Stoked For This

Stoked for This: September 2023

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment

Okay, nobody come at me for the fact that this (again) is not on the 1st. I got into a bit of a fender bender first thing in the morning a few days ago and after the adrenaline crash, I was spent for that whole day. So, I’m a little behind… Plus, it’s also Labor Day weekend and everyone’s a little behind, right?? I’m going to go with that ◡̈

This month is a big one for publishers, so there’s a lot of really awesome books coming out that I’m stoked for. So, strap in ladies, gents, and nonbinary lovelies, for some titles that you will for sure be wanting to read yourself.

RELEASE DATE: September 5, 2023

Fly With Me

by: Addie Burke

Why am I stoked for this release?

Lesbians.

I know it looks like I don’t read a lot of romances. I used to read a ton in high school (granted, they were mostly fan fiction, but it’s still reading and it counts).

I do get in a mood where I do want romance, it’s just not one I tend to gravitate towards very often. I’m stoked for this one because it’ll be opposites attract and fake dating, which are fun tropes for me.

While You Were Out

by: Meg Kissinger

Why am I stoked for this release?

As someone who deals with mental illness on a daily basis, I’m always interested in reading about others. I read my first memoir about mental illness last month and this one is about a whole family and their battles.

I’m also interested in the history of mental illness medicine and how it was treated in the past. This memoir talks about the 60’s, which was a time people still didn’t talked about their mental struggles. My generation talks pretty constantly about it now, with dark humor, but that wasn’t a thing even 20 years ago.

This will be nonfiction I’m stoked to read so I can get a better understanding about an older generation.

Others Were Emeralds

by: Lang Leav

Why am I stoked for this release?

I’ve been reading a lot of historical fiction of Asian-Americans lately. This title caught my eye because it’s about an Asian immigrant in Australia in the 90’s. Ai tries to overcome a traumatic racist event while also battling a mental health crisis.

I’m obviously familiar with the treatment of immigrants here in America. I’m not so much educated in their treatment in Australia, so I’m stoked for this title to help broaden my perspective on this subject.

What You Are Looking For Is In the Library

by: Michiko Aoyama

Why am I stoked for this release?

Firstly, we’re going to just look at this cover. There’s a cat and a stack of books on it- if you didn’t think that didn’t catch my attention, then you don’t know my that well.

Secondly, the title, What You Are Looking For Is In the Library. I’m a librarian. Anything about libraries is always going to catch my attention.

Japanese literature knows how to capture the human experience and when I read it, it always makes me feel seen and understood.

This is marketed as a look at the magic of libraries, friendship and community and for fans of The Midnight Library so I’m all about this.

Hush Harbor

by: Anise Vance

Why am I stoked for this release?

This novel starts with something we all know too well: an unarmed black man is shot and killed by police. This causes an uprising from citizens.

This is set in a dystopian society but it sounds like this is going to be very close to our own reality. It’s also promises a pretty fast pace, compelling plot with the revolution fighting against white supremacists.

I’m sure it’s going to be an intense read, but I’m pretty stoked.

Mascot

by: Charles Waters & Traci Sorell

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is a middle grade, novel in verse, which I have been eating up and loving lately.

Mascot is about six middle schoolers who get involve in the issue of whether or not their school should change their mascot. The suburb gets turned upside down as arguments get ugly.

There are multiple viewpoints in this novel and I’m stoked to see how it is written. It’s a pretty well known topic as well and the author is of the Cherokee Nation (Traci Sorell) and I’m stoked to see how this is written.

RELEASE DATE: September 12, 2023

The Second Chance Hotel

by: Sierra Godfrey

Why am I stoked for this release?

Another romance, Alisha? Really?

Yes.

Just because I have to be in a very specific mood in order to want to read a romance, it doesn’t mean I’m against them completely.

This one is a trope of accidental husband in Greece and now you’ve got a hotel to run together. Classic.

The Vaster Wilds

by: Lauren Groff

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is another historical fiction that caught my eye.

What’s it about you ask?

A servant girl escapes an early colonial settlement in America after a famine strikes. She’s only got a few possessions and her wits to survive.

Guys, I’m all for this. Historical fiction in a time I haven’t read much of. A girl who’s probably going to turn into a badass while she runs around nature. And, though I haven’t read any of Lauren Groff’s previous novels, I’ve heard nothing but good things of their writing.

The Meadows

by: Stephanie Oakes

Why am I stoked for this release?

Okay, I got this one off of BookishFirst (a really awesome website where I first got started in reviewing book in exchange for a copy of the title). This is being marketed as “a queer, YA Handmaid’s Tale meets Never Let Me Go”.

