I didn’t read much this month because I was trying to finish writing my novel.
Books Reread
Audible
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett You know I love a full cast audiobook. And I love both Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It was really nice to revisit this book which I haven’t read since before the TV adaptation came out. It’s still funny. I still love Crowley and Aziraphale. There are a few jokes that haven’t aged like fine wine, (looking at you Madam Tracey’s spirit guide) but overall it’s still a really good book. 4/5 nice and accurate prophesies
New Books
Redhook Books
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: misogyny, racism I heard about this one on BookTok and it did not disappoint. I loved Harrow’s prose and the connection of witches to the women’s suffrage and workers’ rights movements–that’s something I haven’t seen done before. I also loved the LGBTQ+ representation; it’s not every day we get another asexual character. I thought the magic system was really cool. I liked the bittersweet ending. 4.5/5 words and ways
Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende CW: rape, genocide, gore, colonialism I love way Allende writes. This novel had such a strong voice, and I liked the focus on a strong historical woman often forgotten. I was left a little uneasy that the protagonists are Spanish conquistadors. I do think Allende does a good job of not glorifying them or the colonization of South America, and she doesn’t flinch from describing the atrocities committed by the Spanish. But I guess I wanted the protagonists to come to a point where they condemned imperialism, even though I know that’s probably not historically accurate. 3/5 water divining rods
Penguin Random House
True Biz by Sara Nović*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: ableism, oralism, mention of forced sterilization, institutionalization Amazing. I loved this. It was my sister’s Book of the Month pick for April, and immediately after she finished it, I read it. I’ve never read a book where the characters used primarily sign language, so that was super cool. I loved the emphasis on Deaf culture, history, and issues facing the d/Deaf community. I also appreciated getting to see a coming of age story where Deaf teenagers get to do teenager things; often there’s a misconception that disabled people are asexual and don’t get out much and don’t enjoy the same things we all do. I learned so much from this book and highly recommend it to everyone. 5/5 hand signs
**Book Hangover Alert indicates the kind of book that will leave you full up on love. Satisfied, but wishing the book never had to end. You’ll be laying on the floor with no idea what to do with yourself (other friends have called this feeling Good Book Depression or say that certain books necessitate Floor Time). This is the kind of book that gets its teeth in you and won’t let go easily. After the last page you’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. You’ll bother all your friends trying to get them to read it so that you won’t be alone in your Hangover.
***This book is part of my Books for a Social Conscience series! Read The Once and Future Witches for a feminist fairytale with LGBTQ+ themes. Read True Biz to learn more about Deaf culture, ASL, and ableism.
Reads marked as part of the Books for a Social Conscience series will regularly address topics like race and racism, colonialism and post-colonialism, LGBTQ+ experience, feminism, BIPOC experience, social and political issues, history, identity, class, disability experience, immigration, gun violence, poverty, colorism, environmentalism, and more! The goal of these books is to diversify the stories we’re reading, grow our empathy for those who are different from us, and amplify voices who are often silenced.
Wildwood Dancing by Juliette Marillier Book Hangover Alert** Wildwood book 1 of 2 I just got the companion book to this one, and I wanted to reread it before I read the companion. I forgot how much I like this book. It should probably be on my list of favorite books. It is a retelling of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.” It’s set in Transylvania, and it’s just superb. Jena, the main character, is one of my favorite strong heroines. I love the feminism and the sisterhood in this book as well. Highly recommend. 5/5 enchanted frogs
New Books Read
Random House Publishing Group
The Maid by Nita Prose CW: ableism, manipulation, drug use We’re going to be talking about disability studies a lot in this blog. The Maid is told from the perspective of Molly, a maid in an upscale hotel. To me, she reads as autistic and maybe having OCD as well. Neither of these diagnoses are named by the author, who just calls Molly “socially awkward,” which I felt was weird? Did she feel that if she named them, people would criticize her for the representation? But by not naming them, I felt it made these identities seem taboo. I read a few reviews trying to get an idea of whether people though Molly’s characterization was an accurate representation of neurodivergence. The reviews were very mixed. As far as I could tell, Prose does not identify herself as neurodivergent. I do not identify that way either, so you may take my review with a grain of salt. I felt that even though the characterization relied on many stereotypes of autism and OCD, they weren’t negative stereotypes, and Molly was still a round, relatable, sympathetic character. Though she is at times manipulated by those around her, the reader doesn’t doubt her intelligence or her empathy, and her disability actually helps her do her job and makes her who she is. Overall it was a fun locked-door mystery. 3.5/5 cleaning carts
Anchor Books
Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: the holocaust, anti-semitism I don’t know if this was a Book Hangover, or I just felt sad after finishing it. Last month I read The Betrayal of Anne Frank, and I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t actually ever read Anne Frank’s diary, despite having visited her museum in Amsterdam and reading the aforementioned book. So I finally did it. What struck me most about Anne Frank’s diary is how normal she seemed. She was just a normal 15-year-old girl, with normal 15-year-old thoughts and feelings living her life during a momentous moment in history. But when I think about, we’re living though a momentous moment in history right now and, like Anne, somehow we’ve all figured out how to carry on as if this were normal. The other thing that struck me about the book was just the terribly sad dramatic irony. Because the reader knows what happened to Anne. In her final entries, Anne could see the end of the war was coming. She had so much hope for her future, was planning her return to school, and she was betrayed and died so close to the end of the war. 3.5/5 food ration coupons
Cazadora by Romina Garber*** Book Hangover Alert** Wolves of the World book 2 CW: misogyny, homophobia I told you all last month how much I loved Lobizona, and I’m still really enjoying this series. I loved getting to see more of the Septimus world in this book and I loved getting to meet some new characters. I like that it kept me on my toes and I didn’t know what was going to happen. The ending was a surprise for me and I’m super excited to for the next one to come out! I hope Manu and her friends can continue to speak their truth. 4/5 septibol matches
Audible
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen This is only the second Austen novel I’ve read. It’s not as good as Pride and Prejudice but I did enjoy it. I particularly enjoyed the performance of the narrator of the audiobook. I liked that I could tell which characters I was supposed to like, not only by what they said, but by the various annoying voices the narrator gave them, while the likable characters had likable voices. I haven’t read many Gothic novels, but I did enjoy the way Austen pokes fun at Gothic tropes and subverts Gothic conventions. 3.5/5 mysterious trunks
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes CW: ableism, scientific animal testing, medical testing without consent I almost didn’t put this one on here, because it’s just a short story and not a novel (there is a novel but I only read the short story version), but The Metamorphosis is pretty short too. And this is my blog, so I can do whatever I want. My dad recommended this short story to me. It is a really interesting piece of science fiction. I’ve been thinking about it a lot from a disability standpoint and it leaves me…uneasy? It is certainly an interesting concept and I think it brings up a lot of good questions about humanity. I felt maybe the author’s intention was to highlight a theme of human dignity and universal worthiness, but I really just felt Charlie was an object of pity. His disability is separated from him and made into the villain, which goes against the identity model of disability studies which posits that the disability cannot be separated from the identity of the person. But I was also interested in the fact that Charlie at the height of his intelligence in the middle of the story was just as isolated as Charlie with his disability, perhaps proving that a cure for mental disability isn’t a good idea. I also get stuck on consent; Charlie can’t consent to this operation and he doesn’t have anyone advocating for his wellbeing separate from his utility as a scientific test subject. Even though Charlie is at first grateful for the operation, if he had been able to give informed consent, I would feel less weird about it. I’m not going to rate this one because I feel too conflicted.
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: abandonment, rape, abortion, racism, alcohol and drug addiction, AIDS I got this as a gift for recruiting my sister into the cult of Book of the Month. It was stellar. Last month I read The Bad Muslim Discount, and I enjoyed that this book and that book took place at about the same time in American history. It was interesting to compare the Muslim experience to the Puerto Rican experience over the same time period. I loved Olga and all her family dynamics. I love the exploration of how doing something for a cause greater than yourself can also come with personal sacrifices. At what point is it worth it? I also highly recommend reading the poem that inspires the name of the book. 5/5 very fine linen napkins
(If you, too, would like to be recruited into the cult of Book of the Month, use this link.)
