2016 book 190

E.K. Johnston's Spindle
Johnston's latest is a companion/sequel to her book A Thousand Nights, but it's just not as compelling as its predecessor. It's a Middle Eastern-tinged version of Sleeping Beauty set in the same world a couple hundred years later, focusing on the children of the spinners who were exiled when the princess was cursed by a demon. The characters are all interesting enough, but the plot is fairly weak--the story moves pretty slowly and not that much happens. It just didn't have the magic as the first one--and I kind of mean that both ways. B.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on Tuesday.

2016 book 189

Mindy McGinnis' The Female of the Species
This book is CRAZY, y'all, and I don't know what to say about it, really. My emotions really ran the gamut while reading it.  It centers on a teenage girl whose sister was brutally murdered, and when the murderer couldn't be convicted, she killed him herself as revenge. Because she has ANGER and FEELINGS. But the local teen boy who is great at everything is falling for her, and the preacher's daughter is becoming a friend, so she's slowly being drawn into the world (those two are also POV characters). First I thought all three kids were super cliched, then I found them really compelling, and then I sort of thought they were all a cliche again (the boy is particularly unbelievable as a character, but I loved the preacher's daughter). McGinnis sort of is saying some interesting things about rape culture here, while also having several characters go through various sexual assaults that are not fun or easy to read. I think I would have liked this more if the end didn't feel like a major cop-out? But also, I like the female solidarity? How did this get so many good reviews, this book is honestly kind of insane. B.

2016 book 188

Kayla Rae Whitaker's The Animators
Was I predisposed to love this book, or was it really just that mind-blowingly good? Either way, I for sure loved it. It's the story of two young women, best friends, both with troubled childhoods, and the partnership they create as they make indie animated movies. It tracks their ups and downs and it just is really beautifully written--I cared so much about both these women and their journey(s). It covers so many aspects of life--friendship and love, families of all kinds, womanhood and girlhood. Really, really great. A.


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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in January.

2016 book 187

Shannon Hale and Dean Hale's The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World
I am being one hundred percent sincere when I say that this may be the best book I have ever read. It was completely adorable and hilarious--I was giggling out loud all evening--and it honestly restored my faith in humanity during a dark time. This Squirrel Girl origin novel--focusing on a 14 year old Doreen starting a new high school in New Jersey--totally channels the humor and personality of the comics and kicks it up a notch. Plus it is effortlessly diverse and effortlessly charming. I love all of Hale's writing, but Hale doing Squirrel Girl is a complete dream team. Seriously. GREAT. A.


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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in February.

2016 book 186

Una LaMarche's You In Five Acts
I only feel a little bit bad admitting that I only wanted to read this because Lin-Manuel Miranda mentioned it on Twitter (apparently he and the author are friends from college) and thus it became this year's selection for Thanksgiving Sister Book Club. It was a pretty solid read--it's about five teens at a performing arts high school, told from each POV, leading up to some terrible act. The foreshadowing, especially early on, is way too heavy handed, and the nature of the act is not super hard to guess--but otherwise the writing is actually really good, and I found Joy in particular to be a compelling character. The end was a bit too cheesy/melodramatic for me but I can see how it would appeal to an actual teen. B/B+.

2016 book 185

Zadie Smith's Swing Time
I've been reading this off and on for a couple of weeks now--unusual, because usually I read a book in as close to one sitting as possible, or give up on it.  I think it's that I really WANT to like this book--it's ZADIE SMITH--and some of the writing is really beautiful, but I don't really care that much about the plot or the characters. The story centers on a young biracial woman who, at the start of the book, seems to have been disgraced and fired from her job as a pop star's assistant--but it also flashes back to her childhood best friend and their relationship. The thing is, it's just not that compelling--I was WAY more interested in the protagonist's mother!--and things really bog down once the pop star decides to build a school in Africa. Like I think I can see what story Smith wants to tell here, it just doesn't come together for me. It is an interesting meditation on race and dance and friendship and human relationships, but it just felt like something important was missing to tie it all together. B/B+.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.

2016 book 184

Zoraida Cordova's Labyrinth Lost
So this started off super promisingly--a girl in Brooklyn, from a family of brujas, is about to come into her magical power, but she doesn't want it. I loved the way Cordova depicted the family and the magic here, and especially enjoyed seeing the three sisters interacting. Then of course things go wrong b/c the protagonist is dumb, and it quickly turns into a dangerous magical journey story (very later and lesser Rick Riordan). Like, just constant bickering and serious stupidity. It was so frustrating! I also just was not feeling the male love interest (the female love interest was super cute though). Oh well. B.

2016 book 183

Jaclyn Moriarty's A Tangle of Gold
I don't know what it is about Jaclyn Moriarty, but her books are the ultimate comfort reads when times are tough. And the third Colors of Madeleine book is such a nice wrap up--lots more characters and action and intrigue and a little romance, but Moriarty weaves all the crazy story threads together and makes it work. I did wish for a little more from the sister relationship this go-round, or maybe it's just that I wanted more of the story because I loved these girls so much (and all the other characters too). And I also loved forgetting about the real world for a while and being so engaged with this one. Sigh.

2016 book 182

Jaclyn Moriarty's The Cracks in the Kingdom
Totally solid second outing in a trilogy--this one ramps up the intrigue and adds a little romance, and keeps things interesting and engaging, even if you've read it before. I love these characters and they are making me feel better today.

