Such an inspiring collection of essays/tributes to icons of the Harlem Renaissance. Johnson hits on his themes so well and I'm desperate to read more from him now. The 'I Wish I'd Known' is especially relevant as this collection is aimed and at YA audience and the power in reading these stories as an adult is palpable but as inspiration to young queer creatives it is just beyond. So grateful that this one is in the world.

I loved this middle grade novel of a south Louisiana transplant living in Boston. Feliciana Fruge is missing her grandmother, Cajun food, and the lilt of the casual French phrases she has grown up with, cher. When homesickness becomes too great a burden, a rougarou (the Cajun werewolf) brings a little bit of home to Feliciana's northern life. A sweet friendship tale that I just adored.

I am kinda undone with myself because I DNF'd 1984. I was doing the audio for a bookclub (pairing with Newman's Julia) and then when I was unable to make bookclub I realized there were other things I wanted to read more than 84 for the fourth or fifth time. But still it is lingering in my mind so i will likely pick the audio back up!

Maria Popova, I will follow you anywhere.

With some space and time, I think Tendler could have written a strong memoir about her journey. Now was the opportune time for sales though and the book is not fully cooked. Capitalism strikes again!

We were sent copies of this to give away at the bookshop and I needed to read it before distributing. It's a delightful and inspiring work. Not a revelation but a good reminder of community care. Anderson's angle is that generosity breds returns but I think that's just the best way to 'sell' the idea of generosity. His real message is that we live communally and good stewardship of community is anchored in generosity.

Took me about two months to get through the first ten poems. That's a bail. Just not my thing.

Was the mystery satisfying? Yes! Was the banter delicious? Absolutely! Was the racism freaking heinous? 💯 I'd love to continue with this series and I get that it is a product of its time (70s era writer with Victorians cavorting through Egypt) but I just can't stomach it.

So short, so powerful, so perfect.

It's a soft pick because I will always enjoy navel gazey musings from comics I like...that's like the whole thing with comics. But this could have been an interesting and memorable article. At book length, it's a stretch.

As unhinged as everyone says it is. More Broder than Moshfegh in my mind. I probably would have DNF'd this, but the chapters are just so short and I needed to know where we would end up.

I'm sorry, Keanu, we just didn't vibe. I could not force myself to care. Bailed at 20%.

I am obsessed! This is entirely too delightful and it slayed me (sleighed me?)! I need only tell you that the prince of Christmas and the prince of Halloween fall in love. This is a world of holidays with lands and lore, ruling families and political intrigue. Sara Raasch has got me in her pocket and I have never felt more giddy while reading a novel. The holiday highjinks a high key and the foundational friendships had my whole heart.

Rating and reviewing this one is difficult because I feel as though I haven't finished with this collection. The poems are drawing me back in, pencil in hand, to work through along with Schiff and frankly only the best collections do that. Here's to poetry that challenges!

Bog Myrtle, I love you! What a delightful, weird little tale. This a fable about environmental awareness, kindness, and greed. And honestly, as cute and weird as it is, it's a great way to talk to kids about the danger of the individual/scarcity mindset and the power and abundance found in the collective. Rock on, swamp witch! 🕷

The truly terrifying rise in antisemitism is something we must all acknowledge and work against. The title, while definitely provocative, encompasses Horn's central thesis that historical, dead Jews are comfortable to reckon with and easy to mourn. Meanwhile the actual fates and daily struggles of living Jews creates a discomfort in non Jews. In each essay, a different form or aspect of antisemitism is examined; all are deeply important to explore

I am not the most familiar with the conventions of horror novels so they always seem to startle and surprise me when I make my way to one! Old Soul is everything you could desire from the genre: spooky and thrilling, gory and macabre, the mystery at its core kept me reading into the night even as I burrowed under the covers (for protection, ya know). I need you to read this one so we can talk about it!

Dense! Khalidi writes from both a deeply historic and deeply personal well. I will never claim to have a full understanding of this conflict but this was much needed context.

A heavy read with a lot to unpack. We are so incredibly steeped in propaganda that reality can genuinely feel questionable, it's no wonder we are witnessing an ever increasing surge in conspiracy theories. Newitz research is always impressive and the work here is deeply important but proceed with caution if you are prone to existential dread - it can all feel so overwhelming.

Self-aware in the best possible way with tongue placed firmly in cheek, Lyndsay Rush has crafted a delightful collection. These are not poems to linger over but to blaze through nodding and laughing along to Rush's observations.

Family, friendship, the many forms of love, betrayal, and triumph. I adored this novel. The short chapters are lyrical to the point of being poetic.

Not really my thing but there's no denying the power behind many of these poems.

My eclipse read this past April. This one is like following a Wikipedia spiral but led by someone else's whims than your own so sometimes I was interested and invested, others not so much.

The end of an era! I loved this Webtoon and look forward to rereading in trade.

I am in awe of this woman. Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka is an inspiration. The casual ease with which she brushes off several near death experiences to pivot back to her mission is unparalleled. Her community building skills and the clarity she brings to conservation through public health...it's so obvious once she explains her methods but so groundbreaking in terms of practically making a difference.

The botanists are beginning to think there may be a plant consciousness and I am simply overwhelmed by this information. Super fascinating and highly readable account of the massive shifts happening in plant science.

I started this in print but the book proved too heavy for bathtub reading so I switched to audio and I must say, give yourself this gift. Allow Babs to read her memoirs to you. Every song, every aside, it's just the best possible way to take in this story. Am I obsessed with Barbra Streisand? Yes. Does she deserve my adoration, undoubtedly so. She deserves yours as well.

