Completely Full Bookshelf

I hope everyone is doing well! Today, I'm reviewing another adult novel, since I've given myself the freedom to review adult novels on this kidlit roundup when the need arises when I haven't read anything else. I'm taking a look at Night of Miracles  by Elizabeth Berg! Please note, this is an adult book, and although I think it is perfectly acceptable for YA readers, it contains a bit of slightly mature content that doesn't make it a great pick for younger readers. Also, there are no spoilers  in the review below for the preceding book, The Story of Arthur Truluv . Add it on Goodreads (Before I get into this review, I have to note that my copy of this book has the weirdest printing error I've ever seen in my life—pages 117 through 132 are duplicated. As in, there are two full sets of them. It's so bizarre I had to share it!) Night of Miracles  is the first of two companion novels to The Story of Arthur Truluv , a wonderful novel with an irresistible combina

I'm a bit late to the party, but I'm nevertheless excited to be participating in the Big Book Summer Challenge for the second year in a row! This challenge, hosted by wonderful fellow blogger Sue Jackson at Book by Book , is the perfect chance to cram in the 400+ page books I haven't previously had time to get to. Before I dive into the books I'm planning to read, I'll note that you can learn more about the challenge and consider participating here —I highly recommend you check it out! This year, I'm hoping to read 3 out of 4 of the books on the graphic below—let's see where I get! Yolk  by Mary H.K. Choi 400 pages (according to Amazon) Add it on Goodreads I've been waiting to read this YA novel for months , and I'm already a smidge of the way through—the buzz seems to be warranted! Amber & Clay  by Laura Amy Schlitz 544 pages (according to Amazon) Add it on Goodreads I listed 4 books on last year's Big Book Summer Challenge , and I read 2

Update (6/19/2022): I made a small correction to this post. Hello everyone! Today, I am so excited to be recommending a spellbinding YA graphic novel: The Greatest Thing  by Sarah Winifred Searle. Just a heads-up, this book is a young adult (YA) novel, and it contains mature content. Also, I am quoting the content warning from the beginning of the book: "This book contains depictions of self-harm and disordered eating." Add it on Goodreads  or preview the illustrations! Let's start off with the publisher's description  of this book: ********** It’s the first day of sophomore year, and now that Winifred’s two best (and only) friends have transferred to a private school, she must navigate high school on her own. But she isn’t alone for long. In art class, she meets two offbeat students, Oscar and April. The three bond through clandestine sleepovers, thrift store shopping, and zine publishing. Winifred is finally breaking out of her shell, but there’s one secret she can

The picture books just keep coming—today, I have three more I'm excited to share! What book is it?   Gibberish  by Young Vo Add it on Goodreads  or preview the illustrations! Who recommended it?   Beth Shaum at A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust ! What does the publisher say?  " It's Dat's first day of school in a new country! Dat and his Mah made a long journey to get here, and Dat doesn't know the language. To Dat, everything everybody says – from the school bus driver to his new classmates – sounds like gibberish. How is Dat going to make new friends if they can't understand each other? Luckily there's a friendly girl in Dat's class who knows that there are other ways to communicate, besides just talking. Could she help make sense of the gibberish? " What stood out to me? Wow—I checked this book out of the library moments after it was recommended, and that was absolutely the right call, because it is like no other book, in the best possible way

Hello everyone! I'm writing this a little bit close to deadline, but I'm very excited to be reviewing the YA graphic memoir  Spinning  by Tillie Walden! By the way, this book is a young adult (YA) novel, not a middle grade (MG) novel, and it contains mature content. I do need to include a content warning  for attempted sexual assault and some other darker topics. Add it on Goodreads  or preview the illustrations! Here's the publisher's description: ********** Tillie Walden's Eisner Award winning graphic memoir Spinning captures what it’s like to come of age, come out, and come to terms with leaving behind everything you used to know. It was the same every morning. Wake up, grab the ice skates, and head to the rink while the world was still dark. Weekends were spent in glitter and tights at competitions. Perform. Smile. And do it again. She was good. She won. And she hated it. For ten years, figure skating was Tillie Walden’s life. She woke before dawn for morning l

Hello everyone! It's great to be back to regularly blogging—my life has been a little chaotic the last few days (even without classes), so I haven't read as much as I hoped, but I thankfully read some lovely picture books last week that I'm excited to feature today! Let's dive in! What book is it?   Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle , written by Nina LaCour and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita Add it on Goodreads  or preview the illustrations! Who recommended it?   Earl Dizon at The Chronicles of a Children's Book Writer , Linda Baie at TeacherDance , and Cheriee Weichel at Library Matters ! What does the publisher say?  " For one little girl, there’s no place she’d rather be than sitting between Mama and Mommy. So when Mommy goes away on a work trip, it’s tricky to find a good place at the table. As the days go by, Mama brings her to the library, they watch movies, and all of them talk on the phone, but she still misses Mommy as deep as the ocean and as high a

This is part 13 of Picture Book Pandemonium and I started drafting it on Friday the 13th, so let's hope we don't have any bad omens here! We certainly have one good omen, which is that I'm finally back to blogging—and I'm officially on summer break! I still have some college responsibilities to take care of, but no classes, so I should have much more time to read books and write blog posts and read everyone else's blog posts too. I can't wait! Anyway, now for the post! I checked out 7 picture books from the library, so I'm reviewing 4 today and 3 next week—let's dive in! What book is it?   The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story , written by Tina Cho and illustrated by Jess X. Snow (Here's a link to preview the illustrations.) Who recommended it?   Cheriee Weichel at Library Matters ! What does the publisher say?  " Dayeon wants to be a haenyeo just like Grandma. The haenyeo dive off the coast of Jeju Island to pluck treasures from the sea--gen

I apologize, but it will be one more week before I have a post to share! I have a couple more days of studying for my last final, and I'll also be reading for fun so I actually have something to share next Monday. I'll see you then, and thanks for your patience!

Well, here we are again—the middle of the night with no post in sight! (Hey, that rhymes!) I haven't had a chance to read this week, and I'm caught up in the chaos of finals. But I am so close  to summer, and reading all the time, and commenting on all the blogs —I cannot wait! Thank you for your patience as I get through this last chaotic smidge of the year—I'll see you soon!

As I post this, I have returned from a weekend trip (not a vacation, per se, because my college semester isn't over!) with my family to accompany my younger brother to a conference! I brought three picture books along, and I decided I would read one per night and share each review along with a brief diary of how I spent each day on the trip! Thursday The day began with the, shall we say, intriguing  experience of trying to participate in a Zoom call while sitting in the backseat of a car—my hotspot worked surprisingly well, but unmuting to speak and then hurtling forward when someone slams on the brakes is not ideal for getting your point across. But I made it work—a victory, but whether it's my victory or the victory of college's eternal time suck is another question. But things improved! We arrived at our lovely hotel room and my mom and I unpacked and meandered while my father and brother went to day 1 of the conference. I helped my mom with virtual chores, worked on a s