This graphic novel creates some of my favorite feelings from long form novels in a fast moving illustrated format. Are You Listening? is emotional and dark, mysterious and a bit tense, and it has a cat. 

The main character leaves home and after a harrowing experience walking a busy highway, she gets picked up by a young adult from her town. They travel together, learning more about their pasts and about their current emotions. The mood is dark, but hopeful. When they find a stray cat, strange things begin to follow them. 

I love how Tillie Walden illustrates and uses just enough exposition to get her point across, never too much. This graphic novel has a haunting open ending, and it is just right. 

Borders is an excellent middle grades graphic novel with substance. It is the story of an indigenous mother and son going to visit the daughter who has moved away. They have an issue at the border crossing station and end up in limbo. You'll have to read it to discover the problem and how the mother and son view it differently. 

This is poignant and realistic, and I think it will prompt you to consider a different point of view and issues with border definitions and the idea of citizenship in our society. Full of heart and lovely illustrations, I highly recommend! 

The Marsh Queen drew me in with its title and cover, like a sucker I knew I would read this one regardless of other reviews. And I am so glad I did. I know my tropes. This book worked for me!

So as you might guess, this book has a marsh setting and a family mystery. Loni is a nature artist working for the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. However, when her mother has a bad fall, Loni must return home to the wetlands of Northern Florida to care for her. When Loni returns home, she is haunted again by the mystery of her father's death when she was a child. It was labeled an accidental death while he was on patrol as a fish & game officer, but things she finds in her mother's home and whispers from her childhood say there's more to the story. 

Moving slowly through the process of moving her mother into a long term care facility, Loni unearths the past and the secrets of not only her father but of many of the folks in their small town. I loved how her work as an artist was woven into the story as well, Hartman includes beautiful descriptions of the marsh and of various birds, Loni's favorite work assignments. There is also a romantic storyline that serves to really build Loni's character, which I loved. I don't like romantic arcs that feel thrown in to appease readers, and this one added to the story so nicely. 

This isn't face paced and it is not a thriller, but if you love the natural world mixing with a mystery and family secrets- this is definitely a book to pick up. 

Archer's Voice is a romance novel that offers more character depth than the average book in the genre and lots of spice. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by two voices- one for Archer and one for Bree. I found Bree's narration a touch cheesy, however it didn't stop me from listening to this in about a day. 

Archer and Bree both have traumatic pasts that they have to process together to build a relationship. Except for some shared trauma at the end that seemed a bit over the top, it all felt thoughtful and sincere to me. I enjoyed that miscommunication is not a trope in this book, and both MCs are deliberate about being as clear with each other as possible- or as much as they can be dependent on their mental state. 

If you want vulnerable characters and frequent spicy scenes, this is the romance novel for you. 

Sisters in Hate is an eye opening book focusing on three women who "fell into" white nationalism. Like many others, I have at times felt shocked by the rise of white nationalism in recent years. This book highlights how many parts of this movement have been present in America for generations. 

Darby interviews and follows three women who found the white nationalism movement, some of which have left it. I am not suggesting that we offer these women compassion, but it is more than worth seeing through their eyes how the movement appealed to them and what it offered. The stories of how and why they left white nationalism are also intriguing and ultimately hopeful. 

This is a book that will trigger many people. There are ample quotes with racial slurs and the deathly impact of white nationalism is not shied away from. Darby impressed me with her ability to show the humanity of these women while never excusing hatred. I think this is a must read for the times, so we can challenge those around us who fall into these dangerous ideological patterns and groups. 

The Nazi and the Psychiatrist is a narrative nonfiction about two men that were at the center of the Nuremberg trials. Hermann Goring was number two in line in Nazi Germany, second in line to the fuhrer himself. Dr. Kelly was a renowned psychiatrist in the 1940s and 1950s who was sent to measure the mental fitness of Nazi leaders who were to be sentenced in the trials. 

Dr. Kelly spent a significant amount of time talking to Goring, studying him, trying to deduce if he was truly a psychopath. This book gives a detailed account of Dr. Kelly's time in Nuremberg as well as of his life after the trial. 

This book is an example of how truth can be stranger than fiction. If you enjoy a thriller with twists, this is a good nonfiction book to try. 

Nettle & Bone is completely outside my wheelhouse. It is a standalone fantasy novel about a princess, the third daughter, living as a nun who realizes she must go on a supremely dangerous quest to save the life and potential children of her only surviving sister. 

The found family trope is great in this book; Marra, the almost nun/princess, befriends a dust wife and then finds and makes several more important friends along the way who will help her on this perilous journey. It took me a while to settle into this book and the writing style, but once I did I found it charming, thoughtful, and at times hilarious. The banter between this group of five unlikely beings is just wonderful. 

I loved that this book is short and approachable for a reader who is intimidated by fantasy. It plays on familiar fairy tales in a fresh way, and the characters defy many of the tropes you would expect. Read this just for the fairy godmothers, curses, and blessings! The characters are refreshingly older and the emphasis is not on their beauty or societal appeal. If you are looking to mix up your usual reading or you are more familiar with fantasy and want the rare standalone, this book delivers adventure, a bit of romance, and lots of insight into humanity. I am so glad I stuck with this book, it is a treasure in a small package!

Acts of Violet is an incredibly well produced, full cast narrated audiobook. With podcast elements and different narrators for each perspective, it is an aural delight. While it's not necessarily on my top books of the year list, it is definitely on my top audiobooks of the year list so I'm recommending it in that format. 

Violet Volk was (is?) a famous and wildly successful magician who has been missing for nearly ten years. As the ten year anniversary of her disappearance approaches, the media and her family refocus on the mystery. Violet's sister, Sasha, is actually the primary focus of the book in my opinion. Sasha is the perfectionist child that was always called upon to be responsible and do the right things. She feels victimized in some ways by Violet's disappearance and by Violet's actions before. Simply put, they weren't on the best of terms to begin with. 

There are so many people to suspect in this mystery of Violet's disappearance, but also we learn about Violet's eccentric and elusive personality. Clearly, nothing is clear. If you like a mystery that will keep you reading and that's not scary, that dives into sibling and family dynamics, this is definitely a book you can enjoy. I wanted just a touch more from the ending, but as always I can't fault an ambiguous conclusion. 

Way better than book 2, extremely easy to binge, overall a good time. 

The Last White Man is a odd little book. In a quick 180 pages, Mohsin Hamid tells us the story of a town in which white people start turning brown. Our main character, Anders, is one of the first to experience this phenomenon. He traverses this unexpected and monumental life change with his friends with benefits, Oona. 

As the story progresses, more people experience the transformation and the town faces serious challenges. Oona and Anders develop a closer relationship while both traversing their own connection to their surviving parents. Oona lives with her mother and Anders with his ailing father. This story subtly says a lot about our society's fear of people of color but also so much about the relationships we have with our parents who are often politically and morally different from us. 

Since this book is so tight and concise, I will leave my review short lest I ruin too much for you as a potential reader. I loved how this book leaves the interpretations mostly up to the reader, it is an excellent example of "show, don't tell."