I'm a slayer, ask me how.

Turns out it is impossible to embed a Flickr image to Dreamwidth just using your phone browser. :\ I tried to post last night and it wouldn't give me the embed codes. Oops. So here is yesterday's book cover!

There's a "post 7 book covers over 7 days" meme going around right now and you KNOW this librarian is going to get in on that action!

The whole deal is to just post the cover with no additional information...

but if you *ask* me about the book and why I picked it in the comments, I can't NOT not answer, right? (is that a triple negative? What does that even mean? I'm trying to be grammatically sneaky but instead I'm just concerned that I've negated my negative negative...)

ANYWAY - COVER 1!

Lots of kids books this month because I was obsessed with John Hendrix after reading The Faithful Spy last month. And then I had a pile of graphic novels on my desk I wanted to get through. Way to pad my GoodReads so I'm "ahead of schedule" on my reading for 2019, yeah?

Aquicorn Cove by Katie O'Neill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a beautiful little book. I love Katie O'Neill's art style.

I think this would be a great suggestion for fans of 'Steven Universe' and kids who love the environment and come home with plants and little critters in their hands, wanting to care for them.





Royal City, Vol. 1: Next of Kin by Jeff Lemire

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It's always hard to rate a book in a series, especially when you have the other two volumes on your desk so you know there is a lot more to come. But I guess the fact that I want to read more says enough? This dark family drama pulls you in really fast. Lemire is one of the hardest working writers out there, these books just keep coming and I don't think I've read a dud yet!

I feel like this series would be a good suggestion to someone who enjoyed the series "DARK" on Netflix, for the small town/intertwined plot lines.

ADDITION: I read the rest of the trilogy and it was REALLY GOOD.



Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Tim picked this audiobook to listen to on the drive to Wisconsin since it was just the two of us. Yes, that is the kind of man I married, he's very interested in sexuality and understanding how I feel versus how he feels. We listened to about half of it on our drive out, then discussed for a bit and then finished it up on the way home.

The subtitle of this book is a little bit too "click bait" sounding - it is actually a great examination of the history of the science and culture surrounding women and their sexuality and then a discussion of how that effects how women think about sexuality and how that can harm or improve their sex lives.

Nagoski reads the audiobook and you can see why students would sign up for her courses or people would go to hear her lecture. She has a fun and relatable style of writing.

There were things I knew already, things that I understood in my mind but never had the words to articulate before, and things that I did not know in this book. A great book to listen to with your partner. It is very pro-women but not anti-men, it is all about building a stronger relationship and also about understanding that you are 100% normal.



What Do You Do With a Chance? by Kobi Yamada

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I love this book series. I'm always giving it to parents for school visits. The idea of a chance as this flying, golden paper butterfly (though my Harry Potter brain thought it looked like a snitch) and trying to grab it and falling down. There's a lot to talk about here with kids as you read through the simple story.



You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


3.5 stars - I feel like maybe there was a little too much going on in this book. Not that every kid's life only has one thing happening at a time, but I didn't feel that each issue that was touched upon got as much time as I would have liked with it?

And what was with the 3 epilogues? That part kind of grated on me as I felt it could have all been done a little more seamlessly or perhaps just one big epilogue a few years later (Hey, if George R.R. Martin can drag out a series, I'm sure the Vidalia author could have too).

There wasn't anything wrong with the book, but I really felt like it could have been more.



Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus by John Hendrix

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is gorgeous. You can tell how much Hendrix put his heart into creating this story, retelling the gospels. I like how he doesn't refer to him as Jesus until the very end, up until that he is just the Miracle Man, which I'm sure is what those who heard of him might have called him. Lovely.



Shooting at the Stars by John Hendrix

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I had heard this story before, but Hendrix's illustrations brought it to life. I love the way the text of 'Silent Night' gently slides over no-man's land, you can almost hear the men singing. Another great book to hand to a Nathan Hale fan.



Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War Hero by Marissa Moss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Fantastic middle grade picture book that focuses on the life of Sarah Edmonds AKA Frank Thompson, a young woman who pretended to be a man, joined the Union army during the United States Civil War. Well researched by both the author and artist, this would make a great read-aloud for an older classroom visit.



I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Dangit GoodReads, it's 2019 - give me half stars! This would be a 3.5 star book for me. The story was really great, the classic "could you survive" tale but kicked up a notch with a few more complications thrown in to make it more engaging.

BUT I feel like the whole before/after notebook framing was a mistake. First, it didn't last the whole story. Second, it had the same problem that many "I'm writing this for you to find" stories have which is that is NOT how someone would write a journal. It would have been better to just tell the story in a linear way, maybe with a few flashbacks OR flip back and forth but take out the whole "notebook" framework.

