January

• Displacement - What a touching read! This is such a great way to introduce kids to the Japanese internment camps and how horrible they were, as well as the complex relationship Japanese and Japanese-Americans had with both America and Japan
• Cooking with My Dad - This was a cute book and had a lot of good, gluten-free options for meals! I also like how they mention the science of cooking and why some recipes work so well. The art is cute too!
• Professor Gargoyle - I was pleasantly surprised by this one! It had some creepy moments in there and I loved the characters. A good kids' horror!
• Lair of the Bat Monster - Okay, first of all, I did not know these books were written by T. Kingfisher. I definitely have to look out for the others. That said, I did sometimes find this book a little disctracting with the way it mixed the illustrations with the prose, kinda in a half-novel half-comic manner. I imagine it's really fun for kids to read though!

February

• Too Small Tola - I loved this one! Toola is such a sweet little girl and I love her grandmother. I also loved learning more about Nigeria—there need to be more kids' books that take place in Africa and is not a stereotype!
• Piggy - This was pretty spooky! And the art was super cute too.
• Surprisingly Sarah - I didn't really like this one, unfortunately. I found the two storylines very confusing (and noticed a plot hole between them, which just confused me more). And I can't say without spoiling, but I'm really not a fan of a certain trope that's revealed at the end of the novel. It's cute! But not for me.
• House of Cotton - This one!!!!!!! I love this one so much!!! I read it in less than 48 hours, it was that good. I describe this book as a ghost. The themes were barely there, the racism was barely there, the supernatural aspect was barely there, everything was just touched on briefly, but that's what made it perfect. Everything is such a quiet part of the MC's life, and yet it seeps into her skin. And the little fairy tale stories where she always imagined herself as an item that helps the hero, showing that she didn't think of herself as her own person, just someone there to help others???? Perfect. Chef's kiss. I love it so much.
• The Canary Caper - Okay, look. I know it's a kids book and maybe the reason I didn't like it was because I'm not a kid anymore. But also, I've read far better books for this age range than this. Much better off looking elsewhere.
• Beetle and the Hollowbones - PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!!!!! I swear, I have never seen such good homeschooling representation in a juvenile book. I was worried when Beetle mentioned she was homeschooling, because that NEVER goes well in YA fic, but I was so pleasantly surprised. It's also super fun, great art, queer main characters. But also, most importantly, GOOD HOMESCHOOLING REP. More people write homeschoolers like this please. Not the trillionth stereotype over and over again. Please? Pretty please? Thank you.
• Murder Among the Pyramids - This was such a fun read! I'm excited to start the second book as well~
• Verity Fairy and Snow White - This was a cute book. I like the art a lot!
• We Still Belong - I like this book a lot! I like how it brings video game livestreaming and Native American culture together. It's very touching! Does have one throwaway line of an ex-homeschooler stereotype, though. Sigh. Can't get away from it.
• Artemis the Brave - Maybe I need to brush up on my Greek Mythology lore, but reading this book as a pagan felt blasphemous. What do you MEAN one of the virgin Goddesses, Artemis, has a crush on a boy and makes herself a fool because of it? Like, huh?? The art is cute, though.
• Ring Shout - This book was a lot of fun! I loved all the gore and body horror in it. I very much wish it was much longer and not a novella. This was one of those books where I wanted to cozy up with a tea and really got lost into the world.
• Positively Izzy - I liked this one much better! The dual storylines seemed to floor better and I loved the characters. The twist was so good too! Izzy most definitely has ADHD. And—you know I have to say it—she totally should have been homeschooled. I'm a little frustrated that just a little tutoring was what seemed to "fix" her problems, because the issue was that she couldn't pay attention, not that she wasn't getting the material. I think she needed a much better environment where the teachers (or her parent—just saying) are actually patient and know how to work with her. But hey, I'm just looking too deep in a kids' novel again wwwwww
• The Jungle Book - Fun fact: I've never seen the Jungle Book, just the sequel (and I don't remember it). This book was a good read, though. There's actually way more than Mowgli's story in there. I was severely disappointed in the lack of Baloo, though. Who knew Disney added that much!
• Flowers in the Attic and Petals on the Wind - These two!!!!!!! This was an omnibus my mom owned and I had it for YEARS trying to finish both novels. I'm often p slow with V.C. Andrews, but god, her books hit so hard. The generational trauma is so strong here. I can't wait to read the third.

