Cat + Crazy (Volume 3) / Wataru Nadatani, Zack Davisson (Translator)

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Cat + Crazy (Volume 3)
By: Wataru Nadatani, Zack Davisson (Translator)
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 184
Published: April 21, 2026 (January 18, 2017)
Publisher: Dark Horse Manga
Dates Read: April 27, 2026 
Format: Paperback			ISBN: 9781506747101

In Volume 3 of this series, high schooler Kensuke Fuji and his friend Yamada start a school club for those who love cats with a third student, Ichijo, who is just as cat crazy as Kensuke.

In this volume, we get a cat club added to school and we get to meet Ichijo. I love that we keep getting characters added to the group that are just more and more crazily in love with cats – especially in their own way. 

As usual, I love how cats’ behavior is talked about in this series. This time around, it talks about love bites and what that really means when a cat nips at you. I’ve got one cat who will just get up and walk away when they’re upset and another that will do the love bites.

We also got a chapter with Tiger’s point of view and I absolutely loved it! His inner monologue and demeanor fit him so well.

Overall, Cat + Crazy is getting more and more solidified as a series any cat lover will enjoy. 

The Siren and the Star / Colby Cedar Smith

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The Siren and the Star
By: Colby Cedar Smith
Genre: YA, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 544
Published: October 28, 2025
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: April 24, 2026 - April 27, 2026
Format: Library Book / Hardcover	ISBN: 9781665972178

Trigger Warning: assault, violence, classism, rape, murder

Luciana “Lula” Gabroni has been introverted and homeschooled her whole life, but now she’s entering the New England Conservatory of Music. She’s immediately chosen to join an elite ensemble of students who will compete in a music festival in Venice, Italy.

Barbara Strozzi is a poor, young woman living in 17th-century Venice who dreams of making her mark on the world through song. She is determined to fight against her title of illegitimate servant girl and have a life filled with intellect, pleasure, and independence., even if her gender and status threaten to silence her.

When Lula comes across Barara’s music in the Conservatory library, she immediately feels a kinship. After an incident at school sends Lula on a journey to reclaim her voice, she soon realizes she must connect with the ghosts of the past if she wants to tackle her future.

This is a novel in verse told through three acts like an opera and focuses on finding your voice and female empowerment.

This book is thoroughly researched and you can easily tell Smith took care of the historical aspect as well as the current setting of Venice, making the city come alive in multiple ways. Both women are strong, well written women who make them hard to forget and their journeys will stay with me for a long time.

Overall, a captivating read for any novel in verse reader, a music lover, or anyone who wants to read about some amazing, strong women.

The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History / Karen Valby

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The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History
By: Karen Valby
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Dance
Number of Pages: 320
Published: February 11, 2025 (1st Published April 30, 2024)
Publisher: Vintage
Dates Read: April 19, 2026 - April 21, 2026
Format: Paperback			ISBN: 9780593469668

This nonfiction history book tells the story of five black ballerinas that were a part of the international dance company of the Dance Theatre of Harlem: Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Sheila Rohan, Karlya Shelton, Marcia Sells, and Lydia Abarca, who was the first Black ballerina on the cover of Dance magazine, an Essence cover, cast in The Wiz and in a Bob Fosse production on Broadway. 

After decades of almost no record of their groundbreaking history, these five Swans of Harlem come together to tell their story of their chosen family during the years of dancing during the height of the Civil Rights movement.

I’m going to be honest and state that I was pretty worried about this read for my book group because I have such a hard time with nonfiction, but this is a very chill narrative nonfiction. Each chapter sometimes focused on one ballerina and her story, but other times it would focus on the company itself, racism in the arts, or Arthur Mitchell (the founder of DTH), who, though he gave these women opportunities that didn’t exist elsewhere, he was super toxic. You do learn a lot about the history and what was currently going on and such, but some of the things he did made my skin crawl.

