Amy Reed's Blog, page 8

The best books I read in 2009

2009 was a great year for reading.  But as always, I bought way more books than I was actually able to get through.  They're still sitting on my shelves all shiny and unbent and beautiful.  I stare at them longingly, but first I must finish the amazing book I'm reading now, Slanted and Enchanted: The Evolution of Indie Culture by my friend Kaya Oakes.  If you have ever attached the word "indie" or "alternative" or "punk" or "DIY" or "counterculture" to yourself or something you've loved, you...

Thank you 2009, Hello 2010!

Well, today's the last day of 2009 and I couldn't be more ready for it to be over.  Not that 2009 wasn't a great year, but a lot of huge things happened, and even though most of them were good, it was still pretty stressful. My first novel was published, I turned thirty, I got a dog, I made major life changes for my health, and now it's December 31 and I'm ready for a nap.

I'm hoping 2010 will also be full of joy and adventures, but maybe the more soothing kind would be nice.  Like maybe I'll...

Dear Anica Rissi: Happy Editor Appreciation Day!

Dear Anica,

Thank you for believing in me and Beautiful, and for giving me the rock star treatment when I came to big bad New York City for the first time.  Thank you for insisting on buying me a cupcake.  And thank you for making me a sign.  A sign!  No one's ever made me a sign before.  Thanks for all the books you send me, especially the one about Burning Man and the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook.  I'm trying the  Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chip Cookie recipe this weekend, by the way.  You and...

Oh Lord. Time for New Year's Resolutions.

It seems like I've been making slightly different versions of the same New Year's resolutions every year for my whole life.  The top one usually involves some kind of diet, which lasts for a week or two if I'm lucky.  Then I happen to catch a whiff of something delicious and fattening like fresh pizza out of the oven, and, simple as that, the diet is over.  Same goes with exercise.  I'll be good and get up early for a few days to go running, then one morning I'll be tired, and then the next...

Dear Amy Tipton: Happy (Unofficial) Official Agent Appreciation Day!

In case you didn't know (which you probably didn't since this is the first time ever), today is Agent Appreciation Day.  You won't find it on any calendars, but a hodgepodge of YA authors decided that our beloved agents needed their very own holiday, so here it is.

Amy Tipton of Signature Literary Agency is rad for several reasons.  For one, this is her agent photo:

Who else but an awesome person would have this as her agent photo?

Secondly, she called me that winter morning two years ago and...

When I was a one-woman army…and some other stuff I was obsessed with as a teen

I got really nostalgic the other day listening to an Ani Difranco cassette tape in my car.  I haven't listened to her in years, but I still remember every single word, every inflection of her voice, every little warble and giggle.  I found myself singing at the top of my lungs with a big grin on my face, my voice cracking, on the verge of sentimental tears.  I remembered the concerts, being surrounded by hundreds of singing women, feeling that surge of energy and love and pride in my chest...

When I was a one-woman arm…and some other stuff I was obsessed with as a teen

I got really nostalgic the other day listening to an Ani Difranco cassette tape in my car.  I haven't listened to her in years, but I still remember every single word, every inflection of her voice, every little warble and giggle.  I found myself singing at the top of my lungs with a big grin on my face, my voice cracking, on the verge of sentimental tears.  I remembered the concerts, being surrounded by hundreds of singing women, feeling that surge of energy and love and pride in my chest...

Suggested reading for YA skeptics

I often find the need to defend myself when I tell people I write Young Adult fiction.  Not that anyone's ever been openly rude to me–it's more of a self-imposed inferiority complex.  I just feel like some kind of pre-emptive strike is necessary to ensure that new acquaintances understand that I'm a real writer.

I need you to understand that Twilight is not representative of the entire genre, that there is more to YA than the Gossip Girl series, that I keep company with phenomenal writers who...

Listen to me read on KQED Writers' Block!

I was honored to be invited back to read for The Writers' Block, a weekly podcast produced by KQED and distributed through NPR. The show has featured some of the best writers around, including a few of my personal faves like Charlie Anders, Kate Braverman, Junot Diaz, Stephen Elliott, Janet Fitch, Mary Gaitskill, Miranda July, Stefanie Kalem, Jonathan Lethem, Beth Lisick, Kelly Lydick, Armistead Maupin, Edie Meidav, Katia Noyes, Kaya Oakes, MG Roberts, Jonathan Safran Foer, George Saunders...

Me and my book. And movies.

Hey look! It's me and my book in the Barnes & Noble in Emeryville, CA.  I'm stoked that it's shelved next to Frank Portman's fabulous new book Andromeda Klein (although the person who shelved them apparently needs an alphabet refresher because, the last time I checked, R does not come before P.)

Brian and I popped in to the store before seeing the movie "Precious," based on one of my all-time favorite books, Push by Sapphire.  All I can say is Wow.  I don't think I was breathing for most of...