Absolutely effervescent, powerfully comforting, and downright wholesome 🥰🥰🥰 After watching the Netflix series, I had to pick up a copy of this first volume and it is just perfection. I can‘t wait to read the next one!

In this middle grade historical adventure novel, Syms Covington, a real boy aboard Darwin‘s famous expedition aboard the HMS Beagle through the Galápagos, finds himself marooned on a volcanic island with an endangered species—real, live dragons! The survival story will appeal to fans of I Survived or Hatchet and kids will learn a lot about both scientific and natural history at the same time.

When the poet Carolyn Forché was 27 years old, a man she‘d never met knocked on her door and asked her to come to his country, El Salvador, and witness “another Vietnam from the beginning.” She did. This memoir of that harrowing and eye-opening and worldview-altering experience is an incredible and vital read.

I love The Singing Hills cycle by Nghi Vo. Each novella is so short and yet so mythic, intricate, and immersive. In this third in the series, which can be read in any order, the wandering cleric Chih enters the Riverlands, a place haunted by legendary martial artists. I enjoyed the journey and Chih‘s new companions—but I did end the book a little unclear about something! I had a little trouble concentrating this time so might just be me!

This near-future novella follows four women in very different circumstances through one day—January 15th, the day Universal Basic Income payments are dispersed. A quick read and a really interesting way of engaging with political, social, and economic proposals like UBI—I‘d love to read more books like this!

Anyone looking for a little murder with your mycology or a little genderqueer with your gothic fiction? This fungi-infested retelling of Poe‘s Fall of the House of Usher is so satisfyingly creepy, deliciously gross, and made fantastically new and even stranger. The horror elements will get under your skin, but lovable non-binary sworn-soldier Alex Easton will too. A must read for fans of Mexican Gothic and of Poe‘s classic horror stories!

In this work of alternative-historical fiction, hundreds of thousands of wives and mothers seemingly spontaneously transformed into dragons in the Mass Dragoning of 1955–but society has repressed all acknowledgement of it. I love the premise of Kelly Barnhill‘s adult debut but I wish I‘d been better prepared for how focused on the quotidian it is, despite all the dragons. Still, recommend for fans of The Power and The House in the Cerulean Sea!

I love that Silvia Moreno-García takes us to different places and times in Mexico in every novel. This reinvention of the classic work of science fiction takes us to 1870s Caste War-era Yucatán and a remote estate full of experiments and secrets. For Carlota Moreau, it is an Eden—and the arrival of the debonair son of her father‘s patron will unearth hidden knowledge and transform the home and definition of human that Carlota has always known. ⬇️

If The Hummingbird‘s Gift was all about the fragility of life, The Hawk‘s Way is about the ferocity—and about intensity, instinct, and obsession. I learned a lot about hawks from this short work of nonfiction, but it also felt incomplete—and honestly like the author hadn‘t come to a deep enough understanding about why she was so drawn to hawks and hunting with them, given her commitment to vegetarianism.

In this lost queer dystopian horror novel from 1977, artists are under surveillance and threat of mutilation from “them,” a mysterious and pervasive mob. Dick is spare on the hard details and character development, but the sense of unease is masterful and in some ways this novella reminded me of the subtlety of Ishiguro‘s Never Let Me Go and the quotidian focus of Atwood‘s Handmaid‘s Tale. Important, but it doesn‘t make for a very satisfying read.

You can always enter a Locked Tomb novel knowing you won't know what the hell is going on, but you'll enjoy every moment of trying to figure it out—and Tamsyn Muir will always blow your mind to smithereens anyway, in the best way! As hilarious as it is gruesome, as mind-bending as it is heart-wrenching, Nona the Ninth is absolutely another rave-worthy installment in the best sapphic, necromantic space opera of all time!

While I really enjoyed the historical setting and events, including the Black Seminoles, suffrage and temperance movements, Black towns, and mail order brides of the West, I didn‘t love the pacing or, unfortunately, the romance. I think part of this may have been the audiobook narrator who had a humor in her voice that made me feel embarrassment for the heroine as she learned about sex and her own needs with a slightly paternalistic husband.

