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Category Archives: Adult

Fly me to the moon: Stellar books about space

14 Apr

Who hasn’t loved all of the coverage of NASA’s Artemis II’s flight around the dark side of the moon and back? From the naming of a crater on the moon for the deceased wife of one of the astronauts to the flying Nutella jar that was the coolest advertisement, my favorite post as a public school librarian was a reminder that the next astronaut could be sitting in our classrooms because all four of the astronauts went to public schools.

How does anyone grow and learn? Reading of course, so here are some stellar books about space that are sure to continue the excitement about Artemis II’s journey with Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen into the future.

Picture Books

  • Our Solar System! A Stellar Neighborhood by McAnulty and illustrated by Lewis (plus all of our Our Universe series)
  • Wanda Hears the Stars: A Blind Astronomer Listens to the Universe by Hansen, Merced, and Mendoza
  • Starstruck: The Cosmic Journey of Neil deGrasse Tyson by Krull, Brewer, and Morrison
  • I Am Neil Armstrong (Ordinary People Change the World series) by Meltzer and Eliopoulos
  • A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon by Slade and Jamison
  • Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing by Robbins and Knisley

Middle Grade

  • History Smashers: The Space Race by Messner
  • The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez by Paulino
  • Rocket to the Moon! (Big Ideas That Changed the World series) by Brown
  • Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon by Slade and Gonzalez
  • A Rover’s Story by Warga

Young Adult

  • Spacewalking With You by Doronoda (a fabulous manga featuring neurodiverse characters)
  • Crownchasers by Coffindaffer
  • To the Moon!: The True Story of the American Heroes on the Apollo 8 Spaceship by Kluger and Shamir

Adult

  • Atmosphere by Reid
 
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Posted by on April 14, 2026 in Adult, Childrens, Events, Fiction, Illustrators, Manga, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Poetry, Young Adult

 

Lucky they exist

17 Mar

Taking this St. Patrick’s Day opportunity to highlight a few recent reads that we can celebrate exist in this world. In a word, lucky, that they exist.

There isn’t a more popular author than Taylor Jenkins Reid who has turned out several hits. Atmosphere is no different. I just finished the audiobook and I have never been so enmeshed in a character’s journey than Joan’s journey to the stars. It reminds me of Frankie from The Women by Hannah. Completely pulled into their orbit in a pivotal time in history and one that women don’t get nearly the recognition that they should. Seriously, what a way to celebrate Women’s History Month too. Readers are lucky to have books like this one to highlight the strength of women.

Cassandra Calin created a follow up to The New Girl. First Crush will be out shortly and higlights what it means to grow up, have a crush, but also screw up, but still survive by learning lessons and having people around us to be a comfort and a sounding board. There’s so much to adore about the graphic novel series from the layout and design to the choices in honoring multiple languages of the characters and not shying away from topics like periods. Readers are lucky to have graphic novels like this one.

More books are being published for teens that focus on stories that are difficult to reckon with. In Takvorian’s graphic novel memoir exploring her Armenian-American heritage and asking the hard questions of her family who would rather leave the past in the past, Armaveni is a sentimental journey into history and the human toll of genocide on generations. Readers are lucky to have authors to explore the corners of their own experiences to benefit us all.

 
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Posted by on March 17, 2026 in Adult, Authors, Fiction, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 

Eighth day, please

21 Feb

Winter break is nearing it’s end and I’ve coveted the time needed to do random household chores, update the last pieces of the spring semester for the college course I teach, complete odds and ends work on other projects, and READ.

I read daily. It’s a core element of my daily routine for personal and professional reasons, so it’s work even when it’s not work and it’s not work even when it is work. And Lena Dunham’s quote popped up in my head after thinking about the week that included quite a bit of reading

I couldn’t agree more. I will never get out from under my TBR pile and I spent a few days drinking from my “Death by TBR” mug gifted by my friend, Stacey. So if I could lobby the powers that be for an eighth day dedicated entirely to reading, I would. I am. Please, add an eighth day to the week so that I may read… while drinking tea.

What was I reading during break? What wasn’t I reading is the more apt question.

Picture books like Every Peach Is a Story by Masumoto, Masumoto, and Tamaki, The Octopus by Guojing that is a wordless picture book not yet released, and I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy by Threets and Nam to name a few.

Middle grade graphic novels like Deepwater Creek by Regina and the adapted One Crazy Summer by Williams-Garcia and illustrated by Miller.

