Month: September 2018

Hey YA readers: Time to get personal!

Sponsored by Me and Me by Alice Kuipers from KCP Loft.

Lark’s on a dream date with Alec. Blue skies, clear water, a canoe on the lake. Everything is perfect … until they hear screams. Annabelle, a little girl Lark used to babysit, is struggling in the reeds. When Lark and Alec dive to help her, Alec hits his head on a rock. Now Annabelle and Alec are both in trouble, and Lark can only save one of them. Suddenly, Lark’s world is torn in two, leaving her to cope with the consequences of two choices. She lives two lives, two selves. But which is the right life?

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My YA anthology, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start The Conversation About Mental Health releases tomorrow, October 2, from Algonquin Young Readers. I’ve written extensively about YA books that take on mental illness, and you can read some of the posts linked at the bottom of the newsletter, along with some other great resources.

Today, I wanted to offer up some of the things I do when I struggle with my depression and anxiety when it comes to reading and talking about books. It’s my hope this not only feels useful for anyone who struggles with mental illness, but also that it’s useful both for those who have rough mental health stretches (even without an illness) and those who work with teens who themselves may be dealing with them. The more tools in the pocket, the better equipped we all are.

Part of why reading can become so daunting when one’s mental health is challenging is that it requires use of executive functioning, which can shut down. Executive functioning is in charge of mental processes and skills, and it can become utterly exhausting or frustrating even thinking about picking up a book from one’s shelf. YA author Molly Backes goes into the further, in this excellent talk about the impossible task on Twitter.

As always with mental health, your mileage may vary. These are things that have worked for me.

1. Read something entire out of the norm.

   Changing up formats can be a big game-changer when it comes to reading. The same can be said about changing up genres or age categories. Since I lean toward YA reading, sometimes while dealing with severe anxiety or depression, all I want to do is read a bunch of magazines or peruse graphic novels for the art. I let myself do this. I’ve found that reading romance has been a big winner for me lately on this front; the fact I know going in that the book will end in a Happily Ever After is predictable and satisfying.

2. Revisit an old favorite book.

   One of the biggest challenges I face with reading when I’m not feeling my best is that I don’t want to be surprised by something that could trigger strong emotional response. Picking up a book I’ve read and loved before solves this: I know going in what’ll happen and I can more passively enjoy the ride. It might sound odd, but my rereading tends toward horror/creepy. I find them to be comforting, since those worlds are so different from the one I’m in.

3. Schedule reading time like a date (and/or make it a date).

   Dealing with mental health sometimes means wandering through a day without a plan. It’s not that I don’t want to accomplish things or that I don’t need to meet deadlines. I do. But, depression wants me to stay in bed or worry about it later or not at all because it doesn’t really matter and no one really cares (and anxiety then throws in the fun of “you need to get the thing due in a month done today or else you’re a failure”). This can mean that things like reading — which is both pleasure for me, as well as related to the work I do — can fall to the wayside. By scheduling time to read in my day and following through, I’m able to ensure I get some words in my mind that aren’t my own. I’ve made this a routine when I’m functioning well and managing my illnesses, and I’m able to continue those routines when I’m not doing so hot. I make listening to audiobooks a part of my getting ready in the morning routine, and I’ve found that, even when I’m struggling to get anything done, the silence while brushing my hair and teeth encourages me to hit play on my audiobook and get those words in.

4. Clean the shelves and/or library holds and checkouts.

   Nothing feels better than a clean slate, especially when everything else is hard. I might have been excited about all of those library books I checked out, but there’s also something satisfying in returning them all, clearing my fines, and having a fresh start. Another tool I use is cleaning my personal collection: sometimes it means donating books I know I’ll never read and other times, it’s a matter of reorganizing the shelves that have gotten out of hand. Each of these tasks has a satisfying visual outcome. There’s a completion and a freshness and newness.

5. Listen.

   Audiobooks are a lifesaver when I’m having bad mental health spells. I mentioned above the power of routine, but even more than that, audiobooks can be consumed while I am doing literally nothing. I can lay in bed and listen. I can listen while going for a walk. I can listen while working (or attempting to work). When I’m unable to concentrate on a story, though, I also find myself turning to podcasts. Book podcasts abound, and sometimes listening to other people talk books is everything I need and didn’t realize.

6. Focus on helping other people find a good book by writing about recent favorites or talking with others about books that remind you of them.

   Whether or not you’re a librarian, a teacher, or a blogger who regularly writes book lists, this trick can be valuable. There are a couple of benefits: first, it’s satisfying to make something like a book list and be able to share it and second, it’s an opportunity to reach out to people in a way that’s not threatening and allows you to pass along your passion to them when everything feels impossible. If focusing on other people doesn’t sound appealing, there is value in writing personal book lists, too. Top five books from childhood or ten books with great book covers or seven books you read but absolutely loathed can make for valuable (and low-stakes) self-reflection. You may not do anything with these lists, and that’s okay. It might even be part of the point.

