Author: Alisha Helms

Northranger / Rey Teriero, Bre Indigo (Illustrator)

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Northranger
By: Rey Teriero, Bre Indigo (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Number of Pages: 240
Published: June 6, 2023
Publisher: HarperAlley
Dates Read: July 17, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: (via an author’s note at the beginning of the novel) Moments of homophobia, misogyny, racism, domestic violence, animal cruelty, and confronting death

Sixteen-year-old Cade Muñoz has always loved the escapism of a good horror movie. Even though they’re scary, nothing is scarier than real life for the closeted queer Latino teen growing up in rural Texas.

When Cade gets sent to work his summer away with his step dad on his old army buddy’s ranch, he hates everything about it; the early mornings, the mountains of horse poop he has to shovel, the endless list of chores… But there are some things he does like – the company of the two teens who live there, especially the handsome Henry.

But, things are complicated. They’re in rural Texas after all. But Henry also won’t share about his mother’s death, and Henry’s father and him have had hushed, angry arguments Cade has overheard. Cade begins to wonder what secrets the family is hiding.

This is a beautifully illustrated and written romance about first love, grief, mental health, self acceptance, and the experience of being gay in rural, religious towns.

At first I was a little weary of the color pallet of being brown/maroon but it works well for this novel. It doesn’t take away from the story at all and it kind of helps set the mood of being out on a ranch. Also – the art is beautiful and I loved it!

I can see those who love the Heartstopper series also enjoying this book; Cade and Henry can totally give off Nick and Charlie vibes for sure… especially the hopeless romantic facial expressions of Cade. I shall indeed be recommending this book to any YA graphic novel, queer romance lovers.

Global / Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano (Illustrator)

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Global
By: Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 144
Published: April 11, 2023
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Dates Read: July 16, 2023 - July 17, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Global is a YA graphic novel about two young children as they face the effects of climate change in what could possibly be the near future.

Sami and his grandfather live in a village along the Indian Ocean. They earn their living by fishing but they’re having to go further and further out to sea – something dangerous while in their tiny boat.

Yuki lives in the far north of Canada where rising temperatures are melting the snow and ice around her. Polar bears have less food they’re able to hunt and therefore are wandering into town to look for something to eat. There may even be a new species of bear – the grolar, a crossbreed between brown bears and polars bears. Yuki, alongside her dog, Lockjaw are determined to save them.

The novel alternates between the two children as we follow their struggle with climate change.

I’m a sucker for animal companions, so I was immediately drawn to Locky and Yuki’s story (Lockjaw).

I loved the art in this. It was bright and colorful – even in the middle of rain storms.

The adventures the kids have are a bit unrealistic, but it is a Middle Grade story that has important information in it; both within the story and information at the back of the novel. The younger generation are unfortunately the ones who have to really live with and deal with the impacts of global warming the most and this book really hits on the fact that younger kids can still be impactful.

Overall, I’d recommend this to middle grade, YA, and adult readers alike. This is an action packed, beautifully drawn graphic novel about the effects of climate change that I feel all could benefit from.

83 Days in Mariupol: A War Diary / Don Brown

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83 Days in Mariupol: A War Diary
By: Don Brown
Genre: Graphic Novel, Nonfiction, YA
Number of Pages: 128
Published: May 16, 2023
Publisher: Clarion Books
Dates Read: July 16, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

83 Days in Mariupol: A War Diary is a young adult graphic novel about the war in Ukraine, especially focusing on the siege of Mariupol between February 2022 – May 2022. 

I’ve been trying to make sure to read books I find about the war in Ukraine. It’s not something that I keep up on within the news daily (truth be told, I try to stay away from the daily news in general), but I don’t want it to be something where I find out years and years later what happened or what it was like.

At first I was a little put off by the art style. I like my graphic novel reads to be full of color and usually bright palettes. But, the pen and ink art in this novel goes amazing with the setting of urgency, the brutalities and horrors of war, and the human spirit during such cases.

This is an important read, especially to the Young Adult audience it is aimed at as it gives a lot of information that, alongside the illustrations and art, can be used as a valuable resource to tell those about the war in Ukraine in a way that is more visual and memorable.

A Guide to the Dark / Meriam Metoui

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A Guide to the Dark
By: Meriam Metoui
Genre: YA, Horror
Number of Pages: 368
Published: July 18, 2023
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Dates Read: July 9, 2023 - July 15, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

Trigger Warning: Mentions of death and suicide, drowning, grief

While touring colleges around the east coast and the midwest during their spring break, best friends Mira and Layla get stranded at the Wildwood Motel in Indiana after their car breaks down in a rainstorm. But something is off about their Room 9 assignment. Mira begins having haunting nightmares and visions of her dead brother, but Layla doesn’t see anything. Sure, the place is a little run down, but it’s got that small town feel Layla can’t wait to capture on her camera.