If you can get beyond that (and I did, even though it bothered me) it is a good book.



The Hidden Witch by Molly Ostertag

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Just as good as the first one! I didn't even remember I had requested this so when it appeared on my desk, I was cautiously optimistic about a sequel to 'The Witch Boy'. But this was a fantastic read and I'm hoping there will be a book 3 so continue the adventures of these four kids.



Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Jason Rekulak

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is really made for the fans. Smith puts a lot of love into these illustrations and if you know the show it is a lot of fun. If you've never seen the show and you're a little kid, you might also by amused by the girl who fights the monsters in her closet.



John Brown: His Fight for Freedom by John Hendrix

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A figure from American history that most have heard of but we've probably forgotten the specifics, even those of us that just live a short drive away from Harper's Ferry. Hendrix does a great job distilling the core of this story down for young readers. The author's note in the back let's you know how much research and thought he put into recreating this story of a very complicated man.

Okay, so it's not very many. One book was SUPER HEAVY and while it was a good read it was so depressing at times it was better to set it aside for awhile. The other was a HUGE letdown and it was by one of my favorite authors so instead of abandoning it like I normally would, I suffered through, hoping he would surprise me. NOPE! At least I had a graphic about roller derby to break things up.

Not sure if I'm going to make it to my GoodReads goal for this year. I went with 100 books and I'm at 78, which is respectable!

Unpunished Murder: Massacre at Colfax and the Quest for Justice by Lawrence Goldstone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wow, heavy read and right around election season...I can't decide if this book made me more or less depressed about the state of our nation. Sometimes I would read and think "and we rose above this to become who we are today!" and other times I would read and think "dammit, NOTHING has changed!"

Important part of American history that I had never heard about, a horrible incident that became the foundation for how the South got away with "Jim Crow" laws. They didn't just pop up without any help, the federal government - the Supreme Court decisions - created a world where they were allowed.

Even though it is written for a YA audience, I'm sure most of us adults are not familiar with this incident anymore and the way Reconstruction was taught to us probably distorted the facts that you will find in this story. I'm glad this book exists. I just hope people, teens and adults, will read it and understand why these issues of race and racism are so ingrained in our country.



Dry by Neal Shusterman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


So disappointed in this book. I feel like a lot of the problems could have been fixed by changing the storytelling mode. Shusterman has always been a fan of switching between character POVs, but the choice to make everything first person caused a lot of this story to drag on as we flip flopped between characters and had to see each situation from their side and how they were reacting. It took far too long for everything to really get moving.



SLAM!: The Next Jam by Pamela Ribon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Still have the same problem I had with the previous book - sometimes I have a hard time telling the characters apart. But after the first "issue" of the trade, I had a handle on who was who and I really enjoyed this sequel! Roller Derby lends itself so much to the graphic novel format and it really captures the chaos of the practices and bouts. I really hope this isn't the last we see of the Pushy Riots!



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Lions and Liars by Kate Beasley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was a ridiculously fun book and probably one I will recommend to 4th-5th grade boys. Gotta suspend that adult part of your brain that knows no kid could just randomly show up at a weekend camp and just pretend to be another kid. LOL. But otherwise, this misadventures of Frederick Frederickson were a quick read and I think the moral of the story, which is mostly about introspection and friendship, work well, without being preachy.



Ms. Marvel, Vol. 9: Teenage Wasteland by G. Willow Wilson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another fantastic addition to the series. Kamala and her friends keep growing. While the "big bad" for this arc was kind of fluffy, it was forgivable because the real story was about the friends all making up after such a crazy few adventures.



Misfit City Vol. 1 by Kirsten Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was SO MUCH FUN! I can't wait to pick up book 2. Think 'Goonies' meets 'Scooby Doo' meats 'Lumberjanes' and probably a few other things, or just forget everything and pick up this awesome story with lots of kickass ladies on a treasure hunt in their cooky town.



Spill Zone by Alex Puvilland

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This feels like the Southern Reach trilogy for teens! Weird occurrence, creepy consequences and a strong female lead at the center of it all. Graphic novel was the best format for this, I don’t know how you could describe the surreal world in just text and have it be as beautiful and disturbing.



The Broken Vow by Scott Westerfeld

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It left me wanting more but it did tie everything up for the most part! But I would love to know about Vespertine and her life before and after and the Korean Zone and are there other zones??

But if you want a good sci-fi adventure, check it out!



Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe by Preston Norton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What can I say about this wonderful book? I don't remember how I discovered this book, if it was a suggestion from a favorite author or a good blurb somewhere, but I knew nothing about it and it sat on my desk for a month and I was almost about to return it to the shelf...thank goodness I picked it up and started reading it instead.

