I’m a chronic over-achiever. As a high school senior, I produced our school play, started a school newspaper, took Advanced Placement classes, and worked with our social justice club. In university, I was the co-president of the English society and decided to pursue double honours, all while working part-time. Now that I’m a teacher, I recognise the over-achievers in my classes, usually on day one when they show up with highlighters in multiple colours. I want to help them let go of perfectionism and take time to laugh. These books have helped me do just that and I hope The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life can do that for others.
I wanted to hate Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe because it was starred in a review comparing our two books. Unfortunately, the book is as charming as its main character, Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger, and I loved it. Halti is a scholarship student at an elite private school in New York. He’s convinced he knows what it takes to be successful, but the pressure to “make it” leads him to make some…questionable decisions. I couldn’t relate to his charm, or the extra pressures of being the child of immigrants, but I recognised a fellow over-thinker in Halti (and I suspect the author as well). Read it to understand the college-bound high schooler in your life (or to feel less alone if you’re that over-achiever yourself.)
From the award-winning author of The Field Guide to the North American Teenager comes a whip-smart and layered romantic comedy. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Jenny Han.
Henri "Halti" Haltiwanger can charm just about anyone. He is a star debater and popular student at the prestigious FATE academy, the dutiful first-generation Haitian son, and the trusted dog walker for his wealthy New York City neighbors. But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition to attend his dream college, Columbia University.
There is only one person who seems immune to Henri's charms: his "intense" classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy.…
If you’re an over-achiever, you may have been accused of taking things too seriously. (I wouldn’t know anything about that, of course.) Tina Fey proves that the academic goody-two-shoes can also be the funniest person in the room. This autobiography is written as a series of stories from Fey’s life, as well as short reflections on issues like the objectification of women’s bodies. Reading this book made me feel like I too could be a funny person and that hard work doesn’t make me any less creative.
Once in a generation a woman comes along who changes everything. Tina Fey is not that woman, but she met that woman once and acted weird around her. Before 30 Rock, Mean Girls and 'Sarah Palin', Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV. She has seen both these dreams come true. At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as…
You Should See Me in a Crown is a book that showed me how intersectionality impacts everything, even over-achieving. Liz Lightly, a Black lesbian from a poor family, faces more hurdles than my character, Alison, who has grown up in a middle-class neighbourhood. Alison works hard, but she doesn’t have as much on the line as Liz. Still, I think they’d be good friends if they met. The world may not be the meritocracy we want it to be, but when a character works as hard as Liz does, you want them to succeed.
Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed mid-western town. But it's okay-Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz's plans come crashing down... until she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom King and Queen. There's nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but…
When I first met Jo March as a young girl, I was smitten. At the time, I didn’t know I was bisexual. I probably didn’t even know the word bisexual. I knew I wanted to be like her, but I also wanted to be her best friend. Looking back, I obviously had a crush on her. She was ambitious, tough, smart, and adventurous. She gave me permission to dream about being a professional writer myself. At a time when women didn’t have many options to make money, Jo paved her own path.
Louisa May Alcott shares the innocence of girlhood in this classic coming of age story about four sisters-Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.
In picturesque nineteenth-century New England, tomboyish Jo, beautiful Meg, fragile Beth, and romantic Amy are responsible for keeping a home while their father is off to war. At the same time, they must come to terms with their individual personalities-and make the transition from girlhood to womanhood. It can all be quite a challenge. But the March sisters, however different, are nurtured by their wise and beloved Marmee, bound by their love for each other and the feminine…
Anne Shirley is a kindred spirit. Like the other over-achievers I’ve fallen in love with, Anne has to overcome social biases in order to succeed. She is a girl, a red-head and an orphan, all of which are held against her unfairly. But she doesn’t let the injustices dampen her spirits. This is the book I re-read every summer because it reminds me of home (I’m originally a Maritimer). It also reminds me of childhood and the magic of stories.
Anne of Green Gables is the classic children's book by L M Montgomery, the inspiration for the Netflix Original series Anne with an E. Watch it now!
Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are in for a big surprise. They are waiting for an orphan boy to help with the work at Green Gables - but a skinny, red-haired girl turns up instead. Feisty and full of spirit, Anne Shirley charms her way into the Cuthberts' affection with her vivid imagination and constant chatter. It's not long before Anne finds herself in trouble, but soon it becomes impossible for the Cuthberts to…
Shakespeare, love triangles, and a corgi named Princess Sunshine. What more could you want? The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life features over-achiever Alison Green. In her quest to be valedictorian, she agrees to produce her school’s play. That is her first big mistake. The next is agreeing to go on a date with her friend Jack when she’s actually into Charlotte, the star of the play.
Not So Little Things by Kyle Ann Robertson unravels the meticulously crafted life of Tina, an artist engrossed in the intricate world of historically accurate miniatures. As she dutifully honors her deceased father's desire for her to follow in his artistic and historical footsteps, Tina's controlled existence is shaken by the emergence of long-buried secrets when she takes a commission to build a replica of Jake Martin’s family mansion.
Robertson navigates the delicate balance between Tina's devotion to her father's wishes and the disruptions caused by revelations from the past. The novel beautifully explores the complexity of familial expectations and…
Tina Edwards loved her childhood and creating fairy houses, a passion shared with her father, a world-renowned architect. But at nine years old, she found him dead at his desk and is haunted by this memory. Tina's mother abruptly moved away leaving Tina with feelings of abandonment and suspicion. Raised by her loving, wheelchair-bound Aunt Liddy, her father's sister, 33 year old Tina has become a miniature room artist and cherishes the control she has over her life in Northeast Georgia as she works hard to please her beloved dead father's wishes of following in his footsteps in art and…
