RSS

Category Archives: Upcoming Releases

The value of reading widely

27 Jul

Just because I work primarily with teens doesn’t mean I read only young adult titles. Actually, my work is stronger because I read widely.

My own kids are now going to be freshmen in high school, so we’re well out of reading picture books at bedtime, but I still read children’s books to learn from and stare at beautiful illustrations.

I don’t work in a middle school, but I know that some high school students are reading below grade level and there’s quite a bit of hopefulness in middle grade novels to be valuable to read when I need to be uplifted.

Yes, I work with teens, so I’m always going to read YA. Plus, the value of YA provides an opportunity to bring me reflect back to my teen days, allow me to remember what it’s like (the further I get away from it) in continuing to work with teens, and also to recognize the creativity of YA authors in their storytelling for this audience.

I’m an adult and I haven’t always read novels for adults, but in addition to being on a committee currently that is about reading a bevy of adult novels, it’s good to remember I am one. And then I get to talk about it with other adults.

Within the last week, here has been my reading widely rainbow (minus the adult book because I can’t share!)

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 27, 2023 in Adult, Childrens, Fiction, Graphic novels, Miscellaneous, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 

A book for every day of the week

30 Apr

Pulled from books read this month with one that hasn’t come out yet, how I think about the books in the context of Monday through Sunday.

Monday: Putting your best foot forward for the work week ahead on a Monday. Ann Lowe wanted to put her best foot forward the best dresses created by her hands every day. Only The Best: The Exceptional Life and Fashion of Ann Lowe is a perfect Monday read to inspire you to tackle the week.

Tuesday: Well, did Monday run you or did you run Monday? It happens that the day doesn’t go well but instead of stewing in it for days on end, recognize it, put a rhyme to it, and move past it. Ode to a Bad Day helps you realize that it’s all temporary.

Wednesday: Hump day. Midweek. Squished, literally in the middle like Avery is squished in a family of seven kids without a room of her own. But you can be just as forceful but still sweet at she is to make it through.

Thursday: It’s the new Friday. It’s the comfort that tomorrow is Friday and you’ve made it through the week. The graphic novel adaptation of the original, the Fangirl volumes already released, one and two, are the adorably comfortable and vulnerable stories to keep you looking toward the weekend.

Friday: Friday Night Lights, synonymous with football. Greenwald hasn’t shied away from the dangers of football and in his newest, Dinged, he does it again. It’s entertainment and pride, but it’s also health and wellness. A good thought to keep in mind with the overindulgences of the weekend!

Saturday: The weekend is here and it’s all about fun and games like Jennifer Lynn Barnes skillfully does in the Hawthorne Legacy series ending with The Final Gambit. Winner does take all.

Sunday: When you need the umph to get fired up for the week, turn to characters like Perry in Warrior Girl Unearthed— she knows who she is and what she wants. Her sights are set on a way forward even if it means stepping into danger. But her internalized stickwithitness is a solid feeling to have that we can all make it!

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 30, 2023 in Audiobooks, Childrens, Cover Love, Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 

A tale of the ‘finish in one day’ read: Check & mate

18 Apr

Last week was spring break. Naturally I planned a lot of reading time into each day along with other relaxing activities, plus housework and to-do list items. There are the quick reads, the fast-paced reads, the slower reads, the savory reads, the brain breaks, and the in-betweens. Based on my interest level or mood, I can tell pretty quickly what kind of book it’ll be.

I had been sent a galley copy of Ali Hazelwood’s YA due out this November called Check & Mate. This is where I confess that while I’ve seen Hazelwood’s books for adults everywhere, I haven’t read one yet, but a YA, now that was music to my high school librarian ears. And it’s punny chess title was also a bonus. Another confession- I’m not an avid chess player, I can rarely hold my own against my teenage sons, but I do play a little. I also watched The Queen’s Gambit. And I have joyously celebrated the return of raucous chess matches in our library (years ago that’s all our teens did was play chess, we had 5-6 that went out per period, then there was a die-off, but now it’s back again).

Back to the book. I picked it up off the pile and thought it would be an enjoyable stopover before the next book. What I got was an intense sprint/marathon battle for the next several hours. I literally wanted to sprint through it to know how it all ends (of course I knew how it HAD to end, but just in case). And I literally wanted to pace myself too because I didn’t want to it to end because if it ended it would be over and I couldn’t go back again.

