Oooh I like this King Arthur retelling. It has most excellent back matter, and really fun characters. Brianna Matthews is at the University of North Carolina for Early College. At a party she sees some pretty weird things and they spark memories from her past. Soon she's wrapped up in a secret society that claims that they go back to King Arthur. Do they also have connections to her past?

One thing I really like about this book is how it addresses our country's complicated history with slavery. Brianna is black, and it talks about everything from the microaggressions she faces to the way the University was built with slave labor and paid for by people who didn't even see her as human. Just, really good.

Soraya is the younger sister of the Shah, but she was cursed at birth with poison in her skin. Her family keeps her hidden away in the Spring palace, where she basically lives alone skulking around passages so she doesn't accidentally touch people and kill them. When her brother returns with a div, Soraya starts to see a way to end her curse and hang out with people the way she craves. Of course, things don't work out as she had planned.

One of the things I really loved about this one was the exposure to new mythological stories. This book uses Persian mythology and stories, and part of the book takes place at Nowruz. I love that the audiobook includes that author's note at the end.

Some parts of the book were predictable, and I agree with Renata that I'm not sure she had to be completely hidden away to not be touched, although I do get that part of it had to do with their fear that the Shah would be overthrown. Overall, an excellent read.

A selection of essays about bodies and the struggles we go through accepting them. Pretty good.

I'm no basketball fan, but I highly enjoyed the story of Elgin Baylor, a man who changed basketball with his playing style and quiet demeanor. With poetic language, Bryant describes how Baylor played the style that came naturally to him. She also doesn't shy away from the Civil Rights movement happening at the same time, or how Baylor refused to play after not being allowed to eat at the same restaurant as his white teammates. Love the illustrations.

This story took a little while to suck me in. It is a tale with an Empire that seems inspired by Japan, with a multiracial cast of characters. It tackles racism, colonialism, poverty, and homophobia. The main character is genderqueer and Black. It is told in alternating perspectives, with interludes from the Sea. I did enjoy it, but it is DARK.

Yes this was so good! Felipe is a fat teen with a crush on the boy in a neighboring apartment. When circumstances cause them to be together for winter break, will Felipe be able to confess his crush? Or will he die of embarrassment?

I laughed out loud so many times at this book. It was so cute. It's not that it doesn't have weighty topics, but the voice Martins gives Felipe makes it easy to read. I enjoyed every minute of it, and hope there will be a sequel (or more books from Martins)

I liked this book. I agree with the criticisms about her fur stance, but I think that a lot of the advice in there is pretty sound.