Bloomsbury USA
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron*** Book Hangover Alert** I really enjoyed Cinderella is Dead which I read last year, so I was excited to read This Poison Heart. Honestly, I think it was even better than Cinderella is Dead. I loved the mystery of the creepy house left to you in a will. I loved the secret magical community. I loved all the plants. I loved Black and LGBTQ+ characters in a fantasy, and it wasn’t a big deal. I’m already ready for the next book. Also, isn’t the cover just gorgeous? 4.5/5 carnivorous plants
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
The Last Pow-Wow by That Native Thomas and Steven Paul Judd*** CW: anti-Native racism, blood quantum, genocide, alcohol and drug addiction This was a free audiobook on Audible and I’ve had some mixed results with the free Audible books (see the November 2020 book blog) but this one was really good. It was told in almost short stories that all intertwined and met together at the end at The Pow-Wow of All Pow-Wows. That Native Thomas reads the book, which I really enjoyed. His style reminded me a lot of other Native storytellers I’ve heard. I liked how the book mixed in history along with issues relevant to Natives today and also fantastical elements. I did feel the style was a little heavy on telling rather than showing (something we talk a lot about in creative writing), but I also felt that style was very much in keeping with more traditional Native storytelling, and it didn’t make me not like the book. 3.5/5 fancy dancers
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka There is something so oddly relatable about Gregor Samsa waking up one morning as a gigantic beetle and still feeling like he should go to work. I don’t know if Kafka intended this to be a disability narrative, but I do think that author intention doesn’t matter as much as reader interpretation. Maybe I’ve just been thinking a lot about disability this month, but Gregor’s transformation strikes me a little like a narrative of someone who becomes disabled. He is isolated from his family. At first they try to help him and support him, but then they begin to feel he is a burden. They stop being able to communicate with him, thinking that he can’t understand them anymore. Eventually they decide they can’t take care of him anymore and Gregor isn’t really inside the beetle anyway. I hope this isn’t most people’s experience of becoming disabled, but I do think it shows how family and friends can drift away from you when something happens to change the way you have to live your life. 3/5 beetles
Sourcebooks Inc
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: homophobia, microagressions I really enjoyed this. I was chasing the high of Red, White & Royal Blue and, while I don’t think I liked this one quite as much, it was still very fun. A+ banter and I loved the friendships portrayed as well. Both main characters had some inferiority complex problems that were a bit annoying but it was so funny I forgave them. It was also very charmingly British. 4/5 dung-beetles
Collins Crime Club
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie A Hercule Poirot mystery CW: colonialism, ethnocentrism, racism (directed at the natives of Egypt) So good. I haven’t read many of Christie’s novels but I have enjoyed them every time. I do think I should read more of them. I won’t say too much about Death on the Nile since I don’t want to spoil it, but I love how she creates her mysteries. There’s always some details I can guess or figure out on my own, but I can never predict the full picture, which is so exciting. 4/5 Egyptian ruins
Cybele’s Secret by Juliet Marillier Book Hangover Alert** Wildwood book 2 of 2 This is the sequel to Wildwood Dancing above. I loved it. It followed Paula, one of Jena’s younger sisters. It’s set in Istanbul and it was full of magic and mystery. Also there were pirates. Fabulous. It’s probably not quite as good as Wildwood Dancing but I loved that it allowed me to live in that world a little longer. The only thing I’m mad about (and I am IRATE) is that Marillier left the ending just a little open for a third book about Stela, the youngest sister, and didn’t wrap up all of Tati’s loose ends, also leaving those for a third book. AND THEN her stupid American publisher asked her to write a different series and not finish this one. The audacity. This book came out in 2008, so I guess I’m not that hopeful that she’ll write a third book, but I want that more than anything. 4/5 dashing pirates
Orion
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs by Caitlin Doughty CW: death, dead bodies Everybody has questions about death. Let a mortician answer them for you. This book is a collection of common death questions from children. It’s interesting, funny, and informative. Even though they weren’t necessarily the questions I would have asked, I still learned a lot. (The answer, by the way, is probably yes, if your cat or dog is starving several days after you die.) 3.5/5 dead bodies in the plane seat next to you
HarperCollins
Pumpkin by Julie Murphy*** Book Hangover Alert** Dumplin’ book 3 of 3 CW: homophobia, fatphobia If you loved the Dumplin‘ movie (and if you didn’t you’re probably a monster), then you should absolutely read the book and then read the next two books in the series. I loved this story of a baby drag queen in a small town. I loved Waylon’s relationships with his parents, grandmother, and sister. I loved that we got to visit characters we fell in love with in Dumplin‘ and Puddin‘. It was feel good. It was queer. I read it in like 3 sittings. 4/5 rainbow cummerbunds
A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross Book Hangover Alert** Elements of Cadence book 1 I loved this. Definitely the best fantasy book I’ve gotten from BOTM (though I did really like Piranesi). I loved the world Ross created on the island of Cadence. I loved the Scottish folklore. I loved the magic and the delicate relationships between characters. I loved the mystery, and I was surprised by the plot twist. The ending was bittersweet and left me very ready for the next book. 4.5/5 enchanted plaids
Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose CW: bigotry I have some students reading this play for class, so I read it too to be able to help them with their essays. It really is a play about 12 angry white men in a room. But it’s pretty good. It shows how biases can prevent people from being objective, which is an important lesson. I also love how the characters revise and change their opinions as they discuss the case (I mean it would be a boring play if they didn’t), but I love that it shows people changing their minds when presented with new information–something it seems many people resist doing. 3/5 switchblades
Wide Awake by David Levithan*** CW: anti-semitism, racism, homophobia I read a lot of gay books this month too. Loving that energy. This book was written in 2006, so before Trump and accusations of stealing the election, but it’s so oddly prescient. It’s set “in the near future” and it tells the story of the election of the first gay Jewish president. After he is elected and Duncan, the protagonist, and his friends are hopeful that love has won and the country is finally moving forward, the new president’s opponent tries to say that the election was fraudulent, despite losing both the popular vote and the electoral college. It reminded me so forcefully of both the election in 2016 and in 2020. I loved that it was a story about hope and about standing up for what you believe in. I also loved the portrayal of Duncan’s Christian friends; it was a nice reminder that some Christians think the most important idea in the Bible is love. 3.5/5 bad Christian pop songs
Simon and Schuster
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds*** CW: gun violence, death, drugs, gang violence This is a beautiful novel-in-verse. I read it really quickly but it was really good. It takes place in the 60 seconds a boy is in an elevator, on his way to kill the man who killed his brother. It explores grief, cyclical trauma, Black masculinity, and how society has failed poorer communities. It’s a really powerful novel, beautifully written, and very relevant. My students are going to read it in their class and I expect a lot of them will relate to it. 4/5 elevator ghosts
Princess in Waiting Princess Diaries book 4 of 11 I must admit these are starting to wear on me a bit. I sort of wish the books in the series took place farther apart from each other, so we could see a bit more character development. I still think Micheal is too old for Mia and Lilly could be a better friend. They’re still funny and charming, but they do all sort of seem the same. 2.5/5 moon rocks
**Book Hangover Alert indicates the kind of book that will leave you full up on love. Satisfied, but wishing the book never had to end. You’ll be laying on the floor with no idea what to do with yourself (other friends have called this feeling Good Book Depression or say that certain books necessitate Floor Time). This is the kind of book that gets its teeth in you and won’t let go easily. After the last page you’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. You’ll bother all your friends trying to get them to read it so that you won’t be alone in your Hangover.
***This book is part of my Books for a Social Conscience series! Read Diary of a Young Girl to learn more about the Holocaust. Read Cazadora for an Argentine-inspired, feminist fantasy. Read Olga Dies Dreaming to learn more about Puerto Rican history and the Puerto Rican experience. Read This Poison Heart for a fantasy that includes many characters of color and LGBTQ+ characters. Read The Last Pow-Wow to learn more about Native history, culture, and current issues. Read Boyfriend Material for a lovely gay romance. Read Pumpkin for a queer coming of age in a small town. Read Wide Awake for a hopeful political story of love and acceptance. Read Long Way Down to learn about Black masculinity and cycle of poverty that leads to gangs and violence.
Reads marked as part of the Books for a Social Conscience series will regularly address topics like race and racism, colonialism and post-colonialism, LGBTQ+ experience, feminism, BIPOC experience, social and political issues, history, identity, class, disability experience, immigration, gun violence, poverty, colorism, environmentalism, and more! The goal of these books is to diversify the stories we’re reading, grow our empathy for those who are different from us, and amplify voices who are often silenced.
The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis CW: ableism, racism, misogyny I actually finished this on January 31st but I had already posted the January book blog. I loved almost everything about this book. I loved the parallel story lines and the art history elements and the examination and contrast of women in 1919 and 1966 who were all unique trailblazers in their own way. What I didn’t love about this book is a spoiler so read on at your own risk.
Read More: SPOILERS AHEAD
The resolution to the mystery was that Miss Winnie is faking her deafness. I talked about this a bit last month as well, but the stereotype that disabled people are faking their disability to get benefits is so harmful. I was just really disappointed by that solution.
3.5/5 sculptures
Audible Original
The Sandman Act II Radio Drama by Neil Gaiman CW: (from Audible) “This content is not for kids. It is for mature audiences only. Just like the original graphic novels, this audio adaptation contains explicit language and graphic violence, as well as strong sexual content and themes. Discretion is advised.” I’ve mentioned on this blog before that Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read all his novels and short story collections, so I’ve been slowly trying to read and listen to the Sandman comics as well. Honestly, I’m not sure it’s my cup of tea. I’ve been trying to like it, but it’s a little too gory and violent for me. There are always a few stories in each volume that I like, but overall I don’t love it. This radio drama covers about Volumes 4-6 (doesn’t cover quite all of 6) of the comics. It’s really well performed and has a lot of big name actors. Kat Dennings as Death is one of my favorites for sure. 3/5 weird families
Lobizona by Romina Garber*** Book Hangover Alert** Wolves of No World book 1 CW: misogyny, immigration detention, ICE I loved this so much. It made me super nostalgic for Argentina, reading it felt like coming home (which is also how reading Harry Potter makes me feel). It does have a magic school and witches and magic, but it also has things that would make HP better if it did have them, for example, diversity. Our protagonist is an undocumented Argentine immigrant trying learning how to balance the different parts of her identity. I just can’t even explain how much I loved it. I need the next book. Someone give it to me. 5/5 brujas
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez Book Hangover Alert** The main character in Lobizona is reading Cien Años de Soledad and she gushes about how much she loves it. This made me want to read it. I don’t have a copy of it but I do have a copy of Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Honestly, I was surprised. I didn’t expect to like it and I really did. It was hard to put down and I’m still trying to figure out how Márquez did it. I didn’t feel like I cared or felt bad for Santiago Nasar who dies at the beginning (whose death was foretold), but I couldn’t stop reading. I wanted to read this in Spanish but my reading level isn’t quite that high in Spanish. I liked his style a lot. The most interesting part of this book for me was the sort of bystander effect that pervades the whole community. There’s only one person who actually tries to stop the murder, but as a woman she doesn’t really have any power to stop it. I’m also thinking a lot about the woman whose accusation kills Nasar and how women have to go to extreme lengths to escape unwanted marriages and shame and all the double standards related to the sexual lives of women verses men. 4/5 pig slaughter knives
Hodder & Stoughton
The Second Rebel by Linden A. Lewis*** Book Hangover Alert** The First Sister Trilogy book 2 of 3 CW: body dysphoria, sexual slavery, fantasy racism, medical experimentation I really liked this one, maybe even a little more than the first one. The first one had to do a lot of world building so we knew what was going on, and this time, we just got to enjoy the plot and characters. Again I love the diversity of the characters; we have a few nonbinary characters, an asexual character, some wlw relationships, disabled characters. One thing I love about these books is the portrayal of the resistance fighters against the oppressive governments. Often in novels resistance fighters are unambiguously good guys and I really like how Lewis shows the hard decisions and the gray areas and the ease with which those fighting oppression slip to the level of their oppressors. 4.5/5 bioweapons
Doubleday
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury CW: femicide, serial murder I really like Ray Bradbury, but this one wasn’t my favorite. It’s billed as a novel but it’s really more like a collection of short stories or vignettes all set in the same town over one summer. Some of them I liked a lot, but it wasn’t super novel-y in my opinion. I don’t think it was as good as Something Wicked This Way Comes or Fahrenheit 451. I really like Bradbury’s writing style and the way he uses descriptive language. My usual complaint for his books is the lack of distinctive female characters that aren’t like “mother” or “wife” tropes. I liked in this book that there actually was a memorable female character in Lavinia. There were a few other female characters, but she was the most interesting. 3/5 happiness machines
HarperCollins
The Betrayal of Anne Frank by Rosemary Sullivan*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: the Holocaust, anti-semitism, persecution of LGBTQ+, Sinti and Roma, and disabled individuals In the wake of all the book banning, particularly of Maus, I thought this was an appropriate read (since I’ve already read Maus), and my best friend highly recommended it. This book was utterly fascinating. I learned so much. I loved the compassionate way the cold case team explored the mystery and how they grappled with how anyone could betray another to the Nazis. It’s so important for us to study history and see the effect that extraordinary circumstances have on ordinary people so that we can understand how so many ostensibly good people went along with the Nazis. 4/5 secret bookcase-doors
Foundation by Isaac Asimov CW: sexism, murder, suicide This book is lauded as one of–if not the–best science fiction book of all time. I didn’t love it. It was a bit dry. It was about politics and economics which people seem to think is groundbreaking in a science fiction book…but I guess I don’t usually choose to read science fiction because I want to read about politics and economics? And my tired old complaint: there is only one female character and she’s a nasty, nagging wife. Just felt pretty “eh” about it. 3/5 future plans
Faber and Faber
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro CW: classism, discrimination I guess the theme this month is science fiction. I really liked this book. I thought it was really unique. It’s written from the perspective of an AF (Artificial Friend) and the voice and the perspective are really interesting. I liked the way this future world was revealed to us slowly through Klara’s keen observation. I also enjoyed thinking about all the different ethical considerations when dealing with artificial intelligence and gene editing. What rights should androids have? 3.5/5 artificial friends
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: classism, discrimination, poverty This was BOTM’s Book of the Year last year and it deserved it. It was great. I cried. I laughed. I cheered. I raged. I reveled in the story of two strong, gritty women and the ways they each come into their own. I also learned so much about the Great Depression, which was apparently much worse than I ever knew. I labeled this as a Book for a Social Consciousness. Usually books with that designation will be by authors of color, feature characters of color or different LGBTQ+ identities. This one is by a white woman and about descendants of Italian immigrants who were trying to survive during the Great Depression in Texas and California. It touches on themes of classism, worker’s rights, immigration, and how easy it is to “other” outsiders when times are tough. Somehow, even though it’s about the Great Depression, it’s still super relevant to today. 5/5 Hoovervilles
The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson CW: fatphobia, ableism, anti-Native stereotypes Bill Bryson is one of my favorite travel writers. He’s so funny and has such amusing observations even when he travels to a place, stays one night in a hotel, eats in one restaurant, and complains about how expensive all the attractions in the area are. This is one of his older books, and some of the humor does rely on negative stereotypes about disabled people, fat people, and Native people, which is, of course, not ideal. But overall, it was fun to go with Bryson on his long road trip across small town America. 3/5 perfect small towns
Don’t you hate it when libraries put stickers over the title???
