Today‘s #bookmail is super exciting—Wells is an automatic buy and I‘m thrilled she‘s written a new fantasy. Can‘t wait to dive in!

#Two4Tuesday

1. I really liked The Ferryman…and I also really liked The Postcard…and The Office of Historical Corrections too…and there are a few more I could name as well. 😬 It was a really good month for great books. I really did try to pick just one…and failed.

2. I won‘t finish The Will of the Many which I just started. It‘s really good but long.

@TheSpineView

At least one reviewer blurb I‘ve seen says this book…is better than Red Rising. 🤨 That‘s a bold claim and I‘m about to see if there is any validity to it. Hoping for a good read if nothing else…

Terrible picture but it‘s all good. Very excited to sit with a book, coffee and pastry in one of my favorite cafes in the city newly reopened after a move and an expansion. Great way to start the day!

Excellent from the first page to the last. I liked every story—there wasn‘t a dud among them. It‘s a compelling collection with stories about grief, rage, agency, identity, belonging, race, love, information/disinformation, and there is no escaping the bright light the author shines on historical & current controversies. Character-driven, raw, humorous, & emotional, this is a fantastic book, one I really enjoyed. I‘ll be reading more by Evans.

Going to start this one today.

I have no chill right now. It‘s impossible to overstate how important Fortunately, the Milk is to me. It‘s by my fav Neil Gaiman—a great read aloud, & a fabulous celebration of imagination & storytelling. It‘s how I discovered Skottie Young, his art & his comics, & then the wider world of comics. Last week, for the first time, Skottie sold some of his original art for the book & I was fortunate enough to get a page. I absolutely love it. ❤️❤️❤️

This short story collection is excellent.

#OutAndAbout #ReadingOnTheTrain

Drawing inspiration from their families‘ histories Anta & Salcedo have crafted a compelling story about a young man‘s journey to return to the only home he‘s ever really known. This YA graphic novel addresses immigration, borders, discrimination, vigilantism, & community in the past & present in a powerful story about resilience, dreams of a better life, & the human spirit. A powerful story with vibrant art. On sale 6/6/23.

Received this ARC in a Goodreads giveaway. It‘s about two girls at a prestigious Venetian music school in 1717 and a wafer one of them made with “something deep in the waters of Venice.” Certainly sounds interesting. It‘s on sale next month.

Had fun walking and talking with my daughter and picking out some new books this morning. A couple of ARCs too. Today‘s trip to the bookstore was a good one.

#Two4Tuesday

1. Visiting some friends but otherwise a relaxing weekend as we head into summer.

2. 🧐 My first thought is to wish for my family to be healthy and happy, to have a lush garden that‘s always in bloom, and to have a first edition of Pride and Prejudice. But then I think, more broadly speaking, I might wish for the world to be a happier, kinder, more understanding place.

@TheSpineView

Still searching for words hours after finishing this one…so many thoughts & emotions to process. A powerful, heartbreaking autobiographical novel about one woman‘s investigation into her family‘s history, an investigation sparked by the arrival of a postcard, years earlier, on which the names of four family member killed at Auschwitz were written. Anne is consumed by a need to know who sent the postcard & why & readers will be too. Excellent.

Starting this one…

Nothing about middle school is easy. Thom is super strong—like out of this world strong—which makes her shy and awkward. She longs to be normal. When she accidentally releases the Monkey King he tells her he can take away her strength in exchange for her help. Desperate for a friend she believes him even when a new student tells her not to trust him. Mischief & mayhem ensue. This is a super fun middle grade adventure which continues in a sequel.

Espresso with a side of middle grade adventure for some afternoon reading today.

Nothing about this book is easy. It shouldn‘t be. The numbers are staggering—14,033 killed, approx 60,000 wounded by gunfire over a 20 year period in Chicago. Kotlowitz chronicles the violence from a single summer (2013) as he asks what that level of violence does to people & the city in which they live. Kotlowitz writes powerfully & with great compassion about the people he profiles, & about a seemingly intractable problem with no easy solutions.

Started this one last night…should make for an entertaining weekend read.

Today‘s portable reading…

#OutAndAbout #ReadingOnTheTrain #Nonfiction

If you are looking for a lighthearted David vs. Goliath read, this is not that book even though that‘s how it‘s marketed. It‘s a family drama told from 5 POVs, & while the main storyline is billed as an immigrant family trying to keep their nail salon open, it is in fact a darker story about family & expectations, gentrification, the immigrant experience, & people willing to go to extraordinary lengths to achieve their goals. On sale 7/4/23.

Up next

Have to love a comic that references Pride and Prejudice! I approve.

This blistering, compulsively readable satire of the publishing industry—from the people who write, edit, market, & publish books to those who consume them—is a love it/hate it book. There is no in between. In telling the story of author Juniper Song, who steals & then passes off as her own the unpublished work of a more successful friend who died suddenly, Kuang does not shy away from calling out a range of issues in this meta piece of fiction.

New ARC in—this one is a Goodreads giveaway win. It‘s a story about a Vietnamese Canadian family “who will do whatever it takes to protect their no-frills nail salon after a new high-end competitor opens up.” On sale 7/4/23.

I‘ll start this one just as soon as I finish Yellowface which continues to be excellent.

#Two4Tuesday

1. Never. I just can‘t do it.

2. I have a box full of bookmarks that are, unfortunately, in storage for the duration of our home renovation project. So right now, I‘m making due with the ones pictured above…and whatever else I find lying around when I need to save my place!

