(inactive)'s bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 24 Sep 2024 02:11:46 -0700 60 (inactive)'s bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Fence, Vol. 1 40680873 107 C.S. Pacat 1641440074 (inactive) 4 fun. cute. unique.

i really loved this! it was super well done and the art style and storyline was fantastic. i’m super excited to continue with the series as these issues ARE really really short so i’m excited to see some character development and start to feel more connected with the overall storyline.
]]>
3.92 2017 Fence, Vol. 1
author: C.S. Pacat
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2019/06/30
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:
ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜† | fun. cute. unique.

i really loved this! it was super well done and the art style and storyline was fantastic. i’m super excited to continue with the series as these issues ARE really really short so i’m excited to see some character development and start to feel more connected with the overall storyline.

]]>
Sawkill Girls 38186306 Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep. He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep.

Who are the Sawkill Girls?

Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.

Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.

Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.

Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires.

Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now.]]>
458 Claire Legrand 0062696629 (inactive) 5 3.69 2018 Sawkill Girls
author: Claire Legrand
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2019/09/14
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves: books-that-watered-my-crops, characters-i-would-marry
review:
this book made me numb to characters dying (so. many. dead people.) but damn was it good.
]]>
Fence #9 (Fence, #9) 41257291 30 C.S. Pacat 1641443189 (inactive) 5 tense. adorable. wonderful.

yup, this is easily my favorite comic so far. the romantic tension between nicholas and seiji is hella great and i ship them to the end of the earth and i dunno, there was just something super wonderful about this issue. i still think the comics are too short and i want MORE of everything, but that could easily just be me not being at all used to reading things like this.

Merged review:

ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜… | tense. adorable. wonderful.

yup, this is easily my favorite comic so far. the romantic tension between nicholas and seiji is hella great and i ship them to the end of the earth and i dunno, there was just something super wonderful about this issue. i still think the comics are too short and i want MORE of everything, but that could easily just be me not being at all used to reading things like this.]]>
4.18 2018 Fence #9 (Fence, #9)
author: C.S. Pacat
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2019/06/30
date added: 2023/11/16
shelves:
review:
ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜… | tense. adorable. wonderful.

yup, this is easily my favorite comic so far. the romantic tension between nicholas and seiji is hella great and i ship them to the end of the earth and i dunno, there was just something super wonderful about this issue. i still think the comics are too short and i want MORE of everything, but that could easily just be me not being at all used to reading things like this.

Merged review:

ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜… | tense. adorable. wonderful.

yup, this is easily my favorite comic so far. the romantic tension between nicholas and seiji is hella great and i ship them to the end of the earth and i dunno, there was just something super wonderful about this issue. i still think the comics are too short and i want MORE of everything, but that could easily just be me not being at all used to reading things like this.
]]>
<![CDATA[My Brother's Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1-2)]]> 32337897
(Please note: This book is a traditional work of manga, and reads back to front and right to left.)]]>
352 Gengoroh Tagame 1101871512 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.32 2015 My Brother's Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1-2)
author: Gengoroh Tagame
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/25
shelves: to-read, library
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[They Both Die at the End (Death-Cast, #1)]]> 33385229
Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.

Adam Silvera reminds us that there’s no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day.]]>
389 Adam Silvera 0062457799 (inactive) 4 beautiful. disjointed. devastating.

my earbuds are legitimately waterlogged because of all those tears shed over that goddamn ending.

now, i didn’t absolutely adore this like i was hoping to (i found it a little flat in the beginning, and for a while i felt no real connection towards the characters or storyline. also, the extra pov’s made the book feel choppy and disjointed, in my opinion anyway) but i was still able to emerge myself in the plot and the atmosphere and that ongoing feeling of heart-pounding dread. plus, i really loved the audiobook; i could hardly put it down.

i’ll definitely be recommending this book in the future, but i don’t find it particularly rave worthy, if i’m being completely honest. this was in no way a serious disappointment, i just felt like there was a little something missing. perhaps if the beginning of the book was written as perfectly as the last half, it would have been an easy five star read.

overall though, a truly beautiful book.


want more of my thoughts? feel free to watch my that i have posted on my booktube channel!

Merged review:

ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜† | beautiful. disjointed. devastating.

my earbuds are legitimately waterlogged because of all those tears shed over that goddamn ending.

now, i didn’t absolutely adore this like i was hoping to (i found it a little flat in the beginning, and for a while i felt no real connection towards the characters or storyline. also, the extra pov’s made the book feel choppy and disjointed, in my opinion anyway) but i was still able to emerge myself in the plot and the atmosphere and that ongoing feeling of heart-pounding dread. plus, i really loved the audiobook; i could hardly put it down.

i’ll definitely be recommending this book in the future, but i don’t find it particularly rave worthy, if i’m being completely honest. this was in no way a serious disappointment, i just felt like there was a little something missing. perhaps if the beginning of the book was written as perfectly as the last half, it would have been an easy five star read.

overall though, a truly beautiful book.


want more of my thoughts? feel free to watch my that i have posted on my booktube channel!]]>
3.76 2017 They Both Die at the End (Death-Cast, #1)
author: Adam Silvera
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2019/05/20
date added: 2023/07/31
shelves:
review:
ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜† | beautiful. disjointed. devastating.

my earbuds are legitimately waterlogged because of all those tears shed over that goddamn ending.

now, i didn’t absolutely adore this like i was hoping to (i found it a little flat in the beginning, and for a while i felt no real connection towards the characters or storyline. also, the extra pov’s made the book feel choppy and disjointed, in my opinion anyway) but i was still able to emerge myself in the plot and the atmosphere and that ongoing feeling of heart-pounding dread. plus, i really loved the audiobook; i could hardly put it down.

i’ll definitely be recommending this book in the future, but i don’t find it particularly rave worthy, if i’m being completely honest. this was in no way a serious disappointment, i just felt like there was a little something missing. perhaps if the beginning of the book was written as perfectly as the last half, it would have been an easy five star read.

overall though, a truly beautiful book.


want more of my thoughts? feel free to watch my that i have posted on my booktube channel!

Merged review:

ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜† | beautiful. disjointed. devastating.

my earbuds are legitimately waterlogged because of all those tears shed over that goddamn ending.

now, i didn’t absolutely adore this like i was hoping to (i found it a little flat in the beginning, and for a while i felt no real connection towards the characters or storyline. also, the extra pov’s made the book feel choppy and disjointed, in my opinion anyway) but i was still able to emerge myself in the plot and the atmosphere and that ongoing feeling of heart-pounding dread. plus, i really loved the audiobook; i could hardly put it down.

i’ll definitely be recommending this book in the future, but i don’t find it particularly rave worthy, if i’m being completely honest. this was in no way a serious disappointment, i just felt like there was a little something missing. perhaps if the beginning of the book was written as perfectly as the last half, it would have been an easy five star read.

overall though, a truly beautiful book.


want more of my thoughts? feel free to watch my that i have posted on my booktube channel!
]]>
Solitaire 57894080
My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year – before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people – I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that’s all over now.

Now there’s Solitaire. And Michael Holden.

I don’t know what Solitaire are trying to do, and I don’t care about Michael Holden.
I really don’t.

This incredible debut novel by outstanding young author Alice Oseman is perfect for fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell and all unflinchingly honest writers.]]>
392 Alice Oseman (inactive) 0 to-read 3.84 2014 Solitaire
author: Alice Oseman
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
Seven Ways We Lie 31305494 343 Riley Redgate 1419723480 (inactive) 4
the execution of this book was just,,, *chefs kiss*. i love how riley redgate was able to approach these characters and build them around their flaws, rather than unrealistic perfections. it made them so much more complex and endearing.

overall, a super easy and quick read with a super engaging plot that was no literary masterpiece, by any means, but still held my interest and was in general just a really fun time.]]>
3.83 2016 Seven Ways We Lie
author: Riley Redgate
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/14
date added: 2022/05/22
shelves: here-for-a-fun-time, would-throw-characters-into-lava
review:
god i LOVED these characters.

the execution of this book was just,,, *chefs kiss*. i love how riley redgate was able to approach these characters and build them around their flaws, rather than unrealistic perfections. it made them so much more complex and endearing.

overall, a super easy and quick read with a super engaging plot that was no literary masterpiece, by any means, but still held my interest and was in general just a really fun time.
]]>
Felix Ever After 45359713
Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle....

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.]]>
368 Kacen Callender 0062820273 (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 4.38 2020 Felix Ever After
author: Kacen Callender
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/21
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

]]>
Pet (Pet, #1) 43568395 A thought-provoking and haunting novel about a creature that escapes from an artist's canvas, whose talent is sniffing out monsters in a world that claims they don't exist anymore. Perfect for fans of Akata Witch and Shadowshaper.

There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster--and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also uncover the truth, and the answer to the question How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?

In their riveting and timely young adult debut, acclaimed novelist Akwaeke Emezi asks difficult questions about what choices you can make when the society around you is in denial.]]>
208 Akwaeke Emezi 0525647074 (inactive) 4
i loved unpacking the many themes and bits of social commentary, and the premise and the writing was all so well done. i adored jam and pet and every character honestly, and the casual mention of jam’s transness made me so happy. it was just so refreshing to read.

although a rather slow and quiet novel, i had a ton of fun reading and i actually rather enjoyed the pacing. all in all, i will be recommending this book to people until the day i die and even then i might have someone write ā€œread pet by akwaeke emeziā€œ on my tombstone.]]>
4.14 2019 Pet (Pet, #1)
author: Akwaeke Emezi
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/26
date added: 2022/02/13
shelves: books-that-watered-my-crops, characters-i-would-marry, i-need-to-own-these-books
review:
this book filled me with so, so much joy.

i loved unpacking the many themes and bits of social commentary, and the premise and the writing was all so well done. i adored jam and pet and every character honestly, and the casual mention of jam’s transness made me so happy. it was just so refreshing to read.

although a rather slow and quiet novel, i had a ton of fun reading and i actually rather enjoyed the pacing. all in all, i will be recommending this book to people until the day i die and even then i might have someone write ā€œread pet by akwaeke emeziā€œ on my tombstone.
]]>
Little Fires Everywhere 36112638 Librarian note: The alternative cover for this edition may be found here.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.]]>
12 Celeste Ng (inactive) 3 3.94 2017 Little Fires Everywhere
author: Celeste Ng
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/12
date added: 2022/02/09
shelves:
review:
3.25 stars | listen. i get the hype with this one. the nuance, the writing, that phenomenal ending- it was all top tier. for me though, i found it not necessarily slow, but a little too quiet. if not for the incredible audiobook i would’ve found myself severely bored at parts, and this book would have taken me forever to get through. i also found myself a little too infuriated at almost every character. the characters were remarkably human and real, but i like to LIKE the characters i’m reading, and there were simply too few truly lovable characters. all in all though, i did enjoy my time reading and i’m intrigued about the hulu adaptation i keep seeing everywhere.
]]>
<![CDATA[Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 1 (The Promise, #1)]]> 18670414 80 Gene Luen Yang 1621158004 (inactive) 4 4.46 2012 Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 1 (The Promise, #1)
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/29
date added: 2021/08/28
shelves:
review:
my heart is so fucking full rn.
]]>
All Boys Aren’t Blue 44280883
Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren't Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson's emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.]]>
304 George M. Johnson 0374312710 (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 4.19 2020 All Boys Aren’t Blue
author: George M. Johnson
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/08/01
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

]]>
Radio Silence 40119231 Fangirl. This is an utterly captivating and authentic new teen novel from the author of Solitaire.

