatesithere #ya #contemporary #annabreslaw

This book felt a bit scattered and disjointed to me. I just couldn‘t get into it as much as I would have liked.

Light and fluffy as we start the rebuilding of our home. Today, cabinetry for the kitchen and baths.

Day 178: "Sometimes my entire high school experience feels like being the only one who already knows the end of a movie..." #shoes by #chaseandchloe from #modcloth

Fun but also serious YA novel. It was a little too like Fangirl for me though. But the snacks are first rate!! #readathon

Ok y'all have to help me cull down this pile for the #readathon 😂 Have you read any of these? Thoughts?

Spring has felt absent the past few days, but fortunately, the sun is out today and this lingering bit of snow (which matches my current read) will soon be gone. #AprilBookShowers #LitsyReadingChallenge #MoubtTBR

A few green books from my #TBR. #MarchIntoReading

Apparently I didn't have many debut reads last year. I would have to say this was the #bestdebut of 2016. A pleasant surprise, as I'm not a huge fan of contemporary YA. #feistyfeb @RealLifeReading

Good morning! Here's my #rainbowstack for #24in48!! (I realized I did it upside down as I started putting them away, and I am way too tired for a redo 😂😂)

I don't know that there was anything specifically WRONG with this book. It was a nice palate cleanser and an easy read. I just didn't feel connected to any of the characters. It's something I would have adored in high school and it follows a stereotypical YA formula. I also don't read fic inside books so that kind of sucked when it came to this book.

I like books about fanfic. I don't like the actual fanfic. A struggle with this book

Well came home to find this mess tonight. My bookshelf finally cracked under the pressure of too many books... #shelfie #bookhoarder

"It's been bothering me more and more that I can't ever see anything objectively, that every observation I make is filtered through my personal lens whether I like it or not."

This quote really struck me in light of the current election season and a conference session I just attended on our unconscious biases. It can be really difficult to see beyond our own experience but it is necessary in order to truly empathize.

"The best parts in life aren't clear-cut or obvious--they don't have neat endings. I know it's you're inclination to skip to the end, but you can't just focus on how it's all gonna turn out."

Despite my lukewarm feelings for this book overall, it had some awesome, thoughtful quotes.

The cultural references in this book are on point.

I knew I was going to like this book!

Hmm. So, I didn't love it. There have been so many standout contemporaries this year and I expected this to be at the top of my list but *shrugs*.

It is still a solid contemporary and it touches on diversity and it has some really positive themes and coming-of-age soul-searching and realizations but ultimately I just didn't feel emotionally invested.

I did it! I finished both Scarlett and Blue Lily, Lily Blue. #HelloOctober

My goal is to finish this by the end of the day. I'm liking it. I'm not loving it. #HelloOctober 🍁 #catsoflitsy

Why can't I get this in any e-format from my library? Not available on any of our platforms and I need a pocket version right now.

Saturday morning reading. Novels about fan fiction writers are too few and far between. They make me miss my Sailor Moon and Pride & Prejudice fic writing days.

Some book spine poetry during #biblioweekend. Halfway through Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here. 😀

"The best parts of life aren't clear-cut or obvious; they don't have neat endings. I know it's your inclination to skip to the end, but you can't just focus on how it's all gonna turn out."

I really wanna be Ruth when I grow up. Except for the pot-smoking part. But she was hands-down my fave character in this book.

"... Moaning Myrtle of the ladies' bathroom.." Always love a Harry Potter reference!! ❤️

Starting book 3!! #24in48 #readathon

I actually liked the side characters better than I did the main character, but honestly, that's something I can really appreciate in a book. Not normally something I would read, but I figured I paid for it, I might as well. Fairly good middle grade/YA read.

Scarlett is very much like the high school version of me (right down to growing up in a crappy NJ town), although she can be a smartass and I tried to blend into the cinder block walls. It's a shame that there weren't more books about HS misfits in the 80s (at least we had John Hughes films).

A very enjoyable YA read - I really appreciate that the author writes dialogue the way young people actually speak, and I liked that the emotions weren't OVERWROUGHT to the absurd degree that some writers make them. The overlap of the book and the main character's fanfic was well done too. 4/5 ⭐️

Beautiful day for some snarky backyard reading

And so, let's move on to something hopefully much more enjoyable!

"You want some bourbon?"
"I'm fifteen."
"What's your point?"

And this is all after Scarlett helps her 71-year-old pothead neighbor figure out how to emoji-flirt.

The things that make me laugh post-midnight...

Just added this to my summer reading list. I've heard great things about Scarlett!

Guess my dog isn't such a big fan of Scarlett either! 😂

This needs to be on everyone's summer reading list! It's a funny, yet smart read. Scarlett Epstein is for anyone who has ever felt unsure of how they fit in this world. It also urges readers to be true to themselves, while embracing others for who they choose to be 💕

Attitude before reading: Yay! More visibility for fanfic culture!
After: Ugh. When the MC used IRL names in her fic, even though she's supposed to be one of the best in her fandom....yikes. Unsurprisingly, a deus ex machina. She lost me.
Read Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl. She gets it.

While there should be precautions when using social media, I believe message boards gave me freedom when I was in high school. Riddled with anxiety about being different, I felt very safe connecting with others in my fandoms. It was the one place I could be myself.

"It was a long time ago now. And it was yesterday."

I enjoyed this one quite a bit! It was very funny, but also tackled deeper issues. I loved Scarlett's relationship with Ruth. Overall, great read 😊👍🏼