2016 book 181

Jaclyn Moriarty's A Corner of White
When the world is a terrible place, the only thing to do is to get caught up in an entirely different world--so I am rereading the Colors of Madeleine trilogy. And to this book's credit, I got so engrossed that I really did forget the world's terribleness while reading. I love this story--two teens in different worlds (one, our Cambridge, the other, a place with weird magical happenings) communicating through a crack between said worlds (located in a parking meter and a broken tv, respectively). Really compelling characters and great plotting, even on a reread. Plus the occasional really lovely turn of phrase. Moriarty is such a great writer!

2016 book 180

Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity
I guess I've been a little more quiet on this blog than I usually am, but I've been going back and forth between two e-books and the audiobook of this all week--my heart just wasn't into the other two books, because I was so caught up in this story (as usual), so finally I decided to just switch to the e-book, which is so much faster! (Can I say, I love the syncing between audio and e-book feature--so useful!) Anyway, this is one of my top five books, amazing story of female friendship and also a major WWII adventure story, etc etc. I only sobbed like six times on this re-read! I am forcing yet another book club to read this and look forward to seeing what they all thought.

2016 book 179

Patricia MacLachlan's The Poet's Dog
Newbery winner (for Sarah, Plain and Tall, etc) Maclachlan's latest centers on a dog who has learned how to speak--but only poets and children can understand him--and what happens when he rescues two children from a snowstorm. Delightful and bittersweet. Teddy is one of the great dogs of literature. A/A-.


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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.

2016 book 178

Rachel Hartman's Shadow Scale
The followup to Hartman's Seraphina is just as satisfying, but discussing the plot means spoiling the first one, so I won't! I believe Hartman is working on another duology set in this universe, and I can't wait to read it!

2016 book 177

Rachel Hartman's Seraphina
For some reason I was in the mood to reread this--I have read it several times before and it never stops being GREAT. It's the story of a girl who is secretly half-dragon, and gets involved in some complicated court and dragon politics. The world-building here is really cool, but Hartman really excels in characterization. So good.

2016 book 176

Margaret Atwood's Hag-Seed
I've been dragging my feet on reading this one, a little bit, mainly b/c the other books I've read in this reimagining Shakespeare series have been kind of mediocre. But I needn't have worried--Atwood's take on The Tempest--a play within a play, set in a prison!--is totally engrossing. And honestly, educational! The Tempest is not a play I know super well, but I really learned a lot about it from reading these characters discussing the work. My main complaint is that Atwood leans way too heavily on the rap version of Shakespeare thing. For one thing, it's like the recent Lin-Manuel Miranda SNL sketch about the enthusiastic substitute teacher. For another, reading rap verses on a page will NEVER have the same effect as hearing them, and honestly, it didn't feel authentic at all. By the end I was pretty eye-rolly about it. But like, otherwise this was good? B+.

Content warning for a lot of discussion of rape threats in a Shakespeare play. 

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.

2016 book 175

Megan Shepherd's The Secret Horses of Briar Hill
Oh lord, this is a weepy. Like sheer ugly crying through the last bunch of chapters. But what did I expect from the story of a little girl living in a tuberculosis clinic in England during WWII--a little girl who sees winged horses in the mirrors, and becomes determined to save one who is injured. Beautifully written and illustrated, a magical story--but seriously, bawl city. A/A-.


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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.

2016 book 174

A.S. King's Still Life with Tornado
King's latest (after I Crawl Through It) finds her once again experimenting with surrealism, but in a much more low-key and relatable way. It centers on a teenage girl who has stopped going to school. stopped making art, and is in a fair amount of denial about recent events in her life--and about her family. I did find the narrative voice somewhat tiresome at first, but as things progressed, I got much more into her story, and by the end, I was pretty sucked in. Really interesting and compelling. B+.

2016 book 173

Becky Chambers' A Closed and Common Orbit
The sequel to A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is more of the delightful same, focusing on two of the characters from the previous book--an AI with a lot to learn, and her techie friend. The AI's storyline is perfectly interesting (I particularly liked her fascination with tattoos), but it was the techie's backstory that I found really compelling. Still, I love the portrayal of friendship and discovery here--there may be all sorts of unusual aliens running around, but this is at its heart a story about family. I will definitely keep reading whatever Chambers writes. A-/B+.

2016 book 172

Ashley Weaver's A Most Novel Revenge
The third Amory Ames mystery finds Amory and her husband at a house party at the request of her cousin--and all the other guests are the very same guests who were there years ago when someone mysteriously died. And then one of them wrote a notorious novel about it, ruining the others' lives! So Amory is on the case--what DID happen that night, years ago? And will someone be murdered again?? I mean, duh. This was pretty fun, though not quite as engaging as the first two. I did like that Amory's marriage is on much more solid ground in this one--let's get some Nick and Nora action going with this series! B/B+.

2016 book 171

Erika Johansen's The Fate of the Tearling
Well, I will say, that was not what I was expecting--not that I was sure /what/ to expect, exactly. Johansen adds a slight horror element to her fantasy/scifi hybrid world with this one, which kind of just made things feel all over the place. I did like the continued investigations into the birth of their society, and how things fell apart, but there is . . .  a lot going on. Warning for more rapiness than in the previous books, or at least more evidence of a rapey society where people with power feel entitled to grope those who are powerless. (Johansen is prescient.) I actually did like the end quite a bit and cried a little, even as it left me feeling a little bit empty. I have Thoughts but don't want to be spoilery. Anyway, I will definitely read more by Johansen--she is one of the few writers I can just sink right into, and I love her book nerdery--but this was a B/B+ to me.


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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in November.