Frances Janvier spends most of her time studying. Everyone knows Aled Last as that quiet boy who gets straight As. You probably think that they are going to fall in love or something. Since he is a boy and she is a girl. They don’t. They make a podcast. In a world determined to shut them up, knock them down, and set them on a cookie cutter life path, Frances and Aled struggle to find their voices over the course of one life-changing year.

Will they have the courage to show everyone who they really are? Or will they be met with radio silence?]]>
403 Alice Oseman 0007559240 (inactive) 5
i enjoyed it the first time i read it, sure, but this second time around it genuinely blew me away.

i picked this book up again because i knew i really, really needed it. i needed the characters who have always felt so real and are so lovable and raw and beautiful. but most of all, i needed the reassurance that it’s OKAY not to know what you’re doing with your life.

i first read this when i was sophomore but now that i’m a junior in high school i was able to appreciate the discussion about college SO much more. and fuck did i need that right now, seeing how overwhelmed i’m feeling about all that stuff.

anyway, this is a MUST read for people who are still figuring themselves and their futures out. ten out of ten, will always recommend.



originally read: may 2019
reread: january 2020



—ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”


original review:


ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜† | stunning. simple. heartfelt.

this book was fantastic. i read nearly 400 of the 500 pages in a day, i just couldn’t put it down. it was so addictive and so freaking unique. the characters were incredibly charming, the storyline was so heartfelt and oh. my. god. the representation. it just made my heart burst. there were biracial characters. there were bisexual characters. there were characters with anxiety, characters who were agender, characters who were gay. i’ve always had a bit of a tough time trying to label my own sexuality, and to see a demisexual character in a major ya novel be so beautifully represented — it really helped me feel seen. and even though i’m still fine with just using the umbrella term ā€œqueerā€ it was so incredible to learn more about demisexuality and see how it may be one of the few labels i can possibly one day use in confidence.

now, even though i do believe this book was outstanding and well worth the hype, i do think it was pretty predictable and had a bit of a slow start. but those things are almost nonexistent when compared to the overall awesomeness that was this book.

also, carol last can die in a hole.

*actual rating is closer to 4.5


want more of my thoughts? feel free to watch my that i have posted on my booktube channel!]]>
4.26 2016 Radio Silence
author: Alice Oseman
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2020/02/01
date added: 2021/05/17
shelves: characters-i-would-marry, god-tier-shit, books-that-watered-my-crops
review:
this book means the absolute world to me.

i enjoyed it the first time i read it, sure, but this second time around it genuinely blew me away.

i picked this book up again because i knew i really, really needed it. i needed the characters who have always felt so real and are so lovable and raw and beautiful. but most of all, i needed the reassurance that it’s OKAY not to know what you’re doing with your life.

i first read this when i was sophomore but now that i’m a junior in high school i was able to appreciate the discussion about college SO much more. and fuck did i need that right now, seeing how overwhelmed i’m feeling about all that stuff.

anyway, this is a MUST read for people who are still figuring themselves and their futures out. ten out of ten, will always recommend.



originally read: may 2019
reread: january 2020



—ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”ā¶Ä”


original review:


ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜† | stunning. simple. heartfelt.

this book was fantastic. i read nearly 400 of the 500 pages in a day, i just couldn’t put it down. it was so addictive and so freaking unique. the characters were incredibly charming, the storyline was so heartfelt and oh. my. god. the representation. it just made my heart burst. there were biracial characters. there were bisexual characters. there were characters with anxiety, characters who were agender, characters who were gay. i’ve always had a bit of a tough time trying to label my own sexuality, and to see a demisexual character in a major ya novel be so beautifully represented — it really helped me feel seen. and even though i’m still fine with just using the umbrella term ā€œqueerā€ it was so incredible to learn more about demisexuality and see how it may be one of the few labels i can possibly one day use in confidence.

now, even though i do believe this book was outstanding and well worth the hype, i do think it was pretty predictable and had a bit of a slow start. but those things are almost nonexistent when compared to the overall awesomeness that was this book.

also, carol last can die in a hole.

*actual rating is closer to 4.5


want more of my thoughts? feel free to watch my that i have posted on my booktube channel!
]]>
Red at the Bone 44795541
Named one of the Most Anticipated Books of 2019 by LitHub and The Millions.

Called one of the Top 10 Literary Fiction titles of Fall by Publishers Weekly.

An extraordinary new novel about the influence of history on a contemporary family, from the New York Times-bestselling and National Book Award-winning author of Another Brooklyn and Brown Girl Dreaming.


Two families from different social classes are joined together by an unexpected pregnancy and the child that it produces. Moving forward and backward in time, with the power of poetry and the emotional richness of a narrative ten times its length, Jacqueline Woodson's extraordinary new novel uncovers the role that history and community have played in the experiences, decisions, and relationships of these families, and in the life of this child.

As the book opens in 2001, it is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody's coming of age ceremony in her grandparents' Brooklyn brownstone. Watched lovingly by her relatives and friends, making her entrance to the soundtrack of Prince, she wears a special custom-made dress. But the event is not without poignancy. Sixteen years earlier, that very dress was measured and sewn for a different wearer: Melody's mother, for her own ceremony-- a celebration that ultimately never took place.

Unfurling the history of Melody's parents and grandparents to show how they all arrived at this moment, Woodson considers not just their ambitions and successes but also the costs, the tolls they've paid for striving to overcome expectations and escape the pull of history. As it explores sexual desire and identity, ambition, gentrification, education, class and status, and the life-altering facts of parenthood, Red at the Bone most strikingly looks at the ways in which young people must so often make long-lasting decisions about their lives--even before they have begun to figure out who they are and what they want to be.]]>
4 Jacqueline Woodson 0593147057 (inactive) 4 3.89 2019 Red at the Bone
author: Jacqueline Woodson
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/05
date added: 2020/11/10
shelves:
review:
this was such a fantastic look into family and generational trauma, but also love and joy and pain. the characters were so distinct and the writing was lovely, although it was very difficult to get accustomed to all of the different points of view and understand who was narrating what and what time was what, etc. perhaps some more descriptive headers would’ve helped, but still a very quiet but quick read.
]]>
I Love You So Mochi 41473865
She's obsessed with transforming everyday ephemera into Kimi Originals: bold outfits that make her and her friends feel like the Ultimate versions of themselves. But her mother disapproves, and when they get into an explosive fight, Kimi's entire future seems on the verge of falling apart. So when a surprise letter comes in the mail from Kimi's estranged grandparents, inviting her to Kyoto for spring break, she seizes the opportunity to get away from the disaster of her life.

When she arrives in Japan, she's met with a culture both familiar and completely foreign to her. She loses herself in the city's outdoor markets, art installations, and cherry blossom festival -- and meets Akira, a cute aspiring med student who moonlights as a costumed mochi mascot. And what begins as a trip to escape her problems quickly becomes a way for Kimi to learn more about the mother she left behind, and to figure out where her own heart lies.

In I Love You So Mochi, author Sarah Kuhn has penned a delightfully sweet and irrepressibly funny novel that will make you squee at the cute, cringe at the awkward, and show that sometimes you have to lose yourself in something you love to find your Ultimate self.]]>
308 Sarah Kuhn 1338302884 (inactive) 3 here-for-a-fun-time 3.79 2019 I Love You So Mochi
author: Sarah Kuhn
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/07/29
date added: 2020/10/29
shelves: here-for-a-fun-time
review:
super juvenile and cringey at times, and the plot was pretty insta lovey but it was still fun and cute and fluffy. although, i wish akira had more character depth and personality as he was kinda lame.
]]>
Americanah 18209268 588 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (inactive) 0 to-read 4.31 2013 Americanah
author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/08/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali]]> 40621304
Her parents are devastated and decide to whisk Rukhsana off to Bangladesh, where she is thrown headfirst into a world of arranged marriages and tradition. Through reading her grandmother's old diary, Rukhsana gains some much-needed perspective and realizes she must find the courage to fight for her love without losing the connection to her family as a consequence.]]>
337 Sabina Khan (inactive) 0
i just could not take the homophobia. it’s not romanticized or anything and i think it’s a great representation of homophobic households and cultural issues but as a gay girl myself this really just isn’t what i want to read right now.

i was also not loving the writing style at all, and i absolutely hated the relationship. ariana and the friend group were absolutely horrible to rukhsana and it infuriated me.]]>
4.01 2019 The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali
author: Sabina Khan
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2020/07/16
date added: 2020/07/16
shelves: would-throw-characters-into-lava, dnf
review:
marking as DNF - 50% through.

i just could not take the homophobia. it’s not romanticized or anything and i think it’s a great representation of homophobic households and cultural issues but as a gay girl myself this really just isn’t what i want to read right now.

i was also not loving the writing style at all, and i absolutely hated the relationship. ariana and the friend group were absolutely horrible to rukhsana and it infuriated me.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages (The Mysterious Benedict Society, #4)]]> 44077476 The brilliant and beloved gang from the New York Times bestselling series is back!

The Mysterious Benedict Society is a modern classic, drawing comparisons to J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl, named a Time magazine "Best Young Adult Book of All Time," and selling over three million copies. Some time has passed since the inimitable quartet of Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance have had a mission together. But with the arrival of a new Society member -- and a new threat -- they must reunite to face dilemmas more dangerous than ever before, including the villainous Mr. Curtain and a telepathic enemy tracking their every move, not to mention a dramatically preteen Constance.

In its triumphant return, the Society encounters all new challenges, but the series' trademark sly humor, sweet camaraderie, hairsbreadth escapes, and mind-bending puzzles are all as engaging as ever. Fans of the series will be thrilled to see the Society has grown up a little with them, while a new generation of readers will fall in love with these irresistible adventures.]]>
391 Trenton Lee Stewart (inactive) 0 to-read 4.09 2019 The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages (The Mysterious Benedict Society, #4)
author: Trenton Lee Stewart
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[This Is How You Lose the Time War]]> 43352954 Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.]]>
209 Amal El-Mohtar (inactive) 0 to-read 3.86 2019 This Is How You Lose the Time War
author: Amal El-Mohtar
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[How Do We Relationship?, Vol. 1]]> 52757844
At first it seems like things won't work out as their personalities clash and misunderstandings abound. But when their casual friendship starts to become something more, Miwa begins to wonder—can a pragmatic proposal lead to true love?]]>
216 Tamifull 1974711749 (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 4.06 2019 How Do We Relationship?, Vol. 1
author: Tamifull
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

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<![CDATA[Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, Vol. 1]]> 41085077 A beautiful tale of coming-out and coming-of-age.

