Read Harder - Final Update

Y'all...I fuckin did it. How, I'm not entirely sure? But it is done. I've got approximately ten zillion things to do in the next few days to prepare for celebratory happenings, and I need to finish one book a day to finish my total reading goal, but below are some brief thoughts on the last six books I read.

September:

Nelson Mandela's autobiography, while incredibly long, is pretty amazing. There was so much I didn't know about the history of South Africa and the fight to end apartheid, and I just...wow. He was incredible, the people he worked with were incredible, and now I want to read a biography about Winnie, his second wife, because she sounded tough as hell.

Love is a Revolution was an ok read. I didn't love the character development, but it was still enjoyable, and it goes by super quickly, which always makes it easier for me to overlook minor complaints.

October:

Good lord, Fifty Words for Rain was heartbreaking. Every time I thought maybe things were looking up, nope, here the plot comes to punch you in the gut again.

I am not one for poetry, and I don't know that I've ever read a book of poems before, but I enjoyed Earth Keeper. It was pretty short, and I listened to it on audio, which honestly I feel is the best way to enjoy poetry...it's like reading a play versus seeing it acted out. 

November:

Lila and Hadley was very good and made me cry a bunch. 

December:

I can't decide how I feel about The Edge of Every Day. There were parts of it I really loved and parts that I found kind of meandery or couldn't see how it connected to the overall narrative. I don't want to critique what is essentially someone's memoir...it's weird to say about someone telling their own story that the way they did it was wrong or bad...I think I just connected more with the parts about the author's mom and brother (the two family members who had schizophrenia) than I did with the parts where she was focusing more on herself.

Anyway...it is done! I kind of can't believe it. Now, who's ready for Read Harder 2022?

December, Goal Updates, etc.

Well, my my...having a new job is tiring! Even though I've been a librarian for a while and basically know what I'm doing, aside from some organization-specific things, it's still a lot of energy getting to know new people (especially when those new people include 400+ students between the ages of five and twelve), learning the ropes, and getting used to working again. I really thought I would have more energy for blogging again before now, but clearly that was not to be. If I can get ahead on lesson planning during winter break, my goal is to start up again January...we shall see.

In the meantime, I figured now that it's December (HOW is it December?) I probably owed everyone (all the one people who read this) a Read Harder update. You ready for this?

I am very behind. (Shocking, I know. I also still need to read 24 books for the year to hit my goal of 150 books total. Yeesh, how did I let this happen?)

I DID manage to finish all my books through August, so that's...something? Maybe? I'm working on Long Walk to Freedom right now, from September - spoiler alert, it is LONG - and will probably read Love is a Revolution this week while my husband is working nights. I tend to get more reading done when I'm supposed to be asleep while he isn't here but can't actually sleep. I also read one of my November picks and one of my December picks, woo! Hopefully I can get through the last six books I have to finish in the next three weeks...tall order...anyway, my remaining choices for the year are below.

October:

Historical Fiction with a POC or LGBTQ protagonist: My choice was Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie, which is set in post-WW2 Japan and has a beautiful cover. I can't wait to get into it!

A book of nature poems: I've actually started reading one, but it's a nature poem for every day, so I only read one poem a day...that's gonna take a while. My other pick for this category is Earth Keeper, which I have on hold at the library right now.

November:

A children's book that centers a disabled character but not their disability: Ok, so, I technically have already read a book for this category, but it was a picture book, so I picked two. The book I already read is Mommy Sayang by by Rosana Sullivan, which is just a lovely, lovely book. The one I still need to read is Lila and Hadley by Kody Keplinger. I actually did a book talk of this book for some of my classes before I found it as an option for this category, and a couple students read it and really liked it, so I'm looking forward to reading it and being able to talk to them about it.

A book set in the midwest: Done! For this one, I chose You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson, which I have wanted to read for.ev.er. While I could not wrap my brain around earning a huge scholarship for winning prom queen, I still adored this book. Lea Johnson does a great job of depicting the multiple facets to every story and showing character growth. Excellent read.

December:

A book that demystifies a common mental illness: My choice for this is The Edge of Every Day by Marin Sardy. It's about schizophrenia, which I think is a pretty misunderstood and heavily judged mental illness. I picked it up from the library a little bit ago, so I'm ready to go as soon as I have time.

A book with a beloved pet where the pet doesn't die: Also done! I chose The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill for this, and it is ADORABLE. It's a graphic novel with beautiful illustrations, and I finished the series and dearly love all three books. So gorgeous.

What would you have chosen for each of these challenges?

You'll Be the Death of Me - Karen M. McManus

Initial draw: ✰✰✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

Type A Ivy lost a student council election to the class clown, and now she has to face the school, humiliated. Heartthrob Mateo is burned out--he's been working two jobs since his family's business failed. And outsider Cal just got stood up . . . again.

Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close. Now all they have in common is Carlton High and the beginning of a very bad day.

So when Cal pulls into campus late for class and runs into Ivy and Mateo, it seems like the perfect opportunity to turn a bad day around. They'll ditch and go into the city. Just the three of them, like old times. Except they've barely left the parking lot before they run out of things to say . . .

. . . until they spot another Carlton High student skipping school--and follow him to the scene of his own murder. In one chance move, their day turns from dull to deadly. And it's about to get worse.

It turns out Ivy, Mateo, and Cal still have some things in common. They all have a connection to the dead kid. And they're all hiding something.

Now they're all wondering--could it be that their chance reconnection wasn't by chance after all?

Look...in the interest of full disclosure, I'm not sure Karen M. McManus could write something that I wouldn't like. She's just...so good. Even if this wasn't her book, though, the premise really appealed to me. Friends who began to grow apart as they moved from elementary to middle school until ultimately they started traveling in different circles? Who hasn't lived that? I can certainly think of some friends from my earlier school days who, if presented with a chance in high school to spend a nostalgic day with, I would have leapt at the chance. And how could Ivy, Mateo, and Cal have predicted that this chance to recreate their "best day ever" would turn out to be a nightmare instead? 

