The Secret Astronomers: A Novel in Notes by Jessica Walker

 genre: young adult fiction

In a West Virginian high school library is an old, and I mean OLD, physics textbook.  If you happen to find this book, you'll discover the notes between two students, strangers, and the mystery they try to uncover.  One of these students was born and raised in a West Virginian holler and another is a transplant from San Fransisco with family ties to the area.  Their different ways of looking at the world will show up time and and again as they get to know each other and as they navigate the complications of high school life.

I really appreciate creative storytelling, and I found this book to be just the kind of creative that surprises me.  This epistolary story is told in the length of a textbook with drawings and doodles and artwork all over pages that teach us about how scientists understood our world back in the late 1800s.  The mystery isn't some kind of huge reveal but by the end I realized, the mystery isn't the point.  The point is that these two students have stretched each other's minds, they've examined their own biases and also recognized biases in others.  City vs rural and liberal vs conservative, that is a part of this book too and I liked they even when they called each other out, they managed to still stay connected.  Four stars for creativity and a good example of how to handle it when people show up in ways that we know don't feel good.

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran (audiobook)

 genre: speculative horror

While Noon hasn't lived in Mercy in years, it was home for her entire childhood. Devastated by a hurricane, it is now awash with a red algae bloom and people are disappearing. Does some kind of monster lurk under the bloom or is the bloom itself a monster? Alone with her mom on their shrimp trawler, they sail the coasts shrimping and keeping their eyes out for Noon's lost father and brother. Noon, though, feels something off inside and it's not just the itch on her skin. Her relationship with her mom, her otherness as the child of Vietnamese immigrants, her female body - something is brewing beyond the storm on the horizon.

Oh this is way more of a horror novel than I'd anticipated, ha ha. There is nasty, creepy stuff happening in here and I had to really stretch my brain to go with the flow, so to speak. I really liked the audio, I will say, listening to the mom's Vietnamese helped me imagine both her and Noon so much better. I appreciated the immigrant aspect and Noon's desperation to belong to herself. It's a bit mysterious, a bit upsetting, and NOT for everyone. There is a LOT of inner dialogue that sometimes get repetitious and it's on the cusp of being an adult novel but it definitely more young adult overall. But it is unique story from a unique perspective and while it's not necessarily my cup of tea, I was definitely interested enough to listen to the end.

Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley (audiobook)

genre: young adult contemporary fiction

Lucy knows it is time to be on the run again.  Ever since her father died, the idea of "home" has been nebulous as various foster placements have resulted in relationships both stable and traumatic.  She only recently has learned that she is connected to the Ojibwe tribe but when Mr. Jameson shows up at the diner where she's working to try and expand that connection, Lucy knows she's better off on her own.  Until one moment changes everything and being alone is no longer an option.

The book is told in two time periods, sharing with us Lucy's experience growing up and in foster care switching to the present and how she's processing where she's ended up.  The truth is that it reads really fast, various mysterious threads and my desires to learn more about the Ojibwe people as well as the political and social ramifications of how our country has treated its First Peoples kept me very interested. I had to suspend my disbelief a lot when it came to the mystery plot.  For whatever reason, my brain just kept asking too many annoying questions that weren't really answered.  But overall, Boulley tells important stories in engaging ways, even if this one isn't my favorite of hers.

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

genre: historical fiction/retelling

Xishi's life has been scarred by war.  Even in her tiny riverside village, her losses have been heartbreaking.  The fact that she has a beauty that is unmatched hasn't taken the edge off of the pain she's felt.  So when Xishi is given an opportunity to exact revenge on the kindgom that wreaked such destruction, she is willing, even if that means becoming an infiltrator and a spy as a concubine in an enemy palace.

This retelling of a Chinese legend sounded super promising - and I am glad that I at least have the idea of Xishi in my mind.  But I wonder if the "real" Xishi was a more complex character than the one here in this book.  Her dialogue often came off as rather simpering, even when she is supposedly with her true love, the man who recruited her to be a spy in the first place.  The entire weird love triangle situation here didn't particularly work for me - the king that Xishi is seducing is a one dimensional fop with a brutally violent streak, so it was hard for me to ever really either his or Xishi's emotions when it came to "romance."

