Annie Cardi's Blog, page 11

Quote of the Day

“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” ― Maya Angelou

I feel like I’ve bene hearing a lot recently about fear and about courage–universe, are you trying to tell me something? I feel like this quote about courage could apply not just to romantic love, but love for yourself or your work, too. Here’s to being courageous, one more time.

(image by Adria Richards)

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, all! I was feeling the good writing vibes this week, and I’m looking forward to a beautiful weekend here in the Boston area. Let’s get things started with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer.

Reading: Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars by Nathalia Holt

This made me wish I’d been naturally better at science. High five, NASA ladies!

Writing: It always seemed like friendship at first but they always wanted something.

Girl, you gotta stop being so suspicious.

Summer Solstice Reading List

Photo: Sunset by Martin

“Do you ever wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it!”–F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Happy Summer Solstice, everyone! In case you’re not up on your astronomy, this is when the northern hemisphere of the earth is most tilted toward the sun, giving us the most daylight of the year. (Summer hemisphere friends, this happens for you in December.) This year the solstice coincides with the Strawberry Moon, aka June’s full moon. Lots of cool stuff going on in the sky today!

 It also marks the beginning of summer, which feels like a great day to share some of my suggestions for summery reading. In ascending order of target age of reader:

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

Cozy and clever story of sisters on summer vacation.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Life and death and eternity, all on the hottest day of the year.
A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle

The most famous of the Austin family novels, about grief and hope and dolphins.
Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters, and Brooke A. Allen

I never went to summer camp, but I want to sign up for  Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s camp for hard-core lady-types.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

Fun and surprisingly moving story of family, love, and why you need your friends.
Breakfast Served Anytime by Sarah Combs

Set at a summer program for gifted and talented students, Gloria is in my heart forever.
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Touching story about family and coming of age, paired with beautiful art.
99 Days by Katie Cotugno

When a summer at home means having to face your old loves and mistakes.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Old money and secrets and tragedy on a private island.
The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Magical lights and cakes and wallpaper feature in this summer story of coming home.
Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

The original summer love story.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Wild parties and the most self-destructive summer romance ever.
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Set on a day in June, a lyrical story of connection.

What are your favorite summery stories? Share them in the comments!

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! This week blew by and I didn’t do as much writing work as I’d have liked, but it is beautiful out in the Boston area and I’m psyched for all this sunshine. Let’s get the weekend started with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer.

Reading: Other Broken Things by Christa Desir

Continuing my Christa kick; powerful story about recovery.

Writing: “Look at your laundry and look at mine. Any differences?” “Yours doesn’t have blood stains?”

I love a good laundry room scene.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! Tomorrow I’ll be taking part in B-Fest, Barnes & Noble’s national teen book festival, in Charlottesville, VA, aka one of my favorite places ever. If you’re in the Central Virginia area, swing by and say hi. In the meantime, let’s get the weekend started with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer:

Reading: Bleed Like Me by Christa Desir

Christa has such a way of writing about teens in pain struggling to find peace.

Writing: “Well I didn’t throw a plate in anyone’s face so [my day is going] fabulously.”

It’s the little victories.

Best of Best Friends in YA Lit

The internet tells me that today is National Best Friends Day, and while it doesn’t seem like there’s info about how this day became a thing, it is a great opportunity to talk about some of my favorite friendships in YA literature.

Way too often the conversation about relationships in YA veers toward the romantic, but for so many teens, their friends are the strongest and most solid relationships in their lives. And YA novels that feature engaging friendships and friends who are just as complex as the main character are my jam. For example:

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston

An adaptation of A Winter’s Tale, Hermione and Polly are smart, fierce, and strong in so many ways.

Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler

A touching portrait of what happens when two best friends are pulled in different directions when contemplating their futures.

Dairy Queen series by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

DJ is one of my favorite characters in YA, and I love that her best friend, Amber, is going on her own complex journey throughout the series.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Julie and Maddie’s friendship is one of the most powerful I’ve seen in literature as a whole.

Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty

Another one of my all time favs, and a great look at how friendships change over time.

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

I love Gabi’s circle of friends and how they offer each other a support network while they all face some pretty significant struggles.

Dramarama by E. Lockhart

Summer theatre camp? Big yes to that. And I love how Sayde makes some major mistakes, and how Demi gets his own chance to thrive.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Not all friendships are positive, and this story about two friends with eating disorders show how destructive relationships can be.

Wildlife by Fiona Wood

A great look at how subtly a so-called best friend can have a very negative influence.

Favorite best friends from YA lit that didn’t make my list? Share them in the comments!

Join Me at Teen B-Fest at Barnes & Noble in Charlottesville!

Good news: going to Charlottesville, VA, (aka my favorite place) for a visit in a couple weeks.

Even better news: my visit also coincides with Barnes & Noble’s national teen book festival, B-Fest.

Best news: I get to join B-fest for a reading and signing at Barnes & Noble Charlottesville!

The details:

Saturday, June 11,  2pm

Barnes & Noble – Charlottesville, VA

1035 Emmet St Suite A, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903

Come hear me talk about writing, the awesomeness of YA lit, and why I dream of Bodo’s. Check out the Facebook event page for more info, and come say hi on Saturday, June 11!

Quote of the Day

My friend Stephanie is a writer, blogger, wedding planner, editor, and professional athlete. She’s been sharing updates about her journey to the Olympics on her site, Fête, and I’ve loved hearing about her training and racing and the pressures and prep that drive that goes into being a professional runner. Recently I saw this from one of her updates and loved the sentiment:

I love this reminder that, even if you have the training and the talent and the drive, you still need courage. Putting yourself out there and trying to achieve your dreams is scary, whether that’s at a big race or at your desk, staring at a blank page. You need to show up, and you need to have that confidence and that courage.

So train hard, put your heart into it, and be brave. We got this.

(Original photo by nchenga nchenga)

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! I had a pretty good writing week, got to hang out with lovely bookish people last night (more below), and we’re heading into a long, relaxing weekend, so I’m feeling good. Let’s kick things off with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer.

Reading: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

I got to see Maggie at a reading yesterday and she’s a literary awesome wizard.

Writing: “Can we sit with you?” “Is that an actual question or is it like rhetorical?”

New main character is not a joiner.

Links Galore

Lots of good links:

What I think of when I hear “diversifying your portfolio.”
Crafting historical fiction for contemporary readers.
And speaking of historical fiction, writing lessons from Hamilton.
Maggie Stiefvater on Howl’s Moving Castle, Ace of Base, and other things that make me love her even more.
Fanfic is where it begins.
Librarians work with people, not with books, and other things you need to know about a career in librarianship.
Diversity in blogging and at BEA.
Awesome post about fostering young reader activism (bonus points for Cambridge!).
Utilizing your inciting incident.
Stacey Lee on finding and making mirrors.
Silent reading parties should be most parties.
Great collections of mental health resources for teens.
And speaking of mental health and teens, Francisco X. Stork on writing about depression and hope.
Reading about scientists’ challenges and failures can help teens be more motivated to do science.