Nikki's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:31:12 -0700 60 Nikki's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Dear Edward 45294613
Edward's story captures the attention of the nation, but he struggles to find a place for himself in a world without his family. He continues to feel that a piece of him has been left in the sky, forever tied to the plane and all of his fellow passengers. But then he makes an unexpected discovery--one that will lead him to the answers of some of life's most profound questions: When you've lost everything, how do find yourself? How do you discover your purpose? What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?

An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.]]> 340 Ann Napolitano 198485478X Nikki 5 4.03 2020 Dear Edward
author: Ann Napolitano
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)]]> 22055262
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.]]> 400 Victoria E. Schwab 0765376458 Nikki 0 to-read 4.04 2015 A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Crying in H Mart 55577549
In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humour and heart, she tells of growing up the only Asian-American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother’s particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother’s tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the east coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, performing gigs with her fledgling band � and meeting the man who would become her husband � her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live.

It was her mother’s diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.

Vivacious, lyrical and honest, Michelle Zauner’s voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish, share, and reread.]]> 243 Michelle Zauner Nikki 5 4.23 2021 Crying in H Mart
author: Michelle Zauner
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves:
review:
Beautifully written memoir. A grief-stricken woman looks back at her relationship with her Korean born mother and learns a lot about her cultural identity through food. Highly recommend.
]]> <![CDATA[Killer Underwear Invasion!: How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation & Conspiracy Theories]]> 60420653 A hilarious and timely tool to help kids learn how to tell what news is true and what isn't

Can peanuts give you super strength? Were unicorns discovered on the moon? Did Martians really invade New Jersey? For anyone who has ever encountered outrageous stories like these and wondered whether they were true, this funny, yet informative book breaks down what fake news is, why people spread it, and how to tell what is true and what isn’t. With quirky illustrations and a humorous tone, Elise Gravel brings her kid-accessible wit to the increasingly important subject of media literacy and equips younger readers with the skills needed to interact with global news.]]> 88 Elise Gravel 1797214918 Nikki 4 4.46 Killer Underwear Invasion!: How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation & Conspiracy Theories
author: Elise Gravel
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.46
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves:
review:
Great graphic novel to teach kids the importance of media literacy. I'm using it to create fifth grade digital and media literacy lesson plans.
]]> <![CDATA[The Doughnut Fix (The Doughnut Fix #1)]]> 33344054
His suspicions about his new town are confirmed when he's tricked into believing the local general store has life-changing chocolate cream doughnuts, when in fact the owner hasn't made them in years. And so begins the only thing that could make life in Petersville worth living: getting the recipe, making the doughnuts, and bringing them back to the town through his very own doughnut stand. But Tristan will soon discover that when starting a business, it helps to be both Gifted and Talented, and it's possible he's bitten off more than he can chew...]]> 310 Jessie Janowitz Nikki 3 It was fine. Perfectly cute and forgettable, good for kids but nothing to write home about. ]]> 4.12 2018 The Doughnut Fix (The Doughnut Fix #1)
author: Jessie Janowitz
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves:
review:
I picked up this middle grade novel for no other reason than the tag line "Everything is less terrible with doughnuts," which is basically what I base my entire life on.
It was fine. Perfectly cute and forgettable, good for kids but nothing to write home about.
]]> The Bones Beneath My Skin 211004023 A spine-tingling thriller by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, about a 10-year-old girl with an impossible power, her father, and an unlikely stranger, who come together to confront the dangerous forces that want her at all costs. A strange story of family, love, comets, and bacon. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things.

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his older brother wants nothing to do with him, and he's been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington DC. With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family's summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It's not. Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn't exactly as she appears.

Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 416 T.J. Klune 1250890438 Nikki 5 4.11 2018 The Bones Beneath My Skin
author: T.J. Klune
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Daisy Jones & The Six 81603439 A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous break up.

Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the real reason why they split at the absolute height of their popularity...until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it's the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she's twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Another band getting noticed is The Six, led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she's pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.]]> 352 Taylor Jenkins Reid Nikki 4 4.22 2019 Daisy Jones & The Six
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves:
review:

]]> The Ministry of Time 220160351 A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all: Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley.

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats� from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge�: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as �1847� or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,� “Spotify,� and “the collapse of the British Empire.� But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.]]> 368 Kaliane Bradley 166804515X Nikki 0 to-read 3.57 2024 The Ministry of Time
author: Kaliane Bradley
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Death of the Author 214329001 The future of storytelling is here.

Life has thrown Zelu some curveballs over the years, but when she's suddenly dropped from her university job and her latest novel is rejected, all in the middle of her sister's wedding, her life is upended. Disabled, unemployed and from a nosy, high-achieving, judgmental family, she's not sure what comes next.

In her hotel room that night, she takes the risk that will define her life - she decides to write a book VERY unlike her others. A science fiction drama about androids and AI after the extinction of humanity. And everything changes.

What follows is a tale of love and loss, fame and infamy, of extraordinary events in one world, and another. And as Zelu's life evolves, the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.

Because sometimes a story really does have the power to reshape the world.]]> 448 Nnedi Okorafor 0063391155 Nikki 5 4.04 2025 Death of the Author
author: Nnedi Okorafor
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves:
review:
Stunning. I'm assuming this will be the best book I will read in 2025.
]]> Wake Up and Open Your Eyes 204640265 From Vulture's "master of horror" Clay McLeod Chapman, a relentless and emotionally charged social horror novel about a family on the run from a demonic possession epidemic that spreads through media, for fans of The Last of Us and When Evil Lurks

Noah Fairchild has been losing his formerly polite Southern parents to far-right cable news for years, so when his mother leaves him a voicemail warning him that the “Great Reawakening� is here, he assumes it’s related to one of the many conspiracy theories she believes in. But when his own phone calls go unanswered, Noah makes the long drive from Brooklyn to Richmond, Virginia. There, he discovers his childhood home in shambles, a fridge full of spoiled food, and his parents locked in a terrifying trance-like state in front of the TV. Panicked, Noah attempts to snap them out of it and get medical help.

Then Noah’s mother brutally attacks him.

But Noah isn’t the only person to be attacked by a loved one. Families across the country are tearing each other apart-–literally-–as people succumb to a form of possession that gets worse the more time they spend watching particular channels, using certain apps, or visiting certain websites. In Noah’s Richmond-based family, only he and his young nephew Marcus are unaffected. Together, they must race back to the safe haven of Brooklyn�-but can they make it before they fall prey to the violent hordes?

This ambitious, searing novel from "one of horror's modern masters" holds a mirror to our divided nation, and will shake readers to the core.]]> 384 Clay McLeod Chapman Nikki 3 3.37 2025 Wake Up and Open Your Eyes
author: Clay McLeod Chapman
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves:
review:
Social horror novel, which I expected to be a little wry-horror but was actually really dark and disturbing. I'm not really a horror fan, so I'm probably not the best person to review this. It was really unique and good. The second section drug on a little bit and the stylized format got old after a while.
]]> The Measure 62949031 Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out.

But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live.

From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?

As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they'll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn't have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is a sweeping, ambitious, and invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.]]> 368 Nikki Erlick 0063204215 Nikki 4
Reminiscent of They Both Die At the End which is a pretty big compliment.]]> 3.98 2022 The Measure
author: Nikki Erlick
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves:
review:
Really fascinating speculative fiction, it really excels when focused on the political fallout. It gets a tad schmaltzy and preachy about seizing the day toward the end.

Reminiscent of They Both Die At the End which is a pretty big compliment.
]]> <![CDATA[Teen Titans: Starfire (Teen Titans, #5)]]> 123194181 #1 New York Times bestselling author KAMI GARCIA (Beautiful Creatures) and artist GABRIEL PICOLO, the creative duo behind the New York Times bestselling TEEN TITANS graphic novel series, are back with a first look at a new Titan!

Kori Anders� summer job at a ritzy Santa Monica beach club is fun, but she doesn't feel like she belongs there. She never breaks the rules, she doesn’t care about keeping up with the current trends, and she can’t be bothered rushing around to make an appearance at all the parties—in fact, Kori avoids rushing at all costs because of her Ehlers Danlos Syndrome diagnosis. What she does feel is an inexplicable draw to the stars.

Her older sister, Kira, on the other hand, is the most popular girl around. With the hottest clothes, an even hotter boyfriend (the Tate Fairweather), and a take-no-prisoners attitude, she’s Kori’s opposite in every way. Sadly, Kori doesn’t think Tate is a good fit for her sister, and nothing she says will convince Kira to break up with him.

The summer heats up when Tate’s uncle, Lynch Fairweather, CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, asks Kori and Kira to participate in a clinical trial designed to advance treatments for EDS. During treatment, Kori begins to discover some strange powers that she has never had before…and she might not be the only one.

Can Kori uncover the truth about her powers and find a way to persuade her sister to trust her before it’s too late?]]> 196 Kami Garcia 1779517998 Nikki 4 Nice addition to the series 4.21 2024 Teen Titans: Starfire (Teen Titans, #5)
author: Kami Garcia
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves:
review:
Nice addition to the series
]]> Unsheltered 38313843
How could two hardworking people do everything right in life, a woman asks, and end up destitute? Willa Knox and her husband followed all the rules as responsible parents and professionals, and have nothing to show for it but debts and an inherited brick house that is falling apart. The magazine where Willa worked has folded; the college where her husband had tenure has closed. Their dubious shelter is also the only option for a disabled father-in-law and an exasperating, free-spirited daughter. When the family’s one success story, an Ivy-educated son, is uprooted by tragedy he seems likely to join them, with dark complications of his own.

In another time, a troubled husband and public servant asks, How can a man tell the truth, and be reviled for it? A science teacher with a passion for honest investigation, Thatcher Greenwood finds himself under his employer forbids him to speak of the exciting work just published by Charles Darwin. His young bride and social-climbing mother-in-law bristle at the risk of scandal, and dismiss his worries that their elegant house is unsound. In a village ostensibly founded as a benevolent Utopia, Thatcher wants only to honor his duties, but his friendships with a woman scientist and a renegade newspaper editor threaten to draw him into a vendetta with the town’s powerful men.

Unsheltered is the compulsively readable story of two families, in two centuries, who live at the corner of Sixth and Plum in Vineland, New Jersey, navigating what seems to be the end of the world as they know it. With history as their tantalizing canvas, these characters paint a startlingly relevant portrait of life in precarious times when the foundations of the past have failed to prepare us for the future.]]> 508 Barbara Kingsolver 0062684744 Nikki 0 to-read 3.96 2018 Unsheltered
author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Personal Librarian 55333938 This is a previously-published edition of ISBN 9780593101537.

The remarkable, little-known story of Belle da Costa Greene, J. P. Morgan's personal librarian—who became one of the most powerful women in New York despite the dangerous secret she kept in order to make her dreams come true, from New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict and acclaimed author Victoria Christopher Murray.

In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps build a world-class collection.

But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle's complexion isn't dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white—her complexion is dark because she is African American.

The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths to which she must go—for the protection of her family and her legacy—to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.]]> 341 Marie Benedict Nikki 4 3.98 2021 The Personal Librarian
author: Marie Benedict
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars. Very interesting, but slow moving and with a weird obsession with fashion.
]]> The Life Impossible 198281740
“What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…�

When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.

Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.

Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.]]> 324 Matt Haig 0593489276 Nikki 5 3.45 2024 The Life Impossible
author: Matt Haig
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
So much humanity packed into 300+ pages. Started a bit slow, but the build up is worth it in the end.
]]> The Someday Birds 26800718 TWO STARRED REVIEWS!

"Offering a mixture of suspense, mystery, tragedy and humor, Pla's story captures both the literal and figurative meanings of journey." �Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Pla gives us a memorable hero in this lyrical and funny book.� �Shelf Awareness (starred review)

The Someday Birds is a debut middle grade novel perfect for fans of Counting by 7s and Fish in a Tree, filled with humor, heart, and chicken nuggets.

Charlie’s perfectly ordinary life has been unraveling ever since his war journalist father was injured in Afghanistan.

When his father heads from California to Virginia for medical treatment, Charlie reluctantly travels cross-country with his boy-crazy sister, unruly brothers, and a mysterious new family friend. He decides that if he can spot all the birds that he and his father were hoping to see someday along the way, then everything might just turn out okay.

Debut author Sally J. Pla has written a tale that is equal parts madcap road trip, coming-of-age story for an autistic boy who feels he doesn’t understand the world, and an uplifting portrait of a family overcoming a crisis.]]> 336 Sally J. Pla 0062445782 Nikki 4 4.25 2017 The Someday Birds
author: Sally J. Pla
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet]]> 55145261 A deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John Green

The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his ground-breaking, critically acclaimed podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley's Comet to Penguins of Madagascar - on a five-star scale.

Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene's reviews have been praised as 'observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy', with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.]]> 304 John Green 0525555218 Nikki 5 What does it mean to live in a world where you have the power to end species by the thousands, but you can also be brought to your knees, to your end, by a single strand of RNA?

Anthropocene is the proposed term for the current geologic age in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. John Green, along with his brother, hosts a podcast called The Anthropocene Reviewed where they review all facets of human life (on a five point scale). This book is a collection of essays based on that podcast. In this, Green gives us his ‘reviews� of all manner of things, from Humanity’s Temporal Range (four stars), to Diet Dr Pepper (four stars), to the internet (three stars), to Plagues (one star, but our responses to it can be greater), and so many things in between.