The twists and turns as the trio moved through their day kept me on the edge of my seat, and there were some delightful surprise moments from some of the side characters that delighted me as well. This was not a book I wanted to put down, and I'm already looking forward to reading it again when it comes out!

(A Very, Very Late) August Challenge Update

Oh, hello! Things have been very hectic with the new job, getting my feet under me, and working on the ever-evolving project that is my new domain. It's great, I love it, but I'm also...incredibly tired. 

So anyway...I'm sure it will come as no surprise that I remain terribly behind in my Read Harder challenge. I did finish my challenge ten books - A Phoenix First Must Burn and A Thousand Beginnings and Endings - which were both excellent, as well as my challenge eleven book, Notes from A Young Black Chef (also excellent, and he included a recipe at the end of each chapter, which I loved). I'm about a third of the way through Sway, my chosen book for challenge twelve, and while it is great, it is also d e n s e. Which means it's taking me a long time to work my way through. Still, though...interesting content!

I have not yet begun my July books (😬), but I'm sharing my choices for my August and September challenges below and crossing my fingers that I can at least get a little more caught up in September. Let this be a lesson to anyone out there who thinks being a librarian means all you do is read! Decidedly not the case.

August challenges:

15. Read a memoir by a Latinx author: So many amazing options! I chose In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero.

16. Read an own voices book about disability: Again, lots of great options. I figured maximize the number of authors I got to read and go with an anthology, so I chose Disability Visibility, edited by Alice Wong.

September challenges:

17. Read an own voices book with a Black main character that is not about Black pain: Ok, sooooo many of the options for this prompt are on my TBR list, so I should be reading more than one book that fits this prompt in the nearish future, but for the challenge I went with Love is a Revolution by Renee Watson. Looking forward to it!

18. Read a book by or about a non-Western leader: Challenging indeed! There were some solid suggestions for this prompt, and I feel like any one of them would be a good choice. After some back and forth, I decided to go with Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela.

What would you choose for each of these challenges?

How We Fall Apart - Katie Zhao

Initial draw: ✰✰✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Nancy Luo is shocked when her former best friend, Jamie Ruan, top ranked junior at Sinclair Prep, goes missing, and then is found dead. Nancy is even more shocked when word starts to spread that she and her friends - Krystal, Akil, and Alexander - are the prime suspects, thanks to "The Proctor," someone anonymously incriminating them via the school's social media app.

They all used to be Jamie's closest friends, and she knew each of their deepest, darkest secrets. Now, somehow The Proctor knows them, too. The four must uncover the true killer before The Proctor exposes more than they can bear and costs them more than they can afford, like Nancy's full scholarship. Soon, Nancy suspects that her friends may be keeping secrets from her, too."

Warning going into this: There will be spoilers, although I'm trying not to reveal anything huge. Also, content warning: discussion of self-harm and suicide.

I went into this very excited. I mean, comparing it to Gossip Girl and One of Us is Lying? You get me. Sign me up. Sadly, it was a solid three stars for me - not bad, but it had so much more potential. I got into it and ultimately enjoyed it, but it required a whole lot of suspension of disbelief. The premise is solid and what made me drool at the thought of reading an advanced copy, but I thought the characters could have been much better developed, and some of the key plot points were tough for me to get on board with. The Proctor, for instance, is pretty central to the entire story, but...why is anyone taking this person seriously? This is the Tip Tap post that pins all the suspicion on Nancy and her friends:

"Jamie has four former friends. Each friend has a secret. One day, Jamie goes missing. Which friend is guilty and deserves punishment?

c) the one hiding a criminal
d) the one who traded conscience for grades
a) the one who sunk the lowest to get highest
b) the one who ruined a girl three years ago

Happy testing. The Proctor."

I can't be the only one who finds that incredibly flimsy, and it only gets weaker as each secret is revealed. Most of them are pretty generic, and I would be shocked if the friend group were the only people at the school who had them. I don't want to get too deeply into it and give stuff away, but reading this it seemed like there was an outline and it was followed, but outside of the key plot points nothing got fleshed out. Give me more!

I had the same issue with the characters. Flashbacks to Jamie revealed her to be a pretty unforgivably terrible human, which regardless of how rich she was made it difficult to believe that she had close enough friends that they would let her learn secrets about them. There were some vague attempts to introduce some nuance, but they weren't developed enough to redeem her. Then the other characters were all very cookie-cutter. All her friends act exactly the same, everyone at the school is super generic...meh. 

Finally, the way that self-harm and suicide are handled felt really weird and uncomfortable to me. I know that the whole point of the book is that it's a really high-demand school and basically everyone is stressed to the point of falling apart constantly, but it was strange that literally no one seemed phased by that. Not a single person?! Even after Jamie dies, the teachers and school leadership are still just like...

This school is hard, lol! Talk to a counselor between classes if you're bummed your fellow youth died. 

Uhh ok, Headmaster Charleston. Even "tough" educators have like a modicum of empathy, don't they? I feel like at least one reasonable soul should have stepped in and been like "so this is insane, right?" even if everyone else told them to shut up. That would have made things much less strange for me.

Anyway...at the end of the day, this wasn't bad, but it was disappointing reading it and seeing how it could have been so much better. I'm interested to see if the next book in the series is stronger, now that the world and characters are established. I suppose we shall see.

I'm on smoko!

Ok so not really...what I am on is starting a new job and trying to get my new school library whipped into shape before school starts in early August, which...is an UNDERTAKING. What that means is that I likely won't be posting much, at least until I get my feet under me with the new gig. I've got a couple advanced reader copies of books that I want to post reviews for, if I manage to actually find the time to finish them, so fingers crossed I'll be posting sporadically, but we'll see how it goes.

Also, for anyone unfamiliar, the source of this post title: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j58V2vC9EPc

Delightful.