The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood*** **Book Hangover Alert CW: domestic violence, sexual coercion, war, anti-Muslim racism, illegal immigration I don’t really know what I was expecting from this book but it surprised me every step of the way. I loved the intimate portrayal of different experiences of Muslim immigrants living in the US through events like 9/11 and the Trump presidency . I liked the messy characters and their messy lives and Anvar’s messy family (but not Safwa’s messy family). Very contemplative and nuanced and kind. 4.5/5 bubblegum ice creams
**Book Hangover Alert indicates the kind of book that will leave you full up on love. Satisfied, but wishing the book never had to end. You’ll be laying on the floor with no idea what to do with yourself (other friends have called this feeling Good Book Depression or say that certain books necessitate Floor Time). This is the kind of book that gets its teeth in you and won’t let go easily. After the last page you’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. You’ll bother all your friends trying to get them to read it so that you won’t be alone in your Hangover.
***This book is part of my Books for a Social Conscience series! Read Lobizona for a more diverse fantasy experience that grapples with trying to change entrenched cultural norms. Read The Second Rebel to see more diversity in science fiction. Read The Betrayal of Anne Frank to learn more about the Holocaust and the realities for Jews, other marginalized identities, and those who tried to help. Read The Four Winds to learn why Amazon’s company town idea is such a bad one that we really don’t need to repeat. Read The Bad Muslim Discount to learn about different Muslim perspectives.
Reads marked as part of the Books for a Social Conscience series will regularly address topics like race and racism, colonialism and post-colonialism, LGBTQ+ experience, feminism, BIPOC experience, social and political issues, history, identity, class, disability experience, immigration, gun violence, poverty, colorism, environmentalism, and more! The goal of these books is to diversify the stories we’re reading, grow our empathy for those who are different from us, and amplify voices who are often silenced.
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien I just recently rewatched the Hobbit movies and realized I didn’t really remember what was in the book and what was added for the movie. It turns out that the movies are actually very accurate, only adding a smattering of orcs and extra action sequences, and one minor love subplot. This is definitely the most accessible Tolkein book if you’re trying to get into Lord of the Rings. Definitely one of my favorite fantasy novels. 4/5 dwarves
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale Book Hangover Alert** This is one of my favorite books. It was on my list of favorite stand alone novels, which I suppose isn’t entirely accurate as it does have a companion novel. But anyway, I stand by my review that it’s the perfect princess book. The girls of Mount Eskel are chosen to attend the Princess Academy and at the end of their studies, the prince of Danland will choose his bride from among them. I love this feminist fairytale that appears to be about girls competing for the hand of a prince, but is really about girls learning to love and support one another and their community. I love to see how Miri grows throughout the novel. I also love the full cast audiobook recording. 5/5 linder hawks
New Books Read
The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All by Josh Ritter I adored the voice of this novel; it’s so distinct and evocative. The novel is an American tall tale about lumberjacks in the 1920s and 30s. I haven’t enjoyed reading about an annoyed old man this much since A Man Called Ove. Ritter brings such lyricism to his writing–as well he should since he’s also a singer-songwriter. And the book comes with a playlist so that’s always nice. 4/5 heirloom axes
HarperCollins
Princess in Love by Meg Cabot Princess Diaries book 3 of 11 I know I keep saying this, but I still love Cabot’s super readable and relatable voice. She really keeps the pages turning and readers rooting for Princess Mia. I know freshman girls don’t see dating a senior boy as weird, but now that I’m an adult and past those days, I do feel like Mia’s and Micheal’s relationship is a little weird. Eighteen and fifteen really are pretty different. 3.5/5 secret love notes
Bradbury & Evans
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Dickens was paid by the word and it shows. Did this book need to be over 800 pages? Probably not, but I still enjoyed it enough to read the whole thing. If you follow the blog, you know Dickens is one of my favorite Classics authors. I love how he’s constantly critiquing his society. I felt this novel was kinder and more nuanced in its approach to the disabled characters than, for example, A Christmas Carol, which holds up Tiny Tim solely as an object of pity and purity. The characters of Miss. Mowcher and Mr. Dick are much more thoughtfully realized and David revises his first opinion of both of them when he gets to know them and begins to understand the hardships they face moving through the world with their respective disabilities. I listened to the audio book and I thought Richard Armitage gave a great performance. One thing I didn’t love was Dora. She was so annoying and spoiled and childish, and I couldn’t believe how long it took David to realize Agnes was clearly the girl he should marry. 3.5/5 workhouses
I didn’t realize this book has eyes until I was outside photographing it.
Gilded by Marissa Meyer Book Hangover Alert** CW: death, gore, death of children I do love a fairytale retelling. And I love a book by Marissa Meyer. Meyer’s latest novel is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and I really enjoyed it’s dark glimmer. Everything about the world was lush and fantastical, but there was an edge of darkness and danger underneath all of it. I like the way the story unfolded with Serilda telling her made-up tales and discovering more about the mysterious Erlking and her magical friend who can spin straw into gold. One of my favorite novels is Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik and as they’re both Rumpelstiltskin retellings, it’s hard not to compare the two. I definitely enjoyed Gilded, but I think I liked Spinning Silver just a little bit more. 3.5/5 spinning wheels
Orion
A Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: war, refugees, trauma Stunning. Gorgeous. Heartbreaking. Haunting. Hopeful. Poignant. Joukhadar’s book The Thirty Names of Night was one of the best books I read last year, and even though it’s only January, I expect this book will be on my best books list for this year. A story of Syrian refugees told parallel to a historical fairytale. I just loved it. I love Joukhadar’s beautiful writing style. 5/5 eagle eyes
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal*** The Sands of Arawiya Duology book 1 of 2 CW: torture, child abuse, trauma, death of family members, misogyny, mind control, slavery, child trafficking Sometimes I think Booktok overhypes books. I was led to believe this would be the best fantasy book I would have read in a while, but it was not. Whenever I disagree with Booktok I somehow always feel like something is wrong with me. Did I miss something about the book that, had I gotten it, would have made it amazing? I liked the world–it was cool to see a world inspired by the Middle East and North Africa–and the concept (although we have seen the concept before of “protagonist must bring back magic to the world”–see Children of Blood and Bone and the first several Throne of Glass books), but I thought the prose was a bit clunky and confusing in places. I often had to reread sections to figure out what was going on and there were a lot of pronoun/antecedent problems. I thought the characters were a bit underdeveloped as well, and I didn’t always understand each character’s motivation. I have another thought but it contains spoilers so read at your own risk.
Read More: SPOILERS AHEAD
Was it just me or was there a lot of unresolved homoerotic tension??? I felt Zafira had unacknowledged feelings for Yasmine, and it seemed like Altair and Nasir flirted through like the first half of the book. Which was then weird when they turned out to be BROTHERS.
3/5 evil ifrit
A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw CW: domestic abuse, torture, murder This was my December Book of the Month and I couldn’t put it down. There were a lot of things I didn’t get done because I was reading this book instead. It started off like a fairly standard missing person mystery, but spiraled into an ethereal, magical realism dream and I just HAD to know what was going to happen. One thing I do want to talk about though, is stereotypes, and this is going to contain a spoiler.
Read More: SPOILERS AHEAD
Throughout most of the book, Bee is blind. Literature has a long history of the trope of the “blind seer” or someone who is physically blind but can see “beyond,” whether that be seeing the future, knowing things about people, or even just having really acute senses apart from sight. While this is not necessarily a negative stereotype, it reminds me of the autistic savant stereotypes in that people expect all autistics to be savants or all blind people to have other special powers, which can still be damaging. The other thing I want to mention is that at the end of the book we find out that Bee isn’t actually blind. She was hypnotized into thinking she was. I feel like this feeds into both the stereotype that blind people, or disabled people in general, are faking their disability in order to get special treatment, as well as the stereotype that simply mental effort, or “believing you can overcome” can get rid of a disability. Those are negative and harmful stereotypes, and I expect the author was not trying to buy into them, but our implicit biases can do a lot to continue the cycle of oppression.
