Clearly I read a bit more young adult and middle grade titles than adult titles because my job is working with teens, but as I get older I enjoy taking the time out to read some adult titles. You’ll probably notice a bit of a theme, like the stuff in my Netflix queue, so if you didn’t get to read any of these titles when they were published this past year, put them on your list for 2019.
- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong: Detailing a 2008 rape report by Marie after a man broke into her apartment, the writers share the circuitous way in which a man was finally brought to justice after a long hard traumatic road.
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones: From it’s superb cover to the dynamic storytelling of Celestial and Roy’s relationship after he’s imprisoned is a slow burn that is full of frustration, love, resentment, and loyalty.
- Bingo Love written by Tee Franklin and illustrated by Jenn St. Onge: A queer love story with rich illustrations and a painful yet sentimental relationship about two women, Hazel and Mari who after meeting years ago were apart yet find their way back together decades in the making.
- How to be A Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals by Sy Montgomery: Featuring thirteen animals who had an impact on her life and are reflected in the dozens of books she’s published for teens and adults over the years, it allows all of us to pause and reflect on how animals affect our lives from their presence to their absence.
- I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara: True crime fans will likely have already bought this the day it came out and it was made more superb by the fact that the Golden State Killer was literally identified not too long ago after McNamara’s quest to identify him over years of her life. We’ve all been sucked into a project that won’t loosen it’s grip and this is evidence of one woman’s true obsession.
- Impossible Owls: Essays by Brian Phillips: I picked this one up after seeing it on a best list for 2018 since I’ve also been reading more essay collections. Phillips is a dynamic storyteller and makes the most mundane fascinating but also allows readers to peek behind the curtain of activities like the Iditarod and seeing tigers in the jungles of India.
- Not that Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxane Gay: Gay’s strong voice is a lightning rod of thoughtful observations that go without saying.
- Period: Twelve Voices Tell the Bloody Truth edited by Kate Farrell: The compilation of stories about menstruation is a worthy read for everyone because they are honest, emotional, beautiful, and empowering. Let’s change the dialogue.
- Saga Volume 9 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples: Now they’re taking a break after that ending? Gut-wrenching! But this space opera is the most creative and original work featuring star-crossed lovers and their journey filled with imaginative characters including Alana, Marko, and their daughter, Hazel.
- Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth’s Most Awesome Creatures by Nick Pyenson: He’s probably biased because he’s a Smithsonian researcher on whales and I’m probably biased because I love whales and marine life in general. From digging up bones and to understanding their immensity, it’s also a message to humans inhabiting this planet that we must take care of all creatures and not hunt them to extinction.
I love animals, can’t you tell? I like true crime but you figured that out too. And a well-drawn and imaginatively well-written graphic novel, check. Let’s celebrate the diversity and creativity of the books that were published in 2018 and tip our hats to the authors continuing to hone their craft and new writers that will bring that much more for 2019.
On May 20, 2018, my family and I embarked on a journey of epic proportions inspired by the Alison Deering book illustrated by Bob Lentz called 
So when I began reading Arcos’ book and the first flashback chapter told from Zara’s mom, Nadja’s point of view in 1992 in Visegrad I knew there was something special. It took a little bit to build as there was an uncertainty between the dysfunction of Zara and Nadja’s mother-daughter relationship, but it ballooned once readers began to connect Nadja’s war-torn young adulthood and Zara’s discovery of Nadja’s hardships as Nadja lays comatose after a bomb detonates at the farmers market they were visiting. Zara is wounded and suffering from post-traumatic stress while again, her mother is hospitalized unable to communicate. It becomes less about the present day and more about Nadja’s survival against the atrocities of war while trying to hold on while the trauma of murder and rape burns through their family, neighborhood, and country.
What was I thinking? Plenty of us avid readers have felt sadness in the last book of a beloved series and this one was no different. Reynolds is the GOAT, period. Whoever designed the covers needs a raise. Reynolds’ ability to create deep characters with authentic middle grade voices has been spotlighted in this series and shines again with Lu, another track star under Coach’s tutelage who is helping his father right his wrongs while hopefully looking toward a future with a baby sister when his mother should have never even been able to have him. Rich with inspiration and motivation, it’s the power of our human experience through Lu whose Albinism hasn’t changed his perspective much, in fact his newest job as big brother has allowed him to grow as he passes through the awkwardness of youth.
And the commentary Zentner provides about life is precisely why his books are Post-it material as evidenced by my initial tweet: within the first chapter, I already earmarked a quote to return to. So while it’s hard to pick just one, a memorable quote that sets up Delia for her eventual critical decision to seek out her dad: “I’ve come to believe that everyone gets five or six perfect days in their life. Days with not a single wrong note or thorn, days that ripen like a peach in your memory as years pass. Every time you go to bite it, it’s juicy and sweet.” Won’t every reader stop and think about whether they’ve already lived a perfect day and what it was like and then savor the thought of a few more ahead of them?
I can’t, nor would I want to give away too much about the ending, but a picture is worth a thousand words and this was my Instagram post just minutes after finishing the book… a tear-stained page that other than the saccharine visit to Lawson’s house by Josie post-fight is the most memorable scene. Delia is struggling hard because abandonment seems to be a trend from people in her life and it’s the most critical one that comes through for her. Like memorable names such as Beyonce or Ruth Bader Ginsburg, you only needs to say “Dolores Darkwood” and I will be putty in your hands.
I began on July 20th not for any reason other than I was ready. I finished on August 7th. With some dedicated reading time, a few late nights, and encouragement from my elementary-aged kids (one who has finished the series and one who is on book five), I met that goal. What did I do on August 8th? I borrowed my kids’ Gryffindor robe, Potter glasses and tie, used eyeliner to make my scar, and took a picture to commemorate this feat. As was done when said child finished the series back in March and I will do when other said child finishes. 
Readers Be Advised 