This book talks about how Misty Copeland has gotten the title of “The First Black Ballerina” and how there were those before her that should really get that title. It really made me appreciate that, even though this is almost 70 years later black women’s stories are still being told and shared.

Overall, this is a wonderful book that talks about both the ballerinas and the dance company of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and how their dancing was impacted by the ballet community, racism and discrimination, friendship, the effects of verbal abuse, the AIDS epidemic, and the beautiful bond of sisterhood and family forged around their ballet slippers.

Stoked For This: June 2026

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There’s quite a few books this month that range all over with genres, subjects, and timelines. There’s a few from previously read authors as well as some debut authors. I’m even including some manga this time around!!

June 2, 2026

A story about a father and son who are working for the great Ordnance Survey project to map the whole of Ireland. The year is 1865, and in a country not long since ravaged and emptied by the Great Hunger, the task is not an easy one. 

Land

By: Maggie O’Farrell

In this debut novel, a giant jellyfish is terrorizing a tiny island off the coast of Maine and a marine biologist who prefers jellyfish over people rushes across the country to try and help.

The Jellyfish Problem

By: Tessa Yang

From the author of Rez Ball, comes a new YA novel about a young Ojibwe athlete learning to ride in his late father’s footsteps while practicing for a skateboarding championship with his crew.

Medicine Wheels

By: Byron Graves

After her mother’s sudden death, Jihad joins an exclusive high school. But, she’s the only Muslim student and everything about her makes her suspicious to her classmates. After finding her mother’s old sketchbook, Jihad’s own canvas become bigger than she would every imagine.

The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue

By: Zoulfa Katouh

Guinevere Sharpe has had two childhoods. One, she lives in the wooded shadow of her family’s isolated Vermont farmhouse, growing up near-feral, unwashed and underfed – the woods her and her siblings playground; in the other, she’s apart of her mother’s world-famous Ninth City books, where her magical adventures have made her a household name. Now an adult, Guinevere looks back on her childhood, before the fire that left her mother’s series unfinished, and tries to find out what really happened.

The Children

By: Melissa Albert

A Queer retelling of Sleep Beauty that tackles escapism, grief, and dreaming of a better world.

The Secret World of Briar Rose

By: Cindy Pham

In this homage to The Face on the Milk Carton a trans boy discovers he was kidnapped as a child and that his birth parents are out there still searching… for their daughter.

The Names We Burned

By: Mia Siegert

A historical graphic novel based on the true story of Operación Pedro Pan, a joint effort between the U.S. government and the Catholic Welfare Bureau to evacuate 14,000 children from Cuba to the U.S. between 1960 and 1962.

We Are Pan

By: Andre R. Frattino & Yasmin Flores Montanez

From the author of one of my favorite heart wrenching YA novels, Yolk comes a new adult fiction about a mother-daughter relationship set against the backdrop of Hollywood.

Pool House

By: Mary H.K. Choi

The sequel to one of my favorite Queer YA novels about a lady night and her lady!!!

One Knight Stand

By: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

June 9, 2026

In this new ovel from Dave Eggers, two friends believe they can change the world as they challenge the rules and market forces within the art community.

Contrapposto

By: Dave Eggers

June 16, 2026

Told in multiple POVs, this YA novel is an Indigenous murder-mystery set in Costa Rica about a Bribri-American teenager searching for the truth behind her land-activist father’s mysterious death.

Together We See

By: Ari Tison

A young musical prodigy and his mother spend years searching for each other after getting separated at a Beijing Railway Station.

Little Wonder

By: Sophie Chen Keller

A historical fiction manga about girls from a boarding school in Japan who are recruited to help as assistant nurses during WWII.

cocoon

By: Machiko Kyo

A mother becomes obsessed with finding the cure to a mysterious ailment that is causing those effected to not be able to go outside during the day.

The Emilys: A Novel

By: Heather Abel

June 23, 2026

In this fun detective noir, all the characters are animals who are fighting for survival in the city underneath the humans.