Young adult like Leave It On The Track by Fisher, Red Flags and Butterflies by Azzam, I Love Amy by Unni, and the forthcoming Corpse de Ballet graphic novel by Kearney.

Adult books like much-talked about The Correspondent by Evans and the dark manga called Confession by Kawaguchi.

 
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Posted by on February 21, 2026 in Adult, Audiobooks, Authors, Childrens, Fiction, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Manga, Middle grade, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 

The day after the Youth Media Awards

27 Jan

With a snowstorm hitting much of the eastern seaboard, it was to be expected that Monday would be a snow day. For colleagues like my friend Stacey Rattner who builds a fever pitch of excitement about the Youth Media Awards at her elementary school, it was disappointing to not have the day together in the gym, but she pivoted. For me, I was happy to have uninterrupted time to watch it (with a glass of champagne in celebration) at home. I could make my notes, I could tag favorite books and authors who won, and text colleagues on committees to cheer on their work.

And there was plenty of notes, tags, and texts!

While it runs a bit long when publishers and imprints are listed along with titles and creators and committees select a handful of honor titles that deepen the bench for celebration, my happiness was elevated throughout. Highlights included three celebrations of Candace Fleming- two for career achievement recognition and one for winning the Excellence in Nonfiction award for Death in the Jungle. A second was a sustained recognition of Cynthia Leitich Smith’s editing of Legendary Fry Bread Drive-In is worth noting. With its recognition in the Odyssey category, I might have to go back and listen to it because it was magical the first time in print, so I might want a second experience as an audiobook now.

An early favorite to see was Arriel Vinson’s new talent award for her debut Under the Neon Lights. I had the pleasure of moderating a panel for School Library Journal last year for which she was a shining part. And I have catching up to do in categories like Stonewall and Schneider Family because there were some titles that hadn’t come across my desk that I will be on the search for. Similarly, I pay special attention to the Batchelder awards because I’ve found them to be particularly moving or fun (in the case of John the Skeleton by Laan last year)

And last, all the love to the Coretta Scott King illustrator award to R. Gregory Christie for The Library in the Woods and written by Ramsey whose message and moving art is a must-read and happiness that Insectopolis: A Natural History by Kuper that I had on my year-end top ten list for adult nonfiction was recognized by the Alex Award as a book with special teen appeal. To validate that, we had it in our high school collection already and I enthusiastically shared it with a girl who was looking for a book about insects and bugs- I told her I had the perfect book for her.

I’ll ride the high of the celebration of all of the committees’ work to get to this point and recognize the talent of all of the creators of these amazing books by adding more to my endless TBR and looking out for new content by them as well.

And the first book on my list to read that I hadn’t heard about before that was a Stonewall honor will be He’s So Possessed With Me by Liu.

Was there a moment that you were jumping up and down about? Or a book that is now at the top of your list to read?

 
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Posted by on January 27, 2026 in Adult, Audiobooks, Authors, Childrens, Events, Fiction, Illustrators, Nonfiction, Reflections, Young Adult

 

A weekend threepeat

24 Jan

Last weekend was a long weekend due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and I had cleared my calendar for Monday specifically to spend the day with one of the best writers and uncoverers of hidden history, Ruta Sepetys, by way of her new book, A Fortune of Sand which is due out in June. This will be her first official book for adults. That was the cherry on top of the sundae. Preceding that was Katie Bernet’s Beth is Dead, a young adult thriller twisted from Alcott’s classic Little Women; consider that the whipped cream and nuts of the sundae. And immediately before that, I finished the audiobook From Scratch by Tembi Locke. Heavily focused on food, I’d call that the ice cream and marshmallow topping (I’m not a hot fudge fan) from the perfect sundae that was my weekend threepeat. Allow me to elaborate on each book that led to my divine reading weekend.

Tembi Locke narrates her memoir. When it’s personal, it should always be narrated by the writer and because so much of the book focuses on Italian and Sicilian culture in addition to her being raised in the United States, it makes the most sense to have someone capable of navigating the languages and do is seamlessly. It’s uplifting only in that Locke looks at her time with her husband as magic even as he lay dying and she realizes she would have to parent alone but that she would have supports to bolster her when she didn’t think she could do it herself. She discusses his Sicilian roots and how he spoke to her through food and affection. For readers of food memoir, this should not be missed. It’s also a mix of romance, family, and grief. Silently moved in parts, I didn’t realize I was crying until the tears fell down my face.

