Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande

Her posts can be both side-splittingly funny and then knock-you-over thought-provoking in one turn, and she’s always candid in a way that never fails to make you feel at home. Robin is simply the best, no matter what grade you’re in.

Really, no junior-high-school analogy necessary here. The only point is to give us all incentive to read, read, read. It’s a total no-pressure, no-snobbery zone where you can re-read books you’ve read twenty times before or read science fiction or YA or romance or cook books cover to cover-whatever. The point of the book club is to give us all a place to check in every week to say what we’ve finished reading.

Tuesday Book Club (also known as the Tuesday 50-Book Book Club, but I don’t always remind people of that in case it makes them nervous because they feel like they’re falling behind). Her blog also features a book club, of sorts. You can also check in with her pretty much every Thursday for a discussion of the previous night’s Lost episode. Even though, in an incomprehensible display of willpower, she herself gave up chocolate eight months ago. Her smart, funny commentary on “writing, reading, and other vital matters” has earned her a loyal following – or maybe it’s the fact that she gives away FREE CHOCOLATE to total strangers every month. We may yammer on about being busy with Jules’s kids or Eisha’s jobs or whatever, but check out Robin’s blog bio: “…she is or has been various combinations of the following: a lawyer, yoga instructor, black belt, entrepreneur, community college instructor, Wilderness First Responder, insurance agent, outdoor adventurer, Girl Scout leader, and Sunday school teacher.” Add to that list “soon-to-be-published author” – her first YA novel Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature is set to be released by Knopf/Random House in August, and has already been nominated by ALA as one of the Best Books for Young Adults for this year!

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande