Thursday, October 31, 2024

The Wild Robot Protects

Written by: Peter Brown

First line: Our story begins in the sky, with a bright sun and puffy clouds and a large flock of geese.

Why you should read this book: After returning to her island with her new, improved body, Roz the wild robot hopes to live a peaceful life with her animal friends, until a new threat comes to her home: a poison tide seeping through the ocean, killing all life as it goes. With Brightbill grown and mated and her new grandbabies on the way, Roz is determined to save all her friends, and when she learns that her new body is waterproof, she goes on an underwater journey to seek out a new ally, the Ancient Shark and to find the source of the poison tide. Along the way, she learns from many new animal friends and discovers her own strengths as well as the power of large groups to tackle the problems of large infrastructures.

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's not as good as the first one but I thought it was better than the second one; however, some readers took issue with its progressive messages regarding the environment and gender, so if you're the type of reader who gets bent out of shape by progressive messages regarding environment and gender, maybe this delightful story about a wild robot protecting the planet isn't for you. 

Kindred

Written by: Octavia Butler 

First line: I lost my arm on my last trip home.

Why you should read this book: This is a groundbreaking novel about the perilous history of Black Americans and their relationships to the white people who enslaved them, cleverly framed as a time traveling story about a young woman named Dana who, like Billy Pilgrim before her, becomes unhinged in time. Over and over, Dana is called back from 1970's LA to the antebellum south, where she must repeatedly save the life of her distant ancestor, Rufus, a rich white man who owns slaves, including another one of her ancestors, Alice, a Black woman who is the object of Rufus's obsession. As Rufus grows up, Dana must protect him to ensure her own birth, but at the same time, she cannot protect Alice from Rufus without preventing her own conception. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Slavery is brutal.

Monday, September 30, 2024

The Ladies of Grace Adieu

 

Written by: Susanna Clarke

First line: Above all remember this: that magic belongs as much to the heart as to the head and everything which is done, should be done from love or joy or righteous anger. 

Why you should read this book: These short stories are all set in the same world as the author's award-winning novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but even without prior knowledge of that paracosm, a general interest in fairy tales should be enough for the reader to glean a proper conception of the British Magic referenced within. Told in different styles and voices through different time periods, in these pages we meet the witches who protect children, young women who make deals with fairies, common men who call the irritation of the gods down upon kings, and magic all around. On its own or as a companion to the original work, this is just a delightful collection.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You might like it more if you read the other one first. 


Thursday, September 26, 2024

Heaven No Hell

Written by: Michael DeForge

First line: The massage is my favorite part.

Why you should read this book: The varied stories that make up this graphic collection are simultaneously surreal and relatable, showcasing subtle truths about the inner lives of humans against strange backdrop of quiet nightmares. Imposter syndrome, unspoken love, murder, nostalgia, family, and the afterlife all undergo precise but rapid dissection. It's crazy but it makes sense but it's confusing but it feel complete. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't like stories that make you think. 

Twins

Written by: Varian Johanson and Shannon Wright

First line: Sixth grade! First day of the rest of your lives!

Why you should read this book: Identical twins Maureen and Francine have always done everything together, but on the first day of sixth grade, it seems like Francine doesn't want to do anything together anymore. It's bad enough that Maureen feels like her best friend is slipping away, but when the sisters end up running against each other for class president, their relationships starts to feel ugly. How can each sister find a way to shine separately, when they've been practically the same person for so long?

Why you shouldn't read this book: You've never worried about your identity. 

Friday, September 13, 2024

Smaller Sister

Written by: Magie Edkins Willis

First line: Olivia, darling, meet your new baby sister.

Why you should read this book: Lucy has always counted on the friendship of her big sister, Livy, but lately Livy has been changing and pushing her away and behaving in other ways that Lucy can't understand until she finds out that her sister has been diagnosed with an eating disorder. Lucy can't understand her sister's anorexia, but she's determined to help her through her recovery. But Livy's body dysmorphia eventually impacts her sister's self-image, and Lucy has to handle her own problems as her body changes.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Possibly triggering for those with eating disorders. 

Friday, August 30, 2024

The Four Agreements

Written by: Don Miguel Ruiz

First line: Thousands of years ago, the Toltec were known throughout southern Mexico as "women and men of knowledge."

Why you should read this book: A lot of people claim that it changed their lives. In repetitive and dreamlike language, it lays out a system of explanation as to why you, the reader, are unhappy, and how to find happiness by adhering to four simple beliefs about how to think and act. Just speak kindly, don't take things personally, don't make assumptions, and always do your best, and you will transform this world from hell to heaven.

Why you shouldn't read this book: The provenance of the "Toltec" is unclear (getting some Carlos Castenda vibes here) and there's a New-Agey quality in the instructions.

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

No Ivy League

Written by: Hazel Newlevant

First line: Add more calendars!

Why you should read this book: Homeschool ("my parents are hippies" homeschool, not "my parents are religious nuts" homeschool) teen Hazel has a nice life, studying whatever she feels like, hanging out with other homeschool kids, and the only thing she's missing is the cash she needs to go to DC with her boyfriend and best friend to see a band she loves. Hazel takes a summer job with No Ivy League, a group dedicated to hiring at-risk youth to remove invasive English ivy from the park, and suddenly she's in another world, working with kids with whom she can't seem to find any commonality, kids who have less than she does and resent her privilege. In this honest memoir, Newlevant relates the lessons she learned about race, class, romance, and community at her summer job. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: There's some spicy language in there, probably not for younger teens or kids. 

Dysmorphic Kingdom

Written by: Colleen Chen

First line: She would never be able to look at Nim the same way again. 

Why you should read this book: Part fantasy, part fairy tale, part romance, part adventure, part genre-bending, part sex-farce, constantly surprising, this unusual but delightful story is all about parts: what holds them together, what tears them away from one another. In Vesper's world, women have no rights, and she's finding it progressively more and more difficult to escape an unwanted marriage when she stumbles upon a disembodied penis who can talk and fly as well as perform other tasks more suited to its form. Determined to reunite the member with its rightful owner, Vesper embarks upon a strange journey through a landscape increasingly littered with talking, flying body parts, and she must navigate the confusing obstacles of the royal court, the attentions of men, and her own heart to become the hero scientist she's dreamed of being. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's desperately in need of a couple more proofreading passes. 

Sunday, July 28, 2024

All Systems Red (book 1 of the Muderbot Diaries)

Written by: Martha Wells

First line: I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites.

Why you should read this book: "Murderbot," a security unit created from both robot and organic parts, does his job in the hopes that no one will notice he's been hacked, but his primary concern is watching TV: 35,000 hours of streaming video so far. Far more interested in the lives of the fictional characters in his favorite serials than the very real scientists he's supposed to be protecting, he still does his duty as it becomes increasingly apparent that the mission has been sabotaged and someone wants his entire crew dead. If he ever wants to watch TV in peace again, Murderbot must outwit the antagonists and save his small group of intellectual researchers from a much larger and better armed opponent. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: This is one of those stories where the plot is sort of irrelevant, but the voice and the character journey is so engaging you don't really care. (Apparently this series is being developed by Apple TV for a show starring Alexanders Skarsgard, so I guess you could wait a while and then enjoy the story the way Murderbot would want you to enjoy it, if Murderbot cared about you, which it probably doesn't.)