I loved the prevalence of chess in the story– not too much, not too little. I fell in love with Mallory and her family, especially her littlest sister and the indifference when readers meet Mallory at the beginning of the story. Cue Nolan. Then came the witty banter, the sly hints about the past, the tournaments amplifying the pressure. It was exactly what I wanted. It was exactly what I needed. And when I found out I would have to stay up WAY past my bedtime to pick up my sons returning from a trip, I continued to sip my tea and read. I brought it in the car as I waited in the parking lot. I was thisclose to the end. The boys were back home and it was close to midnight. Do I wait until morning to finish it just so I can extend it a few more hours?

No. I must finish it.

And that I did. I fell into bed tired and book drunk. Is that a thing? It needs to be. The enemies to lovers trope won’t ever get tired in the capable hands of Hazelwood. Nor will romance ever be dead. The last thing that I want to give credit for is the topic of sex in the book, from the humorous scenes to the serious ones. It’s an age relevant topic and I want more of this in YA.

It’s not out until November, so you have plenty of time to sign up for publisher giveaways and preorder it, but put it on your list.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 18, 2023 in Authors, Cover Love, Fiction, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 

New semester

22 Aug

Celebration is always a good thing, for little or big events alike. It’s why Christina Tosi’s Dessert Can Save the World spoke to me; the takeaway is that we should all spend time enjoying life and if there’s dessert it is even better.

So it’s with this post that I’m celebrating the start of a new semester teaching graduate students about young adult literature (with a cup of masala chai): not only because I love the topic (it’s my favorite part of being a school librarian) but because it’s a chance to update and adapt both to changes in young adult literature and to previous students’ experiences in the course and my own learning about online learning for a new crop of would-be librarians. Not all of them will end up working with teens but if I can instill a love of the depth and breadth that young adult literature has to offer, I’ve done my job.

We start off talking about their own reading lives before transitioning to understanding how that affects how we encourage teens in their own reading journey. The video reflection has the benefit of feeling confessional, for better and worse, around what preconceived notions they have about YA lit but also how much time they spend reading for pleasure themselves. This is used to get to know them but also guide the discussions moving forward.

The only thing that makes me nervous going into the fall semester? I have not cleared any of my TBR piles which means my already deep stack of books to be read will only get deeper. As my students read and evaluate books I haven’t read (but now I want to!), I borrow them almost instantaneously thus making my stacks larger.

Here’s just a few in my currently reading pile: Fractured Path (A Mirror novel) by J.C. Cervantes, The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver, and A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser. Though there’s plenty more where those came from.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on August 22, 2022 in Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 

Readers advisory for July ’22

31 Jul

This past week I saw a tweet that had been passed around in which the question was “how do you read so many books?” and the response was “I avoid all other responsibilities.” For as humorous as it is and how much I’d love for that to be true, everyone has responsibilities, so my waking hours aren’t spent solely on reading (however glorious that would be), but I do try to squeeze in every opportunity to read that I can.

Plus, it’s summer! Reading is basically a requirement which means there were a lot of fabulous books for July some of which I’ve already discussed this month in other posts and on my Instagram account. Which ones were the hottest for the hottest month of the year???

  • Salt Magic by Hope Larson
  • The Weirn Books, Vol. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods by Svetlana Chmakova
  • The Road After by Rebekah Lowell
  • Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown by Ann E. Burg
  • Animal Architects by Amy Cherrix and Chris Sasaki
  • Space Trash, volume 1 by Jenn Woodall
  • The Blur by Minh Le and Dan Santat
  • The Obsession by Jesse Q. Suntanto
  • Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
  • Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
  • A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga
 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 31, 2022 in Book of the Month, Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 

All the five stars I can handle

24 Jul

There will always be the diamonds in the rough, there will also be plenty of average books when you read a lot. So it feels special when in a weekend, you get a few five-star books.

This retelling of the Medusa myth was a book I read in one sitting. Partly because the storytelling was engrossing as was the bittersweet romance between Perseus and the isolated Medusa and the unique addition of illustrations by Olivia Lomenech Gill. Without giving too much away, Burton turns the myth around and encourages deep thought about the cruelty of the gods but also about our pasts.

