Author: Alisha Helms

Kissproof World / William West

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Kissproof World
By: William West
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 246
Published: August 30, 2022
Publisher: TouchPoint Press
Dates Read: March 1, 2023 - March 4, 2023
Format: Paperback

Trigger Warnings: Abuse, sexual abuse, incest

Neva is a young therapist who is grappling with her own past as she tries to help six troubled teens living in a halfway house on the Texas coast. There, she meets Alec, a teen at Morning House who reminds her deeply of her twin brother who passed away. As Neva tries to protect Alec from the same fate as her brother, life at Morning House begins to unravel and begins to lead everyone down a dangerous path.

I honestly kind of struggled with this one a bit – nearly everyone had some form of sexual abuse or incest and yes, it’s kind of hinted at in the description, but not as much as it probably should have.

William West’s background as a social worker shows up in this novel for sure as this does dive into the depths of the abuse and neglect the characters went through. It’s not really a feel-good read, it will probably make people uncomfortable, but it will challenge the reader to experience a viewpoint of life with at-risk youth.

I will say, the last ⅛ of the book is what saved it for me – as they started piecing together the big mystery that was playing out throughout most of the book.

Overall, this book was a bit challenging for me because it had such tough storylines that the characters went through, but it was still worth the read for me.

*Thank you TouchPoint Press and the LibraryThing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Satisfying Stitches: Learn Simple Embroidery Techniques and Embrace the Joys of Stitching by Hand / Hope Brasfield

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Satisfying Stitches: Learn Simple Embroidery Techniques and Embrace the Joys of Stitching by Hand
By: Hope Brasfield
Genre: Nonfiction, Crafts
Number of Pages: 128
Published: November 15, 2022
Publisher: Quarry Books
Dates Read: March 1, 2023
Format: Library Book / Paperback

I started dabbling in embroidery during Covid lockdown – that was my picked up craft thanks to my sister getting me set up and started with a kit. I still love doing it, but I’ve found a lot of my designs that I’ve wanted to do are a little more tedious than I originally thought and therefore, I get a bit bored doing it.

There are a variety of designs that include things such as florals, butterflies, fish, landscapes, and my favorites: houseplants and mushrooms. The stitches featured in this book are super easy, but also super cute and range from levels 1-3. They’re smaller designs, but I can see myself putting these onto clothing items and not just hoops.

The instructions are clear and step-by-step with photos.

One of the other things I enjoyed about this book is that the author gives the colors of the threads with a decent size circle so you can match the thread colors. I don’t always have the exact number that’s given in some books, and if there is a color example given with it, it’s super small and you can’t match the threads very well.

I can’t wait to get started on some of these designs!

– Quick note, the author’s website is different than the one listed in the book, it’s now https://www.hopebroidery.com/

Stoked For This: March 2023

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This will hopefully be something I can bring together on the 1st of every month. Some of these books I may have already read and reviewed, others may be on my TBR within the next couple of weeks, and others I may not get to soon, but they are on my TBR for when I’ve got the time!

RELEASE DATE: MARCH 7, 2023

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez

by: Claire Jiménez

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is both a heartwarming and a heartbreaking novel about a Puerto Rican family in Staten Island who discovers their long-missing sister is possibly alive and on a reality TV show. It’s about family and the dynamic between the two remaining sisters and their mom. This was one I was able to read before the publication date and I can see it ripping the hearts out of many readers.

The Moth Keeper

by: K. O’Neill

Why am I stoked for this release?

I love K. O’Neill and their art work. The Tea Dragon Society is one of my favorite graphic novels I love for the art and a series that I’m constantly recommending. This novel is no different – the artwork is stellar and amazing. The story itself deals with burnout and loneliness; something all of us probably know a little about nowadays. I was able to read this before it’s release and I’m excited for it to get into more and more hands for people to enjoy.

Weyward

by: Emilia Hart

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is a debut novel about gender and control with a look into the long echoes of male violence through the centuries. It’s historical fiction mixed with magical realism, there’s witches, and nature. I haven’t read this one yet, but the cover alone is beautiful!

The Last Beekeeper

by: Julie Carrick Dalton

Why am I stoked for this release?

I always seem to gravitate towards dystopian fiction, even if I don’t mean to. This one though, seems like it would be a good read. It’s a celebration of found family, an exploration of truth versus power, and what it means to have hope in the face of despair.

RELEASE DATE: MARCH 14, 2023

Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller

by: Oliver Darkshire

Why am I stoked for this release?

I’m a librarian, who worked at a bookstore before this, why wouldn’t I be excited for a novel about a bookseller? I remember the days of customers asking for (and selling us) the rarest of items. I’m pretty sure my store even had a book my manager had to do weeks of research on to figure out what it even was. It’s crazy and I’m excited to read this guy’s adventures.