It’s speculative fiction with lesbians.

Duh I’m in.

Eagle Drums

by: Nasugraq Rainy Hopson

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is a magical realism middle grade novel about the origin story of the Iñupiaq (Alaskan Native American Tribe) Messenger Feast, a Native Alaskan tradition.

I love reading Indigenous Voices and learning about their cultures and mythologies. This book is aimed at middle grade readers and though I’m obviously quite past that reading level, I love reading these stories in both what I wish I had as a kid and what I’m happy for kids to have now.

RELEASE DATE: September 19, 2023

Starter Villian

by: John Scalzi

Why am I stoked for this release?

Okay, but like, don’t tell me the cover of this did not just catch your attention.

The premise of this book is your dead uncle leaves you his supervillain business that comes with computer-savvy, managerial cats.

Cats could absolutely take over the world… if they wanted to.

I’m stoked to see them as villains.

Red Rabbit

by: Alex Grecian

Why am I stoked for this release?

So, this is to at least start in Kansas (which is where I grew up, so I do have a little soft spot for it), and it’s a horror western with a ragtag group of Witch Hunters.

Again, not my usual go to, but I’ve read some weirdly premised books with unique genres before, so let’s do this!

North Woods

by: Daniel Mason

Why am I stoked for this release?

I think I mentioned this last month, but I do like books where the setting never really changes: it’s a neighborhood throughout a decade, or a family house that’s had 7 generations through it. I don’t know, kind of makes it special.

This one is about a single house in the woods of New England and all of its inhabitants throughout the years.

It sounds like I’m going to fall in love with a cabin in the woods.

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic

by: Breanne Randall

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is yet another romance, but it’s witchy!

This is said to be for fans of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls – I’m not a crazy fan of either, but I have enjoyed both so I’m looking forward to it. Plus, it’s also saying it’s a “warm, witchy novel” and I think that’s going to get me right in the mood for fall.

RELEASE DATE: September 26, 2023

The Salvation Gambit

by: Emily Skrutskie

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is to be about a crew of con women whose last big con goes so terribly wrong, they end up as inmates in a prison run by a crazy AI.

Y’all – a group of con women!

That’s all that needed to be said to about this for me okay?

The author is also highly spoken of and this would be the first novel of theirs that I’ve read and I’m pretty stoked.

Time to Shine

by: Rachel Reid

Why am I stoked for this release?

I know. I know. Another romance?!

But this has gays! I absolutely love the gay romance of Red, White & Royal Blue and I hold a lot of gay romance up to that. But, I have pretty high hopes for this title.

It’s also hockey and that’s not a sport I see to much of (unless it’s Fredrick Backman).

I may not get to this one until closer to winter (I think it is more of a Christmas-y vibe to it), but that doesn’t make me less stoked for it’s release.

Stoked for This: August 2023

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment

August has SO MANY BOOKS coming out that I’m Stoked for! SEVENTEEN!!

No crazy “theme” this month, though a few of them are being published this month, I know I probably won’t be in the right mood for them until later in the year. But, we shall see! I’ve got quite a list, so here we go 🙂

RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023

Family Lore

by: Elizabeth Acevedo

Why am I stoked for this release?

Elizabeth Acevedo is one of my all time favorite YA, Novel in Verse authors. She’s also written a few prose pieces, but her Novel in Verse are my favs. She’s one of the few authors I know I will enjoy her books as soon as I find out there’s a new release. This will be her first Adult fiction about a Dominican-American family told through the voices of its women (which, we all know is going to be good).

The Connellys of County Down

by: Tracey Lange

Why am I stoked for this release?

As I love me a family dynamics novel.

Tara is coming out of prison after serving a 18-month drug charge and trying to restart her life at 30 is hard, so she moves in with her siblings. Her brother, a single dad, is struggling with a brain injury he sustained years ago, and her sister is cracking under the weight of huge secrets.

Again, family dynamic novels just hit different for me and the drama that’s probably in this will keep me turning the pages.

Falling Back in Love with Being Human: Letters to Lost Souls

by: Kai Cheng Thom

Why am I stoked for this release?

Sometimes I just want a book with letters/poems/ and essays.

This is written by an Asian Canadian trans femme author during the pandemic when the world was blasting hate and violence full force. This is written during a painful time of the author’s life, so it’s bound to be filled with raw emotions.

The Museum of Human History

by: Rebekah Bergman

Why am I stoked for this release?

I like time morphing novels – rather that’s time travel, alternate histories, future fantasy – I think it’s fun.

