Author: Alisha Helms

The Fragility of Light / Heather S. Lonczak

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The Fragility of Light
By: Heather S. Lonczak
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 448
Published: March 2, 2024
Publisher: Ivy Lan Press
Dates Read: May 13, 2024 - May 19, 2024
Format: ARC/ eBook

Trigger Warnings: mental illness, psychosis, death, mentions of suicide, suicide attempt, mention of living through the Holocaust, generational trauma, parental neglect 

Sunny Zielinski has a promising future ahead of her. Recently, she lands a job as an editor and gets married to the love of her life, Joshua. Her close close-knit family is her rock, especially her loving grandparents – Holocaust survivors who helped raise her.

Following two major losses, Sunny finds that she’s losing herself. Then, she experiences her first psychotic break and is dropped into a world of fear and confusion as her delusions, hallucinations, and mood symptoms take over, Sunny is enveloped into madness. As Sunny attempts to navigate her symptoms, she struggles between what is reality and what is her illness, who’s there to help her, and what she needs to do to get better.

Told mostly through Sunny’s point of view, there are chapters with her husband Joshua, and her father, Peter, as they all try their hardest to help Sunny in her road to recovery.

My first words of this were just: Wow. This is definitely not an easy read. This will pull at your heartstrings before it helps you stitch it back together near the end.

The author, Heather S. Lonczak holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology along with a lot of other studies and experiences within the field and this novel shows she knows what she’s talking about. I appreciated how the doctors interacted with Sunny when they were talking to her about her illness and about taking her medicine. They treated her like a real person with an illness and not just the illness itself.

The novel is the slightest bit wordy in my opinion, but all the words help you immerse into Sunny’s life all the more. I especially loved reading Joshua or Peter’s chapters after some intense moments of Sunny’s as they tended to give you more insight of habits or events that Sunny either didn’t realize she was doing, or that she thought no one else would know about.

Overall, this novel is a wonderful look at a family adjusting to a new mental diagnosis. It doesn’t shy around the ugliness that a mental illness can cause and the struggle a family can go through. Highly recommending this novel for those who want to read about an experience of a newly diagnosed woman as she and her family try to find her way out of the darkness.

*Thank you Ivy Lan Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Groundworld Heroes / Adrian So

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The Groundworld Heroes
By: Adrian So
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 122
Published: August 6, 2024
Publisher: Monarch Educational Services
Dates Read: May 12, 2024 - May 13, 2024
Format: ARC / eBook

When Benjamin, a junior mole digger, witnesses a human invasion of his homeland of Soiland, he must gather his courage and unite two different realms to fight the intruders and save the citizens.

This book is definitely aimed at the younger crowd (upper elementary to lower middle school), but I can also see this as a chapter book for Hi-Lo readers as well. So does have fun with language in this book. Using words like: mole-ments, Whizzy Fizzy Speed Machine, bunny-hops (used to measuring distance), for rabbit’s sake! – and so much more.

Overall, this is a book about a little mole standing up for what he believes in and helping his home, and his people with his bravery. Readers will enjoy the adventure filled story with funny, witty characters and punny writing. I can see a lot of future fantasy readers getting their start in that genre with this book.

The author of this book is a teenager and this is his debut novel. I’m excited to see their continued writing journey and to see them grow as an author.

*Thank you Adrian for reaching out to me to read your debut novel in exchange for an honest review

Sync / Ellen Hopkins

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Sync
By: Ellen Hopkins
Genre: YA, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 448
Published: August 27, 2024
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Dates Read: May 10, 2024 - May 11, 2024
Format: ARC / Paperback

Trigger Warnings: Child abuse, child neglect, homelessness, mention of drug use, rape, suicide, homophobia, prison/juvie

Twins Storm and Lake have always been in sync growing up – until they get separated within the foster care system. Storm’s been through juvie but his current foster dad and his girlfriend are helping him find a normal life again – until an incident makes him lose control again. Lake likes girls, but her bible loving foster parents would immediately kick her out if they find out – so she and her foster sibling, Parker, must keep their relationship secret. Both twins have rough patches ahead and both fight to come out on the other side.