I think I just had to suspend my disbelief too many times.  Too many questions popped into my head while I was reading that didn't get answered, leaving plot holes that frustrated me. At the same time, I did want to finish it - so I think that even beyond this, I did still want to know how it ended.  Of course, I didn't particularly love the ending either, so.  There you go.  2.5 stars rounded up to three for being interesting enough to keep me reading until the end and for introducing me to a Chinese legend.  

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright

genre: young adult fantasy

Ffion's choice to do magic her own way has left her a wandering witch in the forests of Wales.  But when the magic in her kindgom starts failing and the old creatures disappear, she has to try and do SOMETHING.  She isn't the only one worried about the magic - two prices are trying to secure their own country's borders, knowing that the loss of magic has to be dealt with.  The throne will have to belong to someone - if they still have a country to rule and the magic to do it.

This is the kind of fantasy/romance that sucks me right in.  The unfamiliar names and places took a while to keep straight but I did feel absolutely drenched in a fantastical Wales of long ago.  Ffion is a really interesting character and I loved how she looked at the world and her place in it, I loved how her magic was so tied to the natural environment.  The only reason this gets four stars instead of five is that the love triangle felt strangely complicated and yet not quite believable at the same time.  Don't get me wrong, it kept me up reading in the dark with my booklight to finish, it just didn't quite flow for me.  A solid and really fun four star read for people who love magic and quirky main characters and historical fantasy.  Glad I tried it.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan (audiobook)

genre: young adult magical realism

Leigh’s grief over her mother’s suicide becomes complicated when she realizes her mother has become a bird. Not just any bird, but a giant red bird whose visits confirm to Leigh that despite her death, her mother has something to tell her.

With an American father and a Taiwanese mother, Leigh’s life has less been less culturally blended than you’d expect - mostly because both of her parents have always had a deep unwillingness to discuss her mothers family and early life in Taiwan. This gaping hole on her Taiwanese side has impacted Leigh even more than she herself has known and when the chance comes to go to Taiwan, Leigh is determined to find her mother, the bird.

While the constant discussion of colors throughout the book might drive some readers crazy, I liked how my brain would make sense of the colors used to describe feelings.  There is a sweet love story thread, so perfectly shaded by authentic teenage love.  I enjoyed the way that art plays such a huge role in Leigh’s life and the way that she can use it to express herself and connect with the people she loves. Once I let myself settle into it, I even loved the magical realism of this story, with a giant bird just showing up and memories one can step into that show you the past. There is so much here about grief and family and memory and life. It really touched a deep part of me and for those who love people with depression who struggle with suicidality, this story could be a powerful and empathetic read or it may be too triggering. I myself, who have loved people who no longer wanted to be alive, felt a real and familiar sense of what it is to be caught up in loving someone who is in deep deep pain. Combining all of this with Taiwanese folklore, finding lost family and an armchair trip to Taiwan, The Astonishing Color of After is an interesting and heartfelt read.  

I do recommend the audio for correct pronunciation and being able to hear the grandparents speak their native language. Narrator was great.

The Relunctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson

 genre: young adult historical fiction

The beautiful old castle standing outside of Vienna is on the verge of financial ruin. When a wealthy British gentleman with elaborate plans comes and offers to purchase it, it feels like a dream come true. For the former inhabitants of the castle, it’s actually a mixed blessing, of course, and this story of princesses and wealth and class and opera and a vageuly quirky self-made-man will circle around love and chaos until the world is set to rights.

This was last of Eva Ibbotson’s young adult novels for me to read and it captured me just like the others. Our main characters were a bit too amazing to be true, but I just like them that way in these stories. I love the European settings, the backstage look at music and art and the gentle plot lines that move along while always feeling cozy. I always want more from the climax of the romance in these books, but I enjoy the journey very much.

Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman

 genre: historical fiction/biography

Like nearly everyone else, I have a pretty good idea of who Vincent Van Gogh was, maybe I knew a little more than most.  I've been to the traveling immersive exhibit and I've marveled at his paintings in many different museums.  But did I KNOW him?  I'm not sure I can say I did because I didn't know about his brother, Theo.  Theo who is not just a brother but a confidant, supporter, best friend.  

