2018 Summer Reading List & Update

Hey ya'll!
Since my last post, I survived the semester (and aced it I think!) and I'm finally getting time for much needed sleep, T.V. and shopping splurges. I've also been trying to catch up on some reading and explore some new genres. 

I've never been the BIGGEST fan of Young Adult (YA) books, but I've started reading them more. Maybe it's because, as a kid, I never felt very "kiddish". But as I've been getting older, I've certainly taken to embracing my inner child (and fangirl). The last book I completely finished was Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Abertalli and I'm honestly still obsessing over it. I watched the film starring Nick Robinson before I purchased the book, but even knowing so many spoilers did not make the book any less amazing! It's wonderful to see books embracing queer representation. While I've heard varying opinions regarding the book and its representation of queer as "minority" because Simon doesn't have much to lose in a sense as a white male from a progressive and accepting family, it's a story that offers perspective on more than just the "gay thing" and instead focuses on just how hiding who you are, for whatever reason, can affect both your life and those of the people closest to you. It's a good, wholesome, cute novel and I'd recommend.

This last semester was a struggle and while I made it through all the hurdles, I couldn't help but reflect on some things. One major realization was that I really want to go for an MFA in creative writing after this degree. It's always been my passion and I talked myself out of creative writing as an undergrad because of low self-confidence. I did it again when applying to grad school because of practicality (THE CURSE OF THE CAPRICORN!!!). That's not to say I don't love what I do because studying Linguistics and ESL is such a big part of me. But I want to be able to combine my passions rather than forego one for the sake of the other. So coming into the next application cycle, I'm going to put all my doubts aside, send in an application, and let the school decisions guide me towards the next step in my academic journey. 

Once I made the active decision to apply, I suddenly got so much motivation to read and write. I'm a few pages into a new story and I've got a whole set of stuff to read for the summer. Here are the tentative titles on my 2018 summer reading list:

• The Muse by Jessie Burton
• The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins
• The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin
• Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake
• Leah on the Off Beat by Becky Albertalli
• Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
• Dear Emma by Katie Heaney
• American Assassin by Vince Flynn
• Batman Nightwalker by Marie Lu
• In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende
• The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende

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I haven't started reading any yet, but I'll make sure to give my opinion/review on these titles as I finish them. That being said, I'd love to hear your opinions on some of my picks or offer your own! Feel free to answer the survey below if you're interested. :-)

​Sincerely,
Crystal