Part informative essays, and part autobiographical, Green has a knack for getting his point across in a way that’s both blunt and beautiful. The idea of reviewing esoteric concepts like the yips, alongside his current hometown of Indianapolis sounds like an absurd undertaking. And yet it works. It works really really well.

All of these essays that shouldn’t have anything in common, do actually have something in common. It’s a plea for humanity to be better. We need to be our five-star selves in order to save ourselves. This entire book is a love letter to the Earth and to humanity and the idea that we are worth saving. The Anthropocene Reviewed came out at the perfect time. After the last nearly year and half the world has dealt with, we all need this reminder: “You can’t see the future coming - not the terrors, for sure, but you also can’t see the wonders that are coming, the moments of light-soaked joy that await each of us.”]]> 4.37 2021 The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet
author: John Green
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/03
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves:
review:
What does it mean to live in a world where you have the power to end species by the thousands, but you can also be brought to your knees, to your end, by a single strand of RNA?

Anthropocene is the proposed term for the current geologic age in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. John Green, along with his brother, hosts a podcast called The Anthropocene Reviewed where they review all facets of human life (on a five point scale). This book is a collection of essays based on that podcast. In this, Green gives us his ‘reviews� of all manner of things, from Humanity’s Temporal Range (four stars), to Diet Dr Pepper (four stars), to the internet (three stars), to Plagues (one star, but our responses to it can be greater), and so many things in between.

Part informative essays, and part autobiographical, Green has a knack for getting his point across in a way that’s both blunt and beautiful. The idea of reviewing esoteric concepts like the yips, alongside his current hometown of Indianapolis sounds like an absurd undertaking. And yet it works. It works really really well.

All of these essays that shouldn’t have anything in common, do actually have something in common. It’s a plea for humanity to be better. We need to be our five-star selves in order to save ourselves. This entire book is a love letter to the Earth and to humanity and the idea that we are worth saving. The Anthropocene Reviewed came out at the perfect time. After the last nearly year and half the world has dealt with, we all need this reminder: “You can’t see the future coming - not the terrors, for sure, but you also can’t see the wonders that are coming, the moments of light-soaked joy that await each of us.�
]]> The Ministry of Time 199798179 A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all: Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley.

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats� from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge�: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as �1847� or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,� “Spotify,� and “the collapse of the British Empire.� But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.]]> 339 Kaliane Bradley 1668045141 Nikki 0 to-read 3.54 2024 The Ministry of Time
author: Kaliane Bradley
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Paris Novel 195430688
Stella reached for an oyster, tipped her head and tossed it back. It was cool and slippery, the flavor so briny it was like diving into the ocean... Oysters, she thought, where have they been all my life?

When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual a one-way plane ticket and a note reading Go to Paris . But Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a childhood trauma has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. When her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes.

Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls into old habits, living cautiously and frugally. Then she stumbles across a vintage store where she tries on a fabulous Dior dress. The shopkeeper insists that this dress was meant for Stella and, for the first time in her life, Stella does something impulsive. She buys the dress and together they embark on an adventure.

Her first iconic brasserie Les Deux Magots, where Stella tastes her first oysters, and then meets an octogenarian art collector who decides to take her under his wing. As Jules introduces her to a veritable who’s who of the 1980s Paris literary, art, and culinary worlds, Stella begins to understand what it might mean to live a larger life.

As weeks—and many decadent meals—go by, Stella ends up living as a “tumbleweed� at famed bookstore Shakespeare & Company, uncovers a hundred-year-old mystery in a Manet painting, and discovers a passion for food that may be connected to her past. A feast for the senses, this novel is a testament to living deliciously, taking chances, and finding your true home.]]> 288 Ruth Reichl 0812996305 Nikki 0 to-read 3.67 2024 The Paris Novel
author: Ruth Reichl
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> More to the Story 43822031
When Jameela Mirza is picked to be feature editor of her middle school newspaper, she’s one step closer to being an award-winning journalist like her late grandfather. The problem is her editor-in-chief keeps shooting down her article ideas. Jameela’s assigned to write about the new boy in school, who has a cool British accent but doesn’t share much, and wonders how she’ll make his story gripping enough to enter into a national media contest.

Jameela, along with her three sisters, is devastated when their father needs to take a job overseas, away from their cozy Georgia home for six months. Missing him makes Jameela determined to write an epic article—one to make her dad extra proud. But when her younger sister gets seriously ill, Jameela’s world turns upside down. And as her hunger for fame looks like it might cost her a blossoming friendship, Jameela questions what matters most, and whether she’s cut out to be a journalist at all...]]> 272 Hena Khan 1481492098 Nikki 4 And thank you to the author for making on important change to the story for Bisma. ]]> 4.21 2019 More to the Story
author: Hena Khan
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:
Very cute and wholesome middle grade novel. A modern Pakistani-American twist on Little Women, More to the Story is a great read for kids.
And thank you to the author for making on important change to the story for Bisma.
]]> Ms. Bixby's Last Day 27064348
Topher, Brand, and Steve know this better than anyone. And so when Ms. Bixby unexpectedly announces that she is very sick and won’t be able to finish the school year, they come up with a plan. Through the three very different stories they tell, we begin to understand just what Ms. Bixby means to Topher, Brand, and Steve—and what they are willing to go to such great lengths to tell her.

John David Anderson, the acclaimed author of Sidekicked, returns with a story of three kids, a very special teacher, and one day that none of them will ever forget.]]> 300 John David Anderson 006233817X Nikki 4 4.26 2016 Ms. Bixby's Last Day
author: John David Anderson
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves:
review:

]]> The Keeper of Lost Things 33828785 A charming, clever, and quietly moving debut novel of endless possibilities and joyful discoveries that explores the promises we make and break, losing and finding ourselves, the objects that hold magic and meaning for our lives, and the surprising connections that bind us.

Lime green plastic flower-shaped hair bobbles�Found, on the playing field, Derrywood Park, 2nd September.

Bone china cup and saucer�Found, on a bench in Riveria Public Gardens, 31st October.

Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidently left behind—and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life’s mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.

Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura, in some ways, is one of Anthony’s lost things. But when the lonely woman moves into his mansion, her life begins to change. She finds a new friend in the neighbor’s quirky daughter, Sunshine, and a welcome distraction in Freddy, the rugged gardener. As the dark cloud engulfing her lifts, Laura, accompanied by her new companions, sets out to realize Anthony’s last wish: reuniting his cherished lost objects with their owners.

Long ago, Eunice found a trinket on the London pavement and kept it through the years. Now, with her own end drawing near, she has lost something precious—a tragic twist of fate that forces her to break a promise she once made.

As the Keeper of Lost Objects, Laura holds the key to Anthony and Eunice’s redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the connections that will lay their spirits to rest?

Full of character, wit, and wisdom, The Keeper of Lost Things is heartwarming tale that will enchant fans of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Garden Spells, Mrs Queen Takes the Train, and The Silver Linings Playbook.]]> 277 Ruth Hogan 0062473573 Nikki 2 This was a slog 4.01 2017 The Keeper of Lost Things
author: Ruth Hogan
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves:
review:
This was a slog
]]> The Road to Roswell 63003352 A delightful novel about alien invasions, conspiracies, and the incredibly silly things people are willing to believe—some of which may actually be true—from the Nebula and Hugo award-winning author of Blackout and All Clear

When level-headed Francie arrives in Roswell, New Mexico, for her college roommate’s UFO-themed wedding—complete with a true-believer bridegroom—she can’t help but roll her eyes at all the wide-eyed talk of aliens, which obviously don’t exist. Imagine her surprise, then, when she is abducted by one.

Odder still, her abductor is far from what the popular media have led her to expect, with a body like a tumbleweed and a mass of lightning-fast tentacles. Nor is Francie the only victim of the alien’s abduction spree. Before long, he has acquired a charming con man named Wade, a sweet little old lady with a casino addiction, a retiree with a huge RV and a love for old Westerns, and a UFO-chasing nutjob who is thoroughly convinced the alien intends to probe them and/or take over the planet.

But the more Francie gets to know the alien, the more convinced she becomes that he’s not an invader. That he’s in trouble and she has to help him. Only she doesn’t know how—or even what the trouble is.

Part alien-abduction adventure, part road trip saga, part romantic comedy, The Road to Roswell is packed full of Men in Black, Elvis impersonators, tourist traps, rattlesnakes, chemtrails, and Close Encounters of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth kind. Can Francie, stuck in a neon green bridesmaid’s dress, save the world—and still make it back for the wedding?]]> 404 Connie Willis 0593499867 Nikki 3 4.03 2023 The Road to Roswell
author: Connie Willis
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/29
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy]]> 195790788
Recruited into the fundamentalist Quiverfull movement as a young wife, Tia Levings learned that being a good Christian meant following a list of additional life principles—a series of secret, special rules to obey. Being a godly and submissive wife in Christian Patriarchy included strict discipline, isolation, and an alternative lifestyle that appeared wholesome to outsiders. Women were to be silent, “keepers of the home.�

Tia knew that to their neighbors her family was strange, but she also couldn't risk exposing their secret lifestyle to police, doctors, teachers, or anyone outside of their church. Christians were called in scripture to be “in the world, not of it.� So, she hid in plain sight as years of abuse and pain followed. When Tia realized she was the only one who could protect her children from becoming the next generation of patriarchal men and submissive women, she began to resist and question how they lived. But in the patriarchy, a woman with opinions is in danger, and eventually, Tia faced an urgent and extreme stay and face dire consequences, or flee with her children.

Told in a beautiful, honest, and sometimes harrowing voice, A Well-Trained Wife is an unforgettable and timely memoir about a woman's race to save herself and her family and details the ways that extreme views can manifest in a marriage.]]> 304 Tia Levings 1250288282 Nikki 4 4.31 2024 A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy
author: Tia Levings
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves:
review:

]]> Rebellion 1776 122974483
In the spring of 1776, thirteen-year-old Elsbeth Culpepper wakes to the sound of cannons. It’s the Siege of Boston, the Patriots� massive drive to push the Loyalists out that turns the city into a chaotic war zone. Elsbeth’s father—her only living relative—has gone missing, leaving her alone and adrift in a broken town while desperately seeking employment to avoid the orphanage.

Just when things couldn’t feel worse, the smallpox epidemic sweeps across Boston. Now, Bostonians must fight for their lives against an invisible enemy in addition to the visible one. While a treatment is being frantically fine-tuned, thousands of people rush in from the countryside begging for inoculation. At the same time, others refuse protection, for the treatment is crude at best and at times more dangerous than the disease itself.

Elsbeth, who had smallpox as a small child and is now immune, finds work taking care of a large, wealthy family with discord of their own as they await a turn at inoculation, but as the epidemic and the revolution rage on, will she find her father?]]> 405 Laurie Halse Anderson Nikki 0 to-read 4.01 2025 Rebellion 1776
author: Laurie Halse Anderson
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Slow Dance 198529067
They were just friends. Best friends. Allies. They spent entire summers sitting on Shiloh’s porch steps, dreaming about the future. They were both going to get out of north Omaha—Shiloh would go to college and become an actress, and Cary would join the Navy. They promised each other that their friendship would never change.

Well, Shiloh did go to college, and Cary did join the Navy. And yet, somehow, everything changed.

Now Shiloh’s thirty-three, and it’s been fourteen years since she talked to Cary. She’s been married and divorced. She has two kids. And she’s back living in the same house she grew up in. Her life is nothing like she planned.

When she’s invited to an old friend’s wedding, all Shiloh can think about is whether Cary will be there—and whether she hopes he will be. Would Cary even want to talk to her? After everything?

The answer is yes. And yes. And yes.

Slow Dance is the story of two kids who fell in love before they knew enough about love to recognize it. Two friends who lost everything. Two adults who just feel lost.

It’s the story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start.]]> 496 Rainbow Rowell Nikki 3 slow and plodding plot, good characters though. ]]> 3.83 2024 Slow Dance
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars
slow and plodding plot, good characters though.
]]> Becoming Ted 197522390
If Ted Ainsworth were to compare himself to one of the ice cream flavors made by his family’s company, famous throughout his sleepy Lancashire hometown, it might be vanilla—sweet, inoffensive, and pleasantly predictable. At forty-three, Ted is convinced there’s nothing remotely remarkable about him, except perhaps his luck in having landed handsome, charismatic Giles as a husband.

Then Giles suddenly leaves him for another man, filling his social media feed with posts about #newlove and adventure. And Ted, who has spent nearly twenty years living with, and often for , another person, must reimagine the future he has happily taken for granted.

But perhaps there is another Ted slowly blossoming now that he’s no longer in Giles’s shadow—funny, sassy, more uninhibited. Someone willing to take chances on new friendships, and even new love. Someone who’s been waiting in the wings too long, but who’s about to dust off a long-ago secret dream and overturn everyone’s expectations of him—especially his own. . .]]> 416 Matt Cain 1496745949 Nikki 2 3.75 2023 Becoming Ted
author: Matt Cain
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/19
date added: 2024/10/21
shelves:
review:
Cute story but the writing style was definitely not for me.
]]> Demon Copperhead 60194162 "Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose."

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.]]> 560 Barbara Kingsolver 0063251922 Nikki 5 4.46 2022 Demon Copperhead
author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/11
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves:
review:
Easily one of the best books I've ever read.
]]> The Prospects 193556691 The pressure cooker of minor league baseball leads to major chemistry in this exhilarating, sexy, and triumphant rivals to lovers debut romance.

