1970s

Mornings Without Mii / Mayumi Inaba, Ginny Takemori (Translator)

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Mornings Without Mii
By: Mayumi Inaba, Ginny Tapley Takemori (Translator)
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir
Number of Pages: 192
Published: February 25, 2025 (1st Published January 1, 1999)
Publisher: FSG Originals
Dates Read: May 4, 2025 - May 7, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback

Trigger Warnings: cat in distress, missing cat, aging cat

In 1977, Mayumi Inaba heard tiny cries carried by the breeze of the river. When she follows the sound she finds a small newborn kitten dangling high in the fence – clearly placed there by someone. Overcome with affection, Inaba takes the kitten back to her apartment, names her Mii, and thus the inseparable bond begins.

Over the next twenty years Inaba talked about her life as she goes through changes and compromises, but the one thing that is always there is her cat, Mii.

So, I have mixed feelings about this book. Some parts of it I absolutely loved and related to; like Inaba straight up buying a condo because finding one to rent with Mii was too hard, cause that’s something I would absolutely do, and the midnight walks through the hallway with her cat – I absolutely did that with my cat, Mushi, in college when I needed a break from homework.

Then when Inaba talked about Mii getting stuck up in a tree and how she let her be stuck there so she could hear her little cries slightly broke me, because I hear one off pitched cry from either of my cats, I’m running to them to see what’s going on. My heart also ached for Mii at the end of her life – her quality of life was horrible and as much as I desperately want my cats to be with me for as long as time allows, they shouldn’t be suffering like Mii. Oh – and not getting Mii spayed!

Overall I both enjoyed and had my heart break while reading this. I do understand this was Inada’s first cat and it’s also set in 80’s/90’s Japan, but some things I think she could have handled so much better.

*Thank you FSG Originals and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Age 16 / Rosena Fung

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Age 16
By: Rosena Fung
Genre: Graphic Novel
Number of Pages: 312
Published: July 2, 2024
Publisher: Annick Press
Dates Read: July 23, 2024
Format: ARC / eBook

Trigger Warning: Fatphobia, fat shaming, eating disorders, toxic parenting, generational trauma

Told in alternative perspectives, Age 16, shifts between three generations of mothers and daughters as they rebel against stands of gender, race, beauty, and size from Guangdong in 1954 to Hong Kong in 1972, and Toronto in 2000.

Sixteen-year-old Roz is just trying to navigate through normal teenage stuff: high school friendships, college possibilities, body size, and of course, finding the perfect dress for prom. When her estranged Por Por unexpectedly arrives for what seems like an indefinite visit, the already strained relationship between Roz and her mom is tightened some more. With everyone now under one roof, conflicts arise and long, suppressed family secrets bubble to the surface.

One of the things I did enjoy about this novel is being able to see each female member of this family as they struggle with the pressures put on them in their teenage years – rather that’s from society or their mother. Though it didn’t excuse toxic behaviors, it explained them a little more.

I really enjoyed the art style within this graphic novel – it was simple (kind of reminded me a little of Scott Pilgrim). Rosena Fung also used different color pallets for each character, so it helped knowing which narrative was being told.

Overall, I really enjoyed this coming of age, generational graphic novel. Those who are interested in family history, immigration, and/or generational trauma will enjoy this book.

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

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir / Pedro Martín

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Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir
By: Pedro Martín
Genre: Graphic Novel, Memoir
Number of Pages: 320
Published: August 1, 2023
Publisher: Dial Books
Dates Read: June 10, 2024 - June 13, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Pedro Martín has grown up hearing stories about his abuelito – a Mexican Revolution crime-fighter! But, that doesn’t mean he’s excited for him to join their already crowded house – between his eight brothers and sisters and his parents, there’s barely enough room now. Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring his abuelito back to America. What follows is a trip of a lifetime.