On the Way to the Wedding - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Unlike most men of his acquaintance, Gregory Bridgerton believes in true love. And he is convinced that when he finds the woman of his dreams, he will know in an instant that she is the one. And that is exactly what happened. Except...

She wasn't the one. In fact, the ravishing Miss Hermione Watson is in love with another. But her best friend, the ever-practical Lady Lucinda Abernathy, wants to save Hermione from a disastrous alliance, so she offers to help Gregory win her over. But in the process, Lucy falls in love. With Gregory! Except...

Lucy is engaged. And her uncle is not inclined to let her back out of the betrothal, even once Gregory comes to his senses and realizes that it is Lucy, with her sharp wit and sunny smile, who makes his heart sing. And now, on the way to the wedding, Gregory must risk everything to ensure that when it comes time to kiss the bride, he is the only man standing at the altar..."

Mehhhhhhh. I wish Gregory featured more heavily in the earlier books. The first four, I was more invested because you've gotten to know all four older siblings. The fifth, I was also invested, because I love Eloise...until her character was completely ruined and she was shackled to a garbage person. Of all the siblings, I think Francesca and Gregory featured the least prominently in the other novels, so their stories were a little harder to be enthusiastic about. Thankfully, they were compelling enough that I still liked them, but the earlier books are markedly easier to get into because you already know and are invested in the characters. That said, this was...mostly fine, if a little dull.

I liked Lucy as a character, she was probably the character I liked most in this book. That said, the whole romance arc between her and Gregory felt a little funky and forced, and I wish it had been handled differently. He went from being wholly fixated on her best friend to liking her much too quickly, and the whole thing just felt...clunky. Then we get into some spoilers, so...warning. Spoilers.

Spoilers below!

The end of this story felt a little jump the shark-y. The book starts off with Gregory running to stop a wedding, so...alright. I can get into that. But then...she actually gets married? And then...he "kidnaps" her and ties her up in a bathroom? But wait! Now her uncle has found her and...he has a gun? Someone gets shot? Oh, and the marriage can still be annulled with no issues because she and her (btw, hella gay) husband have not consummated yet! It was...a lot. You're doing too much, Julia.

Ultimately, the highest praise I can give this book is that it's just fine. There are some weird things and choices that I don't know if they should have been made, but...it's not Eloise's story, so it's passable.

July challenge update

Whew, hello! If time could pass like...a touch more slowly? That would be great. I'm still a wee bit behind in my challenge reading, but I'm working on it. I finished Chirp and A Phoenix First Must Burn (which was SO GOOD, please read it!), but my copies of A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, Notes from a Young Black Chef, and Sway are still waiting for me to get to them. I'm working on it, books, I'm so sorry! I am SUPER excited to read them, and Notes from a Young Black Chef is sitting on my table just waiting for me to finish another book that I'm working on so I can dive in. I like to read multiple books at once, but I'm really trying to keep myself from getting out of control with that. At some point I should probably actually finish one of the books I'm reading instead of just starting another one, maybe.

But anyway! Books that I will be adding to my waiting TBR pile for July!

13. Read a book with a cover you don't like

This was a tough one to choose a title for because without browsing the shelves at a library or a bookstore to see what jumps out at me, which I'm not quite ready to do, it's kind of tricky to find a book whose cover you don't like. I ended up scrolling through my Want to Read stuff on Goodreads, but covers really hit different in person than they do online, you know? Anyway...I went with The Authentics by Abdi Nazemian. 

Honestly...there's nothing wrong with the cover. It just isn't one that would typically draw me in the way some of my favorite covers have.

14. Read a realistic YA book not set in the US, UK, or Canada.

I'm really looking forward to this one! I try to read as diversely as I can, but a lot of my reading ends up being pretty US centric, which I need to be better about. For this challenge, I decided to go with The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf. It has been on my list to pick up for a very, very long time, and I need to read it!

What would you read for each of these challenges?

It's In His Kiss - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Meet our hero. Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth's sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past...and the key to his future. The problem is - it's written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.

Meet our heroine. All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She's fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken, and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there's something about her - something charming and vexing - that grabs him and won't quite let go...

Meet poor Mr. Mozart. Or don't. But rest assured, he's spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual - and annually discordant - Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth's every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other...and that there is nothing as simple - or as complicated - as a single, perfect kiss."

I've been arranging and rearranging my ranking of these books in my mind as I've read them and subsequently reviewed them, and I really think this one has landed solidly in second place. Aside from Anthony and Kate, the development of the romance feels the most natural, and overall I just liked Hyacinth and Gareth as characters. (Although Gareth, horrible name for this character. Hate that decision for him.) Hyacinth is so snarky and outspoken, and I am here for every moment. Also, her friendship with Lady Danbury meant there was significantly more Lady D in this book than in others, and can I get a hell yeah? God, I love Lady Danbury. I aspire to be like her.

I also greatly enjoyed that a fairly big part of this story revolved around hidden diamond hijinks, which...what?! It was somewhat silly but in a super enjoyable way, and I was very on board. Although I am unendingly curious where Hyacinth found herself a pair of pants, specifically pants that fit her so well that Gareth was drooling all over seeing her in them. You know her brothers don't have pants that would be hugging her curves...Hyacinth, tell me your secrets. 

Once again though, we must confront the thing that I did not like. The SAME THING, as a matter of fact. What is with the men in these novels scheming to trap women into marriage via seduction? Boo, Gareth, boo. We fuck because we want to, because we're both into it and it's great fun! We don't fuck to force someone to marry us! That's not cool, bud. Hate to see it.

In conclusion: be cool, guys, stop weaponizing sex. More Lady Danbury, please. Hyacinth is a badass.

When He Was Wicked - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"In every life there is a turning point. A moment so tremendous, so sharp and breathtaking, that one knows one's life will never be the same. For Michael Stirling, London's most infamous rake, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton.