Hope is familiar territory for Gene Ionescu. He has always loved baseball, a sport made for underdogs and optimists like him. He also loves his team, the minor league Beaverton Beavers, and, for the most part, he loves the career he’s built. As the first openly trans player in professional baseball, Gene has nearly everything he’s ever let himself dream of—that is, until Luis Estrada, Gene’s former teammate and current rival, gets traded to the Beavers, destroying the careful equilibrium of Gene’s life.

Gene and Luis can’t manage a civil conversation off the field or a competent play on it, but in the close confines of dugout benches and roadie buses, they begrudgingly rediscover a comfortable rhythm. As the two grow closer, the tension between them turns electric, and their chemistry spills past the confines of the stadium. For every tight double play they execute, there’s also a glance at summer-tan shoulders or a secret shared, each one a breathless moment of possibility that ignites in Gene the visceral, terrifying kind of desire he’s never allowed himself. Soon, Gene has to reconcile the quiet, minor-league-sized life he used to find fulfilling with the major-league dreams Luis makes feel possible.

A joyful, heartfelt debut rom-com revealing what’s possible when we allow ourselves to want something enough to swing for the fences.]]> 384 K.T. Hoffman 0593596862 Nikki 3 4.22 2024 The Prospects
author: K.T. Hoffman
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Best Laid Plaids (Kilty Pleasures, #1)]]> 52739473 In 1920s Scotland, even ghosts wear plaid.

Welcome to a sexy, spooky new paranormal historical series from debut author Ella Stainton.

Scotland, 1928

Dr. Ainsley Graham is cultivating a reputation as an eccentric.

Two years ago, he catastrophically ended his academic career by publicly claiming to talk to ghosts. When Joachim Cockburn, a WWI veteran studying the power of delusional thinking, arrives at his door, Ainsley quickly catalogues him as yet another tiresome Englishman determined to mock his life's work.

But Joachim is tenacious and openhearted, and Ainsley's intrigued despite himself. He agrees to motor his handsome new friend around to Scotland's most unmistakable hauntings. If he can convince Joachim, Ainsley might be able to win back his good name and then some. He knows he's not crazy--he just needs someone else to know it, too.

Joachim is one thesis away from realizing his dream of becoming a psychology professor, and he's not going to let anyone stop him, not even an enchanting ginger with a penchant for tartan and lewd jokes. But as the two travel across Scotland's lovely--and definitely, definitely haunted--landscape, Joachim's resolve starts to melt. And he's beginning to think that an empty teaching post without the charming Dr. Graham would make a very poor consolation prize indeed...]]> 332 Ella Stainton 1488076839 Nikki 2
I love a good sexy book, but I found myself actually wanting to know more about the ghosts and less about the sex these two dudes were having. Also Ainsley spends the first two chapters sexually harassing Joachim, but it's considered OK because it was actually someone else he was meant to be sexually harassing?

Also, and I say this with fervor....stop using epithets when you don't need them. Calling a character "The ginger" or "The Scotsman" or "The Englishman" or "The bigger man" is cringey as hell.

Merged review:

Two starts might be generous, TBH.

I love a good sexy book, but I found myself actually wanting to know more about the ghosts and less about the sex these two dudes were having. Also Ainsley spends the first two chapters sexually harassing Joachim, but it's considered OK because it was actually someone else he was meant to be sexually harassing?

Also, and I say this with fervor....stop using epithets when you don't need them. Calling a character "The ginger" or "The Scotsman" or "The Englishman" or "The bigger man" is cringey as hell.]]> 3.61 Best Laid Plaids (Kilty Pleasures, #1)
author: Ella Stainton
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.61
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2021/02/20
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves:
review:
Two starts might be generous, TBH.

I love a good sexy book, but I found myself actually wanting to know more about the ghosts and less about the sex these two dudes were having. Also Ainsley spends the first two chapters sexually harassing Joachim, but it's considered OK because it was actually someone else he was meant to be sexually harassing?

Also, and I say this with fervor....stop using epithets when you don't need them. Calling a character "The ginger" or "The Scotsman" or "The Englishman" or "The bigger man" is cringey as hell.

Merged review:

Two starts might be generous, TBH.

I love a good sexy book, but I found myself actually wanting to know more about the ghosts and less about the sex these two dudes were having. Also Ainsley spends the first two chapters sexually harassing Joachim, but it's considered OK because it was actually someone else he was meant to be sexually harassing?

Also, and I say this with fervor....stop using epithets when you don't need them. Calling a character "The ginger" or "The Scotsman" or "The Englishman" or "The bigger man" is cringey as hell.
]]> The Pairing 199440249 definitely not.

Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all.

Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It's in the past.

All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.

It's not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It's fine. There's nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?

But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can't have.]]> 432 Casey McQuiston 1250862744 Nikki 3 Meh. 3.70 2024 The Pairing
author: Casey McQuiston
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/14
date added: 2024/09/14
shelves:
review:
Meh.
]]> Youth Group 180723893
Will Kay find her place in a world that’s so much more God-fearing and monster-fighting than what she’s used to? Will the Stone Mission youth group find common cause with their badass peers of other faiths? Or will a pack of small-time demons use Blights like Kay as the key to starting some real big trouble?]]> 256 Jordan Morris 1250789230 Nikki 4 4.00 2024 Youth Group
author: Jordan Morris
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/01
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves:
review:
Such a fun quick read. "Saved" meets "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" vibes. The parody songs had me cackling.
]]> <![CDATA[Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out]]> 127975811
We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human.

Shannon Reed, a longtime teacher, lifelong reader, and New Yorker contributor, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud-funny collection, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students. From the varied novels she cherishes ( Gone Girl , Their Eyes Were Watching God ) to the ones she didn’t ( Tess of the d’Urbervilles ), Reed takes us on a rollicking tour through the comforting world of literature, celebrating the books we love, the readers who love them, and the surprising ways in which literature can transform us for the better.]]> 336 Shannon Reed 1335007962 Nikki 3 I thought this was going to be a study on readers and our brains, maybe a bit scientific. Instead it's more a memoir of the author's life told through her reading habits. It's still good - very funny in places and had me nodding along in agreement in a lot of places. ]]> 3.66 2024 Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out
author: Shannon Reed
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/26
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars.
I thought this was going to be a study on readers and our brains, maybe a bit scientific. Instead it's more a memoir of the author's life told through her reading habits. It's still good - very funny in places and had me nodding along in agreement in a lot of places.
]]> The Faculty Lounge 199605487 By the acclaimed author of Moxie, a funny, bighearted adult debut that is at once an ode to educators, a timely glimpse at today’s pressing school issues, and a tender character study, following a sprawling cast of teachers, administrators, and staff at a Texas high school

With its ensemble of warm and unforgettable characters, The Faculty Lounge shows readers a different side of school life. It all starts when an elderly substitute teacher at Baldwin High School is found dead in the faculty lounge. After a bit of a stir, life quickly returns to normal—it’s not like it’s the worst (or even most interesting) thing that has happened within the building’s walls. But when, a week later, the spontaneous scattering of his ashes on the school grounds catches the attention of some busybody parents, it sets in motion a year that can only be described as wild, bizarre, tragic, mundane, beautiful, and humorous all at once.

In the midst of the ensuing hysteria and threats of disciplinary action, the novel peeks into the lives of the implicated adults who, it turns out, actually have first names and continue to exist when the school day is done. We a former punk band front man, now a middle-aged principal who must battle it out with the schoolboard to keep his job; a no-nonsense school nurse willing to break the rules, despite the close watch on their campus, when a student arrives at her office with a dilemma; and a disgruntled English instructor who finds himself embroiled in even more controversy when he misfires a snarky email. Oh, and there’s also a teacher make-out session in a supply closet during a lockdown.

As these people continue to manage the messiness of this school year, there is the looming threat of what will become of their beloved Baldwin High. Ultimately, at the heart of this unconventional workplace novel is a story of the power of human connection and of the joy of finding purpose in what it is we do every day.]]> 304 Jennifer Mathieu 0593475399 Nikki 0 to-read 3.84 2024 The Faculty Lounge
author: Jennifer Mathieu
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Vibrant Years 61175551 Living on their own terms means being there for one another.

When sixty-five-year-old Bindu Desai inherits a million dollars, she’s astounded―and horrified. The windfall threatens to expose a shameful mistake from her youth. On an impulse, Bindu quickly spends it on something a condo in a posh retirement community in Florida.

The impulsive decision blindsides Bindu’s daughter-in-law, Aly. At forty-seven, Aly still shares a home with Bindu even after her divorce from Bindu’s son. But maybe this change is just the push Aly needs to fight for her own dreams.

As Bindu and Aly navigate their new dynamic, Aly’s daughter, Cullie, is faced with losing the business that made her a tech-world star. The only way to save it is to deliver a new idea to her investors―and they want the dating app she pitched them in a panic. Problem is, Cullie has never been on a real date. Naturally, enlisting her single mother and grandmother to help her with the research is the answer.

From USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes a heartfelt novel about three generations of hilarious, unconventional, ambitious women who embark on a shared journey of self-discovery. Join the Desai women as they come together to embrace the hijinks and heartbreak of facing their greatest fears to finally live their most vibrant lives.]]> 272 Sonali Dev 1542036232 Nikki 0 I had to put it aside. I just wasn't vibing with it. Will try again later.]]> 3.98 2022 The Vibrant Years
author: Sonali Dev
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/18
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves:
review:
DNF
I had to put it aside. I just wasn't vibing with it. Will try again later.
]]> <![CDATA[Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow]]> 58784475 In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.]]> 401 Gabrielle Zevin 0735243344 Nikki 5 4.12 2022 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/10
date added: 2024/08/10
shelves:
review:
One of the best books I've read in a very long time. A lovely tribute to games and friendships and love. Highly recommend.
]]> Bury Your Gays 195790870 From Chuck Tingle, author of the USA Today bestselling Camp Damascus, comes a new heart-pounding story about what it takes to succeed in a world that wants you dead.

Misha is a jaded scriptwriter who has been working in Hollywood for years, and has just been nominated for his first Oscar. But when he's pressured by his producers to kill off a gay character in the upcoming season finale�"for the algorithm"―Misha discovers that it's not that simple.

As he is haunted by his past, and past mistakes, Misha must risk everything to find a way to do what's right―before it's too late.]]> 295 Chuck Tingle 1250874653 Nikki 5
And please tell me I'm not the only one who imagined Mischa Collins playing the main character? It's probably just the name but my God do I need to see Castiel in this lead role.]]> 4.13 2024 Bury Your Gays
author: Chuck Tingle
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/25
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves:
review:
I don't even like horror that much but this is too dang good. So much camp so much fun. And a couple of real horror scenes that had me squirming.

And please tell me I'm not the only one who imagined Mischa Collins playing the main character? It's probably just the name but my God do I need to see Castiel in this lead role.
]]> The Possession of Mr Cave 3363571
Bryony, the remaining twin, has always been the family's great hope: a golden teenager, in love with her cello and her pony, clever, sweet and eager to please. Now that she is all Terence has left, he realises that his one duty in life is to keep her safe from the world's malign forces, whatever that may take. As he starts to follow his grieving daughter's movements, and enforces a draconian set of rules purely for her own safety, the voices in his head convince him to protect her innocence at any cost.]]> 256 Matt Haig 0224084925 Nikki 0 It was actually really well written, but I could see where it was headed and it was a little more intense than I'm in the mood for right now. Will finish later for sure. ]]> 3.41 2008 The Possession of Mr Cave
author: Matt Haig
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2024/07/20
date added: 2024/07/20
shelves:
review:
DNF
It was actually really well written, but I could see where it was headed and it was a little more intense than I'm in the mood for right now. Will finish later for sure.
]]> The Best Man 28251377
When Archer is in sixth grade, his beloved uncle Paul marries another man—Archer’s favorite student teacher. But that’s getting ahead of the story, and a wonderful story it is. In Archer’s sweetly naïve but observant voice, his life through elementary school is recounted: the outspoken, ever-loyal friends he makes, the teachers who blunder or inspire, and the family members who serve as his role models. From one exhilarating, unexpected episode to another, Archer’s story rolls along as he puzzles over the people in his life and the kind of person he wants to become…and manages to help his uncle become his best self as well.]]> 240 Richard Peck 0803738390 Nikki 4 3.92 2016 The Best Man
author: Richard Peck
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/15
date added: 2024/07/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #2)]]> 199347538 Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the hugely anticipated sequel to TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, one of the best-loved and best-selling fantasy novels of the past decade. Featuring gorgeous orange sprayed edges!

A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.

Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one.

He’s the master of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.

Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there’s the island’s sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.

But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.

And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name that Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.

Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it.]]> 416 T.J. Klune 125088120X Nikki 0 to-read 4.17 2024 Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #2)
author: T.J. Klune
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Real Life and Other Fictions 180351996 Cassie Klein has always used stories to help her fly, but now her plot points aren’t lining up.

By her 50s Cassie has already weathered more than most. She was orphaned at the age of two and has never understood why her parents were on a bridge in West Virginia that happened to collapse as they drove across. Her search for answers prompted a failed career in journalism, and now she’s an aspiring novelist waiting for her literary dreams to come true while teaching at a local community college. She stood by her once-doting husband when his meteorology career took a nosedive and just learned that the man who became an internet meme has been cheating on her.

Fed up, she embarks on a road trip that’s heavy on impulse and light on planning. She might not know where she’s headed, but she does know she might as well start at the beginning. What really happened to her parents all those years ago?]]> 352 Susan Coll 140023414X Nikki 4 3.21 Real Life and Other Fictions
author: Susan Coll
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.21
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/13
date added: 2024/07/13
shelves:
review:
I had fairly low expectations for this. It seemed from the synopsis like a really forgettable breezy summer read. But it wasn't. Quirky and fun and a with a little mothman history thrown in, what's not to like?
]]> <![CDATA[The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers]]> 182484307 An extraordinary, gloriously uplifting novel about the power of friendship and the puzzling ties that bind us

Clayton Stumper might be twenty-six years old, but he dresses like your grandpa and drinks sherry like your aunt. Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by a group of eccentric enigmatologists and now finds himself among the last survivors of a fading institution.

When the esteemed crossword compiler and main maternal presence in Clayton's life, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle on him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for life beyond the walls of the commune. As Clay begins to unpick the clues, he uncovers something even the Fellowship have never been able to solve—and it's a secret that has the potential to change everything.]]> 362 Samuel Burr 0593470095 Nikki 3 3.79 2024 The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers
author: Samuel Burr
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/09
date added: 2024/07/09
shelves:
review:

]]> Ways and Means 98653715 In Daniel Lefferts’s searing debut novel Ways and Means, a striving finance student confronts the line between ambition and greed, and the disordered politics of his era.

Alistair McCabe comes to New York with a plan. Young, handsome, intelligent, and gay, he hopes to escape his Rust Belt poverty and give his mother a better life by pursuing a career in high finance. But by the spring of 2016, Alistair’s plan has come undone: His fantasy banking job has eluded him and he’s mired in student debt. In his desperation, he’s gone to work for an enigmatic billionaire whose ambitions turn out to be far darker than any Alistair could have imagined. By the time Alistair uncovers his employer’s secret, his life is in danger and now he’s on the run.

Meanwhile, Alistair’s paramours, an older couple named Mark and Elijah, must face their own moral and financial dilemmas. Mark, nearing the end of his trust fund, takes a job with his father’s mobile-home empire, which forces him to confront the unsavory foundations of his family’s wealth, while Elijah, a failed painter, hitches his wagon to an artist-provocateur engaged on a project that makes the country’s political chaos into a thing of alluring, amoral beauty. As the nation hurtles toward a breaking point, Alistair, Mark, and Elijah must band together to save one another and themselves.

Propulsive, exuberant, and profoundly observed, Ways and Means is an indelible, deeply moving investigation of class and ambition, sex and art, and politics and power in 21st century America.]]> 400 Daniel Lefferts 1419768190 Nikki 4 3.75 2024 Ways and Means
author: Daniel Lefferts
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/05
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves:
review:

]]> In the Lives of Puppets 60784549
The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,� he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

Inspired by Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.]]> 432 T.J. Klune 125021744X Nikki 4 3.90 2023 In the Lives of Puppets
author: T.J. Klune
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/06/24
shelves:
review:

]]> Wellness 209244097 A witty and poignant novel about marriage, middle age, tech-obsessed health culture and the bonds that keep people together

When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the '90s, the two quickly join forces and hold on tight, each eager to claim a place in Chicago's thriving underground art scene with an appreciative kindred spirit. Fast-forward twenty years to married life, and alongside the challenges of parenting, they encounter cults disguised as mindfulness support groups, polyamorous would-be suitors, Facebook wars, and something called Love Potion Number Nine. For the first time Jack and Elizabeth struggle to recognize one another, and the no-longer-youthful dreamers are forced to face their demons, from unfulfilled career ambitions to painful childhood memories of their own dysfunctional families. In the process Jack and Elizabeth must undertake separate, personal excavations, or risk losing the best thing in their lives: each other. ]]> 624 Nathan Hill 0593469836 Nikki 0 to-read 4.05 2023 Wellness
author: Nathan Hill
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Best at It 40779647
Rahul Kapoor is heading into seventh grade in a small town in Indiana. The start of middle school is making him feel increasingly anxious, so his favorite person in the whole world, his grandfather Bhai, gives him some well-meaning advice: Find one thing you’re really good at. And become the BEST at it.

Those four little words sear themselves into Rahul’s brain. While he’s not quite sure what that special thing is, he is convinced that once he finds it, bullies like Brent Mason will stop torturing him at school. And he won’t be worried about staring too long at his classmate Justin Emery. With his best friend, Chelsea, by his side, Rahul is ready to crush this challenge. . . . But what if he discovers he isn’t the best at anything?

Funny, charming, and incredibly touching, this is a story about friendship, family, and the courage it takes to live your truth.]]> 336 Maulik Pancholy Nikki 4 4.13 2019 The Best at It
author: Maulik Pancholy
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/18
date added: 2024/05/18
shelves:
review:
A very heartwarming, if a bit formulaic, middle grade novel about an Indian American boy questioning his sexuality, and with a touch of ocd/anxiety to boot. Very well written and a little tearjerking at the end. Definitely would recommend to the third/fourth graders and up at school.
]]> <![CDATA[Because I Said So! : The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids]]> 13547494 Don't cross your eyes or the'll stay like that!

Feed a cold, starve a fever!

Don't touch your Halloween candy until we get it checked out!

Never run with scissors

Don't look in the microwave while it's running!

This will go down on your permanent record

Is any of it true? If so, how true? Ken Jennings wants to find out if mother and father always know best. Yes, all those years you were told not to sit too close to the television (you'll hurt your eyes!) or swallow your gum (it stays in your stomach for seven years!) or crack your knuckles (arthritis!) are called into question by our country's leading trivia guru. Jennings separates myth from fact to debunk a wide variety of parental edicts: no swimming after meals, sit up straight, don't talk to strangers, and so on.

Armed with medical case histories, scientific findings, and even the occasional experiment on himself (or his kids), Jennings exposes countless examples of parental wisdom run amok. Whether you're a parent who wants to know what you can stop worrying about or a kid (of any age) looking to say, "I told you so,"; this is the anti-helicopter parenting book you've been waiting for.]]> 237 Ken Jennings 1451656254 Nikki 0 currently-reading 3.58 2012 Because I Said So! : The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids
author: Ken Jennings
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/13
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity]]> 70917084
On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the director of the Louvre and shouted, La Joconde, c’est partie ! The Mona Lisa, she’s gone!

No one knew who was behind the heist. Was it an international gang of thieves? Was it an art-hungry American millionaire? Was it the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who was about to remake the very art of painting?

Travel back to an extraordinary period of revolutionary turn-of-the-century Paris. Walk its backstreets. Meet the infamous thieves—and detectives—of the era. And then slip back further in time and follow Leonardo da Vinci, painter of the Mona Lisa , through his dazzling, wondrously weird life. Discover the secret at the heart of the Mona Lisa —the most famous painting in the world should never have existed at all.

Here is a middle-grade nonfiction, with black-and-white illustrations by Brett Helquist throughout, written at the pace of a thriller, shot through with stories of crime and celebrity, genius and beauty.]]> 288 Nicholas Day 0593643844 Nikki 5 4.09 2023 The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity
author: Nicholas Day
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/13
date added: 2024/05/13
shelves:
review:
I just finished it and already recommended it to a fifth grader at work. I hope he enjoys it as much as I did!
]]> <![CDATA[Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore]]> 32620349
But when Joey Molina, a young, beguiling BookFrog, kills himself in the bookstore’s upper room, Lydia’s life comes unglued. Always Joey’s favorite bookseller, Lydia has been bequeathed his meager worldly possessions. Trinkets and books; the detritus of a lonely, uncared for man. But when Lydia flips through his books she finds them defaced in ways both disturbing and inexplicable. They reveal the psyche of a young man on the verge of an emotional reckoning. And they seem to contain a hidden message. What did Joey know? And what does it have to do with Lydia?

As Lydia untangles the mystery of Joey’s suicide, she unearths a long buried memory from her own violent childhood. Details from that one bloody night begin to circle back. Her distant father returns to the fold, along with an obsessive local cop, and the Hammerman, a murderer who came into Lydia’s life long ago and, as she soon discovers, never completely left.]]> 328 Matthew J. Sullivan 1501116843 Nikki 5 3.77 2017 Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
author: Matthew J. Sullivan
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/03
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Within Arm's Reach 203019737 A tender and perceptive debut novel about three generations of an Irish American family jarred into crisis by an unexpected pregnancy—from the bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

“This stunning . . . exquisite, skillfully written gem addresses serious issues–e.g., guilt vs. loyalty, the past vs. the present—[but] remains hopeful and includes ample doses of humor and wit.”—Library Journal (starred review)

No one in my mother’s family ever talks about anything that can be categorized as unpleasant or as having to do with emotions. . . .

This spellbinding debut by bestselling author Ann Napolitano is a poignant reminder of how connected we are to those we love, even when we cannot find the words to say it. The unforgettable story of three generations of a large Irish Catholic family, Within Arms Reach is another rich and deeply satisfying novel from the author who captured the many dimensions of grief in Dear Edward and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood in Hello Beautiful.]]> 352 Ann Napolitano 0593732499 Nikki 0 to-read 3.41 2004 Within Arm's Reach
author: Ann Napolitano
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Simon Sort of Says 61030596 Simon O’Keeffe’s biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he’d do anything to forget: the story in which he’s the only kid in his class who survived a school shooting.

Two years after the infamous event, twelve-year-old Simon and his family move to the National Quiet Zone—the only place in America where the internet is banned. Instead of talking about Simon, the astronomers who flock to the area are busy listening for signs of life in space. And when Simon makes a friend who’s determined to give the scientists what they’re looking for, he’ll finally have the chance to spin a new story for the world to tell.

From award-winning author Erin Bow, Simon Sort of Says is a breathtaking testament to the lasting echoes of trauma, the redemptive power of humor, and the courage it takes to move forward without forgetting the past.]]> 320 Erin Bow 1368082858 Nikki 5
Part of the problem with middle grade is that authors talk down to their readers. Too much dialogue is expository and the emotional notes fall flat and character development feels forced. This book had none of those problems.

Two years after being the only survivor of a school shooter in his class, Simon O'Keeffe is getting the fresh start he and his trauma need. He and his parents are moving to the National Quiet Zone, a place where scientists have radio telescopes to try to track signs of life in space. With no internet, TV or radio allowed in town, Simon is able to fly under the radar among kids who haven't spent the last couple of years seeing his face online.

When his new friend wants to try and trick the scientists into hearing messages from space, Simon doesn't say yes, but doesn't say no. Mostly because he needs a friend and also because he desperately needs the funding for this project to continue so he can live in the Quiet Zone.

This book doesn't shy away from Simon's trauma, yet it manages to be about more than his trauma. Simon is a whole person, not just a school shooting survivor. He's also funny and quippy and deeply caring. (He gets the quips from his mom, the caring from his dad). There is one really intense trauma scene where Simon has a panic attack. (He has two in the book, but one is written very intense). The story about tricking the scientists is actually kind of cute and funny, because being an adult reading this you just know these kids aren't getting away with it no matter how much you're rooting for the chaos of it all.

There were definitely tears reading this, and there was a little laughter too. A wonderfully written middle grade novel. ]]> 4.27 2023 Simon Sort of Says
author: Erin Bow
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/15
date added: 2024/04/15
shelves:
review:
Easily the best middle grade book I've ever read.

Part of the problem with middle grade is that authors talk down to their readers. Too much dialogue is expository and the emotional notes fall flat and character development feels forced. This book had none of those problems.

Two years after being the only survivor of a school shooter in his class, Simon O'Keeffe is getting the fresh start he and his trauma need. He and his parents are moving to the National Quiet Zone, a place where scientists have radio telescopes to try to track signs of life in space. With no internet, TV or radio allowed in town, Simon is able to fly under the radar among kids who haven't spent the last couple of years seeing his face online.

When his new friend wants to try and trick the scientists into hearing messages from space, Simon doesn't say yes, but doesn't say no. Mostly because he needs a friend and also because he desperately needs the funding for this project to continue so he can live in the Quiet Zone.

This book doesn't shy away from Simon's trauma, yet it manages to be about more than his trauma. Simon is a whole person, not just a school shooting survivor. He's also funny and quippy and deeply caring. (He gets the quips from his mom, the caring from his dad). There is one really intense trauma scene where Simon has a panic attack. (He has two in the book, but one is written very intense). The story about tricking the scientists is actually kind of cute and funny, because being an adult reading this you just know these kids aren't getting away with it no matter how much you're rooting for the chaos of it all.

There were definitely tears reading this, and there was a little laughter too. A wonderfully written middle grade novel.
]]> Under the Whispering Door 53205888 Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.]]> 376 T.J. Klune 1250217342 Nikki 4 4.11 2021 Under the Whispering Door
author: T.J. Klune
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/12
date added: 2024/04/12
shelves:
review:
A really fun read with lots of good character growth. Some of the emotional notes fell a little flat for me, but overall it was well worth the read.
]]> Ohio 36373372
There’s Bill Ashcraft, a passionate, drug-abusing young activist whose flailing ambitions have taken him from Cambodia to Zuccotti Park to post-BP New Orleans, and now back home with a mysterious package strapped to the undercarriage of his truck; Stacey Moore, a doctoral candidate reluctantly confronting her family and the mother of her best friend and first love, whose disappearance spurs the mystery at the heart of the novel; Dan Eaton, a shy veteran of three tours in Iraq, home for a dinner date with the high school sweetheart he’s tried desperately to forget; and the beautiful, fragile Tina Ross, whose rendezvous with the washed-up captain of the football team triggers the novel’s shocking climax.