When they learn that eight people have died in that exact same room, they realize there must be something sinister going on – they just need to find the connection before Mira becomes the next.

This was a page turner for me that though I kind of knew what was happening, it was intriguing to watch the characters connect the dots. I seemed to only be a few pages ahead of them when it came to that, so it was fun to see that I was almost always on the right path. I also enjoyed the deeper dive into grief and how everyone handles it differently. 

I loved the pictures included in the novel, especially when I would find something in them. My only problem was, and it may have been just because I was reading a digital ARC and it wasn’t formatted correctly, was that sometimes the photos that would be mentioned or talked about you wouldn’t have access to until a few pages later. Wasn’t a big deal, but it would have been nice to have the comparison within a page flip.

It was also nice to read about two Arabic Muslim teenage girls as the main characters. They talk about their different dialects, the differences between their parents, how they both practice their religion, and even the differences between the Arabic pronunciation of their name versus the English pronunciation.

Overall, this is a fun, keep me near the edge of my seat, YA horror read. I will definitely be recommending this to anyone who loves YA horror, as well as those who want a bit of a spooky read some closer to Halloween.

*Thank you Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Give Me a Sign / Anna Sortino

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Give Me a Sign
By: Anna Sortino
Genre: YA, Romance
Number of Pages: 320
Published July 11, 2023
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: July 8, 2023
Format: eBook / ARC

Lilah has always struggled with her identity; she has hearing loss but doesn’t feeling “deaf enough” to identify as Deaf, but she’s also not hearing enough to fit into the world’s expectations. But this summer, Lilah wants to change.

When she gets accepted to be a junior camp counselor at the Deaf and Blind Summer Camp she went to as a kid, she’s excited to brush up on her American Sign Language (ASL). Once there, she finds the community she’s been searching for, and then some. Like the two British lifeguards, an Interpreting Student YouTuber who’s just a little too desperate for views, the campers Lilah’s responsible for (including one who’s practically glues to Lilah’s leg), and the dreamy Deaf counselor helping Lilah with her signing.

Romance wasn’t ever on the agenda for the summer, especially since Lilah isn’t positive Isaac likes her the same way. Everything points to yes, but maybe Lilah is reading the signs wrong? 

I’m always curious to read books with Deaf or Hard of Hearing characters, especially written by authors within the Deaf Community. I’ve studied American Sign Language (I have a Minor in ASL), but I am nowhere near fluent, and unfortunately I don’t always have the ability to practice as much as I would like. There weren’t books with Deaf or Hard of Hearing characters as a main character while I was growing up, so I read them any chance I got.

This book gives a lot of insight to the Deaf Community and what it’s like for those with a range of hearing loss. Of course, cochlear implants were discussed for a variety of reasons, including someone from a Deaf family getting one (a lot within the community frown upon the procedure). There is also an incident with someone who is Deaf who has a confrontation with the police.

This book will be high up on my list for recommendations, especially those who enjoyed books like The Words in my Hands by Asphyxia, The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais, and True Bix by Sara Nović.

*Thank you G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Song of Us / Kate Fussner

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The Song of Us
By: Kate Fussner
Genre: Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 208
Published: May 20, 2023
Publisher: HarperCollin/Tegen
Dates Read: July 7, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

The Song of Us is a middle grade, novel in verse about love at first sight for seventh graders Olivia and Eden. Olivia is capital P, Poet and started a Poetry Club at her school, and Eden is the new girl in school who thinks she wants to be a musician. When Eden walks into the Poetry Club one day, everything changes.

Eden isn’t out and there are rules Olivia needs to follow: don’t call, don’t tell her friends, and don’t let anyone know.

But when jealousy waves its ugly head, Olivia’s words are what push Eden away. As Eden tries to find herself in this new school, Olivia begins the journey of getting back to Eden – using her most powerful weapon; her poetry.

This book is aimed for Middle Grade readers, but I’m 31 and I absolutely devoured it a single day in two settings (the curse of work).

I’m not usually one for romance stories in YA, yet alone Middle Grade, but this one was super cute and about your first crush/love. The novel even touches on the fact that they are seventh graders, and yea, most likely relationships won’t last, but it doesn’t mean the feelings being felt aren’t real. Even though the sections were shorter than your typical prose novel, the author was still able to develop both characters well and through their verses, you were able to connect with them. The pacing was good and everything felt realistic. 

