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Category Archives: Short Story

Take a bite out of these Halloween reads

31 Oct

What would October 31st be without a few book recs to get us all in the Halloween spirit?

  • Sheets by Thummler: Because Wendell the ghost haunting Marjorie’s family laundromat is sentimental and sweet.
  • Gyo by Ito: Because anything Ito creates is the thing of nightmares and phobias.
  • The Girl from the Other Side by Nagabe: Because Teacher is a creature that doesn’t eat or sleep with a deer-like skull for a head who is smitten with Shiva, a little girl he wants to protect is as innocent as it is dark woven perfectly in this manga.
  • Eternally Yours edited by Caldwell: Because you want creepy in bite-sized short stories.
  • Fangs by Anderson: Because a werewolf and a vampire fall in love.
  • The Ghosts of Rose Hill by Romero: Because a verse novel about a ghost haunting a cemetery that a human teen befriends is my kind of book.
  • Ghost Book by Lai: Because creative storytelling in middle grade graphic novels couldn’t have gotten better than this book about lives lived, lost, and found again.
  • The Weight of Blood by Jackson: Because what book can get you to read another classic book (Carrie by King) with both bringing the gore and thrill.
  • The Night Easters by Liu and Takeda: Because there is so much to take in visually in this graphic novel backed by so much emotional and family baggage.
  • Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Horvath and Otsmane-Elhaou: Because an Eisner winning comic series about an unassuming bear in a small town with a penchant for murder is psychologically riveting from the first page to the last page.
 
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Posted by on October 31, 2024 in Adult, Authors, Comics, Cover Love, Fiction, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Manga, Middle grade, Short Story, Verse, Young Adult

 

Cheers near & far

24 Jan

Monday was the Youth Media Awards presentation in Baltimore, Maryland at the American Library Association’s LibLearnX (midwinter) conference. It is the yearly celebration of literature for children and teens. Committees work for a year or more to choose award winners in categories from the Sibert to Giesel to Odyssey to Alex. Don’t know what each of them is about? You can learn more on the website including watching the award ceremony or reading the press release for all of the honorees and winners.

I had the honor of being on the Alex Award through YALSA this year which meant we were reading loads of adult titles to find the best titles that have teen appeal. We create a top ten and will have a long list of an additional twenty titles. The long list will be published shortly. This meant that the ALA conference was extra special in being able to bond in person with most of the committee members (including sharing a meal while we made author calls followed by a champagne toast). Yet it’s also about learning. Over three days of programming, I learned a tremendous amount from librarians across the country whether it was in conversations, presentations, or in line. And there were the unique and inspiring speeches of the recipients of the I Love My Librarian award that kickstarted the event on Friday night amid a Baltimore surprise– snow!

While the librarian awards began the conference, the book awards ended the conference with the best bookends anyone could ask for. Sitting in the seats reserved for the committee, you’re surrounded by the other committees with their fun accessories (looking at you Odyssey with your matching white headphones) and cool slogans (read: “For the weird ones” on the back of the Printz tshirts) but I thought our Alex shirts, designed by a committee member and executed by another, were a cut above. Switching out the laurel for hot peppers, the tag line was “is this too spicy?” *chef’s kiss*

Whether watchers or listeners were in the room or across the country watching online, you could feels the vibrations of cheers near and far. It’s a special moment for the creators of these amazing stories. Without them, there would be no celebration. There’s a cacophony of excitement from their publishers and editors, their family, and anyone who read and loved their work.

It’s a magical, magical event. If you have the chance to be there live, do it. Or, you can be like one of my favorite colleagues and rally your elementary school in the gymnasium with their socks, and shirts, and posters rooting on their favorites several states away. Either way, cheers were heard near and far.

 
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Posted by on January 24, 2024 in Adult, Audiobooks, Authors, Childrens, Events, Fiction, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Short Story, Style, Verse, Young Adult

 

Six from Sunday

13 Nov

Sunday is for housework, so there’s always an audiobook playing whether a new one, middle of one, or finishing one up. So first was finishing up the audiobook If You Still Recognize Me by Cynthia So, a YA featuring GLTBQ characters, friendship estrangement, and Cantonese culture.

The second was finishing a short story collection I recently borrowed from the public library called Night of the Living Queers edited by Shelly Page and Alex Brown, a few weeks past spooky season, however it was still a smart read featuring GLBTQ characters and all sorts of creepiness.

Third was finishing a nonfiction title recommended by a colleague in a recent professional development session called Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by Tom Kelley and David Kelley. Inspiring and thought-provoking.