This book is, like the author suggests in the end notes, is like a walk through a gallery of their lives together with all the beautiful glowing sketches of their intimacy and all the dark brooding paintings of their arguments and frustration.  Because being Vincent's brother is no small task.  And while there is SO MUCH to love in this book, what was MOST tender to me was the way that Vincent's mental illness was so gently handled, how he was given grace and compassion even when he was clearly deeply unwell.  His genius and his illness are both just a part of who he is, along with his deep desire to be a good friend, to help others, to be a light to other artists and to leave something behind that will make the world better.

I want to gush about the writing for a minute.  The narrative style, how it shifts and changes, how the paintings themselves are a part of Vincent's puzzle, the way certain ideas are threaded throughout, it rang so full and rich to me.  More than once I felt so tender that I wept as I watched Vincent and his beloved brother navigate all the challenges that life brought to them.  I don't even think you have to really care much about Vincent or art at all and you would still find a lovely and heartwrenching story within these pages.  

This one will stay in my memory, I know.  They both left the world better than they found it.

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley (audiobook)

 genre: young adult fiction

Want to guess how Perry Firekeeper-Birch was NOT planning on spending her summer before her junior year?  Interning for her tribe and having to WORK instead of fish and hunt.  But when she's in a car accident right when school gets out, an internship is what she has to do in order to pay for the damages.  With this internship, though ,Perry learns to have an even deeper respect for her tribal community when she realizes the massive number of ancestors whose bones have never been repatriated back to their tribe and are in museums and collections instead.  One ancestor in particular makes Perry's spirit long to do something to protect and defend these ancestors so they can continue on their journey.

I'm a little torn because I liked this book a lot, I feel like it is so important for me to read present day stories about indigenous peoples and their very specific issues.  Missing women, stolen land, the bones of ancestors on display for ogling eyes instead of ceremonially buried - these things are real.  And these things are upsetting. So I appreciated Perry's fire but sometimes I had a hard time completely suspending my disbelief about some of the plot points.  In the end, though, I love reading about this community, the way they honor the earth and each other.  I love listening to the audio so I can hear their native language being spoken.  I have never really thought much about how upsetting it is to have the bones of your ancestors studied by researchers or collected by opportunists and I appreciate that that's a big part of this story.   

It's a good listen.

The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson

 genre: historical fiction

Ruth has grown up in a world full of music and science, in a Vienna that thrives on good food and a classical kind of living. When the Anschluss means that her family needs to leave Austria right away and other avenues close to her, Ruth accepts the bold proposition of an acquaintance. This choice means that Ruth will be connected to a brilliant Englishman who can get her to safety - but not without making her life even more complicated.

I do love Eva Ibbotson’s books, even if they are all rather similar. Strong, capable girl who falls in love- but this time there is a lot of science and a university vibe that I really liked. The ending felt too short and it dragged on a bit at the same time but it still was super readable, so much so that I read it in two days. That gets it three stars from me.

The Davenports by Krystal Marquis (audiobook)

genre: young adult historical fiction

The Davenports have done what many families aspire to but very few families actually accomplish: risen up from poverty and made it to the top. Mr. Davenport's success as the owner of a large carriage company in Chicago means that he's on everyone's invitation list and his three children, John, Olivia and Helen, are some of the most eligible partners in town.  Along with Olivia's best friend Ruby and their maid Amy-Rose, the halls of their grand home and the streets of Chicago become the backdrop for all the romantic intrigue one can imagine when one is expected to find just the right match.  When your heart doesn't line up with your parents' expectations, though, a season can quickly go from exciting to terribly confusing.