Jackson, a historian, frames the history of Black resistance using personal and historical narratives highlighting revolution, protection, force, flight, and joy. Organized phenomenally especially with the final chapter on joy which felt grounding. Consistently moves away from the false dichotomy of nonviolence vs violent resistance to say Black resistance to the idea of white supremacy has always been multifaceted, deep and necessary context.

Y'all. This woman and her life. Wild. But she's interesting and intensely honest. The stories she tells about her life show a deep level of reflection that is so refreshing. Don't think of this as a celebrity memoir. This is an artist's tale.

What is there to say about this book? At this point it is a well established classic. I didn't love the prose as much as I thought I would but I resonated with Kimmerer's ideas so heavily. I find it so honorable the way she takes on the burden of teaching her students a different way of seeing - that seems a huge emotional undertaking that she handles with each new group and ultimately that's the gift she gives readers with Braiding Sweetgrass.

Starting a (tiny, regional) publishing company this year and our first book launches in the fall. I'm so excited for this one. The Wild Melange is meant to be the perfect memento for visitors to the city; it's a photobook with a couple essays and a few guides (food, Mardi Gras) for tourists. This is something we've been talking about for ages but it all came together with photographer Richard Sexton earlier this year.

Fairytales, political and sexual intrigues, and all of the ignoble realities of life in the court of the Sun King. I enjoyed this but not as much as I enjoyed Pollard's previous novel, Delphi. Being in the salons surrounding the court at Versailles was fun, but there's not much I feel like I am taking away from this novel.

Quick graphic read that your eight year old fantasy and myth loving reader is going to love.

I mean, it was fine, just not for me. I read the first 50ish pages in the physical book and when I found that I did not want to keep going I switched to audio in order to be ready for book club. Again, fine, but everyone loves it so much and I had such high hopes.

My first Pierce though frankly this graphic adaptation is so abridged as to feel unfair to even attribute to her. I'm glad I picked it up though because it was a quick read that whet my appetite for more from Tortall. Might do a Song of the Lioness buddy read with my nephew this summer.

Look how cute this is; I should love it! But alas, DNF at 50 pages. I skimmed the last 10 chapters and verified my choice.

Really, the book is not bad at all, just nothing great and I'm dedicated to the DNF this year. So please don't take this as a pan - I'll be stocking this one in the bookshop and recommending it to the magic loving kiddos.

A delightful history of a deeply romanticized industry with the space to both revel and bemoan. Friss begins his bookseller's tale with Ben Franklin and ends with Ann Patchett running the gamut between. If publishing is dominated by white men, bookselling is the realm of white women and Friss addresses the complications within that while historicizing the mission driven shops created to serve queer communities and people of color.

Soft pick here but full of components I adore - friendship, plants, magic, there's even a cat! By rights, this should be my favorite book but it's just an okay middlegrade fantasy read. Maybe it's the audio that didn't do it for me. I'll start the second one in print soon.

Delightful middle grade nonfiction. The tone and illustrations hit this one right on for the audience and I look forward to recommending it to teachers and kiddos!

Honestly, I've had my problems with the way some things have gone down in this series but it's always a blast. I'll keep reading them forever.

Sorry to be a hater but these books are terrible. I don't believe in always moralizing to children but these kids are assholes and like...the story isn't even fun. Very bummed that my five year old niece is in love with the series and I will continue reading them until I go home next week. Luckily, she still wants to read picture books with me too.

Sidenote: my sister's three kids love rats so princesses and rats it always is. 🐀

A history of crossword puzzles and feminist wordplay through the lens of the author's struggle with anorexia. Endlessly fascinating and Shectman pulls the intersections off incredibly well.

Another Webtoon DNF. I'm becoming brutal with my quitter's attitude.

This was a ride!!! Much less about the (nonhuman) apes and more about the personalities and politics of camp life at Karisoke. The thing I was absolutely left with though is Fowler's pondering, did Fossey's hard line with the government, denial of tourism proponents, and extreme response to poaching ultimately do more harm than good for the gorillas? A difficult question and a work that will linger in my mind.

DNF not because it was bad, I just wasn't feeling it.

You know how sometimes middle grade readers just need to experience all the feels? That's who this book is for. A novel in verse about grief and the loss of a friend. It's quiet and lovely and the adult characters are just so patient and beautiful. I had feels and am very much looking forward to recommending this one.

Reviewing That Librarian is a tad unfair because I have worked with Amanda Jones for years, but that being said, I genuinely did not know how bad things had been for her and this memoir is an urgent call for decorum as much as it is one against censorship.

Ashanti runs a doggydaycare & cares for her two teenage sisters. Thad is a vet having difficulty transitioning into civilian life. The only thing they have in common is having no time for emotional entanglements. But when their dogs lovestory goes viral (you read that right & its the cutest thing ever committed to print) they seize the moment to promote their burgeoning businesses and maybe find time for love along the way. Sweetest slow burn ever

Poetry paired with lovely illustrations that just felt so empowering and heartfelt. So excited to continue following Watson's work with her upcoming novel!!

I think a common theme in my improperly oriented photos is a cat! Litsy is anti-cat. Which I mean, makes sense considering #catsagainstreading I guess.

I bought this book in like 2019 after reading and being galvanized by the essay Moi and the Rise of Subjectivity. Then I let it linger too long on my shelves and by the time I actually read it (five years later) I was just deflated by it. I don't agree with everything Kakutani says here and I think she allows bad faith usage to undervalue helpful academic schema but it is still interesting.