Review: Maybe He Just Likes You tackles sexual harassment and gaslighting in middle school. Mila is being targeted by a group of boys with unwanted attention. It began with a coerced hugging and then escalates to distressing incidents of lewd comments and touching. Mila's friend Zara seems envious of the boys' attention and tells her that she's overreacting while her quiet friend Omi doesn't like confrontation. Confused, frustrated, angry, and scared Mila tries different tactics to avoid being the boys' spotlight. She tries wearing bagging clothes and avoids being alone in the same room as them. Whenever she attempts to stick up for herself, Mila is effectively silenced by accusations of “overreacting.” She does not want to burden her mother with school issues because she can barely hold on financially to a toxic job. As Mila's anxiety and fears of sexual harassment grows she begins to find an outlet of karate classes which teach her to stand up for herself and empower her to speak the truth. She finally takes Max's advice and reports the harassment to her teachers. Max also faced discrimination on account of his sexuality. The group of boys are disciplined though the conclusion is a bit rushed.  This is a great discussion starter for parents and educators who want to teach their children and students about consent and harassment. The description of the harassment is not gratuitous but it does convey Mila's extreme discomfort. 

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There are scenes of harassment. Recommended for Grades 5 and up.

If you like this book try: The Prettiest by Brigit Young

One of my reading goals for 2022 is to read more mysteries and thrillers. If you have any suggestions for an intelligent thriller that is well written and does not dumb down to the reader, please let me know in the comments. Bonus if the main character isn’t a female who is drunk/high on drugs and have mental instability; and please spare me with the “I am a man and I’m here to help you” trope.

Review: Stuntboy, in the Meantime is another delightful middle grade novel from Jason Reynolds. Reynolds has the incredible ability to grab even the most reluctant reader's attention. In his latest we meet Portico Reeves who lives in an apartment complex as large as a castle with a great and some not so great characters. Portico is a huge superhero fan and cleverly becomes one called Stuntboy. Stuntboy is not a scientific experiment gone wrong, but rather a superhero who will protect other people from harm by performing stunts and distractions. Portico transforms into Stuntboy with the help of his best friend Zola in order to calm his debilitating anxiety which he names as the "frets". One of the main source of Portico's frets is the bully Herbert Singletary the Worst, who makes sure to rain on everyone's parade, but lately a new source has emerged and that is the constant bickering of Portico's parents. 

  I found this middle grade to be extremely funny and cheeky, but also an age appropriate way to talk about anxiety and coming up with creative coping skills. Raul the Third’s illustrations are both dynamic and cleverly slapstick as Portico skillfully tumbles down stairs to prevent an older resident from falling or flops in front of his parents to momentarily stop them from fighting. The story moves at a brisk pace, but while being thoughtful. 

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None.

If you like this book try: One-Third Nerd by Gennifer Choldenko

I was actually surprised how many adults books that I have read in 2021. I read a lot more romantic comedies as they were my comfort reads when I am stressed. I did manage to read some great fantasy too as well as a memoir that I really enjoyed.  

Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson: If you are looking for a literary fantasy book, then this book is for you. It has fantastic, complex, and morally gray characters. I still think about this book even though I finished it several months ago.

Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs: Another solid fantasy in the Alpha and Omega series. Though I had a hard time with the previous book, I easily slipped into this book and could not put it down.

Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo: A beautiful retelling of The Great Gatsby narrated by Jo Baker. I loved that the fantastical elements not only elevated the book, but the critical look at race, class, gender, and sexuality allowed me to rediscover the classic.

A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark: A fun steampunk, alternative history mystery set in Cairo, Egypt. 

Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev: One of the best Jane Austen inspiration books that I have read in a long time.

Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar: The most beautiful book that I have read this year and the one that I have recommended the most to people.

My Broken Language by Quiria Alegria Hudes: A joyful celebration of identity and culture by the creator of In the Heights.

The House in the Cerluean Sea by TJ Klune: Reading this book is like getting a warm, big hug. Absolutely delightful.

