Kate Mester
It took me foreeeever to read this, in part because of life happening but also becasue this was beautifully written (honestly, her writing has always been good but it's so clearly elevated over the series) BRUTALITY. This series was always about the atrocities and human costs of war, but the body count in this one and the stacks of suffering are especially hard to read right now after a full pandemic year counted in tragedies of every kind. As promised by the title, Tahir does end the series on a hopeful note, and the journeys feels earned for her characters, but prepare yourself going in to it or if you're just starting the series. Light it is not.
I listened to this (thanks for the ALC, LibroFM!) narrated by Elhillo herself, and she performs it so becautifully, but it's one that I'll likely read physically as well to see how the poems play out on the page. I talked to a class about this as I was mid-way through, and they were all really interested in the premise. Nima, a Sudanese-American girl, doesn't feel like she fits in anywhere/into anything and thinks she is the problem, that if she was born as a twin/sister that doesen't exist, Yasmeen, everything would be better, SHE would be better. Through some magical realism, she is able to see the possiblities of the other life she imagines, and how it plays out for her family. She learns some complicated lessons and sees some truths about her family and herself. I just got the Breakbeak poetry series for the library, and Elhillo is featured, so I'll certianly be looking out for more of her writng beyond this. An important story and an inecredibly well done book debut.
Great audio by actress Carey Mulligan. It got a bit repetitive and the conclusion was clear about halfway through, but it was uplifting in a way that feels particularly needed now. Read a little about the book/author after completion and it added a little more complexity knowing Matt Haig is open about his own mental health journey and how that informed the book.
I appreciated the research done here to tell the stories of these 5 women who have been historically written off as prostitutes or less than deserving of humanity. Rubenhold's introduction and conclusion draw parallels from Victorian values to modern misogyny in law cases, (e.g. Brock Turner), where men are centered as if they're the victim in their own crimes and women are thus further harmed. However, because of all the research, it felt like a number by number accounting of facts about these women's lives rather than a compelling narrative, so it wasn't a particularly gripping read.
Well written, moving, suspenseful, and so engaging, this is a fictionalized version of the Latasha Harlins murder and the LA Uprisings of ‘92 . Cha weaves the plot and character threads so deftly. There were some passages that I read a few times and thought - yes, yes that's EXACTLY how you explain that feeling, WOW, Cha! A strongly recommended read.
4.5 Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC! A beautifully written way to introduce Black Wall Street/Greenwood/the Tulsa Race Massacre to teens (think 7th grade up). Angel & Isaiah's love story is elegant and honest throughout. Pink has Angel arguing for Booker T. Washington and Isaiah obsessed with W.E.B. DuBois, a smartly nuanced way to introduce these writer/thinkers and their opposition and influence. Greenwood itself is the 3rd major character, and the chapters are set as a countdown to the night of the massacre. Pink doesn't shy away from the realistic horrors and also uses a few scenes from that night to complete redemptive character arcs. The writing was occasionally a little repetitive but that's a tiny quibble in a mostly flawless book. Emotional and necessary, this should definitely find readers!
Beautifully written and moving. Framing the story around her cat Maci (Bosnian for cat) that was her emotional guide throughout the war while she was a teenager will really resonate with the teen audience. She doesn't shy away from the true horrors and brutality trying to survive during a war/genocide and I appreciate that she was so vulnerable and honest to share her personal experiences. Front and back matter give context to the Bosnian war and her writing process. A unique perspective on a conflict and human experience that I learned more about and know readers will as well.
4.5 A fully realized world, complex characters, great writing, and even included a list of character name pronunciations and a glossary of in-world terms for readers. I appreciated the themes of toppling patriarchy and the freedom/power of finding your purpose and using your voice. Really great first book, will definitely be looking out for more from Ifueko. This book is fully contained, but I can definitely see her building this world out in sequels. The audio by Joniece Abbott-Pratt was very well down (she also killed it reading Grown). A strong recommend if you like fantasy that rises about clichés!
Loved Bone Gap, and this was a Printz silver, so I wanted to like it more than I did. The parallel stories were sometimes a little jarring on who was narrating, and though there are many deep and emotional incidents happening and revealed to have happened, I never felt fully moved by or connected to the characters. I think part of the lack of engagement was that Ruby, in a book of ghosts and magical realism, hammered away at the main point so obviously that it detracted from the experience..
READ THIS BOOK! Glad it won YALSA's Nonfic award. The audio was done in the exact right skeptical but informational tone. The physical book includes pictures, a massive index and her primary sources/research notes - all dialog is taken directly from primary sources. Very modern parallels to 2020/2021 and such a good reminder that history is not past and always has current implications. I knew only the most cursory facts about Lindbergh's life and my mind was blown repeatedly at the reveals and twists and contradictions of his life. Definitely one of my top books of the year already!
For fans of Sadie or Good Girl's Guide to Murder - another book featuring a great audio production cast, 2 time periods, and a podcast within the narrative. Frick describes this as “Rebecca in the Hamptons” and I'd say that's pretty accurate! The audio was super well done and it was a good escapist read with some layers, and not as gritty/emotionally wrenching as Sadie.
So many great elements here (Lipan Apache culture and history, a well realized magical world, a platonic central friendship, close family relationships and history) but it definitely needed to be edited and marketed for MG because this is not a YA book. Elly reads like she's 12 and the action is very Zoinks/Jinkies/Get ‘Em, Scoob. The dialogue is also sometimes very awkward and weirdly inserted to make plot points - like another character saying Elly is asexual - the only mention of that and a weird way to introduce a pretty major identifier for a character. Elly and Jay are also supposed to be long term best friends that, at times in the dialogue, appear to know very little about each other? The art also contributes to the childlike feel of the book. A ProjectLit selection that I'm not quite sure how to sell to teens.
The audio book (thanks to LibroFM's eARC program!) was fantastically done with a full cast, including some of my faves (looking at your Bahni Turpin, Michael Crouch, and January LaVoy!). Done in this way, it helped to integrate the StarWatch interstitials into the narrative and make that tension more suspenseful. It had enough great details about NASA and space flight that Liz, a NASA fangirl, was mostly interested listening in the car (that's my litmus about how real the space sections were). The queer romance was well done and I appreciated the focus on navigating anxiety and depression in relationships, whether romantic, friend, or familial. The only piece that grated was Cal always felt overly-entitled and that didn't seem to be on purpose. It didn't sit well and often overshadowed other parts of the narrative that were supposed to be the focus. A great first book, will definitely find an audience, can think of kids already who'd pull this after a booktalk.
Unfortunately anything I read from Summers will always be compared to Sadie, which was excellent, and this didn't quite measure up. I'd also say this isn't technically YA, as the main character is 19, her sister is 25, everyone else is an adult. Perhaps New Adult, though that designation doesn't seem to be taking off. This book is about cults & religion & their intersection and finding a sense of belonging with a (less than compelling) through line about sibling bonds, but I didn't feel like this story had anything new or fresh to say about any of these topics. Like in Sadie, the story is told in 2 timelines - Bea's sections, which are used to give background to Lo's main story, are told in 3rd person about a year before Lo's sections, which are in first person and present day. The sections for each sister are labled by time, but the transitions within the sections were really jarring with no textual separation, though hopefully that is a fault just in the eARC (read thanks to Netgalley!) text and won't be true in the print edition. I think the main problem was this story hinges on your ability as the reader to be really emotionally invested in Lo and Bea's story and it's outcome as they fall into and out of (maybe) The Unity Project, but I was never emotionally invested and never felt compelled to find out what was happening, because it all seemed inevitable or too convenient/unrealistic. I read through to the end to finish the eARC and not because I was invested in the story, and that's not how I want to feel about a Summers book. I'll will still booktalk this, because I'm very interested to hear teen reactions.
Gorgeous, moving, and thoughtful, what an exquisite graphic novel that shows how a true marriage of both text and art can create an alchemical change to storytelling. Nguyen's use of colors to orient the reader to each different storyline/timeline will be so helpful for the MG/YA audience, because he doesn't pander to the audience in complexity of word choice or theme, especially in the back matter. So many weighty topics for discussion, all beautifully explored. This would make an excellent book group/lit circle pick.
Listened to this thanks to the ALC program from LibroFM. I haven't read the adult version, so I don't know how much was changed, but she has solidly written/edited this for 5th - 9th grade readers and it's excellently done for the intended audience. Strong organization around her uplifting and powerful advice and themes, this would make a great gift for pre/young teens or a family read/listen aloud.
4.5 round to 5 for LIVING UP to it's title and cover! Clearly now I need to go back and put Ben Philippe's first book higher up on myTBR list. The audio was great, felt so right for the story and character. The only false step was that his major climatic decision didn't feel 100% in character for Henri, but the rest was such a delight that that feels small. Strong and nuanced primary and secondary characters, great dialogue and overall tone with some genuine laugh lines, and every bit (with the one exception) of the plot and setting felt super realistic and earned. Will definitely be recommending and could see this on the BOB list.
An excellent audio read by Pinoe herself. Not a slight to her, but she's not a writer by trade, so I was expecting to like this but I was not expecting to be blown away by the book overall. Joke's on me because this was such an impressive piece of writing. Liz and I listened to it together and had to keep pausing to talk about events we remembered but also about how good the writing was or how she perfectly grew the story from the seeds she had been planting. The whole thing is structurally impressive. She also does a great job conveying her advocacy and activism points in a way that acknowledges and works through her privilege but also weaves these ideas organically into her stories without feeling like they're didactic lessons to the audience or lowering the complexity of the ideas for readers newer to this work. Perfect tone and balance, one of my favorite reads this year and one that should have a massively wide audience.
Told in multiple timelines and points of view, this book looks at the effects of generational and systemic racism while also mining complicated family dynamics and even gives a window into the life of a YouTuber.. I didn't understand how the “The Hate U Give meets Get Out” blurb made any sense until the twist hit in the last quarter of the book. Though I appreciate what the Moulite sisters were trying to do here, I think the book would have been stronger and more emotionally impactful without the twist; however I know lots of YA readers will appreciate the twist, the impact of the justice(?)/revenge the twist brings, and an ending with a sense of completion. The twist felt too convenient as a device for a book that was otherwise really nuanced and emotionally thoughtful, especially around complicated familial dynamics, the tension between religion and progressive beliefs, the exploration of the theme of being labeled a “good one', and the generational effects of trauma and violence (this thread was my favorite plot of the book).
6 stars for the audiobook, which was exactly the hilarity I needed right now. You NEED Lindy's own delivery of these film reviews, the jokes, the asides, the references. The Face-Off commentary had me pausing the book I was laughing so hard. A delightful way to re-experience the peaks (or arguably valleys) of 90s/00s cinema!
They're such a captive performer that I always want to hear everything they wrote in their own voice and cadence, so I highly recommend their one-time-only performance of these pieces as well: https://youtu.be/VOOtavtqm-o
This was a vulnerable turn towards the supremely personal - the end of a rela and beginning of a new one - so it was a little less for me than their universally observed pieces but it was still all the things I expect from Tempest: clever and raw, earnest and deep with some aly humor.