This one is about a little girl who, while in a coma after nearly drowning, has stopped aging. While Maeve is in her coma, the adults around her struggle to figure out how and why she’s no longer aging, and their experiments never turn out correctly.

RELEASE DATE: August 8, 2023

A Council of Dolls

by: Mona Susan Power

Why am I stoked for this release?

I’m always interested in Indigenous Voices and this one is spanning three generations of Yanktonai Dakota women from the 19th century to the present day. This is also to shine a light on the generational trauma brought on by Indian boarding schools and the historical massacres of Indigenous people. There’s also rumored to have stunning prose, and I’m always down for that!

Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

by: James McBride

Why am I stoked for this release?

This historical novel set in the 1930’s is about the community of Chicken Hill in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, filled mostly with African Americans and Jews.

At one point, the community conspire together to keep a young deaf black boy out of the state’s notorious mental hospital.

This book is supposed to be about the relationships that molded this community together and I always love those stories.

Tomb Sweeping

by: Alexandra Chang

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is a short story collection about histories, technologies, and generational divides that shape our relationships.

Again, sometimes I like having a short story collection for a quick(er) read here and there.

RELEASE DATE: August 15, 2023

The Invisible Hour

by: Alice Hoffman

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is a novel about the power of books. So yea, I’m stoked for this.

This is also about Mia and her life inside the Community – an oppressive cult in western Massachusetts. Contact with the outside world is forbidden and book are evil, but when Mia gets her hands on a copy of The Scarlet Letter, it perfectly captures the pain and loss she’s feeling inside her.

Books allow others to feel seen; and this one is going to be one of them.

Fever House

by: Keith Rosson

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is marketed as being “horror, crime, and raw” – mixed with gangsters, black ops government agencies, a punk band, a severed hand, a detached eyeball?

This novel is bound to have it all.

I may not get around to this until it is a lot closer to Halloween, but who knows, there’s a lot happening in this book that seems like it will be a trip.

The Witch is Back

by: Sophie H. Morgan

Why am I stoked for this release?

Rarely.

Very rarely – do I get excited for romance books. But this is a witchy, childhood romance/second chance novel that I can see myself enjoy once I can get around to it.

LET’S GO LET’S GO LET’S GO

by: Cleo Qian

Why am I stoked for this release?

A collection of stories centered around the experience of Asian and Asian American women.

Based of those who have read and reviewed it already, the stories seem to be page turners!

Bride of the Tornado

by: James Kennedy

Why am I stoked for this release?

Okay, listen; I know this one is way out in left field for what I usually read – a secretive midwestern town engulfed by a mysterious plague of tornadoes every generation where the teen girl must now find a way to escape from.

But like, I grew up apart of Tornado Alley. My family was the only family within our immediate group of family and friends who had a basement. Everyone would come over when the tornado sirens went off. I always kind of looked forward to storms because of this. Even now, I love storm watching.

This just changes it up for me and I even went so far as requesting an ARC of it to read.

RELEASE DATE: August 29, 2023

Vampires of El Norte

by: Isabel Cañas

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is a historical horror about vampires and vaqueros (cowboys) facing off on the Texas/Mexico border. What is there NOT to like about this?

I’m not a crazy reader of horror, but I’ve always found myself in the mood when it gets cooler outside. So, though I may not get to reading this quite this month, I’m definitely reading it come spooky season!

A Multitude of Dreams

by: Mara Rutherford

Why am I stoked for this release?

Two reasons.

One: I read The Poison Season last year and absolutely LOVED it – so I’ve been pretty stoked about her next title.

Two. This is a gothic fantasy YA (with vampires?).

Yes please!!

Everything/Nothing/Someone: A Memoir

by: Alice Carrière

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is a coming-of-age memoir of Alice Carrière in the 90’s as her adolescence gives way to a struggle with dissociative disorder.

I’m a ’92 baby, so some of my childhood was the 90’s (though most of my memories were early 2000s) and revisiting that era would be fun.

But, I also love the way mental health is talked about more and more nowadays. It was still kind of taboo while I was growing up. Anytime I can read about others’ stories with their mental health journey, I do try to read it.

My Father, the Panda Killer

by: Jamie Jo Hoang

Why am I stoked for this release?

I saw this on NetGalley and immediately asked to read it. This is a YA, told in alternating voices of Jane in 1999 San Jose, and her father as an eleven-year-old in 1975 Đà Nẵng.

The Vietnam War is another part of history I’m taking time to read about. I have an uncle who fought over, and I know I can’t even imagine the horrors that war caused.

