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Hey YA Pals!
I hope you’re all hanging in there, staying as healthy physically and mentally as possible. I know you’re getting barraged with tips and tricks for finding peace, and of course, you’re going to hear read some books! Dig into that TBR!
In addition to that, may I offer a mindfulness meditation that’s accessible to everyone with a camera phone or digital camera–and even absolutely doable for those without either? You may or may not know I’m a 500-hr certified yoga teacher (think master’s degree level) in addition to being a Book Rioter, and I’ve found variations on this meditation so helpful in my non-pandemic life and suspect it’ll be the same in this one.
If the idea of meditation or mindfulness make you roll your eyes: fair! They’ve been made to be Really Virtuous Things when frankly, they’re not. They’re as easy as you make them, and it comes down to simply just noticing the world you’re in, right where you’re at, right when you’re there. Reading a book and being fully immersed? That’s a kind of meditation in and of itself.
So this one: grab that camera phone or camera. Go for a safe and physically-distanced walk. Snap photos of anything yellow. For those without cameras, just look for yellow.
That’s all. Capture yellow, wherever you see it. Don’t worry about whether the photo is good or not – this isn’t about that. It’s about just noticing the yellow in the world around you. If you’re stuck on direction when you go for your walk, may I suggest only taking right-hand turns?
If you do this in the next week, tag me on Instagram (@heykellyjensen) so I can see what you found. It’s a treasure hunt for yellow. That’s all!
Here’s one I took this week for inspiration:
And now onto the books!
All of these deals are good as of Friday, April 3. I’ve pulled together a huge list with a variety of YA genres and styles represented.
A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller is about a teen on a cross-country train trip to process grief and his grandfather’s last week of life. Sounds awesome. $2.
Creepy girls with powers = Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand is $2.
Food lovers, as well as people who love delicious prose will love With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo. $3.
Maybe you want to begin a supernatural fantasy series? Julie Kagawa’s The Iron King is a great one to begin with. $4.
I adore Shane Burcaw’s humor and his first memoir Laughing At My Nightmare is $3.
Monica Hesse’s The War Outside is $2.
Grab Solo by Kwame Alexander book and discover some reading magic. $2.
April is National Poetry Month and there are a couple of poetry collections you should snag: Light Filters In by Caroline Kaufman ($2) and Voices In The Air by Naomi Shihab Nye ($2).
If you’re leaning into pandemic reading, Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGinnis is $2.
Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters by Emily Roberson looks like a great read. $3.
Remember when Patrick Flores-Scott joined Eric and me on Hey YA? Grab his American Road Trip for $3.
There might not be sports to watch, but you can read a sports book. Carl Deuker’s High Heat is $3.
Solstice by Lorence Alison is a “tropical horror comedy.” Sign me up, as well as everyone who loved the mess of what was/was not the Fyre Festival. $3.
Not The Girls You’re Looking For by Aminah Mae Safi has been on my TBR for a long time and for $3, I should pick it up.
Past Perfect Life by Elizabeth Eulberg is $3.
For fans of love stories and crosswords, pick up Arvin Ahmadi’s Down and Across. $3.
Samira Ahmed’s powerful Internment is $2.
A favorite YA author around these parts is Bryan Bliss and his We’ll Fly Away is $1.
Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves is $5, and for readers who haven’t picked up this gem of Canadian YA lit, here’s your sign to do so.
Dumplin‘ is $1! Read it then watch it on the ‘Flix.
I absolutely loved the Pan’s Labyrinth novelization by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke and hope you’ll grab it for $1. Doesn’t matter if you’ve seen the movie or have: it’s a treasure in and of itself for fans of dark, lush, fairy-tale fantasy.
Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli is $2. Read it, watch the adaptation, and fall in love.
Feed by MT Anderson is one of the creepiest books out there with one of the best opening lines in YA. It’s also $1 right now.
Also your time to read Code Name Verity if you haven’t and love historical fiction. $3.
An oldie but a goodie: The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake is $3.
You’re not going to be lacking in great reading with any of the above titles, y’all!
We’ll see you again on Monday.
— Kelly Jensen,@heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.
**Psst — you can now also preorder my upcoming August release, Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy! I’ll be sharing the amazing cover on Monday.