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade: I really don't care for celebrity and ordinary people romance, but this book was thoroughly enjoyable. It reminded me of a grown up version of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry: My first book by Emily Henry, but will certainly not be my last. A great pick if you love the friends to lovers trope.

Act Your Age, Evie Brown by Talia Hibbert: A great romance with flawed but self aware characters.

The Ex-Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon: A smart romance that features podcasting and discusses sexism in the office.

I read quite a few good children/middle grade reads this year, but these books stood out to me this year.

           

Young Adult books dominate my reading pile. As usual I had a hard time keeping up with all the new releases for 2021. Due to the beginning of the pandemic and not having access to the library for a few months I am still catching up with books that came out in 2020. 

I read several fantastic graphic novels this year and a few that I couldn't squeeze in at the last minute. 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

A Marvellous Light by Freyka Markse

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manansala

Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne

Love at First by Kate Clayborn

Children/Middle Grade Titles

Graphic Novels

Wake by Rebecca Hall

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

Review: I have read a few Jane Austen adaptations, inspirations, and retellings. A lot of them are not very good and come across as fan fiction, but others who use Austen's framework lightly and tell their own story are usually successful. Recipe for Persuasion is one of the successful inspirations. Though this is the second book in the Rajes series, it can be read independently. 

In this powerful and nuanced second chance romance, we get the central romance as well as a strong story line featuring a contentious relationship between mother and daughter. Chef Ashna Raje fights to keep her late father's dream and his Palo Alto Indian restaurant afloat while clashing with her mother, who feels Ashna should pursue her own dream inside of clinging to her father's failing dream. In a fit of defiance, Ashna signs on to a reality TV cooking show, hoping the publicity and prize money will fend off her financial woes and reinvigorate the restaurant. This decision places Ashna squarely in the path of Brazilian football sensation Rico Silva, the man whose heart Ashna shattered in high school, who always lurks in the back of her mind, and her new partner on Cooking with the Stars. 

  I normally am not a fan of reality television featuring in books, but it works in this novel because it allows the characters to show their external and internal feelings. The chemistry between Ashna and Rico sizzles, mostly through silent eye communications that speak volumes when the right words can't be found. We are also given insight into Ashna's strained relationship with her mother in touching and at times difficult flashbacks to her parents' complicated past. As a reader I can understand both Ashna's and her mother's points of views and I don't fault them for their feelings, but of course things would have been a lot easier if they were able to communicate with one another. I was invested in both story lines and thought both were equally balanced. I did, however, wish we had a little more insight to Rico's parents and his unique upbringing. Overall, I really enjoyed this smart romance with depth and look forward to picking up the other two books in this series. 

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, mentions of sexual abuse, and sexual situations. Recommended for older teens and adults. 

If you like this book try: Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (Rajes #1) by Sonali Dev, Incense and Sensibility (Rajes #3) by Sonali Dev, Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall

Review: Starfish is a gut punching yet ultimately affirming novel in verse about Ellie who seeks acceptance not judgement of her size. Ellie has no problem with her weight, but other people are not happy. Due to her weight, Ellie is constantly hounded and bullied by her classmates. At home Ellie is also not safe as her own mother makes endless stream of derogatory comments about her size, obsessively monitors what Ellie eats, and even signs Ellie up for bariatric surgery without her consent. Thankfully, Ellie does find some reprieve and has support in compassionate teachers, really friends who love her for her, her beloved pug, and her considerate father who helps Ellie find a therapist to work through her hurt and trauma of internalizing messages of being invisible.Ellie also takes charge of her own body and rejects the surgery option after finding out it is unsafe and talking with her doctor.

   For much of this novel, I wanted to shelter and hug Ellie. The keen observations of how Ellie is being treated because of fatphobia land hard and true. I was furious at her mother. When Ellie learns to stand up for herself, take up space like a starfish! and confront her mother for her awful behavior, I wanted to shout and cheer for her. 

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Bullying and fatphobic comments and jokes are made in the novel. Recommended for Grades 5 and up.

