October reading roundup #2

We are almost two weeks post-Gala, and I think I’m almost recovered! And the leaves, as always, are stunning. Here’s what I have been reading:

The Maid, Nita Prose
Molly Gray loves her job as a hotel maid, though she’s struggling since her gran died. When a wealthy, difficult customer ends up dead, Molly falls under suspicion and tries to solve the mystery, alongside some friends. I loved this fun mystery with a neurodivergent narrator and some wonderful characters.

The Lipstick Bureau, Michelle Gable
1989: Nikola “Niki” Novotna attends a dinner in appreciation of the women who worked in the OSS during World War II. 1944: Niki and several colleagues in Morale Operations are assigned to Rome, where they produce propaganda to lower German morale and try (sort of) to stay out of trouble. A fascinating slice of WWII fiction with a magnetic main character. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Jan. 3, 2023).

Key Player, Kelly Yang
When the women’s World Cup comes to Anaheim, Mia Tang wants to interview the players – maybe then her PE teacher will raise her grade. But finding the teams is harder than it looks, and she’s got other troubles, at school and at her parents’ motel. A great installment in this spunky middle-grade series about a Chinese-American girl finding her way.

Requiem for the Massacre: A Black History on the Conflict, Hope, and Fallout of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, R.J. Young
In 1921, white Tulsans burned the Black business district of Greenwood to the ground, killing dozens of Black Tulsans and wounding the community beyond repair. Young, a longtime Tulsan, combines historical accounts of the massacre with commentary on events surrounding its centennial and the ways in which Tulsa has (and has not) reckoned with the massacre’s legacy. Powerful, harrowing, necessary. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Nov. 1).

Ways to Share Joy, Renee Watson
This third installment in the Ryan Hart series finds Ryan caught in the middle between her two best friends, between her older and younger siblings, and between how things are and how they used to be. (I can relate.) A sweet, relatable story with a spunky, resourceful heroine.

Specter Inspectors, Bowen McCurdy and Kaitlyn Musto
My guy bought me this slightly spooky comic about a group of ghost hunters who find a bit more than they bargained for. I do not do well with creepy, and this one was on the edge for me – but I liked the friendships, relationships and Scooby-Doo vibes.

Most links (not affiliate links) are to my local faves Trident and Brookline Booksmith. Shop indie!

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September reading roundup #2

September, like all the months lately, was full: of apples, long walks, yoga, endless emails and work chaos, and a lot of things I can’t quite explain or articulate. But it also contained (thank heaven) a few good books. Here’s the latest roundup:

Dreamland Burning, Jennifer Latham
When Rowan Chase stumbles on a skeleton on her family’s Tulsa property, she uncovers a mystery that leads to some searing truths about the city’s history. A heart-wrenching, well-crafted YA novel that shifts between Rowan’s present-day narrative and the Tulsa race riot of 1921. Powerful. Recommended by Anne and others.

The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom, Helen Thorpe
In Room 142 at South High School in Denver, Eddie Williams teaches an unusual group of students: newcomers to the U.S. from many different countries and conflict zones. Thorpe spent a year in Mr. Williams’ class, learning the students’ stories, and she tells them with skill and grace in this thoughtful, fascinating, meticulously researched book. I fell in love, as Thorpe did, with the newcomers and was captivated by the narrative of their adjustment to life in the U.S. So very timely. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Nov. 14).

Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
I read this luminous novel years ago and loved it. (I’ve since read its companions, Home and Lila.) Some friends of mine hosted a dinner and book discussion on Gilead recently, so I picked it up again. Took me weeks, but I savored the quiet, melancholy joy of Robinson’s prose, and her characters – narrator John Ames and his loved ones – who felt so real.

A World Without “Whom,” Emmy J. Favilla
Favilla is the copy chief for BuzzFeed, and her book – subtitled The Essential Guide to Language in the BuzzFeed Age – is as snappy and irreverent as you’d expect. But it’s also thoughtful, well-informed and relentlessly commonsense. As an old-school, old-soul English nerd, I admit to cringing a few times, but I also (literally) LOL’d and took down a few cheeky quotes. For grammar nerds both traditional and modern. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Nov. 14).

Wonder Woman: Warbringer, Leigh Bardugo
I’ve been a little obsessed with Wonder Woman since the new movie, and I’m wearing her symbol on my wrist these days. I loved this fast-paced YA novel about Diana, Princess of Themyscira, and her quest to help Alia Keralis, a girl from New York who doesn’t know she’s a Warbringer: a powerful descendant of Helen of Troy. Heart-pounding and so much fun, with bravery on every page.

No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters, Ursula K. Le Guin
“Words are my magic, antiproverbial cake. I eat it, and I still have it.” Le Guin is best known for her speculative fiction, but this sharp-eyed, big-hearted collection of essays, adapted from her blog, is excellent too. I loved reading her thoughts on aging, cats, writing, egg cups, belief and science, and other miscellany. So much fun. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Dec. 5).

Links (not affiliate links) are to my favorite local bookstore, Brookline Booksmith.

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