Not only is high schooler Tasuku Kaname the new kid in town, he is also terrified that he has been outed as gay. Just as he’s contemplating doing the unthinkable, Tasuku meets a mysterious woman who leads him to a group of people dealing with problems not so different from his own. In this realistic, heartfelt depiction of LGBT+ characters from different backgrounds finding their place in the world, a search for inner peace proves to be the most universal experience of all.]]>
178 Yuhki Kamatani 1642750603 (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 4.29 2015 Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, Vol. 1
author: Yuhki Kamatani
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

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The Silence of Bones 44280973
As they delve deeper into the dead woman’s secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder.

But in a land where silence and obedience are valued above all else, curiosity can be deadly.]]>
326 June Hur 1250229553 (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 3.82 2021 The Silence of Bones
author: June Hur
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

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The Only Good Indians 52180399 The creeping horror of Paul Tremblay meets Tommy Orange’s There There in a dark novel of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.]]>
305 Stephen Graham Jones 1982136456 (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 3.68 2020 The Only Good Indians
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

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It's Not About the Burqa 41155465 In 2016, Mariam Khan read that David Cameron had linked the radicalization of Muslim men to the ā€˜traditional submissiveness’ of Muslim women. Mariam felt pretty sure she didn’t know a single Muslim woman who would describe herself that way. Why was she hearing about Muslim women from people who were neither Muslim, nor female?
Years later the state of the national discourse has deteriorated even further, and Muslim women’s voices are still pushed to the fringes – the figures leading the discussion are white and male.
Taking one of the most politicized and misused words associated with Muslim women and Islamophobia, It’s Not About the Burqa is poised to change all that. Here are voices you won’t see represented in the national news headlines: seventeen Muslim women speaking frankly about the hijab and wavering faith, about love and divorce, about feminism, queer identity, sex, and the twin threats of a disapproving community and a racist country. Funny, warm, sometimes sad, and often angry, each of these essays is a passionate declaration, and each essay is calling time on the oppression, the lazy stereotyping, the misogyny and the Islamophobia.
What does it mean, exactly, to be a Muslim woman in the West today? According to the media, it’s all about the burqa.
Here’s what it’s really about.]]>
272 Mariam Khan 1509886400 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.20 2019 It's Not About the Burqa
author: Mariam Khan
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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Amina's Voice 30312547 208 Hena Khan 1481492063 (inactive) 0 to-read 3.94 2017 Amina's Voice
author: Hena Khan
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Bird King 40642333 Alif the Unseen and writer of the Ms. Marvel series, G. Willow Wilson

Set in 1491 during the reign of the last sultanate in the Iberian peninsula, The Bird King is the story of Fatima, the only remaining Circassian concubine to the sultan, and her dearest friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker.

Hassan has a secret--he can draw maps of places he's never seen and bend the shape of reality. When representatives of the newly formed Spanish monarchy arrive to negotiate the sultan's surrender, Fatima befriends one of the women, not realizing that she will see Hassan's gift as sorcery and a threat to Christian Spanish rule. With their freedoms at stake, what will Fatima risk to save Hassan and escape the palace walls?

As Fatima and Hassan traverse Spain with the help of a clever jinn to find safety, The Bird King asks us to consider what love is and the price of freedom at a time when the West and the Muslim world were not yet separate.]]>
403 G. Willow Wilson 080212903X (inactive) 0 to-read 3.68 2019 The Bird King
author: G. Willow Wilson
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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One to Watch 53103895 Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?

Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition--under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She's in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That's it.

But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She's in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale.]]>
417 Kate Stayman-London 0525510443 (inactive) 0 to-read 3.86 2020 One to Watch
author: Kate Stayman-London
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
Beach Read 52867387 A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.]]>
371 Emily Henry 1984806734 (inactive) 0 to-read 3.99 2020 Beach Read
author: Emily Henry
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[We Are the Ashes, We are the Fire]]> 40898731 From the author of the acclaimed Blood Water Paint, a new contemporary YA novel in prose and verse about a girl struggling with guilt and a desire for revenge after her sister’s rapist escapes with no prison time.

Em Morales’s older sister was raped by another student after a frat party. A jury eventually found the rapist guilty on all counts–a remarkable verdict that Em felt more than a little responsible for, since she was her sister’s strongest advocate on social media during the trial. Her passion and outspokenness helped dissuade the DA from settling for a plea deal. Em’s family would have real justice.

But the victory is short lived. In a matter of minutes, justice vanishes as the judge turns the Morales family’s world upside down again by sentencing the rapist to no prison time. While her family is stunned, Em is literally sick with rage and guilt. To make matters worse, a news clip of her saying that the sentence ā€œmakes me want to use a fucking swordā€ goes viral.

From this low point, Em must find a new reason to go on and help her family heal, and she finds it in the unlikely form of the story of a 15th-century French noblewoman, Marguerite de Bressieux, who is legendary as an avenging knight for rape victims.

We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire is a searing and nuanced portrait of a young woman torn between a persistent desire for revenge and a burning need for hope.]]>
400 Joy McCullough (inactive) 0 to-read, anticipating 3.59 2021 We Are the Ashes, We are the Fire
author: Joy McCullough
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/13
shelves: to-read, anticipating
review:

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Red, White & Royal Blue 53437272 What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.

Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn't always diplomatic.]]>
421 Casey McQuiston (inactive) 5
reread: july 2020
originally read: june 2019



original review:


ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜† | witty. smutty. hilarious.



[actual rating closer to 4.5] alright, so i had a lot of fun with this book. the characters were super enjoyable, the dynamics between them hella entertaining, and the humor throughout the book was just impeccable. but even though i’m marking this as a new favorite of mine, that doesn’t mean i can’t balance out this review and point out some flaws as well.




straight people, he thinks, probably don’t spend this much time convincing themselves they’re straight.




• what i loved •

✦ the humor.
this book had me laughing embarrassingly loud in very public places more than once. all of the character were just so entertaining, and the dialogue was just so phenomenal and hilarious i was living for it. i just had so much FUN while reading and the book as a whole just made me really, really happy. i could not stop smiling.

✦ the characters.
alex and henry were obviously amazing protagonists but i think the side characters are what really made me fall in love with this story. nora and zahra and june and the security guards and the parents and luna and UGH, everyone! they all had some sort of character arc which i was TOTALLY here for, and the way they all had a distinct voice and all played some key role in the plot made me so happy. gah, they were all so great.

✦ the relationships.
yeah yeah, the main romance was super cute, but like who’s surprised? henry and alex has some great chemistry and the hate to love trope was done remarkably well, but can we talk about the other dynamics between characters??? the friendships in this book were absolutely incredible, the connection between alex and his family was amazing and so pure and just EVERYONE was perfect for EVERYONE.

✦ the rep.
this book was so wonderfully diverse. there were poc main characters and, of course, many queer folks as well. alex coming to terms with his bisexuality was so well represented and felt so raw and genuine and important.




ā€˜we meet so many people. i mean, thousands and thousands of people, and a lot of them are morons, and a lot of them are incredible, unique people, but i almost never meet somebody who’s a match for you. do you know that?’ she leans forward and touches his knee, pink fingernails on his navy chinos. ā€˜you have so much in you, it’s almost impossible to match it. but he’s your match, dumbass.’




• what could’ve been better •

✦ the narrative.
okay, so this is nit picky as hell but i hated that this was told in third person. it’s literally in the head of alex the whole time and it took me so long to get the hang of the fact that it WASN’T actually alex in first person, and i’d get lost all the time and lose track of who was speaking. it was really frustrating. it could have been such a smoother read if it was written in first person, just saying.

✦ the political language.
this got a little better near the end but i found myself zoning out a lot during the chapters droning on about political strategy and who was who and what was what and what acronym meant what and i was just so hopelessly lost at points lmao. i get it’s a very political book, but it could have done with a lot less paragraphs of economics and yada yada yada. or, maybe it would have been nice if they were simply better explained; that way i could feel less stupid and confused while reading.

✦ the abundant sex.
okay, i know this is an adult romance and whatever but there was just too much fucking going on. i get that others might very well enjoy smut and this is obviously very objective (especially since i’m one, demisexual and dick makes me want to vomit and two, fifteen) but i was more interested in the sweet, cute scenes of henry and alex talking on the phone, or texting, or emailing than i was interested in how they were screwing each other. i just think the book would have been fine without, like, 45% of the sex scenes.

✦ the pacing.
this book was a lot longer than it needed to be. there were definitely some parts in the middle where everything started to sound super dragged out and slow. don’t get me wrong, things picked up pretty fast eventually but i still think the lowly pacing is something to point out.




ā€˜someone else’s choice doesn’t change who you are.’
ā€˜i feel like it does,’ alex tells him. ā€˜i wanted to believe in some people being good and doing this job because they want to do good. doing the right things most of the time and most things for the right reasons. i wanted to be the kind of person who believes in that.’




overall, i totally get the hype with this one. most of my gripes with it are more personal taste, so i totally support those five star reviews out there and this is still easily a new favorite book. but, it was definitely not without its flaws.



red, white & royal blue: a playlist:

✦ my my my! by troye sivan
✦ strange love by halsey
✦ when the party’s over by billie eilish
✦ from the dining table by harry styles
✦ i walk the line by halsey]]>
4.18 2019 Red, White & Royal Blue
author: Casey McQuiston
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/12
date added: 2020/07/12
shelves: books-that-watered-my-crops, characters-i-would-marry, here-for-a-fun-time
review:
4.5 stars | this book makes my heart SO happy like you have no idea. i stand by my original review for the most part except i’m less of a prude now lmao so i had less of a problem with the (actually fairly tame) sex scenes. still found some parts a liiiiittle slow but this book will forever be a favorite. also i wanted to mention that the Mexican rep in this books is said to be not that great by own voices reviewers, so that’s definitely something to keep in mind before picking this up!

reread: july 2020
originally read: june 2019



original review:


ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜† | witty. smutty. hilarious.



[actual rating closer to 4.5] alright, so i had a lot of fun with this book. the characters were super enjoyable, the dynamics between them hella entertaining, and the humor throughout the book was just impeccable. but even though i’m marking this as a new favorite of mine, that doesn’t mean i can’t balance out this review and point out some flaws as well.




straight people, he thinks, probably don’t spend this much time convincing themselves they’re straight.




• what i loved •

✦ the humor.
this book had me laughing embarrassingly loud in very public places more than once. all of the character were just so entertaining, and the dialogue was just so phenomenal and hilarious i was living for it. i just had so much FUN while reading and the book as a whole just made me really, really happy. i could not stop smiling.

✦ the characters.
alex and henry were obviously amazing protagonists but i think the side characters are what really made me fall in love with this story. nora and zahra and june and the security guards and the parents and luna and UGH, everyone! they all had some sort of character arc which i was TOTALLY here for, and the way they all had a distinct voice and all played some key role in the plot made me so happy. gah, they were all so great.