I preordered this because the idea of reading about a Black family that is not only wealthy but truly influential in a time and place of migration and change really appealed to me - and in some ways,  The Davenports absolutely gave me what I'd wanted.  Chicago at the turn of the last century was fast-paced  and highly fluid - but still absolutely a space where the color of your skin determined where you were welcomed.  Beyond the confines of the racism that seems to permeate everything, the Davenport children lived full lives and had big dreams, especially about love.  This is where things got complicated - because there are FOUR active romantic plotlines in this book and as we switch between the four different narrators, sometimes I felt like I was getting too much of the same thing.  Everyone was loving someone that complicated things and when I got near the end I realized that not one thing would really be resolved before it was over.  So, there is your warning - there will definitely be more :)

The writing was fine with one glaring exception - everyone's body parts were talked about way too much. I wish I could count the number of times the words "chest" or "lips" or "eyes" were written, because after a while it got annoying enough to pull me out of the plot and wish for different ways of talking about how a person can feel.  I don't ALWAYS need to know WHERE in a person's body their feelings are.  I acknowledge this is a personal gripe and it might not annoy everyone as much as me.

Despite what I didn't love, I am grateful this book is out in the world.  I wonder how my own brain might have developed differently if I'd grown up reading romantic young adult novels about Black characters in a historical setting instead of mostly only having access to books about people who look like me.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

 genre: young adult historical fiction

In San Francisco’s Chinatown, there are a lot of rules for Lily to follow. Be obedient to your parents and teachers. Be respectful. Don’t act like you have the same rights as someone who “looks” American. But never, don’t ever, act like you might “like” girls. In the 1950s, there is a line in the sand that no one has ever had to show Lily - she knows that these feelings she has can never leave her own head. But when an advertisement for the Telegraph Club catches her eye and a classmate also seems interested- Lily has to find a way to explore what she’s feeling.

This is a poignant and powerful coming of age novel for a young queer woman trying so desperately to understand who she is and what she deserves - and what cost she is willing to pay to make that happen. My heart ached for Lily’s limited choices and I felt so much compassion for the lengths she went to be true to herself. Those huge feelings of first love were so beautifully portrayed - Lily's inner world felt so authentic.  I didn’t need the backstory for the older generation, I don’t feel like it was necessary for the plot, but those sections were short and the rest was so worthwhile. 4 stars.

The Blossom and the Firefly by Sherri L. Smith

 genre: historical young adult

Hana and Taro both want the same thing: for Japan to triumph in the war with America and the Allied powers.  Winning the war will require sacrifice, which is fine with them.  Taro is willing to put aside his beloved violin to learn how to fly and Hana leaves school to work to support the kamikaze pilots who come to her village to prepare to make their final sacrifice for Japan.  Everyone must do their part.  But when these two meet, what is required seems to take on new meaning.

Things I liked: the non-European point of view, the role of music to help with grief and trauma, the way I was transported to Japan, the switching between narratives.  All of this was well done.  It just moved so very slow for me.  Too slow, I'd say.  It took me until about 2/3 of the way in for me to be excited to pick it up.  The romance is super slow burn, more of a middle grade than young adult - although the themes (especially intentional suicide, wartime trauma) feel more young adult.  Fellow lovers of World War II fiction will find this to be a historically accurate glimpse at the role that young people played on the Japanese front.

Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater (audiobook)

 genre: fantasy retelling

3.5 stars, rounded up
If you've seen the Disney movie Brave, you already know the backstory to this tale of Scotland and the wild Merida of DunBroch with her younger triplet brothers, booming father and straight-laced mother. This story, though, is about seeing what needs to be changed and about deals with the Gods and a chance to make things right. It's about a shape shifting destroyer and the relationships between clans, their leaders and their lands. It's also about family, the ties that bind us and - yes again - about being brave enough to do what needs to be done.

I was all in for the last 1/3 of this book but it honestly took me until I was 1/3 IN to be engaged in it. It really surprised me, honestly, and I can't say I was completely convinced by the plot. It felt strangely sluggish and a bit convoluted, for some reason, with unfamiliar Gods and their ways, but once I felt finally like I was settled into the world Stiefvater created around the story I arleady know, it got much better. By the end so many lovely things tied together that I did like it way more in the end than I did in the beginning. Part of why I kept at it is that narrator of the audio (one of my FAVORITES, Fiona Hardingham) is truly phenomenal. I feel like it deserves at least 3.5 for how it was put together and I'm rounding up because I really liked how it ended.

