Hi, I’m Rebecca. I write books and I write here at This Joyful Mess to inspire everyone to find JOY in the everyday messes of life. Here you’ll find inspiration, educational resources, and so much more. Please explore and connect—I’d love to hear from you!
Misleading Trains? The Wrong Train by Jeremy de Quidt
The Wrong Train by Jeremy de Quidt came up as a novel in my search, but is actually a collection of horror short stories with a thin thread of a storyteller and an abandoned train platform to connect them.
A Great Trash Read: Follow Me Back by AV Geiger
AV Geiger's novel is perfect for those times when you want a good book that's written well but isn't going to make you work too terribly hard.
Engrossing and full of twists and turns. I loved the premise in Follow Me Back of an agoraphobic girl connecting via social media with her crush—a famous pop star.
Un-Horror: The Devils You Know by MC Atwood
I don’t know that I’ve ever read YA horror before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I found in The Devils You Know by MC Atwood was rather odd—Scooby-Doo meets The Breakfast Club with a little funhouse thrown in for kicks.
Books that Changed Me: The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie Sue Hitchcock
Sometimes I review a book the moment I finish it. Fresh details, sharp recollections. Other times I like to wait, let a book seep into me and become something—part me, part what was on the page. I chose to do the latter with The Smell of Other People’s Houses.
All About Ready to Fall by Marcella Pixley
In Ready to Fall by Marcella Pixley the premise alone stops me with its awesomeness: his mom dies of a brain tumor that then, he believes, moves into his own head. Raw, a little crazy, huge potential for story. And the book did not disappoint.
Another Week, Another Book: Last Star Burning by Caitlin Sangster
I go through phases where I don’t want to read fantasy, no matter how well-reviewed it is. Unfortunately I was in one of those phases when I picked up Last Star Burning by Caitlin Sangster The opening I read reluctantly, my will rebelling. But it didn’t rebel long.
A New Year of Books! Still Life with Tornado by AS King
The book that started it all, the one I finished around midnight as Emeric nursed and my husband snored so loudly I ended up smacking him with a pillow, was this: Still Life with Tornado by AS King.
Caroline Cooney's A Friend at Midnight: A Gripping, Disappointing, Meaningful Book
Caroline B. Cooney’s A Friend at Midnight is one I picked up on a whim Friday afternoon. Obviously, since it’s only Monday now, this book was a quick and engrossing read. It’s the charming (ahem) story of a little boy abandoned at the airport by his father and rescued by his older sister. It’s about the elder sister’s struggle with keeping her brother’s secret. Overall, I’d say the book was annoying and refreshing and gripping and disappointing and meaningful.
A Hard-to-Categorize Book: What Jamie Saw by Carolyn Coman
What Jamie Saw is the story of a boy and his mother fleeing an abuser. The first chapter is heartbreaking and poignant. Coman chooses a close 3rd person but incorporates a distinct narrator voice—mature, respectful (similar to the Ramona books but less optimistic). So the voice...
I didn't know Alaska was lost: Looking for Alaska by John Green
Looking for Alaska is easily one of my favorites from the MFAC booklist. Even though I’ve grown a little tired of the forced-funny, self-deprecating voice so ubiquitous in contemporary ya, and tired of a protagonist who stands there going “um hum” while everyone else gets the great one-liners. But here...