RELEASE DATE: MARCH 21, 2023

Lucha of the Night Forest

by: Tehlor Kay Mejia

Why am I stoked for this release?

Tehlor Kay Mejia wrote an amazing duology We Set the Dark on Fire with some badass women who don’t need men to do great things. This one is about a girl who will do anything to protect her sister. There a scorned god, a mysterious acolyte, a drug that makes you forget, and a dangerous forest? Sign me up!

Bea Wolf

by: Zach Weinersmith

Why am I stoked for this release?

A retelling of Beowulf for middle schoolers in the form of a graphic novel, and it has beautiful and fun art? Sign me up! I was able to read an advance copy of this and I can’t wait for people of all ages to read this. The writing is fun and engaging and the artwork will have you giggling on the floor.

RELEASE DATE: MARCH 28, 2023

The Quiet and the Loud

by: Helena Fox

Why am I stoked for this release?

Biz, the main character in Fox’s How It Feels to Float has had a piece of my heart since I read that book back in 2019. I’ve been waiting for Fox to release a new book, so as soon as I heard about this, I immediately knew I needed to read it. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this, so I should be reading this in the next week or so.

Saints of the Household

by: Ari Tison

Why am I stoked for this release?

A debut YA by a Indigenous Costa Rican-American writer told through alternating points of views using vignettes and poems. this is about two brothers who have always had one another for survival against their abusive father but when they beat up their high school’s star soccer player, they must deal with their actions and the shift in their relationship.

Chlorine

by: Jade Song

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is supposed to be a coming-of-age narrative mixed with horror and I don’t really know why, but that speaks to me and I want to read it. There’s mention of the pressure put on young women and their bodies and I’m interested to see how that’s written. I was also in love with mermaids and sirens as a kid so the cover of this caught my attention too.

Bea Wolf / Zach Weinersmith

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The cover of graphic novel "Bea Wolf" with a little girl with a teddy bear head with cape on as she stands on a golden stack of sweets and treats and stuffed animals
Bea Wolf
By: Zach Weinersmith
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 208
Published: March 21, 2023
Publisher: First Second
Dates Read: February 27, 2023 - February 28, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

In this middle grade retelling of Beowulf, a gang of troublemaking kids must defend their treehouse fort, Treeheart, from a boring, fun-hating adult, Grindle who can turn the kids into boring teens and adults with just a touch of his finger.

Just going to start this off with the claim that I don’t believe I ever read Beowulf – there may have been a time in high school when I should have read it when we were in the unit of classics, but I tended to fight against being told what to read at that time.

I wanted to read this one graphic novel because of the cover – I immediately fell in love with the little girl on the cover. The illustrations were gorgeous and beautiful to look at and that’s what kept my attention the most.

Since this was a retelling, Zach Weinersmith used the formatting and style methods from the original Beowulf, which they talk about at the end in a note (which I was laughing at their call out to being either a librarian or a future writer as to why exactly you were reading a super long note written by the author in the first place)

This will be a different reading style for Middle Grade readers, but I believe once they get started on reading it, they will get the rhythm of it and they’ll fly through it in no time with giggles erupting with every page.

Bea Wolf is fun for everyone, all ages will be laughing at the shenanigans of the kids from Treeheart and their allies.  

*Thank you NetGalley and First Second for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Fangs / Sarah Andersen

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Fangs
By: Sarah Andersen
Genre: Graphic Novel
Number of Pages: 100
Published: September 1, 2020
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Dates Read: February 25, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Elsie is a three hundred year old vampire who meets Jimmy, a werewolf, at a bar. Fangs follows their relationship filled with cuteness and humor. 

I don’t know how I went this long without reading this graphic novel, as I love Sarah Andersen.

Each page was its own scene and this is such an adorable book filled with the cutesy, cheesy relationship of a vampire and a werewolf sprinkled in with humor of the stereotypes of the two.

The art was simple, but still amazing, like the rest of Andersen’s style. It made me giggle and smile seeing Elsie and Jimmy being together.

Definitely recommend this book, especially those who have read Andersen’s novels and comics before – you won’t be disappointed.

The Moth Keeper / K. O’Neill

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The Moth Keeper
By: K. O'Neill
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 272
Published: March 7, 2023
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Dates Read: February 20, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

Anya is finally a Moth Keeper, the protector of the lunar moths. Lunar moths help the Night-Lily flower to bloom once a year and her village uses the flower’s nectar to thrive and survive. But, the nights in the desert are cold and lonely, and Anya finds being a Moth Keeper isn’t exactly what she thought it would be. She finds herself wondering what it would be like to feel the sun’s warmth. One day, she decides to stay up during the day to experience the sun and her village and the lunar moths are left to deal with the consequences of her choice.

