Wow! What a great read! Loved this funny, smart, surprisingly deep story about a female scientist in the 1950‘s who breaks all the “rules” in a bid to further female independence. Elizabeth Zott is a terrific character, and Lessons in Chemistry gets an A+ from me!

Lovely and strange alternative history where thousands of women in the 1950s change into dragons in a rebellion against the patriarchy. It‘s an awfully long extended metaphor for the feminist movement, but a fascinating look at what the world might look like if women took their power away from the men.

So good! Glad to see a book of Kelly‘s nominated for the National Book Award. This story was a tale for our times about what happens when greedy, selfish people take away the livelihood of a community and how that can turn into fervent distrust of your neighbor. A pointed allegory about our current political situation. Of course, books are a big part of the solution! Just lovely, and thought provoking.

Back to the Wheel of Time series. Book 7 was a little rough. Not much for character arcs across these first 7 books. And some of the gender roles are not holding up well in today‘s world. Still, I keep coming back to it. Taking a break before book #8!

Really enjoyed this quirky, imaginative story of a man who is the only inhabitant of a strange world consisting of an infinite house filled with oceans and tides and statues. He is content, until he realizes that he has an entire past he can‘t remember, and was once part of an entirely different world. Interesting and well written. Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this sparsely beautiful story about a near future that includes most teenagers having an AF (artificial friend) to keep them from getting loney. A beautiful meditation on what makes us human and the power of hope. Totally recommend.

Great story about a small town in northern Minnesota. Having just moved back to one of those, it was the perfect book. E get reminds me of both Jon Hassler and Lorna Landvik. Funny and sweet and great writing.

Whew- done with book 6 of The Wheel Of Time series. This was not my favorite, and I‘m getting a bit lost in the plot and characters. Going to take a break and read something else before moving on to book 7 (Maybe).

Still working my way through this series. Not sure how many more I can take. Book 5 was one of the quicker paced books, thank goodness.

My entire TBR shelf is The Wheel of time series. I‘m not sure how much more I can read, but worried that if I stop, I‘ll never start again. So, onward!

Finished book 4 of the Wheel of Time series. It was a little less compelling than the first 3, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Onward to book 5!

Book 3 of Robert Jordan‘s The Wheel of Time epic fantasy saga. I‘m kind of astonished that I‘m still having a blast re-reading this series!

Ahhh. This small book (147 pages) is as wonderful as a hot cup of tea. In a fictional world where the robots have long since become sentient and have walked into the wilderness and never come back, one young monk encounters a robot in the wild. Their conversations about longing and purpose are profound. A lovely, soothing book. Perfect for our troubled times.

Having a great time re-reading The Whelk of Time series. Book 2,was great! Onward to book 3!

Wow. What a beautiful book. This YA novel tacked poverty, addiction, and healing. I cried every other page. At work. It was embarrassing. Such beautiful writing. I highly recommend.

I had such high hopes for this book, but didn‘t care for the writing. It was that kind of fairy-tale brutality that I just can‘t handle. Lots of great reviews though, so if mystical, talking-animal horror seems like your thing, go for it!

Forgot how great this was 30 years ago. 😂😂😂 loved the TV series too!

Such a great premise, but didn‘t hold my attention at all.

I‘m always bummed when I don‘t fall in love with an award winning book. But this middle grade novel did not do it for me. As a small group of humans manage to escape earth in search of a new home in the hours before a wayward comet hits, the worst type of humans make it onto the ship as well. I found it predictable, undeveloped, and trite. I loved the intention, but was not compelled to care about the outcome or the characters. Maybe it‘s just me?

I was expecting to dislike this book, but it grabbed me from the the start and did not let go. The narrator, a young magazine writer, is summoned to the home of Evelyn Hugo, an aging movie star, and asked to write her memoir. It‘s a great story, though some of the writing is mediocre, and the ties between the narrator and her subject could have been more developed. Still- a fun read! It reminded me of City Of Girls, just not as literary.

I doubted I would like this book half as much as her more recent title “Song of Achilles”, but it was just as good. An absolute romp through the lives of the Gods, as told by the goddess/witch Circe. Well written, wonderfully researched, and almost made me want to read Homer‘s Odyssey. But I probably won‘t. 😂😂😂 Circe is a great read!

Awww. Great YA graphic novel for any age. Autobiographical story of a young woman whose mother dies during the narrators freshman year of college. It‘s part homage to her mother, but mostly an honest exploration of grief. I cried, for sure, but found it soothing and a helpful insight into what to do (and what not to do) when someone you love is grieving.

Kate DiCamillo is the best. This middle grade medieval tale has some fantastical twists, but is so affirming of the strength that lies within all of us. And of love. And, hilariously, the unexpected power of goats. Great for shy, reticent kids and for world-weary adults.

If Richard Power‘s book “The Overstory” was destined to be an award winning bestseller, this book is more like the perfectly crafted masterpiece that the artist keeps for himself to hang in a place of honor and peek at from time to time. Lovely, slightly strange story of a father and son that explores life, death, astrophysics, autism, climate change, and human connection. Marvelous, sobering, and very personal.

What a great book! It‘s been a long time since a book kept me reading well into the night just to find out what happens next. Great story about a Native woman who ends up playing detective to solve the mystery of how meth is being distributed on her reservation in Michigans‘s UP. So much fascinating and authentic culture in a mesmerizing and thrilling story.