In this one and only short story ever penned by the great Toni Morrison, Twyla and Roberta meet as children in an orphanage then again as women and then as mothers. Their relationship is deeply impacted by their contrasting racial identities and yet we never find out who is Black and who is white. Morrison called Recitatif an experiment, and as Zadie Smith writes in her introduction, “The subject of the experiment is the reader.” —Zadie Smith

This was my least favorite of the three STEMinist novellas by Ali Hazelwood, but still a pick because it was a fun read and I did enjoy the NASA setting, bisexual heroine, and ginger love interest. I think I just read too many of hers back to back and the massive man/tiny lady dynamic got a little old. Also I think the pacing of this one was a little off. Still worth a listen—especially if you‘ve already listened to the other two!

This memoir by the education activist and youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is as inspiring as it is harrowing. As a child, the daughter of a founder of girls‘ school, Malala Yousafzai saw Pakistan overtaken by the Taliban and her right to an education come under attack—resulting in Malala being shot in the head on her school bus home. Excited to share this with students in our community through our Diverse Books for West Georgia fund!

Badass woman in science, CHECK. STEM setting with real life issues, CHECK. Huge, hot, *secretly pining* fellow scientist with off-the-charts chemistry with said badass woman in science, CHECK. We have all the components of another supremely satisfying steamy STEM romance by Ali Hazelwood. I loved Love on the Brain!

This sequel to Tess of the Road broadens the scope of the story, following Tess and a cast of characters on a quest to the South Pole on the trail of the last great serpent—but more deeply, this sea-faring story is about colonialism and privilege and white saviorism and the messy struggle to be a better ally. This one was a little slower for me—I‘m not much for the open seas—but I loved and deeply appreciated the message and representation.

While this debut, already set to be an Apple+ TV series starring Brie Larsen, is in many ways enjoyable to read, ultimately it didn‘t work for me. The main character, along with her love interest, child, and even stray DOG are all complete geniuses who experience no character development over the course of the book—and with very few exceptions, everyone else is petty, vindictive, and jealous of their brilliance. I‘ll still watch the show though 😂

Licensed counselor Kc Davis, well known from her popular TikTok account (@)domesticblisters, here demonstrates her trademark self-compassion and strategies for taking care of care tasks like cleaning or cooking when you‘re neurodivergent, depressed, or struggling. I don‘t struggle with care tasks too often but I (and I think everybody!!) could use the strategies, ways of thinking, and self-compassion this kind and functional book promotes!

This novel by Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award–winning author and indie bookstore owner Louise Erdrich is about, among many other things, a bookseller haunted by her most annoying customer in the momentous year of 2020, so as an indie bookseller it was especially funny, moving, and even haunting to read! I felt like it lost some steam in the middle but the complexity of the plot and the strangeness of the historical moment account for that!

Fleabag meets high fantasy, with a messy heroine you‘ll follow anywhere—Tess of the Road! I cherished Seraphina, savored Shadow Scale, but Tess of the Road is the masterpiece of Hartman‘s Goredd books. I was skeptical of how much I‘d be interested in Tess given she‘s not half-dragon like her sister Seraphina, but it was her utter humanity that won me over heart and soul. This is a wise, kind, funny, and heartening book that I felt honored to read.

DO NOT SLEEP on these steamy STEM novellas by Ali Hazelwood, man 🥵🥵🥵 This time, two engineers with a past are stuck together on an elevator—a sweet, short, spicy enemies to lovers story. Again, the only thing that gave me pause was that the main characters have the exact same body types as the previous books. Not a huge deal but I‘d love to see more diversity at some point.

This book is not about anxiety—it‘s about addiction. And if you have any history with disordered eating, do not read this book without checking for TW. To me, it felt like there were more mentions and stories of weight loss than anxiety. A disappointing and honestly damaging read for me.

The representation and character development in this magical realist young adult novel were excellent. The two main characters are both neurodivergent trans masc non-binary Mexican-American teens and I was deeply engaged with their relationship and internal struggles, but this book just didn‘t deliver on the magical realism front. There really wasn‘t much to the “lake lore,” so it just felt like a really obvious metaphor—and a little too didactic.

I got this to gift to give my friend‘s son for his birthday as we‘ve been planning a trip to take him to Disney World in the next year or two. This is a great book for kids to read before or after a trip, with history, behind the scenes information, major rides, terminology, and more—including a fold out map. I learned some new things and enjoyed the read!