Green City Wars

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky

From one of my favorite manga author, Gengoroh Tagame, comes a story two “straight” friends, living in the middle of COVID, and who might just be gay.

Fish and Water

By: Gengoroh Tagame, Anne Ishii (Translator)

Skating Wilder / Brandon Dumais, AJ Dungo

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Skating Wilder
By: Brandon Dumais, AJ Dungo
Genre: Graphic Novel, Nonfiction, YA
Number of Pages: 264
Published: March 3, 2026
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Dates Read: April 11, 2026
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN: 9781913123208

No one can tell you who exactly invented skateboarding, but generations of skaters have been rolling on four wheels. In Skating Wilder, Brandon Davis and AJ Dungo reminisce over their own best (and worst) skateboarding memories as well as going through skateboarding history – from the first boards to handmade zines, the VHS heydays and video game era, they go through it all.

This was such a fun read, especially for someone who has been kind of on the outskirts of the skating community for years. I’ve watched a lot of skating videos, both past and current releases, so it was fun to see and read about the build up for VHS tapes and such.

The artwork throughout the novel has a distinct skateboard-style feel to it with orange tones being for memories or a dive into history, purple tones are for present day, and black and white are for demonstrations for simple skateboarding tricks. 

Overall, this part memoir, part history, part love letter to skateboarding culture graphic novel will capture the attention of anyone who has ever been impressed by those who can get around on the four wheeled piece of wood.

The Unbeatable Sonya Ballantyne / Sonya Ballantyne, Azby Whitecalf (Colorist), Kielamel Sibal (Letterer), Rhael McGregor (Illustrator)

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The Unbeatable Sonya Ballantyne
By: Sonya Ballantyne, Azby Whitecalf (Colorist), Kielamel Sibal (Letterer), Rhael McGregor (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA, Memoir
Number of Pages: 64
Published: March 10, 2026
Publisher: HighWater Press
Dates Read: April 11, 2026
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN: 9781774921371

Trigger Warnings: racism, bullying, misogyny, self harm

In this short graphic memoir author Sonya Ballantyne bounces from stories at different points in her childhood. From dealing with racism, bullies, and misogyny, Ballantyne’s family is with her along the way, sometimes bringing humor.

The artwork was bright and colorful. Even though the story was a little choppy, everything was still easily digestible, even the harder events like racism, bullying, misogyny, and self harm.

Stoked For This: May 2026

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This month has already been a bit crazy – for one I just had to purchase four all new tires yesterday cause the wires in my tires were showing, which, incase you didn’t know, is really bad. I’ve had anxiety about my tires for a bit, but I’ve been on high alert the last few days for sure.

As you can see below, there’s 22 titles this month that I’m Stoked For. A few from some previous read authors as well as some debuts authors, traveling across a few decades (sometimes all in one book!), there’s a few in Hawai’i, as well as a few in some magical worlds.

Overall, a fantastic month for new releases.

May 5, 2026

A young woman finds herself teaching English literature in an all-girls boarding school in her small coastal hometown. While there, she tries desperately to figure out where in her past it went wrong.

Offseason

By: Avigayl Sharp

A native Hawaiian teen travels to a luxury island resort in search of her missing twin and uncovers the dark side of paradise in this YA horror.

That Which Feeds Us

By: Keala Kendall

Edgar deserves to be famous, maybe then his human, Quinn, will stop being “too busy” to play. But not all attention is the same. Will Edgar choose the bright lights or someone whose right under his whiskers?

Pay Attention to Me!

By: Kate McKean

Pictures By: Rob Justus

Five lives are all connected with a game created in the 1980’s.

Homebound

By: Portia Elan

Derrick knows his scholarship to an elite East Coast boarding school is a once in a lifetime opportunity, even if it hurts to leave his friends and family behind in Navajo, New Mexico. While on the phone with his great-grandmother, she begs Derrick to leave Sagefield and he realizes her fear comes from her time in federal Native boarding schools, he knows he’s finally found the term paper theme he believes carrying her voice into the future, but will the pressure be too much for him?