Overall, this is an amazing, tender debut novel-in-verse about first love and finding the right words that I can see everyone who’s looking for a sweet romance would enjoy.

*Thank you HarperCollin/Tegen and Edelweiss+ for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Librarianist / Patrick deWitt

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The Librarianist
By: Patrick deWittt
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 352
Published: July 4, 2023
Publisher: Ecco Press
Dates Read: June 25, 2023 - July 6, 2023
Format: eBook / ARC

Bob Comet is a retired librarian who spends his days surrounded by books and the little things – such as walks around the neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. One day while on his walk, he encounters a stone still elderly lady with a lanyard that gives information about a senior center down the street. After returning the lady to her center, Bob begins volunteering, hoping to fill the empty void he’s had since retiring. 

While there, it brings up Bob’s complicated life’s history; his adventures as a unhappy child, who, at 11-years-old runs away during the last days of WWII, of the love of his life being won and then stolen away, the story of his once best friend, and the pride and fulfillment he felt being a librarian. Though his life seems simple, it’s still filled with love, humor, and lovable people.

This is such a wonderful, contemporary read. While following Bob’s life, it is a pretty simple life of a librarian, but it’s filled with so many moments that make a person’s life special, and therefore, makes this novel special. It leaves you feeling like you know Bob and his story.

A few parts of this novel were a little slower for me, but none of that deterred me continuing my read. It’s a book about life and it was sweet.

Overall, I can see a lot of Book Clubs reading this book in the future as there are plenty of things to discuss, but I can also see those who want to see the story of the life of an retire librarian whose life didn’t actually always revolve around books.

“Maria understood that part of aging, at least for many of us, was to see how misshapen and imperfect our stories had to be. The passage of time bends us, it folds us up, and eventually, it tucks us right into the ground”

*Thank you Ecco Press and Edelweiss+ for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Stoked for This: July 2023

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Okay, so I’m not the greatest at getting this out on the first, that’s absolutely for sure – but at least it’s still at the beginning of the month, right?? My family had their annual summer garage sale this past weekend and it’s a big deal (we made over $1,200 this year!). That mixed with July 4th, my days are all over the place. But, I wanted to make sure I got this out at a reasonable time so here we go!

RELEASE DATE: July 4, 2023

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

by: Satoshi Yagisawa, Eric Ozawa (Translator)

Why am I stoked for this release?

I’m kind of a sucker for Japanese literature – especially fiction. It always makes me feel peaceful and they don’t shy away from what it’s like being human. It just feels real. So, I’m pretty stoked for this read that has a setting with a bookshop!

The Librarianist

by: Patrick deWitt

Why am I stoked for this release?

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and am actually currently reading it. It’s about Bob, a retired librarian who begins helping out at a senior center. There’s more involvement, but the seniors at this center are a hoot and I love them.

Wolfsong (Green Creak #1)

by: T.J. Klune

Why am I stoked for this release?

Firstly, it’s T.J. Klune, anything this author releases will automatically get put on my TBR shelf, which as soon as I read it, it becomes my newest favorite book. Any year he releases a book, it’s always in my Top 5 easily. I know, this is technically a reprint of the entire series through TOR, but I haven’t read it yet and I’m counting it. Plus, it’s shapeshifting wolves; leave me to run down memory lane with my teenage Teen Wolf obsession. Thanks.

RELEASE DATE: JULY 11, 2023

Alchemy of a Blackbird

by: Claire McMillan

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is a historical novel based on the true story of painters and occultists Remedios Varo and Leonor Carrington, who both had to break away from their famous partners in order to become icons on their own.

I’ve been interested in Tarot Card reading so I’m excited to see how this goes because apparently that’s what connects to two women.

Ebony Gate (Phoenix Hoard #1)

by: Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle

Why am I stoked for this release?

Firstly, this is being marked as “…female John Wick story with dragon magic set in contemporary San Francisco’s Chinatown.” Like, what part of that description does not intrigue me? I’ve also been interested in dragons recently so there’s that too…

Give Me a Sign

by: Anna Sortino

Why am I stoked for this release?

I admit, I’m not one for YA romance, but this one has a main character who has hearing loss who’s a counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind where she meet a Deaf counselor who volunteers to help her with her signing. I love ASL, I’ve got a Minor in the language and I sign with quite a few patrons at work. I’m always curious to see how Deaf and Hard of Hearing characters are written so I’m always up to reading books with those characters, especially with the author is Deaf themselves.