I’ll start with the cover: to die for. It matches the thriller slasher vibes of most YA that has overtaken the shelves these last few years. With that, it’s hard to make them unique at this point but Bernet did it, ironically, by retelling the classic Little Women. What sets this apart is the intensity- it’s a full speed car crash that doesn’t let up for 400 pages and it’s hard to keep anyone’s attention for that long but I was glued to my couch, tea in hand, reading until the end. No doubt others will feel the same way and I’m going to make a comparison here; Tiffany D. Jackson’s The Weight of Blood is heavily recommended and has made readers again out of a teens that I give it to. And they’re choosing Stephen King’s Carrie immediately after. This could be similar as I would assume many won’t come to Beth Is Dead having already read Little Women. As someone who had both the book AND the 1994 Gillian Anderson movie to draw from to read as an adult, there’s a deeper layer of respect for what Bernet pulls off.

Women is a theme I’m realizing as well to my threepeat. Female authors, female stories and Sepetys’ first adult book is among those. She pulls from the Detroit of the 1920s, but also the framework that women should often be seen and not heard because if they are vocal, there’s real danger they’d be sent away by their husbands. With that, readers meet Marjorie, the twenty-something daughter of an industrious family making their money in the auto industry and follow her through a period of creativity, self-discovery, and retribution. This arc is intense. And Sepetys’ writing is rich and sharp. I felt like I had lived Marjorie’s life because of the immersive storytelling which is more apt because of Sepetys skill in mining hidden history and her own background in Detroit. The setting, characters, and conflict came alive and could it be a Gatsby-esque cinematic sensation? It read like one for sure.

It really couldn’t get any better than that. They were hard to top and three in a row feels like winning the reading lottery. What’s been your longest streak of starred reads?

 
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Posted by on January 24, 2026 in Adult, Audiobooks, Authors, Cover Love, Fiction, Nonfiction, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 

Best of 2025: Adult comics, fiction, and nonfiction

15 Dec

Kicking off a week of my top 10 with categories including adult titles, middle grade and YA, manga and manhwa, picture books, and graphic novels, comics, and manga for teens.

The titles ranged from nonfiction including memoir to investigative nonfiction to emotional essays about kitchen objects, comics featuring murder (I think I have a type), and fiction the features witches that continues to remind me of my love of learning that I lean toward nonfiction in general.

 
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Posted by on December 15, 2025 in Adult, Authors, Comics, Fiction, Illustrators, Nonfiction, Reflections

 

Bring me back: Kitchen utensils, food memory, and Bee Wilson

28 Nov

The day after Thanksgiving makes me want to go back– to kitchen utensils, food memory, and reading Bee Wilson’s newest book, The Heart-Shaped Tin: Love, Loss, and Kitchen Objects.

When it was released on November 4th, I picked it up that day from the indie bookstore I had preordered it from. I read the first story and had that conflicted feeling I always do with amazing books– I wanted to rip through it and read it in one sitting to gobble it up like a succulent turkey on the Thanksgiving table, but I also wanted to savor it like the apple pie for dessert knowing the meal is at its end with a cup of tea. I decided on the later, reading about a story a day to finish it on my birthday. The book is a collection of stories that begin and end with Wilson’s own object: a heart-shaped tin that she had baked her wedding cake in but felt different now that her divorce was final. It made her think about her own attachment to kitchen objects and made her explore how others feel about their own too. What happens between the pages is a meet-and-greet with others who remember vivid feelings or feel close to relatives in their kitchens. One that sticks out is a mug in Barry’s kitchen:

“Long after he discarded the past bowl, Barry says that there are still certain objects that bring back periods of his life in a way that nothing else could. They are not museum pieces. Over and above admiring, they are for using, and when he uses them his memories come alive again, he says… He could not bear to lose this mug because it ‘radiates’ with such memorable experiences. When the mug is not in use, Barry says it is as if the memories of that Mexican trip become ‘dehydrated,’ like a dried flower. But when he pours coffee in it and holds the mug in his hang, ‘it blooms again.'”

The vivid description of a dehydrated flower that blooms again with use packs a punch. The others stories are just as unique and emotional. It’s similar to an experience several days ago when I made golabki, a dish that my grandmother would make on occasions like my birthday because it was my favorite and my mother makes a version for Christmas Eve. I’d attempted it once or twice but always had to pivot at the last minute turning it into lazy golabki but never quite recreating the taste which I’m convinced is more about others preparing it for me. But this time, I got super close to that taste, the feeling, the love and at the same time I usually enjoy it, my birthday.

