All by Sarah Moon

Recommendation Roundup: Summer 2015

Recommendation Roundup: Summer 2015

Sarah Moon
Recommendation Roundup, Books

Hi folks! I'm happy to share our summer recommended reads with you. It's funny, I keep saying that I haven't gotten super excited about many books this year, but here we have 20+ books that we feel good about recommending--I guess are some good ones out there after all!

Reading has been tough this summer--I took on some huge projects that have competing deadlines and that means my eyeballs aren't too happy with me by the end of the day, so I haven't been reading as much. Plus I've been (intentionally) checked out from a lot of the book chatter online, so I haven't been as on it with regard to what's new and buzzed. (Not necessarily a bad thing.)

Onward to the recommendations!

This is pretty great...

This is pretty great...

Sarah Moon
In the News
Instead of defending romance books to those who’ve never read one, I’d like to say this instead: grow up. The categorical dismissal of the most-read genre in the world reveals ignorance, not intellectual superiority. This is a billion-dollar industry, and it’s not built on vapidity and cliché. It exists and thrives because romance authors offer readers an emotional experience that mirrors an elemental desire in life: to find a constant and loving companion; to become our best selves; to forgive our mistakes of the past and learn from them.
Book Snapshots: Quick Thoughts on Recent Reads

Book Snapshots: Quick Thoughts on Recent Reads

Sarah Moon
Books

Hey y'all! I know it's been quiet around these parts as of late--I have no excuses except that my workload has been CRAZYPANTS as of late. We do have a new podcast episode coming at you, basically a follow up to some of the discussion around the first two episodes of this season and I'm also working on retooling the focus of CEFS a bit as well, so it is in more alignment with what feels more "right" for us these days. 

But, I have been reading and posting some quick thoughts on Instagram, but since most of you aren't over there, I thought I'd share some of my recent reads over here with recommendations for who'd like them. Enjoy!

Podcast Episode #29 (Season 3, Episode 3): Talking Cultural Appropriate, Diversity & Publishing with Nafiza (Part 2)

Podcast Episode #29 (Season 3, Episode 3): Talking Cultural Appropriate, Diversity & Publishing with Nafiza (Part 2)

Sarah Moon
Podcast, Podcast: Season Three

We couldn't be more excited to have the brilliant blogger Nafiza of Bibliographic Monologues and The Book Wars fame join us for the second in a two-part podcast series on diversity and cultural appropriation.

Nafiza is one of the smartest ladies in the bookish blogosphere, complete with a Masters in Children's Literature, and we're so happy to have her join us for this discussion. If you'd like to hear more from Nafiza (and you really should), visit her online at Bibliographic Monologues and The Book Wars and check out all her smarty pants tweets at @Nafizaa. 

Recommendation Tuesday: Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen

Recommendation Tuesday: Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen

Sarah Moon
Books

Cordelia Jensen's debut novel first got on my radar thanks to Stasia Ward Kehoe's guest post for our Verse Week celebration this year.  While I don't read all the blogs, it seems like it's not received much attention and I'm here to remedy that, because folks, Skyscraping is a special book. 

I coined the term "nostalgia lit" on a podcast episode a couple years ago, and I'm generally a fairly reluctant about books set in near history, but Skyscraping is a wonderful example of this particular almost-contemporary setting.

BEA, NYC & Falafel

BEA, NYC & Falafel

Sarah Moon
Books, Events, Greatest Hits

I really enjoyed my trip to Book Expo America and have so much to say, but, honestly, I just need to talk about falafel for a minute. Because, hot damn, I had a lot of awesome falafel in New York. Guys, I just really love falafel a whole lot. 

My source was Taim, which was conveniently located in the nifty West Village neighborhood I stayed in. (Seriously, guys, if you go to NYC, skip the hell that is Midtown and stay in the Village, it's so pleasant.) Here are some of my falafels. 

 

Listorama: 11 Romance Novels for Clever Ladies

Listorama: 11 Romance Novels for Clever Ladies

Sarah Moon
Books, Listorama, Greatest Hits

Recently, The Mary Sue--a website I have deeply conflicted feelings about--posted a super-ignorant, click-bait-y piece about romance novels and romance readers.

