Links & Things: Angry Girls, Feminism, Diversity & More Cheapo Books

I'm back with another semi-regular roundup of interestingness on the web. Make sure to scroll down for some good deals on good books I've found for y'all. 

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Required Reading

Blogger Reynje wrote the best review of Elizabeth Scott's brilliant Heartbeat and digs into who much some readers have hated the main character.

If Emma’s character is divisive then I’m stating right now that I’m firmly on her side. I want to see more of this: more honesty, more difficulty, more discomfort. Sometimes teenage girls are angry, or sad, or complicated. And that’s okay.

Read the rest. 

Author Beth Revis has some compelling reflections the phrase, "I'm not a feminist, but..."

First, it's wrong for me to couch my opinions with a disclaimer. Saying something like, "I'm not a feminist, but I feel like women deserve the same rights as men," belittles not just the idea of feminism, but also the idea that what I'm saying matters. I'm dismissing my own words before I even speak them. I'm giving an excuse for why I should be allowed to say the words following the phrase, as if the only reason I would say those words is if I had such an excuse.

The second thing wrong about that phrase is the fact that it exists.

Read the rest. 

Laura's tweets about the problematic nature of Eleanor & Park and the potential movie adaptation are important. She's rounded them up in a Tumblr post.

Further Reading

• Wonkomance takes on the myth of selling out.
• Check out this fantastic list of diverse novels in verse over at Rich in Color.
• Latin@s in KidLit is a fantastic blog and if you're not reading it, you're missing out on great posts like this one on writing diversity.
• If you've ever managed a giveaway promotional contest, this Slate story about the FTC's scrutiny of Cole Haan's recent campaign asking consumers to effectively create advertising for them via Pinterest.
• Paste's celebration of the women of Mad Men is pretty great.
• NPR spotlighted photographer Robert Dawson's extensive project documenting America's public libraries. It's incredible.

Cheap Books

Click on the cover to be taken to the book's Amazon page. As always, please check the price before clicking "buy," as they fluctuate frequently.

The Program

By Suzanne Young

Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets

By Evan Roskos

Stolen

By Lucy Christopher

• Suzanne Young's The Program was such a surprise to me--I highly recommend this unusual and gripping novel, especially at $1.99 for the ebook. Read my review.
• We read Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos in our book club and I really admired the writing--if you're into literary YA, this could be a good one for you--it's $1.99 digitally.
• Lucy Christopher's Stolen is another novel that's categorized as YA that will ability to literary fiction fans. It's $2.99 for Kindle. Read Sandra's review.

Deviants (The Dust Chronicles)

By Maureen McGowan

Compliance (The Dust Chronicles)

By Maureen McGowan

Fracture

By Megan Miranda

• I really like Maureen McGowan's Dust Chronicles books--they're very gripping. If you're a fan of the Divergent books, they have that action-oriented vibe, but with better world-building and character development and no weird factions. They're $3.99 in ebook, which may be the regular price, but it's a good deal on a really solid series. The final book in the series, Glory, is coming this summer and the books are getting a fresh new look.
• I really liked Megan Miranda's Fracture and thought it was extremely thought-provoking--definitely snag this one at $1.99. I started reading the sequel, Vengeance, and it didn't really work for me for some reason. No worries, though, the first book definitely stands alone as a complete story.

The Governess Affair (The Brothers Sinister, Book 0.5)

By Courtney Milan

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

By Gabrielle Zevin

Somebody Everybody Listens To

By Suzanne Supplee

• I've not read The Governess Affair, since historical romance isn't really my jam. However, loads of smart people with excellent taste adore Courtney Milan's books. This prequel novella is a whopping $0, so if you're interested in Milan's writing, you'll want to grab this Kindle freebie.
• I love Gabrielle Zevin's writing. You can grab a paperback of one of her earlier novels for $3.60 on Amazon. While you're at it, add the $4 paperback of All These Things I've Done to your cart (I love that series so much). 
• I will include Somebody Everybody Listens by Suzanne Supplee to in these roundups until everyone has bought the $6 hardcover--I loved this book that much.