Fourth was Deb Caletti’s newest Plan A which I wanted to get through ahead of professional development session I’m going to be running in the next few days as it’s a timely read on abortion for a teen audience.

In between halves for my son’s indoor soccer team, I threw in a short read, my fifth– a WhoHQ title that was just delivered– What Do We Know About the Winchester House? by Emma Carlson Berne to which I could safely answer before I read it… nothing! But now I know something.

And I started a sixth before bed: Kate Pearsall’s Bittersweet in the Hollow with the gorgeous cover and intimidating quote “beware the forest”.

 
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Posted by on November 13, 2023 in Adult, Audiobooks, Cover Love, Fiction, Nonfiction, Short Story, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 

Undiscovered readers

07 Nov

Tomorrow my colleague and I will be visiting classes in a separate building to begin a conversation about reading for self-identified non-readers. These are students who are in specialized classes in iterations of 15:1:1 and 8:1:1 setting whose teacher wants to encourage a connection to reading which has been largely absent from their academic pursuits.

Years back I attended a training that used the term undiscovered reader rather than reluctant reader or nonreader as it changes the mindset to an ownership for the adults in their lives who are just as important to the process of them discovering an appreciation for reading as the student themselves. It often only takes one book.

My first memory of a book that I wanted to read over and over and over again was Avi’s The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. That was early enough on in my life that I was always a casual reader and could find books to read when I wanted. While I don’t have a specific person that I can point to that helped me appreciate reading, Mrs. Preston, my pint-sized Dr. Seuss loving elementary school librarian did love her job and I do remember that about her right down to her stereotypical outfits and glasses with the chain to hang around her neck when she pulled them off.

I’m hoping to channel a little of that energy tomorrow when we visit their classroom. Books can be friends, companions, portals to learning, a break from reality, entertainment, and so much more. We’ll break up the time with some booktalks, a book tasting, some bookmark coloring, and a tutorial on Sora. The goal is to provide a non-threatening environment to encourage exploration and possibly check out a book digitally or in print that they could spend time reading. No quizzes, no homework, no journaling. Just reading. I applaud the teacher for taking this step in breaking down the barriers to access and providing a safe place to books to exist.

Who knows, maybe we’ll be able to move a few of them from undiscovered readers to readers.

 
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Posted by on November 7, 2023 in Audiobooks, Comics, Events, Fiction, Graphic novels, Nonfiction, Poetry, Reflections, Short Story, Verse, Young Adult

 

The ABCs of romance

14 Feb
  1. An Arrow to the Moon
  2. Book Love
  3. Code Name Helene
  4. Darius the Great Deserves Better
  5. Eternally Yours
  6. Fangs
  7. (The) Girl from the Sea
  8. (The) House on the Cerulean Sea
  9. If These Wings Could Fly
  10. Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
  11. Keturah and Lord Death
  12. Love in the Library
  13. Mudbound
  14. Not So Pure and Simple
  15. Out of Darkness
  16. Pumpkinheads
  17. Rent a Boyfriend
  18. Saga
  19. Tokyo Ever After
  20. (The) Unlikelies
  21. (E)Verything Everything
  22. Walk Through Walls
  23. XOXO
  24. Your Own, Sylvia
  25. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

Dark and light romances. For adults or teens. An alphabetical list of some that I’ve read and loved.

 
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Posted by on February 14, 2023 in Adult, Childrens, Comics, Fiction, Graphic novels, Nonfiction, Short Story, Young Adult

 

One for the money

03 Feb

One for the money, two for the show, three to make ready and four to go.

I was thinking about this children’s rhyme when I was contemplating what type of reading goals I could set for myself for 2023. As a practice, I don’t make goals because there’s usually a committee, reviews, and general work around reading (even though it’s never really work) that I’ll always be reading anyway. And I read widely already. So I thought I would highlight each month a children’s book, a middle grade, a YA, and an adult that I read. Here’s January’s books via rhyme–

One for the money: An Immense World by Ed Yong

It made so many best lists for 2022 which is why I added it to my TBR for January and it did not disappoint. Yong, take all my money because as a lover of science titles, this one was lyrical, moving, and insightful for a general adult audience.

Two for the show: How You Grow Wings by Rimma Onoseta

Sisters who grow up disparately loved by their mother, the choices that are made ultimately separate then reunite them in a moving story that brings them full circle. Clever, clever book for young adults.

Three to make ready: Ancestor Approved edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Short story collections are one of my favorite categories to explore and each of these short stories featuring Indigenous characters can be mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. All of the stories drew from a wealth of experience, storytelling, and heart.