7. Allow myself to simply not read.

   Sometimes, it’s okay to just be. There is no shame in not reading, especially when it ends up impinging upon your mental wellness.

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Some further reading on mental health/illness in the world of YA:

• YA books about social anxiety.
• Books about mental health to get the conversation rolling.
• Powerful and authentic YA books about depression.
• Reading, depression, and me (it is amazing to me to read this many years later and look at how I’ve cultivated an arsenal of tools to better navigate the rough times).
• 7 poetry slam videos about mental illness.
• Eric Smith and I talked about some excellent mental health related YA on this episode of Hey YA.

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Thanks for hanging out. If you’re up for it, consider picking up a copy of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy. And in any case, we’ll be back in your inbox on Thursday with a roundup of recent YA book news and more!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram.

Hey YA fans: Let’s catch up with book talk!

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Vesuvian Books.

Beau Devereaux is the only child of a powerful family. Handsome. Charming. Intelligent. The “prince” of St. Benedict is the ultimate catch. He is also a psychopath. A dirty family secret buried for years, Beau’s evil grows unchecked. In the shadows of the ruined St. Francis Abbey, he commits unspeakable acts. Senior year, Beau sets his sights on his girlfriend’s twin sister, Leslie. Everything he wants but cannot have, she will be his ultimate prize. As the victim toll mounts, it becomes clear someone must stop Beau Devereaux. And that someone will pay with their life.

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Grab your favorite beverage and settle in for some great reading about reading. You’ll want your TBR handy, too, since chances are, you’ll be adding to it.

• 45 YA titles hitting paperback this fall.
• Your ultimate guide to YA book-to-movie adaptations.
• So you adored To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and need another great YA rom com to read? Take the quiz and find your perfect next title.
• Then laugh your way through these To All The Boys tweets.
• And then add these books to your TBR if you cannot get enough of books like Han’s.
• Want a moody, atmospheric mystery? Try one set in Vermont.
• If you’re not following these YA authors on Instagram, maybe you should.
• Curious about Nova Ren Suma’s books but don’t know where to begin? Here’s a reading pathway!
• Like your YA in audiobook form? Here are some 2018 YA audiobooks you won’t want to miss.
• Youth and YA books that take on bullying.
• It’s been (a little over) a year since the time a YA author paid her way onto the New York Times Bestseller list. Here’s a recap of the scandal and where we are a year later.
• Are these books on your September YA to-read list?
• YA novels which compassionately tackle grief.
• On relating to Darius The Great Is Not Okay.
• YA books about social anxiety.
• Stock up on your Baby-Sitters Club merch.
• When Judy Blume talked about a new adaptation of her books, many were thrilled. But many also said it would be her first. It’s…not!
• Excellent quotes from The Hate U Give.
• Celebrating Alanna the Lioness on the book’s 35th anniversary.
• How many of these YA books that have faced challenges from potential censors have you read?
• Dig into some dark fairytales for YA readers.
• 21 more YA books for your fall TBR.
• An interview with YA author Katherine Webber on her latest book, Only Love Can Break Your Heart.

Blast From The Past

It’s weird to be writing a newsletter a week in advance of being out of the office for a week, so it felt appropriate to round up some older YA posts from Book Riot (…right?). Here’s what we’ve been talking about in Septembers past.

• 40 of your favorite YA fantasy books.
• Pair up some great YA books with great teas.
• The glaring lack of female reproductive issues in YA literature and why we need more teens struggling with endometriosis and PCOS.
• Interracial couples in the YA world.
• 100 must-read historical YA books.
• Can you match the tag lines of these popular YA books with the book? Try your hand!
• Geek out with these geeky YA books.
• Why we need new music in YA.
• Not the first and not the last time gender in YA has been talked about.

 

Cheap Reads

These prices are current as of Wednesday, September 26. 🤞🏻

American Street by Ibi Zoboi, a wonderful read about immigrants, is $2.

Veronica Roth’s Carve the Mark is $2.

Grab Heidi Heilig’s The Girl From Everywhere for $2.

If you’d like to pick up a Benjamin Alire Saenz title, The Inexplicable Logic of My Life is $3.

Anna Godbersen’s deliciously juicy The Luxe is $1.

Want a f/f romance read? Sara Farizan’s Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel is $2.

Sports fans, pick up Carl Deuker’s Gutless for $3.

Have you read The Book Thief? If you haven’t and want to, grab it for $3.

Want a historical mystery to fall into? You’ll want to try William Ritter’s Jackaby, which you can snag for $2.

Tiffany Schmidt’s A Date With Darcy — an adorable, nerdtastic read — is $3.

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Thanks for hanging out and we’ll see you again Monday!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram