en-US Wed, 27 Nov 2024 10:26:07 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 45032 488 Jane Austen Alyssa 5 3.86 1814
author: Jane Austen
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1814
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 29982722 A KINGDOM AT RISK, A CROWN DIVIDED, A FAMILY DRENCHED IN BLOOD

Tessa Gratton's debut epic adult fantasy, Queens of Innis Lear, brings to life a world that hums with ancient magic, and characters as ruthless as the tides.

The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic, leaving behind a trail of barren crops and despondent subjects. Enemy nations circle the once-bountiful isle, sensing its growing vulnerability, hungry to control the ideal port for all trade routes.

The king’s three daughters―battle-hungry Gaela, master manipulator Reagan, and restrained, starblessed Elia―know the realm’s only chance of resurrection is to crown a new sovereign, proving a strong hand can resurrect magic and defend itself. But their father will not choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted.

Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war―but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided.]]> 676 Tessa Gratton 0765392488 Alyssa 3
I don't normally have a hard time with bouncing timelines and plots. I don't normally have a problem when multiple characters have perspectives. There are not so many character perspectives that one might get lost, a la Song of Ice & Fire...but I think the multiple time jumps and the intricacy of what Tessa Gratton is building just kept throwing me from the meat of the story.

But that being said, I loved the writing, I loved the character and world building. King Lear is a monster of an undertaking, and I liked it enough to stick with it.

But OH GOLLY, I'm so excited for Lady Hotspur!

Merged review:

Loved the prose. Fell victim to the doldrums of the middle. Skimmed to the end.

I don't normally have a hard time with bouncing timelines and plots. I don't normally have a problem when multiple characters have perspectives. There are not so many character perspectives that one might get lost, a la Song of Ice & Fire...but I think the multiple time jumps and the intricacy of what Tessa Gratton is building just kept throwing me from the meat of the story.

But that being said, I loved the writing, I loved the character and world building. King Lear is a monster of an undertaking, and I liked it enough to stick with it.

But OH GOLLY, I'm so excited for Lady Hotspur!]]> 3.55 2018
author: Tessa Gratton
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves:
review:
Loved the prose. Fell victim to the doldrums of the middle. Skimmed to the end.

I don't normally have a hard time with bouncing timelines and plots. I don't normally have a problem when multiple characters have perspectives. There are not so many character perspectives that one might get lost, a la Song of Ice & Fire...but I think the multiple time jumps and the intricacy of what Tessa Gratton is building just kept throwing me from the meat of the story.

But that being said, I loved the writing, I loved the character and world building. King Lear is a monster of an undertaking, and I liked it enough to stick with it.

But OH GOLLY, I'm so excited for Lady Hotspur!

Merged review:

Loved the prose. Fell victim to the doldrums of the middle. Skimmed to the end.

I don't normally have a hard time with bouncing timelines and plots. I don't normally have a problem when multiple characters have perspectives. There are not so many character perspectives that one might get lost, a la Song of Ice & Fire...but I think the multiple time jumps and the intricacy of what Tessa Gratton is building just kept throwing me from the meat of the story.

But that being said, I loved the writing, I loved the character and world building. King Lear is a monster of an undertaking, and I liked it enough to stick with it.

But OH GOLLY, I'm so excited for Lady Hotspur!
]]> 8130423 In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.]]> 361 Rick Riordan Alyssa 4 4.44 2008
author: Rick Riordan
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/10/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 55883882
Collects MONSTRESS #1-6

About the Creators:

New York Times bestselling and award-winning writer Marjorie Liu is best known for her fiction and comic books. She teaches comic book writing at MIT, and leads a class on Popular Fiction at the Voices of Our Nation (VONA) workshop. Ms. Liu's extensive work includes the bestselling "Astonishing X-Men" for Marvel Comics, which featured the gay wedding of X-Man Northstar and was subsequently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Prior to writing full-time, Liu was a lawyer. She currently resides in Boston.

Sana Takeda is an illustrator and comic book artist who was born in Niigata, and now resides in Tokyo, Japan. At age 20 she started out as a 3D CGI designer for SEGA, a Japanese video game company, and became a freelance artist when she was 25. She is still an artist, and has worked on titles such as "X-23" and "Ms. Marvel" for Marvel Comics, and is an illustrator for trading card games in Japan.]]> 192 Marjorie M. Liu 1632157098 Alyssa 5 3.96 2016
author: Marjorie M. Liu
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/07/13
shelves:
review:

]]> 30333227
Collects MONSTRESS #1-6]]> 208 Marjorie M. Liu Alyssa 5 3.92 2016
author: Marjorie M. Liu
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/07/12
shelves:
review:

]]> 56692357 Hot Dog Girl, an openly gay track star falls for a closeted, bisexual teen beauty queen with a penchant for fixing up old cars.

Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school's code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can't deny their growing feelings. But while Morgan—out and proud, and determined to have a fresh start—doesn't want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret, Ruby isn't ready to come out yet. With each girl on a different path toward living her truth, can they go the distance together?]]> 336 Jennifer Dugan Alyssa 5 lgbtqi2a, ya 3.70 2021
author: Jennifer Dugan
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/28
date added: 2022/09/13
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya
review:
I loved how messy these characters were allowed to be, while also just being human. I loved how the theme of "everyone has their own timeline" was so prevalent. I really loved this book. It's stayed with me since I finished it, like an old friend.
]]> 55297669 The first openly nonbinary contestant on America’s favorite cooking show falls for their clumsy competitor in this delicious romantic comedy debut that USA Today hailed as “an essential read.â€� Recently divorced and on the verge of bankruptcy, Dahlia Woodson is ready to reinvent herself on the popular reality competition show Chef’s Special. Too bad the first memorable move she makes is falling flat on her face, sending fish tacos flying—not quite the fresh start she was hoping for. Still, she's focused on winning, until she meets someone she might want a future with more than she needs the prize money.Ěý After announcing their pronouns on national television, London Parker has enough on their mind without worrying about the klutzy competitor stationed in front of them. They’re there to prove the trolls—including a fellow contestant and their dad—wrong, and falling in love was never part of the plan. As London and Dahlia get closer, reality starts to fall away. Goodbye, guilt about divorce, anxiety about uncertain futures, and stress from transphobia. Hello, hilarious shenanigans on set, wedding crashing, and spontaneous dips into the Pacific. But as the finale draws near, Dahlia and London’s steamy relationship starts to feel the heat both in and outside the kitchen—and they must figure out if they have the right ingredients for a happily ever after. Ěý Booklist'sĚýBestĚýRomance Debuts of the YearWomen's Health's Best Romance Novels of the YearBookpage's Best Romance Novels of the Year]]> 384 Anita Kelly 1538754851 Alyssa 4 lgbtqi2a 3.81 2022
author: Anita Kelly
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/28
date added: 2022/06/28
shelves: lgbtqi2a
review:

]]> 57188051 D’Vaughn and Kris have six weeks to plan their dream wedding.

Their whole relationship is fake.

Instant I DoĚýcould be Kris Zavala’s big break. She’s right on the cusp of really making it as an influencer, so a stint on reality TV is the perfect chance to elevate her brand. And $100,000 wouldn’t hurt, either.

D’Vaughn Miller is just trying to break out of her shell. She’s sort of neglected to come out to her mom for years, so a big splashy fake wedding is just the excuse she needs.

All they have to do is convince their friends and family they’re getting married in six weeks. If anyone guesses they’re not for real, they’re out. Selling their chemistry on camera is surprisingly easy, and it’s still there when no one else is watching, which is an unexpected bonus. Winning this competition is going to be a piece of wedding cake. ĚýĚý

But each week of the competition brings new challenges, and soon the prize money’s not the only thing at stake. A reality show isn’t the best place to create a solid foundation, and their fake wedding might just derail their relationship before it even starts.

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.ĚýDiscover a new Carina Adores book every month!]]> 336 Chencia C. Higgins 1335534946 Alyssa 5 lgbtqi2a 3.97 2022
author: Chencia C. Higgins
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/06/25
date added: 2022/06/25
shelves: lgbtqi2a
review:
This book is as profound as it is spicy. Loveable characters that had me tearing up throughout.
]]> 54860241
Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.

When Briseis's aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined--it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri's unique family lineage.

When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri's sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.

From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes another inspiring and deeply compelling story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her.]]> 384 Kalynn Bayron 1547603909 Alyssa 4 lgbtqi2a, ya 4.10 2021
author: Kalynn Bayron
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/25
date added: 2022/06/25
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya
review:
This book is part magic, part mad science, and part mythology. I am excited to read the next in the series.
]]> 56179356
Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia's last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.]]> 119 Alix E. Harrow 1250765358 Alyssa 3 3.58 2021
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/11
date added: 2022/06/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 58511583 Does true love break curses or begin them? The dark sorceress of “Sleeping Beauty� reclaims her story in this sequel to Malice.

The Dark Grace is dead.

Feared and despised for the sinister power in her veins, Alyce wreaks her revenge on the kingdom that made her an outcast. Once a realm of decadence and beauty, Briar is now wholly Alyce’s wicked domain. And no one will escape the consequences of her wrath. Not even the one person who holds her heart.

Princess Aurora saw through Alyce’s thorny facade, earning a love that promised the dawn of a new age. But it is a love that came with a heavy price: Aurora now sleeps under a curse that even Alyce’s vast power cannot seem to break. And the dream of the world they would have built together is nothing but ash.

Alyce vows to do anything to wake the woman she loves, even if it means turning into the monster Briar believes her to be. But could Aurora love the villain Alyce has become?

Or is true love only for fairy tales?

Book Two of the Malice Duology]]> 454 Heather Walter 1529156912 Alyssa 5 favorites, lgbtqi2a 3.74 2022
author: Heather Walter
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/06/05
date added: 2022/06/05
shelves: favorites, lgbtqi2a
review:
Damn. This duology is not enough. I need more stories of the Briar Court, of Aurora, but most especially, Alyce.
]]> 40275288
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction � but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.]]> 845 Samantha Shannon 1408883457 Alyssa 0 currently-reading 4.18 2019
author: Samantha Shannon
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 35843729
* She's landed a job at Magic Castle Playland . . . as a giant dancing hot dog.
* Her crush, the dreamy Diving Pirate Nick, already has a girlfriend, who is literally the Princess of the park. But Lou's never liked anyone, guy or otherwise, this much before, and now she wants a chance at her own happily ever after.
* Her best friend, Seeley, the carousel operator, who's always been up for anything, suddenly isn't when it comes to Lou's quest to set her up with the perfect girl or Lou's scheme to get close to Nick.
* And it turns out that this will be their last summer at Magic Castle Playland--ever--unless she can find a way to stop it from closing.

Jennifer Dugan's sparkling debut coming-of-age queer romance stars a princess, a pirate, a hot dog, and a carousel operator who find love--and themselves--in unexpected people and unforgettable places.]]> 320 Jennifer Dugan 0525516263 Alyssa 4 lgbtqi2a, ya 3.47 2019
author: Jennifer Dugan
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/26
date added: 2022/05/26
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya
review:

]]> 58079450 ąó´Ç±ô±ô´Ç·Éľ±˛Ô˛µĚýWritten in the StarsĚý˛ą˛Ô»ĺĚýHang the Moon, national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur pens another steamy queer rom-com about former best friends who might be each other's second chance at loveâ€�

Margot Cooper doesn’t do relationships. She tried and it blew up in her face, so she’ll stick with casual hookups,Ěýthank you very much. But now her entire crew has foundĚý"the one"Ěýand she’s beginning toĚýfeel like a fifth wheel. And then fate (the heartless bitch) intervenes. While touring a wedding venue with her engaged friends, Margot comes face-to-face with Olivia Grant—her childhood friend, her first love, her firstâ€� well, everything. It’s been ten years, but the moment they lock eyes, Margot’s cold, dead heart thumps in her chest.

Olivia must be hallucinating. In the decade since she last saw Margot, her life hasn’t gone exactly as planned. At almost thirty, she’s been married... and divorced. However, a wedding planner job in Seattle means a fresh start and a chance to follow her dreams. Never in a million years did she expect her important new client’s Best Woman would be the one that got away.

When a series of unfortunate events leaves Olivia without a place to stay, Margot offers up her spare room because she’s a Very Good Person.ĚýObviously. It has nothing to do with the fact that Olivia is as beautiful as ever and the sparks between them still make Margot tingle. As they spend time in close quarters, Margot starts to question her no-strings stance. Olivia is everything she’s ever wanted, but Margot let her in once and it ended in disaster. Will history repeat itself or should she count her lucky stars that she gets a second chance with her first love?Ěý]]> 384 Alexandria Bellefleur 0063000881 Alyssa 4 3.95 2022
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/20
date added: 2022/05/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 41150474
Rachel Recht is a wannabe director who's obsesssed with movies and ready to make her own masterpiece. As she's casting her senior film project, she knows she's found the perfect lead - Sana.

There's only one problem. Rachel hates Sana. Rachel was the first girl Sana ever asked out, but Rachel thought it was a cruel prank and has detested Sana ever since.

Told in alternative viewpoints and inspired by classic romantic comedies, this engaging and edgy YA novel follows two strongwilled young women falling for each other despite themselves.]]> 312 Aminah Mae Safi 1250299489 Alyssa 4 lgbtqi2a, ya 3.64 2019
author: Aminah Mae Safi
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/09
date added: 2022/05/10
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya
review:
A sweet and messy enemies-to-lovers trope and a giant dose of teenagers figuring out how to fight for what they want, and realizing that the narratives we tell ourselves are often wrong.
]]> 54756850
Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it’s a different woman every night, but that’s just fine with her.
Ěý
When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all.
Ěý
Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise…at first. Though they’ve known each other for years, they don’t really know each other—so Claire is unsettled when Delilah figures out exactly what buttons to push. When they’re forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn’t sure she has the strength to resist Delilah’s charms. Even worse, she’s starting to think she doesn’t want to...]]> 375 Ashley Herring Blake 0593336402 Alyssa 5 lgbtqi2a 4.06 2022
author: Ashley Herring Blake
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/05/07
date added: 2022/05/07
shelves: lgbtqi2a
review:
This book is gorgeous. It's beautiful and real and messy and complicated and stunning. If you're looking for a Sapphic Romance, 10/10 cannot recommend it enough.
]]> 51179990 With nods to Bridget Jones and Pride and Prejudice, a charming #ownvoices queer rom-com debut about a free-spirited social media astrologer who agrees to fake a relationship with an uptight actuary until New Year’s Eve—with results not even the stars could predict!

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle's new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward.

When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend they’re dating to save face. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship.

But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?]]> 370 Alexandria Bellefleur 0063000806 Alyssa 3 lgbtqi2a 3.85 2020
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/20
date added: 2022/05/07
shelves: lgbtqi2a
review:
So sweet, a solid opposites attract/fake dating trope. The characters are delightful.
]]> 55004138 384 Alexandria Bellefleur 0063000849 Alyssa 1 3.78 2021
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2022/05/07
date added: 2022/05/07
shelves:
review:
Ugh. I just felt really angry at this book, like I had been duped.
]]> 52915426 A showrunner and her assistant give the world something to talk about when they accidentally fuel a ridiculous rumor in this debut romance.

Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet, and just like that, the tabloids declare them a couple. The so-called scandal couldn't come at a worse time--threatening Emma's promotion and Jo's new movie.

As the gossip spreads, it starts to affect all areas of their lives. Paparazzi are following them outside the office, coworkers are treating them differently, and a "source" is feeding information to the media. But their only comment is "no comment".

With the launch of Jo's film project fast approaching, the two women begin to spend even more time together, getting along famously. Emma seems to have a sixth sense for knowing what Jo needs. And Jo, known for being aloof and outwardly cold, opens up to Emma in a way neither of them expects. They begin to realize the rumor might not be so off base after all...but is acting on the spark between them worth fanning the gossip flames?]]> 336 Meryl Wilsner 0593102525 Alyssa 2 lgbtqi2a 3.62 2020
author: Meryl Wilsner
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2022/04/20
date added: 2022/04/20
shelves: lgbtqi2a
review:
I wanted to like this a lot. I liked aspects. It fell short for me, but the increase of Queer romance novels is awesome and I am here for it.
]]> 57486583 Join fifteen bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming authors as they reimagine some of the most popular tropes in the romance genre.

Fake relationships. Enemies to lovers. Love triangles and best friends, mistaken identities and missed connections. This collection of genre-bending and original stories celebrates how love always finds a way, featuring powerful flora, a superhero and his nemesis, a fantastical sled race through snow-capped mountains, a golf tournament, the wrong ride-share, and even the end of the world. With stories written by Rebecca Barrow, Ashley Herring Blake, Gloria Chao, Mason Deaver, Sara Farizan, Claire Kann, Malinda Lo, Hannah Moskowitz, Natasha Ngan, Rebecca Podos, Lilliam Rivera, Laura Silverman, Amy Spalding, Rebecca Kim Wells, and Julian Winters this collection is sure to sweep you off your feet.]]> 288 Rebecca Podos 0762472340 Alyssa 4 lgbtqi2a, ya 3.52 2021
author: Rebecca Podos
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/20
date added: 2022/04/20
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya
review:
A really lovely collection of fresh takes of tropes, diverse characters, genres, and styles. A great collection.
]]> 50999975 Three days. Two girls. One life-changing music festival.

Olivia is an expert at falling in love . . . and at being dumped. But after the fallout from her last breakup has left her an outcast at school and at home, she’s determined to turn over a new leaf. A crush-free weekend at Farmland Music and Arts Festival with her best friend is just what she needs to get her mind off the senior year that awaits her.

Toni is one week away from starting college, and it’s the last place she wants to be. Unsure about who she wants to become and still reeling in the wake of the loss of her musician-turned-roadie father, she’s heading back to the music festival that changed his life in hopes that following in his footsteps will help her find her own way forward.

When the two arrive at Farmland, the last thing they expect is to realize that they’ll need to join forces in order to get what they’re searching for out of the weekend. As they work together, the festival becomes so much more complicated than they bargained for, and Olivia and Toni will find that they need each other, and music, more than they ever could have imagined.

Packed with irresistible romance and irrepressible heart, bestselling author Leah Johnson delivers a stunning and cinematic story about grief, love, and the remarkable power of music to heal and connect us all.]]> 336 Leah Johnson 1338662244 Alyssa 4 A bittersweet rollercoaster. 3.60 2021
author: Leah Johnson
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/19
date added: 2022/03/19
shelves:
review:
A bittersweet rollercoaster.
]]> 57282218
Persephone, young goddess of spring, is new to Olympus. Her mother, Demeter, has raised her in the mortal realm, but after Persephone promises to train as a sacred virgin, she’s allowed to live in the fast-moving, glamorous world of the gods. When her roommate, Artemis, takes her to a party, her entire life changes: she ends up meeting Hades and feels an immediate spark with the charming yet misunderstood ruler of the Underworld. Now Persephone must navigate the confusing politics and relationships that rule Olympus, while also figuring out her own place—and her own power.

This edition of Smythe’s original Eisner-winning webcomic Lore Olympus features a brand-new, exclusive short story, and brings the Greek Pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

This volume collects episodes 1-25 of the #1 WEBTOON comic, Lore Olympus.]]> 384 Rachel Smythe 0593160290 Alyssa 4 graphic-novels 4.23 2021
author: Rachel Smythe
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/09
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
A really clever, interesting, contemporary take on Greek Myths. Great illustrative style and writing.
]]> 57094282 Perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli and The Tea Dragon Society, this is a magically heartwarming graphic novel about self-acceptance and friendship.

