Grateful Wed

Today I am grateful for
1. the last day of school!
2. some recent encouraging exchanges with editors!
3. editing process going well
4. lots of family time coming up
5. a great getaway with my hubby last week-end
6. all my kiddos having a great year.

On our trip last week, I read THE OUTLIERS, as I mentioned yesterday, but I also read a couple of other books, most notably BLOOM by Elizabeth Scott, THE BOOK OF LUKE by Jenny O'Connell, and PLAN B by Jenny O'Connell.

First of all, I LOVED BLOOM by Elizabeth Scott. It's a lovely, quiet story about a girl who lives a life that's perfect on paper. She does all the right things, dates the right boy, and never rocks the boat. Until, of course, she meets up with a boy from her past who rocks her world. Nothing will ever be 'perfect' again, but it just might be something better--REAL. LOVE this story, this book, and this author. A teen-age girl figures herself out--what could be a better theme?

Next, I also LOVED THE BOOK OF LUKE by Jenny O'Connell. Here's the premise: the protag moves her SENIOR YEAR, but instead of a new, foreign place, she moves to an old familiar place that is NOW foreign. She returns to a school she attended back in elementary school to a sea of kind of familiar faces with somewhat unfamiliar personalities. She's angry because her father didn't come along, her boyfriend from her old school dumped her on moving day, and she decides to channel that anger into a revenge against a boy who's been cruel to an old friend. She joins forces with some old friends (truly, the plan gets her back 'in'), but things do NOT go as planned. I really liked this book and recommend it. Another girl coming of age, figuring our herself and realizing that boys are not the aliens they seem.

Lastly, I liked PLAN B, another book about a girl's senior year, also by Jenny O'Connell (ya writers--need to pump out some junior year stuff--just a tip). It addresses a familiar situations. Girl loves older boy who goes to college (Yale) a year before she does. Girl channels all her energy into getting into Yale, too, so she can join said boy until she realized that maybe her 'perfect' plan isn't so perfect after all.

The other book I'm reading doesn't have a title yet, but it's about Dryads by Jody Cosella, and you're gonna love it. I'm also reading an interesting piece whose working title is STUDYDORK. I hope one day you'll love that one, too.

Have a great Wednesday!