I was immediately charmed by Jonny, and while I sometimes struggled to keep the intertwined present and past storylines in order, I was so interested in his journey and immersed in the reading experience. One of my favorite aspects was the description of intimacy between family, as well as friends/lovers. Seeing people show physical love to reach other was done so beautifully in this book again and again.⁣

A sweet coming of age story in which Leila makes new friends, comes to better understand herself and her passions, and navigates an evolving relationship with her family. She faces challenges and sorrow, but this book keeps a pretty light tone and packs plenty of warm fuzzies. Definitely a book I’d recommend breezing through when you’re looking for something light and charming!⁣

As a fan of queer love stories and Safi’s first novel, I was so excited to dive into this book, and it completely delivered. As in her debut, I love how Safi writes fierce, ambitious girls. Sana Kahn and Rachel Recht have been icy since Sana’s unsuccessful attempt to ask Rachel out, when Rachel’s insecurity didn’t allow her to see Sana’s overture as anything other than a setup for a cruel joke. Their careful avoidance finally crashes to an end senior year, as each deals with a looming deadline that will set the course for their post-high school futures, opening up the opportunity for each to realize the other is much more than they’d believed. Sana and Rachel shine with all the complicated contradictions of teenage girlhood, bubbling beneath the surface with yearning, and rage at all the ways big and small they feel brushed off or boxed in.

Another thing to love about this book, both characters are openly lesbians from the beginning, and not a single plot point or drop of angst is dedicated to their sexualities not being accepted by themselves or anyone around them. It’s definitely refreshing given the preponderance of queer stories surrounding coming out or facing societal rejection.

THIS BOOK! I loved it so much and could not stop reading. I Wish You All the Best is a heavy story; beginning when Ben is kicked out of their house after coming out to their parents as nonbinary. They move in with their estranged sister and begin to try to put the pieces of their life back together at a new school, where they choose not to try to come out again after the disaster that was doing so the first time. Ben is a naturally reserved person who’s also been forced to push down so much of themselves, and Deaver does a brilliant job of capturing that. One of the things I thought they did so beautifully in their writing is the way Ben will give a short answer to a question, and then the paragraph will continue with the things they are thinking but not offering out loud, showing the reader everything Ben holds back. Deaver also tangibly depicts Ben’s anxiety and depression, and the ways their life is impacted by trauma. Even with its heaviness, this book soars with unassailable spirit, and a lot of much deserved good comes Ben’s way. I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Ben, and wishing them all the best. I honestly feel grateful to have read this book, highly recommend.

Loved so much.

The Wandering Earth is a collection of science fiction short stories, and every one was a big hit for me. Most of the stories are around fifty pages, but I was quickly sucked into each one and reading this collection was an absolute delight. Readers familiar with Liu’s work will not be surprised by the style of these stories - the characters are often barely developed, and the plots are dominated by long conversations which serve as a vehicle to explore the scientific concepts at hand. These conversations, whether between two humans or a human and alien character, allow Liu to detail his richly imagined alien civilizations and possible futures for humanity. I can see why some people don’t resonate with this style of writing, but it is EXACTLY my literary jam and I cannot overstate how much I loved reading this book. If you didn’t like The Three-Body Problem, you’re probably not going to like this collection either, but if it left you hungering for more, I highly recommend this thoughtful and imaginative collection. ⁣

Hello I'm not sure what I just read! I had a hard time keeping up with this narrative, and to be honest I think that's mostly because I didn't care :/

Julie Yip-Williams speaks beautifully about the experience of having a terminal illness and preparing to die, and I feel honored to have read her words.

I learned so much from this book, which I thought was expertly curated with writing that represents clearly a diverse collection of experiences and viewpoints. I was not expecting to have so little editorial commentary provided between the first person primary sources, but I didn't end up finding that to be lacking.

Without aspirations of starting my own business, but always on board with girl power-y messages about breaking through glass ceilings, I was cautiously interested in reading this book. ⁣I was initially pretty turned off by all the buzzwordiness of it all. Everything felt like a catch-phrase or slogan and I wasn’t ready to care about Johnson and her journey, since I am not coming at this book with a previously established interest in her or her company. Fortunately, this book is a very light read, and eventually I wasn’t hating it anymore. Johnson does a pretty good job of laying out her story, although I did continue to feel skeptical of some of the ways things were presented. ⁣

I don’t know that I would have read this book if it weren’t by a favorite author, and I remained somewhat un-grabbed by the story while reading it. I might not have been catching onto the big picture references super well, but I felt like the competing powers in this vision of the future weren’t sufficiently well developed, which left me feeling confused about the stakes. Rock himself is quite the character though, and while a bit muddled at times I enjoyed his introspection as well as the propulsive feeling of careening through the majority of this quick story.