When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
The Mass Dragoning of 1955 was when 300,000 women turned into dragons and its aftermath is seen
through the eyes of Alix, a young girl who lost her aunt to it.
Ducks by Kate Beaton
This is the story of Beaton’s time in the old sands in Canada where she worked after university to pay
off her loans. It’s not an easy read, but so beautiful and powerful - hilarious one minute and heartbreaking
the next.
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
[This is the goodreads blurb, I just couldn’t make it sound as good as it is, in my own words!]
As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, Daunis Fontaine has never
quite fit in—both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When her family is struck by
tragedy, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to care for her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting
Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team.After Daunis witnesses a shocking murder that thrusts her into a criminal investigation, she agrees to
go undercover. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to
home. How far will she go to protect her community if it means tearing apart the only world she’s
ever known?
[I listened to the audiobook.]
All About Me by Mel Brooks
Oh come on, you know who Mel Brooks is… This is his life.
The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr
Want to quit smoking? Let Allen Carr remind you how shitty it tastes, how stupid you look doing it
and how it will surely kill you eventually. It worked for me!
[I listened to the audiobook.]
The Getaway by Lamar Giles
After a never-quite-defined apocalypse, Jay’s life at the Karloff Country resort goes from fantastic to
terrifying. Think Disney World with torture and slavery. I know, it’s kind of a jump, but Giles piles on
the suspense and just edges into where your disbelief knows it is being suspended, but buys in anyway.
Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles
When Del joins a purity pledge to get together with his crush it is horrible planning, but it puts him in
contact with a group of kids who are desperate for his knowledge of sex. It is hysterically funny and
Giles understands that even though people claim religion as their reasoning for doing hurtful things, it
isn’t the fault of the faith, but how it is misunderstood. My favorite YA book I read this year!
[I listened to the audiobook.]
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney
Quinn’s book of very honest, very embarrassing lists disappears and an anonymous account posts
one of her lists on Instagram. She has to get help from an unexpected ally because the perpetrator
says they will post more if she doesn’t bend to their blackmail and “face her fears.”
Fly Girl by Ann Hood
This is a memoir of life in the air written by novelist Ann Hood who was a stewardess from 1978-1986
and whose first book, Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine (which I also adore) was written while she
was working for TWA.
Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
Three very different women work at a bookstore in London in 1950 and a rare book and their friendship
changes their lives in delightful British ways.
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The son of the first female president of the USA falls hard for Prince Harry, I mean Prince Henry, or
England. It’s a delightful, gay rom-com that kept a smile on my face the whole time.
[I listened to the audiobook.]
Little Thieves Margaret Owen
Vanya is an excellent thief who is just trying to get by after leaving the horrible family for whom she
was a maid. She is the goddaughter of Death and Fortune, but they are no help at all when she is cursed
by another god and has to accelerate her already perilous plan to make her own way in the world.
[I listened to the audiobook.]
The Maid by NIta Prose
Molly is a maid who loves her job and is great at it. The fact that she is neuro-atypical helps her
navigate her work beautifully, but it plays hell with her interpersonal relationships when she finds
a dead body in one of her rooms.
Malibu Rising by TaylorJenkins Reid
The four kids of Mick Riva have been deserted by their father and lose their mother to alcoholism
when they are way too young to be on their own. They seem to have rallied and Nina, the oldest,
is now a very successful model married to a tennis superstar. The story of their growing up, as
well as the ramp up to what we know is a blow-out party and a huge fire, is told as they move
through one day in August, 1983.
[I listened to the audiobook.]
Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jason Griffin
A graphic novel that had me crying my eyes out in Wormtown Brewery. The story of a Black
family during covid all trying to do their best as the world seems to be freaking out all around them.
Joy of Quitting and My Begging Chart by Keiler Roberts
Roberts illustrates things that actually happen to her throughout her days. And she is hysterically
funny, even when writing about her parenting struggles and her live with MS.
Kaiju Preservation Society John Scalzi
Once again, I am depending on Goodreads to entice you in a way I can not.
“When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for
food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works
at what he calls "an animal rights organization." Tom's team needs a last-minute grunt to handle
things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.
What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our
Earth, at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a
warm and human-free world. They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and
they're in trouble.”
It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society that's found its way to the alternate world. Others
have, too--and their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.
The Golden Hour by Niki Smith
In the aftermath of a school shooting, Manuel finds solace in photography and new friendships. I love
the way this book shows how the lives of kids who live in the country and town kids have such different
lives even as they interact with each other in school every day.
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
On the night before she turns 40, Alice travels in time back to her 16th birthday. And then she learns
how to do it over and over! The time travel part is delightful, but it is her relationship with her dying
father that pushes this over the edge into one of the best time travel books I have ever read.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Yadriel is a true brujo who can summon ghosts and (hopefully) set them free. But because he is trans,
his family insists that he has to be a bruja and focus on healing the living. Well, the spirits agree with
Yadriel, but when his cousin is murdered and he accidentally summons the wrong ghosts, it becomes,
well, a fantastic story!
[I listened to the audiobook.]
Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
It’s 1954 and Emmett just got out of juvie and has gone home to pick up his recently orphaned little brother to start a new life in California. But two of his buddies escaped from the work farm when he was released and are now making that plan impossible. In the best possible way.