@TheSpineView

Tonight‘s reading…and if this blistering takedown of the publishing industry holds up, it‘ll be the second book, following Nettle & Bone, to make its way to my Top Ten of the Year list.

So good. Giddy with excitement, oh no you didn‘t oh yes you did, I want more please don‘t let the book end good. Fantastic worldbuilding, fascinating magic system built around the manipulation of glass & magic as a finite resource, complex, flawed characters, not to mention secrets, lies, betrayal, conspiracy & that‘s just the tip of the iceberg. A few aspects are a little neat & tidy but I can‘t wait for the next book! Excellent start to finish.

Got a new ARC today. On sale 11/28/23.

Went for a walk with the family and came home with some new books. Horror, satire, and fairytales on tap for me. Husband came home with a Cory Doctorow book, daughter with historical fiction. (Son stayed home lazing in bed as one sometimes does on the weekend.)

#ThisIsHowWeWeekend #Bookhaul

Ohh, this is good…like “I‘m only a third of the way through but I want to peek at the end to make sure everyone makes it to the end because this is clearly a book in which that doesn‘t seem likely” good. Needless to say, I‘m enjoying the book even as I worry about the characters and what might happen.

Rainy weekend ahead = perfect time to dive into a big one!

…and finishing it today too because, in truth, once you pick it up, it‘s hard to put down. It‘s the author‘s first novel but it doesn‘t read like it—it has it all, good writing, tight plot, interesting protagonist & excellent pacing. The story is about a crime scene photographer who has an uncanny knack for finding details that solve the case—in large part because she sees the ghosts of the crime victims. An entertaining, occasionally dark read.

Starting this one today…

Fast, fun YA read about a girl named Ness who lives in a town where falling asleep and dreaming means you‘ll likely wake up as the embodiment of your worst nightmare. When she and another kid are the only survivors of an explosion, they start investigating what happened, an investigation that will that will lead them to ask what is behind the nightmares. First in a series, this was plenty entertaining and not at all too scary.

It‘s 💯 a great idea to read a story about people falling asleep only to wake up as the living embodiment of their nightmares to finish off my evening, right? Here‘s hoping this YA book lives up to its premise.

This is a good one. Kelly‘s story with Nimura‘s stunning black & white art deftly explores fear, rage, anxiety, the moments when emotion overwhelms everything, & the moments of clarity & hope that can provide a path through it all. It‘s the story about a young girl named Barbra who fights giants &, really, anyone who gets in her way. It‘s about a girl trying to make sense of the impossible & it‘s phenomenal. Really an excellent comic.

Dragons for today‘s reading.

#OutAndAbout #ReadingOnTheTrain #PrintersRow

It‘s Erdrich so I‘m pretty sure I couldn‘t give it anything other than a pick. That being said, I do so wholeheartedly. Of course it‘s well written. It‘s also a compelling story about the small moments in life, the ways in which people connect with each other and/or don‘t, how some days all you can do is live, and how some days you can‘t do anything but get yourself in trouble. This is one I‘ll read again.

I hear only good things about this so I‘m excited to dive in.

Sometimes I take pictures of my comics just because…This is a fun one.

Twig is a fantastic comic, one I highly recommend—beautiful art and a super fun story. Come for the adventure, stay for Splat.

This YA horror/paranormal/mystery debut is solid & generally entertaining. Found family, a hunted house, & family history feature prominently in this ghost/haunted house story. The logic behind things doesn‘t always make sense, however, a problem exacerbated by the slow roll out of explanations. There also isn‘t much tension or horror, for that matter. If there is such a thing as cozy horror, this is it. A good effort for a debut.

#Two4Tuesday

1. As an archaeologist, summers are all about work for me since our excavation season runs June-July. So, no vacation plans for us. Winter travel is generally easier.

2. I don‘t really have a favorite summer book but in the summer I tend to read more mysteries/thrillers.

@TheSpineView

I mean, once you see the cover for Scalzi‘s new book, how can you not want to read it?!? It‘s brilliant!

On sale 9/19/23 in the US.

Forecast calls for rain pretty much the whole day which made me think of Ivan Tao‘s variant for Twig #1, a copy of which I picked up last week. It‘s a fantastic cover and a gorgeous illustration of a rainy day. A new favorite.

Straight into reading for work this morning…

This is the first book published by Red Tower Books, a new imprint with a focus on Romantic SFF stories from Entangled Books. Beautifully designed book & an entertaining story set at a school for, amongst other disciplines, dragon riders—the elite of the elite tasked with fighting for the kingdom in an ongoing, worsening war. Violet Sorrengail will have to use her wits & more if she is going to survive both the training & those who want her dead.

This YA story is described as “Cemetery Boys meets The Haunting of Bly Manor,” and I have to say, that‘s sounds like a pretty good way to spend Saturday night.

Entertaining so far.

Also, a very cool book design. Love the 🐉 🐉 🐉.

A book and three ARCs in today‘s haul.

Proctor Bennet lives on an island paradise & life is easy except all is not right with him—he‘s dreaming (should be impossible), his health is declining (for unknown reasons) & when it‘s time for his father‘s retirement things go wrong & Proctor is left with a cryptic message, a lot of unanswered questions, & a growing suspicion not everything is as it seems. Another great book from Cronin. I enjoyed this one a lot.