Set over the course of a single evening, Ohio toggles between the perspectives of these unforgettable characters as they unearth dark secrets, revisit old regrets and uncover—and compound—bitter betrayals. Before the evening is through, these narratives converge masterfully to reveal a mystery so dark and shocking it will take your breath away.]]> 484 Stephen Markley 1501174479 Nikki 0 I tried I really did.]]> 3.86 2018 Ohio
author: Stephen Markley
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2024/03/26
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves:
review:
DNF
I tried I really did.
]]> <![CDATA[The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store]]> 65678550
Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, which served the neighborhood's quirky collection of blacks and European immigrants, helped by her husband, Moshe, a Romanian-born theater owner who integrated the town's first dance hall. When the state came looking for a deaf black child, claiming that the boy needed to be institutionalized, Chicken Hill's residents—roused by Chona's kindess and the courage of a local black worker named Nate Timblin—banded together to keep the boy safe.

As the novel unfolds, it becomes clear how much the people of Chicken Hill have to struggle to survive at the margins of white Christian America and how damaging bigotry, hypocrisy, and deceit can be to a community. When the truth is revealed about the skeleton, the boy, and the part the town’s establishment played in both, McBride shows that it is love and community—heaven and earth—that ultimately sustain us.]]> 385 James McBride 0593422945 Nikki 0 to-read 3.83 2023 The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
author: James McBride
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid]]> 111673410
The author of the New York Times best-selling Check, Please series, Ngozi Ukazu returns with debut artist Madeline Rupert to bring an energetic young adult story about authenticity, old vs. new, and college failure. It also poses the question: “Is art school worth it?”]]> 288 Ngozi Ukazu 1250193516 Nikki 5 4.09 2024 Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid
author: Ngozi Ukazu
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/24
date added: 2024/03/24
shelves:
review:
Literally anything Ngozi does will be cute and fun as hell
]]> <![CDATA[11 Birthdays (Willow Falls, #1)]]> 4835838
It's Amanda's 11th birthday and she is super excited -- after all, 11 is so different from 10. But from the start, everything goes wrong. The worst part of it all is that she and her best friend, Leo, with whom she's shared every birthday, are on the outs and this will be the first birthday they haven't shared together. When Amanda turns in for the night, glad to have her birthday behind her, she wakes up happy for a new day. Or is it? Her birthday seems to be repeating iself. What is going on?! And how can she fix it? Only time, friendship, and a little luck will tell. . .]]> 272 Wendy Mass 0545052394 Nikki 4 4.16 2009 11 Birthdays (Willow Falls, #1)
author: Wendy Mass
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/17
date added: 2024/03/18
shelves:
review:
This book is pretty popular on the shelves at work, so I decided to give it a whirl. It's a very cute little book about a girl stuck in a timeloop on her eleventh birthday. Characters are good, the message is nice and upper elementary kids seem to love it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Benefits of Being an Octopus]]> 35890044
Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there’s Lenny, her mom’s boyfriend—they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer.

At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Her only friend Fuchsia has her own issues, and since they’re in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it’s best if no one notices them.

Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses.

Unfortunately, she’s not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate club. Even though Zoey resists participating, debate ultimately leads her to see things in a new way: her mom’s relationship with Lenny, Fuchsia’s situation, and her own place in this town of people who think they’re better than her. Can Zoey find the courage to speak up, even if it means risking the most stable home she’s ever had?

This moving debut novel explores the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of one girl, living on the edges of society, trying to find her way forward.
--annbradenbooks]]> 256 Ann Braden 1510737480 Nikki 4
This books centers on Zoey, a seventh grader who is largely responsible for caring for her three much younger siblings while her overworked mother tries to make ends meet and keep her emotionally stunted boyfriend happy. Zoey's friends are mainly other poor kids, not because they love each other, but more because no one else would be friends with them. A teacher takes an interest in Zoey and encourages her to join debate.

It's hard for Zoey, who doesn't have the confidence of the other kids. All she wants to do is blend in (like her favorite animal, the octopus.) But when there's a gun issue at school and when she realizes her mom's boyfriend is worse than she thought, Zoey has to take her lessons from debate to help the people she loves.

This book was not really what I expected. I thought it was going to be a book about an impoverished girl who joins debate and gains some confidence. That is turned into a pretty dark territory with the shooting and with Lenny being abusive was a shock. And this thing is, that actually detracted a bit from the book. Zoey never really seems to EARN her debate skills and I would have liked to see more scenes where she is actually getting better in the debate club itself. Also, giving Zoey two separate issues to try to resolve - her friend's role in the shooting and her mother being abused - neither of those situations were given enough space to be fully explored.

Still, this is an amazing book for older elementary and middle school students. Zoey is a wonderful character. The reader can see how smart and resourceful she is, something she struggles to see herself. And the author manages to give us a very good glance into children being raised in poverty and how little control they truly have over their lives. ]]> 4.20 2018 The Benefits of Being an Octopus
author: Ann Braden
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/14
date added: 2024/03/16
shelves:
review:
Middle grade novel - read for work.

This books centers on Zoey, a seventh grader who is largely responsible for caring for her three much younger siblings while her overworked mother tries to make ends meet and keep her emotionally stunted boyfriend happy. Zoey's friends are mainly other poor kids, not because they love each other, but more because no one else would be friends with them. A teacher takes an interest in Zoey and encourages her to join debate.

It's hard for Zoey, who doesn't have the confidence of the other kids. All she wants to do is blend in (like her favorite animal, the octopus.) But when there's a gun issue at school and when she realizes her mom's boyfriend is worse than she thought, Zoey has to take her lessons from debate to help the people she loves.

This book was not really what I expected. I thought it was going to be a book about an impoverished girl who joins debate and gains some confidence. That is turned into a pretty dark territory with the shooting and with Lenny being abusive was a shock. And this thing is, that actually detracted a bit from the book. Zoey never really seems to EARN her debate skills and I would have liked to see more scenes where she is actually getting better in the debate club itself. Also, giving Zoey two separate issues to try to resolve - her friend's role in the shooting and her mother being abused - neither of those situations were given enough space to be fully explored.

Still, this is an amazing book for older elementary and middle school students. Zoey is a wonderful character. The reader can see how smart and resourceful she is, something she struggles to see herself. And the author manages to give us a very good glance into children being raised in poverty and how little control they truly have over their lives.
]]> The Most Fun We Ever Had 51540478
By 2016, their four radically different daughters are in a state of unrest. Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and younger men; Violet, a litigator turned stay-at-home-mom, battles anxiety and self-doubt; Liza, a neurotic and newly tenured professor, finds herself pregnant with a baby she's not sure she wants by a man she's not sure she loves; and Grace, the dawdling youngest daughter, begins living a lie that no one in her family even suspects.

With the arrival of Jonah Bendt--a child placed for adoption by one of the daughters fifteen years before--the Sorensons will be forced to reckon with the rich and varied tapestry of their past: years marred by adolescent angst, infidelity, and resentment, but also the transcendent moments of joy that make everything else worthwhile.]]> 640 Claire Lombardo Nikki 0 to-read 3.82 2019 The Most Fun We Ever Had
author: Claire Lombardo
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial]]> 57693411
Centuries after the infamous witch hunts that swept through Europe and America, witches continue to hold a unique fascination for as fairy tale villains, practitioners of pagan religion, as well as feminist icons. Witches are both the ultimate victim and the stubborn, elusive rebel. But who were the women who were accused and often killed for witchcraft? What types of women have centuries of terror censored, eliminated, and repressed?

Celebrated feminist writer Mona Chollet explores three types of women who were accused of witchcraft and the independent woman, since widows and celibates were particularly targeted; the childless woman, since the time of the hunts marked the end of tolerance for those who claimed to control their fertility; and the elderly woman, who has always been an object of at best, pity, and at worst, horror. Examining modern society, Chollet concludes that these women continue to be harrassed and oppressed. Rather than being a brief moment in history, the persecution of witches is an example of society’s seemingly eternal misogyny, while women today are direct descendants to those who were hunted down and killed for their thoughts and actions.

With fiery prose and arguments that range from the scholarly to the cultural, In Defense of Witches seeks to unite the mythic image of the witch with modern women who live their lives on their own terms.]]> 320 Mona Chollet 125027141X Nikki 4 3.86 2018 In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial
author: Mona Chollet
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/09
date added: 2024/03/10
shelves:
review:
A really fascinating read, witch hunts weren't something I knew very much about. So learning about the witch hunts along side with modern misogyny was really interesting. I only took one star off because I thought sometimes (one chapter in particular) didn't do a great job of connecting the threads of the witch hunts with modern times.
]]> Brianosaurus 197596621 Bird Hugs, a story about being yourself, even if that means becoming a new kind of dinosaur! Brian loves dinosaurs. When he discovers that frogs were around when dinosaurs were alive, he decides that makes him a dinosaur―a Brianosaurus, in fact. At first, it’s fun. But his woodland friends think he should roar all the time, not use trampolines or read books. And the frogs think he’s making the pond look bad. So Brianosaurus decides to act exactly the way they want. The trouble is, he isn’t happy…until he decides to be himself.]]> 40 Ged Adamson 1542039371 Nikki 0 to-read 3.94 Brianosaurus
author: Ged Adamson
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[10 Things That Never Happened (Material World #1)]]> 123258505
Am liebsten würde Sam Becker das Meeting mit seinem Boss absagen, weiß er doch, dass der mit ihm über mögliche Entlassungen in seinem Team sprechen will. Jonathan Forest ist attraktiv - keine Frage -, aber leider auch ein bisschen einschüchternd. Und als Sam sich während des Termins den Kopf stößt, nutzt er die Gelegenheit und tut das einzig "Logische": Er gibt vor, sein Gedächtnis verloren zu haben und sich deshalb auch nicht an ihr Gespräch erinnern zu können. Was zuerst wie eine gute Idee aussieht, entwickelt sich schnell zu einem Desaster, denn bei ihrer zweiten Chance, sich wirklich kennenzulernen, entdeckt Sam ganz neue Seiten an seinem verschlossenen Boss und beginnt, ungeahnte Gefühle für ihn zu entwickeln ...

"Eine Enemies-to-Lovers-Romance zwischen Sunshine-Sam und Grumpy-Jonathan - Alexis Hall vermeidet trotz beliebter Tropes alle Klischees!" LIBRARY JOURNAL

Der neue charmante Roman von Erfolgsautor Alexis Hall]]> 391 Alexis Hall 1728245117 Nikki 3 It was.....fine. 4.02 2023 10 Things That Never Happened (Material World #1)
author: Alexis Hall
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/07
date added: 2024/03/07
shelves:
review:
It was.....fine.
]]> <![CDATA[10 Things That Never Happened (Material World, #1)]]> 83137176 Fake amnesia. Real feelings? Real problems.

Sam Becker loves―or, okay, likes―his job. Sure, managing a bed and bath retailer isn't exactly glamorous, but it's good work and he gets on well with the band of misfits who keep the store running. He could see himself being content here for the long haul. Too bad, then, that the owner is an infuriating git.

Jonathan Forest should never have hired Sam. It was a sentimental decision, and Jonathan didn't get where he is by following his heart. Determined to set things right, Jonathan orders Sam down to London for a difficult talk…only for a panicking Sam to trip, bump his head, and maybe accidentally imply he doesn't remember anything?

Faking amnesia seemed like a good idea when Sam was afraid he was getting sacked, but now he has to deal with the reality of Jonathan's guilt―as well as the unsettling fact that his surly boss might have a softer side to him. There's an unexpected freedom in getting a second shot at a first impression…but as Sam and Jonathan grow closer, can Sam really bring himself to tell the truth, or will their future be built entirely on one impulsive lie?]]> 432 Alexis Hall 1728245109 Nikki 3 It was fine. 3.87 2023 10 Things That Never Happened (Material World, #1)
author: Alexis Hall
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/03/07
shelves:
review:
It was fine.
]]> The Eyes & the Impossible 62667934 From the award-winning author of The Every and the illustrator behind the beloved picture book Her Right Foot comes an endearing and beautifully illustrated story of a dog who unwittingly becomes a hero to a park full of animals.

Johannes, a free dog, lives in an urban park by the sea. His job is to be the Eyes--to see everything that happens within the park and report back to the park's elders, three ancient Bison. His friends--a seagull, a raccoon, a squirrel, and a pelican--work with him as the Assistant Eyes, observing the humans and other animals who share the park and making sure the Equilibrium is in balance.

But changes are afoot. More humans, including Trouble Travelers, arrive in the park. A new building, containing mysterious and hypnotic rectangles, goes up. And then there are the goats--an actual boatload of goats--who appear, along with a shocking revelation that changes Johannes's view of the world.

A story about friendship, beauty, liberation, and running very, very fast, The Eyes & the Impossible will make readers of all ages see the world around them in a wholly new way.]]> 256 Dave Eggers 1524764205 Nikki 0 to-read 4.27 2023 The Eyes & the Impossible
author: Dave Eggers
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Old Place 59764020
Billington, Texas, is a place where nothing changes. Well, almost nothing. For the first time in nearly four decades, Mary Alice Roth is not getting ready for the first day of school at Billington High. A few months into her retirement—or, district mandated exile as she calls it—Mary Alice does not know how to fill her days. The annual picnic is coming up, but that isn’t nearly enough since the menu never changes and she had the roles mentally assigned weeks ago. At least there’s Ellie, who stops by each morning for coffee and whose reemergence in Mary Alice’s life is the one thing soothing the sting of retirement.