Rather than rebut the silliness (because what's the point), I thought I'd offer some recommendations for clever ladies looking to try out the genre, want to try a new subgenre of Romance or who want to revisit it after an absence. I'm not an expert, but I've read reasonable widely in the genre and appreciate that it is, in many ways, a deeply feminist field of offerings, particularly in recent years. 

The following are 11 smart big-R romances (read: happy ending of a central love story, as defined by the Romance Writers Association) I recommend for Clever Ladies who are interested in the genre. Keep in mind that there's just about something for everyone in this genre, so if there's not something that's up your alley on this list, there's probably something out there--leave a note in the comments and I'll see what I can do. 

Podcast Episode #28 (Season 3, Episode 2): Talking Diversity & Cultural Appropriation with Nafiza

Podcast Episode #28 (Season 3, Episode 2): Talking Diversity & Cultural Appropriation with Nafiza

Sarah Moon
Podcast: Season Three, Podcast

We couldn't be more excited to have the brilliant blogger Nafiza of Bibliographic Monologues and The Book Wars fame join us for a two-part podcast series on diversity and cultural appropriation.

Nafiza is one of the smartest ladies in the bookish blogosphere, complete with a Masters in Children's Literature, and we're so happy to have her join us for this discussion. If you'd like to hear more from Nafiza (and you really should), visit her online at Bibliographic Monologues and The Book Wars and check out all her smarty pants tweets at @Nafizaa. 

Remember, if you want to get your new episodes early, subscribe in iTunes, the show drops there about a day earlier than it does here. 

Enjoy!

How Not to Engage Readers

How Not to Engage Readers

Sarah Moon
Opinion

I've been chewing on whether or not to share the most recent creepy Goodreads friend request I received from a self-identified aspiring author. But this one was uncomfortable enough, that I felt like I needed to share in hopes of helping educate other aspiring authors about what not to do when attempting to engage readers. 

Listen, I know authors are told to engage, engage, engage, but there's a way to do it that doesn't completely freak out readers. Unfortunately this recent request landed smack in the creepy zone. (Note: I've redacting information about this person.)

Recently Read: Comics Edition

Recently Read: Comics Edition

Sarah Moon
Books, Comics

You may recall that I've slid far, far down the comics rabbit hole. I even have new releases on my calendar so I remember to get say, the new Saga, on the Wednesday it releases. 

Here's what I've recently read.

Hawkeye, Volumes 1-3.

These combined volumes feature the archer Avenger and his mentee Kate, who's also known as Hawkeye and is super rad. I knew nothing about The Avengers going into this and found it incredibly accessible and liked the healthy does of angst. Fraction writes Sex Criminals, which I love, so I shouldn't be surprised by this one, but I was. My favorite was the third volume, LA Woman, which is just a Kate story.

Kicking Off Podcast Season 3: Episode #27, "Hug It Out"

Kicking Off Podcast Season 3: Episode #27, "Hug It Out"

Sarah Moon
Podcast: Season Three, Podcast

Hi folks! Welcome to season three of the Official, One and Only Clear Eyes, Full Shelves Podcast!

Apologies for the long hiatus, but we had reasons. We've both done a lot of reading and watching television/movies during our time off, and we kept circling back to the idea of the way family relationships are portrayed. More often than not, it's hard for both of us to see familiar patterns and resolutions that feel "real." Obviously, as we mention in this episode, we only have our own experiences to draw on, but we also know we can't be alone. 

Remember, if you want to get your new episodes early, subscribe in iTunes, the show drops there about a day earlier than it does here. 

Enjoy!

Recommendation Roundup: Winter/Spring 2014-15

Recommendation Roundup: Winter/Spring 2014-15

Sarah Moon
Books, Recommendation Roundup

Well, I got a bit behind on, like, life, so I thought I'd bundle a few months of our recommended reads for you, rather than trying to catch up month-by-month. 

I did a bit of re-reading over the last few months, which has been pretty fun. I think I will continue to revisit my favorites as a matter of course, because there's something enjoyable in revisiting a beloved story. We all read The Carnival at Bray for book club right before it was a Printz honoree and we all loved it so much, so if you haven't snagged that brilliant little book, do so!

As always, click on the cover for more information. If we have a review available, it will be noted.

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