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956 ratings | 588 reviews | avg rating:3.90

Rita’s Year In Books

Rita’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Rita’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Rita’s Bookshelves

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currently-reading (12)
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Melissa (thereaderandthechef)

1,573 books | 1,642 friends

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1,613 books | 297 friends

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3,022 books | 95 friends

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920 books | 112 friends

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5,208 books | 1,548 friends

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Vikki Reich

459 books | 128 friends

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2026 Reading Challenge

2026

READING

CHALLENGE

Rita Arens has read 52 books of her goal of 52!

100%

Rita Arens

Goodreads Author

Born

in somewhere in Iowa, The United States

Website

http://www.ritaarens.com

Twitter

ritaarens

Genre

Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary

Influences

Anne Lamott, Joseph Heller, John Irving, Anne Tyler, Amy Tan, Tom Robb ...more

Member Since

June 2008

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/ritaarens

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My latest novel, The Birthright of Parker Cleaves , was published in August 2019 by InkSpell Publishing. Let me know if you check it out!

My first young adult novel is The Obvious Game from InkSpell Publishing. The Obvious Game is available in paperback and ebook (all formats) online at Kobo, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, InkSpell Publishing and Indiebound and is a 2016 Library Journal Self-e Selection.

Together with Stacy Morrison and Julie Ross Godar, I edited ROOTS (Open Road, 2013). My work has appeared in BlogHer Voices of the Year: 2012 (Open Road, 2012) and Kirtsy Takes a Bow (Bright Sky Press, 2009).

I edited Sleep Is for the Weak (Chicago Review Press, 2008), which won a 2009 National Parenting Publications Award.

...more

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Combine Editions
Rita Arens’s books

Average rating: 3.95 · 353 ratings · 95 reviews · 13 distinct works • Similar authors

	Sleep Is for the Weak: The Best of the Mommybloggers Including Amalah, Finslippy, Fussy, Woulda Coulda Shoulda, Mom-101, and More! (Blogher Book) by Rita Arens (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Stacy Morrison (Foreword) 3.80 avg rating — 180 ratings — published 2008 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Obvious Game 4.04 avg rating — 141 ratings — published 2013 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Roots: Where Food Comes From and Where It Takes Us: A BlogHer Anthology by Rita Arens (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Julie Ross Godar (Editor), Stacy Morrison (Editor) 4.31 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Birthright of Parker Cleaves 4.50 avg rating — 10 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Simple Math it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	War (Poetry Book 4) 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2009	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hands Clasped in a Smile (Poetry Book 1) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dead Man Downstairs it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Email Me: it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Shelter (Poetry Book 3) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Rita Arens's Blog

How do I continue?

Typepad, you are useless. I should have left you decades ago. But, much like an AOL email address, I��m just too lazy to quit you.

I talked to my husband about this. ��I know a person,�� I said. but the effort to clean up 15-year-old writing feels similar to an abandoned wood bench. It would feel good to purge it, but good enough to warrant the effort? One wonders.

I am waiting to emerge from

Rita is Currently Reading

Rita Arens is currently reading

Mister Magic

by Kiersten White (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 25, 2026 05:01PM

Rita Arens is currently reading

The Push

by Ashley Audrain (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 21, 2026 04:59PM

Rita Arens is currently reading

It's Our Ship: The No-Nonsense Guide to Leadership

by D. Michael Abrashoff

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Oct 07, 2026 05:32PM

Rita’s Recent Updates

Rita Arens is currently reading Mister Magic by Kiersten White (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 25, 2026 05:01PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Mister Magic by Kiersten White. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Mister Magic by Kiersten White <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens is currently reading The Push by Ashley Audrain (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 21, 2026 04:59PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Push by Ashley Audrain. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Push by Ashley Audrain <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens rated a book really liked it Famesick by Lena Dunham (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I always thought I would not like Lena Dunham. I like Lena Dunham.
Oct 07, 2026 05:36PM · like · see review
Rita Arens rated a book The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid, #2) by Freida McFadden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Millie is not that smart.
Oct 07, 2026 05:36PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens rated a book The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid, #2) by Freida McFadden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Millie is not that smart.
Oct 07, 2026 05:35PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens rated a book 7 Rules of Power: Surprising--but True--Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career by Jeffrey Pfeffer	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sad but true
Oct 07, 2026 05:35PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of 7 Rules of Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — 7 Rules of Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens rated a book 7 Rules of Power: Surprising--but True--Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career by Jeffrey Pfeffer	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sad but true
Oct 07, 2026 05:34PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of 7 Rules of Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — 7 Rules of Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens rated a book liked it How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Totally entertaining but not at all scary.
Oct 07, 2026 05:34PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens rated a book liked it How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Totally entertaining but not at all scary.
Oct 07, 2026 05:33PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens is currently reading It's Our Ship: The No-Nonsense Guide to Leadership by D. Michael Abrashoff	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 07, 2026 05:32PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of It's Our Ship by D. Michael Abrashoff. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — It's Our Ship by D. Michael Abrashoff <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Next Best Boo...: The Title Game - Part Deux	8189	2713	Nov 11, 2021 05:18AM

Rita’s Quotes

“As long as there was coffee in the world, how bad could things be?”
― Cassandra Clare, City of Ashes

tags: coffee, humor, optimism, solace

2113 likes

“I don't really like coffee, she said, but I don't really like it when my head hits my desk when I fall asleep either. ”
― Brian Andreas

tags: coffee, humor, story-people, work

303 likes

“What do you want?"
"Just coffee. Black - like my soul.”
― Cassandra Clare, City of Bones

tags: coffee, soul

2972 likes

“Police work wouldn't be possible without coffee," Wallander said.
"No work would be possible without coffee."
They pondered the importance of coffee in silence.”
― Henning Mankell, One Step Behind

tags: coffee

219 likes

“It's just like when you've got some coffee that's too black, which means it's too strong. What do you do? You integrate it with cream, you make it weak. But if you pour too much cream in it, you won't even know you ever had coffee. It used to be hot, it becomes cool. It used to be strong, it becomes weak. It used to wake you up, now it puts you to sleep.”
― Malcolm X