Sooo, I’ve never read an Ellen Hopkins book – at least that I can remember anyway. I did NOT keep track of books I read until I was in my late 20’s… That being said, I feel like I would remember the emotional damage that probably would have been done with her books, especially with how I feel after finishing this one.

Hopkins didn’t shy away from the hard topics. Doing so allowed me to feel every emotion alongside the twins as they were. I’ve recently really gotten into novel-in-verse books and it absolutely makes me understand how poetry can really hit your gut with just so few words; Hopkins didn’t have to go into detail about what things looked like for you to understand what was going on.

The ending was bittersweet because I didn’t want it to be over, but at the same time, Hopkins finished it beautifully without needing the words. God, this book is going to stay with me for quite some time. I’m going to think of Storm and Lake and hope they’re doing okay.

Overall, this book will grab your heart and twist it tight, absolutely leaving an imprint when it finally releases you on the last page. Even though it’s a 400+ page novel, it reads quickly and one could probably finish it in one setting. The only reason I hadn’t was because I started it super late at night and then had plans the following morning.

*Thank you Nancy Paulsen Books and BookishFirst for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Hidden Yellow Stars / Rebecca Connolly

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Hidden Yellow Stars
By: Rebecca Connolly
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 304
Published: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Dates Read: May 5, 2024 - May 9, 2024
Format: ARC / eBook

Based on the true story of two World War II heroines, Andrée and Ida, who risked everything to save Jewish children from the Gestapo by hiding them throughout Belgium using coded notebooks.

I haven’t read anything by Rebecca Connolly before but I did like her writing in this novel – though some of it had more internal monologue than I thought was necessary, the imagery written was amazing and I can still picture some scenes in my head, even days after reading it. Connolly really puts you on the streets of Brussels with the tension of doing everything one can to save children.

Each chapter began with real Nazi propaganda and it really got to me a bit for how many of them were aimed at children. This book is about saving children, and to have such nasty propaganda aimed at the same age group these women are trying to save just goes to show how much hatred is taught.

This is all based on a true story(ies) of the CDJ in Belgium – which, as stated in the Afterword of the novel, is estimated to have hidden nearly three thousand children successfully during WWII!

My only thing about the novel is I wasn’t always 100% sure where in the timeline of the war the chapters were happening. Sometimes I could gauge based on what they would talk about – like clearly towards the end, but other times I kind of wished I knew what year it was.

Overall though, I absolutely loved this book and I already know a few people I will be recommending it to. If you love historical fiction about WWII, especially those based on true events, this book will capture your attention and never let it go – even long after you’ve finished.

*Thank you Shadow Mountain an NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Stoke for This : May 2024

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Y’all I’m back! I officially submitted in my selections for the awards I was reading for yesterday and I am now able to tackle more of my TBR (and my backlog of galleys from NetGalley :D). So, be prepared to see more from me as I get back on track with my reviews!

May 7, 2024

The Skunks

By: Fiona Warnick

Why am I stoked for this release?

Reviews I’ve seen of this book have generally described it as being one that will sit with you well after you’ve read it. So, I’m curious to see if this will.

This novel is about Isabel who moves back home after college and just – tries to figure out her life from there. But being back home brings up old memories (including an old crush).

There are also supposedly POV changes, one of course, being a skunk, so let’s try it!

Telephone of the Tree

By: Alison McGhee

Why am I stoked for this release?

I originally heard about this book at a Publisher’s Digital Book Event. This is a book about loss and grief.

As someone who lost her dad when I was only twelve, there’s a lot of stuff I used to do as a preteen that were probably weird. I didn’t really have books like this growing up and I really cherish reading them, even now so I know what the younger generations have.