RELEASE DATE: JULY 18, 2023

A Guide to the Dark

by: Meriam Metoui

Why am I stoked for this release?

This book is marked as Young Adult, but since the two girls are college age, this could be marked as New Adult, which is one of the reasons I was interested in it. New Adult is generally marketed as 18-28 while Young Adult is more 13-18 – it’s a *newer* genre that’s still getting on it’s feet, so I’m always on the look out for that.

This is also a horror YA and I don’t know what it is about it, but I greatly enjoy YA horror (I’m going to thank Rory Power’s Wilder Girls for that one). This novel is saying it’s The Haunting of Hill House meets Nina LaCour so uh, sign me up!

Women of the Post

by: Joshunda Sanders

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is a novel based on true events of the all-Black battalion of the Women’s Army Corps sorting over one million pieces of mail for the US Army during WWII.

I’ve read a lot of historical fiction set in WWII, but this is a story I haven’t heard yet, so I’m stoked to be able to read about a different point of view. I also don’t read a lot of fiction that would be categorized as “military fiction” so that’s another check off my list for excitement.

RELEASE DATE: JULY 25, 2023

The Weaver and the Witch Queen

by: Genevieve Gornichec

Why am I stoked for this release?

Anyone who knows me knows I wouldn’t shut up about The Witch’s Heart by this author after I read it. I’m constantly recommending that book to anyone and everyone. Gornichec writes historical fiction with mythology and Vikings Age history. Those are two things I absolutely love and this one is about the becoming Queen of Norway. Sign me up to enjoy this already.

Pumpkin the Cat / Jonathan Yavin

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Pumpkin the Cat
By: Jonathan Yavin, Gilad Soffer (Illustrator)
Genre: Children's
Number of Pages: 32
Published: July 18, 2023 (1st Published 2005)
Publisher: Gefen Publishing House
Dates Read: June 25, 2023
Format: eBook

When a father brings home a kitten to his young son, at first the boy wants nothing to do with it, he hates cats! But the orange kitten quickly wins over the boy’s heart and changes everyone’s mind.

I’m a sucker for cat books – especially children cat books. Just look at the illustration of Pumpkin on the cover! How could you not?

This was an adorable children’s book about a boy, who was once scratched by a cat, and got over his fear to welcome home the new orange kitten his father brought.

The text is simple and easy for children to follow.

The illustrations are adorable and there are a ton of hidden easter eggs in the background, especially with the boy’s toys.

I don’t have any younger children to read this too, but once I do, I’ll be reading them this. But also – adults will enjoy this story as well – it’s just too cute!

*Thank you Gefen Publishing House and LibraryThing for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Forbidden Spell (Mark of a Caster #1) / Kaely Rose

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The Forbidden Spell (Mark of a Caster #1)
By: Kaely Rose
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 244
Published: October 9, 2022
Publisher: Self Published
Dates Read: June 15, 2023 - June 24, 2023
Format: eBook

Due to a curse put on him at birth, Senrind’s been forced to live stuck as a werewolf, unable to change into a human. With the help of his friend, Quinn, they go to a fortune teller who introduces them to a shapeshifting cat named Carithway.

Carithway can help him break the curse, but Senrind in return, must help Carithway out at his shop. Sentrind agrees and is thus thrown into a world of witches, spells, potions, and magic. As Sentrind tries to find answers to his past, he undercovers secrets from his father as well as something Carithway is hiding too. Was Senrind safer in his wolf form and now that he’s human – what can he do to help?

I’m not sure what it is with me stumbling upon cozy fantasies with found family tropes but I’m here for it and absolutely love it. The characters of this book are all so lovely and I’m a sucker for cats with magic, so Carithway could always make me smile.

With a lot of books, the main character gets everything bad thrown at them. But with this book, though there are trials and learning paths, Senrind seems to be doing well and it wasn’t filled with suspense and danger around every corner – hence why I’m calling it cozy fantasy. Sometimes that’s just what you need though.

There is a little romance in this book – but it’s just beginning, which I love because it seems very much more authentic and not rushed into in a few pages. This novel is marked as being #1 in the series, so I’m excited to see this relationship grow as well as the rest of the storyline continue.

This is a cozy read that would be perfect to snuggle up with in the fall – or honestly, you can be like me and read it right at the beginning of Summer and dream about the fall weather that’s mentioned in the book!

*Thank you Kaely Rose and The StoryGraph for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review