2014 has already come and gone and I have yet to share with you my favorite reads of the year. For those who don’t follow me on social media, the answer as to why is simple: I was dying of the plague. Okay, not really. I REALLY had the flu. And not just one. I had TWO different strands. So for my Christmas vacation, I spent 16 days in bed. Sleeping. Barely moving. Barely reading—which is the real tragedy. But now that we have enjoyed a full two weeks of 2015, let me share with you my favorite reads of 2014. First, I met my Goodreads goal of 115 books. As a matter of fact, I didn’t meet it—I spanked it. By year’s end I read 144 books (mostly YA and mysteries). I really like rounded up numbers, so I am bummed I didn’t reach 145, but hey, since I spanked my original goal, I will take it. Of those 144 boys, below I am sharing with you 15 of my favorite tween/YA reads in no particular order. Enjoy! ‘The Impossible Knife of Memory’ – Laurie Halse Anderson I did...
YALLFestis just around the corner. This festival is held in Charleston, SC and celebrates all things YA and authors and readers and everything in between. Think good food, good conversation, and your favorite authors galore. It is a paradise.
To help celebrate, Book ‘Em! will host author interviews with some of the authors that will make an appearance. Today, I am hosting author Michelle Hodkin. ***please excuse me while I faint for a moment***
Okay, I am back. Yes, Michelle Hodkin! If you have not introduced Mara Dyer into your life, this is the perfect time. It’s October, the month of the spine tingle. This is the perfect book to enhance that spine tingle feeling.
Describe your book in 5 words
Romeo and Juliet meets Hitchcock
What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
I spend a lot of time thinking about my first lines. A lot of time. Too much time. Luckily the last lines usually come to me as I write.
What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
What I love about YA is that I don't have to choose a genre. I can blend elements and mess with conventions from all of them—horror, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, whatever. I'm not sure I could choose a favorite, if I were ever told that I had to. And my reading is all over the place, but right now I'm reading a lot of old school sci-fi and fantasy, with some literary fiction thrown in.
What one young adult novel do you wish you had when you were a teen? Why?
The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It's not YA, but it is about a teenager who reminds me of my teen self. And maybe also my adult self. Anyway. I basically push the book into the hands of everyone I meet. It's just that good.
What are you working on now?
A secret project that is secret. But I'm wildly excited about it, and I think my readers will be too.
Romeo and Juliet meets Hitchcock
What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
I spend a lot of time thinking about my first lines. A lot of time. Too much time. Luckily the last lines usually come to me as I write.
What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
What I love about YA is that I don't have to choose a genre. I can blend elements and mess with conventions from all of them—horror, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, whatever. I'm not sure I could choose a favorite, if I were ever told that I had to. And my reading is all over the place, but right now I'm reading a lot of old school sci-fi and fantasy, with some literary fiction thrown in.
What one young adult novel do you wish you had when you were a teen? Why?
The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It's not YA, but it is about a teenager who reminds me of my teen self. And maybe also my adult self. Anyway. I basically push the book into the hands of everyone I meet. It's just that good.
What are you working on now?
A secret project that is secret. But I'm wildly excited about it, and I think my readers will be too.
Umm…yes Michelle, “wildly excited” is the nice way to put it. I know fall just started, but I am already ready for June 2014 just so I can read the next installment of Mara Dyer’s story, ‘The Retribution of Mara Dyer.’
I am serious guys, you have to add the Mara Dyer series to your life. You will not be disappointed. I promise.
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| Look at these covers - LOVE them! |
To learn more about Michelle Hodkin, her writing, and/or where you can catch her on tour, visit her website.
You can also find Hodkin all over social media: Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest.
Thank you to YALLFest for providing the interview.
- The Hodgenator


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