Sophie is a young witch whose mother and grandmother pressure her to attend the Royal Magic Academy—the best magic school in the realm—even though her magic is shaky at best. To train for her entrance exams, Sophie is sent to relatives she’s never met.

Cousin Sage and Great-Aunt Lan seem more interested in giving Sophie chores than in teaching her magic. Frustrated, Sophie attempts magic on her own, but the spell goes wrong, and she accidentally entangles her magic with the magic of a young water dragon named Lir.

Lir is trapped on land and can’t remember where he came from. Even so, he’s everything Sophie isn’t—beloved by Sophie’s family and skilled at magic. With his help, Sophie might just ace her entrance exams, but that means standing in the way of Lir’s attempts to regain his memories. Sophie knows what she’s doing is wrong, but without Lir’s help, can she prove herself?]]> 240 Wendy Xu 0062955799 Alyssa 4 graphic-novels 3.89 2021
author: Wendy Xu
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/27
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: graphic-novels
review:

]]> 43900612
Sophia knows the story though, off by heart. Because every girl has to recite it daily, from when she's tiny until the night she's sent to the royal ball for choosing. And every girl knows that she has only one chance. For the lives of those not chosen by a man at the ball . are forfeit.

But Sophia doesn't want to be chosen - she's in love with her best friend, Erin, and hates the idea of being traded like cattle. And when Sophia's night at the ball goes horribly wrong, she must run for her life. Alone and terrified, she finds herself hiding in Cinderella's tomb. And there she meets someone who will show her that she has the power to remake her world.]]> 400 Kalynn Bayron 1547603887 Alyssa 4 lgbtqi2a, ya 3.68 2020
author: Kalynn Bayron
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya
review:

]]> 51323376
Over a year after being entrusted with Ginseng's care, Greta still can't chase away the cloud of mourning that hangs over the timid Tea Dragon. As she struggles to create something spectacular enough to impress a master blacksmith in search of an apprentice, she questions the true meaning of crafting, and the true meaning of caring for someone in grief.

Meanwhile, Minette receives a surprise package from the monastery where she was once training to be a prophetess. Thrown into confusion about her path in life, the shy and reserved Minette finds that the more she opens her heart to others, the more clearly she can see what was always inside.

Told with the same care and charm as the previous installments of the Tea Dragon series, The Tea Dragon Tapestry welcomes old friends and new into a heartfelt story of purpose, love, and growth.]]> 135 Kay O'Neill 1620107740 Alyssa 5 graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a 4.50 2021
author: Kay O'Neill
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a
review:
I want our future to be a Tea Dragon future. Kind, gentle, caring, cozy, and adorable. Maybe a dash of courage and lots of emotional intelligence.
]]> 54304189 In this debut fantasy, a witch cursed to never love meets a girl hiding her own dangerous magic, and the two strike a dangerous bargain to save their queendom.

Tamsin is the most powerful witch of her generation. But after committing the worst magical sin, she’s exiled by the ruling Coven and cursed with the inability to love. The only way she can get those feelings back—even for just a little while—is to steal love from others.

Wren is a source—a rare kind of person who is made of magic, despite being unable to use it herself. Sources are required to train with the Coven as soon as they discover their abilities, but Wren—the only caretaker to her ailing father—has spent her life hiding her secret.

When a magical plague ravages the queendom, Wren’s father falls victim. To save him, Wren proposes a bargain: if Tamsin will help her catch the dark witch responsible for creating the plague, then Wren will give Tamsin her love for her father.

Of course, love bargains are a tricky thing, and these two have a long, perilous journey ahead of them—that is, if they don't kill each other first..]]> 368 Adrienne Tooley 1534453857 Alyssa 3 ya, lgbtqi2a
If Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ let me give half stars, I'd give it a 3.5. It's a really solid book with some great writing. Too bad it's a standalone, it would have made a great series.]]> 3.69 2021
author: Adrienne Tooley
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/25
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: ya, lgbtqi2a
review:
A lovely slow-burn sapphic romance with some interesting new takes on witches and magic. Though I found myself wanting more from the story; more relationship building and moments, more points of connection. As a result, some moments felt rushed or incomplete to me. But I'm just a sucker for relationships.

If Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ let me give half stars, I'd give it a 3.5. It's a really solid book with some great writing. Too bad it's a standalone, it would have made a great series.
]]> 51530580 A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,� true love is more than a simple fairy tale.

Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss.

You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after.

Utter nonsense.

Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either.

Until I met her.

Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse.

But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating—and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.

Nonsense again.

Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I�

I am the villain.]]> 470 Heather Walter 1984818651 Alyssa 5 lgbtqi2a, favorites 3.92 2021
author: Heather Walter
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/30
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: lgbtqi2a, favorites
review:
This book is an allegory for Queer rage and I AM HERE FOR IT.
]]> 40612185 Part historical fiction, part magical realism, and 100 percent adventure. Thirteen-year-old Mei reimagines the myths of Paul Bunyan as starring a Chinese heroine while she works in a Sierra Nevada logging camp in 1885.

Aware of the racial tumult in the years after the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Mei tries to remain blissfully focused on her job, her close friendship with the camp foreman's daughter, and telling stories about Paul Bunyan--reinvented as Po Pan Yin (Auntie Po), an elderly Chinese matriarch.

Anchoring herself with stories of Auntie Po, Mei navigates the difficulty and politics of lumber camp work and her growing romantic feelings for her friend Bee. The Legend of Auntie Po is about who gets to own a myth, and about immigrant families and communities holding on to rituals and traditions while staking out their own place in America.]]> 290 Shing Yin Khor Alyssa 5 graphic-novels, ya, lgbtqi2a 4.05 2021
author: Shing Yin Khor
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/06
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: graphic-novels, ya, lgbtqi2a
review:
My pal wrote an excellent book with characters I didn't want to leave. Do yourself a favor and read this gift.
]]> 52516406 High school nemeses fall in love in this queer YA rom com perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Casey McQuiston.

After losing spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up, Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, the incredibly beautiful and incredibly mean Irene Abraham. Things only get worse when their nosey, do-gooder moms get involved and the girls are forced to carpool together until Irene’s car gets out of the shop.

Their bumpy start only gets bumpier the more time they spend together. But when an opportunity presents itself for Scottie to get back at her toxic ex (and climb her school’s social ladder at the same time), she bribes Irene into playing along. Hijinks, heartbreak, and gay fake-dating scheme for the ages. From author Kelly Quindlen comes a new laugh-out-loud romp through the ups and downs of teen romance.]]> 288 Kelly Quindlen 1250209161 Alyssa 5 lgbtqi2a, ya, favorites 3.93 2021
author: Kelly Quindlen
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/31
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya, favorites
review:
Yeah, this book is super cute. But it was a lot more than that. There was a big part of me in this book, like I was seeing what my high school experience might have been if I had been able to be out, like I was seeing the parts of me that didn't have to be sacrificed for survival. This book was healing for me in way I can't explain, 22 years later. I'm so grateful for it.
]]> 50160619
But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz's plans come crashing down . . . until she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom king and queen. There's nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she's willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.

The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She's smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?

A newer edition of ISBN 9781338503265 can be found here.]]> 336 Leah Johnson Alyssa 4 lgbtqi2a, ya 4.07 2020
author: Leah Johnson
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/03
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya
review:
The characters in this book are so loveable. So flawed, so wonderful, so real. I loved them all.
]]> 36412998 Told in two distinct and irresistible voices, Junauda Petrus’s bold and lyrical debut is the story of two black girls from very different backgrounds finding love and happiness in a world that seems determined to deny them both.

Trinidad. Sixteen-year-old Audre is despondent, having just found out she’s going to be sent to live in America with her father because her strictly religious mother caught her with her secret girlfriend, the pastor’s daughter. Audre’s grandmother Queenie (a former dancer who drives a white convertible Cadillac and who has a few secrets of her own) tries to reassure her granddaughter that she won’t lose her roots, not even in some place called Minneapolis. “America have dey spirits too, believe me,� she tells Audre.

Minneapolis. Sixteen-year-old Mabel is lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to figure out why she feels the way she feels–about her ex Terrell, about her girl Jada and that moment they had in the woods, and about the vague feeling of illness that’s plagued her all summer. Mabel’s reverie is cut short when her father announces that his best friend and his just-arrived-from-Trinidad daughter are coming for dinner.

Mabel quickly falls hard for Audre and is determined to take care of her as she tries to navigate an American high school. But their romance takes a turn when test results reveal exactly why Mabel has been feeling low-key sick all summer and suddenly it’s Audre who is caring for Mabel as she faces a deeply uncertain future.

Junauda Petrus’s debut brilliantly captures the distinctly lush and lyrical voices of Mabel and Audre as they conjure a love that is stronger than hatred, prison, and death and as vast as the blackness between the stars.]]> 312 Junauda Petrus 052555548X Alyssa 5 lgbtqi2a, ya 4.26 2019
author: Junauda Petrus
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/05
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya
review:
This book is a cosmic punch to the heart and I loved every moment of it.
]]> 45169737 From N.D. Stevenson, the New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of Nimona, comes a captivating, honest illustrated memoir that finds his turning an important corner in his creative journey—and inviting readers along for the ride.

In a collection of essays and personal mini-comics that span eight years of his young adult life, author-illustrator N.D. Stevenson charts the highs and lows of being a creative human in the world. Whether it’s hearing the wrong name called at his art school graduation ceremony or becoming a National Book Award finalist for his debut graphic novel, Nimona, N.D. captures the little and big moments that make up a real life, with a wit, wisdom, and vulnerability that are all his own.]]> 198 N.D. Stevenson 0062278274 Alyssa 4 lgbtqi2a, graphic-novels 4.02 2020
author: N.D. Stevenson
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/05
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: lgbtqi2a, graphic-novels
review:

]]> 29073707 To All the Boys I've Loved Before and part Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.

