After reading a poetry collection by Billy-Ray Belcourt, I was eager to read this essay collection. A History of My Brief Body dives into topics around queerness, being indigenous, and surviving in a post-colonial society. 

I found the writing style dense and the first half of the book I spent adjusting to Belcourt's writing style in this context. As I adjusted, it did become easier to read. This is a verbose book in a small package. Belcourt is highly intelligent and speaks to the reader as though they are as well. I appreciated that he wrote about difficult and complex subjects with the complexity they deserve, but maybe yes I'm just not as smart as him. 

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is her sophomore book following her debut, The Wishing Game. I adored The Wishing Game, flying through it and also not wanting it to end. This book involves more magical realism and is inspired by The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. However, it does not contain religious allusions like the inspirational text. 

This novel begins with the story of two teenage boys who went missing on a hike and suspiciously reemerged from the woods not worse for wear six months later. Rafe and Jeremy have since gone their separate ways. Now, Emilie seeks out Jeremy who has become a bit famous for finding missing people to help her find her kidnapped sister whom she has never met. 

Ramping up at about the halfway point, this novel had a slow start in my opinion and then a rushed conclusion. I would have liked more time with the wonderful cast of characters together and more depth for each of them with tighter exposition to open the story. That said, I had a good time reading and was happy when this book ended in a set up for a sequel or potential series. 

CW: kidnapping, child abuse, toxic family relationships 

I picked up The Sky Club because it is by a local author and set so close to me, literally on the mountain in my neighborhood. Told from before the crash to during the early years of the Great Depression, Roberts tells the story of Asheville and Jo Salter, a country girl from Madison County who came to the city to "live a life her mother could never have imagined" after she dies. 

In Asheville, Jo moves in with her wealthy Uncle and soon begins working at Central Bank and Trust. She takes quickly to keeping track of numbers and becomes an essential employee on the first floor of tellers. Suddenly knocking elbows with many of Asheville's most wealthy and socially elite, Jo is out of place but learns quickly how to get by. But when trouble comes for the city and the bank, Jo is in a tight spot. 

As Jo navigates bank work and the crash, she comes to know a reclusive speakeasy manager. Their relationship is the focus of the latter part of the book, and I enjoyed their dynamic. 

So for my praise and criticism, here are my opinions:
+I flew through this 409 page book, finishing the second half in one day. That says something positive. 
+I liked the historical details and the way Roberts told a possible story of a woman wrapped up in the city's terrible crash. 
+Jo was tough, determined, and tender too. 
-The historical accuracy was not as much as I hoped for outside of the banking details and Asheville setting.
-The intimate scenes were... awkward. Clearly this is a case of men writing women badly. 
-It was a little too long for what it was. 

So I had a great time with this book, but do I think you will? I don't know. Do you live in or love Asheville and have a special interest for history? Then maybe it's worth a try. 

The Great Divide was a wonderfully written novel about the building of the Panama Canal and how that impacted the people of Panama. I learned so much from this book and it was a really thorough and engaging look at how colonialism impacted this area and people. 

As for the story, I felt the connection to the characters was uneven throughout the novel. At first I felt bored and unconnected, then towards the middle I felt so close and concerned for the characters, and then I felt disconnected and removed from the characters again. I think perhaps it was an uneven balance of character emotionality and development with factual storytelling about the canal, but I'm not sure. 

I'm glad I read this, but I hoped to feel more rooted to the characters throughout. 

I first read this book when I was in fourth grade. Roughly twenty years later as a teacher, I read it aloud to my class of fourth graders. And now ten years after that, I revisited it as a parent and just as someone who loves middle grade lit. 

This book holds up. I love the competitive spirit of this group of boys as they dare each other to something so gross- eating 15 worms in fifteen days. It's a quick funny read and I love it. 

Darby Kane is becoming a reliable author for me when I want a quick, engaging thriller with dark relationship secrets. I first read and enjoyed The Replacement Wife, which I found fun, easy to listen to, and fully engaging. Pretty Little Wife had similar elements, but differed in the scope of the unethical behavior. 

This hinges on inappropriate relationships, and you'll wonder by half way through how this book could possibly surprise you because it seems all laid out. Don't worry, some good twists are coming. As a frequent thriller reader, I was not shocked by the final twists but they did make me go "Oooohhhh" and I found them satisfying. 

I recommend you check content warnings on this one, but I think it's great for fans of stories of vengeance and underestimated women proving others wrong. 

I’m not often a romance reader, but I decided to read this ARC and I’m so glad I did. All I Want is a second chance romance told from the perspectives of Tatum, a messy pop star, and Jake, a small town guy who’s been stoic since she ghosted him ten years ago. 

Maybe a pop star who goes to rehab and then goes back to her small hometown sounds cheesy, but this book has incredible depth and character development. Tatum is holding a secret about what happened ten years ago, and Jake deserves to know. I rooted for Tatum and Jake all the way through and couldn’t put this book down. The topics in this book are heavy and real and written about with great care. 

With a cast of great supporting characters, I loved the found family in this as well as the hints to future books in the series. The steamy scenes were so good and just the right amount for my taste. I truly am blown away by this debut and can’t wait for what comes next from J. B. LaRee!

Huda Fahmy is back with another Huda F book that is as hilarious, warm, and educational as her first middle grade graphic novel, Huda F Are You? This book, Huda F Cares? is about a road trip that Huda takes with (almost) all of her sisters. As hijab wearing Muslims, Huda and her sisters cannot go unnoticed especially as they travel and pray outside of their Muslim community in Michigan. 

This book is equal parts sibling rivalry and love, learning to be brave when you don't blend in, and general family vacation hijinks. I loved it. Huda Fahmy is amazing.