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Rita’s Year In Books

Rita’s 2022 Year in Books

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2023 Reading Challenge

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Rita Arens

Goodreads Author

Born

in somewhere in Iowa, The United States

Website

http://www.ritaarens.com

Twitter

ritaarens

Genre

Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary

Influences

Anne Lamott, Joseph Heller, John Irving, Anne Tyler, Amy Tan, Tom Robb ...more

Member Since

June 2008

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/ritaarens

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My latest novel, The Birthright of Parker Cleaves , was published in August 2019 by InkSpell Publishing. Let me know if you check it out!

My first young adult novel is The Obvious Game from InkSpell Publishing. The Obvious Game is available in paperback and ebook (all formats) online at Kobo, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, InkSpell Publishing and Indiebound and is a 2016 Library Journal Self-e Selection.

Together with Stacy Morrison and Julie Ross Godar, I edited ROOTS (Open Road, 2013). My work has appeared in BlogHer Voices of the Year: 2012 (Open Road, 2012) and Kirtsy Takes a Bow (Bright Sky Press, 2009).

I edited Sleep Is for the Weak (Chicago Review Press, 2008), which won a 2009 National Parenting Publications Award.

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Combine Editions
Rita Arens’s books

Average rating: 3.95 · 334 ratings · 90 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	Sleep Is for the Weak: The Best of the Mommybloggers Including Amalah, Finslippy, Fussy, Woulda Coulda Shoulda, Mom-101, and More! by Rita Arens (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Stacy Morrison (Foreword by) 3.78 avg rating — 176 ratings — published 2008 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Obvious Game 4.05 avg rating — 128 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Roots: Where Food Comes From and Where It Takes Us: A BlogHer Anthology by Rita Arens (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Julie Ross Godar (Editor), Stacy Morrison (Editor) 4.29 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Birthright of Parker Cleaves 4.63 avg rating — 8 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Simple Math it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	War 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2009	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hands Clasped in a Smile (Poetry Book 1) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dead Man Downstairs it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Email Me: 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Shelter (Poetry Book 3) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Rita Arens's Blog

How do I continue?

Typepad, you are useless. I should have left you decades ago. But, much like an AOL email address, I��m just too lazy to quit you.

I talked to my husband about this. ��I know a person,�� I said. but the effort to clean up 15-year-old writing feels similar to an abandoned wood bench. It would feel good to purge it, but good enough to warrant the effort? One wonders.

I am waiting to emerge from

Rita is Currently Reading

Rita Arens is currently reading

The Children on the Hill

by Jennifer McMahon (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Feb 26, 2023 05:38PM

Rita Arens is currently reading

Fairy Tale

by Stephen King (Goodreads Author)

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Dec 09, 2022 04:09PM

Rita Arens is currently reading

The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime

by Judith Flanders (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 17, 2022 11:30AM

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Rita’s Recent Updates

Rita Arens rated a book it was ok The Consultant by Bentley Little	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
So not like the show.
Mar 26, 2023 03:45PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Consultant by Bentley Little. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Consultant by Bentley Little <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens rated a book really liked it Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Loved every other thing
Mar 01, 2023 07:30PM · 1 like · like · see review
Rita Arens is currently reading The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Best Horror	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 26, 2023 05:38PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens rated a book liked it Dexter Is Dead (Dexter, #8) by Jeff Lindsay (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Disappointing end, but better than what happened in TV.
Feb 26, 2023 05:38PM · 1 like · like · see review
Rita Arens is currently reading Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 26, 2023 05:38PM · like
Rita Arens rated a book liked it Dexter Is Dead (Dexter, #8) by Jeff Lindsay (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Disappointing end, but better than what happened in TV.
Feb 26, 2023 05:37PM · 1 like · like · see review
Rita Arens rated a book really liked it The January 6 Report: Findings from the Select Committee to Investigate the Attack on the U.S. Capitol with Reporting, Analysis and Visuals by The New York Times by The January 6 Select Committee	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Extremely easy to digest despite its length. At the same time, hard to fathom this really happened.
Feb 20, 2023 08:54PM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The January 6 Report by The January 6 Select Committee. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The January 6 Report by The January 6 Select Committee <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens wants to read Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 27, 2023 08:24PM · like
Rita Arens rated a book it was amazing When Breath Becomes Air by Abraham Verghese	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Poignant and beautiful and so sad and so inevitable.
Jan 22, 2023 08:14PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of When Breath Becomes Air by Abraham Verghese. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — When Breath Becomes Air by Abraham Verghese <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens rated a book it was ok Dexter's Final Cut (Dexter, #7) by Jeff Lindsay (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dexter can't decide if he's capable of feelings or not and the force has practically disappeared. ...more
Jan 14, 2023 02:58PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dexter's Final Cut by Jeff Lindsay. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dexter's Final Cut by Jeff Lindsay <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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The Next Best Boo...: The Title Game - Part Deux	8290	2671	Nov 11, 2021 05:18AM

Rita’s Quotes

“As long as there was coffee in the world, how bad could things be?”
― Cassandra Clare, City of Ashes

tags: coffee, humor, optimism, solace

2099 likes

“I don't really like coffee, she said, but I don't really like it when my head hits my desk when I fall asleep either. ”
― Brian Andreas

tags: coffee, humor, story-people, work

297 likes

“What do you want?"
"Just coffee. Black - like my soul.”
― Cassandra Clare, City of Bones

tags: coffee, soul

2990 likes

“Police work wouldn't be possible without coffee," Wallander said.
"No work would be possible without coffee."
They pondered the importance of coffee in silence.”
― Henning Mankell, One Step Behind

tags: coffee

221 likes

“It's just like when you've got some coffee that's too black, which means it's too strong. What do you do? You integrate it with cream, you make it weak. But if you pour too much cream in it, you won't even know you ever had coffee. It used to be hot, it becomes cool. It used to be strong, it becomes weak. It used to wake you up, now it puts you to sleep.”
― Malcolm X

tags: coffee, integration, metaphor, race-relations

222 likes

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