Mary Alice and Ellie were a pair since the day Ellie moved in next door. That they both were single mothers � Mary Alice widowed, Ellie divorced—with sons the same age was a pleasant coincidence, but they were forever linked when they lost the boys, one right after the other. Years later, the two are working their way back to a comfortable friendship. But when Mary Alice’s sister arrives on her doorstep with a staggering piece of news, it jeopardizes the careful shell she’s built around her life. The whole of her friendship with Ellie is put at risk, the fabric of a place as steadfast as Billington is questioned, and the unflappable, knotty fixture that is Mary Alice Roth might have to change after all.]]> 336 Bobby Finger 0593422341 Nikki 3 3.52 2022 The Old Place
author: Bobby Finger
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/12
date added: 2024/02/12
shelves:
review:
This was chugging along at a four star pace. It's a good book, well written with interesting characters and a less-than-likeable protagonist. But boy that ending where everyone just shrugs off the protagonists lies and deception and make nice? Nah.
]]> <![CDATA[Attack of the Black Rectangles]]> 59806035 The Devil's Arithmetic and finds some words blacked out, he thinks it must be a mistake. But then when he and his friends discover what the missing words are, he's outraged.

Someone in his school is trying to prevent kids from reading the full story.

But who?

Even though his unreliable dad tells him to not get so emotional about a book (or anything else), Mac has been raised by his mom and grandad to call out things that are wrong. He and his friends head to the principal's office to protest the censorship... but her response doesn't take them seriously.

So many adults want Mac to keep his words to himself.

Mac's about to see the power of letting them out.

In Attack of the Black Rectangles, acclaimed author Amy Sarig King shows all the ways truth can be hard... but still worth fighting for.]]> 258 Amy Sarig King 1338680528 Nikki 4 4.18 2022 Attack of the Black Rectangles
author: Amy Sarig King
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/02/05
shelves:
review:
Read for work. Only Ok for adults because the characters are a little wooden but the importance of the book and the message is just right for the middle grade crowd. It's sure to please bookish fifth graders.
]]> In the Lives of Puppets 127306396
New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune invites you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts.

Most Anticipated from BookPage � ŷ � The Nerd Daily � Paste Magazine � LitReactor � OverDrive � LGBTQ Reads � Tor � LibraryReads � m ore

“An enchanting tale of Pinocchio in the end times.� ―P. Djèlí Clark

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots―fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.

The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,� he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for Can he accept love with strings attached?

Inspired by Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio , and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E , In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.

� “An epic quest of rescue and discovery [with] the author’s trademark charm, heart, and bittersweetness.� � Library Journal , starred review

Praise for TJ Klune’s previous "Like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket." � V.E. SCHWAB � “Very close to perfect.� � SEANAN McGUIRE � “Utterly absorbing.� � GAIL CARRIGER � "It will renew your faith in humanity.� � TERRY BROOKS � “It healed me.� � CASSANDRA KHAW � “Compassionate.� � RYKA AOKI]]> 480 T.J. Klune 1250217431 Nikki 0 to-read 3.94 2023 In the Lives of Puppets
author: T.J. Klune
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Guncle (The Guncle, #1) 54508798
So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick’s brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of “Guncle Rules� ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting—even if temporary—isn’t solved with treats and jokes, Patrick’s eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you’re unfailingly human.]]> 326 Steven Rowley 0525542280 Nikki 4 4.09 2021 The Guncle (The Guncle, #1)
author: Steven Rowley
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/28
date added: 2024/01/28
shelves:
review:
Cute but the dialogue was a bit much.
]]> The Language of Love and Loss 62140430 When his difficult mother is diagnosed with ALS, a sharp-witted yet sensitive artist reluctantly returns to his New Hampshire hometown � and all the ghosts he left behind.

As it turns out, you can go home again. But sometimes, you really, really don’t want to . . .

Home, for Noah York, is Oakland, New Hampshire, the sleepy little town where Noah’s mother, Virginia, had a psychotic breakdown and Noah got beaten to a pulp as a teenager. Then there were the good times—and Noah’s not sure which ones are more painful to recall.

Now thirty-seven and eking out a living as an artist in Providence, Rhode Island, Noah looks much the same—and swears just as colorfully—as he did in high school. Virginia has become a wildly successful poet who made him the subject of her most famous poem, “The Lost Soul,� a label Noah will never live down. And J.D., the one who got away—because Noah stupidly drove him away—is in a loving marriage with a successful, attractive man whom Noah despises wholeheartedly.

Is it any surprise that Noah wishes he could ignore his mother’s summons to come visit?

But Virginia has shattering news to deliver, and a request he can’t refuse. Soon, Noah will track down the sister and extended family he never knew existed, try to keep his kleptomaniac cousin out of jail, feud with a belligerent neighbor, confront J.D.’s jealous husband—and face J.D. himself, the ache from Noah’s past that never fades. . . . All the while, contending with his brilliant, unpredictable mother.

Bittersweet, hilarious, and moving, and as unapologetically candid and unforgettable as Noah himself, The Language of Love and Loss is a story about growing older, getting lost—and finding your way back to the only truths that really matter.]]> 246 Bart Yates 1496741242 Nikki 3 high school ex boyfriend. For reference, Noah is now in his late thirties and that makes your sympathy for him still pining vanish. The emotions just never came across quite right to me.

Still, the characters were all pretty interesting and I am a sucker "your found family winds up being blood family" trope. ]]> 3.94 The Language of Love and Loss
author: Bart Yates
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/19
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves:
review:
I love a good fucked up family story. But this one never really gelled for me. We keep being TOLD that the main character Noah and his mother have a tumultuous relationship but the on-screen relationship is actually pretty sweet and functional. They maybe just get on each other's nerves a little bit. And then there's Noah who is still obsessed with his ex boyfriend - nothing wrong with that, right? It takes a little while into the book before you learn that his ex is his high school ex boyfriend. For reference, Noah is now in his late thirties and that makes your sympathy for him still pining vanish. The emotions just never came across quite right to me.

Still, the characters were all pretty interesting and I am a sucker "your found family winds up being blood family" trope.
]]> <![CDATA[Heartstopper: Volume Five (Heartstopper, #5)]]> 53344030
Nick and Charlie are very much in love. They've finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick's house ... But with Nick going off to university next year, is everything about to change?

By Alice Oseman, winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper encompasses all the small moments of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

Contains discussions around mental health and eating disorders, and sexual references.]]> 336 Alice Oseman 1444957651 Nikki 4 4.47 2023 Heartstopper: Volume Five (Heartstopper, #5)
author: Alice Oseman
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/16
date added: 2024/01/16
shelves:
review:

]]> Hello Beautiful 61771675
But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters� unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?]]> 416 Ann Napolitano Nikki 5 4.14 2023 Hello Beautiful
author: Ann Napolitano
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/15
date added: 2024/01/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Comfort Book 57124302 A manual of reflections for an increasingly stressful world

Nothing is stronger than a small hope that doesn’t give up. 

A collection of little islands of hope, The Comfort Book gathers consolations and stories that give us new ways of seeing ourselves and the world. 

Matt Haig’s mix of philosophy, memoir and self-reflection builds on the wisdom of philosophers and survivors through the ages, from Marcus Aurelius to Nellie Bly, from Emily Dickinson to James Baldwin. 

This is the book to pick up when you need the wisdom of a friend or the comfort of a hug, or just want to celebrate the messy miracle of being alive. ]]> 268 Matt Haig 0525508163 Nikki 0 to-read 4.09 2021 The Comfort Book
author: Matt Haig
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun]]> 55144174 A poignant, funny, openhearted novel about coming out, first love, and being your one and only best and true self.

Julián Luna has a plan for his life: Graduate. Get into UCLA. And have the chance to move away from Corpus Christi, Texas, and the suffocating expectations of others that have forced Jules into an inauthentic life.

Then in one reckless moment, with one impulsive tweet, his plans for a low-key nine months are thrown—literally—out the closet. The downside: the whole world knows, and Jules has to prepare for rejection. The upside: Jules now has the opportunity to be his real self.

Then Mat, a cute, empathetic Twitter crush from Los Angeles, slides into Jules’s DMs. Jules can tell him anything. Mat makes the world seem conquerable. But when Jules’s fears about coming out come true, the person he needs most is fifteen hundred miles away. Jules has to face them alone.

Jules accidentally propelled himself into the life he’s always dreamed of. And now that he’s in control of it, what he does next is up to him.]]> 354 Jonny Garza Villa 1542027020 Nikki 0 to-read 4.16 2021 Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun
author: Jonny Garza Villa
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Infinity Son (Infinity Cycle, 1)]]> 182867356
Balancing epic and intensely personal stakes, bestselling author Adam Silvera’s Infinity Son is a gritty, fast-paced adventure about two brothers caught up in a magical war generations in the making.

Growing up in New York, brothers Emil and Brighton always idolized the Spell Walkers—a vigilante group sworn to rid the world of specters. While the Spell Walkers and other celestials are born with powers, specters take them, violently stealing the essence of endangered magical creatures.

Brighton wishes he had a power so he could join the fray. Emil just wants the fighting to stop. The cycle of violence has taken a toll, making it harder for anyone with a power to live peacefully and openly. In this climate of fear, a gang of specters has been growing bolder by the day.

Then, in a brawl after a protest, Emil manifests a power of his own—one that puts him right at the heart of the conflict and sets him up to be the heroic Spell Walker Brighton always wanted to be.

Brotherhood, love, and loyalty will be put to the test, and no one will escape the fight unscathed.

Don't miss Infinity Reaper, the gripping sequel, which includes a special prequel short story starring Ness!]]> 384 Adam Silvera 0063376121 Nikki 0 to-read 3.57 2020 Infinity Son (Infinity Cycle, 1)
author: Adam Silvera
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Year of Wonders 4965
Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and superstition.

As death reaches into every household and villagers turn from prayers to murderous witch-hunting, Anna must find the strength to confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of illicit love.

As she struggles to survive and grow, a year of catastrophe becomes instead annus mirabilis, a "year of wonders."

Inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged hill country of England, Year of Wonders is a richly detailed evocation of a singular moment in history. ]]> 304 Geraldine Brooks 0142001430 Nikki 5 favorites 4.00 2001 Year of Wonders
author: Geraldine Brooks
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2008/09/24
date added: 2023/07/30
shelves: favorites
review:

]]> The Madwoman Upstairs 25814154
But everything changes when Samantha enrolls at Oxford University and long lost objects from the past begin rematerializing in her life, beginning with an old novel annotated in her father’s handwriting. With the help of a handsome but inscrutable professor, Samantha plunges into a vast literary mystery and an untold family legacy, one that can only be solved by decoding the clues hidden within the Brontës� own works]]> 339 Catherine Lowell 1501124218 Nikki 4 3.60 2016 The Madwoman Upstairs
author: Catherine Lowell
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/16
date added: 2023/07/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks]]> 60305888 I, Maggie Banks, solemnly swear to uphold the rules of Cobblestone Books.

If only, I, Maggie Banks, believed in following the rules.

When Maggie Banks arrives in Bell River to run her best friend's struggling bookstore, she expects to sell bestsellers to her small-town clientele. But running a bookstore in a town with a famously bookish history isn't easy. Bell River's literary society insists on keeping the bookstore stuck in the past, and Maggie is banned from selling anything written this century. So, when a series of mishaps suddenly tip the bookstore toward ruin, Maggie will have to get creative to keep the shop afloat.

And in Maggie's world, book rules are made to be broken.

To help save the store, Maggie starts an underground book club, running a series of events celebrating the books readers actually love. But keeping the club quiet, selling forbidden books, and dodging the literary society is nearly impossible. Especially when Maggie unearths a town secret that could upend everything.

Maggie will have to decide what's more important: the books that formed a small town's history, or the stories poised to change it all.]]> 336 Shauna Robinson Nikki 0 to-read 3.74 2022 The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks
author: Shauna Robinson
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/01
shelves: to-read
review:
DNF, because I left the book at work. Duh. Will pick it up again when I get back to work after summer break.
]]> <![CDATA[Meg and Jo (The March Sisters, #1)]]> 45899334 New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra comes a heartwarming modern novel inspired by the timeless classic Little Women.


The March sisters—reliable Meg, independent Jo, shy Beth and stylish Amy—have grown up to pursue their separate dreams. When Jo followed her ambitions to New York City, she never thought her career in journalism would come crashing down, leaving her struggling to stay afloat in a gig economy as a prep cook-slash-secret food blogger.


Meg appears to have the life she always planned—the handsome husband, the adorable toddlers, the house in a charming subdivision. But sometimes getting everything you ever wanted isn’t all it’s cracked up to be...


When their mother’s illness forces the sisters home to North Carolina for the holidays, they’ll rediscover what really matters.


One thing’s for sure—they’ll need the strength of family and the power of sisterhood to remake their lives and reimagine their dreams.

]]> 400 Virginia Kantra 0593100352 Nikki 4
Little Women is one of my all-time favorite books and I'm a sucker for any type of retelling. This one focuses on the two eldest sisters in their twenties in modern times. Jo, living in New York, was recently let go from her newspaper job and is working as a prep cook and writing a foodie blog. Meg is a stay at home parent to twins Daisy and DJ. Jo sleeps with her boss (Eric Bhaer) and Meg and her husband John Brooke, are having trouble communicating about their needs.

This book honestly probably only works best for people familiar with the original source, because I'm not sure how great a job it does on character development. Even though it was a ton of fun to see how the other characters were re-imagined for the modern times, (some better than the others - Amy as a fashionista is grand but Laurie being called Trey and owning a car dealership, not so much) nothing went too deep.