After a lifetime of chasing women, of smiling slyly as they chased him, of allowing himself to be caught but never permitting his heart to become engaged, he took one look at Francesca Bridgerton and fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing. Unfortunately for Michael, however, Francesca's surname was to remain Bridgerton for only a mere thirty-six hours longer - the occasion of their meeting was, lamentably, a supper celebrating her imminent wedding to his cousin.

But that was then...Now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still she thinks of him as nothing other than her dear friend and confidant. Michael dares not speak to her of his love...until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms, and passion proves stronger than even the most wicked of secrets..."

Okay, Julia. Okay. This book has a weird premise, but I'll go for it. 

Things I'm here for: Francesca and Michael banging for weeks while Francesca steadfastly refuses to accept his proposal of marriage. Hell yeah, girl, get that dick! Being married is not a requirement for having a good time! Also, is this the first book where a man actually goes down on a woman? Because SNAPS for that. Sorry, fellas, I don't care how big Julia says your dicks all are, I'm not convinced that any of you were getting these women off with penetration alone. I don't buy it. Be like Michael. Give them some legit foreplay.

That said...the THING with all capital letters that I am decidedly not here for: Michael scheming to trap Francesca into marriage by seducing her and subsequently attempting to knock her up. MICHAEL, NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Thankfully, he wises up and changes course pretty quickly, but bro. Ew. Supremely not cool.

Anyway...as mentioned, this book has an incredibly strange premise, but...it was solid.

Top Ten July New Releases

I feel like every month I'm looking at my post schedule for what upcoming things I need to plan for and without fail I end up marveling at how it's already the end of the month...so at the risk of repeating myself, how is it already almost July?! I have a real love/hate relationship with these top ten posts because it's so exciting seeing what new books are coming out, but I also have such a ridiculous number of things I want to read that I get super excited and then have to wait forever to get to any of them. Such torture. But a good problem to have, I suppose. Better too many good books than too few. So anyway...top ten upcoming releases for July! Get HYPED! 

1. After the Ink Dries by Cassie Gustafson - out July 20th

2. Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell - out July 6th

3. Faking Reality by Sara Fujimura - out July 13th

4. Radha & Jai's Recipe for Romance by Nisha Sharma - out July 13th

5. The Right Side of Reckless by Whitney D. Grandison - out July 13th

6. Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson - out July 6th

7. Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim - out July 6th

8. The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass - out July 13th

9. Up All Night: 13 Stories Between Sunset and Sunrise edited by Laura Silverman - out July 13th

10. XOXO by Axie Oh - out July 13th

To Sir Phillip, With Love - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Sir Phillip knew from his correspondence with his dead wife's distant cousin that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except...she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her...

Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking...and wondering...and before she knew it she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except...he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered. And he certainly should have mentioned that he had two young - and decided unruly - children, as much in need of a mother as Phillip is in need of a wife."

 Eloise Bridgerton deserves better! This could be my whole review, honestly. Her entire story was just...such a letdown. She is built up as such a strong, independent, intelligent character through the first four books, and then BOOM as soon as Penelope decides she's getting married, suddenly Eloise is like "oh fuck I need to find a man, like, stat." Nooooooooo! Why are we erasing everything good that has been established about Eloise as a character with the premise of this book? Why?!

Add to that the fact that Phillip is a complete fucking dumpster fire of a character, and it adds up to an incredibly disappointing book. If he was amazing, I could maybe, maybe forgive the premise and wrap my brain around Eloise needing to meet him and quickly falling in love with him, but not only are the snippets of the letters they share to each other completely benign and sometimes outright dull, Phillip is such an unrelenting douchebaggy drip of a person! Uuuuuuugh I haaaaaaaaaaaaate iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. I wish I could be more eloquent about it, but I just...I don't have it in me. Start to finish, BLEH. 

I'll end with this - was I the only person who was reading Eloise as queer throughout the first four books? I mean, I will freely admit, give me an opening and I'll read anything as queer. [Premise] but make it queer, always a recipe for success. But FOR REAL, can we let Eloise be gay and have a great time? Please? In my brain that will be what actually happened. This book no longer exists for me.

TBR - Read the Rainbow

It's June, which means Pride! What better way to celebrate than with a Tuesday Book Recs featuring LGBTQIA stories? I pulled some titles that I'm most looking forward to from my list of books waiting to be read - I started out aiming for like a top ten or so, but I couldn't stop. SO MANY EXCELLENT BOOKS. Are there any on this list that you're also excited for? Anything that you think I'm missing? Let me know! I want to read alllllll the queer stories.

1. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

2. The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

3. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

4. Cinderella is Dead and This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

5. Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa

6. Full Disclosure and Off the Record by Camryn Garrett

7. Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

8. How it All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi

9. I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee

10. Jade Fire Gold by June C.L. Tan

11. The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

12. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

13. Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian

14. The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali and Zara Hossain is Here by Sabina Khan

15. The Marvelous by Claire Kann

16. Miss Meteor and We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

17. Odd One Out by Nic Stone

18. The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum

19. The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon

20. You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

Romancing Mister Bridgerton - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Everyone knows that Colin Bridgerton is the most charming man in London. Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend's brother for...well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret...and fears she doesn't know him at all.

Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of everyone's preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can't seem to publish an edition without mentioning him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same - especially Penelope Featherington! The girl haunting his dreams. But when he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide...is she his biggest threat - or his promise of a happy ending?"

This is one of my favorite book of the series, and it's not just because I see myself in Colin Bridgerton and his insecurity with letting other people read his writing. Or maybe it is, who's to say? Honestly, the more that I've sat with it, I feel like part of why I liked it so much was because it was pretty benign, which was a pretty big breath of fresh air after Benedict went full Dennis in the last book. I like Penelope and how quietly snarky she is, I love that we get more Lady Danbury in this book, and I enjoyed the way Colin gradually becomes more aware of Penelope until he's like oh, shit...am I in love with her? The boy is dense, but it was cute.

Challenge update - Going into month six!

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...