Sixteen-year-old Sana Kiyohara has too many secrets. Some are small, like how it bothers her when her friends don’t invite her to parties. Some are big, like the fact thatĚýher father may be having an affair. And then there’s the one that she can barely even admit toĚýherself—theĚýone about how she might have a crush on her best friend.

When Sana and her family move to California, she begins to wonder if it’s finally time forĚýsome honesty, especially after she meets Jamie Ramirez. Jamie is beautiful and smart and unlike anyone Sana’s ever known.ĚýThere are just a few Sana's newĚýfriends don't trust Jamie's crowd; Jamie's friends clearly don't want her around anyway; and a sweet guy named Caleb seems to have more-than-friendly feelings for her. Meanwhile, her dad’s affair is becoming too obvious to ignore.

Sana always figured that the hardest thing would be to tell people that she wants to date a girl, but as she quickly learns, telling the truth is easy…what comes after it, though, is a whole lot more complicated.]]> 400 Misa Sugiura 0062473433 Alyssa 3 lgbtqi2a, ya 3.54 2017
author: Misa Sugiura
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2022/02/06
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya
review:

]]> 54426630 Lush and chilling, with razor-sharp edges and an iron core of hope, this bewitching, powerhouse novel of two girls fighting back against the violence the world visits on them will stun and enchant readers.

Girls have been going missing in the woods�

When Natasha’s sister disappears, Natasha desperately turns to Della, a local girl rumored to be a witch, in the hopes that magic will bring her sister home.

But Della has her own secrets to hide. She thinks the beast who’s responsible for the disappearances is her own mother—who was turned into a terrible monster by magic gone wrong.

Natasha is angry. Della has little to lose. Both are each other’s only hope.

From the author of Ghost Wood Song, this eerie contemporary fantasy is perfect for fans of Wilder Girls and Bone Gap.]]> 400 Erica Waters 0062894277 Alyssa 4 ya
However, the end of the book left me wanting to know more about The Bend and the magic and the world of this very American Gothic place.]]> 3.85 2021
author: Erica Waters
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/08
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: ya
review:
This isn't my normal faire. There is a lot I liked about this book, more than the things I didn't like. The main relationship of the book was my biggest complaint; it felt tacked on. It felt like it was supposed to be an enemies to loves situation, but without the bridge of experiences and time to get them there. It just sort of happened instantly.

However, the end of the book left me wanting to know more about The Bend and the magic and the world of this very American Gothic place.
]]> 51182650 A captivating and utterly original fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse...

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming...human or demon. Princess or monster.]]> 322 Melissa Bashardoust 1250196140 Alyssa 4 lgbtqi2a, ya 3.66 2020
author: Melissa Bashardoust
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/13
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya
review:
I liked this one a LOT. A beautiful world building and mythology.
]]> 53066661
But after a chance encounter at an end-of-term house party, Saoirse is about to break her own rules. For a girl with one blue freckle, an irresistible sense of mischief, and a passion for rom-coms.

Unbothered by Saoirse’s no-relationships rulebook, Ruby proposes a loophole: They don’t need true love to have one summer of fun, complete with every cliché, rom-com montage-worthy date they can dream up—and a binding agreement to end their romance come fall. It would be the perfect plan, if they weren’t forgetting one thing about the Falling in Love Montage: when it’s over, the characters actually fall in love� for real.]]> 368 Ciara Smyth 0062957112 Alyssa 3 lgbtqi2a, ya 3.80 2020
author: Ciara Smyth
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/02/15
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya
review:

]]> 49553169
That was before she met the perfect girl. Willow is gorgeous, glamorous, and…heartbroken? And when she enlists Nozomi to pose as her new girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Nozomi is a willing volunteer.

Because Nozomi has a master plan of her own: one to show Willow she’s better than a stand-in, and turn their fauxmance into something real. But as the lies pile up, it’s not long before Nozomi’s schemes take a turn toward disaster…and maybe a chance at love she didn’t plan for.]]> 350 Misa Sugiura 0062991256 Alyssa 4 lgbtqi2a, ya 3.37 2021
author: Misa Sugiura
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/07
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya
review:
This book was solid and delightful and cute.
]]> 56221776 "What if I played football?" I ask. As soon as it's out of my mouth, I feel stupid. Even suggesting it feels like I've overstepped some kind of invisible line we've all agreed not to discuss. We don't talk about how Mara is different from other girls. We don't talk about how Mara is gay but no one says so. But when I do stuff like this, I worry it gets harder for us all to ignore what's right in front of us. I direct my gaze to Quinn. "What do you think?"
"I think it's frickin' genius," he says.


After getting kicked off the basketball team for a fight that was absolutely totally not her fault (okay maybe a little her fault), Mara is dying to find a new sport to play to prove to her coach that she can be a team player. A lifelong football fan, Mara decides to hit the gridiron with her brother, Noah, and best friend, Quinn-and she turns out to be a natural. But joining the team sets off a chain of events in her small Oregon town-and within her family-that she never could have predicted.

Inspired by what they see as Mara's political statement, four other girls join the team. Now Mara's lumped in as one of the girls-one of the girls who can't throw, can't kick, and doesn't know a fullback from a linebacker. Complicating matters is the fact that Valentina, Mara's crush, is one of the new players, as is Carly, Mara's nemesis-the girl Mara fought with when she was kicked off the basketball team. What results is a coming-of-age story that is at once tear-jerking and funny, thought-provoking and real, as Mara's preconceived notions about gender, sports, sexuality, and friendship are turned upside down.


Britta Lundin's sophomore novel will give readers all the feels, and make them stand up and cheer.]]> 384 Britta Lundin 1368039928 Alyssa 5 lgbtqi2a, ya, favorites 4.16 2021
author: Britta Lundin
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/07
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves: lgbtqi2a, ya, favorites
review:
Damn. Talk about a book I wish I had in high school. This book is so good. I saw another comment that this book did not receive the marketing or support that is should have, and I agree. I am really excited to read more from Britta Lundin.
]]> 53336857 “Sexy and dangerous and full of liars.� —Maggie Tokuda-Hall, author of The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea

The Cruel Prince meets A Curse So Dark and Lonely in this epic reimagining of “The Sleeping Beauty� that follows a teen girl on a quest to wake a sleeping princess in an enchanted forest, while searching for the truth behind her own deadly curse.

Lena has a the touch of her skin can kill. Cursed by a witch before she was born, Lena has always lived in fear and isolation. But after a devastating mistake, she and her father are forced to flee to a village near the Silence, a mysterious forest with a reputation for luring people into the trees, never to be seen again…�

Until the night an enigmatic girl stumbles out of the Silence and into Lena’s sheltered world. Miranda comes from the Gather, a city in the forest brimming with magic. She is on a quest to wake a sleeping princess believed to hold the key to liberating the Gather from its tyrannical ruler—and she offers Lena a bargain. If Lena assists her on her journey, Miranda will help her break the curse.

Mesmerized by Miranda and her promise of a new life, Lena jumps at the chance. But the deeper into the Silence she goes, the more she suspects she’s been lied to—about her family’s history, her curse, and her future. As the shadows close in, Lena must choose who to trust and decide whether it’s more important to have freedom…or power.]]> 256 Rebecca Kim Wells 1534488448 Alyssa 0 currently-reading 3.34 2021
author: Rebecca Kim Wells
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 42394599 Tiến loves his family and his friends…but Tiến has a secret he's been keeping from them, and it might change everything. An amazing YA graphic novel that deals with the complexity of family and how stories can bring us together.

Real life isn't a fairytale.

But Tiáşżn still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tiáşżn, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through?

Is there a way to tell them he's gay?

A beautifully illustrated story by Trung Le Nguyen that follows a young boy as he tries to navigate life through fairytales, an instant classic that shows us how we are all connected. The Magic Fish tackles tough subjects in a way that accessible with readers of all ages, and teaches us that no matter what—we can all have our own happy endings.]]> 256 Trung Le Nguyen Alyssa 5 graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a 4.50 2020
author: Trung Le Nguyen
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/25
shelves: graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a
review:
This book is beautiful and you should definitely read it.
]]> 40024121
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat.

Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.]]> 432 Namina Forna 1984848704 Alyssa 0 currently-reading 3.99 2020
author: Namina Forna
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 51363383 In this conclusion to the Seafire trilogy, Caledonia Styx will risk everything--her heart, her crew, and even her life--to defeat Lir and take back the Bullet Seas once and for all.

Aric Athair is dead. But the fight for the Bullet Seas is far from over. Caledonia's nemesis, Lir--the one responsible for getting her parents killed and for turning her brother into a Bullet--has seized control of the warlord's army.

Caledonia and her crew have fled to Cloudbreak to prepare for an all-out war. And they are not the only ones. Defecting soldiers begin to show up in droves to join their fight. But just as it seems like the tides might be turning, a surprise attack decimates the growing rebellion.

Desperate, with much of her crew missing or worse, Caledonia is forced to make an unlikely and unsteady alliance with a new enemy. It's a gamble that could cost her everything, but with the fate of the seas in her hands, Caledonia will do whatever it takes. War has come, and it's time to sink or swim.]]> 421 Natalie C. Parker 045147886X Alyssa 4 4.17 2021
author: Natalie C. Parker
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/01/01
shelves:
review:

]]> 40603587
But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good... and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

Librarian's Note: Alternate cover edition of ASIN B0010SIPT4]]> 400 Andrzej Sapkowski Alyssa 3 4.12 1993
author: Andrzej Sapkowski
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/08/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 54776523 From the author of The Witch Boy trilogy comes a graphic novel about family, romance, and first love.

Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can't wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She's desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mom, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends...who don't understand Morgan at all. Because really, Morgan's biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl.

Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn't seem so stifling anymore.

But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they're each trying to hide will find its way to the surface...whether Morgan is ready or not.]]> 256 Molly Knox Ostertag 1338540580 Alyssa 5 Just a glorious book. 4.13 2021
author: Molly Knox Ostertag
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/08/18
shelves:
review:
Just a glorious book.
]]> 43319686 203 Molly Knox Ostertag 1338540556 Alyssa 5 4.26 2019
author: Molly Knox Ostertag
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/08/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 43670681 The second book in a heart-stopping trilogy that follows the captain of an all-female ship intent on taking down a vicious warlord's powerful fleet.

Caledonia may have lost her crew, but she's not done fighting yet. After nearly dying at the hand of a powerful foe, Caledonia is pulled from the sea and nursed back to health by a crew of former Bullets that call themselves Blades. The Blades escaped Aric Athair's clutches and now live a nomadic existence, ready to disappear at a moment's notice should trouble come their way.

But Caledonia wants to do more than just hide. She wants to find the Mors Navis and her beloved sisters. She wants to continue fighting Aric's fleet and to take back the Bullet seas. She'll need to do everything in her power to convince the Blades that fighting is their only option, that there has to be a life better than the one under Aric Athair's reign, and that finding the women of the Mors Navis is the first step to revolution.]]> 448 Natalie C. Parker 0451478835 Alyssa 4 4.17 2019
author: Natalie C. Parker
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2021/04/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 27969087 I was chosen by the Deos. Even gods make mistakes.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo she can’t trust, but who may be Alex’s only chance at saving her family.]]> 324 Zoraida Córdova Alyssa 0 to-read 3.72 2016
author: Zoraida CĂłrdova
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 37822534 Mors Navis, with a crew of girls and women just like her, who have lost their families and homes because of Aric and his men. The crew has one mission: stay alive, and take down Aric's armed and armored fleet.

But when Caledonia's best friend and second-in-command barely survives an attack thanks to help from a Bullet looking to defect, Caledonia finds herself questioning whether to let him join their crew. Is this boy the key to taking down Aric Athair once and for all . . . or will he threaten everything the women of the Mors Navis have worked for?]]> 374 Natalie C. Parker 0451478800 Alyssa 3
I'm not much of a plot reader, generally. However I found the plot to be a bit rote in that it was setup > event > aftermath > repeat.

But I liked it enough to keep reading! ]]> 3.83 2018
author: Natalie C. Parker
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2021/02/17
date added: 2021/03/24
shelves:
review:
I love the world of this book, the characters, the overall stakes. I also appreciated Caledonia's position between human and captain, friend, and sister.

I'm not much of a plot reader, generally. However I found the plot to be a bit rote in that it was setup > event > aftermath > repeat.

But I liked it enough to keep reading!
]]> 43383506 SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 EDNA STAEBLER AWARD FOR CREATIVE NON-FICTION
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
2020 LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD WINNER
ONE OF BOOK RIOT'S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL QUEER BOOKS OF ALL TIME

How do you find yourself when the world tells you that you don't exist?

Samra Habib has spent most of their life searching for the safety to be themself. As an Ahmadi Muslim growing up in Pakistan, they faced regular threats from Islamic extremists who believed the small, dynamic sect to be blasphemous. From their parents, they internalized the lesson that revealing their identity could put them in grave danger.

When their family came to Canada as refugees, Samra encountered a whole new host of bullies, racism, the threat of poverty, and an arranged marriage. Backed into a corner, their need for a safe space--in which to grow and nurture their creative, feminist spirit--became dire. The men in Samra's life wanted to police them, the women in their life had only shown them the example of pious obedience, and their body was a problem to be solved.

So begins an exploration of faith, art, love, and queer sexuality, a journey that takes them to the far reaches of the globe to uncover a truth that was within them all along. A triumphant memoir of forgiveness and family, both chosen and not, We Have Always Been Here is a rallying cry for anyone who has ever felt out of place and a testament to the power of fearlessly inhabiting one's truest self.]]> 220 Samra Habib 0735235015 Alyssa 4 4.16 2019
author: Samra Habib
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/03/22
date added: 2021/03/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 39863295 Inspired by Shakespeare's Henry IV, Lady Hotspur continues the saga of Innis Lear, centuries later, as revolution, love, and a betrayal corrupt the descendants of two warring kingdoms.

Hal was once a knight, carefree and joyous, sworn to protect her future queen Banna Mora. But after a rebellion led by her own mother, Caleda, Hal is now the prince of Lionis, heir to the throne. The pressure of her crown and bloody memories of war plague her, as well as a need to shape her own destiny, no matter the cost.

Lady Hotspur, known as the Wolf of Aremoria for her temper and warcraft, never expected to be more than a weapon. She certainly never expected to fall in love with the fiery Hal or be blindsided by an angry Queen’s promise to remake the whole world in her own image—a plan Hotspur knows will lead to tragedy.

Banna Mora kept her life, but not her throne. Fleeing to Innis Lear to heal her heart and plot revenge, the stars and roots of Innis Lear will teach her that the only way to survive a burning world is to learn to breathe fire.

These three women, together or apart, are the ones who have the power to bring the once-powerful Aremoria back to life—or destroy it forever.]]> 592 Tessa Gratton 0765392496 Alyssa 4 3.68 2020
author: Tessa Gratton
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2021/02/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 35224992 A story of love and duty set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the Red Scare.

“That book. It was about two women, and they fell in love with each other.� And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: “Have you ever heard of such a thing?�

Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club.

America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.]]> 409 Malinda Lo 0525555250 Alyssa 5 4.21 2021
author: Malinda Lo
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/02/25
shelves:
review:
I wish I had this book when I was in High School. What a beautiful, complicated, sweet, dangerous, and hopeful story this is. I am so grateful for it, and for its characters. Just a winner for me from every angle.
]]> 51901147
The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.]]> 541 Suzanne Collins Alyssa 4 3.99 2020
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/11/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 51710973 A desperate orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial daughter find a connection on the high seas in a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic.

Aboard the pirate ship Dove, Flora the girl takes on the identity of Florian the man to earn the respect and protection of the crew. For Flora, former starving urchin, the brutal life of a pirate is about survival: don’t trust, don’t stick out, and don’t feel. But on this voyage, as the pirates prepare to sell their unsuspecting passengers into slavery, Flora is drawn to the Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, who is en route to a dreaded arranged marriage with her own casket in tow. Flora doesn’t expect to be taken under Evelyn’s wing, and Evelyn doesn’t expect to find such a deep bond with the pirate Florian.

Soon the unlikely pair set in motion a wild escape that will free a captured mermaid (coveted for her blood, which causes men to have visions and lose memories) and involve the mysterious Pirate Supreme, an opportunistic witch, and the all-encompassing Sea itself.]]> 360 Maggie Tokuda-Hall 1536204315 Alyssa 4 3.79 2020
author: Maggie Tokuda-Hall
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/11/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 44774415
Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers' bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.]]> 243 Suzanne Walker 154930304X Alyssa 4 3.82 2019
author: Suzanne Walker
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/08/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 16057353
Finding herself lost on the streets of Trolberg, Hilda befriends a talking raven. Together they encounter all manner of bizarre creatures from outcast Trolls to ferocious Salt Lions and deadly Rat Kings—maybe the city isn’t so boring after all.

As the pair try to find their way home, it becomes clear that the amnesiac raven has an important mission to attend to� if only he could remember what it was.]]> 44 Luke Pearson 1909263060 Alyssa 5 graphic-novels 4.29 2012
author: Luke Pearson
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/08/04
shelves: graphic-novels
review:

]]> 44144959 Ms. Marvel, Wonder Woman) and Eisner winning artist Christian Ward (Black Bolt) team up for this epic new sci-fi saga!

In a distant galaxy, two women discover an inconceivable conspiracy between the world's most dominant religion and an all-powerful mega corporation.

Suddenly the prey in a desperate interstellar chase, they're faced with a life-or-death decision: reveal the truth or risk plunging their worlds into anarchy.

Collects Invisible Kingdom #1 - #5.]]> 136 G. Willow Wilson 1506712274 Alyssa 4 3.57 2019
author: G. Willow Wilson
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/08/04
shelves:
review:
I am really excited to read more. I'm a huge fan of G. Willow Wilson's work, and this did not disappoint. Some really interesting parallels with our culture with how corruption is the expectation rather than the exception.
]]> 52544834 Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust shares the never-before-told complete story of the remarkable relationship between country music icons Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn.

Loretta Lynn and the late Patsy Cline are legends--country icons and sisters of the heart. For the first time ever Loretta tells their story: a celebration of their music and their relationship up until Patsy's tragic and untimely death.

Full of laughter and tears, this eye-opening, heartwarming memoir paints a picture of two stubborn, spirited country gals who'd be damned if they'd let men or convention tell them how to be. Set in the heady streets of the 1960s South, this nostalgia ride shows how Nashville blossomed into the city of music it is today. Tender and fierce, Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust is an up-close-and-personal portrait of a friendship that defined a generation and changed country music indelibly--and a meditation on love, loss and legacy.]]> 240 Loretta Lynn 1538701669 Alyssa 4 4.25 2020
author: Loretta Lynn
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/08/04
shelves:
review:
A sweet, intimate tribute to Loretta Lynn's friendship with Patsy Cline. Genuine, unpretentious, tender. Just like the ladies themselves.
]]> 45486444
After the fall of Summerland, Jane McKeene hoped her life would get simpler: Get out of town, stay alive, and head west to California to find her mother.

