Completely Full Bookshelf

I finally read a book, y'all!!! Took an entire month, but we made it here. Last week , I considered reading a book by K. O'Neill, and that's exactly what I did—and it was so good . So let's talk about it! The Tea Dragon Festival Written and illustrated by K. O'Neill Middle grade · Graphic novel · 2019 Book 2 of 3 ( The Tea Dragon Society  · The Tea Dragon Festival · The Tea Dragon Tapestry ) Add it on Goodreads · Preview the illustrations · · · The publisher says: · · · Now available in paperback, revisit the enchanting world of Tea Dragons with the beloved companion story to the two-time Eisner Award-winning graphic novel The Tea Dragon Society . Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village, but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago. With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner

I think I've conceived of an entirely new idea for book blogging, and it involves posts where I talk about all the books I didn't  read, rather than the ones I did! How scintillating. /s Seriously, though, this is the third week where I don't have a book to share, not even one I'm in the middle of. Usually when this happens, I'd just not post at all. But hosting the Kidlit Lovers' Meetups has made me feel more connected to this community, so I don't want to drop off the face of the earth just because I haven't read! I completely failed at my goal of reading four graphic novels in August. (Call me Completely Failed Bookshelf.) I did read two, which is definitely not four, but is also not zero, so that's a win! And both of them, Sunhead  and Blackward , were deeply meaningful in their own unique ways. Also, in my defense, I actually did get partway into Ash's Cabin  by Jen Wang, after my previous DNF from a few weeks ago. And it's such an incr

I didn't have the chance to read at all this week, because it was my first week back in grad school and there was so much  happening. I'm hoping that tonight (Sunday night), I'll have the chance to crack open a book...and then we'll see if I can keep the momentum going throughout the week. I did want to mention two things, though: The Kidlit Lovers' Meetup! The next Kidlit Lovers' Meetup is THIS Wednesday: Wednesday, August 28, 2024 4 - 4:45 PM Pacific / 5 - 5:45 PM Mountain / 6 - 6:45 PM Central / 7 - 7:45 PM Eastern RSVP here >> As always, this is a chance for folks to meet other book bloggers and readers, and talk about books, blogging, reading, and more! I'll have discussion questions prepared to keep the conversation going. And it's designed to be very low-stress—even if you're as chronically introverted as I am, my goal is for you to still feel welcome and enjoy yourself! You can RSVP for the meetup here , or learn more about the meetups

So I had actually started a new graphic novel this week, which I was hoping to recommend today! It would have been the third graphic novel for my goal of reading four in August. But alas, my excitement to read it gave way to dismay, because I found it a little bit racially insensitive. The main character is a White boy—not a terribly likable one, but it's a zany, humorous kind of book, so I don't think the goal is for the characters to be bastions of morality. But one of his compatriots is a Black girl, and I honestly felt like her whole character was defined in relation to him—she follows him around, fascinated with his antics but also poking at him in a sort of generic-banter-y way. But at least in the first third of the book, she got no real character development, and I feel like (whether intentionally or unintentionally) the story was implicitly creating a hierarchy, with a White boy on top as the ruler of his "posse," and a Black girl underneath him. All that gav

Hi hi, everyone! I set a goal of reading four graphic novels in the month of August—not terribly ambitious, but considering how chaotic my reading life has been, it's actually a little demanding for me. And I'm halfway there!!! We knocked out Sunhead  last week ( so  good), and then this week, we picked a book very spontaneously and had a great time. So let's talk about it! Blackward Written and illustrated by Lawrence Lindell Young adult/adult · Graphic novel · 2023 Recommended by Earl Dizon Add it on Goodreads · Preview the illustrations · · · The publisher says: · · · Black, weird, awkward and proud of it. Welcome to the club! Tired of feeling like you don’t belong? Join the club. It’s called the Section. You’d think a spot to chill, chat, and find community would be much easier to come by for nerdy, queer punks. But when four longtime, bookish BFFs―Lika, Amor, Lala, and Tony―can’t find what they need, they take matters into their own hands and create a space where they

Hi hi, everyone! This last week was so busy , and this next week may be a smidge better, but not much. But the weekend has had some lovely opportunities for rest—and reading! I'm excited to share about everything today. So let's do it! Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Written by Benjamin Alire Sáenz Young adult · 2012 · Re-review ( see my original review ) Book 1 of 2 (This book · Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World ) Add it on Goodreads · · · The publisher says: · · · Dante can swim. Ari can't. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari's features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself. But against all odds, when

I'm running too short on time to put a post together with proper formatting, but I did have three things to share! The first is that I am re-reading Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe  by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, for a book club I participate in. It is still one of my absolute favorite books of all time—it makes me feel seen in a way few books (or frankly, few situations at all) do. The second thing is that I am working on scheduling the next Kidlit Lovers' Meetup in August , after a wonderful meetup this past Wednesday, and I need your help! If you'd be interested in attending, please fill out this survey by Tuesday night  so I can choose a date and time that works for as many people as possible. I would really appreciate your input! And if you're not familiar with what these events actually are, click here . The third thing is that I set a goal of reading four graphic novels in August, and I've already picked the books. So if all goes well, I&#

Hi everyone! Sorry for not posting last week—I was away on a lovely week-long vacation to the beach, which was really emotionally healing. I feel like in getting to enjoy myself and avoid all the usual pressures of life, I got to feel more confident as a human being and get in touch with some of my deeper thoughts—so now I'm feeling more like myself upon my return. Unlike my big trip last year (see here and here ), I did far less reading. Instead, I: Visited an art museum Rode on a boat Went to the mall Swam in the ocean Sat in a hot tub Hung out with my family Virtually talked with my friends Took around 250 photos (not including the art at the museum) So not much time for reading! But I did knock out one nonfiction book that I probably wouldn't have found time for, were it not for traveling. I'm really excited to tell you all about it, so let's do it! Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School Written by Tiffany Jewell and other contributors Young adult ·

Hey everyone! The week's been a little wild, but I did the thing I promised I'd do last week —I read a graphic novel!!! And because it was a Heartstopper  graphic novel, it was expectedly amazing. So let's talk about it! Young Adult: Heartstopper Volume 5 Written and illustrated by Alice Oseman Graphic novel · 2023 Book 5 of 6 ( Vol. 1  · 2  · 3  · 4  · 5  · 6  [not released yet]) Add it on Goodreads · Preview the illustrations The only annoying thing about reading Heartstopper  is that, to keep this review spoiler-free  of the previous books in the series, I can't gush as much about all the things I loved!! Alas. I'll survive. Heartstopper  is still one of the best things I've ever read, and I encourage you to drop by my reviews of book 1  or books 2, 3, and 4 to see a whole lot of excited squealing about what makes this series incredible. I ended up waiting about six months to read this volume of the series, in part because I went through my first breakup in

Hi everyone! Following up on last week, I've got a review of an adult novel to share with you all, so let's get to it! Adult Books: Mad Honey Written by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan Adult · 2022 Add it on Goodreads · · · The publisher says: · · · Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising their beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined that she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in and taking over her father’s beekeeping business.   Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.    And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school

Hi everyone! I have a really, really brief update for you all, so let's get to it! Currently reading: Mad Honey Written by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan Adult · 2022 Add it on Goodreads · · · The publisher says: · · · Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising their beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined that she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in and taking over her father’s beekeeping business.   Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.    And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for