If you like this book try: Chunky by Yehudi Mercado, The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler (for older readers)

Review: Chasing Lucky is an underwhelming contemporary romance novel. While it aims to be reflective, it misses the mark by only skimming the surface level of the book's themes. Josie has spent half her life moving because of her mother's complicated relationships with everyone from boyfriends to her own mother. At times her mother does not seem capable of communicating or frankly being a responsible parent, but for Josie, who wants to be a photographer like the father she barely knows, it's all temporary; her future is in L.A., with him. When she and her mom head back to Beauty, the New England hometown they left when Josie was young, it's just another stop on the road. She doesn't expect to re-encounter Lucky, the childhood best friend who's now the town's resident bad boy and to become embroiled in town drama.

  I found Josie to be very irritating and really hard to connect to as she had tunnel vision in becoming 'worthy' to a parent who she has never known and met. She is also very passive by letting her friends and family make her choices for her instead of herself. I really wished Josie's character had more growth. I also had issues with the book's pacing in which there isn't much happening in the plot until the last half where big family secrets are uncovered and the necessary miscommunication that tears Josie and Lucky apart come quickly without much time given to its resolutions. Attempts at discussing the #MeToo movement and unhealthy relationships are not successful. The only thing that kept me reading this book is the character of Lucky, who is the only fully developed character in the whole book. He is seamlessly vulnerable and strong. The last two YA books by Jenn Bennett have not worked for me at all, but I'm hoping her new book, Always Jane, which comes out in March 2022 will turn it around for me.  

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, underage drinking, a nude photo is mentioned and circulated, and a fade to black sex scene. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

Review: The Magic Fish is an exquisite example of how storytelling, art, and language come beautifully together. There are three distinct story lines running through this graphic novel and each are told in different color palettes. The present is depicted in a red palette in which Tiến and his mother learn to communicate through fairy tales when they are not able to have difficult conversations since Tiến does not speak fluent Vietnamese and his mother is not fluent in English. The brown palette is the older past in which Tiến's mother reflects on her own journey from leaving war-torn Vietnam and becoming a U.S. citizen. The blue palette are the fairy tale stories that we tell to help make sense of our situation and express our own desires. For Tiến it is to urgently share his secret of his sexual identity to his mother, but his mother is suddenly called to Vietnam to say farewell to her dying mother. 

   As a daughter of immigrant parents who is not fluent in her parents' native tongue, I really responded to the concept of this graphic novel. I did not find the different plot lines hard to follow and I loved how the fairy tales mirrored the obstacles and joys that take place in Tiến's and his mother's lives. Some of the fairy tales may seem familiar such as Cinderella and The Little Mermaid, but there is a Vietnamese twist to them. I also thought the approach to using fairy tales to tell an immigrant story of identity and culture to be refreshing. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous.  

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang

Review: I have read and enjoyed several picture books and middle grades by Hena Khan. Her latest picture book, Like the Moon Loves the Sky, is equally enjoyable. The concept of this book is very simple: a mother's universal well wishing of happiness, security, love, and simply the best for her child. The book reads like a prayer with the repetitive word of "InshaAllah" an Arabic word that I have used all of my life. InshaAllah translates to "God Willing" and it is implied for the future. Although the specific word is in Arabic, many other languages and cultures have their own word to express this common theme. The book begins with the child as an infant and as the story progresses so does the child who is always surrounded by friends and family. 

  While the picture book's concept is simple, it manages to do so much more. It normalizes a word that all Muslims and non-Muslim Arabs use. It also showcases the universality of a parent's love for their child while also celebrating diversity and ones own culture. There is no hidden agenda. The palate of orange, blue, and yellow are bright and vivid, but also an extension of the character's skin tone and clothes. Familiar Arabic words are seen in the background. Like the Moon Loves the Sky is a beautiful, heartfelt story that will serve both as a mirror and a window.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for PreK-Grade 1.