I completely forgot to read my challenge books for May. I can't believe it! I realized it a couple days prior to the end of the month and started desperately reading Chirp in an attempt to catch up, but yyyyeeeeeeaaaaaaaah. I am officially very much behind. Even so! I am soldiering on with my June picks and looking forward to reading both of them (although, admittedly, possibly not reading both of them in June). This month's challenges/picks:

11. Read a food memoir by an author of color

For this challenge, I chose Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi. I was really glad that my local library had a copy of this, because something I discovered when looking for options was how shockingly few of the recommendations I could find were available at the library. Fortunately, my library has an option on their website to recommend additions to the collection, and I wanted to bring that up in case any readers out there were unaware that their library probably has a similar option. 

Y'all. If your library does not have a book in their collection that you think they should have? A. Check their website. They probably have something set up for submitting recommendations. If they don't? B. Contact them by email or telegram or WHATEVER and let them know that you think they should purchase a copy! Depending on their budget, availability, and vendor agreements they may or may not actually be able to add it, but...library collections are developed by human beings, and usually a pretty small number of human beings, so trust...they will appreciate your recommendations.

Anyway, back to the challenge.

12. A work of investigative non-fiction by an author of color

I went with Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias by Pragya Agarwal, because this is something I am super interested in working on in myself. There were so many intriguing options for this one, though, so maybe I'll end up expanding my horizons and taking on investigative non-fiction as a new favorite genre! I guess only time will tell.

What would you choose to read for each of these prompts?

An Offer From a Gentleman - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball - or that "Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.

Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other - except, perhaps, this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid's garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?"

Look...it's fine...but Benedict's overtures have distinct Dennis Reynolds vibes. 

I mean, I know it's a romance novel, and I know it's set in the regency era...but yeesh. I was intrigued at first at the idea of a Cinderella-esque pseudo retelling, but the way that Benedict is engineering scenarios to basically force Sophie to be with him - not even to marry him, but to be his mistress, which she has made incredibly clear she does not want to do - is gross. And it made it really hard to like Benedict. And consequently, the book. I don't even want to talk about it more than this, because 🤮. This was my second least favorite book. Do not like.

TBR - My Next Five Reads

Summer is (almost officially) here, I'm looking at a weekly weather report with possibly our first 100+ degree days across the board for the year, and there is a lot going on over here in Deweyville (in a good way, but still!). Consequently, this week's Tuesday Book Recs is part complete cop-out, because I didn't have time to come up with a theme and put together a corresponding list, and part accountability post, so I actually fucking read some stuff. I mean...I've been reading, but not nearly as much as usual, and while I do have more to juggle now than I have since I quit my job several months ago (again, in a good way!), I'm trying to balance my time better so I can do those things and read all the things. I can do it! And to get myself started, below are the next five* books I will be reading.

*outside of book club and reading challenge books

1. More Than a Body: Your Body is an Instrument, Not an Ornament by Lindsay and Lexie Kite

2. Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less by Tiffany Dufu

3. Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo

4. Superbetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient - Powered by the Science of Games by Jane McGonigal

5. Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

Also, OH MY GOD, I am just realizing that almost all of these are non-fiction. Wow. Talk about breaking out of my mold. Dayum. Also, it's a very yellow group of books! Fascinating coincidence.

The Viscount Who Loved Me - Julia Quinn

 Initial draw: ✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, this author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London's most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry. And in truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better..." - Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1814

But this time, the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry - he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield - the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate is the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands - and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate is determined to protect her sister - but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony's lips touch hers, she's suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself..."

I am still far too immature to read words like "maidenhead," but this is one of my favorite books of the series. It was by far the most organic in terms of relationship development, and I was genuinely rooting for Anthony and Kate. It also got into some serious trauma-related stuff that I really didn't expect! I appreciated that it got into some serious stuff instead of just skimming the surface. It even taught me something about bee sting allergies - did you know that with deadly bee allergies, the first sting doesn't always trigger a reaction? It's the second that becomes problematic. Interesting...interesting.

Anyway, if you want to dip your toe into Bridgerton but don't want to read the entire series, I would go with this one. Kate remained one of my favorite characters throughout the rest of the series, and I found her outspoken snark delightful.

Top Ten June New Releases

Once again, here I am looking at upcoming new releases and struggling to narrow my list of most anticipated titles down to ten. If people could press pause on releasing excellent stuff for a bit so I could catch up on my to be read list, that would be wonderful. There are so many amazing books, I can't keep up.

What's that? That's not an option?

Oh.

In that case, I suppose I'll just suck it up and add another ten books to my already astronomical list! And without further ado, those books are:

1. Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé - out June 1st

2. Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton et al. - out June 22nd

3. Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury - out June 15th

4. An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi - out June 1st

5. Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa - out June 8th

6. Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon - out June 1st

7. The Marvelous by Claire Kann - out June 8th

8. Simone Breaks All the Rules by Debbie Rigaud - out June 1st

9. Sisters of the Snake by Sasha Nanua - out June 15th

10. Witchshadow by Susan Dennard - out June 22nd

The Duke and I - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰

Character development: ✰✰✰

Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"After enduring two seasons in London, Daphne Bridgerton is no longer naive enough to believe she will be able to marry for love. But is it really too much to hope for a husband for whom she at least has some affection?

Her brother's old school friend Simon Basset - the new Duke of Hastings - has no intention of ever marrying. However, newly returned to England, he finds himself the target of the many marriage-minded society mothers who remain convinced that reformed rakes make the best husbands.

To deflect their attention, the handsome hell-raiser proposes to Daphne that they pretend an attachment. In return, his interest in Daphne will ensure she becomes the belle of London society with suitors beating a path to her door. There's just one problem, Daphne is in very real danger of falling for a man who has no intention of making their charade a reality..."