✦ the relationships.
yeah yeah, the main romance was super cute, but like who’s surprised? henry and alex has some great chemistry and the hate to love trope was done remarkably well, but can we talk about the other dynamics between characters??? the friendships in this book were absolutely incredible, the connection between alex and his family was amazing and so pure and just EVERYONE was perfect for EVERYONE.

✦ the rep.
this book was so wonderfully diverse. there were poc main characters and, of course, many queer folks as well. alex coming to terms with his bisexuality was so well represented and felt so raw and genuine and important.




ā€˜we meet so many people. i mean, thousands and thousands of people, and a lot of them are morons, and a lot of them are incredible, unique people, but i almost never meet somebody who’s a match for you. do you know that?’ she leans forward and touches his knee, pink fingernails on his navy chinos. ā€˜you have so much in you, it’s almost impossible to match it. but he’s your match, dumbass.’




• what could’ve been better •

✦ the narrative.
okay, so this is nit picky as hell but i hated that this was told in third person. it’s literally in the head of alex the whole time and it took me so long to get the hang of the fact that it WASN’T actually alex in first person, and i’d get lost all the time and lose track of who was speaking. it was really frustrating. it could have been such a smoother read if it was written in first person, just saying.

✦ the political language.
this got a little better near the end but i found myself zoning out a lot during the chapters droning on about political strategy and who was who and what was what and what acronym meant what and i was just so hopelessly lost at points lmao. i get it’s a very political book, but it could have done with a lot less paragraphs of economics and yada yada yada. or, maybe it would have been nice if they were simply better explained; that way i could feel less stupid and confused while reading.

✦ the abundant sex.
okay, i know this is an adult romance and whatever but there was just too much fucking going on. i get that others might very well enjoy smut and this is obviously very objective (especially since i’m one, demisexual and dick makes me want to vomit and two, fifteen) but i was more interested in the sweet, cute scenes of henry and alex talking on the phone, or texting, or emailing than i was interested in how they were screwing each other. i just think the book would have been fine without, like, 45% of the sex scenes.

✦ the pacing.
this book was a lot longer than it needed to be. there were definitely some parts in the middle where everything started to sound super dragged out and slow. don’t get me wrong, things picked up pretty fast eventually but i still think the lowly pacing is something to point out.




ā€˜someone else’s choice doesn’t change who you are.’
ā€˜i feel like it does,’ alex tells him. ā€˜i wanted to believe in some people being good and doing this job because they want to do good. doing the right things most of the time and most things for the right reasons. i wanted to be the kind of person who believes in that.’




overall, i totally get the hype with this one. most of my gripes with it are more personal taste, so i totally support those five star reviews out there and this is still easily a new favorite book. but, it was definitely not without its flaws.



red, white & royal blue: a playlist:

✦ my my my! by troye sivan
✦ strange love by halsey
✦ when the party’s over by billie eilish
✦ from the dining table by harry styles
✦ i walk the line by halsey
]]>
<![CDATA[The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones]]> 53805921
Armed with two bikes and an unlimited supply of root beer floats, Ethan and Juniper set out to find their place in a town that’s bent on rejecting them. As Ethan is confronted for the first time by what it means to be Black in America, Juniper tries to help him see the beauty in even the ugliest reality, and that even the darkest days can give rise to an invincible summer.

Daven McQueen’s Juniper Jones is a character for all ages in this sweet coming of age story set in 1950s Alabama.]]>
312 Daven McQueen 1989365167 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.42 2020 The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones
author: Daven McQueen
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/12
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America]]> 17802069 272 Thomas King 0816689768 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.06 2012 The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America
author: Thomas King
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/12
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Cemetery Boys (Cemetery Boys, #1)]]> 52339313
When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.]]>
344 Aiden Thomas 1250250463 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.26 2020 Cemetery Boys (Cemetery Boys, #1)
author: Aiden Thomas
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/10
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Nick and Charlie (Solitaire, #1.5)]]> 49438663 A short novella based on the beloved characters from the graphic novel Heartstopper and Alice Oseman’s debut novel Solitaire, which was praised as ā€˜The Catcher in the Rye for the digital age’ by The Times.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

CHARLIE: ā€œI have been going out with Nick Nelson for two years. He likes rugby, Formula 1, dogs, the Marvel universe, the sound felt-tips make on paper, rain and drawing on shoes. He also likes me.ā€

NICK: ā€œThings me and Charlie Spring do together include: Watch films. Sit in the same room on different laptops. Text each other from different rooms. Make out. Make food. Make drinks. Get drunk. Talk. Argue. Laugh. Maybe we're kind of boring. But that’s fine with us.ā€

Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie are the perfect couple – that they’re inseparable. But now Nick is leaving for university, and Charlie will be left behind at Sixth Form. Everyone’s asking if they’re staying together, which is a stupid question – they’re ā€˜Nick and Charlie’ for God’s sake!

But as the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Or are they delaying the inevitable? Because everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever …]]>
159 Alice Oseman 0008389667 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.13 2015 Nick and Charlie (Solitaire, #1.5)
author: Alice Oseman
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/10
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Sweet Blue Flowers Omnibus, Vol. 1]]> 32919015
Fumi is glad Akira is back in her life. Even in kindergarten, Akira knew how to stand up for herself, and she was always willing to stand up for Fumi too. But Fumi’s first love recently got married, and Fumi is grappling with a broken heartĢżandĢżthe fact that her sweetheart was another woman… Can Akira’s open heart help dispel the gloom Fumi has been caught up in?]]>
382 Takako Shimura 1421592983 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 3.63 2017 Sweet Blue Flowers Omnibus, Vol. 1
author: Takako Shimura
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/10
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine]]> 35080547 No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

Soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the smart, warm, and uplifting story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .

The only way to survive is to open your heart. ]]>
400 Gail Honeyman 0008172129 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.29 2017 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
author: Gail Honeyman
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/10
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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The Vanishing Half 51791252
Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.]]>
343 Brit Bennett 0525536299 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.11 2020 The Vanishing Half
author: Brit Bennett
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/10
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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Little Universes 44222386
When a tsunami strikes the island where their parents are vacationing, it soon becomes clear that their mom and dad are never coming home. Forced to move to Boston from sunny California for the rest of their senior year, each girl struggles with secrets their parents’ death has brought to light, and with their uncertainty about the future. Instead of bringing them closer, it feels like the wave has torn the sisters apart.

Hannah is a secret poet who wants to be seen, but only knows how to hide. The pain pills she stole from her dead father hurl her onto the shores of an addiction she can’t shake and a dealer who turns her heart upside down. When it’s clear Hannah’s drowning, Mae, a budding astronaut suddenly launched into an existential crisis—and unexpected love—must choose between herself and the only family she has left.]]>
368 Heather Demetrios 1250222796 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.30 2020 Little Universes
author: Heather Demetrios
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/10
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars]]> 32279708 Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom is the highly sensational, ultra-exciting, sort-of true coming-of-age story of a young Asian trans girl, pathological liar, and kung-fu expert who runs away from her parents’ abusive home in a rainy city called Gloom. Striking off on her own, she finds her true family in a group of larger-than-life trans femmes who live in a mysterious pleasure district known only as the Street of Miracles. Under the wings of this fierce and fabulous flock, Dearly blossoms into the woman she has always dreamed of being, with a little help from the unscrupulous Doctor Crocodile. When one of their number is brutally murdered, the protagonist joins her sisters in forming a vigilante gang to fight back against the transphobes, violent johns, and cops that stalk the Street of Miracles. But when things go terribly wrong, she must find the truth within herself in order to stop the violence and discover what it really means to grow up and find your family.]]> 188 Kai Cheng Thom 0994047134 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.25 2016 Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars
author: Kai Cheng Thom
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/10
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[The Family Upstairs (The Family Upstairs, #1)]]> 43822820 here.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

The can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.]]>
352 Lisa Jewell 1501190105 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 3.93 2019 The Family Upstairs (The Family Upstairs, #1)
author: Lisa Jewell
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/10
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[Avatar: The Last Airbender: Smoke and Shadow, Part 1 (Smoke and Shadow, #1)]]> 26297165 80 Gene Luen Yang 1630085928 (inactive) 4 4.51 2015 Avatar: The Last Airbender: Smoke and Shadow, Part 1 (Smoke and Shadow, #1)
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/10
date added: 2020/07/10
shelves: characters-i-would-marry, here-for-a-fun-time
review:
i don’t think i’ll ever have enough of these characters or their issues or their world
]]>
On the Come Up 35887567 An alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780062498564 can be found here.

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.]]>
464 Angie Thomas (inactive) 5
reread: july 2020
originally read: may 2019


original review:

maddening. relevant. gripping.


jay sighs out of her nose. ā€˜sometimes the rules are different for black folks, baby,’ she says. ā€˜hell, sometimes they’re playing checkers while we’re in a complicated-ass chess game. it’s an awful fact of life, but it’s a fact. midtown is unfortunately one of those places where we not only gotta play chess, but you gotta play it by a different set of rules.’



i went into this knowing i’d really, really enjoy it. i had no clue how much i’d absolutely adore it though. it was so powerful and funny and balanced and beautiful. an incredible story written by an incredible person.


all these folks i’ve never met became gods over my life. now i gotta take the power back.



what i liked:

✦ the raps.
the raps and lyrics were by far my favorite parts of this book. angie thomas did an amazing job in having bri be super super talented. i found myself ooohing along with the fictional audience more than once while reading.

✦ the general writing.
i really like thomas’s writing. it’s so clean and simple but it’s also hilarious and stays true to the first person narrative. and that’s a style of writing i usually don’t mesh with. but with this book? i can see it done in no better way.

✦ the family dynamics.
i feel like thomas is the only ya writer who acknowledges that characters have parents, and siblings, and aunts and uncles and grandparents. it adds so much to the story when you can see these family relationships and watch how the characters react and love each other. it was just so well done.

✦ the relevance.
it’s no secret that a ton of these topics are super relevant in today’s society. but thomas deals with themes such as racism and sexism and gang violence and drugs in such a mature and approachable way. it’s something so many more authors need to start doing.

✦ the humor.
this book was funny as hell. i laughed so much while reading it wasn’t okay. the narration was just so hilarious and real and perfect.


look, i know my aunt does foul stuff, okay? but i’d rather see her as my hero than as somebody else’s villain.



what i didn’t like:

✦ the pop culture references.
i’m not going to dock off any stars for this, but there were so. many. references. don’t get me wrong, i found them funny and endearing and they work perfectly in today’s era and culture. but in ten years? this book will seem so dated and it just makes me really annoyed because i can easily see this being becoming a classic in a century or two but not everyone on mars then will know where the fuck wakanda was.


really, it’s not. tweety bird? the love of my life. big bird? i don’t trust that ho. plus, have you seen his nest? he probably hides bodies in it.



everyone should read this book. for real. it gives so much insight on the lives of people other than yourself, and really gives you some perspective on your own privilege. a solid five star read, i’ll be recommending this ā€˜till the day i die.