I wasn't sure about things because the book starts out pretty angsty with a very distraught character as the lead having some very cliche high school experiences. But then things go weird when his classmate has a boating accident and that is where I am going to leave this because I don't want to give away anything! Going into this book blind made it that much better.

Loved it.



Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Krosoczka bears all in this story about his childhood. A great book to get into the hands of any child that might be struggling to feel "normal" when their family is not the one they see on TV. And a good story for all teens to read to realize that everyone has their struggles. I loved the art style.

This was a very graphic novel heavy month. I blame whoever told me about 'Revival' on here...who was it? I can't remember now! Raise your hand, I NEED TO TALK TO YOU! And thank you. I'm halfway through and OMG. LOVE IT.

Barrier #1 by Brian K. Vaughan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Free Comic Book Day first issue of a new series. I didn't realize half of the dialogue would be in Spanish, but I was feeling pretty good about my Duolingo obsession as I managed to translate it for myself and get the gist of each conversation. I might pick this up when it is a trade to see how it plays out. This really only gives you the most basic setup for the story and then it ends with an epic WTF cliffhanger.



Revival, Vol. 1: You're Among Friends by Tim Seeley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I tweeted the other day that I was reading a story about zombies terrorizing a rural town in Wisconsin but that is SUCH an oversimplification of what this series is. Yes, the recently dead have returned to life but they are not mindless zombies and, in fact, if undiscovered, can pass as normal humans.

This is only the first trade, the first 4 comics, and you can see all the threads of different plots being laid out for you, even though it is unclear where they will all lead and when they will all meet up.



Revival, Vol. 2: Live Like You Mean It by Tim Seeley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Second book left me with even more "WHAT IS HAPPENINGS" feelings.







Revival, Vol. 3: A Faraway Place by Tim Seeley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


WHOA! This was the big one, the book where things are starting to fall into place. I don't know where that place is, but I feel like things are kind of sort of becoming clearer? Can't wait for book 4!



What Does Consent Really Mean? by Pete Wallis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I can't decide if this was too preachy or not. I would like someone from the target demographic to read it and tell me if it was too eye-roll in the way the teens talked. It kinda felt like an after school special. Still, this would be a great addition to a high school library for students to "find" on the shelf on their own if they are trying to understand the discussion around defining consent.



Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Vol. 1: Aphra by Kieron Gillen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I didn’t realize this was a character from a previous Star Wars comic, but I thought the first trade did a great job of introducing her but leaving enough mystery that I kind of want to go back and read the stories she appeared in before. Anti-hero, snarky, badass - yeah, she is pretty hard to resist!



Star Wars: Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It's the Star Wars Halloween book I never knew I wanted until now!



As the Crow Flies by Melanie Gillman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This title record needs a little more details - like the fact that this is just part 1 of a series. Melanie Gillman's comics can be read online and the book ends suddenly because the story is not yet over, so it feel hard for me to really rate this because we have just met these characters.

But I would say this is off to a good start, a series to watch and I hope she gets enough funding to print the rest of it so more people have access to it.




Currently Reading: Authority by Jeff VanDermeer, the second book in the Southern Reach trilogy, "sequel" to Annihilation. This book makes Annihilation look straight forward! I'm almost finished too, no idea where it is all going and I know I'm going to need book 3 immediately.

Look at me, reading books written for adults! Don't worry, it won't last too long. As soon in this photo posted earlier this week, after I get through the rest of 'Revival' there are a lot of new YA novels begging me to pick them up.

I'm so freakin' ready for 2019. I kinda want to rewatch the whole series again. I will never cancel my Prime as long as they keep this show going.

Also, it is so funny to see these guys smiling because they did not have a lot to smile about last season.

This show is quickly moving up my list to become one of my top shows.

I just finished the first book Leviathan Awakes last night and it was so weird reading just from Holden's and Miller's point of views. It was a different experience from the show because I didn't feel like you got to know all the characters as well since you only saw them as Holden or Miller. It was still good though. Amos was still a badass, Naomi was...also a badass. And Alex was Alex LOL. You just don't get any of the Earth storyline, which the apparently took from the second book and put into the series since they happen simultaneously.

I'm not sure if I could have read the book without watching the show first? It's hard to separate them right now because I feel like Season 1 followed the first book really closely. I liked the writing style, I mean, I can't tell you the last time I read a 500+ page book. And I read this in a little less than a month. Or maybe exactly a month as I took it with me to Wisconsin and that was the first week of July. I went ahead and ordered the second book from the library, but we will see when I get time to read it since I've got a few other titles on my desk right now that I want to get through first.

This month, omg, just no time for myself with all the running around and what not. But I did get a few books in!

