| 12/20/19 |
Roald Dahl
The BFG |
Another weird book by this guy that's part horrifying and part kinda whimsical. Giants are eating kids and a special little girl has to stop them. I didn't like the way it was written or some of the implications that saving English children was more important than saving other children, or that dreams for boys and girls are fundamentally different.
| 12/12/19 |
Ronni Davis
When the Stars Lead to You |
So proud of Ronni! I normally wouldn't read most romance-centric books but of course I wanted to read a book by one of my oldest friends. And it was fantastic! Great book about one teen who has a relationship with a person who has broken her heart before and struggles with mental illness, and how she can have healthy boundaries in that situation. Loved it!
| 11/19/19 |
Diane Duane
Games Wizards Play |
Book 10 of Young Wizards! I enjoyed it, was cool seeing what the wizards do sometimes to develop their craft and in between saving the world over and over. Also a character came out as asexual. I didn't really like the way it was done though. Still really like how the characters are written and how all these high-stakes quests always feel personal.
| 11/12/19 |
Rebecca Sugar
Welcome to Beach City |
Trade paperback of the two special issues of SU comics from 2015 and 2016! Love seeing this in a trade.
| 10/28/19 |
Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Gurihiru
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Rift, Part 2 |
Second volume of a story about past versus future, peace versus war, environmentalism versus abuse of resources, and tradition versus rule-breaking. Really enjoyed returning to this world!
| 10/24/19 |
Spider Robinson
Time Travelers Strictly Cash |
Collection of short pieces, some of which are about Callahan's Place and some of which are nonfiction or other unrelated stories. It was pretty good but some of the stuff he said in the nonfiction made me think differently about his female characters.
| 10/8/19 |
Rebecca Sugar, Elle Michalka, Angie Wang
The Tale of Steven |
This is such a wonderful identity-affirming book about Steven taking a stand against an oppressive authority to make it clear to everyone (including himself) who he is. Super great art and message.
| 9/27/19 |
Dahlia Adler
Under the Lights |
The second book coming after Behind the Scenes--this one has a focus on an unlikely friendship between callous playboy Josh and diligent wholesome actress Vanessa, focusing on both of them figuring out what they want in spite of what they're told they should want--for Josh, that might mean having to leave the life he's been told to love, and for Van, that might mean dating a girl, not a boy. Cool! I liked it, and I like Dahlia.
| 9/24/19 |
Rebecca Sugar, S.M. Vidaurri, Mollie Rose
Steven Universe: Harmony |
Here's the graphic novel compilation of the five issues of Harmony. I enjoyed the individual issues, so of course I enjoyed the compilation too!
| 9/18/19 |
Brian Greene
The Elegant Universe |
Took me a long time to get through this lovely science book about superstring theory but I really loved it.
| 8/9/19 |
Rebecca Sugar, Grace Kraft, Katie Jones, Rii Abrego
Steven Universe: Find a Way |
Trade paperback #5 in the ongoing Steven Universe comic series. I'd read and bought the issues individually but this is worth having.
| 7/16/19 |
Rebecca Sugar, Josceline Fenton, Jeremy Sorese
Steven Universe: All-in-One |
A nice trade HARDCOVER of a bunch of Steven Universe comics I'd already read, but I revisited it. Nothing new in the collection, but nice to have.
| 6/19/19 |
Jerry Spinelli
Fourth Grade Rats |
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. |