5 stars


want more of my thoughts? feel free to watch my that i have posted on my booktube channel!]]>
4.25 2019 On the Come Up
author: Angie Thomas
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/09
date added: 2020/07/09
shelves: books-that-watered-my-crops, god-tier-shit
review:
this book fucking slaps, man. also that audiobook narrator? impeccable.

reread: july 2020
originally read: may 2019


original review:

maddening. relevant. gripping.


jay sighs out of her nose. ā€˜sometimes the rules are different for black folks, baby,’ she says. ā€˜hell, sometimes they’re playing checkers while we’re in a complicated-ass chess game. it’s an awful fact of life, but it’s a fact. midtown is unfortunately one of those places where we not only gotta play chess, but you gotta play it by a different set of rules.’



i went into this knowing i’d really, really enjoy it. i had no clue how much i’d absolutely adore it though. it was so powerful and funny and balanced and beautiful. an incredible story written by an incredible person.


all these folks i’ve never met became gods over my life. now i gotta take the power back.



what i liked:

✦ the raps.
the raps and lyrics were by far my favorite parts of this book. angie thomas did an amazing job in having bri be super super talented. i found myself ooohing along with the fictional audience more than once while reading.

✦ the general writing.
i really like thomas’s writing. it’s so clean and simple but it’s also hilarious and stays true to the first person narrative. and that’s a style of writing i usually don’t mesh with. but with this book? i can see it done in no better way.

✦ the family dynamics.
i feel like thomas is the only ya writer who acknowledges that characters have parents, and siblings, and aunts and uncles and grandparents. it adds so much to the story when you can see these family relationships and watch how the characters react and love each other. it was just so well done.

✦ the relevance.
it’s no secret that a ton of these topics are super relevant in today’s society. but thomas deals with themes such as racism and sexism and gang violence and drugs in such a mature and approachable way. it’s something so many more authors need to start doing.

✦ the humor.
this book was funny as hell. i laughed so much while reading it wasn’t okay. the narration was just so hilarious and real and perfect.


look, i know my aunt does foul stuff, okay? but i’d rather see her as my hero than as somebody else’s villain.



what i didn’t like:

✦ the pop culture references.
i’m not going to dock off any stars for this, but there were so. many. references. don’t get me wrong, i found them funny and endearing and they work perfectly in today’s era and culture. but in ten years? this book will seem so dated and it just makes me really annoyed because i can easily see this being becoming a classic in a century or two but not everyone on mars then will know where the fuck wakanda was.


really, it’s not. tweety bird? the love of my life. big bird? i don’t trust that ho. plus, have you seen his nest? he probably hides bodies in it.



everyone should read this book. for real. it gives so much insight on the lives of people other than yourself, and really gives you some perspective on your own privilege. a solid five star read, i’ll be recommending this ā€˜till the day i die.


5 stars


want more of my thoughts? feel free to watch my that i have posted on my booktube channel!
]]>
<![CDATA[Avatar: The Last Airbender - Smoke and Shadow, Part 2 (Smoke and Shadow, #2)]]> 23965437 What is the secret of the Kemurikage?

The shadowy spirits known as the Kemurikage are abducting children throughout the Fire Nation Capital, sowing widespread fear and panic in their wake. Desperate to determine what has angered these spirits, Aang and Zuko search for clues deep in the Dragonbone Catacombs underneath the Fire Sages Capital Temple. Can they uncover the hidden history of the Kemurikage and solve the mystery in time, or will more children be taken?]]>
76 Gene Luen Yang 1616557907 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.43 2015 Avatar: The Last Airbender - Smoke and Shadow, Part 2 (Smoke and Shadow, #2)
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/09
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[Avatar: The Last Airbender - Smoke and Shadow, Part 3 (Smoke and Shadow, #3)]]> 25938014 The identity of the Kemurikage revealed!

When Azula is discovered to be the ringleader o the shadowy Kemurikage, Aang and Zuko will stop at nothing to chase her down and rescue the children--even if it means turning on each other! As Zuko locks down the capital to find her, riots erupt in the streets and the citizens are on edge. An unexpected clue from Mai and Ty Lee will help Team Avatar uncover Azula's plot, which is more sinister than they could have imagined. Will they stop her in time?

Written and drawn by the creative team behind the best-selling The Promise, The Search and The Rift, Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru, in collaboration with Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, this is the ultimate continuation of Avatar and the perfect companion to Legend of Korra!]]>
76 Gene Luen Yang 1616558385 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.42 2016 Avatar: The Last Airbender - Smoke and Shadow, Part 3 (Smoke and Shadow, #3)
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/09
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[The Wicker King (The Wicker King, #1)]]> 33158541
August and Jack struggle to keep afloat as they teeter between fantasy and their own emotions. In the end, each must choose his own truth.]]>
305 K. Ancrum 1250101549 (inactive) 5
reread: july 2020
originally read: september 2019


i would set myself on fire for this book.]]>
4.00 2017 The Wicker King (The Wicker King, #1)
author: K. Ancrum
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/09
date added: 2020/07/09
shelves: god-tier-shit, characters-i-would-marry
review:
yup, still loved it. still teared up. and i would still die for these characters.

reread: july 2020
originally read: september 2019


i would set myself on fire for this book.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Legend of the Golden Raven (The Wicker King, #1.5)]]> 36507382 K. Ancrum's The Legend of the Golden Raven novella, part fairy tale and part gritty reality, follows a boy as he descends into madness.

August and Jack weren’t meant to be friends. One is a misfit with a pyro streak and the other a golden boy on the rugby team. But as their relationship intensifies, Jack slowly begins to lose his mind—taking readers on an intimate journey into the fantasy kingdom creeping into the edges of his world.

As the novella moves back and forth between a medieval legend and our own, contemporary world, nothing is as it seems. The boys alienate everyone around them as they struggle with their sanity and as Jack’s quest to fulfill a dark prophecy begins to consume them both . . .

Devour this companion novella to The Wicker King.

An ImprintBook

]]>
32 K. Ancrum (inactive) 0 to-read 3.73 2017 The Legend of the Golden Raven (The Wicker King, #1.5)
author: K. Ancrum
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/09
shelves: to-read
review:

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How We Fight For Our Lives 43682552 From award-winning poet Saeed Jones, How We Fight for Our Lives is a stunning coming-of-age memoir written at the crossroads of sex, race, and power.

ā€œPeople don’t just happen,ā€ writes Saeed Jones. ā€œWe sacrifice former versions of ourselves. We sacrifice the people who dared to raise us. The ā€˜I’ it seems doesn’t exist until we are able to say, ā€˜I am no longer yours.’ ā€

Haunted and haunting, Jones’s memoir tells the story of a young, black, gay man from the South as he fights to carve out a place for himself, within his family, within his country, within his own hopes, desires, and fears. Through a series of vignettes that chart a course across the American landscape, Jones draws readers into his boyhood and adolescence—into tumultuous relationships with his mother and grandmother, into passing flings with lovers, friends and strangers. Each piece builds into a larger examination of race and queerness, power and vulnerability, love and grief: a portrait of what we all do for one another—and to one another—as we fight to become ourselves.

Blending poetry and prose, Jones has developed a style that is equal parts sensual, beautiful, and powerful—a voice that’s by turns a river, a blues, and a nightscape set ablaze. How We Fight for Our Lives is a one of a kind memoir and a book that cements Saeed Jones as an essential writer for our time.]]>
192 Saeed Jones 1501132733 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.27 2019 How We Fight For Our Lives
author: Saeed Jones
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/08
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, #1)]]> 50548197
A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets.

There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere.

El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.]]>
320 Naomi Novik 0593128486 (inactive) 0 to-read, anticipating 3.93 2020 A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, #1)
author: Naomi Novik
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, anticipating
review:

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Conjure Women 51220325 A mother and daughter with a shared talent for healing—and for the conjuring of curses—are at the heart of this dazzling first novel

Conjure Women is a sweeping story that brings the world of the South before and after the Civil War vividly to life. Spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives of three unforgettable women: Miss May Belle, a wise healing woman; her precocious and observant daughter Rue, who is reluctant to follow in her mother's footsteps as a midwife; and their master's daughter Varina. The secrets and bonds among these women and their community come to a head at the beginning of a war and at the birth of an accursed child, who sets the townspeople alight with fear and a spreading superstition that threatens their newly won, tenuous freedom.

Magnificently written, brilliantly researched, richly imagined, Conjure Women moves back and forth in time to tell the haunting story of Rue, Varina, and May Belle, their passions and friendships, and the lengths they will go to save themselves and those they love.]]>
400 Afia Atakora 0525511482 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 3.85 2020 Conjure Women
author: Afia Atakora
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[The Never Tilting World (The Never Tilting World, #1)]]> 36321739 Frozen meets Mad Max in this epic teen fantasy duology bursting with star-crossed romance, immortal heroines, and elemental magic, perfect for fans of Furyborn.

Generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon. But seventeen years ago, one sister’s betrayal defied an ancient prophecy and split their world in two. The planet ceased to spin, and a Great Abyss now divides two realms: one cloaked in perpetual night, the other scorched by an unrelenting sun.

While one sister rules Aranth—a frozen city surrounded by a storm-wracked sea —her twin inhabits the sand-locked Golden City. Each goddess has raised a daughter, and each keeps her own secrets about her sister’s betrayal.

But when shadowy forces begin to call their daughters, Odessa and Haidee, back to the site of the Breaking, the two young goddesses —along with a powerful healer from Aranth, and a mouthy desert scavenger —set out on separate journeys across treacherous wastelands, desperate to heal their broken world. No matter the sacrifice it demands.]]>
481 Rin Chupeco 0062821792 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 3.78 2019 The Never Tilting World (The Never Tilting World, #1)
author: Rin Chupeco
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle, #1)]]> 51190882
Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor's lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for.

At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She's a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece.

Librarian Note: Older cover of B07VH6Y4JD.]]>
119 Nghi Vo (inactive) 0 to-read, library 3.91 2020 The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle, #1)
author: Nghi Vo
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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The Vanished Birds 45422268
"This is when your life begins."

Nia Imani is a woman out of place and outside of time. Decades of travel through the stars are condensed into mere months for her, though the years continue to march steadily onward for everyone she has ever known. Her friends and lovers have aged past her; all she has left is work. Alone and adrift, she lives only for the next paycheck, until the day she meets a mysterious boy, fallen from the sky.

A boy, broken by his past.

The scarred child does not speak, his only form of communication the beautiful and haunting music he plays on an old wooden flute. Captured by his songs and their strange, immediate connection, Nia decides to take the boy in. And over years of starlit travel, these two outsiders discover in each other the things they lack. For him, a home, a place of love and safety. For her, an anchor to the world outside of herself.

For both of them, a family.

But Nia is not the only one who wants the boy. The past hungers for him, and when it catches up, it threatens to tear this makeshift family apart.]]>
391 Simon Jimenez 0593128982 (inactive) 0 to-read, monthly-tbr, library 4.05 2020 The Vanished Birds
author: Simon Jimenez
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, monthly-tbr, library
review:

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The Antidote For Everything 46038609 In this whip-smart and timely novel from acclaimed author Kimmery Martin, two doctors travel a surprising path when they must choose between treating their patients and keeping their jobs.