May 14, 2024

Thirsty

By: Jas Hammonds

Why am I stoked for this release?

Jas Hammond’s debut YA novel, We Deserve Monuments was my 2022 Book of the Year. I’ve been anxiously waiting for their next novel.

In this novel, Blake is doing everything she can to join the mysterious and exclusive Serena Society – but to keep her confidence up, she finds courage at the bottom of a liquor bottle.

Hammonds layered her last novel masterfully and how she talked about the trauma was amazing as well. I’m really excite to see where this one goes.

It Waits in the Forest

By: Sarah Dass

Why am I stoked for this release?

Another story that will be diving into grief – but this one is not only for people, but for the lives we wish we had.

There’s also potentially something to do with botany magic?? I may be misreading or jumping to conclusion on it, but like – the cover! Give me plant magic so I can keep my plants alive and stop accidently killing them!!

With Just One Wing

By: Brenda Woods

Why am I stoked for this release?

After breaking his arm climbing a tree to get a closer look at the mockingbird nest, Coop is stuck at home during the summer. Later, when the fledglings fly away, Coop and his friend, Zandi, discover a baby bird with one wing is left behind. Coop adopts it

This book is a lot about adoption

The Last Rhee Witch

By: Jenna Lee-Yun

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is a middle grade mystery/suspense novel mixed with Korean folklore and summer camp.

Again, I know it’s middle grade, but I’m still excited about these titles. These types of novels weren’t around when I was a kid – and if they were starting to come about, I pretty much spend a year reading middle grade before jumping into YA since my reading level was so high as a kid.

And, weirdness at summer camp? Count me in 🙂

May 21, 2024

To & Fro

By: Leah Hager Cohen

Why am I stoked for this release?

I saw this one in a publisher’s email and asked for the ARC of it, I’m hoping I can read it right before it comes out so I can talk it up.

To & Fro has two mirrored narratives with flipped over covers to read each story about girls searching for understanding.

There’s also a stolen kitten involved!

Shae

By: Mesha Maren

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is a coming-of-age novel about sixteen-year-old Shae and her companion, Cam. Shortly after Shae becomes pregnant, Cam begins transition and declaring female pronouns.

After traumatic C-section and the birth of their daughter, Shae is given opioids and then becomes addicted.

This isn’t going to be a candy filled read, that for sure – but I’m already rooting for Shae and her fight that so many Americans are dealing with when it comes to the opioids epidemic.

The Light Eaters

By: Zoe Schlanger

Why am I stoked for this release?

And our nonfiction of the month goes to this popular science read about plants!

As I have mentioned above, I love plants and I have quite a few sprinkled throughout my home that I (try) to take care of. Usually I can do great with them for a few months and then something dramatic happens and they die. I do have a handful I’ve kept alive for along time – including a cactus named Max who I’ve had going on 8 years who I’ve propagated three times.

Plants are also amazing out in the wild and how they are able to care for themselves out there interest me so I’m interested in this read for sure!

May 28, 2024

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

By: Onyi Nwabineli

Why am I stoked for this release?

This novel is about Anuri’s life as she tries to break her young half sister out of the cycle of abuse from her influencer stepmother.

I know I keep mentioning about the differences between when I grew up and now – but like, I’m 11 years older than Youtube. Even though I loved filming my friends and family as a kid, those videos were just for us.

Nowadays, there’s so many “influencers” that film everything they do and post it online. I think of the Franke family and how crazy that actually ended up being…

Anywho, I’m curious to see how this one reads and how it goes showing the “bad side” of constantly being online.

A Galaxy of Whales

By: Heather Fawcett

Why am I stoked for this release?

I mostly wanted this book because it’s from the author of of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries. I still haven’t read that book, but it’s on my TBR and based on what I’ve heard of it, I know I will love it.

This book is a summer story that has trials and pleasures of friendships with two preteens trying to best each other in a photo contest.