Changing the setting to North Carolina is the real head-scratcher though. The New Englandness of the original series seems so instrumental to the story. And setting a retelling - even a modernization of one - about a family of abolitionists in the American South is probably not the best choice.

Still, anyone who loves Little Women would probably enjoy this book and I can't NOT recommend it. ]]> 3.65 2019 Meg and Jo (The March Sisters, #1)
author: Virginia Kantra
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/01
date added: 2023/07/01
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars, rounding up to four because I'm feeling generous.

Little Women is one of my all-time favorite books and I'm a sucker for any type of retelling. This one focuses on the two eldest sisters in their twenties in modern times. Jo, living in New York, was recently let go from her newspaper job and is working as a prep cook and writing a foodie blog. Meg is a stay at home parent to twins Daisy and DJ. Jo sleeps with her boss (Eric Bhaer) and Meg and her husband John Brooke, are having trouble communicating about their needs.

This book honestly probably only works best for people familiar with the original source, because I'm not sure how great a job it does on character development. Even though it was a ton of fun to see how the other characters were re-imagined for the modern times, (some better than the others - Amy as a fashionista is grand but Laurie being called Trey and owning a car dealership, not so much) nothing went too deep.

Changing the setting to North Carolina is the real head-scratcher though. The New Englandness of the original series seems so instrumental to the story. And setting a retelling - even a modernization of one - about a family of abolitionists in the American South is probably not the best choice.

Still, anyone who loves Little Women would probably enjoy this book and I can't NOT recommend it.
]]> A Heart That Works 61295403 196 Rob Delaney 1954118317 Nikki 5 You forget that my son dies. Then you remember. The you forget again. I don’t forget. I don’t hanker much about Victorian times, but the idea of wearing all black following the death of someone you love makes a lot of sense to me. For a while, anyway, I’d have liked you to know, even from across the street or through a telescope, that I am grieving.

I don’t even know how to review this book. Rob Delaney, a comedian and actor best known for his role in Catastrophe, wrote a book about his son who died. When little Henry was only eleven months old, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. From there, this little boy would spend the next fourteen months hospitalized, mostly recovering from brain surgery that left him with some disabilities.

For a while it seemed like little Henry was slowly getting better and he was allowed to come home. But the cancer returned and nothing could be done to save the toddler.

A gifted writer and obviously deep in grief, Delaney’s ode to his son is like nothing I’ve ever read. Part love letter, part angry diatribe, part muses on parenting and part advocacy for sick kids and universal health care, it’s so deeply touching and laced with humor.

Only to be read at a time where you’ll be able to cry openly, and be prepared to keep thinking about Henry and the family who loves him for a very long time after you’re done reading]]> 4.61 2022 A Heart That Works
author: Rob Delaney
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/25
date added: 2023/07/01
shelves:
review:
You forget that my son dies. Then you remember. The you forget again. I don’t forget. I don’t hanker much about Victorian times, but the idea of wearing all black following the death of someone you love makes a lot of sense to me. For a while, anyway, I’d have liked you to know, even from across the street or through a telescope, that I am grieving.

I don’t even know how to review this book. Rob Delaney, a comedian and actor best known for his role in Catastrophe, wrote a book about his son who died. When little Henry was only eleven months old, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. From there, this little boy would spend the next fourteen months hospitalized, mostly recovering from brain surgery that left him with some disabilities.

For a while it seemed like little Henry was slowly getting better and he was allowed to come home. But the cancer returned and nothing could be done to save the toddler.

A gifted writer and obviously deep in grief, Delaney’s ode to his son is like nothing I’ve ever read. Part love letter, part angry diatribe, part muses on parenting and part advocacy for sick kids and universal health care, it’s so deeply touching and laced with humor.

Only to be read at a time where you’ll be able to cry openly, and be prepared to keep thinking about Henry and the family who loves him for a very long time after you’re done reading
]]> <![CDATA[All That’s Left in the World (All That's Left in the World, #1)]]> 58329296 What If It's Us meets They Both Die at the End in this postapocalyptic, queer YA adventure romance from debut author Erik J. Brown. Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera, Alex London, and Heartstopper by Alice Oseman.

When Andrew stumbles upon Jamie's house, he's injured, starved, and has nothing left to lose. A deadly pathogen has killed off most of the world's population, including everyone both boys have ever loved. And if this new world has taught them anything, it's to be scared of what other desperate people will do . . . so why does it seem so easy for them to trust each other?

After danger breaches their shelter, they flee south in search of civilization. But something isn't adding up about Andrew's story, and it could cost them everything. And Jamie has a secret, too. He's starting to feel something more than friendship for Andrew, adding another layer of fear and confusion to an already tumultuous journey.

The road ahead of them is long, and to survive, they'll have to shed their secrets, face the consequences of their actions, and find the courage to fight for the future they desire, together. Only one thing feels certain: all that's left in their world is the undeniable pull they have toward each other.]]> 345 Erik J. Brown 0063054973 Nikki 5 4.23 2022 All That’s Left in the World (All That's Left in the World, #1)
author: Erik J. Brown
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/25
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Like You've Nothing Left to Prove (Breakaway, #2)]]> 122760468
At eighteen, figure skater Elijah Rodriguez has already had his Olympic dreams crushed by an accident that left him with a seizure disorder and an existential crisis. Now a popular vlogger and freshmen in college, Eli is trying to figure out what his new future will look like. Which is a little difficult because, oh yeah, he’s dating Alexander Price.

Eli and Alex are happy. It’s sort of a new state of being for both of them. But Eli is out, Alex isn’t, and their very visible “friendship� is already raising eyebrows. They have a plan: Alex will make their relationship public at the end of the season, hopefully with a Stanley Cup in tow. But what happens when that plan is derailed by an overzealous fan who outs them—right before the Hell Hounds� playoff run?]]> 0 E.L. Massey 1648906303 Nikki 5 4.35 2023 Like You've Nothing Left to Prove (Breakaway, #2)
author: E.L. Massey
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/25
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves:
review:

]]> Symphony of Secrets 61111253
Bern Hendricks has just received the call of a lifetime. As one of the world’s preeminent experts on the famed twentieth-century composer Frederick Delaney, Bern knows everything there is to know about the man behind the music. When Mallory Roberts, a board member of the distinguished Delaney Foundation and direct descendant of the man himself, asks for Bern’s help authenticating a newly discovered piece, which may be his famous lost opera, RED, he jumps at the chance. With the help of his tech-savvy acquaintance Eboni, Bern soon discovers that the truth is far more complicated than history would have them believe.

In 1920s Manhattan, Josephine Reed is living on the streets and frequenting jazz clubs when she meets the struggling musician Fred Delaney. But where young Delaney struggles, Josephine soars. She’s a natural prodigy who hears beautiful music in the sounds of the world around her. With Josephine as his silent partner, Delaney’s career takes off—but who is the real genius here?

In the present day, Bern and Eboni begin to uncover more clues that indicate Delaney may have had help in composing his most successful work. Armed with more questions than answers and caught in the crosshairs of a powerful organization who will stop at nothing to keep their secret hidden, Bern and Eboni will move heaven and earth in their dogged quest to right history’s wrongs.]]> 448 Brendan Slocumb 0593315448 Nikki 0 to-read 4.22 2023 Symphony of Secrets
author: Brendan Slocumb
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Everybody's Fool (North Bath, #2)]]> 30687726
Now, ten years later, Doug Raymer has become the chief of police and is tormented by the improbable death of his wife—not to mention his suspicion that he was a failure of a husband. Meanwhile, the irrepressible Sully has come into a small fortune, but is suddenly faced with a VA cardiologist’s estimate that he only has a year or two left to live.

As Sully frantically works to keep the bad news from the important people in his life, we are reunited with his son and grandson . . . with Ruth, the married woman with whom he carried on for years . . . and with the hapless Rub Squeers, who worries that he and Sully aren’t still best friends. Filled with humor, heart, and hard-luck characters you can’t help but love, Everybody’s Fool is a crowning achievement from one of the great storytellers of our time.

Look for Nobody's Fool, available now, and Somebody’s Fool , coming soon.]]> 544 Richard Russo 0307454827 Nikki 0 to-read 4.28 2016 Everybody's Fool (North Bath, #2)
author: Richard Russo
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Henna Artist (The Jaipur Trilogy, #1)]]> 50607466 Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.

Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own�

Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow—a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.]]> 384 Alka Joshi 0778310205 Nikki 4 4.14 2020 The Henna Artist (The Jaipur Trilogy, #1)
author: Alka Joshi
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/13
date added: 2023/05/13
shelves:
review:

]]> String Theory 58349875
Ari hasn’t written a note, and his album deadline is looming. Then he meets Jax, and suddenly he can’t stop the music. But Ari doesn’t know how to interpret Jax’s flirting—is making him a drink called Sex with the Bartender a serious overture?

Jax jumps in with both feet, the only way he knows how. Ari is wonderful, and Jax loves having a partner who’s on the same page. But Ari’s struggles with his parents� expectations, and Jax’s with the wounds of his past, threaten to unbalance an otherwise perfect equation. Can they prove their double act has merit, or does it only work in theory?]]> 307 Ashlyn Kane 1644059355 Nikki 3 Meh 3.85 2021 String Theory
author: Ashlyn Kane
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/24
date added: 2023/04/24
shelves:
review:
Meh
]]> <![CDATA[Teen Titans: Robin (Teen Titans, #4)]]> 59111102 Tag along as #1 New York Times bestselling author KAMI GARCIA (Beautiful Creatures) and artist GABRIEL PICOLO, the creative duo behind the New York Times bestselling TEEN TITANS graphic novel series, as they continue with the action-adventure of a lifetime.

Raven Roth, Garfield Logan, Maxine Navarro, and Damian Wayne are on the run…from Slade Wilson, from H.I.V.E., and from the horrible experiments H.I.V.E. conducted at their expense.

But where will they go? Who can they trust?

Dick Grayson just wants to know what happened to his brother, Damian. Is Damian okay? Does he need help? Why hasn’t he been in contact? And why did his tracking device go silent?

One thing is for sure—they all need answers and there is only one person that might be able to help them defeat H.I.V.E. for good.]]> 208 Kami Garcia 1779512244 Nikki 4 graphic-novels 4.08 2023 Teen Titans: Robin (Teen Titans, #4)
author: Kami Garcia
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/15
date added: 2023/04/16
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
I just really like this series, ok?
]]> <![CDATA[The Gentleman Outlaw and Me—Eli]]> 462712 192 Mary Downing Hahn 0380728834 Nikki 3
A story about Eliza Yates, a girl whose mother has died and is being cared for by an abusive aunt and uncle. Eliza wants to find her father who has gone west to find his fortune. In order to escape, Eliza cuts her hair and steals some boys clothes and goes by Elijah Bates. As Elijah, she comes across an older teen boy, Calvin, who is also heading west to avenge his father's death at the hands of Eliza's own father. Eliza keeps that secret from him and they travel together. Calvin's a highly educated boy who fancies himself a Gentleman Outlaw, but he's outmatched in every town they go to and they barely make it to Tinville, CO alive where they finally come face to face with the Sheriff who happens to be Eliza's father.

It's mostly a good book. Honestly growing up Mary Downing Hahn was a favorite of mine and this one doesn't quite hold up - it's little boring. But a book where a girl dresses like a boy that was written in the 90s has the potential to be a little cringey by today's standards. But there's none of that here. Eliza is clearly more comfortable as Elijah and often wishes she was a boy. The historical accuracy of knowing that's not possible is a little heartbreaking, but a nice understanding lady toward the end (no spoliers) means you know things are going to look up for Eliza. ]]> 4.08 1996 The Gentleman Outlaw and Me—Eli
author: Mary Downing Hahn
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/16
date added: 2023/04/16
shelves:
review:
Got this book out of the elementary school library where I work, trying to decide if it's worth it to keep on the shelf. (The author's books all get checked out frequently, but this one is an exception.) Overall, it's a good book and I think worthy of being kept on a library shelf. I think it's not being checked out because the cover is old fashioned even for a book from the 90s.

A story about Eliza Yates, a girl whose mother has died and is being cared for by an abusive aunt and uncle. Eliza wants to find her father who has gone west to find his fortune. In order to escape, Eliza cuts her hair and steals some boys clothes and goes by Elijah Bates. As Elijah, she comes across an older teen boy, Calvin, who is also heading west to avenge his father's death at the hands of Eliza's own father. Eliza keeps that secret from him and they travel together. Calvin's a highly educated boy who fancies himself a Gentleman Outlaw, but he's outmatched in every town they go to and they barely make it to Tinville, CO alive where they finally come face to face with the Sheriff who happens to be Eliza's father.

It's mostly a good book. Honestly growing up Mary Downing Hahn was a favorite of mine and this one doesn't quite hold up - it's little boring. But a book where a girl dresses like a boy that was written in the 90s has the potential to be a little cringey by today's standards. But there's none of that here. Eliza is clearly more comfortable as Elijah and often wishes she was a boy. The historical accuracy of knowing that's not possible is a little heartbreaking, but a nice understanding lady toward the end (no spoliers) means you know things are going to look up for Eliza.
]]> <![CDATA[Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Vol. 1]]> 13528705
COLLECTING: ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN (2011) 1-5]]> 136 Brian Michael Bendis 0785157131 Nikki 5 graphic-novels 4.27 2011 Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Vol. 1
author: Brian Michael Bendis
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2014/09/13
date added: 2023/04/11
shelves: graphic-novels
review:

]]> Glitterland (Spires, #1) 60754391 In the past, the universe is a glitterball I hold in the palm of my hand.

