I think The Joy of Sweat is an absolute banger nonfiction book. I have my own love hate relationship with sweat as an avid exerciser and as someone with anxiety, so starting this book wasn’t a tough sell. 

Everts captures the reader’s attention from the get go and organizes the book into a variety of topics that sometimes build upon each other. She starts with a rather scientific explanation of sweat and then launches into a comparison of human body temperature regulation to that of other animal species. I especially enjoyed the chapters on sweat as a identifier (similar to DNA, and possibly a future privacy frontier) and sweat scent based dating. I also thoroughly appreciated the dive into hypohydrosis and other conditions that cause people to be unable to sweat or to regulate sweating. 

This audiobook was excellent and listened like a podcast. My husband overheard some of it and commented on how interesting it was. I think this is a great book for the avid nonfiction reader and for those intimidated by nonfiction, it is so accessible and truly anyone who has broken a sweat (and those who can’t) will find it relatable. 

I found this book charming and quirky. The setting of a small New England town with all the ghosts in the cemetery watching everyone was told in a very clever way. However, I wanted more development of the main character, Emma and I found the middle half of the novel to be meandering. 

I am glad I read this but I do feel it had unexplored potential. I do think I will pick up what this author publishes next. 

I enjoyed The American Dream? by Shing Yin Khor. This travel memoir has beautiful watercolor painted I’m illustrations and captures the aesthetic of Route 66 nicely. 

Khor sets out on a solo journey of all of Route 66 with just her tiny adventure dog. She does a lot of camping, which she doesn’t fully enjoy. The memoir is organized by state, which I found gave it some structure and grounding. Khor shares stories of interesting (and not so interesting) places and people she meets along the way. 

I was attracted to this graphic memoir because it is billed as an road trip story by an immigrant, so I expected more commentary on what the dichotomy of experience is from that perspective. Khor spends some time on this at the conclusion, but it is mostly a travel story. I was also thrown off by the very short epilogue. 

Overall, I’m glad I read this because of the beautiful artwork and the quirky tidbits about Route 66. If you are looking for a lighter read and enjoy illustrations, this might be one to pick up. 

Almost American Girl is a graphic memoir about a girl who moves from Korea to Alabama when she is fourteen. Robin comes to live with a new step family she has never met or even heard of before, and she faces all the challenges of being an immigrant along side huge issues in her new home. 

Robin’s mother has been through tough times in Korea due to social expectations, so she hopes the move will free them from that. Instead, Robin and her mother find themselves in a repeating toxic situation. This memoir follows their way through this towards a hopefully happier life. 

One of my favorite aspects of this memoir was how we got pieces of information gradually about Robin’s past in Korea. The author went back and forth in time to add the perspective of Robin’s mother, which seems even more artistic and impactful when you read the author’s note at the end. 

I can’t think of anything I disliked about Almost American Girl. It did not shy away from how the challenges for immigrants are ongoing, not short lived problems that vanish in a set time period. Nor did Robin Ha shy away from the relationship issues that her mother struggled to get away from. This is a beautiful book, with clear honesty and a message about what the immigrant experience and evolving identity is like for this family. 

Riley Sager has written another great thriller with The House Across the Lake, easy to devour like his previous books but also quite different from his backlist. 

I tried to go into this as blind as is possible with a buzzy new release by a well known author. The book moves at a good clip by page 100, which I consider medium pace for a thriller. Our MC is a widow with an alcohol addiction, sent to live at her family’s lake house after public embarrassment. She soon begins spying on the famous couple across the lake and notices things that make her very suspicious. 

This book does take a paranormal turn, which is not usually my jam, but Riley Sager does it so well. And as always, there are several more twists when you think you know where the story is going. 

I found this book to be very readable and the characters were very interesting. If you’re looking for the verdict after Survive the Night, my vote is definitely to pick this one up. 

All Boys Aren’t Blue was not the memoir I expected. It really does pave a new path for memoir and embodies some aspects of a manifesto, as Johnson says in his introduction. 

This book balances funny and devastating stories of growing up Black and queer. It also offers up equal parts commentary and advice.

This is a frequently challenged and banned book. As usual, this means the topic is important and the voice needs to be heard. I am so glad I read this. 

This is the second novel in verse I have read from Engle. I found Lightning Dreamer to be a slow start, but at around half way I couldn’t put it down. It is an amazing fictionalization of true events and people in Cuba during the 1820-30s. 

After reading the author’s note, I found this book even more impressive. If you want to learn more about abolitionists outside of the US, this is a wonderful book. 

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School is a phenomenal YA contemporary. I’m not sure my words can come close to doing it justice. First of all, it is unbelievable that this is Reyes’ YA debut. Their writing is so beautiful, and the characters are so deep that you will feel everything they are feeling. 

As the title says, this is a book about a lesbian teenager going to Catholic school. Yamilet was outed at her public school by her best friend turned newest enemy. Yami’s brother will also be at the Catholic school, but he has a scholarship. Yamilet does not and coming from a working class family, she needs a job to cover a portion of her tuition. 

This is a very character driven novel but the plot is plenty engaging as Yamilet and her brother Cesar make new friends and face a lot of challenges through the school year. I absolutely loved how Reyes balanced school and family dynamics for our two teenage MCs, it felt so true to life and kept the story moving along. 

Truly, I don’t have any meaningful criticism of this novel. It was a beautiful experience and I think everyone should consider picking it up. My only complaint is the focus on the prom/prom culture at the end, but I’m 35. I am a little bored with that YA ending, but Reyes did make it fresh and offered a meaningful commentary on prom culture and Catholic school norms. I recognize that prom is significant to many teenagers and since I hope lots of teens will read this, I think this is a me problem. 

I know this book will be on my favorites of the year. If you want a sweet, honest, queer book, please give The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School a chance! 

This is an absolutely stunning character driven historical fiction novel about Juliet, a single 38 year old woman in the 1930s. Set in the UK, Juliet is one of many women still affected by the Great War. WW I took her fiancé and her brother. She’s been unsuccessful in finding a husband but is determined to find a way to make meaning in her life. 

Juliet works as a typist, not something she is passionate about, but a job available to women and it helps her to barely make ends meet. She decides to take up embroidery with the local cathedral in hopes of making something to outlast her life. 

Embroidery takes her on a journey, learning stitches, meeting other women, and eventually meeting a man twenty years her senior named Arthur. 

This story is so incredibly rich and engaging but it is a very slow build to the eventful last fourth of the book. If you can settle in to enjoy the slow and rich set up, the end is well worth the wait. 

First, if you haven’t read We Were Liars go do that immediately. 

Once that is complete, it’s time to check out this amazing prequel. After absolutely loving We Were Liars, I was excited to read this book and went in with high expectations. This can often be a recipe for disappointment, but Family of Liars completely delivers. 

This book is told from the point of view of Carrie, one of four daughters of Tipper and Harris Sinclair. Harris Sinclair is perhaps richer than God and the family owns an island near Martha’s Vineyard. All the family spends every summer on the island and this particular summer in the 1970s, they are also joined by a few male friends. 

The male friends bring out competition in the Sinclair daughters, but there is also the grief over the death of the youngest sister. It becomes a concoction of emotions and drugs that overwhelm Carrie. The story builds to a terrible event that must be handled by the daughters. 

I don’t want to give much away about the plot but I will say that E. Lockhart has definitely grown as a writer; I felt so connected to all of the characters and the setting. I also think that this novel showed more perspective about the privilege of this family than the original novel. I was pleased to see that shift while maintaining the air of private island level affluence that makes this story so compelling. 

This is the kind of book that made me remember why I read, just read it. I think you’ll be glad you did.