Georgia Brown’s profession as a urologist requires her to interact with plenty of naked men, but her romantic prospects have fizzled. The most important person in her life is her friend Jonah Tsukada, a funny, empathetic family medicine doctor who works at the same hospital in Charleston, South Carolina and who has become as close as family to her.

Just after Georgia leaves the country for a medical conference, Jonah shares startling news. The hospital is instructing doctors to stop providing medical care for transgender patients. Jonah, a gay man, is the first to be fired when he refuses to abandon his patients. Stunned by the predicament of her closest friend, Georgia’s natural instinct is to fight alongside him. But when her attempts to address the situation result in incalculable harm, both Georgia and Jonah find themselves facing the loss of much more than their careers.]]>
384 Kimmery Martin 1984802836 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 3.57 2020 The Antidote For Everything
author: Kimmery Martin
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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Picture Us in the Light 35960060 Danny Cheng has always known his parents have secrets. But when he discovers a taped-up box in his father's closet filled with old letters and a file on a powerful Silicon Valley family, he realizes there's much more to his family's past than he ever imagined.

Danny has been an artist for as long as he can remember and it seems his path is set, with a scholarship to RISD and his family's blessing to pursue the career he's always dreamed of. Still, contemplating a future without his best friend, Harry Wong, by his side makes Danny feel a panic he can barely put into words. Harry and Danny's lives are deeply intertwined and as they approach the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that shook their friend group to its core, Danny can't stop asking himself if Harry is truly in love with his girlfriend, Regina Chan.

When Danny digs deeper into his parents' past, he uncovers a secret that disturbs the foundations of his family history and the carefully constructed facade his parents have maintained begins to crumble. With everything he loves in danger of being stripped away, Danny must face the ghosts of the past in order to build a future that belongs to him.]]>
361 Kelly Loy Gilbert 1484726022 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.09 2018 Picture Us in the Light
author: Kelly Loy Gilbert
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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Tyler Johnson Was Here 35604682
The next day, Tyler has gone missing, and it's up to Marvin to find him. But when Tyler is found dead, a video leaked online tells an even more chilling story: Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer. Terrified as his mother unravels and mourning a brother who is now a hashtag, Marvin must learn what justice and freedom really mean.]]>
304 Jay Coles 0316440779 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 3.87 2018 Tyler Johnson Was Here
author: Jay Coles
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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Riot Baby 43719523
Rooted in the hope that can live in anger, Riot Baby is as much an intimate family story as a global dystopian narrative. It burns fearlessly toward revolution and has quietly devastating things to say about love, fury, and the black American experience.

Ella and Kev are both shockingly human and immeasurably powerful. Their childhoods are defined and destroyed by racism. Their futures might alter the world.]]>
167 Tochi Onyebuchi 1250214769 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 3.72 2020 Riot Baby
author: Tochi Onyebuchi
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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Patsy 41817523
Beating with the pulse of a long-witheld confession, Patsy gives voice to a woman who looks to America for the opportunity to choose herself first―not to give a better life to her family back home. Patsy leaves Tru behind in a defiant act of self-preservation, hoping for a new start where she can be, and love, whomever she wants. But when Patsy arrives in Brooklyn, America is not as Cicely’s treasured letters described; to survive as an undocumented immigrant, she is forced to work as a bathroom attendant and nanny. Meanwhile, Tru builds a faltering relationship with her father back in Jamaica, grappling with her own questions of identity and sexuality, and trying desperately to empathize with her mother’s decision.

Expertly evoking the jittery streets of New York and the languid rhythms of Jamaica, Patsy weaves between the lives of Patsy and Tru in vignettes spanning more than a decade as mother and daughter ultimately find a way back to one another.]]>
419 Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn 1631495631 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 3.91 2019 Patsy
author: Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters, #2)]]> 52090948 Talia Hibbert returns with another charming romantic comedy about a young woman who agrees to fake date her friend after a video of him ā€œrescuingā€ her from their office building goes viral...

Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.

When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?

Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his... um, thighs.

Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?]]>
400 Talia Hibbert 0062941232 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.12 2020 Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters, #2)
author: Talia Hibbert
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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Catherine House 51934838 A story about a dangerously curious young undergraduate whose rebelliousness leads her to discover a shocking secret involving an exclusive circle of students . . . and the dark truth beneath her school’s promise of prestige.

You are in the house and the house is in the woods.
You are in the house and the house is in you . . .


Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum, wildly selective admissions policy, and formidable endowment, has produced some of the world’s best minds: prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices, presidents. For those lucky few selected, tuition, room, and board are free. But acceptance comes with a price. Students are required to give the House three years—summers included—completely removed from the outside world. Family, friends, television, music, even their clothing must be left behind. In return, the school promises its graduates a future of sublime power and prestige, and that they can become anything or anyone they desire.

Among this year’s incoming class is Ines, who expects to trade blurry nights of parties, pills, cruel friends, and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual discipline—only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry. The school’s enigmatic director, Viktória, encourages the students to explore, to expand their minds, to find themselves and their place within the formidable black iron gates of Catherine.

For Ines, Catherine is the closest thing to a home she’s ever had, and her serious, timid roommate, Baby, soon becomes an unlikely friend. Yet the House’s strange protocols make this refuge, with its worn velvet and weathered leather, feel increasingly like a gilded prison. And when Baby’s obsessive desire for acceptance ends in tragedy, Ines begins to suspect that the school—in all its shabby splendor, hallowed history, advanced theories, and controlled decadence—might be hiding a dangerous agenda that is connected to a secretive, tightly knit group of students selected to study its most promising and mysterious curriculum.]]>
311 Elisabeth Thomas 0062905651 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 3.10 2020 Catherine House
author: Elisabeth Thomas
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.10
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/07/07
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review:

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The Water Dancer 43982054 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here and here.

Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her—but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. This brush with death births an urgency in Hiram and a daring scheme: to escape from the only home he’s ever known.

So begins an unexpected journey that takes Hiram from the corrupt grandeur of Virginia’s proud plantations to desperate guerrilla cells in the wilderness, from the coffin of the Deep South to dangerously idealistic movements in the North. Even as he’s enlisted in the underground war between slavers and the enslaved, Hiram’s resolve to rescue the family he left behind endures.

This is the dramatic story of an atrocity inflicted on generations of women, men, and children—the violent and capricious separation of families—and the war they waged to simply make lives with the people they loved. Written by one of today’s most exciting thinkers and writers, The Water Dancer is a propulsive, transcendent work that restores the humanity of those from whom everything was stolen.]]>
416 Ta-Nehisi Coates (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.03 2019 The Water Dancer
author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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Biased 36203381 ā€˜Jennifer Eberhardt gives us the opportunity to talk about race in new ways, ultimately transforming our thinking about ourselves and the world we want to create.’ Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow

ā€˜Jennifer Eberhardt is one of the great thinkers and one of the great voices of our time.’ Carol Dweck, author of Mindset

ā€˜G°ł“Ē³Ü²Ō»å²ś°ł±š²¹°ģ¾±²Ō²µ... essential reading for anyone interested in how we become a more just society.’ Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy

Professor Jennifer Eberhardt is a Stanford Social Psychologist and one of the world’s leading experts on racial bias. In Biased, she draws on groundbreaking research to demonstrate that even without explicit racism, our unconscious biases powerfully shape our behaviour leading to racial disparities in all sectors of society.

In a global society of increased migration and social movement, Biased highlights the social problems that arise when different races meet, and demonstrates the stubbornly persistent role of racial bias in a world where economic and geographic realities are rapidly changing.

Perhaps more importantly, Biased not only describes one of the most fundamental problems of our age, but puts forward solutions. Unconscious bias is a common human condition to be recognised and managed, not a sin to be punished. Only through understanding comes change.]]>
352 Jennifer L. Eberhardt 1785151479 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.39 2019 Biased
author: Jennifer L. Eberhardt
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
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review:

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Swimming in the Dark 49208237 229 Tomasz Jedrowski 1526604965 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.26 2020 Swimming in the Dark
author: Tomasz Jedrowski
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance]]> 51848964 From ā€œone of the greatest writers of our timeā€ (Toni Morrison)—the author of Barracoon and Their Eyes Were Watching God—a collection of remarkable stories, including eight ā€œlostā€ Harlem Renaissance tales now available to a wide audience for the first time.

In 1925, Barnard student Zora Neale Hurston—the sole black student at the college—was living in New York, ā€œdesperately striving for a toe-hold on the world.ā€ During this period, she began writing short works that captured the zeitgeist of African American life and transformed her into one of the central figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Nearly a century later, this singular talent is recognized as one of the most influential and revered American artists of the modern period.

Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick is an outstanding collection of stories about love and migration, gender and class, racism and sexism that proudly reflect African American folk culture. Brought together for the first time in one volume, they include eight of Hurston’s ā€œlostā€ Harlem stories, which were found in forgotten periodicals and archives. These stories challenge conceptions of Hurston as an author of rural fiction and include gems that flash with her biting, satiric humor, as well as more serious tales reflective of the cultural currents of Hurston’s world. All are timeless classics that enrich our understanding and appreciation of this exceptional writer’s voice and her contributions to America’s literary traditions.]]>
9 Zora Neale Hurston (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.02 2020 Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance
author: Zora Neale Hurston
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/07/07
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review:

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Take Me Apart 48550530 A young archivist’s obsession with her subject’s mysterious death threatens to destroy her fragile grasp on sanity, in a riveting debut novel of psychological suspense

When the famed photographer Miranda Brand died mysteriously at the height of her career, it sent shock waves through Callinas, California. Decades later, old wounds are reopened when her son, Theo, hires the ex-journalist Kate Aitken to create an archive of his mother’s work.

From Miranda’s vast maze of personal effects, Kate pieces together a portrait of a vibrant artist buckling under the pressures of ambition, motherhood, and marriage. As the summer progresses, Kate navigates vicious local rumors and her growing attraction to the enigmatic Theo, all while unearthing the shocking details of Miranda’s private life. But Kate has secrets of her own, and when she stumbles across a diary that may finally resolve the mystery of Miranda’s death, her curiosity starts to spiral into a dangerous obsession.

With breathtaking and haunting imagery, Take Me Apart paints a vivid picture of two magnetic young women, separated by years, but bonded by shared struggles. Sara Sligar draws readers into a web of secrets and lies, alternating between the present and the past and revealing the truth about Miranda’s death through the objects she left behind. A brilliant take on art, illness, and power, from a fresh, seductive new voice in suspense.

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370 Sara Sligar 0374719594 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 3.88 2020 Take Me Apart
author: Sara Sligar
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot]]> 51843831 7 Mikki Kendall 0593166116 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.35 2020 Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot
author: Mikki Kendall
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You]]> 49118379 Stamped from the Beginning for ages 12 and up.

A timely, crucial, and empowering exploration of racism--and antiracism--in America.

This is NOT a history book.
This is a book about the here and now.
A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.
A book about race.