March

• Gyo - God, I love Junji Ito. Also, this had the infamous "This is my hole! It was made for me!" story. Not gonna lie, I enjoyed that more than the main story. It was very creepy and unsettling. The main story, Gyo, was also unsettling, but more gross than anything else. Which, I do love a good gross out horror!

April

• Tusk Love - This book!!!!!! Listen, romantasy is not my thing usually, but not only is it a Critical Role book, but it's Jester's favorite book. I trust her taste and, man, was I not disappointed! It was sweet, it was sexy, the 3rd act break up wasn't overly annoying. Did have a bit of instalove, but it actually worked here??? It was just such a fun read. I love when I actually enjoy a book that's in a genre that I don't usually like; it shows that every genre has gold in it sometimes.
• Alley - God...Ito does it again. It's SO creepy. The Alley story does not disappoint, and neither do any of the other ones. For those with mold focused mycophobia though, be warned that there is, in fact, a story called "Mold" about, you guessed it, mold. I had a hard time getting through that one, but I did it! But...eugh....I'm glad the title was so obvious so that I could properly prepare myself.
• To Love a Texan - Sigh. This was...not good. I read this because my bookclub's theme for the month was western, but...sigh. I really should not have picked a western romance. The respectibility politics in here is ridiculous, and I hoped it would have been criticized eventually, but nope. I did appreciate that the writer seemed to address the racism against Native Americans. Also a couple other things that I can't mention because spoilers. Like, the writer tried, she really did! But also—oof. Also, spoiler, but I think it's important to mention for trigger warning reasons, if the only penetrative sex scene with the "love interest" is going to be basically intoxicated rape, maybe ummmmmm have at least one more sex scene where it's consensual? Please? So that we can know what the main female character is like when she's happy and actually consenting?

May

• Wilder Girls - I LOVED this! The body horror was so good. I wish it was pushed just a bit further, but I guess it's a teen novel, not adult. Still, I was enamored with this story the whole time! I saw a lot of complaints about how open-ended the ending was, that it felt unfinished, but I really prefer my books to be like that. I genuinely didn't know how this story would have ended and anything that actually gave proper answers would have felt too easy. It wouldn't have been earned. The ambiguous ending felt far more realistic, and far creepier too.
• The Blood Card - I liked this book! It was a good mystery and the characters were fun. There were some points where I was worried about some harmful stereotypes, especially with the time period the book takes place in, but I was pleasantly surprised! Also, this book has made me realize some sayings are apparently "American" that I thought were universal. There was a point where they stated "Have a nice day! That's what the Americans say," and just had to sit and stare at the page a bit. I love getting culture shock from a book; I love expanding my experiences~
• Peggy Finds the Theater - This is such a good "Don't you wish this was you?" book! Like, this is the kinda book kids read and they go "I wanna do that!" and it inspires them to do things in their life, like acting and going to an acting school! There is a reference to black face; it's from the 1960s, after all. But it was a fun read! I kinda wish I had bought the other books in the series from my bookshop.
• Because I Could Not Stop for Death - I was so blindsided by the topic of this book, but I can't say I'm disappointed! I don't usually enjoy white people writing about slavery (or the Black experience period), but I feel like this was pretty well done. I also learned quite a few things about the Dickinson's from this novel. I'm excited to read the other books in the series!
• The Dead of Summer - I wanted to like this book so much. It's queer, there's beach zombies, it's a perfect summer horror. But the execution just...wasn't there. The writer time-hopped way too much and kept skipping all the interesting bits. Information about the characters relationships I felt like were introduced too late. On that note, I didn't even really care about any of the characters. It was creepy and the body horror was great, but compared to Wilder Girls, the latter definitely did the "body horror sickness" theme better. I think it could have gone through many more rounds of editing. I will admit, though, the twist was pretty good.
• The Comfy Cozy Witch's Guide to Making Magic in Your Everyday Life - This was such a nice book to get back into my witchcraft practice! I've fallen off for a long time. Now that I'm off social media, I've been dedicating a lot more of my time to witchcraft, as well as journaling, which this book really encourages doing both! I haven't returned it to my library yet, so maybe it's a good idea for me to do a quick flip-through before I do.
• Tender is the Flesh - God. This book. It's so good. That ending hits SO hard. I do think the second half is much better than the first. The first is kindaaaaaa an infodump (though a very horrifying one!). But it's worth pushing past, because that second half man. Holy hell.
• No Honor Amongst Thieves - I surprisingly liked this book! I don't read much hood fiction, or even dark romance, but this was a pretty fun read. And while the three-year-old in the story seemed to be smarter than one would expect for three, she did actually talk like a three-year-old. Just a fun read!