As the holidays creep closer starting with Thanksgiving and ending with Christmas celebrations, give yourself a treat. Buy yourself a copy of Wilson’s book, savor a story or two a day, and use it as an exercise to remember and create your own story as Wilson’s did with all of the people she met and interviewed for this book. We all have a story to contribute to a topic like kitchen utensils and food memory just like a conversation I had with my sister-in-law’s father after our meal describing to me the three types of plates we were using for Thanksgiving at her house that included a set from her great grandmother, grandmother, and mother. I thought that the seed of that story would fit perfectly into Wilson’s book and that I might have to reread it.

 
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Posted by on November 28, 2025 in Adult, Authors, Cover Love, Nonfiction, Quotes, Reflections

 

Will travel for turtles

23 Sep

A friend forwarded an email a few weeks back to make sure I knew that Sy Montgomery would be somewhat close by. There is a bookstore outside of my general area that has a second location the next state over that’s a scenic drive, but not too far. She knew I would travel for turtles.

For readers for youth, most will know the name Sy Montgomery. She’s written over 80 books about animals and those adventures have taken her all over the world. She’s written picture books, middle grade, and adult books about animals from octopuses to hummingbirds, turtles to tarantulas. I’m a big fan. The collaboration for her latest included illustrator Matt Patterson who would also be at the event as they promoted The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle featuring the real life adventure and misadventure of Fire Chief. But I also wanted the change to hear from Montgomery herself, plus get a bunch of books signed for my outdoorsy niece and nephews and one for myself.

If you haven’t read one of Montgomery’s books, you must. She provides depth, insight, and humor in and around the amazingness of animals. My favorites include: How to Be A Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals and What the Chicken Knows.

And the animal adjacent biography of Temple Grandin.

The drive to Vermont from my city on the eastern edge of New York was magical as the leaves have already begun to change, and I even had a little extra time to stop at a few cemeteries (I am a taphophile after all). What a lovely afternoon to spend among author and illustrators and books learning about animals and from each other.

 
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Posted by on September 23, 2025 in Adult, Authors, Book Birthday, Childrens, Events, Illustrators, Nonfiction

 

It takes all kinds of labor

01 Sep

It’s not just the unofficial end to summer, but a day that is set aside to recognize the jobs that make the world go round so I thought I’d share a few favorites from over the years.

  • Terkel’s comprehensive interviews of what people do and how they think about their jobs in Working.
  • Montgomery highlights the life and work of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman (before the term existed) who revolutionized slaughterhouses in Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loves Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World.
  • Ottaviani and Wicks paired up to focus on three women scientists working with Primates: Goodall, Fossey, and Galdikas in Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas.
  • The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients’ Lives is Theresa Brown’s memoir as a nurse that I had the pleasure of Zooming with during the pandemic along with an Introduction to Medical Sciences class I collaborated with the teacher on to read the book and talk about nursing to high school students.
  • Melissa Sweet pays homage to writer E.B. White in Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White.
  • A riveting story of a woman who built a business as a cleaner called in by police, fire, and families after traumatic occurrences in The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman’s Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster written by Krasnostein.
  • Recipes and business acumen are on display in the teen adaptation of Onwuachi’s Notes From a Young Black Chef.
  • Want a nice overview of labor? Look no further than Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States by Mann.
  • And my love of cemeteries also means I love Catilin Doughty, the mortician talking about her work in the crematory and beyond in Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory.
 
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Posted by on September 1, 2025 in Adult, Authors, Events, Nonfiction, Young Adult

 

Animal appreciation

23 Aug

I reference often my love of books about animals. I have favorite authors like Sy Montgomery that bring the magic of animals with the science. But there are also plenty of other titles that highlight a connection or relationship with an animal that changed a person’s perspective or others that provide an overarching appreciation for animals’ contributions to the world. I wanted to share a few recent reads that highlight these exact sentiments from a nonfiction picture book about sea turtles to a hare that shifted Dalton’s worldview.

A surprising read was Hall’s Slither: How Nature’s Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World. If you remember my post about our public library’s summer reading kickoff, I held a big snake around my shoulders. This was a first because I have a reasonable/unreasonable fear of them and wanted to find a way to start recognizing the beauty of the animal in a safe environment. Hall provided science and story in equal measure.

 
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Posted by on August 23, 2025 in Adult, Authors, Childrens, Nonfiction, Young Adult

 
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