3.5/5 silver book charmsKnopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century edited by Alice Wong*** CW: each essay comes with it’s own content warnings I think everyone should read this book. I learned so much from each and every one of these wonderful essays from amazing disabled advocates. Some of them I had heard of (I read Haben Girma’s memoir in 2020) but many of them I had not heard of, and I’m so glad I now know a bit more about the work they’re doing. I liked all the essays but a few of my favorites were “If You Can’t Fast, Give” by Maysoon Zayid, “There’s a Mathematical Equation That Proves I’m Ugly – or So I Learned in My Seventh-Grade Art Class” by Ariel Henley, “The Erasure of Indigenous People in Chronic Illness” by Jen Deerinwater, “The Isolation of Being Deaf in Prison” by Jeremy Woody, “Radical Visibility: A Disabled Queer Clothing Reform Movement Manifesto” by Sky Cubacub, and honestly so many more. The true strength of the book is its intersectionality. So many of us have a one dimensional idea of disability, but as the largest minority group, disabled people are so diverse and it’s important to understand how various marginalized identities work together. 5/5 inclusive clothing brands
PRH Canada Young Readers
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao*** Book Hangover Alert** Iron Widow book 1 of more than one CW provided by the author: “Please be aware that this book contains scenes of violence and abuse, suicide ideation, discussion and references to sexual assault (though no on-page depictions), alcohol addiction, and torture.” I would also like to add foot binding, misogyny, and femicide I think this was a BookTok book too, but it was so great. Someone please get me the sequel immediately. I loved the originality and the immersive world. I loved the complex characters that weren’t always good people, but always someone the reader could root for. I mentioned in my review of Keeper of the Night that I thought the characters were just unlikable, and even in We Hunt the Flame, I didn’t didn’t feel like the characters’ complexities were fleshed out enough for me to really care about them. But in Iron Widow, even though Shimin and Zeitan are not perfect, or even particularly nice, they’re relatable and I wanted them to succeed. 4/5 chrysalises
Saga Press
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse*** Between Earth and Sky book 1 of 3 CW: body horror, sexual abuse and trafficking, suicide, graphic violence This epic fantasy is set in a world inspired by the ancient civilizations from the Americas and there is a lot to admire here. It was kind of a slow build and it took me a little while to get into the story, but I was fascinated by Roanhorse’s world building and the different societies and cities she created. I also loved that we got to see some LGBTQ+ representation, as we know many native societies in the Americas were far more accepting of diverse gender and sexual identities–one of many things lost to colonization and often not taught in history. Older fantasy is very white, straight, and set in magical England, so I love that we are starting to see more diverse fantasy worlds. I also want to lift up Roanhorse’s blind character. We talked above about blind characters in A History of Wild Places (if you read the spoiler) and I want to say I think Roanhorse did a much better job with her blind character. He is a blind priest, sort of going with the trope of the blind seer, but he’s also very human, and his abilities with spacial perception are explained through his training and the magic he uses to borrow sight from crows. Reading the author’s note, I know Roanhorse did a lot of research and even consulted with Elsa Sjunneson, who has an essay in Disability Visibility that I highly recommend. 3.5/5 crows
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo*** **Book Hangover Alert CW: abortion, alcohol use, colonialism, racism, domestic abuse, car accident (hit and run) This is a retelling of The Great Gatsby, which is a classic that I like, but honestly, I think I liked this version more. Everything I loved about the original was there–the decadence, the languid prose, the delicious tension building, the careless characters. This version follows Jordan Baker instead of Nick Carraway, which is of course an improvement because Jordan is inarguably the best character. But this Jordan is Vietnamese, dealing with racism and colonialism and being brought up by white American socialites far from her cultural heritage. And did I mention it’s a fantasy? And LGBTQ+? Demons, the damned, ghosts, living paper, LGBTQ+ relationships–and none of it seems out of place in Fitzgerald’s story. I already mentioned the tension building and the prose, but I’m going to mention them again because they were great. The tone and style of the prose mimics Fitzgerald’s original, giving you the feeling that you are reading The Great Gatsby, while at the same time managing to feel fresh and new. And the tension building throughout is masterful. I loved it. 5/5 cut paper dragons
**Book Hangover Alert indicates the kind of book that will leave you full up on love. Satisfied, but wishing the book never had to end. You’ll be laying on the floor with no idea what to do with yourself (other friends have called this feeling Good Book Depression or say that certain books necessitate Floor Time). This is the kind of book that gets its teeth in you and won’t let go easily. After the last page you’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. You’ll bother all your friends trying to get them to read it so that you won’t be alone in your Hangover.
***This book is part of my Books for a Social Conscience series! Read A Map of Salt and Stars to grow your empathy for Syrian refugees. Read We Hunt the Flame to experience a fantasy set in a world inspired by the Middle East and North Africa. Read Disability Visibility to learn so much about disability and how it intersects with other marginalized identities. Read Iron Widow to enjoy LGBTQ+ sci-fi in a world inspired by ancient China. Read Black Sun to discover a fantasy world inspired by ancient civilizations of the Americas that also celebrates LGBTQ+ identities and deals with disability. Read The Chosen and the Beautiful if you thought Fitzgerald’s version was a little too white and a little too straight.
Reads marked as part of the Books for a Social Conscience series will regularly address topics like race and racism, colonialism and post-colonialism, LGBTQ+ experience, feminism, BIPOC experience, social and political issues, history, identity, class, disability experience, immigration, gun violence, poverty, colorism, environmentalism, and more! The goal of these books is to diversify the stories we’re reading, grow our empathy for those who are different from us, and amplify voices who are often silenced.
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo*** Book Hangover Alert** King of Scars Duology book 2 of 2, Grishaverse CW: body dysmorphia, reference to sexual assault, suicide, war, violence, grief, death, racism The second King of Scars book! Loved it! I won’t say much about this one because I don’t want to give any spoilers. There was one death I felt like was unnecessary and I was pretty mad about it. I am a big fan of how Bardugo writes her male characters. I saw a TikTok about how Kaz is a male character written for the female gaze and I think the same can be said for Nikolai. I would go more into that but spoilers. I loved that we got to spend more time with characters we know and love from other Grishaverse books. Will there be more after this one??? I think the answer is probably yes. 4.5/5 charming thieves
Penguin
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: n-word, anti-black racism, AIDS epidemic, body dysmorphia, lynching, domestic abuse/violence, transphobia , sexual assault, colorism Stunning. I loved it. Just last month I read Passing by Nella Larsen which is a Harlem Renaissance classic that addresses the subject of passing and colorism so it was interesting to read The Vanishing Half right after. I loved how Bennett developed each of her characters. They were each so nuanced and distinct and flawed. I loved the bittersweetness of the whole story and how there wasn’t a neat resolution–even though some part of me wanted a neat resolution, I think that wouldn’t have felt as true. I also loved Jude and Reece’s relationship and how Bennett explored LGBTQ+ relationships and identity in the 1970s without that being the main focus. 5/5 long lost sisters
The Sweetest Remedy by Jane Igharo*** CW: racial microagressions I keep saying on this blog that I don’t read many romance books but I guess I read 7, which was my 4th largest fiction subcategory this year. I didn’t love this one, but it wasn’t bad. I thought the most interesting parts of the story were the relationships Hannah, the main character, explored with her father’s family as she got to know them, and how she learned to connect with her Nigerian culture. I wasn’t really that into the love interest and I almost didn’t even need that plot line. I loved the way Hannah came to self-acceptance and love by the end of the story. I guess I would have appreciated a little more Nigerian culture. Hannah didn’t really get to do any real sightseeing in Lagos other than visiting the slum Lawrence is from. The socialist in me also feels like the Jolade family could be doing more charitable work. They mention a scholarship program for kids in the slum, but considering how rich they are, it does seem like they could be doing a bit more, or be a little more self-aware about the vast economic inequality. And Hannah, being someone from a less privileged background and someone for whom charity and volunteering is so important, I felt should have explored that more. Also, just to nitpick, why did Igharo have to keep using the words “flapping” eyelids or eyelashes? Just say blinking. Ew. 3/5 also long lost sisters
The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker*** Keeper of Night Duology Book 1 CW: racism, body horror, gore, gruesome death of an animal, death I was really intrigued by the fantasy world Baker created based on Japanese mythology. I loved the idea of the Reapers and the Shinigami and how different cultures deal with death. I also liked the exploration of the two sides of the protagonist’s identity (British and Japanese) as she tries to find belonging, though I do think that even more exploration would have been better. I was disappointed by the characters. Overall they were pretty one-dimensional and the author’s efforts to make them morally gray, while interesting, ended up just making them unlikable. Ren, the protagonist, also doesn’t really change by the end of the book. She has one moment where she realizes the error of her ways, but no real change in her character happens. It also made me think a lot about Paulo Freire’s quote, “The oppressed, instead of striving for liberation, tend themselves to become oppressors,” from The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. I know this book is the first in a duology, but I would have liked to see Ren move from oppressed to oppressor to liberated. Instead she only makes it to oppressor and I don’t feel like I liked the book enough to read the second one and find out if she develops any more. 3/5 nine-tailed foxes
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: addiction, depression, suicide attempt, n-word, anti-black racism, animal testing (scientific) I loved Gyasi’s first book, Homegoing, so I was really excited to read this one. It was so beautiful. I love her writing style. This book was quiet and contemplative, exploring the protagonist’s effort to reconcile her religious upbringing with her scientific work, and through that understanding, then come to terms with the loss of her brother and her relationship with her mother. 5/5 Ensure addicted mice
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: homophobia, sexism, AIDS epidemic, alcoholism, death of family members, suicide and doctor assisted suicide, cancer I couldn’t put this book down. I talked a little about morally gray characters in relation to The Keeper of Night and I didn’t think it was done very well in that book. Here it’s done much better. Celia and Evelyn are certainly flawed characters who sometimes make questionable choices but I was always rooting for them throughout the book. I loved reading about how the characters had to navigate their identities in relation to their careers, and I think the book addresses a lot of things that are still sometimes a bit taboo in Hollywood. The book was a gorgeous, luscious exploration of the glitz and glam of Hollywood in the 1950s-80s as well as the darker side lurking beneath. 5/5 Oscars
Bloomsbury
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas Book Hangover Alert** Throne of Glass Series book 7 of 7 CW: torture, PTSD, slavery, death, war The glorious finale! This wasn’t my favorite book of the series but I did enjoy it and I was definitely satisfied with the ending. I did think the book was a little long and I don’t know that it was actually necessary to the plot to make the characters suffer so much before the end. I still would have been satisfied with the ending even if the characters hadn’t been tortured and driven to hopelessness. Overall a wonderful conclusion to a sweeping fantasy series. 3.5/5 shifters
**Book Hangover Alert indicates the kind of book that will leave you full up on love. Satisfied, but wishing the book never had to end. You’ll be laying on the floor with no idea what to do with yourself (other friends have called this feeling Good Book Depression or say that certain books necessitate Floor Time). This is the kind of book that gets its teeth in you and won’t let go easily. After the last page you’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. You’ll bother all your friends trying to get them to read it so that you won’t be alone in your Hangover.