Still catching my breath after that profound and unexpected ending. This YA novel in verse tells the story of a young Black girl and a young Native boy who meet an try to help each other heal from profound trauma. It‘s astonishing.

I LOVE this author, but this book missed the mark for me. It‘s the story of a teen boy whose father has died and whose mother becomes a hoarder. He begins to hear voices, and questions what is real. I loved the Zen teachings but had a hard time with the “book”
Being the narrator. Too many literary devices for me

A subversive retelling of some of our most treasured fairy tales. Instead of victims, the women and girls in these stories use their cunning and wits to not only escape their fates, but flip the entire story on its head and really change their (and our) worlds. Timely and necessary. Marketed for middle school, but reads well for lovers of fairytales of any age.

What a great graphic novel. I‘m putting together a blog post on Tough Topics for Teens and GN checked all the boxes Tthere are tough topics (abuse, runaways, theft) but there is also so much joy (first love, deep friendships). Takes place in the early 90‘s at the dawn of the internet, and how even then it helped people connect. Loved the pages of DOS. Quick, compelling read.

Terrific YA graphic novel. Deals with LGBTQIA issues, suicide, all the tough stuff, but so affirming that if you hang on, things will work out. Semi-autobiographical story that takes place at a boy scout camp. Recommend for adults as well as teens!

I really wanted to love this, but found I didn‘t really care for about any of the characters, and there was not much of a plot. It was clever and cute, but not enough to keep me interested.

I am in awe of this author and this book. The first 2/3 was a bit of work, as Doerr builds this intricate web of story spanning from 15th century Constantinople to present day to a few generations in the future, but I bawled through the last third as all of the work paid off. A glorious ode to libraries and books. Amazing!!!

Amazing! A story set in the near future of a woman set on rewilding (and saving) Scotland‘s ecosystem by reintroducing wolves into the country. Of course it is also about rewinding herself. Intense, dramatic, poetic, and glorious. A celebration of feminine strength.

Wow!! Wow, wow, wow. Gorgeous, melancholy story of a young woman who is chasing the migration of the last of the Arctic terns. With the wisdom of Women Who Run With the Wolves and the epic scope of Moby Dick, and written in glorious prose. I listened to the audio book, which was soothing and intense. So good! Reading her new book, Once There Were Wolves, as well. Terrific author.

Lovely middle-grade fiction by a great writer. This story is about three siblings, and takes place in 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger exploded. Touches on themes of families, neglect, relationships, and self-confidence. Terrific read.

Was looking for a feel good romance, but could not deal with all the white male privilege, graphic sex, and foul language.

I‘m a total fan of Women Who Run With The Wolves, and this is a short parallel work by Estes. I listened to the audiobook. It focused on the unmothered child. I could listen to her tell stories all day!

I loved this middle grade fantasy. Not quite as good as The Girl Who Drank the Moon, but really wonderful. Great characters, wonderful themes, ad really stellar writing. Just lovely.

Another dive into Norse mythology, this time from a woman‘s view. This is a gorgeous, complex, feminist leaning account of the gods. Not as compelling as The Mists of Avalon, but so necessary. Loved Loki and the way the gods became human in the author‘s hands. Recommended!

So good! Retelling of part of the Iliad that was so gripping and beautiful and NOT boring. I highly recommend, even if you are not a fan of the classics. ESPECIALLY if you are not a fan!

A terrific ode to bookstores and booksellers, with some romance, bro-mance, and humor. Inclusive of the non-binary and disabled community. Forman treats addiction lightly but seriously, and I admit I shed a tear at the end. YA, but totally adult-appropriate.

Not sure I would have finished it wasn‘t for the allure of reading Judy Blume as an adult, and the fact that it based on her childhood hometown, where 3 planes crashed in 6 months or less. It was good, and compelling; just not great.

I really enjoyed this. Not much really happens, but all the space is filled with gorgeous prose. Loved I Am, I Am, I Am, her memoir, as well.

Great YA read about a teen who suffers a concussion that opens up other multiverses. He struggles to try to change the world and eradicate racism. It‘s a bit preachy, but a good story.

This book was amazing! It‘s loosely about the 1918 flu pandemic, but really it‘s about a maternity nurse assigned to help expectant mothers at a London hospital. Beautiful and intense story of some extraordinary women.

This YA book is so strong and fierce. I loved it. A mythic creature enters Jam‘s work to hunt a monster (think racist, abuser, molester), even though all of them had supposedly been eradicated decades earlier. This book does not mess around. Terrific lgbtq/black/trans culture. It‘s a world so easy to appreciate. And worth fighting for.

This YA fantasy is about 6 teens from the underbelly of society that take on a heist that could save their world. There was enough here to keep me interested, and the writing was great, but the first half was all set up, and the second half all happened in one night. And the teens all seemed like adults. Like a whole world of only orphans. That was the hardest part to swallow.

I‘ve been really struggling with reading during the pandemic, so I re-read an old favorite last week! I know Card has been cancelled recently for his views on gay marriage, but I still feel like this is a solid piece of science fiction.

Loved this audio book! I can see why it might resonate more with older readers, and the dramatic language can go a bit too far at times, but the characters and plait are solid, and I really enjoyed the narrator.

Just finished this whole series (The Wolves of Mercy Falls). Great escape from the pandemic. Love her writing. A little dated with the werewolf thing, but a healthier read than Twilight. Bonus: it was set in a fictional version of my hometown in N Minnesota! Since I am also reading a book about wolves that takes place in my hometown, that was really trippy!