June

• The Renaissance - I learned a lot from this book! I appreciate that it deconstructed some false ideas about the Renaissance and how people sometimes put it on a pedastal (often for nationalist gain). It also mentions the origin of a couple stereotypes that I found very interesting. I'll admit, there's so much information that I'll probably forget most of it—I gotta read more than one book for it to stick! But the stuff that stood out I think will stick around and I still believe it's well worth the read.
• The Beautiful Stories of Life - Some fun Greek stories told for kids! I knew most of these already, but it's always fun to read again. Plus, I was trying to get to know my library's children's collection more. I wanna be the kinda library worker that knows a collection so well that people can just say the cover's color and I can be like "Oh, I know the one, follow me" wwwwwww
• Black Bears - Another "getting to know the collection" read, but god, was it worth it. I learned so much from this book. Did you know black bears can be white??? I didn't! It also has so many jokes that I tortured my coworkers with. To quote what I said to them, "This book really knows its audience, the audience being me."
• SpyxFamily - I'll talk about these as a group. This was so much fun! Well worth the hype! I love how over the top manga can get, even when it's not speculative. Plus, while I usually roll my eyes at kids' romance, I am a sucker for a good enemies to lovers.
• Passing - This one!!!! I have been wanting to read this book since I watched the movie (PLEASE watch the movie; especially if you like old movies!). This book was well-timed too. Seeing Irene hate herself for her feelings when I was hating myself for my feelings was very cathartic.
• Mothman - I wish I had liked this book more. It was good! Really good actually! The art was amazing and the way the stories and choices work together was very nice. But there just...wasn't enough Mothman. There were more aliens than there was Mothman. I know he's elusive and hard to find, but like, when I read a Mothman book, I kinda expect Mothman? So I was a little disappointed on that front.
• Dungeon Meshi - This was so much fun!! Also very funny to read as a Fear and Hunger fan lmao. It's legit a similar setup—cursed dungeon and people go in and go hungry. But ummmmmm in this one, they find food! In monsters :) Imagine a D&D party were everyone is Ragnvaldr wwwwww Still though, this was so much fun and I love the art! And I know it wasn't on purpose, but I totally see how people thought there was sapphic coding in here. Not gonna lie, I kinda ship Farcille now.
• Galápagos - I have had to be corrected on the pronunciation of this title multiple times. I'm probably still saying it wrong. It's high time I started adding Spanish to my list of foreign languages, methinks. Anyway! This was so good! I loved learning about the islands and all the different turtles and animals that lived here. It would make a good homeschooling book! It touches on history, geography, and science! You could easily jumpstart a unit study from it. I will admit, though, reading about Lonely George, the last pinta turtle who was so alone on his island that when he finally saw other turtles, he didn't know how to react, during a time when I was still reconciling with the fact that I am not the kind of person who can have internet friends anymore and probably never should have to begin with, uhhhh it hit kinda hard. He's just like me for real. Except, he was a turtle. And his kind was basically extinct. And I'm just a person who can't regulate my emotions...But other than that, just like me!
• The Salt Grows Heavy - This was a fun, short read! It was written like a fairy tale~ I think it needs multiple rereads to get the full experience, but alas, this was a library book and I have already returned it. I think I might read it again one day, though, because I definitely missed some stuff. Not spooky, but unsettling. Violent. Written in a way where you kinda have to read multiple times to know what's going on (or maybe that's just my ADHD not focusing well fjkelajekl)
• How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive - I started reading this book because I remember my favorite Let's Player, Gabsmolders, talking about it, and holy shit! One of the best books I've read! I think it helps that I read it during a time I was also watching the Scream movies too. They both deconstruct the horror and slasher genre in different, but interesting ways. And the main characters are fascinating! I read the last 200 pages in one day because I just could NOT put it down.