The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This is a remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's Stamped from the Beginning, winner of a National Book Award. It reveals the history of racist ideas in America and inspires hope for an antiracist future.

Stamped takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited.

Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative, Jason Reynolds shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas--and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.]]>
Jason Reynolds (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.64 2020 Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
author: Jason Reynolds
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/07/07
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<![CDATA[Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?]]> 35300756 505 Beverly Daniel Tatum 1541616588 (inactive) 0 to-read, library 4.38 1997 Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?
author: Beverly Daniel Tatum
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, library
review:

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<![CDATA[So You Want to Talk About Race]]> 35099718 In this breakout book, Ijeoma Oluo explores the complex reality of today's racial landscape--from white privilege and police brutality to systemic discrimination and the Black Lives Matter movement--offering straightforward clarity that readers need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide

In So You Want to Talk About Race, Editor at Large of The Establishment Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don't dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans.

Oluo is an exceptional writer with a rare ability to be straightforward, funny, and effective in her coverage of sensitive, hyper-charged issues in America. Her messages are passionate but finely tuned, and crystalize ideas that would otherwise be vague by empowering them with aha-moment clarity. Her writing brings to mind voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay, and Jessica Valenti in Full Frontal Feminism, and a young Gloria Naylor, particularly in Naylor's seminal essay "The Meaning of a Word."]]>
248 Ijeoma Oluo 1580056776 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.48 2018 So You Want to Talk About Race
author: Ijeoma Oluo
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Dark Maidens 39718863 In this Rashomon-style mystery story, each member of a high-school literature club presents her own version of the death of the group's leader.

At a prestigious girl’s school, a student has died. Itsumi was the most beautiful, charismatic, and popular girl at St. Mary’s Academy for Girls. She was also the president of the exclusive and tight-knit Literature Club. One week after her death, the members of her beloved club gather in her memory. But as they each testify to what happened in the days leading up to the tragic event, their accusations turn shocking—

Why, and how, did Itsumi really die?

In this glittering and gripping murder mystery, everyone has their own motivations and version of the truth. In its portrayal of the alliances, treacheries, and invisible tensions between friends and frenemies, The Dark Maidens keeps readers guessing and shows that what is sweet can just as easily be poisonous.]]>
220 Rikako Akiyoshi 1945054891 (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 3.99 2013 The Dark Maidens
author: Rikako Akiyoshi
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

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The Falling in Love Montage 53066661
But after a chance encounter at an end-of-term house party, Saoirse is about to break her own rules. For a girl with one blue freckle, an irresistible sense of mischief, and a passion for rom-coms.

Unbothered by Saoirse’s no-relationships rulebook, Ruby proposes a loophole: They don’t need true love to have one summer of fun, complete with every clichĆ©, rom-com montage-worthy date they can dream up—and a binding agreement to end their romance come fall. It would be the perfect plan, if they weren’t forgetting one thing about the Falling in Love Montage: when it’s over, the characters actually fall in love… for real.]]>
368 Ciara Smyth 0062957112 (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 3.80 2020 The Falling in Love Montage
author: Ciara Smyth
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:
a female/female relationship that takes place at a fair? sign me tf up.
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Freshwater 35412372 Freshwater explores the surreal experience of having a fractured self. It centers around a young Nigerian woman, Ada, who develops separate selves within her as a result of being born "with one foot on the other side." Unsettling, heartwrenching, dark, and powerful, Freshwater is a sharp evocation of a rare way of experiencing the world, one that illuminates how we all construct our identities.

Ada begins her life in the south of Nigeria as a troubled baby and a source of deep concern to her family. Her parents, Saul and Saachi, successfully prayed her into existence, but as she grows into a volatile and splintered child, it becomes clear that something went terribly awry. When Ada comes of age and moves to America for college, the group of selves within her grows in power and agency. A traumatic assault leads to a crystallization of her alternate selves: AsỄghara and Saint Vincent. As Ada fades into the background of her own mind and these selves--now protective, now hedonistic--move into control, Ada's life spirals in a dark and dangerous direction.

Narrated by the various selves within Ada and based in the author's realities, Freshwater dazzles with ferocious energy and serpentine grace, heralding the arrival of a fierce new literary voice.]]>
229 Akwaeke Emezi 0802127355 (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 4.03 2018 Freshwater
author: Akwaeke Emezi
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

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Elatsoe (Elatsoe, #1) 49089632
There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day.

Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.]]>
362 Darcie Little Badger 1646140052 (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 3.98 2020 Elatsoe (Elatsoe, #1)
author: Darcie Little Badger
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

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The Good Son 36804340 The Talented Mr. Ripley meets The Bad Seed in this breathless, chilling psychological thriller by the bestselling novelist known as "Korea's Stephen King" Who can you trust if you can't trust yourself?

Early one morning, twenty-six-year-old Yu-jin wakes up to a strange metallic smell, and a phone call from his brother asking if everything's all right at home - he missed a call from their mother in the middle of the night. Yu-jin soon discovers her murdered body, lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs of their stylish Seoul duplex. He can't remember much about the night before; having suffered from seizures for most of his life, Yu-jin often has trouble with his memory. All he has is a faint impression of his mother calling his name. But was she calling for help? Or begging for her life?

Thus begins Yu-jin's frantic three-day search to uncover what happened that night, and to finally learn the truth about himself and his family. A shocking and addictive psychological thriller, The Good Son explores the mysteries of mind and memory, and the twisted relationship between a mother and son, with incredible urgency.]]>
309 You-Jeong Jeong 0143131958 (inactive) 0 to-read 3.71 2016 The Good Son
author: You-Jeong Jeong
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read
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How to Be Remy Cameron 42371064 340 Julian Winters (inactive) 0 to-read 3.90 2019 How to Be Remy Cameron
author: Julian Winters
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

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Heartbreak Boys 49988496 Faking the best summer ever is a lot harder than it looks...

At the start of summer, Jack and Nate find themselves dumped as their respective exes, Dylan and Tariq, start up a new relationship together. Not only that, their exes start posting pics on social media, showing the whole world how fabulous their new life together is!

Jack and Nate are reeling. Not to be outdone, they decide to create their own 'highlights reel' and show their exes that they're having an even better time.

But between the depressing motorway service station motels, damp campsites, and an ultimate showdown with the exes, something epic really is happening: Jack and Nate are learning to get over their heartache and open themselves up to new possibilities for love.

A hilarious story of heartbreaks and hijinks from award-winning author Simon James Green.]]>
400 Simon James Green 1407194259 (inactive) 0 to-read, anticipating 3.91 2020 Heartbreak Boys
author: Simon James Green
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, anticipating
review:

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<![CDATA[The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)]]> 45047384
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.]]>
394 T.J. Klune (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 4.37 2020 The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)
author: T.J. Klune
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

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My Dark Vanessa 44890081
2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher.

2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reaches out to Vanessa, and now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past. But how can Vanessa reject her first love, the man who fundamentally transformed her and has been a persistent presence in her life? Is it possible that the man she loved as a teenager—and who professed to worship only her—may be far different from what she has always believed?

Alternating between Vanessa’s present and her past, My Dark Vanessa juxtaposes memory and trauma with the breathless excitement of a teenage girl discovering the power her own body can wield. Thought-provoking and impossible to put down, this is a masterful portrayal of troubled adolescence and its repercussions that raises vital questions about agency, consent, complicity, and victimhood. Written with the haunting intimacy of The Girls and the creeping intensity of Room, My Dark Vanessa is an era-defining novel that brilliantly captures and reflects the shifting cultural mores transforming our relationships and society itself.]]>
373 Kate Elizabeth Russell 006294150X (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 4.09 2020 My Dark Vanessa
author: Kate Elizabeth Russell
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

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<![CDATA[The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1)]]> 20758104 528 Patrick Ness 0763676187 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.02 2008 The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1)
author: Patrick Ness
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[No Man of Woman Born (Rewoven Tales)]]> 40404470 174 Ana Mardoll 1987412915 (inactive) 4 here-for-a-fun-time 4.08 2018 No Man of Woman Born (Rewoven Tales)
author: Ana Mardoll
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/06
date added: 2020/07/06
shelves: here-for-a-fun-time
review:
if any bigoted fantasy author or fan of a heteronormative whitewashed fantasy series ever tries to make the excuse that fantasy doesn’t NeEd to be diverse or that it’s FiNe that the cast is all straight cis white people because it’s jUsT fiCtioN, i recommend slapping them in the face with this book. literally and figuratively.
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Smash It! (Smash It! #1) 48713841
After Liv shows up to a Halloween party in khaki shorts--why, God, why?--she decides to set aside her wack AF ways. She makes a list--a F*ck-It list.

1. Be bold--do the thing that scares me.

2. Learn to take a compliment.

3. Stand out instead of back.

She kicks it off by trying out for the school musical, saying yes to a date and making new friends. Life is great when you stop punking yourself! However, with change comes a lot of missteps, and being bold means following her heart. So what happens when Liv's heart is interested in three different guys--and two of them are her best friends? What is she supposed to do when she gets dumped by a guy she's not even dating? How does one Smash It! after the humiliation of being friend-zoned?

In Liv's own words, "F*ck it. What's the worst that can happen?"

A lot, apparently.

#SMASHIT]]>
368 Francina Simone 1335146504 (inactive) 0 to-read, netgalley 3.63 2020 Smash It! (Smash It! #1)
author: Francina Simone
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/06
shelves: to-read, netgalley
review:

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Surrender Your Sons 45154800
His SAT scores bombed, the old man he delivers meals to died, and when he came out to his religious zealot mother, she had him kidnapped and shipped off to a secluded island. His final destination: Nightlight Ministries, a conversion therapy camp that will be his new home until he ā€œchanges.ā€

But Connor’s troubles are only beginning. At Nightlight, everyone has something to hide from the campers to the ā€œconvertedā€ staff and cagey camp director, and it quickly becomes clear that no one is safe. Connor plans to escape and bring the other kidnapped teens with him. But first, he’s exposing the camp’s horrible truths for what they are—and taking this place down.]]>
422 Adam Sass 1635830613 (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 4.00 2020 Surrender Your Sons
author: Adam Sass
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/05
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

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Loveless 42115981 It was all sinking in. I’d never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean?

Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day.

As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ā€˜teenage dream’ is in sight.

But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.

Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?

This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance.]]>
433 Alice Oseman 000824412X (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 4.19 2020 Loveless
author: Alice Oseman
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/05
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:

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Girl, Serpent, Thorn 51182650 A captivating and utterly original fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse...

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

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

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming...human or demon. Princess or monster.]]>
322 Melissa Bashardoust 1250196140 (inactive) 0 to-read, physical-tbr 3.66 2020 Girl, Serpent, Thorn
author: Melissa Bashardoust
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/05
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr
review:
this cover makes me want to break out in song holy hell what a beauty.
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<![CDATA[Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture]]> 51938427 Guardian contributor BBC race correspondent Emma Dabiri comes an essay collection exploring the ways in which black hair has been appropriated and stigmatized throughout history, with ruminations on body politics, race, pop culture, and Dabiri’s own journey to loving her hair.