If you like this book try: In My Anaana's Amautik by Nadia Sammurtok

Description: No matter who you are or where you’re from, everyone is welcome here. From grandmothers reading lines of the Qur’an and the imam telling stories of living as one, to meeting new friends and learning to help others, mosques are centers for friendship, community, and love. M. O. Yuksel’s beautiful text celebrates the joys and traditions found in every mosque around the world and is brought to life with stunning artwork by New York Times bestselling illustrator Hatem Aly.

Review: The Curie Society is a fun graphic novel that reminds me of a STEM version of Charlie's Angels. The Curie Society is named after the brilliant Marie Curie who never got her full dues because of sexism. This secret society honors and uplifts women in the STEM fields. We are quickly introduced to our diverse main cast of characters: Simone, Taj, and Maya who are college roommates with distinct and clashing personalities. Overeager Simone, who is African American, started college at 15 and wants to prove she belongs. Rebellious, green-haired Taj, who is brown-skinned but racially ambiguous, prefers robots and circuits to people. Maya, who is cued as Indian American and queer, is math oriented and staggers under the weight of her parents' expectations and grapples with her entitlement. 

  Though the trio don't get along with one another, they must cooperate when they receive a strange invitation; deciphering the code, they find their way to an initiation test for the Curie Society. To succeed, the trio will need to use their scientific prowess, talents, and learn how to work together as a team. The requisite montage scenes of the trio attempting and failing to work together, especially when they find that society is not telling them the full truth are my favorite parts of the graphic novel. Taj and Maya also have their own possible love interests. Along the way cool scientific discoveries are discussed, but at times it feels a bit info-dumpy. The artwork is fun and the layout is easy to read and follow. The ending wraps up neatly while leaving the door open for a possible sequel. There is a useful glossary and a list of biographies of female scientists in the back-matter. Overall The Curie Society is a diverse, fun yet educational, well paced graphic novel that uplifts women. I do hope there is a sequel as I would love to see more female empowering graphic novels about the STEM field.

 

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is a scene where a female character is getting harassed at a club in the book.  

If you like this book try: Woman Discovers by Marie Moinard

Review: The Thirty Names of Night is a complex story with multiple layers. It is a story of visibility, being, and belonging. It is a story of artists who connected by unspoken personal histories. It is a story of immigrants trying to find themselves. It is a ghost story. It is a story about birds. It is a mystery. It is also possibly the most beautiful book that I have read thus far in 2021.

     In this exquisitely, lush, and lyrical book we follow two main story-lines that will ultimately converge. In one story line we follow an unnamed narrator (for majority of the book) in contemporary New York City who is struggling with gender dysphoria, coming to terms to his own gender identity, and grieving the loss of his mother who died tragically in an Islamophobic hate crime. The narrator is unnamed because the name he was given at birth no longer fits him. Our narrator is an artist who has a creativity block, because he is constant restricted to the limitations of art just like his gender. He longs to be limitless, label-less in a world that constantly wants to place people in neat boxes. During the day our narrator cares for his ailing grandmother and during the night he paints murals of birds across New York City as an homage to his ornithologist mother as well as to Laila Z, an artist his mother admired and whose journals he discovers. 

  Our second story line follows Laila Z, a Syrian artist whose story begins in 1920 in French occupied Syria. After her family immigrates to America, she becomes an acclaimed illustrator of birds. Through Laila Z's diary we see the construction of Little Syria and its people in New York City. There is a profound sense that there has always been people who identify as LGBTQ+ in Syria in which our narrator finds comforting. It is also through Laila Z that our narrator also finds the key to unlocking himself.

  It did not take me long to get absorbed by Thirty Names of Night. I found both narratives equally compelling. Though both story lines are written in the second person and addressed to another character, it did not deter me from connecting to the characters. I read these two story lines as confessionals that are much easier told to another person than to yourself. Having our main character be unnamed is powerful and highlights the importance of agency:

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, implied sex scene, and Islamophobic hate crimes. Recommended for older teens and adults. 

If you like this book try: On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, How Much of These Hills are Gold by C. Pam Zhang