July

• The Cherokee Rose - I liked this a lot! I was introduced to it by being described as a "mystery", and I must say, I wouldn't consider this a mystery. It was very heartfelt and I loved all the characters, but the information was to well-handed to the cast for me to really consider it a mystery.
• Pests & Other Friends - I was confused on who the audience of this book was for. I orignally thought it was a kids' book—I forget why. I think the colorful images just made me think "kids" first, but the text was hard to read, and there was a lot of little cursive that I felt like even teenagers would struggle with. Hell, I struggled with it! But it kept preaching on why we should treat what's seen as "pests" better, which I felt like made much more sense in a kids' book (teaching empathy, ya know?) But then I looked at how it's shelved at the library and it's apparently an adult book? Which, that explains the text, but now the tone feels like it's kinda talking down to me. I dunno. I liked it, but I think the tone could have been refined a bit more—or they should have just picked better text and published it as a kids' book lmao
• My Book of Cats and Kittens - I got to read about a bunch of different cats! What could be better?? :D
• Get to Know Philosophy - I loved this book! I think it's a good introduction to philosphy and could be beneficial to homeschooling families who are interested in the topic. I did find it hard to wrap my head around some parts, though, so I do think it's best for either an older child or for the educator to read it with the child.
• The Weirn Books 2 - I didn't like this one as much as the first, unfortunately. I think the pacing was too all over the place for me. Things were very chaotic, very fast. I get that the creator probably wanted to keep the story in one book, but I think it could have benefitted from being split into two, moreso like a manga than a graphic novel.
• A Natural History of Fairies - This book was SO beautiful! And though it talks about fairies, it also touches on very real science, geography, classification, and history. I did not expect to read about Carl Linnaeus in this book (this is a man who went insane trying to classify everything), but I'm not complaining! I think it would be a great addition for the whimsical homeschooling family.
• Unsettling Salad - I love this series so much. This is very obviously Twilight Zone inspired, and I am here for it. You can't complain about a good kid's horror book. And boy, was it good.
• That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon - I had this on my TBR forever and finally saw it available at my library, so I decided to give it a shot. Alas, I must say, I didn't like it much. The decisions made didn't make much sense to me and I'm not a fan that we waved off, ya know, people learning that their god isn't really a god in favor of smut. I don't mind smut! But there's a time and a place, ya know? It's certainly no Tusk Love.
• Making Friends - This book was so all over the place. Which, ya know, for a kids' book, I think that's pretty important. Because it reflects the kinds of stories kids would write, and I imagine it would be pretty inspiring. So even though I didn't like how chaotic it was, I imagine an 11-year-old would love this. Plus, there's so many little jokes in the background that makes rereading worth it. I do think I'll check out the rest of the series, if I ever come across the second one!
• Phoebe and her Unicorn - God, I love Phoebe and her Unicorn. Literally every volume I read this month was a fucking banger. And some of them legit felt like movies or specials of a TV show, which is pretty cool!
• Nancy Drew: Clue Book - I like these little books! I do get a little annoyed that it seems like all of mysteries are innocent accident while the Hardy Boys one wasn't (more on that later), but I love that before they reveal the mystery, they give a page for kids to stop and think about what the answer to the mystery may be. It's great for critical thinking! Plus, the art is adorable! Although, and this is very much nitpicking, but I am annoyed that they made George's full name Georgia. That may be true for the 60s rewrites, but in the original Nancy Drews, George's name was actually George! Let's go back to that! Okay, nitpicky vent done.
• Babysitting Nightmares: The Twilight Curse - I did not realize that this was the third book in the series, because the library call number sticker was covering the number on the spine, lmao. However, this was so good that I checked out the first one! I loved this so much—it was a perfectly spooky kids' read while also adding in some mystery. Horror and mystery is my favorite mix!
• SpyxFamily - These are still really cute! I like how they start showing the rich, target's kid having a heart. He's not a bad guy (especially since he's, like, seven).
• The Witch's Table - I think I read this book while shelving, lmao! It's really cute, though. A great story on how maybe someone (or something) is acting out because no one took the time to understand their differences. I highly recommend it to help teach compassion!
• The Bailey School Kids - I remember reading these books as a kid! They're still pretty good (but definitely better for kids, haha). I do like that they never answer the question of if the supernatural is real or not. It's just kinda assumed. Is it the kids' imagination? Who knows! My open-ended loving ass lives for it.
• Girl Sleuth - THIS BOOK!!!! God, I loved this book so much. I learned SO MUCH about the history of Nancy Drew here. I saw a lot of people say that it was way too slow, but I didn't think so. I thought it was interesting right from the start! (I did study archiving though, so, ya know, boring history is kinda my thing). I was fascinated at how Nancy survived the depression and the second world war, as well as the behind the scenes drama in the 90s (I think it was 90s) of Harriet Stratemeyer trying to claim she created Nancy (wrong, it was her father, and Mildred Wirt Benson wrote a bunch of the first 30 books, which she tried to prove in court). It's fascinating stuff! Highly recommend this for a Nancy Drew-obsessed person like myself. I also liked learning that Mildred Wirt Benson thought that people were too obsessed with Nancy and they should go write new books or live their own exciting life rather than living through Nancy! Which is pretty inspiring, to be honest, and makes me want to write juvenile detective fiction. That said, I'm still gonna continue my quest of collecting all the original and revised versions of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. I already started! I gotta finish!
