Within the past week, multiple people have asked me if I’m going to play Starfield. This isn’t surprising considering it’s one of the most highly anticipated video games of 2023. If you have any contact with gamers, you’ve likely heard at least one mention of the new action role-playing game that came out on September 6th. Created by Bethesda, the same studio that crafted the Elder Scrolls and Fallout, Starfield is an open-world game set in the boundless reaches of outer space. If you’re anything like me, playing a really good game can ignite a love for the topic in general. For instance, after playing Red Dead Redemption 2, I became suddenly obsessed with short stories set in the old West. Whether you’re curious what all the sci-fi fuss is about, you suddenly cannot get enough space exploration in your life, or you simply really love Bethesda like myself, these recommendations are for you. Continue reading “If You’re Playing Starfield”
One of the best things about Summer Reading ending is that we get to read through all of our reader reviews! We’ve compiled a list of the good, the bad, and the ugly. The opinions expressed by our readers are their own. Remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 😆 Continue reading “Teen Reader Reviews: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly”
For this month’s theme, I’ve got all graphic novels! I know that the school year has already started for a lot of people. Maybe it seems too daunting to tackle that 500-page novel you’ve been eyeing, but graphic novels are the perfect size book to squeeze in between all of the syllabus introductions.
“The Bodyguard Unit” by Clément Xavier, Lisa Lugrin, Albertine Ralenti and translated by Edward Gauvin
First up is a graphic nonfiction about British suffragettes who were trained in jujitsu! You knew we have a graphic nonfiction section, right? It’s right next to the YA graphic novels, and the books cover a wide variety of topics. This one 100% sent me down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, in the best way possible. Edith Garrud was England’s first female jujitsu teacher, and she was passionate about teaching women self-defense. She and her husband were giving women tools to protect themselves both in the streets and in their homes, at the same time as the British suffrage movement was reaching a crescendo. Women fighting for the vote often faced violent arrests and beatings, and Edith was invited to teach them martial arts. Dubbed “jujutsuffragettes” by the media, and calling themselves the Bodyguard Unit, these women defended each other and their leaders. Never fear that this nonfiction book will be boring, there are plenty of action scenes! Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: August 2023”
When Shakespeare wrote “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” it was King Henry IV moaning that people with great responsibility don’t sleep very well. While riches and power don’t seem like much of a problem to me, fictional royalty often has a lot of kingdom-saving and evil battling to do.
So if you’d like to forget your troubles and read about queens and princes and knights with some worthy struggles, take a look at some of these titled titles. Continue reading “Uneasy Lies the Head”
Happy Pride! If you’re looking for a new, queer read, I’ve got a list in every hue of the rainbow!
Fools in Love – A diverse, inclusive young adult anthology featuring short stories that re-imagine or subvert popular romance and rom-com tropes by some of the biggest authors in YA and has a little something for everyone.
Continue reading “Read With Pride”
Happy Pride Month! We are celebrating, honoring and affirming our transgender folks with a beginners trans booklist. Below are a few books to help you on your journey whether you are questioning yourself or you’re a curious ally. We hope you find this booklist helpful. Our booklist is geared toward teen readers and their caregivers and contains books across multiple age groups. We made this list with love and care! Enjoy! Continue reading “Beginners Guide to Trans Identities”
What’s the story?
“Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me” is one of those books that tells you pretty much everything that it’s about in the title. The main character, Freddy, is infatuated with Laura Dean, but this is not an equal relationship. Laura Dean is with Freddy whenever it’s convenient for her to be and breaks up with Freddy whenever she feels like it, repeatedly. Continue reading “Book Review: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me”
Looking for a book to commemorate this auspicious day in the Star Wars Universe? I definitely have a few recommendations!
Starting with the chronologically oldest book, let’s talk about “Light of the Jedi” by Charles Soule, which is the first book in the High Republic era series of publications. I really enjoy the High Republic books. They take place centuries before the Battle of Yavin and the events of the movies. When the Republic was smaller and the Jedi were less corrupted by politics. Continue reading “May the Fourth Be With You!”
Because I don’t want these posts to just be about the books I reach for first, I tried to stretch myself this month with some different genres! We’ve got a contemporary fiction written by an activist in India, a hard sci-fi survival story and a dystopian graphic novel.
“I Kick and I Fly” by Ruchira Gupta
Heera is fourteen, and well aware of the probable fate awaiting her. Like the vast majority of girls in her community, she expects to be sold into prostitution to help pay off her family’s debt. She attempts to stay in school to avoid this but is expelled for standing up to a bully. Just as Heera’s father is making plans to sell her, the woman owner of a youth hostel approaches with another offer. Not only does she pay their debt, but she also offers to teach Heera kung fu so that she can compete in tournaments for cash prizes. As Heera learns to use her body in martial arts, she’s filled with determination to save others who can only expect their bodies to be used. Written by an activist who founded an organization working to end sex trafficking, this is an eye-opening and insightful debut. Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: April 2023”
What’s the story?
“Doughnuts and Doom” does not contain quite as much doughnuts or doom as the title might lead you to believe. A more accurate title would probably be something more along the lines of “Potions and Indie Rock,” but that would be a lot less eye-catching and I would have been a lot less likely to pick it up myself. So, what is it all about? Well, Margot is a witch with performance anxiety who is pretty good at potions, but really bad at passing her magic exam license test. After her most recent failure, she has an encounter with Elena, half of an indie rock duo, who works at a doughnut shop. Margot has a severe need for chocolate doughnuts after her most recent failure and as it so happens Elena is the one to give the unfortunate news that they are all out. This leads to Margot losing control of her magic a bit and accidentally cursing Elena. From here on out the characters are intertwined as Margot works to undo her curse and both our heroines learn more about each other. As I said the peril is pretty mild and even the development of the relationship is pretty low stakes. It’s most of all just a cute story about two people meeting by chance and finding out they’re both pretty into each other. But I haven’t told you about the most important part: Stanley! Stanley is a snake and Margot’s familiar and every page he is on is just about the cutest thing possible. Continue reading “Book Review: Doughnuts and Doom”
