Terra Elan McVoy

Terra Elan McVoy has been reading and writing since she first learned how to, and her whole life has been motivated by her enthusiasm for those two things. She received her BA in English at St. Andrews University, and an MA in Creative Writing from Florida State University. She has worked as an event coordinator at a major chain bookstore; an editorial assistant at an NYC publisher; as manager of an independent children's bookstore; and as Program Director of the AJC Decatur Book Festival. She is the author of Pure, After the Kiss, The Summer of Firsts and Lasts, Being Friends with Boys, and Criminal.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading.  McVoy's reply:

Amazingly enough, though I work at an independent bookstore and am skim-reading tons of books on a daily basis, there isn’t as much time to get engrossed in something simply for pleasure. That said, I did just recently finish reading Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep, which I’ve been interested in ever since it came out, in part because the is-this-YA-or-is-this-adult conversation that happened around its release. Though I loved Sittenfeld’s American Wife, there were some things about Prep that ended up disappointing me, largely the main character Lee’s inability to grow much over the course of the book. However, it’s a well-described addition to the boarding-school canon for sure, and when I finished I understood why this novel is firmly in adult, instead of YA.

What’s next on my list —and which I can’t wait to read—is Patti Callahan Henry’s And Then I Found You, a southern-based novel about a woman who gets reconnected with the daughter she had to give up for adoption years ago. Patti’s writing is so lush and lovely, and I know there’s going to be a lot of emotional food for thought here.

I also need to finish reading George Saunders’ Tenth of December. I got sucked into it while visiting a friend, but she understandably would not let me take her copy, because the book is just too good! If you have never read Saunders –or even if you have before—these stories are so masterfully wrought that it will blow your mind.

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My Book, The Movie: The Summer of Firsts and Lasts.

My Book, The Movie: Being Friends with Boys.

--Marshal Zeringue