As charming and fast paced as the first book in the series. This story unfolds more of Lara Jean's life, the sweeps of her emotions, her deep love of her family, an internship at a retirement home, and the tangled lines of old friendships and crushes. The writing in these books is so grounded and warm, it feels like a breath of fresh air compared to some of the YA I've struggled with in recent years. 

I listened to this as an audiobook in the author's voice and absolutely adored it. Its a memoir of grief, unfolding primarily in the one year after the death of the author's father. It is also a brief history of falconry in Britain, the story of a goshawk the author trained, and an examination of the legacy of TH White, British author, closeted homosexual, and amateur falconer who ruined a bird with his own obsessions and neuroses. Macdonald's descriptions of landscapes, weather patterns, and birds in flight are as lyrical and lovely as the recording of depression and social isolation are devastating. Highly recommend. 

The third and final book in the Scholomance series opens with El back on earth, incapacitated by grief over the loss in the graduation hall. It takes her a long time to pull herself back together, and she might never have done it except some of her old school allies call for her aid: more and more enclaves are being attacked by a mysterious enemy and maw-mouths are clawing at the gates of other. I struggled with the pacing of this book; there were several times I found myself thinking certain plot element had been revealed in the wrong order, and would have had a bigger emotional impact if arranged differently. This book also introduced a ton of new characters, as well as tons of new settings; this is a big ask from the last book in a series that has already introduced a pretty wide cast in the previous volumes. Also, the very clearly established rules of the magic system, which I loved in books 1 and 2, felt like they were getting broken over and over! I'm glad I read this book because I wanted to know how the series ended, but unfortunately I just didn't love it as much as I wanted to, and that makes me much less likely to rec this series to other readers in the future. 

I enjoyed this so much! Lara Jean is the middle child of three Korean American sisters who lost their mom young. This bonded the girls very tightly, and I loved that the relationship between the three of them was equally as, or more important than, the romantic relationships Lara Jean gets tangled in. The plot is fairly simple, but the writing is so grounded, warm, and witty, it really allows all of the characters to shine.

This is the second book in Johnson's excellent YA murder mystery series and I had SUCH a good time with it. It's hitting a really satisfying mix of flashbacks to a kidnapping/murder case from the 1930s which took place at a elite boarding school; present day story line of Stevie Bell, true crime obsessive, trying to solve the cold case; and Stevie Bell, teen with severe anxiety trying to navigate some complicated friendships, a potential romance, conservative Republican parents and a series of mysterious deaths. The historical and the present day mysteries are both being strung out across multiple books, but so far the first two volumes have concluded with reveals that were surprising cliffhangers but also still well-earned endings. This series reminds me of The Westing Game the murder mystery I loved most as a teenager. I definitely plan to keep reading the series and I can't wait to see how all of these separate plot threads will wrap up! 

This book carries a content warning for almost everything I'd usually warn for: sexual abuse of a minor, on page rape, anti-Black and anti-Mexican racism, threats of lynching, character death in a violent accident, torture, and on page murder of main characters.

The story centers around a real historical event, a gas explosion at a school in New London, East Texas, in 1937, which remains one of the deadliest school accidents to this day. The book opens with the aftermath of the event and lets you know right away that at least one of the main characters is dead. Then it winds back the clock and introduces Naomi, a Mexican American teen orphan, and her half-white younger twin siblings, who had been living with their grandparents until the twin's father summons them all to live in the deeply segregated oil town of New London. Naomi was sexually abused by her step-father as a young girl, and the threat of continued abuse hangs over for the whole story, as does the danger of racially charged violence. Amidst this grim setting, the siblings steal moments of tenderness and joy, playing in the woods around their house, delighting in books, and a friendship with a Black teen, Wash, from a nearby community. When Naomi and Wash begin to fall in love, their happiness feels as fragile as soap bubble. But it is a bubble that might contain a whole life time's worth of passion and joy, even if it cannot last. This is a devastating book, unflinching in it's depiction of racism and violence. But I found myself reminded of In The Dreamhouse another book about very hard topics which is nevertheless still a pleasure to read because the writing is so strong. 

Malaka's parents divorced when she was in elementary school, and from then on she spent summers in Egypt or Qatar with her father and school years in California with her mother. This book weaves together memories of many summers in the Middle East, some joyful, some challenging. Malaka's father remarried and eventually had three more children with a woman named Hala, who Malaka saw more as a big sister or mentor than a mother. Their relationship forms one of the central emotional cores of this story as they connect across language and cultural barriers. Drawn in the same loose, energetic style as I Was Their American Dream, this story is a nuanced examination of a family forging closeness despite distance.

 

Translated from French, this comic tells the story of Marguerite, a woman who has never fit in well in social situations, who is very sensitive to sounds and textures, who prefers the company of her pets to most people. Eventually, she is diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, and is able to make changes to her life to better accommodate her needs and feels a lot of affirmation at finally having the language to describe her experience. From the information at the back of the book, I gather France lags behind even the US in terms of understanding of and support for people with Autism and Asperger's; to me this story read as fairly basic. It's clear, nicely drawn, and easy to read, so hopefully it will be a good resource; if it helps some readers either see themselves, or better understand a friend or co-worker, then it will have done its job!

Addie and Meryl are sisters, princesses in the kingdom of Bamarre, who love each other dearly and could not be more different. The older sister Meryl is brave and assertive, practices swordplay, and longs to go on adventures and fight monsters. Her younger sister Addie is timid and shy, scared of monsters and spiders, and prefers to stay home with her needlework. But when Meryl falls sick with the gray death, a fatal magical illness, Addie overcomes her terror and leaves the castle to search for the fabled cure. Along the way she must face everything she's most afraid of, including the prospect of losing her sister forever. This is a wonderful middle grade book, very inventive and whimsical in the same vein as Howl's Moving Castle and The Princess Bride. Reading it made me want to write a short fantasy story in which characters can fly and dragons can speak. 

Art-wise, this is one of my favorite manga series of all time. I also adore the main cast of little witch students and their teachers. However, the series has introduced so many side characters at this point that I'm having a hard time remembering who they all are and having any emotional investment in them from volume to volume. I wish the would stick a bit more closely to Coco and her education, because all of the fantasy politics might lose me.