so-soThere are no big surprises in Kevin Van Whye‘s YA gay romance, which hits all the beats you‘d expect in a friends-to-lovers tale. It‘s sweet without being cloying and I believed in Nate and Jai‘s attraction but there are missed opportunities here, from the homophobia of some members of Nate‘s family and their wealth disparity to the battle of the bands competition and Nate‘s relationship with Tommy, which lacks resolution.
Banned book: This is a favorite in our house. A few years ago I started buying more diverse stories & this one was love. My daughter wanted to know if I knew how to make fry bread. I never understand the whole, we have to ban this because it makes kids feel bad. It doesn‘t make kids feel bad, it makes them curious. They want to know if it‘s a tradition we share. The only people it makes feel bad is people that become defensive over the past.
pickAn excellent IRL read, facilitated by a Parsee member: about a Parsee man who returns to India in his 30s to adopt a child he and his white American wife can't have. He finds not only adoption challenges, but a greatly aged and weakened mother who reveals disturbing family secrets. Many layers of complexity around family structures, aging, class, gender, religion, and nationality, very movingly told.
so-soThere is a lot going on with the family in this book, and with the people surrounding them too. I felt it was over the top silly, but also had some heartfelt moments. I definitely laughed quite a bit.
Sietje would absolutely not want to be carried around in a baby sling, no matter how anxious I was. But she is always willing to sit with me for moral support.
A whimsical middle grade story that turns out to have a lot of heart. Image is from a letter my mom wrote (urging the Gov. to sign protections for trans Californians) on my ancient typewriter, Goliath. She couldn't bear to part with it; I know she'll love this book.
#BlameItOnLitsy (Thanks @TheQuietQuill) #HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
Wordfinder: blanket
#Chocolatiers #OneSnackToRuleThemAll
#SPNBookBingo2025 “Men of Letters.“ I couldn't resist!
Here‘s my list for October #ReadYourEbooks. As I predicted, I read none of the picked books for September, although I did read one that wasn‘t picked, so that‘s a win! I‘m still pretty focused on the NBA lists this month, so we‘ll see how I do with this.
Here are just a few of the books I hope to read this month!!🧡👻🎃📚 #hauntedshelf @BookwormAHN #erasghostsbingo #bookbingo
Happy October, Littens! Put some fall decorations on a bookshelf…it makes me happy when I look at it! 🎃🍂
pickThree middle school siblings are each struggling in a different way.
I really loved this middle grade novel although I object to historical fiction taking place in the 80‘s.
#ReadingUSA #Delaware #TurnThePage