Guard Your Heart by Sue Divin

 genre: contemporary young adult fiction

Iona and Aiden, two teens living in Derry, know exactly where the lines are drawn - even though the Troubles are technically over.  Aiden knows that he belongs with all the other Catholics in Bogside and Iona, she's in a family that's rooted in Protestant policing and religion.  With their family histories and the current state of politics, there is no way that these two people should become friends.  Except, after one tragic night, they can't help but being in each other's orbit.  And by then - it's too late to forget.

I really liked this story of modern Northern Ireland - the way that the children of those who endured The Troubles have had their own lives upended by the history and politics of their country.  Both characters have very realistic challenges - although Aiden's story felt a bit more expansive - and I appreciated how well this book illustrated how limited your choices can be when you're living in a post-war environment, surrounded by the fall-out.   Some of it was sadly upsetting, thinking about how these kids have all kinds of ideology and hatred shoved at them how through no fault of their own, they have to work so much harder than anyone else to NOT see the world through hate-tinted glasses.

It's definitely a romantic Romeo and Juliet type story but with a firm grounding in reality - sometimes it really is this hard to have a relationship with someone who doesn't come from the same side of a conflict that your family does.  I'm glad I read this powerful story.

PS Shoutout to the awesome staff at The Secret Bookshelf in Carrickfergus, UK!  I had a lovely explore in their shop and this book was recommended to me, I even got a signed copy!!  

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

genre: young adult fiction

Steve is in jail.  He knows the truth about what he did or didn’t do, but knowing that isn’t going to be enough to save him from serving serious time if he’s found guilty.  Despite only being in high school, Steve’s got a real passion for film making and to help himself manage his feelings about what’s happening in his life - he decides to write it all out in third person, as a movie script. As we read between Steve’s diary entries and his screenplay, we follow along in the trial as well as look back in the past at his own experiences.  We can see his heartbreak and fear as the legal system wreaks havoc on Steve's life and sense of self.

This is a fast but pretty powerful read.  Steve is an extremely empathetic character - by the end of the book I had strangely motherly feelings for him.  The screenplay plot devise was an interesting twist - but I felt like his diary sections really dug into the heart of it.  The idea of knowing that there are adults who see you as a "monster" and trying to process whether to believe that or not, despite everything.  That's traumatic stuff.  For a look at the criminal justice system and a kid caught in it - this book has a lot to think about and discuss.  I think even upper middle schoolers could appreciate it the depth of what's happening here.

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (audiobok)

genre: young adult contemporary

Daunis has finally finished high school but in her new normal, her plans for the fall have changed. While not a registered member of her father’s Ojibwa tribe, she feels deeply rooted in its culture and beliefs - some of which collide with her mom’s family. Her own birth was a scandal - something that hangs over her all the time but that she doesn’t let stop her from making her father's family the community of her heart.

Something is happening on the reservation, though, and even kids that Daunis is close to are being affected by it. When a cute new boy shows up and a traumatic event triggers a cascade of questions - Daunis has to decide how far she’s willing to go and what she’s willing to do to protect her Ojibwa family.

I don’t even know how to describe this book. It’s such a beautiful portrait of a modern teen choosing to live a life deeply invested in their indigenous culture. I absolutely loved this part of it, this glimpse of a truly intentional way of living. It’s also a coming of age story, a look at trauma - both generational and in real time. It’s about love and trust and sacrifice. It’s about the power of science AND the power of the knowledge that’s passed down from our elders It’s also a thriller that sucks you in and while I guessed some of it, the plot still surprised me and even the sometimes repetitive nature of Daunis’s inner monologue didn’t spoil this incredible listen. Daunis is smart, intuitive, a strong protagonist in a strong story. Some questions that never really got answered are forcing me to take 1/2 a star off because it's still bothering me but overwall, there is so so much in this book to appreciate and I loved it.

