Completely Full Bookshelf

Update (4/2/2022): I typically participate in blogging groups that review kids’ books, but sometimes, I do end up reading adult books like this one. In the past, I have typically labeled those books as MG or YA when I review them, primarily because I still want my typically blogging audiences to see them! However, this has become confusing, so I have decided to re-label these books as adult books, while leaving the reviews in their original format. Thank you for your consideration! (Update [7/26/2021]: One of the MMGM bloggers I really enjoy, Rosi Hollinbeck, is recommending and giving away an ARC of Kate DiCamillo's new book, The Beatryce Prophecy , and because she generously awards extra chances to giveaway entrants who share her post, I invite you all to check out her review and giveaway here! And now, I'll keep my fingers crossed that I win a copy! ;) ) I have returned from a 5-night vacation this past week that was just lovely! We spent 4 nights at the beach and a 5...

Unfortunately, I have to miss MMGM yet again for a second week in a row, due to my own poor planning. This means two YA books in a row—speaking of which, make sure not to miss last week's YA review, which was of a super-totally-amazing graphic novel called Are You Listening?  by Tillie Walden! An important note:  If you are on Blogger and you need help moving your email subscribers out of FeedBurner to another system, I just recorded a tutorial video on setting up the system that I use, Mailchimp! I will post the video on my blog in a few days, so keep an eye out! Also, quick blog news: I have added two widgets to my blog sidebar to make my old reviews easier to find! (If you can't see the sidebar, make sure to go to the blog homepage online and then click on the three lines in the top-left.) The first widget, Browse by Top Picks   (Update [8/13/2021]: Browse by Category) , has a selection of fun categories I've sorted my recommendations into (such as "Food (Because Wh...

For MMGM and #IMWAYR, I am recommending (and GIVING AWAY 3 copies of!!!) one of the most stunning books I've ever read in my entire life, a graphic novel called  The Magic Fish  by Trung Le Nguyen. I realize this review breaks my alternation between MG and YA reviews, but I loved this book so much  that I couldn't wait to talk about it! Although the Amazon page for this book says it is YA, I would say it is substantially closer to MG that YA readers will enjoy than YA that MG readers will enjoy. There's nothing inappropriate except for a few slightly violent illustrations, which really aren't that bad. Review:           Before I get into the nitty-gritty of this book, I want you all to know that I discovered this book (along with Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me , as a matter of fact) at  a virtual panel at San Diego Comic-Con @ Home over the summer (remember when I was recommending all those panels ?) about LGBTQIA+ representation in co...

Another wonderful week of MMGM and #IMWAYR (also known as the only reason I like Mondays)! In my continuing quest to battle back the recent transphobia of  She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named , I am excited to be recommending the graphic novel The Deep & Dark Blue  by Niki Smith! (Which I know is published by the very publisher peddling Rowling's repugnant transphobia, but I'm not punishing Smith or this book for that.)            The start of The Deep & Dark Blue  introduces us to two twins, Hawke and Grayson. Hawke and Grayson are the youngest members of House Sunderlay, one of the noble families that governs their society. Their grandfather is at the helm, with their beloved cousin Reyden next in line. When a distant relative, Mirelle, attacks the family to kill all of those in line before her to inherit the throne, including Hawke and Grayson, they escape to the one place where they won't be found: the Communion of Blue, where women (and wo...

Before we get to MMGM, I want to mention hugely exciting news : fellow MMGMer Joanne R. Fritz's MG debut, Everywhere Blue , is slated to be released in summer 2021 by publisher Holiday House! Read more on Fritz's blog here . For MMGM, I am recommending Where the Mountain Meets the Moon  by Grace Lin.           The recipient of a Newbery Honor in 2010 (quite frankly, it probably could have won the Newbery Medal if  When You Reach Me  by Rebecca Stead had not come out in the same year), Where the Mountain Meets the Moon  is one of the best books I have ever read. I am unsure why I waited so many years after reading it to review it (I recall reading the whole book in a 2-hour sitting), but I am glad that I did, as I am a much-better reviewer now than I was when I started this blog!           Where the Mountain Meets the Moon  tells the story of Minli, a girl who lives in an ancient village near the barren ...

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! For MMGM, I am recommending the graphic novel  Queen of the Sea  by Dylan Meconis.           Queen of the Sea  is a historically inspired graphic novel set in the 1500s on an island off the country of Albion (loosely based on the U.K.). The book's protagonist and narrator, Margaret, is a child who lives on this island, a remote convent populated only by six nuns, a priest, and three staff. Margaret does not know who her parents were or why she has come to live on the island; she only knows that she was brought to the nuns aboard the Regina Maris (a ship that visits the island twice a year) and has lived with them ever since. Margaret has not left the island since arriving, but she has grown accustomed to the island's unaltered beauty and her life at the convent, ultimately preparing to become a nun as an adult. When a boy her age named William and his noblewoman mother arrive on the island, she becomes even...

For MMGM, I am recommending Snow White: A Graphic Novel  by Matt Phelan. Here's the publisher's description: Award-winning graphic novelist Matt Phelan delivers a darkly stylized noir Snow White set against the backdrop of Depression-era Manhattan. The scene: New York City. The dazzling lights cast shadows that grow ever darker as the glitzy prosperity of the Roaring Twenties screeches to a halt. Enter a cast of familiar characters: a young girl, Samantha White, returning after being sent away by her cruel stepmother, the Queen of the Follies, years earlier; her father, the King of Wall Street, who survives the stock market crash only to suffer a strange and sudden death; seven street urchins, brave protectors for a girl as pure as snow; and a mysterious stock ticker that holds the stepmother in its thrall, churning out ticker tape imprinted with the wicked words  “Another . . . More Beautiful . . . KILL.”  In a moody, cinematic new telling of a beloved fairy tal...

For MMGM, I am recommending The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli. Here's the publisher's description (copied from the back of the book): Robin has grown up the son of a nobleman. He knows he must serve the king by becoming a knight. But Robin's destiny is changed suddenly when he falls ill and loses the use of his legs.      A monk named Brother Luke rescues Robin and takes him to the hospice of St. Mark's. There Robin learns woodcarving and—much harder—strength and patience. When danger threatens the great castle of Lindsay, Robin discovers there are more ways to serve a king than riding into battle. As Brother Luke says, "Thou hast only to follow the wall long enough and there will be a door in it." Originally published in 1949, this book is set even earlier (the 1300s). Unlike some historical fiction, however, this book is short (about 120 pages) and to the point. The majority of the book revolves around Robin as he tries to re...