Four to go: The Sun is Late and So Is the Farmer by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin Stead

This children’s book includes a cast of animal main characters, including the four pictured on the cover wondering where the sun is and thus where the farmer is. The vibe of the cover art and title exactly matches the book itself.

 
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Posted by on February 3, 2023 in Adult, Authors, Childrens, Cover Love, Fiction, Illustrators, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Short Story, Young Adult

 

What I did

25 Jun

Yesterday, Friday, June 24th was the last day of school which ended with a few last booktalks to my colleagues to set them up for the professional reading groups I run over the summer for staff, moving the last few items over to the new library (where we’re still waiting for the furniture), and a picnic lunch.

Today, Saturday, June 25th was the first day of official summer vacation. There will be plenty of time for work this summer that’s generally bookish in nature. But today had to be a *little* special.

The breakfast of champions after a morning training run and sauna session included water, bagel and lox, rose cider, and tea while reading the paper. The runs usually include an audiobook (who am I? I thought I would never be the person listening to an audiobook while running- only motivating music please- but I am now that person). I was actually able to finish Nugent’s Little Cruelties this morning what a twisted piece of literary fiction.

I moved to doing some grading and prep work for the summer grad classes and picked up a flat of strawberries from our CSA which promptly turned into me making biscuits and homemade whip for strawberry shortcake after dinner.

Some more reading.

A dinner of grilled pizzas courtesy of my grill-master husband and sitting out on the patio where I started another book that I’m loving so far, an arc of All Signs Point to Yes: A Love Story for Every Star Sign short story anthology edited by Davis, Montgomery, and White. Then, the strawberry shortcake.

And last, a blog post while also plotting a personal readathon for this summer.

 
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Posted by on June 25, 2022 in Adult, Audiobooks, Blogging, Short Story, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 

Trifecta

08 Sep

Today is my sixteenth year in education. Fifteen of them have been right where I am today, as the high school librarian.

I have seen one facelift and one major update with the third around the corner– a completely new space to move in to next fall to the facility. I have had more than a dozen direct supervisors, building principals, and superintendents. With a graduating class hovering around six hundred students, I have likely interacted with close to 9,000 teenagers and hundreds of teachers. And whatever each school year brings, it always circles back to the kids. I saved this post to make on the first day of school, but it’s really a post that could have been shared on the last day of school last year. And it’s been sitting with me all summer long.

The three major subgenres of books that were most circulated last year– specifically reflecting why they were the most circulated as I often do at the end of a calendar year when making “best of” lists or the books most likely to be missing from the shelves and of course, when I’m putting new orders together for purchase.

Yes, we still checked out physical books through the curbside pickup method, the small number of students who were physically in the building, and the handfuls of drive-up to their curbside. And then there was the robust digital offerings. I booktalked until I couldn’t booktalk anymore– Google Meets, 1:1, and in-person.

What were they?

  1. Murder
  2. Romance
  3. Humor

Let’s break this down: the three most asked-for books in the library came down to murder, romance, and humor. And then I say, it was 2020. And you nod your head. Of course!

True crime is prevalent in Netflix series and podcasts, books and casual conversation. It’s a thing. And it’s a thing with our teenagers too. Being home with their families rather than playing team sports and attending school every day, I’m sure there was some level of interest in the subgenre because of these massive shifts in daily business. It’s easy to go to a darker place. And books are nothing if not a reflection of inner thoughts and feelings.

We all needed some love. We missed family gatherings and meeting up with friends. And for teenagers, a whole chunk of their socialization went out the window when schools shut down. Really, all they needed was some love. So can you see how a little romance went a long way?

And humor, there is comfort in the familiar. Yes, we have Diary of a Wimpy Kid in our high school library and no I couldn’t keep them on the shelves. They wanted the escape from the seriousness of the news and the pandemic. They wanted to laugh. And who can blame them?

I will remember this past school year because it was the year I lost my co-librarian for the majority of the school year to budget cuts and had to manage alone. It was isolating because staff were scattered and hunkered in their rooms talking to computer screens. But I still saw kids each day and I will remember that all they wanted were some books and those books had to do with murder, romance, or humor. And I replied, well then I’ve got a book for you…

Here’s to 2021-22!