I absolutely adored the Tea Dragon Society series, so I knew as soon as I saw K. O’Neill had a new graphic novel coming out, so I needed to read it as soon as possible.

It wasn’t a disappointment.

This is a story about burnout and loneliness that is written alongside beautiful artwork from K. O’Neill that is done in such a way that younger audiences will be able to understand the message too.

Overall, this is a beautiful and gentle graphic novel that I can see those of all age groups loving and enjoying – both for the story and for the art.

*Thank you Random House Graphic and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth / Zoe Thorogood

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It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth
By: Zoe Thorogood
Genre: Graphic Novel, Memoir
Number of Pages: 120
Published: November 15, 2022
Publisher: Image Comics
Dates Reads: February 20, 2023
Format: eBook

Trigger Warnings: Mental health; depression, mentions of suicide and suicide attempts

Cartoonist Zoe Thorogood records 6 months of her life as it falls apart and she tries to put it back together, all while trying to battle the inner demons of her depression.

By now, I’ve read my fair share of mental health battling graphic novels. Sometimes the writer’s battles are not quite the same as my own, Zoe Thorogood’s battle is still not 100% me, but my goodness, did she mention stuff that hit my gut and gave me tears. Growing up, talking about mental health wasn’t a thing quite yet – I remember after my dad passed, being asked by my mom if I wanted to speak with a therapist and being horrified about even the thought of it. Now, my siblings and I are pretty open about our mental health, but I still don’t always talk to my mom about it though, and this quote from Thorogood was me:

“…But now that I’m an adult I feel like I can protect them (parents) from it now, or at least I should. That’s the isolating part of mental illness- It seems to come after the ones you care about most.”

This isn’t an easy read, and it’s not going to necessarily be one you would probably read for the enjoyment aspect either – though there are pieces of art in this that are phenomenal. Thorogood captures the embodiment of depression, and the different stages and types of depression. She even has versions of her depression from when she was a little girl and at different stages of her life, that all still hang around with her today. It’s very well done.

Overall, this is an excellently drawn and written graphic novel that explores the inner battles of one cartoonist’s battle with depression.

“I can’t change my brain chemistry, but I can change how I choose to interact with the world around me… Life is merely a collection of good and bad experiences loosely held together by the void in between- and that void is your space to mold, a space to harness and create in. Just be careful not to get stuck there.”

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez / Claire Jiménez

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The cover of What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez. A drawn photo of the back of a young woman, above her shoulders. She has tan skin, medium hoop earrings, and bright red hair in a bun. She also has a birth mark under her left eye that you can see on her cheek.
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez
By: Claire Jiménez
Genre: Contemporary
Number of Pages: 240
Published: March 7, 2023
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Dates Read: February 19, 2023 - February 20, 2023
Format: ARC / Paperback

Trigger Warnings: Discussion of rape and molestation, missing child(ren)

13-year-old Ruthie Ramirez disappeared without a trace from a bus stop after track practice in 1996. Her disappearance rocked the Ramirez family and they were never able to fully recover. Then, one night, twelve years later, older sister Jessica spots a splitting image of their sister on a reality TV show called Catfight, she even has the beauty mark under the left eye that is instantly recognizable.

In 2008, Ruthy’s mother, Dolores, still struggles with the loss, older sister Jessica now has a newborn baby and works at the hospital, and younger sister Nina, after four years away at college, is now back and living with their mom and is forced to work a job at the lingerie store at the mall.

After the sisters see the could-be-Ruthy, they hatch a plan to go down to where the show is filming to see if they can confirm who they think she is. When Dolores also sees the could-be-Ruthy herself, she insists on joining, and dragging along her best friend, Irene. The Ramirez women then set on a road trip that forces them to face their past and look towards the future, with or without the could-be-Ruthy.

This is both a heartwarming and a heartbreaking novel. The chapters jump around between the Ramirez women, including Ruthy back in 1996 on the day of her disappearance. By doing this, Jiménez is able to show you each of their thoughts and feelings, which really humanizes the whole thing and makes it feel authentic.

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez was also a pretty quick read for me as well, the only reason it took me two days was because I started it later in the evening on the 19th. The writing style and language of this novel are smooth and easy flowing, regardless of whose POV the chapter was written in. This style also keeps the mystery of what really happened to Ruthy up until the very end – did she get taken or did she simply run away and refuse to talk to her family again?

I can easily see this book becoming a Book Club favorite in libraries as well as highly talked about once it’s released in a few weeks. Anyone who likes to read about a complicated family dynamic, especially based around women, will greatly enjoy this book.

*Thank you Grand Central Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review