The Reading Culture

Nicola Yoon

Written by Jordan Lloyd Bookey | Mar 5, 2024 8:00:00 AM

In this episode, Nicola Yoon tells us why she fell in love with the romance genre, how she found her way to writing as a career after 15 years in finance, and she shares her own love story about how she ended up with her husband and fellow writer, David Yoon. She also tells us about their new company Joy Revolution which aims to bring more diversity to the romance genre.

 

"Love is risky. Love always ends. Should you do it anyway?” - Nicola Yoon

 

Love is a feeling that never exists solely on its own, and those likely companions to love (anxiety, grief) often bring questions such as, is this worth it? It’s this question and others like it that Nicola Yoon explores in each of her novels. 

Nicola is a hopeless romantic. The affliction began in childhood after the discovery of her aunt’s harlequin romance collection. From then on, Nicola’s love of love would only grow stronger. But while her passion for romance was a love at first sight, her passion for writing was more of a slow burn.

Today, Nicola Yoon boasts an impressive resume as a two-time New York Times bestselling author, a finalist for the National Book Award, a recipient of the Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and a winner of the Coretta Scott King New Talent Award. Notably, her first two novels have been successfully adapted for the big screen
 
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Inspired by her own novel "Instructions for Dancing,” in her reading challenge, Good Grief, Nicola invites us to explore the painful side of love: grief. 
 
You can find her list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.
 
Today's Beanstack Featured Librarian is Nikki Hayter, the Library Manager at Franklin Avenue Library in Des Moines, Iowa. As Summer inches closer, she tells us about a fun program her library started a couple of years ago.
 

Contents

  • Chapter 1 - Harlequin Romance
  • Chapter 2 - An Unrequited Love
  • Chapter 3 - The Great Gatsby
  • Chapter 4 - A Requited Love
  • Chapter 5 - The Airport Scene
  • Chapter 6 - Questions About Love
  • Chapter 7 - Not a Case of Love at First Sight
  • Chapter 8 - Expectations of Love
  • Chapter 9 - Joy Revolution
  • Chapter 10 - Good Grief
  • Chapter 11 - Beanstack Featured Librarian

Author Reading Challenge

Download the free reading challenge worksheet, or view the challenge materials on our helpdesk.

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