***This book is part of my Books for a Social Conscience series! Read Rule of Wolves to see more LGBTQ+ representation in fantasy. Read The Vanishing Half to learn more about passing and what it’s like to juggle biracial identities. Read The Sweetest Remedy to learn about connecting with one’s roots and again juggling biracial identities. Read The Keeper of Night to learn about Japanese mythology. Read Transcendent Kingdom to enjoy one of the best African writers working today. Read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo to learn more about LGBTQ+ identities while working in Hollywood in the 1950s-80s.
Reads marked as part of the Books for a Social Conscience series will regularly address topics like race and racism, colonialism and post-colonialism, LGBTQ+ experience, feminism, BIPOC experience, social and political issues, history, identity, class, disability experience, immigration, gun violence, poverty, colorism, environmentalism, and more! The goal of these books is to diversify the stories we’re reading, grow our empathy for those who are different from us, and amplify voices who are often silenced.
The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman Book Hangover Alert** His Dark Materials book 3 of 3 CW: death, child abuse, kidnapping, violence, war The thrilling conclusion to the series! I reread this book in preparation for the third season of the HBO show. I’ve read the whole series before but I didn’t remember very much of this book. I mentioned in my review last month of the second book, that I didn’t get the anti-Christian allegory when I read the books as a child. Looking back now, it’s pretty obvious… I mean God literally dies. Maybe it was that I didn’t go to church as a child? Anyway, I still love these books and I love the final message that heaven isn’t a place we’re going after we die, it’s something we’re building ever day of our lives in the world we live in. 5/5 mulefa
New Books Read
HarperCollins Publishers
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doer CW: ableism, war, gore, homophobia, terrorism, radicalization I really liked All The Light We Cannot See, so I was excited to hear another book by Anthony Doer was coming out. It wasn’t quite as good, I don’t think, but I did enjoy it. A friend told me they dislike his “flowery language,” but I have to say I actually really like his writing style. I like the rich descriptions even if there is a lot of description. I also liked the way this book wove together stories set in the 1450s, in present day, and in the future. I liked how everything tied together in the end, and I liked the emphasis on climate change. I also really enjoyed the snippets we get from Diogenes’s Cloud Cuckoo Land story, and the segments about Konstance. Some things I didn’t like as much: I couldn’t help but notice that the story of Omeir and Anna was pretty similar to that of Werner and Marie-Laure. One is an unwilling participant in a conquering army, the other is a girl alone in a city besieged by a foreign army, and of course they end up meeting. I’d also like to talk about Seymour. Although I think Doer does a good job of making him a complex character that we empathize with, I think he relies heavily on standard and sometimes harmful stereotypes about autistic people. For example, Seymour is your classic white, male, traditionally-presenting autistic who fixates on something (owls and climate change), has trouble making friends, and has violent outbursts. There is so much diversity in autism and these stereotypes mean people who don’t present this way don’t get the diagnoses they need. There is also no evidence that autistic people are more prone to violence than neurotypicals. People with any disability are in fact more likely to be victims of gun violence and police brutality, and there is no empirical evidence that autistic people are more susceptible to radicalization by terrorists. Doer buys in to both of these stereotypes. Even though Seymour gets a redemption arc, I was disappointed with Doer for choosing to strengthen these stereotypes. Overall the novel is a beautiful literary tapestry weaving together across space and time to find human connection, even if it falls short in some aspects. 3.5/5 secret owls
Sorry, I read mostly e-books and audiobooks this month, so not many nice photos.
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divinia by Zoraida Córdova*** Book Hangover Alert** CW (from Book Trigger Warnings): alcohol, body horror, child death [not graphic], death, drowning [off-page, not graphic], infidelity, parental neglect, sexually explicit scenes, smoking I’ve been neglecting my Book of the Month choices; this one was from August and I’m just getting around to it. It was fabulous and I adored it. I loved the themes of immigration and family and the way they are explored. I was also struck by the unique magic of the house and the family; often I think we get stuck with witch and/or magic family stereotypes, but I found the magic in Córdova’s novel really refreshing and different from what I’ve read before. 5/5 flowers growing out of humans
W. W. Norton & Company
An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo*** Happy Native American Heritage Month! I loved listening to Harjo read more of her poetry. I like the way she’s really connected to the sound and phonetics of the poetry. If you’re following the blog, you’ll know I read another of her poetry books in September. I liked this one but I think I liked the other collection more. My favorite poem was “Washing my Mother’s Body,” which was a sweet and intimate portrayal of grief. As with the other collection, I felt I learned a lot about Indigenous culture, practices, and history through Harjo’s art. 3/5 memories
Disney Publishing
If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: fat-phobia Amazing. Everything I hoped it would be. Even though this is a retelling of Cinderella and it is set on a Bachelor-type reality show, two ostensibly un-feminist things, it still manages to be a feminist story. I really appreciate that this version of Cinderella doesn’t include an abusive stepmother and step sisters. And while there is some drama and little cattiness on the reality show, there’s also some great female friendships, which we love to see. It was just overall lovely to read. I have one more thing to say but it’s a spoiler so read on at your own risk.
Read More: SPOILERS AHEAD
I really loved that at the end Cindy didn’t have to choose between falling in love and getting her dream job/dream career. So often in movies and books women are portrayed realizing that love is more important than their career and giving it up, and men never have to choose between the two. There’s no reason Cindy shouldn’t have both.
5/5 amazing shoes
Harper Trophy (I’m sorry, I don’t know why the picture is so small)
PrincessIn the Spotlight by Meg Cabot The Princess Diaries book 2 of 11 This series is so fun and it’s a really easy read. My sister and I call these Junk Food Reads. Not that there’s anything wrong with reading Junk Food Reads, on the contrary, you should not only read highly literary novels that you need to think hard about. Sometimes you just need an easy read about teenaged problems. I love the conversational tone and strong voice of these books. I also love how through Mia, Cabot explores universal teenaged problems, even though Mia is not a normal teenager. I do hope throughout the series we get to explore Mia and Lilly’s friendship more, because overall at the moment, I don’t feel like Lilly is really that good of a friend to Mia. 3/5 secret admirers
Quicksand by Nella Larsen*** CW: n-word, anti-Black racism This book, and Passing (see next entry) is a classic from the Harlem Renaissance. Both books were well-received critically when they were published, but Larsen sort of faded into obscurity after writing them. She only published the two novels and a few short stories, but she’s definitely an important figure in African American literary canon. Both books deal with being a biracial upper-class African American in the 1920s, which is not a perspective I’ve read before. Reading it sort of feels like sinking into quicksand, which I’m sure was the intention. Throughout the book, the protagonist tries to find somewhere she feels she belongs and is happy, but though changes provide her respite and a little happiness, she always slips back into discontentment and an unnamed satisfaction. I think Larsen was probably speaking to a pretty common feeling at the time (and perhaps even now), for biracial women, even privileged ones, to feel estranged from both sides of their heritage, never white enough but also not Black enough.
Passing by Nella Larsen*** CW: n-word, anti-Black racism, colorism This book focuses on those who are able to ‘pass,’ or someone of mixed race who is able to be mistaken for white and may choose to live as a white person. I thought Larsen did a really good job navigating the complex relationships within white, Black, and multi-racial communities. There is a lot of privilege associated with being lighter skinned and able to pass, but that also alienates people who never feel they fully belong to white society or Black society. Individuals living as white also live in constant fear of being found out. Another book on this subject I would recommend is The House Behind the Cedars by Charles Chesnutt, who may have been one of the first writers to address passing.
Roc Paperback
Blood Rites by Jim Butcher CW: sexual manipulation, rape, threatened rape, gore, incest, sexual abuse, misogyny The Dresden Files book 6 of 17 Chugging right along with this series. Still enjoying it. I enjoyed the themes of family in this book and I was happy that we got to know a little more about Murphy who is probably one of my favorite characters. I like the way Butcher puts a new spin on vampires with his Black Court, Red Court, and White Court vampires and how they’re all a little different, and none of them are the cliched, misunderstood, love interest. That being said, the White Court vampires are pretty repulsive and rape-y, and I just feel gross reading about them. 3/5 frozen turkeys falling from the sky
Little, Brown and Company
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie*** CW: anti-Native racism, death of family members and friends, alcoholism and drug abuse, child abuse, bullying This is a classic of YA literature and of Native American literature. It’s similar to the Princess Diaries books in conversational tone, though the themes are much heavier. I do really enjoy the comics that Junior draws and there is lightness and Indian humor to counter the sad parts. I would definitely recommend this book, but I also think you should make sure it’s not the only Native American book you read. Alexie does debunk some stereotypes but he reinforces others. Of course, many stereotypes are rooted in some truth, and Alexie speaks to his own experiences, but it’s important that we don’t just have one story about any group of people, because there is so much diversity across Native peoples. 3.5/5 comics
**Book Hangover Alert indicates the kind of book that will leave you full up on love. Satisfied, but wishing the book never had to end. You’ll be laying on the floor with no idea what to do with yourself (other friends have called this feeling Post Good Book Depression or say that certain books necessitate Floor Time). This is the kind of book that gets its teeth in you and won’t let go easily. After the last page you’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. You’ll bother all your friends trying to get them to read it so that you won’t be alone in your Hangover.