Death Wins a Goldfish: Reflections from a Grim Reaper’s Yearlong Sabbatical / Brian Rea

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Death Wins a Goldfish: Reflections from a Grim Reaper’s Yearlong Sabbatical
By: Brian Rea
Genre: Graphic Novel, Humor
Number of Pages: 176
Published: February 5, 2019
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Dates Read: May 5, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Death has never taken a day off. That is, until he gets a letter from HR insisting he start using them, starting that Friday. As Death takes his mandatory year-long sabbatical, readers get a peek into his diary and the activities he decides to fill his life with – including, winning a goldfish.

I picked this title up at work in the library when I saw it displayed on our shelves of the graphic novels that I pass by every morning on my way to my desk. I thought, “that sounds fun” and grabbed it. It then proceeded to sit on my desk for months as I continued to renew it as I read through a ton of award finalists. Welp, I finally finished reading for my awards, and this was one of the first books I sat down with to read.

The amount of photos I took on my phone of drawings from this little graphic novel are endless – Death doing an ollie over his goldfish in his fishbowl is my phone’s screensaver right now.

As much as this is cute, there’s also the look into not taking life so seriously and to make sure to have fun every once in a while as well. There were even some deep quotes, like this one:

“Saw the redwoods – even bigger than I thought! One of the trees had a giant hole right through the middle of it. The guide said it was “dying slowly” – so when everyone passed, I stepped inside. All the sounds went away. I felt small and warm. It wasn’t dying at all. It was just living slowly.”

Like I said, I borrowed this from my library, but I’m going to be on the hunt for my own copy of this book so I can read it again and again.

The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale / Jon Klassen

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The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale
By: Jon Klassen
Genre: Children’s, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 106
Published: July 11, 2023
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Dates Read: May 5, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Otilla has run away from terrible danger and has now found a big abandoned house in the middle of the dark forest. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Filled with rich, monochromatic artwork, The Skull is a retelling of a traditional Tyrolean folktale.

I wish that I had these types of books as a kid – a bit spooky and dark, but still with a good story to it.

I absolutely loved the artwork of this story. The words were sparse but the art was amazing.

The author’s note at the end was also amazing – as a librarian myself, I love when others speak of our superpowers 🙂

Overall, this isn’t just a children’s book by any means. I think those of all ages will enjoy it. It’s a quick, quirky read that doesn’t really sit on horror, but definitely gives off spooky vibes.

Inventor Adventure: A Self-Watering Journey / Selma Benkiran

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Inventor Adventure
By: Selma Benkiran
Genre: Children’s, Science 
Number of Pages: 36
Published: January 19, 2024
Publisher: Mi Camino Publishing
Dates Read: April 24, 2024
Format: eBook

When Lilo realizes his beloved plants won’t be watered while he’s on vacation, he decides to simply invent a machine that will water them for him. The job is easier said than done and Lilo gets discouraged by the setbacks, but his family has his back and teaches him valuable lessons with each one.

As a plant lover who struggles to remember which plant needs watering and when – even when I see my plants everyday! – I empathize with Lilo, especially when you’ve kept certain plants alive for a long time.

His determination to find a solution, even when there were setbacks, were encouraging, even to this adult.

This book is filled with a lot of trial and errors and Selma Benkiran explains all the steps and thought processes through it all. One of my favorites was:

“Forget perfect. Start with good enough. An easy solution that you can have fun inventing. Then make it better and better.”

That’s just something I feel like adults need reminding of too.

Overall, this book is engaging and informative for all ages. Parents will have fun reading to their littles.

*Thank you for the author for reaching out with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store / James McBride

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I promise I’m still around y’all! I ended up doing a 3:1 book read this time around because I realized I really need to get through my book for judging. I’ve got quite a few left to read still, so you may not hear from me again for a few more weeks. May 15 is when all of my comments are due, so you’ll probably see me shortly after that. And of course, once the winner(s) are announced, I’ll talk a bit more about them and stuff.