• Hardy Boys: Clue Book - I liked this a lot! It was a really good mystery with a good twist. The art isn't as cute as Nancy Drew's, but it's still plenty charming and fun to look at. The thing that annoyed me though is that every Nancy Drew Clue Book I read, it was always a misunderstanding, but with this singular Hardy Boys Clue Book, there was an actual crime committed. I wish the same could happen in the Nancy Drew version of these books, unless I'm just consistently picking up the wrong ones. Not only does it feel unfair, but it makes the Nancy Drew's incredibly predictable. Kids are smart! They can pick up these patterns! I should know, I was one of those kids.
• Sunny - I've been curious about these books for a while! They're pretty cute. And I didn't realize they took place in the 70s! I think it's cool that they try to teach kids a little history within them as well.
• They Threw Us Away - This book!!!!! This book is so unsettling! Probably one of the most violent books I've ever read, and yet it's for kids because it all happens to teddy bears. Teddy bear gore! Teddy bear body horror! If it was a fic on AO3, it would have been tagged as Dead Dove: Do Not Eat. Some people say this is too dark for kids, but I don't think it's any darker than Coraline or Gravity Falls. That said, it is a great way to introduce kids to topics like death and keeping hope when things seem hopeless. It's depressing, but it's also inspiring and has a lot of heart. I highly recommend this one. I think it was my favorite this month.
• The Bullet Journal Method - I've been aware of bullet journaling for a long time, and me and my mom have always been big fans of planning out our weeks, months, lives. I've never actually tried the original bullet journal method, though, just the more complicated versions that people developed inspired by it. Bullet journaling in its purest form is admittedly MUCH simpler, but I actually think it's too simple for me. I did take some aspects from it, like using dots instead of check boxes, but for the most part, I'm very happy with my current planning methods, even if it's a little more complex.
• Scary Stories for Young Foxes - This is another violent kid's book. You know we love those! I really loved how the author took every day fox lives and made it into a horror story, touching on rabies and cults. The only thing I didn't like is the fact that they made Beatrix Potter into a villain. I wouldn't have minded as much if it was, maybe, a relative of Beatrix Potter or a character inspired by her, but I get major ick with taking a real person and changing it like that, especially when this book could be many kids first experience of Beatrix Potter. I think a little more respect could have been shown, and that's the only reason the book wasn't a 5 star for me. Otherwise, it was perfect!
• Nancy's Mysterious Letter and The Secret of Red Gate Farm - I accidentally put in the original editions of these books, but I had actually read the revised versions. They were okay. Not the best Nancy Drews I've read. I tend not to like the revised ones so much either; I feel like a lot of random events are thrown in for excitement. The cult in the Secret of Red Gate Farm gave some KKK vibes, but I think that might be an oversight on the Stratemeyers' part. Nancy's Mysterious Letter started okay, but then Ned came in and I just...do not like Ned w
• France - This was a kids' library book that I read to get to know the collection better, but I learned quite a bit from it! It has good information on French history, culture, and politics. I think it would be good for a homeschool unit study or for studying world geography!
• Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure - I just adore this series so much. The fact that the author is a transwoman is also a plus. Their cute, they're fun, and I'm supporting queer folk. Win-win-win!
• The New Girl - I loved this so much! This has been on my tbr since it was released and I was not disappointed! I loved the mix of all the cultures here and the diverse period talk—more than just pads and tampons! It just made me so happy. I'm having my fingers crossed that they eventually talk about PMDD in this series. It being mentioned somewhere in media would have helped me a lot, and having it mentioned in something like this would help so many kids with periods get the help they need.
• Murder on the S.S. Cleopatra - This was such a fun ride! I loved it a lot. And I enjoyed the male love interest more in this book than in the first one. I heard that the third one coming out is the last, which I'm sad, but also excited. I can't wait for it! I may also pick up Sara Rossett's other series. This may be a new fave author in the making!
• The Mystery at Lilac Inn - Okay, now I actually did read the original text for this one. This was so fun! The revised text of this book is my favorite of the revised books, but I enjoyed this one a lot more! It had so much more atmosphere and allowed the mystery to actually develop. I'm not calling it my all-time original Nancy fave yet, because I want to read more original texts first, but gosh, I loved this so much.
• I Love Amy - This book kept subverting my expectations in the best way! It's cute, it's funny, it's weird, basically perfect for me!
• How to Read Like a Writer - This was good, but I think it was a little too basic for me. This was probably for people just entering college or who never took a critical thinking class and wanted to learn the basics. Not for, you know, someone with a Bachelor's in English and a Master's in Library Science, haha. But! I think it was really good! I actually do recommend it if you wanna improve your critical reading more and learn how to break a story apart (and not just novels! also nonfiction and even graphic novels). I do think it would be beneficial for homeschooling students too, though many of the stories cover adult themes like sex, drugs, violence, etc. If they're an older teen or the student is really mature and had already been exposed to those kinds of stories, I think it would be a great addition to an English curriculum!