***This book is part of my Books for a Social Conscience series! Read The Inheritance of Orquídea Divinia to rep Ecuadorian immigrants. Read An American Sunrise to learn more about Native American life and to appreciate the current Poet Laureate of the United States. Read If the Shoe Fits for feminism, female friendship, and body positivity. Read Quicksand and Passing to learn about navigating biracial identities and to appreciate one of the great Harlem Renaissance writers. Read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian to learn about Native culture and issues. Reads marked as part of the Books for a Social Conscience series will regularly address topics like race and racism, colonialism and post-colonialism, LGBTQ+ experience, feminism, BIPOC experience, social and political issues, history, identity, class, disability experience, immigration, gun violence, poverty, colorism, environmentalism, and more! The goal of these books is to diversify the stories we’re reading, grow our empathy for those who are different from us, and amplify voices who are often silenced.
I read a lot in October. Do I need another hobby???
Books Reread
Doubleday
Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett A Discworld novel This book was also in my list of favorite stand alone novels. Pratchett is always hilarious but I just love the absurdity of a talking cat and talking rats running a scam of the Pied Piper. So many fun characters and hilarious circumstances. This is probably my single favorite Pratchett book, even though all of his are so good. 5/5 tap-dancing rats
Scholastic Point
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman His Dark Materials book 2 of 3 I just watched the second season of the His Dark Materials HBO show. It’s great, but as I was watching I realized I didn’t remember the second and third books very well. So I thought I’d read them again. I love to listen to the audiobooks in this series because Pullman reads them himself with a full cast and it’s amazing. If you were wondering, the second season of His Dark Materials follows The Subtle Knife pretty much exactly. When I read it when I was young I didn’t understand that it was an anti-Christian allegory. Just like how I didn’t understand the Narnia books were a pro-Christian allegory. But I love both of these series and I didn’t end up religious, so I guess I don’t really understand writing proselytizing children’s books if children aren’t going to even understand the allegory until they reread it as an adult. Or maybe other children are more perceptive than I was? Anyway I love this series. The first book is my favorite but I love them all. 4/5 spectres
Dream Country by Neil Gaiman Sandman Volume 3 of 12 CW: rape, sexual slavery Just like Volume 2, I don’t know whether to put this in Books Reread or New Books Read. All of the stories in this volume were familiar from the Audible Sandman radio play, but I enjoyed revisiting them and enjoying the artwork. Death is still my favorite character. I really love the Midsummer Night’s Dream segment of this volume. I also really appreciate Dave McKean’s Art. 3/5 face masks
New Books Read
The Dial Press
Untamed by Glennon Doyle*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: eating disorders, addiction and alcoholism, homophobia, infidelity, police brutality (mentioned), sexism, suicide, gang rape, school shootings I don’t even have words for how much I liked this book. I laughed, I cried. Nothing will ever be as cute as Glennon and Abby’s love story. Not only was it interesting and insightful, it felt like it was making me a better, more mindful person. I also think it was incredibly brave of Glennon, not only to make the choices she made in her life, but to write a book about them. She had already written two memoirs about her life coming out of addiction and bulimia, her faith, and salvaging her marriage after her husband’s infidelity. But despite putting her life back together and being a good mom and wife, she was still denying herself truth and happiness. Untamed is about her journey toward her truest and most beautiful self and life. I feel like it sounds hokey when I say it, but it was so powerful. I’m tearing up thinking about it. 11/10 cheetahs
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss The King Killer Chronicle book 1 of 3 CW: mass murder, some gore, drugs My coworker lent me this book, as it’s his favorite book. Usually when people recommend a book to me, they just mention it and that’s the end, but he actually brought the book to me and has been excited to lend me the second one now that I’ve finished the first one. The Name of the Wind is a classic high fantasy novel. It’s good, I really enjoyed it, although it does kind of feel like a lot of backstory/lead up to the main event, which is the mysterious Chandrian. It’s the first in the series and honestly there’s still a lot of mystery surrounding the main conflict/bad guy which I guess we won’t really deal with until books 2 and 3. I did think there were about 150 pages in the middle that didn’t need to be there, and I thought the female characters were pretty lacking. You don’t even get one until 250 pages in and then she’s the love interest and she’s “not like other girls” (*insert eye roll*). There were 3 other girls in the novel, one of which existed only to be saved by the main character, and the other 2 were, I think, supposed to be mysterious, but ended up being boring because we knew almost nothing about them (the love interest was also supposed to be mysterious, which ends up seeming a lot less mysterious when they all are mysterious). Anyway, I know this book was written in the early 2000s and it’s not like canonical fantasy has ever been particularly feminist (see Tolkien who had no female characters at all in the Hobbit). I’d also like to point out that the last book in the series isn’t even out. After 13 years. I know it sounds like I didn’t like it, but I did overall. 3/5 powerful names
Aurum
Size Matters Not by Warwick Davis*** CW: ableism If you’re someone who likes movie trivia or are into sci-fi, fantasy, or cult horror movies, I would recommend this book. It’s the autobiography of Warwick Davis, little person and actor. Even if the name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve probably seen one of his movies. His first role was the Ewok Wicket in the Return of the Jedi. Since then, George Lucas has cast him as various characters in every subsequent Star Wars film. His other really famous one is Professor Flitwick and Griphook the goblin in Harry Potter. But he was also in Labyrinth, Willow, the Leprechaun films, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, various Narnia adaptions, and so much more. His book was funny and charming and full of interesting stories. 3.5/5 ewoks
HarperTrophy
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot The Princess Diaries series book 1 of 11 This book is my manager’s favorite series. I love the movies so I thought I would read the first book. Which was a mistake, because now I have to read the whole series. Meg Cabot’s books are so readable. At first I thought Mia was a little annoying, but really, she was just a realistic 14 year old. She was flawed but definitely grew on you. It was different than the movie, but still super fun, so I’m interested in reading the rest. 3/5 Italian hairdressers
PiranesibySusanna Clarke **Book Hangover Alert CW: gaslighting, abuse, kidnapping, madness I bought this book as a birthday gift to myself and I am well pleased. I adored Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Clarke’s other novel that is about 5 times as long as this one. She meticulously crafts her worlds, and the whole mystery and point of view are so fascinating. I felt this strange nostalgia and longing for this other world Piranesi lives in, even though 1) I’ve never been there, and 2) it sounded kinda terrible actually. 4.5/5 mysterious halls
Scribner
The Institute by Stephen King CW: institutionalization, torture and abuse (physical and emotional), murder and attempted murder of children, suicide, anxiety, depression, PTSD, disability and racial slurs This was a month of book recommendations. My best friend recommended this one to me. She doesn’t read a ton but she knows me super well. I don’t usually read horror so I haven’t read much Stephen King, but this one is more of a supernatural thriller. King really knows how to write a page turner. I listened to the audiobook and I couldn’t turn it off. I was interested in the ethical implications of the book, though I won’t say more (spoilers). 3.5/5 dots
Sisters in Arms by Kaia Anderson*** CW: anti-Black racism, n-word, misogyny, racially and sexually motivated assault This was my Book of the Month for July (yep, still behind). I always like learning about the hidden figures from history. This historical fiction novel centered on the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (subsequently the Women’s Army Corps) and the first class of women officers, specifically the Black women officers. They were segregated into their own corps but still excelled and aided the war effort. I was also really interested in the author’s note at the end which talked about which characters were real people or inspired by real people and which events really happened. I also love a story about female friendship. 3.5/5 mislabeled letters
Orion
From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty*** CW: death, dead bodies, some gore If you watch the Ask a Mortician YouTube Channel (which I highly recommend) you’ll be familiar with Caitlin Doughty. In this nonfiction book, Doughty recounts her travels around the world to witness different death rituals, practices, and the industries and infrastructures for death. Doughty is respectful, thoughtful, and funny, and the book brings insight into mortality and our relationship with death as humans. 3/5 composted bodies
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling This is my October Book of the Month and I feel bad that I still haven’t read August or September’s BOTM but I felt like I needed a witchy, Halloweeny read. If you remember, I read A Discovery of Witches last month, but if you’re going for a book about a witch who doesn’t really use her powers and works in human (i.e. non-magic) history at a university and falls in love with a somewhat dangerous man, then definitely go for this one over A Discovery of Witches. The Ex Hex was fun, flirty, sexy, witchy, and, best of all, feminist. The banter was fabulous and I loved that Rhys and Vivi were always asking for consent even though they were clearly both into each other. 3.5/5 chattering plastic skulls
Ballantine Books
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir CW: death, drugs, alcohol, cannibalism (with scientific twist) I really loved The Martian, Weir’s first book. And I was really disappointed by Artemis, Weir’s second book. But I decided to give his third a try anyway. I don’t think I liked it quite as much as The Martian, but I did still really enjoy it. I don’t know a ton about science, so I feel like I didn’t really understand much of what Grace was talking about whenever he was solving a problem, but that also means that nothing really seemed that far-fetched to me (except maybe the amnesia). I do think it’s odd (or maybe just amateurish?) that none of Weir’s main characters ever have any families or friends. It’s certainly easier from an author’s standpoint to not have to make up a whole childhood, a best friend or friends, parents, grandparents, cousins, siblings, lovers for your characters, but it’s also not as believable. Grace’s only friends are his coworkers from Project Hail Mary? Really? He has no family members? And no reason not to have either of these things? Grace is basically the same dude as Mark Watney from The Martian, except a chemical biologist and teacher instead of a botanist. Actually the main reason I didn’t like Artemis that much was because I thought the main character Jazz wasn’t believable. Weir is good at science and good at plot, but I do think he could work on character. Anyway I did really enjoy this book. It was a fun interstellar mission to save multiple planets. There were aliens, many near death experiences, and also friendship. 3.5/5 alien lifeforms
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas CW: slavery, gore, fantasy racism, attempted suicide, drugs and substance abuse, slut-shaming, PTSD, discrimination, misogyny, violence, war, murder While we’re on the subject of character, I hate to say it but Bryce and Hunt are basically the characters as same as Aelin and Rowan from Maas’s Throne of Glass Series. She’s a half-human, half-fae princess with lot’s of magic power who is great at fighting, smart and snarky, and getting over traumas including but not limited to her boyfriend and best friend being brutally murdered. He’s a full blooded, centuries old immortal with great magic power who is being forced against his will to serve an ancient and evil overlord after losing his immortal lover. They start off hating each other but have to work together and eventually fall in love. (Spoiler! Skip next sentence) She frees him from his servitude. (End of spoiler) Now. All that being said, I really liked it. Luckily I really like the characters, even though they were the same as Aelin and Rowan, and I was still rooting for them and happy about them falling in love. I was interested in all 800 pages of the mystery, and Maas really knows how to keep a story moving. I was interested in the magical/technological city that Maas created and the different magical creatures that populated it. I’ll definitely still read the rest of the series. 3.5/5 Starswords
**Book Hangover Alert indicates the kind of book that will leave you full up on love. Satisfied, but wishing the book never had to end. You’ll be laying on the floor with no idea what to do with yourself (other friends have called this feeling Good Book Depression or say that certain books necessitate Floor Time). This is the kind of book that gets its teeth in you and won’t let go easily. After the last page you’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. You’ll bother all your friends trying to get them to read it so that you won’t be alone in your Hangover.