In the past, I am brilliant and I am happy and my every tomorrow is madness.

In the past, I am soaring, and falling, and breaking, and lost.

And now, there is only this.

Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on hope, happiness, and―most of all―himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other people's expectations.

Then a chance encounter throws him into the path of Essex-born Darian Taylor. Flashy and loud, radiant and full of life, Darian couldn't be more different...and yet he makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what it's like to step beyond the boundaries of his anxiety. But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he can no longer see a way out. Can a man who doesn't trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can someone who doesn't believe in happiness ever fight for his own?]]> 336 Alexis Hall 1728265282 Nikki 3
Nice romance otherwise.]]> 3.82 2013 Glitterland (Spires, #1)
author: Alexis Hall
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/07
date added: 2023/04/07
shelves:
review:
I'd have given it four stars but the author wrote one of the characters' accents phonetically and that is one of my pet peeves.

Nice romance otherwise.
]]> Gods Behaving Badly 1159679
Even more disturbingly, their powers are waning, and even turning mortals into trees-a favorite pastime of Apollo's-is sapping their vital reserves of strength.

Soon, what begins as a minor squabble between Aphrodite and Apollo escalates into an epic battle of wills. Two perplexed humans, Alice and Neil, who are caught in the crossfire, must fear not only for their own lives, but for the survival of humankind. Nothing less than a true act of heroism is needed-but can these two decidedly ordinary people replicate the feats of the mythical heroes and save the world?]]> 293 Marie Phillips 0316067628 Nikki 3 3.40 2007 Gods Behaving Badly
author: Marie Phillips
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/07
date added: 2023/04/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Wayward (Wanderers, #2) 59575941
Their secret destination: Ouray, a small town in Colorado that would become one of the last outposts of civilization. Because the sleepwalking epidemic was only the first in a chain of events that led to the end of the world--and the birth of a new one.

The survivors, sleepwalkers and shepherds alike, have a dream of rebuilding human society. Among them are Benji, the scientist struggling through grief to lead the town; Marcy, the former police officer who wants only to look after the people she loves; and Shana, the teenage girl who became the first shepherd--and an unlikely hero whose courage will be needed again.

Because the people of Ouray are not the only survivors, and the world they are building is fragile. The forces of cruelty and brutality are amassing under the leadership of self-proclaimed president Ed Creel. And in the very heart of Ouray, the most powerful survivor of all is plotting its own vision for the new world: Black Swan, the A.I. who imagined the apocalypse.

Against these threats, Benji, Marcy, Shana, and the rest have only one hope: one another. Because the only way to survive the end of the world is together.]]> 816 Chuck Wendig 0593158776 Nikki 4 4.17 2022 Wayward (Wanderers, #2)
author: Chuck Wendig
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/21
date added: 2023/03/21
shelves:
review:

]]> Different for Boys 61084889 Friendship, masculinity, sex—Anthony Stevenson has a lot of questions. Is it different for boys who like boys? A poignant and frank story filled with meta-humor by renowned author Patrick Ness.

Anthony “Ant� Stevenson isn’t sure when he stopped being a virgin. Or even if he has. The rules aren’t always very clear when it comes to boys who like boys. In fact, relationships of all kinds feel complicated, even with Ant’s oldest friends. There’s Charlie, who’s both virulently homophobic and in a secret physical relationship with Ant. Then there’s drama kid Jack, who may be gay and has become the target of Charlie’s rage. And, of course, there’s big, beautiful Freddie, who wants Ant to ditch soccer, Charlie’s sport, and try out for the rugby team instead. Ant’s story of loneliness and intimacy, of unexpected support and heart-ripping betrayal, is told forthrightly with tongue-in-cheek black-bar redactions over the language that teenagers would actually use if, you know, they weren’t in a story. Award-winning author Patrick Ness explores teen sexuality, friendship, and romance with a deft hand in this structurally daring, illustrated short novel.]]> 97 Patrick Ness 1536228893 Nikki 0 to-read 3.79 2023 Different for Boys
author: Patrick Ness
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Winging It (Hockey Ever After, #1)]]> 61468255 282 Ashlyn Kane 1641084243 Nikki 4
Tender and lighthearted, this is a good read for when you don't want anything deep. You're going to get a happy ending, the stakes are low, the characters aren't that deep but are well written enough that you can root for them. Even the moments of homophobia are fixed pretty quickly and nicely.

I'd definitely read other books by the same authors, but probably not back-to-back, as I imagine they're all very similar. ]]> 3.71 2015 Winging It (Hockey Ever After, #1)
author: Ashlyn Kane
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/15
date added: 2023/01/15
shelves:
review:
Gabe Martin, introverted and closeted, is one of the NHL's best players. He has a couple of close friends on his team, but mostly keeps to himself. Dante Baltierra is kind of the opposite. Only in his second NHL career (after promotion from the AHL was stalled) Dante is loud, everyone's friend, and brings home a different woman every night. Until the moment that Gabe is publicly outted by an ex, and Dante finally allows himself to think about his feelings for Gabe.

Tender and lighthearted, this is a good read for when you don't want anything deep. You're going to get a happy ending, the stakes are low, the characters aren't that deep but are well written enough that you can root for them. Even the moments of homophobia are fixed pretty quickly and nicely.

I'd definitely read other books by the same authors, but probably not back-to-back, as I imagine they're all very similar.
]]> <![CDATA[Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #13)]]> 60758247 A brand-new Baby-sitters Club graphic novel adapted by newcomer Cynthia Yuan Cheng!

Mary Anne should never have thrown away that chain letter she got in the mail. Ever since she did, bad things have been happening to everyone in The Baby-sitters Club. With Halloween coming up, Mary Anne's even more worried -- what kind of spooky thing will happen next?

Then Mary Anne finds a new note in her mailbox: Wear this bad-luck charm, it says. OR ELSE. Mary Anne has to follow the note's instructions. But who sent the charm? And why did they send it to Mary Anne?

The BSC might never see an end to their bad luck if they don’t solve this mystery soon!]]> 170 Cynthia Yuan Cheng 1338616102 Nikki 4 graphic-novels 4.02 2022 Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #13)
author: Cynthia Yuan Cheng
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/09
date added: 2023/01/10
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
Just as adorable as the rest of the books in the series.
]]> The Dictionary of Lost Words 49354511 Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it.

Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the ‘Scriptorium�, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme’s place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word ‘bondmaid� flutters to the floor. Esme rescues the slip and stashes it in an old wooden case that belongs to her friend, Lizzie, a young servant in the big house. Esme begins to collect other words from the Scriptorium that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. They help her make sense of the world.

Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others, and that words and meanings relating to women’s experiences often go unrecorded. While she dedicates her life to the Oxford English Dictionary, secretly, she begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words.

Set when the women’s suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. It’s a delightful, lyrical and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words, and the power of language to shape the world and our experience of it.]]> 384 Pip Williams 1925972593 Nikki 5 3.97 2020 The Dictionary of Lost Words
author: Pip Williams
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/09
date added: 2023/01/09
shelves:
review:
Lovely historical fiction book (but based on many real-life people) about a woman who contributes to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary, and secretly squirrels away words that are left out for being too "womanly." It really makes you think about our language and how we percieve it, and through whose eyes.
]]> <![CDATA[The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (The Doomsday Books, #1)]]> 57102663 Bridgerton meets Poldark in this sweeping LGBTQIA+ Regency romance from award-winning author KJ Charles

Abandoned by his father as a small child, Sir Gareth Inglis has grown up prickly, cold, and well-used to disappointment. Even so, he longs for a connection, falling headfirst into a passionate anonymous affair that's over almost as quickly as it began. Bitter at the sudden rejection, Gareth has little time to lick his wounds: his father has died, leaving him the family title, a rambling manor on the remote Romney Marsh...and the den of cutthroats and thieves that make its intricate waterways their home.

Joss Doomsday has run the Doomsday smuggling clan since he was a boy. His family is his life...which is why when the all-too-familiar new baronet testifies against Joss's sister for a hanging offense, Joss acts fast, blackmailing Gareth with the secret of their relationship to force him to recant. Their reunion is anything but happy and the path forward everything but smooth, yet after the dust settles, neither can stay away. It's a long road from there—full of danger and mysteries to be solved—yet somehow, along the way, this well-mannered gentleman may at last find true love with the least likely of scoundrels.]]> 331 K.J. Charles 1728255856 Nikki 0 to-read 4.08 2023 The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (The Doomsday Books, #1)
author: K.J. Charles
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> I Kissed Shara Wheeler 58864196 From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Stop and Red, White & Royal Blue comes a romantic comedy about chasing down what you want, only to find what you need...

Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and the puritanical administration of Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her winning valedictorian. Her only prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny.

But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes.

On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair and square.

Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe—probably not, but maybe—more to Shara, too.

Fierce, funny, and frank, Casey McQuiston's I Kissed Shara Wheeler is about breaking the rules, getting messy, and finding love in unexpected places.]]> 368 Casey McQuiston 1250244463 Nikki 0 3.95 2022 I Kissed Shara Wheeler
author: Casey McQuiston
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2022/10/09
date added: 2022/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Jessi's Secret Language: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #12)]]> 59806023 A brand-new Baby-sitters Club graphic novel adapted by Eisner-nominated artist Chan Chau!

Jessi recently moved to Stoneybrook and is one of the newest members of The Baby-sitters Club. She's getting ready to start regularly sitting for the BSC's newest charge, Matt Braddock. Matt has been Deaf since birth and uses sign language to communicate, so Jessi has to use it, too. It's a secret language!

Soon all the neighborhood kids want to learn how to sign, which keeps the BSC busy. Jessi's the busiest of all -- she's preparing for her dance school's big show, plus working on another secret, just for Matt. Will Jessi be able to keep the secret and pull off her performance?]]> 138 Chan Chau 1338616072 Nikki 0 graphic-novels, ya-books 4.32 2022 Jessi's Secret Language: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #12)
author: Chan Chau
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/31
shelves: graphic-novels, ya-books
review:

]]> Dracula 17245 You can find an alternative cover edition for this ISBN here and here.

When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes a series of horrific discoveries about his client. Soon afterwards, various bizarre incidents unfold in England: an apparently unmanned ship is wrecked off the coast of Whitby; a young woman discovers strange puncture marks on her neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the 'Master' and his imminent arrival.

In Dracula, Bram Stoker created one of the great masterpieces of the horror genre, brilliantly evoking a nightmare world of vampires and vampire hunters and also illuminating the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.

This Norton Critical Edition includes a rich selection of background and source materials in three areas: Contexts includes probable inspirations for Dracula in the earlier works of James Malcolm Rymer and Emily Gerard. Also included are a discussion of Stoker's working notes for the novel and "Dracula's Guest," the original opening chapter to Dracula. Reviews and Reactions reprints five early reviews of the novel. "Dramatic and Film Variations" focuses on theater and film adaptations of Dracula, two indications of the novel's unwavering appeal. David J. Skal, Gregory A. Waller, and Nina Auerbach offer their varied perspectives. Checklists of both dramatic and film adaptations are included.

Criticism collects seven theoretical interpretations of Dracula by Phyllis A. Roth, Carol A. Senf, Franco Moretti, Christopher Craft, Bram Dijkstra, Stephen D. Arata, and Talia Schaffer.

A Chronology and a Selected Bibliography are included.]]> 488 Bram Stoker 0393970124 Nikki 0 4.02 1897 Dracula
author: Bram Stoker
name: Nikki
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1897
rating: 0
read at: 2022/12/31
date added: 2022/12/31
shelves:
review:
Never read before and am following along on the Dracula Daily substack.
]]> <![CDATA[Constantine: Distorted Illusions]]> 59108310 179 Kami Garcia Nikki 4 graphic-novels 3.52 2022 Constantine: Distorted Illusions
author: Kami Garcia
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/31
date added: 2022/12/31
shelves: graphic-novels
review:

]]> All We Had 18775258
For Ruthie Carmichael and her mother Rita, life has never been stable. Jobs are hard to find, men come and go. But when a set of unexpected circumstances strands them in Fat River, a small rural town in upstate New York, life takes a turn. Fat River becomes the first place they call home. The modest economic security they gain gives them peace and space for friends. The people of Fat River—Hank and Dotty Hanson, the elderly owners of the local hardware store being driven out of business by the new Walmart; Mel, the flawed, but kindhearted owner of the town diner where Rita finds work; and the cross-dressing Peter Pam, the novel’s voice of warmth and reason—become family. Into this quirky utopia comes Vick Ward, a smooth-talking broker who entices Rita with a subprime mortgage and urges her to buy the ramshackle house she and her daughter have been renting.

Tough and quick-witted, thirteen-year-old Ruthie—whose sardonic voice and plain-spoken observations infuse All We Had with disarming honesty and humor—never minded her hardscrabble existence as long as her mother was by her side. Through it all, the two have always been the center of one another’s lives. But when financial crisis hits, their luck takes a different turn.

All We Had offers an unflinching look at the devastating choices a mother must make to survive and is an achingly funny, heart wrenching tale about love and loss, told with humor and razor sharp vision]]> 272 Annie Weatherwax 1476755205 Nikki 3 3.70 2014 All We Had
author: Annie Weatherwax
name: Nikki
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/24
date added: 2022/11/24
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars. Pretty typical "child is more the parent than the parent is" fare. It was well written and had a nice cast of characters though.
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