August

• Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel - This was more about writing and selling a novel in general. I didn't get much insight on writing mysteries specifically. Additionally, there were some nasty anti-Black language here. There was a part when they were explaining how duos having opposite personalities could work and one of their examples was along the lines of a detective loving poetry and being verbally eloquent and their partner being Black and using slang. Because being Black is the opposite of "speaking good", of course :| If you ever wondered why I'm against the notion that there such a thing as "good writing" or "bad writing", racist ideas like that is why.
• Written - Now this book was wonderful! It's more about how to take charge of your habits and managing your time in a style that fits you best, but they connect it a lot to writing. It inspired me to get back into my "Write every day even if it's just a word" habit. And if I fall off of it, it's not too bad. It's easy for me to get back on; I just have to write a word! Changing your mindset really is all you need to do to feel better about doing your hobbies in the time that you have.
• Ghoul - There was so much to be disappointed about in this book. I'll start with the things I liked though—the art was fantastic and I actually really appreciate the artist trying to find new ways to do paneling and chapter titles. It was unique! However, those same paneling experiments often made it hard to tell which panel I was supposed to read next. I liked the mix of cultures (always one of my fave things of these kinds of books!), but the pacing felt way too fast, which seems to be common in American graphic novels now (or maybe I'm still too used to manga). Additionally, the book is supposed to take place in 2006, but they unironically used the word "unalive" twice. If it was a book taking place today, sure. But in 2006? That word was not being wildly used, I'm sorry. Weird to say about a 2000s book, but it's just not historically accurate. That said, kids who like the chaotic nature of stoires will probably still like it! It's not "bad" by any means (again, don't like using the term "bad" for stories). It just very much missed the mark for me.
• I Love Amy - It just gets better! More fun, more weirdness, more girl relationships that mayyyyyyy be queer?? I loved it so much. I can't wait for the third book.
• Phoebe and Her Unicorn - Still fun! Still adorable! The art has really improved too. Like, it was already great, but then it got even better. I love it so much.
• Fern's School for Wayward Fey - This was a lot of fun! I think this is a good alternative if you feel like a kid would really like Harry Potter, but you don't really want to buy them Harry Potter because the author sucks. I am a little annoyed at the whole "homeschooling was lonely" stereotype once again, however, the main character did appear to actually enjoy homeschooling, so I let it slide. That said, she still eventually goes to a fairy school, so...another ex-homeschooler stereotype. Sigh.
• Northern Ohio Cold Cases - This was so tough to read. I don't usually like true crime too much. I can't over the fact that, oh, this actually happened, this was real. But at the same time, I do feel like it's important to read, because it is technically history. Some true crime is done in an exploitive way, but others are just to get the story out there and maybe help get more information for the grieving families. I think this book fell into the latter. Still, some of the stuff here was really awful...
• This Cursed House - What a disappointment of a book. I was really excited about it, especially after one of my favorite youtubers praised it, but when I actually read it, I was just bored. I found myself constantly putting off reading it. It didn't help that I did not understand why the main character kept trying to break a curse for such an awful family. I know she wanted connection and to feel like she had people she can turn to or whatever, but they barely treated her as human, so I dunno. It wasn't enough for me. It also takes place in New Orleans, which is my favorite setting, but I feel like the atmosphere just wasn't...there? I didn't really feel like I was in New Orleans. I dunno. It was an interesting story, but I think it could have used a little more polish.
• Press Start - I read this because a little boy recommended it to my coworker, and then I saw it on the shelf and thought "Well, I might as well read it too." I really liked it! The twist ending legit got a gasp out of me. I can see why the boy liked it so much!
• The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris - I got this book because of the title, lmao. I did like it though! It was very Hallmark movie-esque, which I honestly love. An easy, light read. I also appreciate how the story covered how the Nazis during WWII also gathered Romani people up the same as the Jewish. I think Romani people often get looked over in history, so it's nice to see some light on that tough time in what is otherwise a p light novel.
