“Look Both Ways” by Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds is not only the fucking MVP of middle grade and YA fiction, but of writing, period. This book should be required reading for anyone. If you’re in a reading slump, pick this up. A beautiful, lyrical collection following ten different middle schoolers as they leave school, Reynolds has a magic ability to speak to the heart of the difficulties kids can face while also being unbelievably funny. If you don’t read this one, pick up literally anything he has written. This man is the MASTER.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury
“How Could You” by Ren Strapp
Maybe it is because of how realistically the author depicted the messiness of a young adult queer friend group, but I didn’t like this. The art felt kind of rushed, the characters felt so surfaced level, all of it was so just mid (in the sense of truly middle of the road) that I am not mad that I read it, but I’m not gushing for others to do the same.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury
Forest Euphoria by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian
I adored this one. Read if you're interested in exploring the inherent queerness of nature through an autobiographical lens (think How Far the Light Reaches and Braiding Sweetgrass). I especially liked the focus on the reciprocal relationships of the natural world, rejecting (or at the very least seriously critiquing) a combative "survival of the fittest" framework. I'll also be thinking a lot about animals enjoying beauty for its own sake for uuuh forever now, probably.
~ acesaru
Hera, Jennifer Saint
Feminist retelling of a Greek myth, very lyrical prose and it brought me along in the story nicely
~ Caladria
Orbital, Samantha Harvey
24 hours in the life of the ISS - a beautiful love letter to our planet and those who live on it.
~ Caladria
Run, Blake Crouch
An interesting premise with a let down of an execution. Way too obsessed with gore, guns, and land rovers
~ Caladria
The priory of the orange tree, Samantha Shannon
Anything that can keep me hooked for 800 pages is good. There's nothing groundbreaking here but what it does it does excellently.
~ Caladria
The sentence, Christina Dalcher
Speculative fiction with too many plot holes, but entertaining until you think about it
~ Caladria
Cornish Feasts and Festivals by Liz Woods & Freya Laughton
This was lovely! What a great concept, it goes through the calendar year describing different events held in Cornwall and pairs each one with a dish associated with the area. A fun way to learn about food and folklore!
~ Highwaystars
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
5* - I love how the book seemed so uncomplicated at first and then turns way more complicated along the lines. I absolutely love Rosie in this; she's fantastic and I wonder what exactly she's hiding so I can't actually wait to see more in this universe? But also, Steve and Amy work so well together, and I do kind of hope that they both build a better relationship with Adam too.
I just really like Richard Osman's writing style, which seems to be a great combination of softness and gentle and kind and caring but also badass and hiding a lot of secrets. Absolutely adore these new characters, and I can't wait to see what the "baddies" get up to 👀👀
~ fpwoper
Seed by Ania Ahlborn
Listened to the audiobook. Well-written and effectively spooky. A competent demon possession story that doesn't really try to break the mold, but is still a quick and enjoyable read.
~ HipHopAnonymous
Tip of the Iceberg, by Mark Adams
An interesting tour around Alaska.
~ meganreal
Taylor Jenkins Reid "Daisy Jones & The Six"
the kind of book you want to devour in a day. and also the kind of book you can read in a day, which makes it a perfect beach read. a bit contrived at times, but overall, i loved the characters and their stories and had a ton of fun reading it.
~ Florence / florenceafter12.bsky.social
Han Kang "Your cold hands"
han kang never misses, i love her so much. this was beautiful and painful and so sensory and intimate. the sort of hypnotic narration that sucks you in and never lets you go.
~ Florence / florenceafter12.bsky.social
Ling Ling Huang "Natural Beauty"
Liked the premise and the plot. The style isn’t amazing, and at times things happen so fast or are described in so little detail that it gets confusing, but overall, this was a fun, slightly gross read that still managed to explore beauty, race and assimilation well.
~ Florence / florenceafter12.bsky.social
E.M. Forster "A Room with a View"
at its heart, this is a book about english people in florence, so be prepared to be annoyed. the narrator’s voice really makes the book, though, he’s so judgy right along with you. not my favourite kind of classic but i still had fun
~ Florence / florenceafter12.bsky.social
Tricks, by Ellen Hopkins
Disproving the theory that banned/challenged books must contain something worth reading, this is the worst kind of throwback to the 1980's-90's morality tales in which even the smallest step out of line leads to damnation and ruin.
~ meganreal
System Collapse by Martha Wells
Oh my gosh I just loved it. I loved it so much. I enjoyed it even more than the previous one, and as always it has the perfect mix of amusing, tense action, and complicated character feels. I just adore this series so much. Murderbot is the best, and it’s at its absolutely best when it’s with ART. They make me happy. They’re ridiculous. I can’t get enough of them.
~ Kerry / CommunionNimrod
The Pirate Menace by Angus Konstam
I think a fine introduction to piracy of this era specially because I do not know ANYTHING about it really (despite growing up by the Caribbean coast 💀💀). One thing is that this book had editorial errors like repeated words in sentences or repeated errors and Colombia is spelled wrong in a map. Like this marketing is that this guy has 30 years of research behind the book, why did the editor not give this a second look? Strange.
~ Highwaystars
Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
I first read this one in high school like 15 years ago and liked it enough to do a book project on it. I think I did a movie poster, advertising, and casting. Lol.
Felt like reading it again and it was a very fun read. Read it in a day which was also a lot of fun to do.
Made me sad that the trip I had planned to NYC this fall is not gonna happen:( I was so excited.