I loved reading about the family dynamic in this novel – with that many brothers under one roof there is a tone of teasing and arguments. I also liked how the author talked about the divide between the older siblings who were born in Mexico and the younger siblings who were born in the United States; which ones were more Mexican or American, and the difference in milk tolerance (which I never knew!).

The art of this graphic novel was amazing and engaging – even if the author had a hard time drawing hands. The pages were always filled with the scenes, panels, and dialog. Some of that helped with showing the chaos of the trip and other times it kept you engaged in the scene. 

Though this is targeted towards younger readers, there are plenty of reminiscences of adolescence (bad haircuts, teasing siblings, what you spend your allowance on, etc.) that adults will thoroughly enjoy this as well. The author shares his childhood stories as an adult – so plenty of older readers will also enjoy this.

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.

All You Need to Do Is Call / Kerri Maher

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All You Have to Do Is Call

By: Kerri Maher

Genre: Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 368

Published: September 19, 2023

Publisher: Berkley

Dates Read: November 25, 2023 - December 3, 2023

Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: women’s health care/reproductive rights

Who does a woman call when she needs help? Jane.

Jane is a women’s health organization composed entirely of women helping women with their reproductive needs – including illegal abortions. The women who run Jane lead double lives and All You Need to Do Is Call follows three of the members as they must make decisions that will change the course of all their lives.

I think nowadays it’s important to really know about our history and how we should try our hardest to not repeat it. But also, if stuff does get repeated, looking back and seeing how it was handled and managed before (usually in the underground).

This story is loosely based on the Jane Society from Chicago in the 1970’s and it was really nice to read about and learn how women were helping each other out as much as they could when society wasn’t. It was also nice to read about the different types of women that Jane brought together – both as in the members and the tidbits of information we got about those who used the service. We really got a look into the housewife’s role in a turning point of history.

Overall, I really enjoyed this historical fiction and will be recommending this to those who like historical fiction. This would also be a good book group read as it can bring up tons of discussion points for groups as well.

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

Wandering Souls / Cecile Pin

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Wandering Souls
By: Cecile Pin
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 240
Published: March 21, 2023
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Dates Read: March 5, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

Trigger Warnings: Death, massacres, drowning, grief, war, racism, mentions of alcohol and drug use

Wandering Souls opens in 1978 in Vietnam as Anh and her brother, 14-year-old Minh and 10-year-old Thanh are packing for their trip to a refugee camp in Hong Kong ahead of the rest of their family before they make their way to their Uncle in America. Anh and her brothers make it to Hong Kong, but the rest of the family unfortunately don’t make it through their journey. The siblings eventually get accepted into Great Britain and over the next number of years, struggle to carve out a life for themselves in a country that’s not their own.

Told mostly through Anh’s POV, historical research, voices from lost family, and an unnamed narrator, Wandering Souls follows the lives of the last members of a family marked by war and loss and their persistence in the pursuit of a better future that they set out for years ago.

I read this book in one day, in roughly three settings. The prose of this novel were beautifully written and an emotional rollercoaster that will warrant a box of tissues for sure. Cecile Pin sprinkles in news articles and historical facts, along with personal experiences from an unnamed narrator between sections from the siblings.

This novel really deals with grief and survivor’s guilt of the three siblings. Their parents had such high hopes and dreams for them in America, but when they don’t make it there and are instead in the UK, they have to figure out what they will do instead.

Wandering Souls also opened my eyes to a lot of the horrors Vietnamese people experienced around the world as a result of the Vietnam War. I didn’t know who “boat people” were and both the piracy that could happen to them or the horrid conditions they had to travel in. Or the Koh Kra Island refugee massacres. Even in their own country, the psychological warfare the American would put them through with recordings of voices in the forests.

The dark side of immigration is shined on by Pin, but even with all the heartache, racism, and struggles the characters go through in this book, overall, it’s still about family, love, and grief. I couldn’t put this book down and I can see many others opening their hearts to this family and their journey.

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