Shards of Silence

By: Brian Lee Young

Twelve-year-old orphan, Rain is destined for a future of hard labor—until she meets a wild griffin and bonds with him. An old law says that bond entitles Rain to an education at the elite Griffin Riders Academy. But, Rain’s Rise threatens to topple Griffin Land’s fragile hierarchy, and they make her prove herself in the most dangerous way.

Griffin Speaker

By: Jan M. Flynn

When Calla’s favorite teacher is accused of inappropriate conduct at his old school, she decides to take action to find the sources.

Listen to the Girls

By: Chrystal D. Giles

In a small Hawaiian village, Nohea is the latest son in a long line of male ancestors with a horrible secret: He’s half-human, half-shark. He knows he can’t stay with his family forever and enters a school competition to win money.

The Shark Prince

By: Malia Maunakea

May 12, 2026

So this author is one of two authors whose books I’ve thrown across the room in the middle of reading them – not this particular one mind you but I feel like that’s usually a good starter when I pitch any of her novels 🙂 This one the story of Eng and Chang Bunker (conjoined twins) and their wives, Sallie and Addie (sisters).

The Foursome

By: Christina Baker Kline

After Zuzu’s dad loses his job, he is given a dated, first-generation guardian robot that Zuzu names Snap. But Snap doesn’t come with a charging station and as much as he’s okay with his reset, Zuzu is not and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Snap alive.

The Second Life of Snap

By: Erin Entrada Kelly

May 19, 2026

What if a teenage girl was Mature Nature?

Force of Nature

By: Melissa Clark

A book about the history of how the cultures around the world has used words to describe that that is around them.

Naming Nature: A Cabinet of Natural Curiosities for Word Lovers

By: T.A. Barron

 Twelve-year-old Sofia lives with her mother and brother, Rafa, in their car. Days are spent finding a safe space to park for the night, but her mother says she’ll soon have her own bedroom to decorate. This is an adult novel that explores coming of age during a time of displacement.

Hungered

By: Amanda Rizkalla

A middle grade novel in verse about a boy who is struggling with guilt after telling his family of his older brother’s extreme depression.

My Brother Oliver

By. R.L. Toalson

When her book of spells is stolen, Little Moon is sent to the strange world of The Fault. In this stranger and simmering land, she must find allies, discover her true name, and channel the stories of her matrilineal line to battle the fearsome Shenk.

The Book of Murmurs

By: Candice Purwin

May 26, 2026

In this middle grade novel in verse, a young girl named Kestrel learns to stand up for herself and finds out the true meaning of home.

Kestrel Takes Flights

By: Joy McCullough

This novel is about a family of New York City crows struggling to survive the outbreak of West Nile virus during the sizzling summer of 1999.

Shade of Wings

By: Pam McGaffin

A romantic Jane Austen read-a-like set in historical Korea, about a reader and a writer who secretly fight against government book banning and find themselves drawn together.

Behind Five Willows

By: June Hur

You can’t change the past, but Midnight Train can take you there and give you a chance to to re-live the moments. How will doing so change the way you see yourself?

The Midnight Train

By: Matt Haig

A middle grade novel with illustrations for those who loved Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and the graphic memoir Mexikid about a group of four friends and a magical bookstore that holds them together.

The Chismosas Only Book Club

By: Laekan Zea Kemp

A new historical fiction from one of my favorite YA authors – though this is her first adult novel! In this Prohibition-era novel, Marjorie must learn about perception, reputation, and the slow understanding of truth.

A Fortune of Sand

By: Ruta Sepetys

Just a sci-fi novel about a robot at the end of the world whose leg was stolen and when they set out to find the thief, are accompanied by a cyborg dog and a human mechanic.

