Erandi's Braids

Written by: Antoni Hernandez Madrigal and Tomie dePaola

First line: "Erandi, it's time to wake up," Mama whispered.

Why you should read this book: Erandi and her mother are poor but they work hard and have a good life. One day, Erandi learns that the hair buyers are coming to her small village, offering to pay lot of money to buy the long, beautiful braids of the village women. Will Erandi's mother sell Erandi's hair so their little family can survive?

Why you shouldn't read this book: You go around telling strangers that they should donate their body parts while they're still alive. 

Nod Away

Written by: Joshua W. Cotter

First line: (It's not exactly clear what the first line of this book is.)

Why you should read this book: Fans of the author have been waiting a long time for this first volume in a planned seven-book series. Dr. Melody McCabe has been reassigned to work on the space station Integrity, where she'll continue studying the hub, a clairvoyant child whose mind has been exploited to connect the billions of "innernet" users who employ a neural interface to tap into each other, all the time. Melody is sincere and serious, but nothing going on around her is exactly as it seems, and terrible things are about to happen in minute and astonishing graphic detail.

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's big and full of confusing moments that probably won't be resolved for thousands of pages.

A Glance Backward

Written by: Pierre Paquet and Tony Sandoval

First line: They say there's nothing nicer than reaching the streets of paradise.

Why you should read this book: Eleven-year-old Joey knows that kids can imagine all kinds of crazy things, but the day he buys fireworks he knows his mother doesn't want him to have, he takes a journey of the imagination through some very dark territory. Joey's travels through his own mind are treacherous and beautiful, and, although the reader might not understand until the end, intensely meaningful. Well worth the trip from confusion to enlightenment.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You want to understand now.

Groot

Written by: Jeff Loveness and Brian Kesinger

First line: This is your fault.

Why you should read this book: Did you like anything about Guardians of the Galaxy? If so, you might like something about this silly graphic novel, featuring everyone's favorite space-Ent and his not-a-talking-raccoon companion as they do their very best to hitchhike to Earth. Jolly and light-hearted and amusing.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You demand some gravity in your graphic storytelling.

Black Canary Volume 1: Kicking and Screaming

Written by: Brenden Fletcher, Annie Wu, Pia Guerra, Sandy Jarrell

First line: We got 'em! We got 'em!!

Why you should read this book: It's a different kind of superhero story, featuring a talented fighter with a decent superpower trying to leave the lifestyle behind to pursue a career in music, even though she's not really into music and she can't stop fighting. There are some nice, crazy details and some special appearances from surprise characters. Also, aliens, which always liven things up.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're all about the music.

 

The Well of Loneliness

Written by: Radclyffe Hall

First line: Not very far from Upton-on-Severn--between it, in fact, and the Malvern Hills--stands the country seat of the Gordons of Bramley; well-timbered, well-cottaged, well-fenced and well-watered, having, in this latter respect, a stream that forks in exactly the right position to feed two large lakes in the grounds.

Why you should read this book: Heart breaking and achingly human, this book is widely considered the first lesbian novel, although today it's more likely that its protagonist, Stephen Gordon, would probably be considered a trans man, and the word "lesbian" never appears in the book ("invert" being the proper term of the day). Raised in a rough and tumble way by a father who wanted a son, Stephen desires the life of a boy, and then of a man, but is always made to feel an outcast and ridiculed for her mode of dress and action. Despite these trials and the prejudice she faces in her own family and community, Stephen grows up kind, thoughtful, and generally successful, and eventually finds her way to places where her "inversion" is better understood and accepted, although owing to the fact that this book was written almost 90 years ago, it remains tragic in nature and Stephen never truly accepts herself.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're scared to come out.

A Glance Backwards

Written by: Pierre Paquet and Tony Sandoval

First line: They say there's nothing nicer than reaching the streets of paradise.

Why you should read this book: Eleven year old Joey enjoys letting his mind wander through all the stupid things that a kid can imagine, until the day he decides to buy some bottle rockets he knows he mother doesn't want him to have. Upon returned home, his entire world shifts and he finds himself lost and wandering through some other place he can't quite understanding. Visually arresting and provocative, this book was recently translated from the French.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You can't wait until the end to find out what's going on.

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

Written by: Carlo Rovelli

First line: In his youth Albert Einstein spent a year loafing aimlessly.

Why you should read this book: Written for "those who know little or nothing about science," this simple-to-grasp volume offers up a basic understanding of physics, devoid of mathematics, and constructed of comprehensible anecdotes and metaphors for those who wish to understand the world in which they live. The two basic theories of physics, the theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics, are made plain, then further illustrated with details on the movement of the large bodies of the cosmos and the smallest particles within. The author introduces loop quantum gravity, current work seeking to combine the two basic theories of physics, and then goes on to make further observations about black holes, heat, probability, and what it means to be alive in such an interesting universe.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You believe in a flat earth orbited by an eternal sun, and probably stacked on the back of a turtle or something. Or you'd rather read seven long lessons on physics.

How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend

Written by: Linda Addison

First line: Songs from their open mouth make you sleep,/upon waking you feel empty and sad,/there is a mark of ash on your chest/where your heart should be.

Why you should read this book: Four-time Bram Stoker-award winning horror author Linda Addison offers up a slim, gripping collection of poetry and prose, featuring full-bodied meditations on love, magic, life, death, and yes, friendly demons. Past, present, and future crumble together in stories of strong women, emotional zombies, and incredibly annoying computer systems, a thoroughly modern trek through worlds old and new. Fast paced and fun to read, with a delicious and conscious sense of balance.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You suspect your grandmother may be possessed.

The Hidden Life of Dogs

Written by: Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

First line: I began observing dogs by accident.

Why you should read this book: Even if you're not a dog person, this foray into the subject of canine consciousness is a fascinating read, setting aside the concept of anthropomorphism and settling deeply into the examination of what dogs want once they've fulfilled all their needs. The author brings her anthropological training to the observation of dozens of animals over the space of three decades to draw back the curtain on what our best friends are really thinking as they move through the world. Detailed and accurate, this illuminating non-fiction book is often cited as one of the best modern discussions of animal intelligence.

Why you shouldn't read this book: There's a cat on your lap.