 
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Posted by on September 8, 2021 in Blogging, Fiction, Graphic novels, Manga, Nonfiction, Poetry, Reflections, Short Story, Verse, Young Adult

 

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With all those books

15 Mar

Yesterday’s post was a celebration of reading at least a book a day for 365 straight days. I’ll continue though the rigidity will likely wane, but not today where I was able to finish an audiobook and read two additional books. It got me thinking, how many books did I read over 365 days? That answer was 852 which meant I averaged 2.3342 books per day. What were my favorites? See below. How to you find the time? Well, I have my ways. Therefore, a summary post was in order because I like a good listicle. Here are some mini-listicles about “my year of reading a book a day”.

Locations for reading

  • Car (audiobooks, people!)
  • Wherever I have to wait– an office or a long line for example
  • Anywhere in the house from the kitchen table to standing by the stove waiting for my hot water to boil but also most definitely when I’m cleaning or cooking
  • The lunch table at work (I often post with the hashtag #literarylunchbox)

Twenty favorites (in no particular order)

  • Punching the Air by Zoboi
  • You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why it Matters by Murphy
  • Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for Their Lives and Warned the Nation by Cooper
  • Witch Hat Atelier by Shirahama
  • Skyward by Henderson
  • The School of Essential Ingredients by Bauermeister
  • All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Soontornvat
  • The Girl from the Other Side by Nagabe
  • My Life in Dog Years by Paulsen
  • The Midnight Library by Haig
  • That Way Madness Lies edited by Adler
  • Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Parker
  • The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Baum
  • Sigh, Gone: A Misfit’s Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In by Tran
  • My Life in France by Child with Prud’Homme
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea by Klune
  • Fighting Words by Brubaker Bradley
  • Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights by Blumenthal
  • End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by Swanson
  • Up All Night: 13 Stories Between Sunset and Sunrise edited by Silverman
  • The Beauty in Breaking by Harper
  • Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius by Holiday
  • A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Brown
  • Chicken Every Sunday: My Life with Mothers Boarders by Taylor
  • Fangs by Andersen

But how did you do it?

  • Read (and by reading I mean eyes on a page or ears open) every day
  • Always have a stack of books in the house or in a queue online
  • Sometimes reading won out over straightening up the house, for sure
  • Encourage a household of readers (because it’s easier to read yourself when everyone else is doing it too)
  • Participating in events like the Dewey’s 24-hour Readathon and the #24in48 readathon

What genre or category do you favor? (but really this is like asking me to pick a favorite child)

  • Nonfiction
    • Food memoirs
    • Animals especially histories, discoveries, and celebrations of
  • Young Adult short story collections
  • Verse novel and graphic novel formats
  • Fiction
    • Historical
    • Realistic

Who were your cheerleaders? (whether they knew it or not)

  • Stacey Rattner, a school librarian colleague who I often co-present with at conferences with her own blog and the co-host of the pandemic-inspired Author Fan Faceoff with Steve Sheinkin
  • My kids, readers in their own right, who read at the table for almost every meal and so many other occasions and places too
  • Reading communities big and small

Was there a question that I missed? If there was, ask me in the comments.

 
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Posted by on March 15, 2021 in Blogging, Fiction, Graphic novels, Manga, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Reflections, Short Story, Upcoming Releases, Verse, Young Adult

 

Outstanding book of the month for November 2020

30 Nov

Is it already the end of November? Didn’t that seem to go by fast? Yet I’m just as excited to share my outstanding book of the month! 

That Way Madness Lies: 15 of Shakespeare’s Most Notable Works Reimagined edited by Dahlia Adler which will hit shelves in 2021. Why am I choosing a book that’s not even out yet for the outstanding book? Well obviously because it needs to be pre-ordered so that you can get it in your hot little hands unless you’re the kind that uses sites like Edelweiss and Netgalley to get a jump on great literature. 

I’ll share that the book was on my TBR list on Goodreads well in advance of the publication and even before it had an actual cover. I exclaimed with glee seeing it hit Edelweiss and read it pretty quickly thereafter devouring each short story contribution. 

YA short story collections have been my jam and with the uptick in anthologies published, I’m always in the market to read more. But it’s a dangerous proposition since each must carry the weight of the theme of the anthology so that even a dud here and there don’t dissuade the appreciation for the whole collection. Then you find the rare anthology where each short story shines individually and collectively. This was that kind of anthology. Each includes a few lines from the Shakespeare work (including one that’s a sonnet!) and the reimagined story with a few author’s notes depending on the story. It’s a thing of beauty. It can inspire reading Shakespeare’s original work or not because the story itself is cleverly plotted. 

Get thee to the local, independent bookstore nearest you to preorder! 

 
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Posted by on November 30, 2020 in Book of the Month, Short Story, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 
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