Emma Dabiri can tell you the first time she chemically straightened her hair. She can describe the smell, the atmosphere of the salon, and her mix of emotions when she saw her normally kinky tresses fall down her shoulders. For as long as Emma can remember, her hair has been a source of insecurity, shame, and—from strangers and family alike—discrimination. And she is not alone.

Despite increasingly liberal world views, black hair continues to be erased, appropriated, and stigmatized to the point of taboo. Through her personal and historical journey, Dabiri gleans insights into the way racism is coded in society’s perception of black hair—and how it is often used as an avenue for discrimination. Dabiri takes us from pre-colonial Africa, through the Harlem Renaissance, and into today's Natural Hair Movement, exploring everything from women's solidarity and friendship, to the criminalization of dreadlocks, to the dubious provenance of Kim Kardashian's braids.

Through the lens of hair texture, Dabiri leads us on a historical and cultural investigation of the global history of racism—and her own personal journey of self-love and finally, acceptance.]]>
272 Emma Dabiri 0062966723 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.28 2019 Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture
author: Emma Dabiri
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/05
shelves: to-read
review:

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Final Draft 35960813 Ģż
At first, Nazarenko’s eccentric assignments seem absurd. But before long, Laila grows obsessed with gaining the woman’s approval. Soon Laila is pushing herself far from her comfort zone, discovering the psychedelic highs and perilous lows of nightlife, temporary flings, and instability. Dr. Nazarenko has led Laila to believe that she must choose between perfection and sanity—but rejecting her all-powerful mentor may be the only way for Laila to thrive.
Ģż]]>
272 Riley Redgate 1419728725 (inactive) 4 3.47 2018 Final Draft
author: Riley Redgate
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/05
date added: 2020/07/05
shelves: characters-i-would-marry, here-for-a-fun-time
review:
a pansexual mc! sapphic goodness! majority poc characters! coming of age discussions! sad vibes! happy vibes! a damn great book, once again from my queen riley!
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<![CDATA[Boyfriend Material (London Calling, #1)]]> 50225678 425 Alexis Hall 1728206146 (inactive) 0 to-read 3.98 2020 Boyfriend Material (London Calling, #1)
author: Alexis Hall
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/04
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Out of My Mind (Out of My Mind, #1)]]> 6609765 295 Sharon M. Draper 141697170X (inactive) 0 to-read 4.34 2010 Out of My Mind (Out of My Mind, #1)
author: Sharon M. Draper
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/04
shelves: to-read
review:

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A Quiet Kind of Thunder 30197201 Steffi doesn't talk, but she has so much to say.
Rhys can't hear, but he can listen.
Their love isn't a lightning strike, it's the rumbling roll of thunder.

Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life - she's been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He's deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she's assigned to look after him. To Rhys, it doesn't matter that Steffi doesn't talk, and as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she's falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it.

From the bestselling author of Beautiful Broken Things comes a love story about the times when a whisper is as good as a shout.]]>
307 Sara Barnard 1509810986 (inactive) 0 to-read 3.93 2017 A Quiet Kind of Thunder
author: Sara Barnard
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/04
shelves: to-read
review:

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Song for a Whale 40645658 The story of a deaf girl's connection to a whale whose song can't be heard by his species, and the journey she takes to help him.

From fixing the class computer to repairing old radios, twelve-year-old Iris is a tech genius. But she's the only deaf person in her school, so people often treat her like she's not very smart. If you've ever felt like no one was listening to you, then you know how hard that can be.

When she learns about Blue 55, a real whale who is unable to speak to other whales, Iris understands how he must feel. Then she has an idea: she should invent a way to "sing" to him! But he's three thousand miles away. How will she play her song for him?]]>
303 Lynne Kelly 152477023X (inactive) 0 to-read 4.22 2019 Song for a Whale
author: Lynne Kelly
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/04
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1)]]> 43118158 Length: 10 hours 17 minutes approx, 24 chapters

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with six directives to help her ā€œGet a Lifeā€, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamourous family’s mansion. The next items?

Enjoy a drunken night out.
Ride a motorcycle.
Go camping.
Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
And… do something bad.

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ā€˜Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…]]>
10 Talia Hibbert 0062941240 (inactive) 5 3.79 2019 Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1)
author: Talia Hibbert
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/03
date added: 2020/07/03
shelves: books-that-watered-my-crops, characters-i-would-marry, here-for-a-fun-time, i-need-to-own-these-books
review:
so y’all are gonna lust over assholes like the men with wings and big d*cks in ACOTAR and just leave men like Red who are compassionate af and will make you tea when they think you’re hurt behind? mmkay sure.
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She Drives Me Crazy 52515987 High school nemeses fall in love in this queer YA rom com perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Casey McQuiston.

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

Their bumpy start the only gets bumpier the more time they spend together. But when an opportunity presents itself for Scottie to get back at her toxic ex (and climb her school’s social ladder at the same time), she bribes Irene into playing along. Hijinks, heartbreak, and gay fake-dating scheme for the ages. From author Kelly Quindlen comes a new laugh-out-loud romp through the ups and downs of teen romance.]]>
295 Kelly Quindlen 1250209153 (inactive) 0 to-read, anticipating 4.02 2021 She Drives Me Crazy
author: Kelly Quindlen
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/03
shelves: to-read, anticipating
review:

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<![CDATA[Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century]]> 51456746
From Harriet McBryde Johnson’s account of her debate with Peter Singer over her own personhood to original pieces by authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma; from blog posts, manifestos, and eulogies to Congressional testimonies, and beyond: this anthology gives a glimpse into the rich complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community. It invites readers to question their own understandings. It celebrates and documents disability culture in the now. It looks to the future and the past with hope and love.]]>
309 Alice Wong 1984899422 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.46 2020 Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century
author: Alice Wong
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/02
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Witches Steeped in Gold (Witches Steeped in Gold, #1)]]> 51813582 Divided by their order. United by their vengeance.

Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom - and vengeance.

Jazmyne is the Queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power.

Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a precarious alliance to take down a mutual threat. But power is intoxicating, revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain - except the lengths they will go to win this game.

This Jamaican-inspired fantasy debut about two enemy witches who must enter into a deadly alliance to take down a common enemy has the twisted cat-and-mouse of Killing Eve with the richly imagined fantasy world of Furyborn and Ember in the Ashes.]]>
544 Ciannon Smart 006294598X (inactive) 0 to-read, anticipating 3.20 2021 Witches Steeped in Gold (Witches Steeped in Gold, #1)
author: Ciannon Smart
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.20
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/02
shelves: to-read, anticipating
review:

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Grown 49397758 384 Tiffany D. Jackson 0062840355 (inactive) 0 to-read, anticipating 4.24 2020 Grown
author: Tiffany D. Jackson
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/01
shelves: to-read, anticipating
review:

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<![CDATA[The Black Veins (Dead Magic, #1)]]> 43927569
Sixteen-year-old Blythe is one of seven magicians powerful enough to cause worldwide panic with a snap of their fingers. But Blythe spends her days pouring latte art at her family’s coffee shop, so why should she care about having apocalyptic abilities?

She’s given a reason when magician anarchists crash into said coffee shop and kidnap her family.

Heartbroken but determined, Blythe knows she can’t save them alone. A war is brewing between two magician governments and tensions are too high. So, she packs up her family’s bright yellow Volkswagen, puts on a playlist, and embarks on a road trip across the United States to enlist the help of six strangers whose abilities are unparalleled—the other Guardians.]]>
430 Ashia Monet 1733245804 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.07 2019 The Black Veins (Dead Magic, #1)
author: Ashia Monet
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Noughts & Crosses (Noughts & Crosses, #1)]]> 714902
Sephy is a Cross -- a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a Nought -- a ā€œcolourlessā€ member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood, but that’s as far as it can go. In their world, Noughts and Crosses simply don’t mix. Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum -- a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger. Can they possibly find a way to be together?]]>
479 Malorie Blackman 0552555703 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.19 2001 Noughts & Crosses (Noughts & Crosses, #1)
author: Malorie Blackman
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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Slay 43723509 'We are different ages, genders and traditions ... but tonight we all SLAY'

Black Panther meets Ready Player One. A fierce teen game developer battles a real-life troll intent on ruining the Black Panther-inspired video game she created and the safe community it represents for black gamers.

By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is a college student, and one of the only black kids at Jefferson Academy. By night, she joins hundreds of thousands of black gamers who duel worldwide in the secret online role-playing card game, SLAY.

No one knows Kiera is the game developer - not even her boyfriend, Malcolm. But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, the media labels it an exclusionist, racist hub for thugs.

With threats coming from both inside and outside the game, Kiera must fight to save the safe space she's created. But can she protect SLAY without losing herself?

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336 Brittney Morris 1534445420 (inactive) 0 to-read 4.18 2019 Slay
author: Brittney Morris
name: (inactive)
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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Rainbow Milk 50355082
In the Black Country in the 1950s, ex-boxer Norman Alonso is a determined and humble Jamaican who has moved to Britain with his wife to secure a brighter future for themselves and their children. Blighted with unexpected illness and racism, Norman and his family are resilient in the face of such hostilities, but are all too aware that they will need more than just hope to survive.

At the turn of the millennium, Jesse seeks a fresh start in London - escaping from a broken immediate family, a repressive religious community and the desolate, disempowered Black Country - but finds himself at a loss for a new centre of gravity, and turns to sex work to create new notions of love, fatherhood and spirituality.

Rainbow Milk is a bold exploration of race, class, sexuality, freedom and religion across generations, time and cultures. Paul Mendez is a fervent new writer with an original and urgent voice.]]>
384 Paul Mendez 0349700591 (inactive) 0 to-read 3.99 2020 Rainbow Milk
author: Paul Mendez
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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Wonderland 48822142
Alice lives in a world of stifling privilege and luxury - but none of it means anything when your own head plays tricks on your reality. When her troubled friend Bunny goes missing, Alice becomes obsessed with finding her. On the trail of her last movements, Alice discovers a mysterious invitation to 'Wonderland': the party to end all parties - three days of hedonistic excess to which only the elite are welcome.

Will she find Bunny there? Or is this really a case of finding herself? Because Alice has secrets of her own, and ruthless socialite queen Paisley Hart is determined to uncover them, whatever it takes.

Alice is all alone, miles from home and without her essential medication. She can trust no-one, least of all herself, and now she has a new enemy who wants her head...

A searing exploration of mental health, gender and privilege, from the most addictive YA novelist in the UK today.]]>
283 Juno Dawson 178654105X (inactive) 0 to-read 3.70 2020 Wonderland
author: Juno Dawson
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Openly Straight (Openly Straight, #1)]]> 16100972
Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write.

And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.

So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate break down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't even know that love is possible.

This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate feeling different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.]]>
320 Bill Konigsberg 0545509890 (inactive) 0 to-read 3.86 2013 Openly Straight (Openly Straight, #1)
author: Bill Konigsberg
name: (inactive)
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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