This could have been an X-Files episode. I mean, it kinda IS! Government conspiracy, skin-crawling horror, no it wasn't an UFO but a weather balloon reflecting the light off of Mars. I felt right at home :)
BUT, it takes place in the 1940s, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and in the Japanese internment camps. America is already on edge, spreading hate, suspicious of neighbors, and angry and racist towards Asians. But do the people of the western U.S. seem a LITTLE too angry? Is this fervent nationalism spreading a little too quickly?

I really love Alma Katsu's historical fictions because there's always a supernatural horror element in it to get me to read it!

Cute graphic novel that starts off Ghibli-esque and very cute and silly and happy and then gets kinda sad and dark towards the end. Not that that's bad, it is a great story and plot! It is a lot though for a comic that is for kids. Volume 1 is 384 pages and there's a lot of dialogue. The art is really cute, simple but good, but I wonder if it would have worked better as a written novel? I still think it's good for ages 8+ but it's pretty dense!

Filling in the holes of the Spideypool comics I missed. I think this one might be my favorite!

Either I'm tired or I didn't know enough backstory for this comic to make sense to me. Much more serious too. Big difference from volume 2!

3.5 stars. I don't read much non-fiction but this book was definitely interesting! I do agree with the commenter that it was annoying to hear Sam Kean promote his podcast and spout out long website addresses every other chapter but that's business I guess. I did listen to this as an audiobook so it might as well have been a podcast!

4.5 stars. This is my first book by this author and was actually a suggestion in the r/backyardchickens subreddit! :) Because there is a chicken and it is a literal demon. There's also an adorable baby chick named Finder. It sounds wacky, and there is a lot of wacky and funny things in this book that made me laugh out loud. But it's also very fantastical, a bit dark, and very heartwarming. The characters are amazing and so unique that you fall in love with all of them (well, the main characters. F*@ck Prince Vorling, obviously)!
Oh and of course Bone Dog! <3
As an only child, books with sibling relationships don't hit me as hard as it might those that have them, but everything that Marra does for her sister is courageous, even if she doesn't think so!

Can I give this 50 stars? 100?? I am seriously thinking about adding this to my book stairs. It was even better than the Martian (which was also awesome and amazing and out of this world)!! It's just so.... adorable and heartfelt! I listened to this as an audio book since Ray Porter does such an amazing job. He really brings the characters to life. I was laughing and sobbing and yelling out loud while listening to this during my drives to work! I recommend this to everybody! EVERYBODY!
1/4/23 I added it to my book stairs! I only have 5 steps I can paint my all-time favorite books and this book is totally worth the honor!

Sapphic romance, deals with strange beings, increasingly horrific injuries and mangling. Who wants to be popular and liked and loved? How far will they go to get it?

I had fun reading this book! Just good ol' fashioned "magic has a price" and borderline Lovecraftian horror wrapped up in a tale of one girl learning about herself and teenage angst and yearning.

Although this and the other book I'm currently listening to (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder) where the characters all seem to come from very rich families and attend really nice schools. And predominantly white. Actually, that was a thing that came up in this book. The author would introduce the characters as white and Simon as Black. It ground my reading to a halt for a second as I don't think I've come across character descriptions that bluntly before. I kinda wish the author would show instead of tell. You can describe a character and sprinkle physical descriptions throughout and let the reader build a picture in their mind. We're not dumb, I swear!

A great murder mystery that had me intrigued and in suspense until the very end!