But nothing is easy when you're a girl trained in putting down the restless dead, and a devastating loss on the road to a protected village called Nicodemus has Jane questioning everything she thought she knew about surviving in 1880's America.

What's more, this safe haven is not what it appears - as Jane discovers when she sees familiar faces from Summerland amid this new society. Caught between mysteries and lies, the undead, and her own inner demons, Jane soon finds herself on a dark path of blood and violence that threatens to consume her.

But she won't be in it alone.

Katherine Deveraux never expected to be allied with Jane McKeene. But after the hell she has endured, she knows friends are hard to come by - and that Jane needs her, too, whether Jane wants to admit it or not.

Watching Jane's back, however, is more than she bargained for, and when they both reach a breaking point, it's up to Katherine to keep hope alive - even as she begins to fear that there is no happily-ever-after for girls like her.]]> 560 Justina Ireland 0062570633 Alyssa 5 4.18 2020
author: Justina Ireland
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/07/27
shelves:
review:
I need more Jane and Kate. I loved the sequel even more than I loved Dread Nation, and that's saying something. There is heartbreakingly beautiful and honest relationships in this book.
]]> 45320365
Esther is a stowaway. She’s hidden herself away in the Librarian’s book wagon in an attempt to escape the marriage her father has arranged for her—a marriage to the man who was previously engaged to her best friend. Her best friend who she was in love with. Her best friend who was just executed for possession of resistance propaganda.

The future American Southwest is full of bandits, fascists, and queer librarian spies on horseback trying to do the right thing. They'll bring the fight to you.

In Upright Women Wanted, award-winning author Sarah Gailey reinvents the pulp Western with an explicitly antifascist, near-future story of queer identity.]]> 176 Sarah Gailey 1250213584 Alyssa 5 lgbtqi2a 3.59 2020
author: Sarah Gailey
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/07/26
shelves: lgbtqi2a
review:
I loved everything about it, except that I wanted more from these characters and this world.
]]> 52129515 Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is the story of navigating divorce, forming a new blended family, and discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on its structure but on each member’s ability to bring her full self to the table. And it is the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts so that we become women who can finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is.]]> 333 Glennon Doyle 1984801252 Alyssa 1
It felt disingenuous, privileged, and generalized. It felt rooted in a lot of quotable pre-packaged ideas to sell, sandwiched between emotional jargon to print on throw pillows. And that was it.

This book felt like a betrayal. That's the best way I can describe it. Nothing was genuine, or authentic, or real. And the worst aspect of that, for me, as a queer woman, was that queerness was treated as some "brilliant choice".

I am so glad I did not buy this book. Long live public libraries.]]> 3.98 2020
author: Glennon Doyle
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2020/07/26
shelves:
review:
I tried. Good golly I tried. I wanted to like this book. I did NOT.

It felt disingenuous, privileged, and generalized. It felt rooted in a lot of quotable pre-packaged ideas to sell, sandwiched between emotional jargon to print on throw pillows. And that was it.

This book felt like a betrayal. That's the best way I can describe it. Nothing was genuine, or authentic, or real. And the worst aspect of that, for me, as a queer woman, was that queerness was treated as some "brilliant choice".

I am so glad I did not buy this book. Long live public libraries.
]]> 36655084
In this follow-up to the critical and commercial hit, Nagata Kabi uses engaging diary comics to explore her personal issues surrounding mental health, identity, and intimacy. Her relationship with her parents is growing more difficult than ever, and she struggles with the idea of living alone for the first time. Join her on her heart-wrenching, relatable journey through the challenges of adulthood.]]> 168 Kabi Nagata 1626928894 Alyssa 3 4.16 2016
author: Kabi Nagata
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/02/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 7389 144 Brian K. Vaughan 0785113797 Alyssa 5 3.97 2006
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/02/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 34323570 The stunningly original, must-read fantasy of 2018 follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world...or doom it.

When assassins ambush her best friend, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing herself as one of a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven elemental magic trials. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first.

One thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a fairy tale to Eliana Ferracora. A bounty hunter for the Undying Empire, Eliana believes herself untouchable--until her mother vanishes. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain and discovers that the evil at the empire's heart is more terrible than she ever imagined.

As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world--and of each other.]]> 497 Claire Legrand 1492656623 Alyssa 3
I finished it recently and I can't remember most of it. I'm not sure that this speaks to the book so much as maybe it speaks to my head space. The concept is really cool. The characters....are okay....I think I just need to give this one a re-read some day. ]]> 3.77 2018
author: Claire Legrand
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2019/02/25
date added: 2020/02/25
shelves:
review:
I liked it? But I feel ambivalent about it.

I finished it recently and I can't remember most of it. I'm not sure that this speaks to the book so much as maybe it speaks to my head space. The concept is really cool. The characters....are okay....I think I just need to give this one a re-read some day.
]]> 36952615
An inventive world, a breathtaking love story, and stunning art come together in this new work by award-winning artist Tillie Walden.]]> 533 Tillie Walden 1250178134 Alyssa 5
Just read it.]]> 4.31 2018
author: Tillie Walden
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/11/25
shelves:
review:
GORGEOUS. It's like if Mobius, Miyazaki, and Sleater-Kinney had a love child. I'm not even kidding.

Just read it.
]]> 42369064 135 Kay O'Neill 1620106558 Alyssa 5 graphic-novels 4.40 2019
author: Kay O'Neill
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/11/12
shelves: graphic-novels
review:

]]> 38898402
Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from N.D. Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones.

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona's powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.]]> 272 N.D. Stevenson Alyssa 5 graphic-novels 4.44 2015
author: N.D. Stevenson
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/07/21
date added: 2019/10/22
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
This book is fabulous, in every sense of the word. Creative, funny, fresh, and full of heart - it turns the hero narrative on its head by subverting the patriarchy and the systems. You know..."them". Noelle Stevens also writes/draws for The Lumberjanes, if you're familiar with that particular brand of science girl awesome. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. You will not be disappointed.
]]> 43263238 The Warrior Moon , the sequel to The Phoenix Empress and striking conclusion to K Arsenault Rivera's wildly buzzed about epic fantasy, which began with The Tiger's Daughter

Barsalayaa Shefali, famed Qorin adventurer, and the spoiled divine warrior empress, O-Shizuka, have survived fights with demon armies, garnered infamy, and ruled an empire. Raised together since birth, then forced into exile after their wedding, and reunited amidst a poisonous invasion--these bold warrior women have faced monumental adventures and catastrophic battles.

As they come closest to fulfilling the prophecy of generations--Shefali and Shizuka will face a their greatest test yet.

"The Phoenix Empress expands and deepens the mysteries of this intricate and fully-realized fantasy world. I'm riveted by this story and can't wait for the next volume."--Martha Wells, author of the Murderbot Diaries series

"Rich, expansive, and grounded in human truth...simply exquisite." --V. E. Schwab, New York Times bestselling author of the Shades of Magic series

Ascendant
#1 The Tiger's Daughter
#2 The Phoenix Empress
#3 The Warrior Moon]]> 656 K. Arsenault Rivera 0765392593 Alyssa 5 4.11 2019
author: K. Arsenault Rivera
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/10/21
shelves:
review:

]]> 36216359 The Phoenix Empress, the sequel to K Arsenault Rivera's wildly buzzed about The Tiger's Daughter, an epic historical fantasy in the vein of Patrick Rothfuss and Naomi Novik.

Since she was a child, the divine empress O Shizuka has believed she was an untouchable god. When her uncle, ruler of the Hokkaran Empire, sends her on a suicide mission as a leader of the Imperial Army, the horrors of war cause her to question everything she knows.

Thousands of miles away, the exiled and cursed warrior Barsalyya Shefali undergoes trials the most superstitious would not believe in order to return to Hokkaran court and claim her rightful place next to O Shizuka.

As the distance between disgraced empress and blighted warrior narrows, a familiar demonic force grows closer to the heart of the empire. Will the two fallen warriors be able to protect their home?]]> 544 K. Arsenault Rivera 0765392577 Alyssa 4 lgbtqi2a
I love this series.
I love these characters.
I love the writing style.

I did think some of the threads could have been pulled together a bit tighter, but it's such a gorgeous relationship, I didn't mind. I could get lost in Shefali and Shizuka every day and be super happy about it. ]]> 3.89 2018
author: K. Arsenault Rivera
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/09/28
shelves: lgbtqi2a
review:
4.5

I love this series.
I love these characters.
I love the writing style.

I did think some of the threads could have been pulled together a bit tighter, but it's such a gorgeous relationship, I didn't mind. I could get lost in Shefali and Shizuka every day and be super happy about it.
]]> 29760778 Even gods can be slain�.

The Hokkaran empire has conquered every land within their bold reach―but failed to notice a lurking darkness festering within the people. Now, their border walls begin to crumble, and villages fall to demons swarming out of the forests.

Away on the silver steppes, the remaining tribes of nomadic Qorin retreat and protect their own, having bartered a treaty with the empire, exchanging inheritance through the dynasties. It is up to two young warriors, raised together across borders since their prophesied birth, to save the world from the encroaching demons.

This is the story of an infamous Qorin warrior, Barsalayaa Shefali, a spoiled divine warrior empress, O-Shizuka, and a power that can reach through time and space to save a land from a truly insidious evil.]]> 526 K. Arsenault Rivera 0765392534 Alyssa 5 lgbtqi2a
I am here for F/F high fantasy with gorgeous prose.]]> 3.82 2017
author: K. Arsenault Rivera
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/09/28
shelves: lgbtqi2a
review:
I love Shefali and Shizuka. I love their relationship. I love how flawed they are as humans, but most of all I love how together they transcend, and then redefine their world.

