933 ratings | 567 reviews | avg rating:3.90

Rita’s Year In Books

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2026 Reading Challenge

2026

READING

CHALLENGE

Rita Arens has read 24 of 52 books.

46%

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 · 352 ratings · 94 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) 3.81 avg rating — 181 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 — 140 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: 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
	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

We Fell Apart

by E. Lockhart (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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15 hours, 19 min ago

Rita Arens is currently reading

Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way

by Jon Krakauer (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jun 02, 2026 07:53AM

Rita Arens is currently reading

Duma Key

by Stephen King (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

read in June 2015

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Rita Arens said: " I think I read it for the tableau.

Four years later, read again from the beach on the west coast of FL. It stuck with me. "

Jun 16, 2019 05:08PM · see review

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Rita’s Recent Updates

Rita Arens is currently reading We Fell Apart by E. Lockhart (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fiction	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
15 hours, 19 min ago · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of We Fell Apart by E. Lockhart. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — We Fell Apart by E. Lockhart <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens is currently reading Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way by Jon Krakauer (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
Jun 02, 2026 07:53AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Three Cups of Deceit by Jon Krakauer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Three Cups of Deceit by Jon Krakauer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens started reading Duma Key by Stephen King (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
Jun 02, 2026 07:53AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Duma Key by Stephen King. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Duma Key by Stephen King <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens rated a book liked it Love and Limerence: The Experience of Being in Love by Dorothy Tennov	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
Very interesting, but the back half is repetitive.
Jun 02, 2026 07:52AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Love and Limerence by Dorothy Tennov. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Love and Limerence by Dorothy Tennov <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens rated a book really liked it The September House by Carissa Orlando	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
May 13, 2026 06:16PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The September House by Carissa Orlando. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The September House by Carissa Orlando <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens is currently reading Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt (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
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Rita Arens is currently reading I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir	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
May 04, 2026 06:04PM · like
Rita Arens rated a book really liked it The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1) 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
More believable than the movie.
May 01, 2026 09:02AM · 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 by Freida McFadden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Housemaid by Freida McFadden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens is currently reading The September House by Carissa Orlando	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
May 01, 2026 09:02AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The September House by Carissa Orlando. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The September House by Carissa Orlando <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Arens rated a book really liked it The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1) 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
More believable than the movie.
May 01, 2026 09:02AM · 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 by Freida McFadden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Housemaid by Freida McFadden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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The Next Best Boo...: The Title Game - Part Deux	8189	2711	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

2117 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

304 likes

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

tags: coffee, soul

2975 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