 

Ah, the Bridgertons...I, of course, bingewatched the series when it showed up on Netflix, and when I found out the show was based on a book series I half-heartedly debated reading them. My reading habits generally skew more toward YA or Middle Grade, so romance isn't typically in my rotation, but then I found out a friend had started reading them, and that sealed the deal. I never can pass up an opportunity to talk about books with my buds, and as a bonus, I was able to borrow their copies to read, so...ease of access to the books and someone to discuss them with? I didn't stand a chance. And here we are.

All that to say...I wasn't super drawn to the books initially. My initial reticence aside though, while I have some issues, I did think the character development was solid, the dialogue was witty, and honestly even the worst book can be improved by having someone to react to it with, so...all in all, The Duke and I was an okay read. I wasn't intending to review them, so aside from the reaction texts I sent my friend (which primarily consisted of things like "I cannot with 'the cradle of her femininity'" and "yeah, I'm not mature enough for this"), I have no notes on the book, so I'm sorry that this review is a bit lacking. The best I can do is give you my top three takeaways, which will include spoilers, so...sorry.

Not lying about spoilers. Don't keep reading if you don't want to be spoiled.

Takeaway 1: Did we need to include a rape scene? Daphne decides that even though Simon doesn't want to have kids, she does, and that's more important! So when homie is drunk, she initiates sex, and even though he very clearly is like hey, please let's stop, she keeps going until he finishes. This was included in the show, too, and I just. We're not even going to call out that this was not an okay thing for her to do? Really?

Takeaway 2: If I never hear the word "maidenhead" again, it will be too soon.

Takeaway 3: I lack the patience for storylines set in this era in which the societal expectations of the time are strictly adhered to. Are you really going to tell me that girls weren't finding ways to get intel about sex and doing the dirty on the downlow? Daphne didn't know a single fucking thing about how sex worked? Her mom couldn't do even a slightly better job of explaining it to her? I know there are some things that I need some suspension of disbelief, because I'm holding regency-era characters to 2021 feminist standards, but for shit's sake. It really drove me crazy that the whole premise of the book is basically "men fuck as much as they want, and of course everyone is okay with this, but women don't even know what a dick is." I cannot.

TBR - Mental Health Awareness

May is Mental Health Awareness month, so what better time to talk about books with mental health representation? I started my list with books I have read and loved, and I realized pretty quickly that I have gravitated toward books with characters whose mental health experiences mirror mine. Eye-opening! I always enjoy putting book lists together, but I'm particularly glad that this one made me aware of some of my blind spots, and now I have more books with mental health rep outside my own experience to read and learn from. This Tuesday Book Recs post is full of recs for myself!

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Sáenz 

One of these I have read (and recommended multiple times, so if you're still sleeping on Ari and Dante, I don't know why), the other I haven't. Last Night I Sang to the Monster is about eighteen-year-old Zach who, instead of finishing high school, finds himself in rehab for alcoholism instead. He can't remember how he got there, and he's not sure he wants to find out.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

Leigh is grieving the loss of her mother to suicide and is convinced that when her mother died, she became a bird. Her quest to find her mother's bird form takes her to Taiwan for a visit with her maternal grandparents, and it is here that she discovers more than she expected to, including a new relationship with the grandparents she had previously never met.

Clean by Amy Reed

Olivia, Kelly, Christopher, Jason, and Eva don't want to be in rehab, not only facing sobriety but also some of their darkest fears. After hitting rock bottom, though, they don't have much of a choice. Can they find a way to deal with themselves and with each other in order to find a way to navigate their addictions and live their lives?

Darius the Great is Not Okay and Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram

Darius feels different in a lot of ways from his classmates. He's Persian, for one thing, and he has also been diagnosed with clinical depression. It isn't until he travels to Iran to visit his grandparents and meets Sohrab that he feels what it's like to belong, to have a best friend, and that he starts to realize that there may be more to him than he has previously convinced himself. These books are beautiful, funny, and poignant.

Emergency Contact, Permanent Record, and Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

Well-documented fangirl here, once again recommending that you read anything by Mary H.K. Choi. I've typed and deleted descriptions and explanations for what makes her books so wonderful multiple times, and I just...I don't have the words. Her writing is real and relatable, and reading about Penny in Emergency Contact was one of the first times I felt seen by a fictional character. When presented with an opportunity to read something she's written, always take it!

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

Charlotte Davis's life has been one of loss, and the coping mechanisms she has found to help herself survive are less than healthy. But each new scar helps her feel a little less, and sometimes what you need is not to feel. It's been so long, though, and Charlotte is so shattered - will she ever be able to put the pieces of herself back together?

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Solomon has agoraphobia and has not left the house in years. Lisa, angling to get into one of the best college psychology programs available, has a plan: "fix" Sol and prove that she's good enough. What neither of them expect is to form a friendship, but they do, growing closer to each other and letting walls down. 

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L Sánchez

Julia is navigating both her own grief and that of her parents in the wake of her older sister's unexpected death. Olga was perfect, and all her parents hopes had rested on her...so now that she's gone, what is Julia supposed to do? It's clear that her parents expect her to step in and fill the role, but Julia isn't so sure she can do that, and the more she learns about her sister after her death, the more she realizes that maybe Olga wasn't all that perfect either.

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

Ben is nonbinary, and when they come out to their parents, their parents throw them out. Living with their sister and her husband, Ben struggles with anxiety compounded by their parents' rejection as they complete their last semester of high school. This book tugged at my heart, and all I wanted the entire time was to give Ben a hug.

Life Inside My Mind edited by Jessica Burkhart

This is an anthology of thirty-one real-life experiences from authors who have experienced mental illness. Their goal is to end stigma and provide hope, and I am very eager to read this.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

In this memoir, Lori Gottlieb weaves together her experiences as a therapist and her experience in therapy. I am not always drawn in by non-fiction, but this is a topic that greatly interests me, and I found her story riveting, vulnerable, and emotional.

The Place Between Breaths by An Na

Ever since Grace's mother, who struggled with schizophrenia, disappeared out of fear that she would hurt her family, her father has worked as a recruiter for a lab studying the disease. Sixteen-year-old Grace interns at the lab, and one day Grace stumbles upon a string of code that could unlock the gene sequence that leads to schizophrenia. But is this discovery the beacon of hope she thinks it is? Or the first sign that schizophrenia may also be taking hold of her?