I am here for F/F high fantasy with gorgeous prose.
]]> 43330902 The award-winning author of The Most Magnificent Thing introduces the value of science and inquiry to young readers with humor and heart. For fans of Ada Twist, Scientist and Hidden Figures.

Esther the fairy doesn't believe in magic. But fairies are all about magic, despite Esther's best efforts to reveal the science of their world. No matter how she and her bird, Albert, explain that rainbows are refracted light rather than a path to gold, or that mist is water evaporating rather than an evil omen, or the importance of the scientific method, her fairymates would rather just do magic. So when the other fairies' solution to helping a dying tree is to do a mystical moonlight dance, Esther decides to take it upon herself to resuscitate the tree . . . with the scientific method, some hypothesizing, a few experiments and the heady conclusion that trees need sunlight to live! But while Esther manages to save the tree, she can't quite change the minds of her misguided fairymates . . . or can she?

Fairy Science, the first in a hilarious new picture book series, introduces a charming, determined heroine as she learns about the world and celebrates the joys of curiosity and exploring science.]]> 40 Ashley Spires 0735264252 Alyssa 5 3.90 2019
author: Ashley Spires
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/09/19
shelves:
review:
Give this to all the truth-driven children in your life. The ones who want to know how things really work, and aren't content with answers like, "it's magic!"
]]> 28691962 All hail King Baby!

King Baby is gracious--bestowing splendid smiles on his public, allowing tickles and hugs, and posing for photo after adorable photo. But he also has many demands, and when his faithful subjects let him down, King Baby himself must take royal action!]]> 32 Kate Beaton 0545637546 Alyssa 5 4.12 2016
author: Kate Beaton
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/08/31
shelves:
review:

]]> 38348476
If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong.

When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself.

With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny--it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's powers of observation have never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future.

This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumor joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet--and it just might be his very best.]]> 272 David Sedaris 0316392359 Alyssa 4 4.11 2018
author: David Sedaris
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/04
date added: 2019/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 31372178 Inspired by the pulps, film noir, and screwball comedy, Passing Strange is a story as unusual and complex as San Francisco itself from World Fantasy Award winning author Ellen Klages, and a finalist for the 2017 Nebula Award for Best NovellaSan Francisco in 1940 is a haven for the unconventional. Tourists flock to the cities within the the Magic City of the World’s Fair on an island created of artifice and illusion; the forbidden city of Chinatown, a separate, alien world of exotic food and nightclubs that offer “authentic� experiences, straight from the pages of the pulps; and the twilight world of forbidden love, where outcasts from conventional society can meet.Six women find their lives as tangled with each other’s as they are with the city they call home. They discover love and danger on the borders where magic, science, and art intersect.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 215 Ellen Klages 0765389517 Alyssa 5 3.89 2017
author: Ellen Klages
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/07/22
shelves:
review:
A beautiful little novella. Magic realism twisted with a pastel delicacy of San Francisco of 1940. I wanted more of these characters, place, and time.
]]> 25088157 25 N.D. Stevenson 1613986874 Alyssa 0 graphic-novels 4.18 2014
author: N.D. Stevenson
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/07/12
shelves: graphic-novels
review:

]]> 36998181
Apprentice Knight Kalanthe Ironheart wasn't meant for heroism this early in life, and while she has no intention of giving up the notoriety she has earned, her reputation does not pay her bills. With time running out, Kalanthe may be forced to betray not her kingdom or her friends, but her own heart as she seeks a stable future for herself and those she loves.

Olsa Rhetsdaughter was never meant for heroism at all. Beggar, pick pocket, thief, she lived hand to mouth on the city streets until fortune--or fate--pulled her into Kalanthe's orbit. And now she's quite reluctant to leave it. Even more alarmingly, her fame has made her recognizable, which makes her profession difficult, and a choice between poverty and the noose isn't much of a choice at all.

Both girls think their paths are laid out, but the godsgem isn't quite done with them and that new golden age isn’t a sure thing yet.

In a tale both sweepingly epic and intensely personal, Kalanthe and Olsa fight to maintain their newfound independence and to find their way back to each other.]]> 352 E.K. Johnston 0735231893 Alyssa 5
Just. So. Great.]]> 3.81 2019
author: E.K. Johnston
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/05/29
shelves:
review:
This is everything I want in a book: Queer ladies. In armor. With swords. Honor. Adventure. Relationships.

Just. So. Great.
]]> 39983607 32 Shaun Tan 1338298399 Alyssa 5 4.22 2018
author: Shaun Tan
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/05/19
shelves:
review:
Beautiful. Deceptively simple. So many layers. I love Shaun Tan.
]]> 33161035
A pompous developer plans to turn the new spirit portal into an amusement park, potentially severing an already tumultuous connection with the spirits. What's more, the triads have realigned and are in a brutal all-out brawl at the city's borders - where hundreds of evacuees have relocated!

In order to get through it all, Korra and Asami vow to look out for each other - but first, they've got to get better at being a team and a couple!

Written by series co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino and drawn by Irene Koh T.M.N.T., Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman, Secret Origins: Batgirl, Afrina and the Glass Coffin) and with consultation by Bryan Konietzko, this is the official continuation of The Legend of Korra!]]> 76 Michael Dante DiMartino 1506700152 Alyssa 4 graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a, ya 4.32 2017
author: Michael Dante DiMartino
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/19
shelves: graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a, ya
review:
I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but I like it!
]]> 39325523
What if California refused to be ruled?

From the creators of YOUNG TERRORISTS, Matteo Pizzolo (GODKILLER) and Amancay Nahuelpan (CLANDESTINO), comes this tale of resisting oppression, punching Nazis, protecting each other, kicking ass, and demanding liberty for all.]]> 160 Matt Pizzolo 1628751819 Alyssa 4 3.44 2018
author: Matt Pizzolo
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 31681158 352 Audrey Coulthurst Alyssa 4 ya
The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is the *multiple* usages of the word detritus. Sometimes trash is just a perfectly good word!]]> 3.74 2019
author: Audrey Coulthurst
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/18
shelves: ya
review:
It's a beautiful story which captures the complexity, beauty, and heartache of relationships - of all varieties. Very nuanced, delicate, and introspective.

The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is the *multiple* usages of the word detritus. Sometimes trash is just a perfectly good word!
]]> 36639688
Mare just wants to settle down with the girl she loves, which would be easier if Denna weren't gifted with forbidden and volatile fire magic. Denna must learn to control her powers, which means traveling in secret to the kingdom of Zumorda, where she can seek training without fear of persecution. Determined to help, Mare has agreed to serve as an ambassador as a cover for their journey.

But just as Mare and Denna arrive in Zumorda, an attack on a border town in Mynaria changes everything. Mare's diplomatic mission is now urgent: she must quickly broker an alliance with the queen of Zumorda to protect her homeland. However, the queen has no interest in allying with other kingdoms; it's Denna's untamed but powerful magic that catches her eye. The queen offers Denna a place among her elite trainees--an opportunity that would force her to choose between her magic and Mare.

As Denna's powers grow stronger, Mare struggles to be the ambassador her kingdom needs. By making unconventional friends, her knowledge of Zumorda and its people grow, and so too do her suspicions about who is truly behind the attacks on Zumorda and her homeland.

As rising tensions and unexpected betrayals put Mare and Denna in jeopardy and dangerous enemies emerge on all sides, can they protect their love and save their kingdoms?]]> 464 Audrey Coulthurst 006284122X Alyssa 4
However, this book suffers from some sequel book issues. The second act is long. And I love me some political intrigue, but it should be grounded in the main story. Of Fire Stars did that for me. Of Ice and Shadows didn't. The main story is Denna and Mare, and their growth, both together and apart. I thought that the story and their relationship suffered in favor of political plots. Maybe I wanted more longing? More self analysis of how much they love the other, but have to choose their own path for reasons too important to forego. The third act happened fast. Like, I had to re-read it just to be sure it happened. Controversial comment: Queen Invasya is awesome. And intense. And I want a whole book about Asra when she gets to Havemont, and Denna's family. And a book about Invasya's reign between Ink Mistress and Of Ice and Shadows. I WANT IT ALL!!

I can't wait to read the next one. And I will read EVER SINGLE ONE for previously mentioned reasons.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.]]> 3.76 2019
author: Audrey Coulthurst
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/17
shelves:
review:
Look. I LOVE Denna and Mare. LOVE THEM. I will read anything with those two awesome princesses in the story. And I love Audrey Coulthurst's writing. These books are what teenage me needed and didn't have for 20+ years.

However, this book suffers from some sequel book issues. The second act is long. And I love me some political intrigue, but it should be grounded in the main story. Of Fire Stars did that for me. Of Ice and Shadows didn't. The main story is Denna and Mare, and their growth, both together and apart. I thought that the story and their relationship suffered in favor of political plots. Maybe I wanted more longing? More self analysis of how much they love the other, but have to choose their own path for reasons too important to forego. The third act happened fast. Like, I had to re-read it just to be sure it happened. Controversial comment: Queen Invasya is awesome. And intense. And I want a whole book about Asra when she gets to Havemont, and Denna's family. And a book about Invasya's reign between Ink Mistress and Of Ice and Shadows. I WANT IT ALL!!

I can't wait to read the next one. And I will read EVER SINGLE ONE for previously mentioned reasons.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
]]> 34466854
When King Mancastle and his mighty vassals ride off on a crusade, the women left behind are not at all put out—that’s a lot less armor polishing to do. Of course, when the men get themselves eaten by a dragon and leave a curse that attracts monsters to the castle . . . well, the women take umbrage with that.

Now, Merinor, the blacksmith’s wife is King, Princess Aeve is the Captain, and the only remaining (and least capable) knight, Sir Riddick, is tasked with teaching the ladies of the castle how to fight, defend, build, and do all manner of noisy things the men had done while the women assumed they were just drunk.