Ode to the Half-Broken

By: Suzanne Palmer

Little Moons / Jen Storm, Ryan Howe (Illustrator),  Alice RL (Colorist), Nickolej Villiger (Letterer)

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Little Moons
By: Jen Storm, Ryan Howe (Illustrator), Alice RL (Colorist), Nickolej Villiger (Letterer)
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Number of Pages: 64
Published: September 3, 2024
Publisher: HighWater Press
Dates Read: April 11, 2026
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN: 9781774921074

It’s been a year since Reanna’s older sister, Chelsea, went missing on her way home from school. Without any idea what happened, Reanna and her family struggle to find closure. Because of the memories, Reanna’s mom moves to the city, leaving behind Reanna and her little brother to go live with their dad.

Reanna is hurt and feels alone, but she’s anything but that; light turns on in empty rooms and objects move without being touched and her brother sees little moons everywhere.

This short graphic novel tackles the heart wrenching topic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People in Canada and how one family handles their grief of a loved one gone. I truly appreciate how the author also incorporates cultural forms of mourning from her own Ojibwe traditions.

I wish it went into a little more about the little moons, but overall, I still thought this was a powerful read.

From the Roots Up (Surviving the City #2) / Tasha Spillett, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator), Donovan Yaciuk (Illustrator)

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From the Roots Up (Surviving the City #2)
By: Tasha Spillett, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator), Donovan Yaciuk (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Number of Pages: 64
Published: October 17, 2020
Publisher: HighWater Press
Dates Read: April 11, 2026
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN: 9781553798989

In the sequel to Surviving the City, Dez’s grandmother has passed away and they are now living in a group home. On top of their grief, Dez is also navigating a new relationship and their identity as a Two-Spirit person.

Miikwan is crushing on the new student, Riel, but doesn’t fully understand what Dez is going through. Elder Linda is trying her hardest to be supportive, but doesn’t know how to respond to challenging the gendered protocols she’s grown up with.

I am so glad this goes into Two-Spirit individuals and how they can sometimes be treated in the Indigenous Community. I knew in certain ways, Two-Spirit individuals were usually regarded highly because they were connected to both genders, but I had never thought about what they do during specific gender role ceremonies.

I believe the author did a fantastic job to where she not only teaches the reader, but does so in a way that is relatable to the teenagers who would most likely pick this up. I can also appreciate how Elder Linda discusses with the teens her fault in how she approached the gendered protocols – adults don’t often apologise to teens, so it was nice to see that happen.

Overall, this is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel for young adults that explores not only Dez’s journey as a Two-Spirit but also the community around them who help.

Surviving the City (Surviving the City #1) / Tasha Spillett, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator), Donocan Yaciuk (Illustrator)

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Surviving the City (Surviving the City #1)
By: Tasha Spillett, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator), Donocan Yaciuk (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Number of Pages: 56
Published: March 1, 2019
Publisher: HighWater Press
Dates Read: April 11, 2026 
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN: 9781553797562

Miikwan and Dez are best friends. Miikwan is Anishinaabe; Dez is Inninew and together they navigate the challenges of growing up in an urban landscape. They’re so close, they even did their Berry Fast together. But when Dez’s grandmother becomes too sick to care for Dez, the threat of a group home becomes closer. Fearing being taken away, Dez disappears. Miikwan’s wound of her mother’s disappearance and murder resurfaces as the community tries to find Dez before it’s too late.

I’ve been wanting to read more Indigenous Voices and this series was on a list I found, so I immediately put them on hold at my library. Even as it highlights the teens going to school, hitting the mall, and working on a class project, this short graphic novel begins the dive into the discussion of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People in Canada.

I really like the depiction of spirits in this story, for both Indigenous Peoples and Non-Indigenous. I do wish a few of the ceremonies mentioned and done in the story talked more about what it was for, but that also opens the door for doing research myself and finding out too.

Overall, a wonderful, short graphic novel that just scratches the surface of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People in Canada.