| 6/19/19 |
Jerry Spinelli
This was fun but a little underwhelming--I relate to wanting to resist the pointless "requirements" of growing up but overall the protagonist's plight didn't pull me in enough to say I particularly enjoyed it, even though I like the author. |
| 6/14/19 |
Dean and Shannon Hale
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World |
This was an adorable adaptation of the comic book character Squirrel Girl. Doreen is hilarious and I love her footnotes, her squirrel tail, and her positivity. All the gentle but not overwhelming absurdity is also really appreciated here. |
| 5/30/19 |
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House on the Prairie |
These stories are quietly enjoyable and intriguing to read, though all the stuff about conflicts between white settlers and Indigenous people sometimes was super uncomfortable to read because of how some characters talked about Indians. |
| 5/16/19 |
Barbara Kingsolver
The Bean Trees |
Nice to have a quiet story like this about relationships between people, immigration, motherhood that isn't so picturesque, and a sassy protagonist who isn't punished for her gumption. |
| 5/7/19 |
David Levithan
Every Day |
Cool. This is a story about a person who inhabits a different body every day, and during their time as a boy called Justin, falls in love with Justin's girlfriend Rhiannon. I usually don't like books that involve any kind of body swap, but this turned out to be great. I liked the acknowledgment of how a body affects "who" you are (especially with regard to chronic illness and depression), and I appreciated that the main character loved a girl who pointed out that her history with her boyfriend helped inform how she experienced the day they spent together. There were some aspects of it that annoyed me but overall I really liked it and want to read the sequels. |
| 4/26/19 |
Edith Hamilton
Mythology |
Welp. I'm glad I read it but I probably won't remember exactly what happened to each mythological character. Mostly what I learned was humans should try to stay away from gods because if they fall in love with you or get interested in you in any way, your life will suck and then it will be over. |
| 4/23/19 |
Nicole Mannino
Steven Universe: Camp Pining Play |
Fourth original graphic novel! This was a Lapis/Peridot–focused story centering on a play they develop from fanfiction of their favorite show. A couple complicated concepts were covered surprisingly well for this medium. And how can you not love Garnet in a squirrel costume? |
| 3/6/19 |
Rebecca Sugar, Grace Kraft, Katie Jones, Rii Abrego
Just Right |
Volume 4 of the ongoing comic series of Steven Universe. I liked all the individual comics and so of course I got the graphic novel compilation. |
| 2/26/19 |
Rebecca Sugar
Pug Davis |
Finally managed to get a copy of this graphic novel and read it. Weird, wonderful, and most importantly, stuffed with complex emotion despite having a pretty goofy premise. Man, I love Rebecca Sugar. |
| 2/13/19 |
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House in the Big Woods |
I really enjoyed this! Never read the Little House books when I was young. Laura was such an earnest, relatable character even though her situation was so far removed from my life as a kid. Loved the anecdotes and overall feel of her lifestyle. |
| 2/7/19 |
Matthew Guerruckey
Drunk Monkeys Anthology Volume 3 |
I had a piece in this anthology so I decided I should probably go ahead and read my copy. There were a lot of good stories in it, along with poetry and nonfiction. I love the variety. |
| 1/11/19 |
Kerr Cuhulain
The Law Enforcement Guide to Wicca |
Pretty good little guide for police to understand what Wicca is so they'll stop assuming Pagan practices are associated with crime. I thought it was well conceived and informative. |