***This book is part of my Books for a Social Conscience series! Read Untamed really just to become a better person. Read Size Matters Not to learn about ableism in the film industry and the world at large (no pun intended). Read Sisters in Arms to learn about the hidden figures in United States military history. Read From Here to Eternity to grow your empathy for the way other cultures handle death and learn not to say “that’s gross” or “that’s so weird” of others’ customs. Reads marked as part of the Books for a Social Conscience series will regularly address topics like race and racism, colonialism and post-colonialism, LGBTQ+ experience, feminism, BIPOC experience, social and political issues, history, identity, class, disability experience, immigration, gun violence, poverty, colorism, environmentalism, and more! The goal of these books is to diversify the stories we’re reading, grow our empathy for those who are different from us, and amplify voices who are often silenced.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros*** CW: rape, sexual harassment I read parts of this book in high school and read the whole thing in college. Now I’m volunteering with a 9th grade English class and they’re reading this book so I read it again. Cisneros is just such a beautiful writer. Her prose is simple and clean, but so poetic and evocative. It’s easy to read but there’s so much going on under the surface. It’s still magical even after reading it several times. 4/5 houses
The Doll’s House by Neil Gaiman Sandman Vol 2 CW: violence, gore, serial murder I don’t know whether to put this in new books read or in books reread. I listened to the Audible radio play of Sandman which goes through the first 3 volumes I believe. I had read the first volume of the comics when I listened to it but no more. So when I read this volume, the story was familiar, but the illustrations were new to me–and since Sandman is a comic, the illustrations are pretty important. 3.5/5 “cereal” killers
Orchard Books
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi If you read my post on my favorite stand alone novels, this book was in there. I first read this book when I was younger and really enjoyed it. Reading it again I didn’t remember very well what had happened but I still really enjoyed it. I loved that Charlotte develops so much over the course of the book and that she’s such a strong female character. One thing that bothered me that I don’t remember noticing when I was younger was how cowardly the crew was. They never spoke up against the captain or for their peers. It also strikes me as an allegory for how the upper classes keep control of the working classes. There are a lot more of the working classes than there are of those in power, but by keeping the working classes divided and suspicious of each other, those in power keep them from organizing against the power structures. Anyway, if they had worked together from the beginning, they could have solved their problems faster. 4/5 round robins
New Books Read
Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian This was my book of the month for June (I’ve gotten a bit behind reading my BOTM picks), and I enjoyed it. I maybe shouldn’t have read it almost back to back with The Mists of Avalon as that led to a lot of comparison between the two. I don’t really know what (if anything) is “canon” as far as the story of King Arthur goes but it interests me that the kinship ties in each version I’ve encountered are different. Like in The Mists of Avalon, I liked the feminist spin on the King Arthur tale, centering the story on Elaine this time instead of Arthur or Morgana/Morgaine. I also appreciated how Sebastian characterized Guinevere, who we so rarely get to see as anything but a pious and subservient queen turned seductress. Even in The Mists of Avalon, though she’s a rounded character, she isn’t much of a feminist. I also really enjoyed the way Sebastian wove the story forward and backward in time using Elaine’s visions of various futures. She created a really delicious tension between Elaine and the fate she was trying to control. And finally, I love the way all three women, Elaine, Guinevere, and Morgana, were able to forge their own path despite the seemingly inevitable futures laid out for them. 3.5/5 fateful visions
Oneworld Publications
The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley*** **Book Hangover Alert CW: gun violence, rape, drug trafficking, drug and alcohol abuse, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, racism This book was so good; it was really hard to put down. I loved it, but it was pretty intense, so don’t go for it if you’re looking for something light. I loved the way Boulley represented her Native culture and practices. I also loved the sense of community with the Elders; there are a couple of scenes of the protagonist and the Elders that I just keep thinking about and they make me feel all warm inside every time I do. I learned a lot about being enrolled as a tribal member, prejudices within tribes, casinos, and the meth epidemic. One more thing I want to mention: I always hate when books have titles like “The [insert profession of a man]’s Wife/Daughter/Sister” because the woman is totally defined by her relationship to this man, however this book makes a point of discussing this and linking it to a Native story that the protagonist rejects because the woman doesn’t get her own name. So I love that self-awareness. 4.5/5 suspicious hockey pucks
Penguin Books
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness All Souls Trilogy book 1 of 3 I was disappointed by this book. I was really interested in the history and the alchemy and the magic and the mystery of the manuscript, but then Harkness had to go and ruin it with this overblown romance with a vampire. Personally I think vampires are a bit overrated. Sure he’s super handsome and strong, but he’s also super problematic. Why can’t anyone write a progressive vampire for once? Matthew’s misogyny, his controlling tendencies, his annoying overprotectiveness, and his anger issues are excused because he’s been alive for 1500 years (things were different back then, men treated women differently in those days) and because he’s a vampire (he can’t resist his predatory instincts–*big eye roll*). C’mon, the dude’s been alive for 1500 years, he couldn’t have gone to therapy in all that time to work through this stuff? Anyway, the romance really did not do it for me (also, who thinks being touched and kissed by cold hands and lips is a turn on?). I did read the whole thing because I was hoping to find out more about the mysterious manuscript and the secret of Diana’s parents’ murder. Then I realized it’s the first book in a trilogy so while we found out some answers, we didn’t find out all of them. I won’t be reading the rest of the books. 3/5 objects from the past
W. W. Norton and Company
Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings by Joy Harjo*** Joy Harjo is the current Poet Laureate of the United States, serving in her second term. Some of her books including this one are available to Audible members for free so I definitely recommend listening to them. She also reads her own poetry in this one which is always nice to hear a poet reading their own work. I do wish I could both read and listen to the poems because that’s how I best understand poetry but I did really enjoy listening to Harjo’s work. I liked the way she sort of sang some of the poems, reminiscent of some tribal music. 3.5/5 holy beings
**Book Hangover Alert indicates the kind of book that will leave you full up on love. Satisfied, but wishing the book never had to end. You’ll be laying on the floor with no idea what to do with yourself (other friends have called this feeling Good Book Depression or say that certain books necessitate Floor Time). This is the kind of book that gets its teeth in you and won’t let go easily. After the last page you’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. You’ll bother all your friends trying to get them to read it so that you won’t be alone in your Hangover.
***This book is part of my Books for a Social Conscience series!Read The House on Mango Street to learn more about Chicana experience. Read The Firekeeper’s Daughter to learn more about Native communities and values, and the affects drug trafficking and MMIW have had on those communities. Read Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings to celebrate the poetry of the US’s first Native Poet Laureate. Reads marked as part of the Books for a Social Conscience series will regularly address topics like race and racism, colonialism and post-colonialism, LGBTQ+ experience, feminism, BIPOC experience, social and political issues, history, identity, class, disability experience, immigration, gun violence, poverty, colorism, environmentalism, and more! The goal of these books is to diversify the stories we’re reading, grow our empathy for those who are different from us, and amplify voices who are often silenced.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern **Book Hangover Alert I made my parents listen to this when we drove from Colorado to California and they didn’t really know what was going on. This is a nonlinear narrative, which I know some people struggle with. But it’s definitely one of my favorite books. I just adore how the stories are woven together and how all stories are really one story. I also think Morgenstern is a master of creating lush magical worlds for her readers to inhabit. I absolutely loved The Night Circus, her first book, and both the night circus and the harbors on the starless sea are meticulously crafted, gorgeous places that fill me with the same longing that thinking about Narnia or Hogwarts or Neverland make me feel. 10/10 kitchen bees
Ghostwritten by David Mitchell CW: rape, violence, abusive relationships, racism and xenophobia Every time I read or reread a David Mitchell book I feel like I have to read all his other books again too. I’m always finding new connections within the book and to his other books. I love how how his characters flit across all his novels. This was only the second time I’ve read this one, so I was excited to read it again and jog my memory. It’s not my favorite of his books but it definitely still has those elements of interconnection that are my favorite part of his work. I listened to the audio book this time and while there was nothing wrong necessarily with the narrator, I do wish they had done multiple narrators. Each section of the novel has a different POV character so it would’ve been nice to have a different narrator for each one. I also didn’t feel like the Night Train section worked with the narrator they chose; that section is almost entirely dialogue with no tags and I didn’t feel like the narrator managed to change his voice enough for each of the speakers. 4/5 backpackers
New Books Read
Canongate Books
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig CW: suicidal ideation, suicide attempt (unsuccessful), emotional abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, overdose This is a pretty new book which was hyped and recommended to me, and I think made the Amazon bestsellers list. I thought it was very disappointing. Interesting concept but poor execution. Boring and predictable. A bit like The Five People You Meet in Heaven, but not good. I’ve made an effort to read books by more diverse authors so I haven’t read many books by white men lately, but this book just screamed that it was written by a white man who was used to being successful without having to strive for more than mediocrity. (I feel like that was harsh, but I also feel like it was true.) I also want to talk about ableism with this book. The premise is that the main character (whose name I’ve already forgotten) ends up in this Midnight Library which is filled with all the alternative lives she could have lived if she had made different choices. The lives were super predictable for one thing, but also Haig fails to recognize that every one of us is one accident away from being disabled for life. We never get to see a life where the main character deals with a physical disability (though she does have depression and anxiety). Haig mentions a few lives (but doesn’t spend any time on them) where the main character broke some ribs in an accident. I just feel like there was a really interesting opportunity to explore disability and different perspectives that was missed. It felt like the novel was trying to make a deep and insightful statement about life and the meaning of life, but it ended up feeling trite and obvious. Also I saw the ending coming from like the beginning. 2/5 book-bound lives
HarperCollins
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich*** Book Hangover Alert** CW: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, sex trafficking, rape, sexual harassment, racism, domestic violence, alcoholism This book just won a Pulitzer and it deserved it. So good. I love Louise Erdrich. The story is based on the Indian Termination Policy, a policy in the 1950s where the federal government tried to sever all ties with Native nations and stop recognizing tribes with the goal of assimilating all Natives into mainstream American society. Many tribes fought against this policy, including Erdrich’s tribe, specifically her grandfather. The story is a fictionalized account of the Turtle Mountain band of Chippewa Indians’ fight to retain their tribal status and what remained of their lands. The story also followed some of the women of the tribe and explored the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, which is still a problem today. I learned a lot from this book. 4.5/5 sleeping bears