I got out of my usual genre for American hero Dolly Parton and patron saint of indie bookstores James Patterson! I listened on 2x speed and enjoyed the full cast of this audiobook full of mystery, action, but mostly behind the scenes stories from country music capital Nashville. The accompanying album of 12 original songs by Dolly Parton is also a major draw! Formulaic but fun 😊

I know this sequel to Seraphina gets mixed reviews but I loved it! I think I was just happy to spend time in Goredd (and beyond!) with all our half-dragon, human, and dragon friends. The expansion of the world-building and the drawing together of all disparate details from the first book were so interesting and satisfying to me. I‘m relieved there are two more books that take place in Goredd so I can go back right away, even if not with Phina!

Ali Hazelwood‘s out here putting the STEM in steam, and I‘m here for it every time! In this audio-novella, environmental engineer Mara and big oil-lawyer Liam find themselves sharing her late mentor/his aunt‘s grand old home after her will is read. Instant enemies + forced proximity = a super spicy happily ever after. The only thing that gave me pause is these protagonists have exactly the same body types as the ones in Love Hypothesis.

This graphic young adult fantasy follows Aiza, a young member of the oppressed Ornu people in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, who aspires to be a knight, to gain both glory and full citizenship. Volunteering as a recruit, Aiza hides her identity, forges friendships, gains an unlikely mentor, proves herself as a warrior, and, in a brilliant reckoning with colonization and imperialism, slowly begins to question what exactly she‘s fighting for.

This richly-realized and emotionally-resonant fantasy is full of dragons and court politics and is all about the importance of truth, love, and art in the forging of peace. Mandy Williams‘ narration of the audiobook is just pitch-perfect and I listened on 1x speed, just delighted the whole time. Highly recommended for fans of The Goblin Emperor or Uprooted!

Head toward Secret Garden but take a hard turn at Coraline and you‘ll find yourself in Gallant! Olivia Prior has grown up voiceless, friendless, and orphaned, with only her late mother‘s journal, when she receives a letter summoning her to her ancestral home, Gallant, the place her mother warned her about. What Olivia finds there is a a beautiful manor—and its shadow, a terrible, threatening mirror world that holds the truth of her past.

My audiobook reread of my favorite childhood series is complete—Trini Alvarado narrates these books so beautifully, her voice will be Alanna‘s for me forever after this. Lioness Rampant is a satisfying conclusion to this epic series and made me excited to read the other series set in Tortall that I never got to as a kid!

Fans of secret societies, shadow magic, and urban fantasy will savor Holly Black‘s adult fantasy debut. Book of Night follows the recovering thief Charlie Hall, as she finds her plans to go straight, put her sister through college knocked off course, and enjoy the company of her shadowless boyfriend are all knocked off course when a ghastly figure from her shady past returns and she‘s swept up in dark and twisting plot full of murder and magic.

In Mary De Morgan‘s 2nd collection of fairy tales, a wicked princess strings her suitors into beads on her necklace, elves transform a busker into a harp when she breaks their curse over a town, a baker makes a deal with an imp to produce perfect, plentiful loaves that'll make him rich but everyone else miserable, 3 kings run away to learn trades and live happily ever after, & a wise princess with extraordinary powers searches for how to be happy.

A 1930s Hollywood as grimly magical as it is glamorous and a heroine whose rising star is sharp enough to draw blood—this is a silver screen-infused spectacle you won‘t want to miss. In Siren Queen, a queer Chinese-American actress yearns for the spotlight in a pre-code Los Angeles where stars are struck through deals with the devil, Fae deal out fame, and celebrity means shining forever—even if she has to play a monster to get it.

Now translated into English, this bestselling classic, first published in 1937, was the childhood favorite of Hayao Miyazaki and one of the most philosophical, introspective, and comfiest novels for young readers I‘ve ever read. This book follows Copper, a student in Tokyo as he learns the importance of free thinking, of science and the humanities, and how to create a meaningful and ethical life for yourself. Slow-paced and quiet but powerful.

In this scholarly work, University of Toulouse English professor Laurence Talairach-Vielmas explores how advances in and the popularization of science in the Victorian era impacted the often subversive literary fairy tales of the time period and how works of natural history and popular science used fairies and integrated the language of fairy tales to evoke wonder and disseminate scientific information, all while allowing for the spiritual.

My niece asked me for this middle grades graphic novel and I love reading books before sending them to her so we can discuss! Inspired by the author‘s mother‘s experiences growing up as a Jewish girl in occupied France, this graphic novel was both moving and educational—I learned a lot and felt so immersed in the story as Rachel must change her name and evade Nazi detection, moved across France by the resistance. Only complaint is the abrupt end!

This warm, funny, and moving collection of essays by The Fault in Our Stars author John Green covers a lot of ground—from Canadian Geese to Dr. Pepper to the opening sequence of Penguins of Madagascar—in 1-to-5 star ratings of the Anthropocene, the current geologic age defined by human impact on the environment. While Green never shies away from the most difficult of subjects, I found this book so comforting. 5 stars ⭐️

In this Greek-inspired fantasy, the adult debut of Wilder Girls author Rory Power, families rule with the power of saints or gods, and siblings find themselves on opposing sides of a brewing war. The world building was very unique and interesting to me, and I would recommend for fans of court politics in their fantasy but the family dynamics didn‘t feel developed enough for me.

This enchanting fairy tale collection is by women's suffragist & socialist Mary De Morgan (1850–1907) whose fairy tales are remarkable for their feminism, criticism of mass production, & deviations from traditional "happily ever afters.” In this collection, water elves cure a farmer's daughter of her vanity by stealing her reflection, a sunbeam and moonbeam fall in love, a princess runs away from court leaving an automaton in her stead, & more!

Through an act of Twitter, fanfiction writing geologist April suddenly finds herself dating the star of her favorite show—Marcus, who secretly writes fanfiction, too. This was such a fun, steamy, body positive, sex positive, heartwarming romance. My favorite parts were seeing April and Marcus love each other into being able to set boundaries with their respective toxic parents who don‘t see them as measuring up by each family‘s standards.

In this powerful work of graphic nonfiction, an anthropologist and an illustrator-ethnologist take us on a journey through the search for meaning in troubling times. Introducing us to concepts from anthropology and political theory and to important thinkers like Hannah Arendt, Virginia Woolf, Bryan Stevenson, and many others, Light in Dark Times leads us toward four ways of forging light in dark times for ourselves and for our world.

“What do humans need?” That‘s the question the robot Mosscap first asked of tea monk Sibling Dex, and in this novella, they take this question out to the cities and villages of Panga. Every Becky Chambers book is a celebrated occasion in our household. What do humans need? When I‘m reading a Monk & Robot book, I know what I need is on every page—a hopeful vision of a human future and the wisdom that it‘s enough to exist in this entropic universe.

Out 6/28 | This book had me in its CLUTCHES, bewitched & reading at breakneck speed. This deliciously creepy & darkly magical story follows a daughter (now, in the suburbs) and her mother around the same age (the 1990s, in the city) as each encounters an ability that may prove as sinister as it is supernatural. Powerful witchcraft, a (literally) haunting past, & wicked twists will keep your own crooked heart beating as fast as you flip the pages!

This fun middle grades graphic novel follows Dani and Dorian, two twin witches who miss the bus to school and end up on adventure full of danger and adventure, magic and mayhem, dark prophecies and, above all, new friends. Recommended for fans of Sailor Moon and Harry Potter!

There was much I enjoyed about this queer, biotech-infused, Maori-inspired, New Weird novel—the setting and world building were fascinating, but I got lost trying to follow the plot and get a deeper sense of the characters. It may be that I just didn‘t have the brain space available for this one at this time but it took me a long time to get through it. Still, recommended for fans of The Black Sun and Annihilation!

The creator of the beloved NBC show The Good Place leads us through 2,500 years of moral philosophy in this fun, funny, smart, and soulful book that actually makes concepts like virtue ethics, utilitarianism, existentialism, deontology, and ubuntu applicable, relatable, and easy to understand! This was a joy to read and the audiobook, with its full-cast of The Good Place stars, was a blast to listen to! Thank you for Libro.fm for the free audio!

This kids‘ book has plenty of science and technology, but even more heart! I was rooting for Maya as she has a rocky start to fifth grade, but when she finds a long lost homemade robot named Ralph, the story really takes off. This illustrated novel is a great choice for young readers interested in STEM who also love realistic stories about kids just like them!

True crime, Southern history, and racial justice combine in this chronicle of the Halloween 1948 murder of golden boy Buddy Stevens in the Georgia college town of Carrollton and the three unjust trials and three death sentences of local Black sharecropper Clarence Henderson. The case would bring national attention, the NAACP, and the Communist Party of America to Carrollton, and the twists and turns will have you gasping out loud at points.