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I enjoyed this sequel to The Wild Robot but not quite as much as the first one. It is still a great read but it was hard to beat the magic of the first story. I've always been that way though - I prefer to read Tarzan while he is living with the Apes or Crocodile Dundee when he is in the outback, once the story flips to the city, my interest always seems to fade.

Though I did feel like the story picked up a lot after Roz's farm escape. I think some of the questions and conundrums that were brought up in the final chapters were very interesting and I almost wish that had happened *first* so that Roz could have been pondering the idea of "if one robot can break the rules, what if they all did?"

This might not bother the actual target demo for this book though and if you enjoyed the first book, definitely pick this one up!



Bone Jack by Sara Crowe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I can't remember why I picked up this book, but I am so glad a did. A mix of creepy/scary but also a very human story underneath of how we should support friends when trauma happens in their lives.





Nightlights by Lorena Alvarez Gomez

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Reminded me of a younger version of Anya's Ghost and I was kind of disappointed by how it all ended so abruptly. Beautifully illustrated but I wanted a bit more of Sandy's story and why she needed someone like Morfie in her life.



The Three Rooms in Valerie's Head by David Gaffney

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Picked this up on a whim because of the art and the title, had no idea what I was going to end up reading. Odd little story about a woman going through her past relationships and learning to move on from them. Kinda bittersweet.



I Am Enough by Grace Byers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Gorgeous illustrations to match a beautiful, simple text that just reminds us of something so simple that it is easy to forget - I am enough.



Paper Girls, Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What can I say, this series is amazing! It just keeps getting better, this might be my favorite volume so far. I don't want to say anything else because SPOILERS.



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So, in my previous post, I talked about "Lock In" by John Scalzi and how much I really enjoyed it. Well, it just got better after reading his blog about how when he sat down to write the main character, he decided not to assign them a gender.

https://www.torforgeblog.com/2018/04/02/hadens-chris-shane-gender-and-me/

No spoilers or anything, but wow...my mind is blown, especially since I defaulted to thinking it was a man because it was written by a man. I didn't even realize...wow. Makes me want to read it again! And now I'm even more excited for the sequel.

LOL sorry for spamming you all with posts this evening!! Just had things to say and it felt easier to spread them across multiple entries rather one long rambling post. Decent month for reading, though getting sick slowed me down a LOT.

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I want to know how much the 2016 election effected Shusterman's writing or if this is one of those strange cases of life imitating art. I don't think I have read a 500 page book this quickly in a LONG time.

While Scythe set up the world, 'Thunderhead' lets us finally live in it. More thoughts on life, death, and also how easy it is to become dependent and *trusting* of technology.

I actually liked Rowan and Citra a lot more in this book too, perhaps because I prefer them apart rather than together.

Shusterman reminds me of Michael Crichton, in the sense that he knows how to tell a great story, fast-paced and mixed with enough pseudo science to make you feel like it could happen...even if his character development isn't the best. But I'm not here for the characters so much as I am here for the thoughts on what a world without death would really mean. And how much I should worry if Alexa does gain self-awareness and decide to run my life for me.



4 Kids Walk Into A Bank by Matthew Rosenberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'm not even sure how to describe this except REALLY GOOD. Moments of humor, heart, and it is easy to see yourself as these teens, straddling that line between childhood and adulthood.

Read this if you've enjoyed that whole retro/80s vibe that Stranger Things has but want more of a crime twist rather than demigorgons.



Lovely by Jess Hong

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is lovely. Everyone in it is lovely. Let's all be lovely together.

It is that simple.



Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Fascinating read that is still releveant over twenty years later. It was eerie to read the profiles of the different killers and then turn on the news and see that the description of recent mass shooters line up exactly. But, as Douglas says in the final few pages, the key to stopping these horrible violent crimes is stopping criminals from being made and that means taking care of each other and being a positive force in the world.

Highly recommend this to everyone.



Mis(h)adra by Iasmin Omar Ata

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


3.5 stars

I liked this book and I might have liked it more had I not just read Lighter Than My Shadow which also dealt with a mental illness and the process of learning to live with it.

Still, great true story that will raise awareness about people who suffer from things like epilepsy and the stigmas associated with it along with the struggle of an "invisible" ailment.

There was a lot here to like but I am even more excited to see what comes next from Ata because I feel like he has more stories to tell.



Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Probably 2.5 stars.

When I read this as a teen, I assumed I was too unsophisticated for the humor or, perhaps, too American to understand it all. But reading it again, I had all the same issues with the pacing and the plot-twist. Nowhere near as funny as the sequel or HHGttG series.

I'm going to read The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul next which I have very fond memories of so I'm hoping it holds up after all these years!



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