 

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir (audiobook)

genre: contemporary fiction

Salahudin (Sal) and Noor have known each other since they were young, as two Pakistani transplants in Juniper, a very white American small California town.  But while Sal lives with his mother and father in the motel they run, Noor lives with her uncle and works with him in his liquor store.  Neither of their lives are easy or smooth and until The Fight, they truly were the best of friends.  Now, though,  Sal's beloved mother, Misbah, is ill and Noor knows she has to get out of her angry uncle's house and out of Juniper all together.  They really do need each other's strength for what they don't even know is ahead.

This is a deep and heavy book.  So very heavy and sad.  Our story is from the points of view of Sal, Noor and Misbah - and every main character has lasting and damaging trauma that affects both how they see the world and how they interact with their loved ones in it.  They have to make impossible choices.  They have to be willing to give up things they want for things they want more.  Guardians do not always take good care of their children.  Safety is not a given.  Stability is not a given.  Where can you put the kind of anger that arises when you've seemingly got no one on your side?  But their strength, the faith they find in an unknowable future, the ways they find to show up for each other, those things are beautiful indeed.   This book made me feel compassion.  It made me think about what it is to be an immigrant and how hard it can be to move forward when the cards seem to be truly stacked against you.  It made me think about impossible choices and grief and the love that can exist between people - and what you have to do when you want that love so bad and it's just not there.

All the trigger warnings here - domestic abuse, child abuse, drug use, islamophobia, racism, death of a parent - she's not writing a story about people who get mad because they loose the big game. This is a survival story, a story of where to find strength when you're truly on your own - a story of forgiveness and compassion.  The audio is excellently performed and Sabaa Tahir has crafted a hauntingly beautiful story that will stick with me.

Verspertine by Margaret Rogerson

 genre: fantasy

Artemisia is most comfortable with the dead. As one of the Gray Sisters, it's her job to cleanse bodies of their lingering spirits - which can wreak havoc possessing the living if not taken care of.  She knows the history of the revenants who destroyed the land when the spirits came unbound and she knows to fear them.  But when an army of the possessed arrive at her convent's door and a battle ensues, it's clear to Artemisia that a revenant's power must be controlled at the risk of its vessel - and that she herself has become one.

This book moved so swiftly, such intriguing world building with different levels of spirits with different powers.  I liked the way that the Sighted living, the spirits themselves and their relics all interplayed in such dance of power.  Artemisia is a really interesting main character - an antiheroine with an atypical way of interacting with the world and with the complex sort of childhood trauma that impacts the rest of your life.  She has to make such hard decisions and so many times when she could have chosen violence and retribution, she chooses mercy and empathy while STILL being badass when it's required.  Her relationship with the revenant is, for me, a highlight of the narrative - such a push and pull of control and capability.  It isn't a perfect book - there is a LOT going on and tracking it all takes effort.  It would have benefited with some backstory but overall, I found this a really enjoyable read.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna (audiobook)

 genre: young adult fantasy

Deka's life in her village is a structured one - especially for girls.  She knows what she's allowed do, how she should behave - all of this is strictly observed in order to satisfy the tenets of her religious culture.  All of the restrictions culminate in the ritual of purity - when Deka will know if she is to live the life she so desires or if she'll be deemed impure and sentenced to death.

When right on the cusp of her ceremony her world falls apart, Deka has to make a choice - to stay in her village and face the consequences or decide to join other girls like her and fight in a war that's even bigger than Deka can imagine.  

I guess I have a lot of thoughts about this book.  There's a LOT in here.  Yes, there are several young adult tropes in play, which isn't bad, just IS.  Girl lives in restrictive society.  Girl finds out she's special but doesn't know how or why.  Girl faces obstacles but overcomes with Friends and Love Interest.  I'm not trying to mock it, at all, just that that it's formulaic - a formula that WORKS, it just makes it a bit predictable.  There were things about the world building that were confusing to me, especially as things came to light at the end.  One plot twist I did NOT predict but it also required a lot of suspending my disbelief to piece it all together.  What I DID love was this fantasy African setting that was filled with strong and capable women.  Granted, these women were subjected to incredible violence and the book is a bloody one, to be sure.  I did like the feminist lean of the book as Deka figures out how restricted her life was and that she and her fellow girls deserve better than that.  

I acknowledge that I have gripes about about it but I also want to note that I listened to this one super fast, it definitely kept my attention.