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Marin hasn't spoken to anyone from her former life since the day she left, and no one back home knows the truth of what happened. Still, she feels the pull of her former life, and now that Mabel, her best friend, is coming for a visit, she may finally be forced to confront everything she left behind. 

The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

Music loving sixteen-year-old Melati is in many ways just your average teenager. She also has OCD, which manifests as a belief that she harbors a djinn inside her, one who will kill her mother unless she adheres to her elaborate projection rituals to keep him satisfied. On the evening of May 13th, 1969, racial tensions in her hometown boil over into a riot, and when she and her mother become separated, Melati must find and protect her mother before she loses her forever.

You Asked for Perfect by Laura Silverman

Ariel Stone is a senior bound for Harvard...until a failed calculus quiz derails all his carefully laid plans. His life is one of little sleep and carefully ordered to-do lists, and before he knows it the extra time studying for calculus causes a snowball effect and he is falling further and further behind in areas he never would have expected. 

Felix Ever After - Kacen Callender

Initial draw: ✰✰✰✰✰

Character development: ✰✰✰✰✰

Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰✰✰

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Felix Love has never been in love - and, yes, he's painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it's like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What's worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he's one marginalization too many - Black, queer, and transgender - to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages - after publicly posting Felix's deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned - Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn't count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi-love triangle...

But, as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve"

Oh my god, this book. So many emotions. I've wanted to read this for quite some time, and once I picked it up, it didn't take me long to finish. The synopsis does a pretty good job of breaking things down - Felix is taking summer art classes at school, and an anonymous asshole targets him with their disgusting transphobia. While he navigates the fallout and ensuing emotions, he's also dealing with cruel comments from an ex, another student being a dick for seemingly no reason, and on top of these interpersonal struggles, he desperately needs to finish (ahem...start...) his portfolio for college applications. It's a lot for a seventeen-year-old to deal with, but fortunately he has a very supportive best friend to keep him moving forward. Which brings me to...

The characters. Whom I loved. Felix is a little uncertain, a little insecure, but ultimately unapologetically true to himself. Ezra, the aforementioned best friend, is lovely and wonderful and Felix's fiercest supporter. And Kacen Callender does an amazing job developing Felix's high school friend group. His situation, with one close friend and then a group of people he hung out with by extension but didn't know quite as well or feel as comfortable with, felt very familiar to me, and I loved the way each member of the group's personality and voice developed a little more as the story went on. Finally, there were some amazing examples of people not being what they seemed, which I really appreciated. So often in YA, an antagonist can become a little one-dimensional or a frustrating parent is just a frustrating parent. I appreciated that there was some added depth and nuance to some of the characters that Felix didn't initially mesh well with.

And finally, the plot and writing style. This book is not a light read. There are some difficult situations tackled, and the genuine emotion and openness throughout Felix's experiences is incredible. In the acknowledgements, it says that this book was deeply personal, and I feel that in every page. I aspire to create something as honest and raw as Kacen Callender has - everything felt so real. I feel like Felix is someone I could have gone to school with and become friends with, and I'm so happy that this book exists. Felix's story is beautiful.

TBR - Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and I've been adding tons of recommended books to my to be read list. Below are some that I'm most looking forward to reading, including a mix of titles that are currently available and some that are available for preorder. I managed to narrow it down to fifteen recommendations, but this could easily have been the longest list I've ever made...there are so many excellent books coming out! 

1. Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi - Scott Ferdowsi has a track record of being a little aimless, uncertain of what he wants to do in life. When his parents pressure him to settle on a career path, he sneaks off to Washington DC and finds himself immersed in adventures he never expected to take.

2. I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn - Kimi Nakamura's obsession with turning everyday ephemera into bold fashion statements has her constantly at odds with her mother. When a letter from her grandparents arrives following a huge fight with her mom, Kimi finds herself on the way to Japan for spring break in an attempt to escape the disaster that has become her life. 

3. I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee - Skye Shin doesn't care what other people have to say about what she shouldn't or shouldn't do. She's competing against thousands of other performers in a competition to find the next k-pop star, and she's ready to crush the competition and become the world's first plus-sized k-pop star.

4. Jade Fire Gold by June C.L. Tan - Coming out October 12th, Jade Fire Gold follows two characters, Ahn and Altan. When the two meet, they both see the other as an opportunity...for Ahn, Altan could help her unlock her past, and for Altan, Ahn could help pave the way to reclaiming his throne. But will the pair end up paying more than they are prepared to achieve their goals?

5. The Jasmine Project by Meredith Ireland - The Jasmine Project will be published September 7th and is described as Jenny Han meets The Bachelorette. After catching her longtime boyfriend cheating, Jasmine Yap refuses to meet anyone new. Using her graduation party as a dating opportunity, her family arranges meetings with a carefully curated list of men...but everything may not go as planned with this meticulously organized event.

6. The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri - With a publish date of June 8th, this is the story of Malini, imprisoned by her dictator brother and condemned to spend her days in isolation, and Priya, a maidservant with a dangerous secret. Can the two work together to change the fate of their empire?

7. The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco - Book one in a duology, this is a fantasy about twin goddesses ruling Aeon, one over the frozen island of Aranth and the other over the land-locked Golden City. When shadowy forces come to call, the two goddesses must sacrifice whatever it takes to heal their world.

8. Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay - Jay Reguero's plans for his final semester of high school are derailed following the murder of his cousin Jun. Jay travels to the Philippines  on a quest to understand what led to Jun's death, but the answers he finds may force him to recon with more than he expected.

9. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan - Coming out July 20th, this is the story of fate. The fate of greatness assigned to one child, eighth-born son Zhu Chongba, and the fate of nothing, assigned to the Zhu family's second daughter. After a bandit attack orphans the pair, they learn that their assigned fates aren't necessarily set in stone.

10. Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim - This book is coming out July 6th, and I can't wait! Shiori, the princess of Kiata, has a secret she has carefully kept for a long time. When she loses control of her concealed magic on the day of her betrothal ceremony, what she at first thinks may be a blessing in disguise may cause more trouble than she bargained for.

11. This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura - CJ's mom wants her to be driven and type A like she is, but CJ may not have it in her. What she does have is a knack for arranging the perfect bouquet, which comes in handy at her family's flower shop. So what will CJ do when her mom decides to sell the shop...to the family who swindled her grandparents during World War II?

12. A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi - This is a coming-of-age story about Shirin, a Hijabi teenager dealing with the racism and abuse following 9/11. When she meets Ocean James, she can sense that he might be different than some of the other boys she's met...but she's not sure she can let her walls down and take a risk.

13. Wicked Fox by Kat Cho - The first book in a fantasy series, this is the story of Gu Miyoung, a nine-tailed fox who must carefully conceal her identity, and Jihoon, the human boy she rescues from being attacked by a goblin.

14. Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi - I am incredibly and endlessly obsessed with Mary H.K. Choi, and this book is literally sitting on my coffee table next to me as I type this, waiting for me to finish my book club's May book so I can read it. Jayne Baek is struggling - her boyfriend sucks, her friends aren't great, school is meh, and she's not quite ready to admit that she's struggling with an eating disorder. That's just life, right? But when her estranged sister is diagnosed with cancer, Jayne finds herself moving in with June and dealing not just with the knowledge that her sister might die but also forced to confront some of her own issues.

15. You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao - This is not coming out until November 2nd, and I may need to secure myself an advanced copy because I am DYING to read it. Just reading the description made me tear up, and I just...I need it. Julie's future is all planned out, until her boyfriend Sam dies. Shattered, Julie tries everything she can to forget him and the tragedy of his death, until a message in her yearbook drives her to call his cell phone one last time...and Sam picks up.

Reading Challenges, ebbs, and flows

I don't know how in the holy hell it's already May, but that happened. I've been chugging along with my reading and flying through books for a while, so I got really comfortable with that flow, and then the universe demanded balance and about a week ago my ability to focus on bookish things took a dive. Fortunately, my sister can always be relied on to share relevant and insightful TikToks in times of need, so I've been trying to keep this video in mind and be comfortable with my present trough when it comes to reading and blogging. No one can go 100% all the time, right?

I did manage to finish one of my April challenge books (Get a Life, Chloe Brown - I posted the review Friday!) and am working my way through the second now (loving it so far), so I'm not too far off track. And fortuitously, much more productive April me had the foresight to choose my books for May so I would be prepared! Thanks, past me. So, May's challenges:

9. Read a middle grade mystery - I'll be reading Chirp by Kate Messner, the story of a post-seventh grade girl trying to unmask the person sabotaging her grandmother's cricket farm

10. Read an SFF anthology edited by a person of color - I have two for this one! First is A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell, sixteen fantasy and science fiction stories centered around Black women and gender nonconforming main characters - the cover is BEAUTIFUL, and I can't wait to read this. The second is A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, fifteen short stories inspired by the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia. Another gorgeous cover, another story I'm eager to get into.

What would you read for each of these challenges?

Get a Life, Chloe Brown - Talia Hibbert

Initial draw: ✰✰✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰ (3.5, really)
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost - but not quite - dying, she's come up with seven directives to help her "Get a Life," and she's already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family's mansion. The next items?

• Enjoy a drunken night out.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Go camping.
• Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
• And...do something bad.

But it's not easy being bad, even when you've written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford "Red" Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He's also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe's wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior..."

I had a hard time deciding how I felt about this book, so I've been sitting with the review for a while, but I've come to a decision and am finally ready to blog about it. The initial draw was stars across the board - as soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I wanted to read it, and getting started I was immediately pulled in. The characters are three-dimensional, well-developed, and relatable, the story is solid, and I loved Chloe. After being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, she started shielding herself from any experiences she thought might trigger her chronic pain, but following a near-death experience she has decided that needs to change. Armed with a "get a life" list, she takes the first step - moving out of her posh family home and into a small flat of her own - and now she and her cutting wit and focused determination are ready to check more items off the list.

Which is where Red comes in. Chloe immediately butted heads with her new superintendent, but it doesn't take long for the pair to realize that when one of them isn't infuriating the other, they...kind of get along? After a few verbal sparring matches, the pair begin to click, forming an unexpected partnership, and things escalate from there.

And I do mean escalate. (Spoilers incoming, you have been warned.)

Y'all...this is a present-day bodice ripper. Like, all caps. And I have no problem whatsoever with things getting steamy, but my library classifies books by genre, and this one was in plain old fiction. The summary does mention sex, but in sort of a throwaway way. Things start off like any other vanilla contemporary novel. And then BAM. You're sitting on your couch, reading away, and Red wakes up from a nap-turned-wet dream with cum on his belly. And proceeds to give himself a hand in vivid detail. I mean, things go from zero to sixty in the space of a sentence, and the heat only gets cranked (heyoooo) up from there. Again, no problem with a horny novel - I'm midway through the Bridgerton series at the moment, as a matter of fact - but generally I like knowing that's what to expect going into it, and in this case...

Maybe I missed a memo and everyone else was well aware that it was going to get hot and heavy fast, but I was very surprised, and therein lies my initial uncertainty about how I felt about the book. It took me a bit to decide if the unexpected level of spice took me out of the narrative (I mean, at one point Chloe is so ready to bone down that she describes her vagina as feeling like a CLENCHED FIST. What.), but ultimately I decided no, it did not. The storyline is great, the character growth is a thing of beauty, and the representation included is...*chef's kiss*. If you're on board with lots of filthy, sometimes public, sexytimes in your reading, I say give this book a go. Just...maybe don't read it in the same room as your mom.