• Yotsuba! - My sister recommended this to me! I'll admit, I didn't quite enjoy it as much as she said I would, but it was a cute book! I must say, though, I'm not the biggest fan of embarrassment of the teenager being used for comedy. But maybe future books will be better!
• On Revision - I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I do think the title should include something to show that this is about revising academic writing specifically, but I feel like I got a lot from this book! And I don't think it would be too hard to apply to fiction writing as well. Plus, who knows, maybe I will do some academic writing! There really is not enough research on homeschooling families, so like...
• Trixie Belden and the Secret of the Mansion - This took me a while to get through. I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. I think it just feels like the genre's kind of...confused on if it wants to be a mystery or not? There's just not nearly enough investigating in my opinion. I hear the later books become more like your typical juvenile mystery, and I do own quite a few of them (thank you, Mommy~) so I'm willing to still give the rest of the series a shot!
• The Clue in the Jewelry Box - I think my favorite part of this book was how much of a bad time Nancy was having. Like, I love her, but it was SO funny to see nothing go her way. Girl was exhausting by the end! Also, I do not like Ned.
• How to Write Killer Fiction - This was a much better book on how to write a mystery, and not just how to write in general. I do think I would have gotten more out of this book if I had read any of the mysteries the author was talking about. I guess I read too many classics and juvenile fiction and not enough contemporary mysteries! I will not be trying to fix this.
• Morsel - This book!!!! Gosh, I loved it. It was so weird and gory and the main characters were so fun and the dog DOESN'T die in the end!!! The only thing that kinda irked me was that the narrator kept mentioning everyone's race, only for everyone to be...white. Like, glad we're not assuming that it's the default, I guess, but I just kinda don't think a white person living in a white neighborhood is going to take note of race when everyone is practically the same. It just kind of took me out of the story a little, but besides that, it was perfect. A great, short read!
• Homeschool PJ Time - This book was so cute!! I had put this on display for the library's Back to School display (include homeschooling books on your back to school displays!!!), and I had a quick read of it first and I loved it. I love how diverse this made homeschooling out to be; not the same "stay inside and talk to nobody" stereotype. I also love that it includes STEM exercises throughout the book! Kids can read it and learn! I loved it~
• Nancy Drew Diaries Graphic Novel - A patron returned this and I was like "What the heck, I'll try it." I surprisngly liked it quite a bit! I liked the first story more than the second story. The second story was a little ridiculous, but it was fun. But the first story! There were so many references to the original Nancy Drew texts there that I absolutely loved! It makes me wish there were more adaptations of Nancy Drew that keeps her in her original 1930s setting, rather than modernizing her. Modern Nancy is fun, but original Nancy is good too!
• A Thank You Letter to My Homeschool - Another cute homeschooling book~ I had also put this one on display. This is a nice book to help kids appreciate homeschooling rather than feeling shame for it for being different. I really don't think all the people who poke fun at homeschoolers realize that the people they're making fun of is not just the parents, but the kids as well. We listened too, and it hurt. I would have loved something like this as a kid.
• The King in Yellow - I was so excited to see this in my library! I had never read The King in Yellow stories, despite being fascinated by the idea. There were four stories in here, but I think there's more King in Yellow stories that have been written. I liked it a lot! Much better than Lovecraft's writing. I do not like Lovecraft's writing, man...
• Taking Religion Seriously - I'm not sure what it was about this book that interested me. I guess I was curious to see how an agnostic-turned-Christian was going to argue why he started believing in God. Now, I personally believe in all religions, but I don't practice Christianity myself, and this book did not change mind. It would take a LOT to change my mind. But I did find it interesting how the author tried to use science to prove the existence of a god (and then eventually the Christian god). I especially liked that he gave additional texts that both, support AND go against his ideas. He stated multiple times that he wanted the reader to do their own research like he did and come to their own conclusions. And you know what? I respect that. And now I have so many physics and philosophy books to read!