Novelist Delilah S. Dawson (Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon, As Wicked as She Wants) brings her first original series to the graphic novel world, and is joined by breakthrough illustrator Ashley A. Woods (Niobe: She Is Life) for a rollicking fantasy adventure in Ladycastle. Ěý]]> 112 Delilah S. Dawson 1684150329 Alyssa 4 3.59 2017
author: Delilah S. Dawson
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/10
shelves:
review:

]]> 38812877
Collects MOONSTRUCK #6-10
]]> 136 Grace Ellis 1534308458 Alyssa 3 graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a 3.46 2019
author: Grace Ellis
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/05/10
shelves: graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a
review:

]]> 35758543
Collects issues 1 through 5.]]> 120 Grace Ellis 1534304770 Alyssa 4 3.59 2018
author: Grace Ellis
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/10
shelves:
review:

]]> 16085481
When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back.

Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick's formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should—and should not—marry.

Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider's look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.]]> 403 Kevin Kwan 0385536976 Alyssa 4 3.91 2013
author: Kevin Kwan
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 32898210 All the world's a stage . . . but what happens behind the curtain is pure magic literally!

When Jory transfers to an all-boys private high school, he's taken in by the only ones who don't treat him like a new kid, the lowly stage crew known as the Backstagers. Not only does he gain great, lifetime friends, Jory is also introduced to an entire magical world that lives beyond the curtain. With the unpredictable twists and turns of the underground world, the Backstagers venture into the unknown, determined to put together the best play their high school has ever seen.

James Tynion IV (Detective Comics, The Woods) teams up with artist Rian Sygh (Munchkin, Stolen Forest) for an incredibly earnest story that explores what it means to find a place to fit in when you're kinda an outcast.

Collects the first four issues.]]> 112 James Tynion IV 1608869938 Alyssa 4 graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a 3.91 2016
author: James Tynion IV
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/04/08
shelves: graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a
review:

]]> 36083108 272 Carole Maurel 1594656436 Alyssa 4 graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a 3.79 2016
author: Carole Maurel
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/04/06
shelves: graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a
review:

]]> 35606614
Starry-eyed Chris has just started the dream job every outcast kid in town wants: working at Vinyl Mayhem. It's as rad as she imagined; her boss is BOSS, her co-workers spend their time arguing over music, pushing against the patriarchy, and endlessly trying to form a band. When Rosie Riot, the staff's favorite singer, mysteriously vanishes the night before her band’s show, Chris discovers her co-workers are doing more than just sorting vinyl . . . Her local indie record store is also a front for a teen girl vigilante fight club!Ěý
Ěý
Follow writer Carly Usdin (director of Suicide Kale) and artist Nina Vakueva (Lilith’s World) into the Hi-Fi Fight Club, where they deliver a rock and roll tale of intrigue and boundless friendship.]]> 112 Carly Usdin 1684151414 Alyssa 5
The problem is that it was apparently a limited release? So, probably not? But, but, but...

90s all girl fight club at Empire Records!!

I need more!]]> 3.97 2018
author: Carly Usdin
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/03/23
shelves:
review:
I want more of this story.

The problem is that it was apparently a limited release? So, probably not? But, but, but...

90s all girl fight club at Empire Records!!

I need more!
]]> 33163388 Spinning, captures what it's like to come of age, come out, and come to terms with leaving behind everything you used to know.

It was the same every morning. Wake up, grab the ice skates, and head to the rink while the world was still dark.

Weekends were spent in glitter and tights at competitions. Perform. Smile. And do it again.

She was good. She won. And she hated it.

For ten years, figure skating was Tillie Walden's life. She woke before dawn for morning lessons, went straight to group practice after school, and spent weekends competing at ice rinks across the state. It was a central piece of her identity, her safe haven from the stress of school, bullies, and family. But over time, as she switched schools, got into art, and fell in love with her first girlfriend, she began to question how the close-minded world of figure skating fit in with the rest of her life, and whether all the work was worth it given the reality: that she, and her friends on the figure skating team, were nowhere close to Olympic hopefuls. It all led to one question: What was the point? The more Tillie thought about it, the more Tillie realized she'd outgrown her passion--and she finally needed to find her own voice.]]> 400 Tillie Walden 1626727724 Alyssa 4 graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a, ya 3.90 2017
author: Tillie Walden
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/03/21
shelves: graphic-novels, lgbtqi2a, ya
review:

]]> 36423466 432 Brian Reed 1302910140 Alyssa 3 3.61 2007
author: Brian Reed
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/03/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 37825495
But as her journey continues, another war rages: a hidden war of the supernatural, of the living and the dead. Good and evil are blurred, and nobody's motives can be trusted. And Alyce finds herself thrown unwillingly into the conflict. Struggling to understand her own powers, she is quickly drawn into a web of secret, lies, and dark magic that could change the fate of the world she is just coming to know.

This dark, twisty, and thrillingly original debut will leave readers entranced in its suspenseful plot and rich prose.]]> 313 Nicholas Bowling 1338277537 Alyssa 3
Except the witch hunters. Cool.

But the witches hired the witch hunters to get other witches? A witch-spiracy?

I mean, the prose is well written, but the story missed some marks for me. I wanted more, but I was glad it was over? Just sort of super conflicted about all of it.]]> 3.31 2017
author: Nicholas Bowling
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.31
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/03/13
shelves:
review:
So everyone in late 16th century England was a witch. Cool.

Except the witch hunters. Cool.

But the witches hired the witch hunters to get other witches? A witch-spiracy?

I mean, the prose is well written, but the story missed some marks for me. I wanted more, but I was glad it was over? Just sort of super conflicted about all of it.
]]> 18244344 68 Jaime Hernández Alyssa 4 4.57 1982
author: Jaime Hernández
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1982
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/03/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 34690716 Mixing equal parts crime, history and survival fiction, this is the most brutal NORTHLANDERS story to date!
Collects NORTHLANDERS #17, #21-28, #30-34, #37-40.]]> 424 Brian Wood 1401273793 Alyssa 3 3.86 2015
author: Brian Wood
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/02/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 1044355 When You Are Engulfed in Flames confirms once again that David Sedaris is a master of mystery and suspense.

Or how about...

when set on fire, most of us either fumble for our wallets or waste valuable time feeling sorry for ourselves. David Sedaris has studied this phenomenon, and his resulting insights may very well save your life. Author of the national bestsellers Should You Be Attacked By Snakes and If You Are Surrounded by Mean Ghosts, David Sedaris, with When You Are Engulfed in Flames, is clearly at the top of his game.

Oh, all right...

David Sedaris has written yet another book of essays (his sixth). Subjects include a parasitic worm that once lived in his mother-in-law's leg, an encounter with a dingo, and the recreational use of an external catheter. Also recounted is the buying of a human skeleton and the author's attempt to quit smoking In Tokyo.

Master of nothing, at the dead center of his game, Sedaris proves that when you play with matches, you sometimes light the whole pack on fire.
(front flap)]]> 323 David Sedaris 0316143472 Alyssa 3 4.08 2005
author: David Sedaris
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/02/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 34840092 Bingo Love is a story of a same-sex romance that spans over 60 years. A chance meeting at church bingo in 1963 brings Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray together. Through their formative years, these two women develop feelings for each other and finally profess their love for one another.

Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid 60’s, Hazel and Mari are reunited again at a bingo hall. Realizing their love for each other is still alive, what these grandmothers do next takes absolute strength and courage.

From TEE FRANKLIN (NAILBITER’s “THE OUTFIT,� Love is Love) and JENN ST-ONGE (Jem & the Misfits), BINGO LOVE is a touching story of love, family, and resiliency that spans over 60 years.]]> 92 Tee Franklin Alyssa 5 3.91 2018
author: Tee Franklin
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/02/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 37491890
Maika has spent most of her life learning how to fight, but how will she fare when the only way to save her life� is to make friends?

Collects MONSTRESS #13-18]]> 152 Marjorie M. Liu 1534306919 Alyssa 5 4.26 2018
author: Marjorie M. Liu
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/02/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 33540347 152 Marjorie M. Liu 1534300414 Alyssa 5 4.29 2017
author: Marjorie M. Liu
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/02/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 36637409
Meanwhile, Aster's friend from the non-magical part of town, Charlie, is having problems of her own -- a curse has tried to attach itself to her. She runs to Aster and escapes it, but now the friends must find the source of the curse before more people -- normal and magical alike -- get hurt.]]> 224 Molly Knox Ostertag 1338290703 Alyssa 4 4.30 2018
author: Molly Knox Ostertag
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/02/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 38643737
From writer and artist Giulio Macaione (Ofelia), Alice: From Dream to Dream is an otherworldly trek into a spectacular world of dreams, nightmares, and being a teenager.Ěý]]> 144 Giulio Macaione 1684151805 Alyssa 4 3.80 2018
author: Giulio Macaione
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/02/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 28818221 I lost an arm on my last trip home.

Home is a new house with a loving husband in 1970s California that suddenly transformed in to the frightening world of the antebellum South.

Dana, a young black writer, can't explain how she is transported across time and space to a plantation in Maryland. But she does quickly understand why: to deal with the troubles of Rufus, a conflicted white slaveholder--and her progenitor.

Her survival, her very existence, depends on it.

This searing graphic-novel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's science fiction classic is a powerfully moving, unflinching look at the violent disturbing effects of slavery on the people it chained together, both black and white--and made kindred in the deepest sense of the word.]]> 256 Damian Duffy 141970947X Alyssa 4 4.19 2017
author: Damian Duffy
name: Alyssa
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/02/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 27405491
Collects NORTHLANDERS #1-16, #18-19, #41.]]> 453 Brian Wood 1401263313 Alyssa 4 3.92 2014
author: Brian Wood
name: Alyssa
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/02/08
shelves:
review:

]]>