Until then, here’s what I listened to as an Audiobook on 2x speed on Saturday while I cleared out over 200+ books from my bookshelves because I had officially ran out of room for books.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
By: James McBride
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 380
Published: August 8, 2023
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Dates Read: April 20, 2024
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

In 1972, workers were digging a new foundation in Pottstown, Pennsylvania when they found a skeleton at the bottom of a well. To figure out who it is, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store goes back 40 years to the secrets of the neighborhood of Chicken Hill, a dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side.

This book was ultimately about the community of Chicken Hill, rallying together in order to protect a young deaf boy they’ve named Dodo, from being taken by the state to an institution. It starts off with a murder mystery, but to be honest, that wasn’t at all the most interesting part of the story.

This is one of those books where I kind of wish I did ½ star ratings and not rounding up, because I don’t really think this is a 4 star book, but I don’t think it’s a 3 star one either. I listened to this on 2x speed on a Saturday while I did some deep cleaning of my book shelves and yes, I totally missed some things here and there, but a lot of it was repeated stuff. I know the author was showing how all the characters were connected, but the characters all already knew this, and we, the reader, mostly knew that stuff too.

We meet a lot of characters in this book, but I really enjoyed Chuna, the outspoken wife who runs the grocery store. And of course Dodo.

Was this book of the year for me – no. It actually left me a bit disappointed to be completely honest. It’s rich and full of characters, but it also went on and on in places it could have been edited out and also broke away from the story to give us background information that wasn’t always necessary to keep the book going. Maybe I’ll sit down and physically read it one day, and not as an audiobook, but as of right now, this is where I stand with it.

We Were the Lucky Ones / Georgia Hunter

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We Were the Lucky Ones
By: Georgia Hunter
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 416
Published: January 2, 2018 (1st Published February 14, 2017)
Publisher: Penguin Books
Dates Read: April 6, 2024 - April 7, 2024
Format: Paperback

Trigger Warnings: Holocaust, war, death, starvation

In Radom, Poland, in March of 1939, the Kurc family’s talk around the Seder table is of new babies and budding romance – not really much of the shadows of the war just around the corner, or the hardships threatening Jews, but the empty set where middle son, Addy should be, is a heavy reminder. Nothing changes overnight, but new rules, regulations, and laws go into effect and then suddenly, Europe is inescapable.

One sibling is forced into exile, another gets shuffled between refugee boats halfway across the world, others struggle to escape certain death; rather that’s working grueling hours on empty stomachs in the ghetto or hiding as gentiles in plain sight. We Are the Lucky Ones is inspired by the incredible true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of the war and their determination to not only survive, but to reunite. 

Right, so I have enough titles on my plate right now to last me through to forever, but I started watching the adaptation of this when it dropped on Hulu a few weeks ago, thinking I’d cheat a little and watch the show first (yea, yea, I know, you don’t do that!). But then, it left me on a cliffhanger I did not care to endure for an entire week while I waited for the next episode – so, I went out and bought the book (yes, I even bit the bullet and bought the one with the stupid Hulu advertisement on it because I couldn’t find any older versions). I then read from Saturday late afternoon up until 3:00 am, slept for a bit, then woke up and read the remaining 75 pages or so I couldn’t stay awake for.

Starting off – obviously the tv adaptation took a few more liberties in a few of the characters’ storylines. I loved the book ones more because to me, they’re sweeter, but I’ve still got two more episodes left of the series, so maybe it’ll change.

I did appreciate the changing around of all Kurc family members for each chapter. And the little tidbits of history that was happening at the time, because sometimes we would jump a few months and it was nice to know what had been going on or happening.

This is a difficult book about survival in one of the worst times in human history, not everyone will be able to read it, but I just had to when you learn about so many members of one immediate family, their stories, and that it’s based on the author’s family history. This is absolutely added to my recommendation list for historical fiction. Always.