• How to Read and Why - Fuck this book. I fucking hated this book. I forced myself to finish it because I hated it so much and wanted to give a verified review of why it sucks so much. First of all, misleading title. It should have been called "What Classics to Read and Why". You would think this book teaches you how to think critically about what you're reading and how to get the most of what you're reading, no matter what that is, but it's legit just a white man bemoaning about how the classics are the best (as long as people don't read it as gay, of course). He legit can't go a paragraph without talking about Shakespheare. I get that he's a Shakespheare scholar, but like, I'm not reading this book for Shakespheare, and I kinda don't think Shakespheare is the father of all of great fiction (though I do love him). He states that the reader can't take themselves out of the text while reading, but then proceeds to state that people who read Jane Austen with a feminist mindset are reading her "wrong". It's elitist and gatekeepy as fuck. And then I look in the reviews to see many people say the same thing, but what broke my heart was one person said this book made them feel bad for the kinds of books they were reading. All reading is good reading! Whether it's Jane Austen, Zane books, James Baldwin, Colleen Hoover, whatever. If you are reading and you are digesting the text in some way (annotating, writing a review about it, talking about it with your friends, etc.), you are doing good reading!! Go write a 10 page essay about why werewolf smut is the great literature of the modern day! I assure you, Shakespheare writing is SO trashy, so depending on how the future generations view our work today, you might not even be far off! If you take this book more like personal essays on what classics really spoke to Harold Bloom, then it is actually charming to see him fan over it, and you could get some good reading recommendations from it. I sure did! But otherwise, I highly recommend skipping this. Don't be fooled by the title like me. TL;DR: Read whatever the fuck you want and don't let white classcists like Bloom stop you.
• The Daughter of Doctor Moreau - I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but unfortunately not enough to make me like a sci-fi novel. I was just kinda bored through it. The writing was still so enrapturingly beautiful, but I just couldn't care for the story. I did appreciate all the different views on Christianity and god, however. And I did really love Carlotta and Montgomery's relationship. I genuinely think it's just because of the genre that I didn't vibe with it. If you like sci-fi more though, I would recommend this one!
• The Death of Ivan Ilyich - I am finding that I love Leo Tolstoy. I'm still making my way through Anna Karenina, but since this was much shorter, I decided to give this a shot. The emotion!! And the way Tolstoy still incorporates comedy into such a tragic story. I really felt for Ivan at the end. It inspires me to learn Russian even more so that I can read the original. I'd really like to do that one day.
• Silver Nitrate - This book!!!! Loved loved loved loved LOVED!!!! This is the book that officially made Silvia Moreno-Garcia one of my favorite writers. This was so up my alley. The perfect Lovecraftian investigative horror. Monsterrat's obsession with magic was especially what pulled me in. Between her, Nancy Drew, and Karin Sauer, I think I just love when women investigate shit at the risk of their physical and mental health :3c
• The Hacienda - I finally read an Isabel Cañas!!! I have SO many of her books on my TBR, man. And this one did not disappoint! I loved the haunted house aspect and how complex it was with the owners of the house. And the female lead was SO mentally tortured; I really felt bad for her. And by "feel bad", I mean I was grinning ear to ear while the house drove her insane. Will definitely be looking into her other books.
• First Crush - I was a little disappointed with this one and I'm not sure why. It was still funny and charming, but when I got to the end, my first thought was "That's it?" But I can't really dig deep into why it wasn't enough for me, because a lot happened in this book! Maybe I just really wanted them to mention PMDD haha. I'm still excited for if any more books are planned, though!
• The Mystery of the Tolling Bell - This is the original text! I didn't like this one as much as I usually like the original texts, though. There was a lot of fatphobia, like, right from the getgo. And Ned was in it. As you may know, I do not like Ned.