~ Highwaystars
The Butcher’s Masquerade by Matt Dinniman
In Book 5 of the series, the stakes are higher, the villains are more powerful, some quests come to an end while new ones start. Carl and Donut face some of the hardest challenges yet. Parts of this one made me tear up.
~ killerweasel
The Safekeep - Yael van der Wouden
I loved this book! Went into it not knowing anything about it which meant that I got to experience the story unfolding at the same time as the main character. I though that the plot was going in one of two ways and then it surprised me with an unexpected third option that was also somehow a mix of the two. The three parts it's told in all feel tonally different but it works together beautifully. I like a book that is both devastating, and quietly insidious and sexy, will be thinking about this for a while.
~ rueforyou
It Came From the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror
A queer essay collection about horror films, yes please! Technically a DNF for me because I only read the essays on the films I'd seen/the classics so there are six essays I didn't read because I hate spoilers. They were all a lot more personal than I expected, and I found some of them genuinely moving. A good one to pick up and dip into when you have ten minuets to spare.
~ rueforyou
The Last Murder at the End of the World - Stuart Turton
I enjoy Stuart Turton's books, find them immensely readable with fun world building and interesting plots. I also think that maybe endings are his week point but that's maybe not important when the book is fun to read. Not my favourite of his but I don't tend to read sci-fi so I kinda expect that to be the case.
~ rueforyou
Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret
A really good read, although aimed at YA readers. Action, adventure, suspense. Follow the tale of a family on vacation. When Kyle and BeeBees parents are on a ship, a tsunami hits the hotel the kids are at, causing panic and confusion.
~ IzzyHandsArt
The Drowning of Stephan Jones by Bette Greene
Get the tissue ready, this one is a hard read.
Carla falls in love with the wrong boy, who’s full of himself and extremely homophobic. A lovely gay couple is harassed, and it ultimately ends in murder, while making Carla wonder where her loyalty’s should really lie, and if being gay truly is a sin, or something that she has no right to judge.
~ IzzyHandsArt
Invisible by Pete Hautman
A very interesting view on mental health and how tragedy can affect how people view and experience the world, through friendship, confusion, and even, sometimes, things that never even truly existed.
~ IzzyHandsArt
Dinner for Vampires, Bethany Joy Lenz
Pretty decent, definitely a celebrity memoir. But if you're into cults, this one doesn't disappoint. 3.5/5
~ tightenupmate
Every Heart a Doorway
Significantly bleaker than I was prepared for. It was very creative and interesting, but the gore was a bit of a turn off. 3.5/5
~ tightenupmate
Youth Group by Jordan Morris
A fun Buffy-esque romp about the strength of friendship, community, and fighting (literal, actual) demons. It was really refreshing having a story center on religion that wasn't preachy in one direction or dismissive of it in the other.
~ acesaru
The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton
I wanted to love this one so much more than I did. Enjoyed the found family aspect and the unique sci-fi elements. Did not love the pacing or the way the characters read like they were much younger than they were. There are also several things about the central romance that rubbed me the wrong way, especially at the end.
~ acesaru
Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next) by Dean Spade
Got this one from the library and want to snag a copy for myself soon, since it's the sort of thing you'll want to go back and reference. A small but mighty overview of mutual aid, what it is (and isn't), and how to do it effectively.
~ acesaru
“The Canyon’s Edge” by Dusti Bowling
Enthralling adventure set as a novel-in-verse. Balances the gravity of the immediate danger with the impact of grief resulting from a loss due to violence. While I didn’t necessarily love the amorphous “monster” that was used to indicate anxiety and fear, the rest of the book had me hooked the whole time.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury
“Wash Day Diaries” by Jamila Rowser
Beautiful slice-of-life comic about four young Black women facing their own struggles and periods in coming of age. This was initially presented to me as YA, but I would consider it much for New Adult, if only for some of the depicted content. Still such a lovely look into the sincere power of friendship and care.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury
“The Last Session, Vol. 1: Roll for Initiative”
Tbh, I think this one just wasn’t for me. The art was stunning and the story was good, but I’ve never been the biggest tabletop person, so I ended up not really caring about that portion of the story. Still, I can easily recommend this to people who love such games and the art itself was enough for me to enjoy.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury
“Barbarities, Vol. 1” by Tsuta Suzuki
Loving the art style so far and I’m interested in the political intrigue. I’ll have to see how I feel about the romance as it goes. As most know, a lot of “traditional” BL manga can come with a non-con element, so this having that when published so recently feels a bit icky. But I also can’t exactly engage with a story that is so explicit about having that element in it and then complain that it’s there, lol.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury
“Gooseberry” by Robin Gow
Sometimes I feel like Robin Gow’s fiction exists in a world where queerness is so instantly accepted and normalized that I am almost inclined to roll my eyes at it. But then I consider how often I’ve felt that narratives in which characters are the only queer person in their community are so unrealistic when queer people often seek one another out in their own ways. Gow’s writing just skips to when the connections have already been formed and it often works for them. While not as home-hitting as their other works, this one was sweet and cozy in a manner of middle grade stories and how kids seek to fulfill their dreams as fast as they can. Good as an audiobook.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury
The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman
Book 4 in the series has Carl & Donut meeting new characters, dealing with gods, rescuing giant two-headed puppies, and finding demon-possessed sex doll heads. You know, typical 5th floor stuff.
~ killerweasel
“The Dinner Lady Detectives #4: A Frightfully Fatal Affair” by Hannah Hendy
Honestly, I think this is the best one in the series yet. This cozy mystery collection is delightful and fun, and the author finds their footing more securely with each book. Perfect series for the coming cooler seasons.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury
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