This book is unflinching in its tale about war and the generational impact it has.

After You Vanished

by: E.A. Neeves

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is said to be Sadie meets We Were Liars. Both are amazing books, but Sadie is a title I’m constantly giving recommendations out for while doing Shelf Helps at work.

This title is told through Teddy’s POV to her missing twin sister, Izzy as she tries to piece together what could have happened to Izzy after she vanished from a midnight swim last year.

Stoked for This: July 2023

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment

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.

Stoked for This: May 2023

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment

I was already pretty bad at keeping up with this, wasn’t I? April kind of got out from under me, but I am trying to get my feet back on the ground for these next few weeks. I was lucky enough to have two extra days off last week and that allowed me to get caught up in some things. Of those things included my Stoked for This: May 2023 edition!

RELEASE DATE: MAY 2, 2023

Warrior Girl Unearthed

by: Angeline Boulley

Why am I stoked for this release?

Angeline Boulley wrote Firekeeper’s Daughter, which is one of my all time favorite Young Adult books – I’m constantly recommending it at work. In this book, Perry Firekeeper-Birch and a group of Misfits work together to give Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestor’s remains back to their tribes. Boulley brought up Indigenous issues in her last book that I honestly wasn’t aware of and I’m anticipating I will learn a lot in this book as well.

Where You See Yourself

By: Claire Forrest

Why am I stoked for this release?

Always a goal of mine is to read more books with different representation. This one is about Effie, a senior in high school with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair, and her journey in finding the right college to attend the following year. I’m actually in the process of finishing this book right now and, while there is some romance to this, it’s not really the main focus (I’m not the biggest fan of YA romance anywho…). But the complexity of the disability representation is amazing and I’m exciting for this to hit the shelves.

Hula

by: Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes

Why am I stoked for this release?

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month so it’s a perfect time for this release and read. I’m going to be honest and admit that I haven’t read a lot of novels set in Hawi’i culture so I’m excited to read this one that dives into mother-daughter relationships, dysfunctional families, and the history and culture of Hawi’i.

RELEASE DATE: MAY 9, 2023

A Shadow Crown (The Halfling Saga #2)

by: Melissa Blair

Why am I stoked for this release?

Technically I’m excited for both books of this Saga. I already knew I was going to love the first book and shortly after I had picked that one up, did I realize there will be another. I’m kind of weird when it comes to series – and weird in the way that I hate waiting to have to read one and will just wait for the next one to come out (but what if it’s a longer series – then I usually cave) Anywho… assassin female spies in a Fantasy land? Count me in.

Daughters of Snow and Cinders

by: Núria Tamarit, Jenna Allen (Translator)

Why am I stoked for this release?

Kaite got this in as an ARC from the publishers at work and I immediately asked for it because I loved the artwork. This will be the English debut of Spanish cartoonist and illustrator Núria Tamarit. But again, I’m so excited to see the storyline that goes with the art that I saw when I did a flip through.

RELEASE DATE: MAY 16, 2023

The Guest

by: Emma Cline

Why am I stoked for this release?

Did anyone else read Emma Cline’s book The Girls? I did quite a few years ago and I don’t remember a lot of it (it was before I would review all my reads) but I do remember that it was a crazy book. This one a young girl pretends to be someone she isn’t as a homeless “grifter” in Long Island.

The God of Good Looks

by: Breanne Mc Ivor

Why am I stoked for this release?

First off, please look at the cover of this book and tell me you aren’t intrigued! This one is about a young Trinidadian woman finding her voice and new kind of happy ending. I have a patron I adore who is from Trinidad & Tobago and this is novel will hopefully give me a bit more to insight to her island so the next time she tells me about her home, I may have more connection.

Paper Planes

By: Jennie Wood, Dozerdraws (Illustrator)

Why am I stoked for this release?

A summer camp for troubled youth after “an incident” where now to ex best friends have to rekindle their relationship? Give me.

RELEASE DATE: MAY 30, 2023

Witch King

by: Martha Wells

Why am I stoked for this release?

The description of this says, “A story of power and friendship, of trust and betrayal, and of the families we choose”. That pretty much checks off a lot of my favorite tropes, so that’s pretty self explanatory as to why I’m stoked for this…

Girls Like Girls

by: Hayley Kiyoko

Why am I stoked for this release?

A YA novel based on hit song, Girls Like Girls from Hayley Kiyoko. I was the type of girl who grew up reading fan fiction of stories based on songs. I’m curious to read the actual story of a song from the singer.

Stoked For This: March 2023

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment

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.