I wanted to re-read this after reading the [b:Impostors|37825397|Impostors (Impostors, #1)|Scott Westerfeld|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537581177l/37825397._SX50_.jpg|59503640] books, and I convinced my book club to join me in it. I felt like it really held up and I immediately wanted to re-read [b:Pretties|24768|Pretties (Uglies, #2)|Scott Westerfeld|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388314207l/24768._SX50_.jpg|1568076]; the rest of my book club was more middling about it. I did find some of the language in this book to be dated--in the way that they casually talk about people becoming "vegetables" due to brain damage, I don't think Westerfeld would include that stuff if it came out today. Overall tho I think this is still something with a ton of teen appeal and I am content to continue recommending it to the teens who come in looking for Hunger Games readalikes etc who haven't heard of this one (perhaps because it never got the movie treatment).

A slight disappointment after Uglies, and the way they talked about food and cutting made me a tiny bit uncomfortable. But it's complicated. IDK. I still immediately started reading [b:Specials|24765|Specials (Uglies, #3)|Scott Westerfeld|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255885174s/24765.jpg|3278286] so it's not like I was that disappointed.

I saw this pop up on my library's Overdrive page and I was like, "Whoaa, Lev Grossman has a new YA book? And it's a movie? And I didn't hear about it??" Wellll it's really a short story. (Or novella? Long short story or short novella?) and it's ebook only. and the movie is an Amazon Prime original. so anyway that's how I missed it.

It was cute! It reminded me of the Magicians books (my problematic favs) in that it seems like Lev Grossman thinks he needs a white boy protagonist as like a Trojan Horse to trick you into realizing that surprise: women characters can have agency and feelings too. And I would submit to Lev that actually, what if next time you just tried making a woman main character? Could you try it????

anyway....yeah, it was cute, I'll probably watch the movie at some point. I really enjoyed the author's end note about the process of writing this story and adapting it to a script and getting the movie made mostly pre-pandemic but then slightly during pandemic?

The size and length of this made it feel more like an extra-long zine to me than a "book," which is cool! I like zines! I think it makes it an approachable read, maybe especially for ~reluctant readers.~ BUT I could also see some readers less likely to pick it up because it looks a bit physically insubstantial--like a seed, if you will. But the art is fun and it's engaging, and I think it would be especially appreciated by readers questioning their sexuality, especially later in life--countering the idea that everyone "just always knows" because there's a lot of cultural programming trying to convince some people otherwise.

I LOVE THE KISHI FAMILY

https://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-175-claudia-and-mean-janine/

Justice for Claudia!!!!!

https://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-175-claudia-and-mean-janine/

I really liked the parts of this set in the world of publishing! I'm not sure the secret society aspects totally worked for me, which might be because I'm white, might be because this is a first novel, or...other? I think I might have preferred a novel that was a more straightforward contemporary story of being a Black woman in publishing without the added twists? But that's just like, my opinion. I'll definitely be looking forward to whatever Harris writes next.

This is a really tender, sweet book that made me cry in a good way. It has the kind of anti-authoritarian whimsy of a grownup Roald Dahl book (but without the anti-semitism, fatphobia, etc. Or, there is a bit of fatphobia directed at the main character by some minor antagonists but not by the narrative.). For me it was a little slow-moving and I was a little confused by the world-building--it seemed like it was going for a kind of dreamy timelessness ala Lemony Snicket, but like, they had computers but seemingly no cell phones or way to listen to music besides records? And the whimsical vibe stands in the way of deep character development. But all the same, I enjoyed it very much and I think it's an adult fantasy book with a lot of teen crossover appeal. This is great for readers looking for a hopeful, gentle read.

welp turns out every other YA reader I know was right, this was rad af

I came into this book with few expectations. I'd heard some buzz about it, but I got it because I wanted an audiobook for my trip to Iowa and I knew that my celebrity crush Jesse Eisenberg was the narrator of the audiobook. And he did a great job, obvs, but it turns out the book was very compelling too. It's contemporary fantasy with flavors of organized crime and boarding school. Very fast-paced and interesting, and I've already started the sequel.
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This summer I'm re-reading some of my favs to see how well they hold up and THIS ONE DOES. I feel vindicated in my constant attempts to force teens to read it. ICONIC, I love that Holly Black is following her ear-plastic-surgery faerie bliss but I wish she'd write more books like this TBH!!!!!