This is Ogle’s third memoir, the first Free Lunch was groundbreaking, the second was equally heartbreaking and hopeful, and this third one is groundbreaking, heartbreaking, hopeful, and gut wrenching. As tweeted minutes after finishing the book, of the thousands of books I’ve read I can still only count on one hand the number of times I’ve cried while reading. This is one of them by the time I got to the last page in which Ogle’s command of verse and his lived experiences collide to express the deep gratitude he has for his abuela.

I will continue to think about the book long after I’ve finished it. And thank you go Ogle for being as open and forthright about his experiences for this audience.

How did I miss this superhero graphic novel when it came out several years ago? Either way, I’m glad I read it and everyone needs to get themselves a copy of the swapped bodies trope. Two very different girls end up in each other’s bodies and have to learn to collaborate in order to both 1) fix the current situation, and 2) attain their goals as superheroes.

The entertainment factor is high as is the colors and character sketches. Also a book I read voraciously in one sitting.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 24, 2022 in Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Upcoming Releases, Verse, 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.

 
Leave a comment

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

 

Readers advisory from May ’22

31 May

Read As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh and The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson when they come out in September, Tin Man by Justin Madson, Dumplings for Lili by Melissa Iwai, and Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki.

With dozens of books read, these sparkling gems shined the brightest.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on May 31, 2022 in Authors, Childrens, Cover Love, Fiction, Graphic novels, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 

The joy of vacation reading

23 Apr

… and by vacation I mean staycation,. I have no picture of a book sitting on my sunkissed thighs with a drink to my left. This past week was our spring break from school that’s typically associated with the Easter holiday however it also coincided with Passover and is the monthlong celebration of Ramadan. For me that did include a handful of religious and family obligations plus a visit from my mother-in-law, but she was going to be flying out by early in the week and I would be able to tackle some to-do items like cleaning and organizing certain parts of the house but also hang with my kids also on break, and of course, read.

I had amassed quite a few galleys via Edelweiss and Netgalley, plus I have an upcoming author panel I’m moderating, and then other print books on my shelf and from the library that I wanted to dive in to. I certainly got my reading time in with several gems in my favorite subcategories. Here were some highlights:

What in particular do I like about vacation reading? I think it’s the relaxed reading atmosphere, the deft movement between audiobooks and print or ebooks when I take a quick break to walk the dog in the middle of the day or decide it’s time to tackle that downstairs closet. The choice is all mine. And it feels extra special because it’s vacation time and it’s my choice and that’s what I choose to do. After all, Jung got it right– “you are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.” I am a reader.

 
1 Comment

Posted by on April 23, 2022 in Adult, Fiction, Graphic novels, Nonfiction, Upcoming Releases, Verse, Young Adult

 

Missed opportunity

07 Mar

Using Edelweiss and Netgalley are useful tools as a school librarian: to gain perspective on new things that are coming down the pike in publishing, a get ahead of books that I should be ordering, to get to hype books and authors before their next bestseller comes out.

I was so excited to request a graphic travelogue called Uniquely Japan: Discover What Makes Japan The Coolest Place On Earth by Abby Denson because I was going to be taking almost twenty of my high school students to Japan this summer. A trip that had been postponed several times due to the pandemic. So what better way to discover the coolest things about Japan from this graphic story?

Then within the span of two weeks, I received the approval for the request and downloaded it to read then found out that our travel company would not be able to send us to Japan because of the continued restrictions.

But I wanted to read it still though it would be painful. We chose to cancel the trip altogether since many of my students were seniors who had held on through three postponements and because it is exhausting to have to continue to wait. I cancelled the day before we were to go on our winter break and decided to rip this one off like a Band-aid, reading Denson’s book first. And how my heart broke because Denson’s approach was as unique as the title implies in how she presents the information but also in what she chose to present. I had fun on each page while feeling little pinpricks of sadness that it was not going to happen for us this summer.

One day I’ll get there, hopefully with students, and I know the book that I will have by my side.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 7, 2022 in Events, Graphic novels, Nonfiction, Upcoming Releases

 
← Older posts
Newer posts →