Reading Round Up - Fourth Quarter 2020
My big number crunching post is still to come over on the blog. But the last three months of reading with some highlights I read. As per usual, this is based on what I read, so a mix of new and old or oldish releases.
I’m including content notes, but my memory or lens may be faulty. Links are to Bookshop.
If the Boot Fits by Rebekah Weatherspoon - I saved this book for like a whole month and then tore through it in about a day and a half. This hookup that leads to more was delightful. Content note: toxic workplace behavior directed at main character
When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten - This book about a girl who doesn't remember last summer and is trying to figure out why everyone is treating her oddly, when a new girl shows up on the block, was fascinating and sweet, and handled some tough subjects well.
Color Me In by Natasha Diaz just blew me away with its handling of examining what it means to be from multiple cultures, multiple religious traditions, and the ways in which when your parents split you feel more torn, and also looking at coming of age and how figuring out how to best wield the privilege you've been granted. It was messy in all the ways that being a teenager is. Content note: depictions of bullying, racism, police brutality, and revenge porn.
Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn was a fascinating book about a child that appears to have been chosen for something special by the Hawaiian deities and what that means for his family, and what that means when your previous plan was just to survive. Content note: depictions of toxic masculinity, recreational drug use
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia is likely as wonderful as you have heard. This MG portal fantasy looks at African American histories, and how divisions keep us weak, and shared traditions and stories keep us strong in ways that were so fun.
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko has a bit of set up, but it was all worth it because again this story about a girl trying to figure out how best to manage the destiny she has been given and learning about the things that have been left out of some of the stories being told was just amazing. Content note: sudden illness, mention of suicide attempt
The Cupid Mixup by L. Penelope was a cute romance novella with a dash of gods.
Miracles and Menorahs by Stacey Agdern was the book I read the week of the election and it was the low stakes slow burn story of putting on a festival that my brain needed.
The Black Veins by Ashia Monet was just amazing story of a growing band of magical teens trying to fix things.
You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria was a fun story about TV stars dealing with attraction when also playing on screen folks with history.
Miss Meteor by Taylor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie Mclemore was just an amazing story of a magical girl who decides to compete in the town pageant and all the things that happen as a result of that.
Better Than People by Roan Parrish was a story of two animal lovers brought together by a dog walking app and how the band of animals bring them closer together.