HarperCollins
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston*** CW: domestic abuse, racism For some reason I thought this was going to be a slave narrative and I’m not sure why I thought that. But this book is actually set in the 1930s. Hurston’s writing is really gorgeous. There were some really strong images that Hurston created that I’m still thinking about. I just love how everything was described and the way she nested the narrative inside a story on the porch. The way Janie’s character develops throughout the story was really interesting too, how she comes into her self-actualization and is finally able to use her voice. 3.5/5 hurricanes
Feiwel & Friends
Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann*** We love to see that biromantic, asexual representation! I think I’ve now read 3 books with asexual characters in them and I’m ready to see more! I loved the way Alice was secure in her asexuality but also worked through and explored all her feelings. I also really appreciate that Alice wasn’t white so we got to see the intersection of her race and sexuality. This book was super fun and still read like a YA romance novel, even though there was no sex, which proves to me (but maybe not everyone, idk) that sex isn’t necessary in romance novels (or in romance period). 4/5 on the Cuteness Code
Alfred A. Knopf
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley CW: incest, religious persecution Is this 1 book or 4??? I don’t really know. I just know it’s 50 hours in one chunk from Audible. I’ve been listening to it since like January, taking a break between each part and I’ve finally finished it! I really liked hearing the story of Camelot from the perspectives of the women in the story. Bradley manages to give each one a distinct voice and a unique personality where in other versions, Morgaine and Guinevere are pigeonholed into more archetypal roles, and the other female characters are barely mentioned. I do wan’t to mention that Bradley has been accused of pedophilia and sexual abuse which is not in any way okay. We could have a longer conversation about separating the art from the artist and what to do when books we like are written by terrible people, but for now I’ll just say, I believe survivors. 3.5/5 enchanted swords
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
The Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas*** **Book Hangover Alert Throne of Glass book 6 of 7 CW: ableism, trauma, war, violence against women First of all let me just gush over this cover, even though this is totally not the cover of the edition that I got from the library! Look at that badass, handsome man in a wheelchair on the cover of a book! The representation! I could write a whole essay about the intersection of ableism and masculinity in this book, but I won’t put you through that. I really liked this book. I was worried because I had heard that Aelin isn’t in this one, and while I missed Aelin and Rowan, I really enjoyed getting to follow Nesryn and Chaol and watch them develop. I’m not trying to spoil things for people who haven’t read books 1 through 5, but the rest of the review will contain light spoilers. I appreciate that Maas doesn’t make her young characters stay with the first person they fall in love with. It’s unusual in books that characters have several different partners throughout a series until they find the right one, but that’s how it is in real life. The most interesting aspect of this book for me was the way Chaol’s healing and injury were handled. I love how Maas confronted ableism and life as a wheelchair user. The focus really wasn’t on “curing” or “fixing” Chaol of his disability, but on healing his internal trauma and coming to terms with the new limitations of his body and different accommodations he will need. I also loved how Chaol’s mindset changed throughout the book as he faces his own internalized ableism. 5/5 ruks
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah **Book Hangover Alert CW: domestic violence, alcohol abuse, PTSD, death of a parent, cancer, trauma This book was so good! I got it in a mystery grab bag sale from the library and it was a really good find. I love the way Hannah captures Alaska. I haven’t been there but I think she does a great job of giving Alaska the nuance of being a beautiful but also unforgiving place full of complex people. Speaking of complex people, I love how she creates flawed and believable characters. It was also such a page turner! I couldn’t put it down! Not spoiling the ending but it was perfectly bittersweet. 4/5 ways to die in Alaska
**Book Hangover Alert indicates the kind of book that will leave you full up on love. Satisfied, but wishing the book never had to end. You’ll be laying on the floor with no idea what to do with yourself (other friends have called this feeling Good Book Depression or say that certain books necessitate Floor Time). This is the kind of book that gets its teeth in you and won’t let go easily. After the last page you’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. You’ll bother all your friends trying to get them to read it so that you won’t be alone in your Hangover.
***This book is part of my Books for a Social Conscience series!Read The Night Watchman to learn more about Native issues in the early 20th century to present day. Read Their Eyes Were Watching God for a look at early feminism in the Black canon. Read Let’s Talk About Love to get more LGBTQ+ representation, particularly diverging from lesbian or gay romance. Read The Tower of Dawn for a look at disability and its intersections with masculinity. Reads marked as part of the Books for a Social Conscience series will regularly address topics like race and racism, colonialism and post-colonialism, LGBTQ+ experience, feminism, BIPOC experience, social and political issues, history, identity, class, disability experience, immigration, gun violence, poverty, colorism, environmentalism, and more! The goal of these books is to diversify the stories we’re reading, grow our empathy for those who are different from us, and amplify voices who are often silenced.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Book Hangover Alert** (Gaiman’s books always give me a book hangover) CW: suicidal ideation, violence, stalking, child death As I’ve mentioned before Neil Gaiman is one of my favorites. I love this book. It makes me miss London a lot. But it’s also nice to read it whenever I move somewhere new because it’s about knowing and loving a place, learning its secrets, and finding belonging. This time I read the version illustrated by Chris Riddell who has to be one of my favorite illustrators. I loved see his interpretations of characters I know so well. 5/5 gap monsters
How the Marquis Got his Coat Back by Neil Gaiman Companion novella to Neverwhere I’d read this when it first came out and I hadn’t read Neverwhere recently when that happened. This time I read them back to back, and while I still enjoyed it, I did notice that Dunnikin, the Sewer Folk man, speaks in this story. In Neverwhere he uses a kind of sign language when he talks to Old Bailey and it’s implied that the Sewer Folk don’t speak. Aside from that I like the story. I love the Marquis de Carabas so it’s nice to get to spend more time with him, and I enjoy his brother very much. 3.5/5 fabulous coats
New Books Read
Tom Doherty Associates
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire Wayward Children book 5 of 5 CW: body dysmorphia , child abuse (mentioned), grooming The last Wayward Children book! I enjoyed all of these, though I still think book 4 was my favorite. It was nice to visit Jack and Jill again who featured in books 1 and 2. There’s just something so magical about a door into another world. I didn’t list the books in this series as Books for a Social Consciousness books, but I would like to applaud the inclusion of trans, gay, and neurodivergent characters. 3.5/5 skeleton horses
Bloomsbury Publishing
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon*** CW: Alcoholism, death (including parental and loved ones), depression, grief, infertility,miscarriage, plague, suicide (mentioned), suicidal ideation, war (some based on religion) Dragons, witches, magic, pirates, it seems like it’s a combination that can’t fail. This book was hyped a lot and I felt bad that I wasn’t crazy about it. The world building was really intricate and we love to see diversity in fantasy. But I thought the characters were kinda boring and I felt like every time Shannon killed one of them off she was trying to make me feel something, which didn’t work because I did not care about them. Tané was my favorite character but it seemed like she had less page time than other characters like Niclays Roos, who I literally could not have cared less about. Also this book was supposedly about dragons and there weren’t nearly enough dragons. And it was too long. 3/5 magical oranges
Do All Indians Live in Tipis? by the Smithsonian National Museum of the AmericanIndian*** CW: racism, alcoholism, gambling, genocide The short answer is “No.” I worked as an intern at NMAI in college and this book was a gift given to me at the end of my internship. It’s a really great primer for those looking to learn more about Native Americans and their culture. It has answers to many of the questions you’ve probably had about Native Americans, but didn’t want to ask a Native person to spend emotional labor educating you. The one downfall of the book is probably the same one the museum has, which is that it tries to cover the native peoples of the entire American continent and Hawaii, which is a tall order. Many of the questions have some variation of “different tribes do different things.” 3.5/5 tipis
Disney Hyperion
The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan*** Book Hangover Alert** Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard book 3 of 3 The thrilling conclusion! I really enjoyed this series. Specifically in this book I was glad we got to learn more about Magnus’s floor 19 hall-mates because although they’ve been in all 3 books, we haven’t had much backstory for them. I say this every time, but I love the representation in this series. Loved the ending, but I won’t say more about that. 4/5 pottery to the death classes
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston*** Book Hangover Alert** CW from the author’s website: On-page: Drinking, light drug use (weed), semi-public sex, exploration of depression and anxiety, memory loss and cognitive issues, familial estrangement, familial death, grief, missing persons, implied PTSD. Off-page, past, and alluded to: Homophobic violence and hate speech, police violence, the AIDS crisis, racism, childhood neglect, arson, historic hate crime resulting in loss of life This might be the best book I’ve read this year. I read McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue in January, and it was fabulous. This one might be better. It has all the swoony LGBTQ+ romance of Red, White & Royal Blue but with mystery, magic, LGBTQ+ history, and a unique New Yorkness. I love McQuiston’s writing style. Their characters are so interesting and well developed. I also loved that every relationship in the book was queer. We love to see it. 7/5 subway trains
**Book Hangover Alert indicates the kind of book that will leave you full up on love. Satisfied, but wishing the book never had to end. You’ll be laying on the floor with no idea what to do with yourself (other friends have called this feeling Good Book Depression or say that certain books necessitate Floor Time). This is the kind of book that gets its teeth in you and won’t let go easily. After the last page you’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. You’ll bother all your friends trying to get them to read it so that you won’t be alone in your Hangover. Every book in this post is a Book Hangover Book.
***This book is part of my Books for a Social Conscience series! Read Do All Indians Live in Tipis? To answer many of your questions about Native Americans. Read The Ship of the Dead to see positive disability and gender fluid representation in fantasy. Read The Priory of the Orange Tree to see more BIPOC and LGBTQ+ representation in fantasy. Read One Last stop for LGBTQ+ representation and history. Reads marked as part of the Books for a Social Conscience series will regularly address topics like race and racism, colonialism and post-colonialism, LGBTQ+ experience, feminism, BIPOC experience, social and political issues, history, identity, class, disability experience, immigration, gun violence, poverty, colorism, environmentalism, and more! The goal of these books is to diversify the stories we’re reading, grow our empathy for those who are different from us, and amplify voices who are often silenced.
