It’s a new school year and for the third year in a row I’ve kicked it off by going to the National Book Festival with my librarian friend, @majorinbooks. We used to work across the hall from each other teaching social studies, then I followed her lead to become a librarian. We work in different school districts now but like good introverted bookworms we text all the time about books. We didn’t show up to the festival dressed alike (a frequent issue when teaching; even the teenagers noticed!) but had a great time seeing the panels with Erik Larson, K.A. Cobell, Andrew Joseph White, Abby Jimenez, and Casey McQuiston.
I highly encourage anyone local to the D.C. area to venture out next August. It’s free and it’s amazing just to wander the convention center surrounded by book lovers!
Book Buzz
Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas; Sept.3
Sequel to The Sunbearer Trials.
Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White; Sept.3
I got to see White talk about his novel, which is described as a “queer Appalachian thriller”. It sounds like a really different take on the genre!
One Last Chance to Live by Francisco X. Stork; Sept.3
In a dream, Nico’s deceased neighbor tries to deliver him a message and now awake, he’s determined to figure out how she died.
Gita Desai is Not Here to Shut Up by Sonia Patel; Sept.10
I’m hooked based on this preview: “It’s eighteen-year-old Gita Desai’s first year at Stanford, and the fact that she’s here and not already married off by her traditional Gujarati parents is a miracle.”
Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers; Sept.10
A historical novel of civil rights crusader Ida B. Wells.
To the Bone by Alena Bruzas; Sept.10
A historical love story set during Jamestown’s “Starving Time”. Definitely a unique plot!
From the Librarian’s Desk
Thanks to skipping the August BookNote, I have a long list of books I’ve read or been reading lately. Here’s some highlights of the YA books:
After seeing her panel at the National Book Festival, I bought K.A. Cobell’s debut novel Looking for Smoke. This is my current read and so far I am really enjoying it. It’s a YA mystery about a group of teens who are the leading suspects of the murder of their classmate on the Blackfeet Reservation and now must solve who did it to clear their names.
I had loved Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s Ace of Spades, so was excited to read her latest, Where Sleeping Girls Lie. I had mixed reviews of it; on one hand the boarding school setting was fantastic and I loved many of the characters, particularly Baz. The novel was really ambitious but I found that the plot began to lag after a while; a lot of searching and speculating happened.
I finally read Thieves Gambit by Kayvion Lewis and thoroughly enjoyed it. Ross Quest is part of a family renowned for being master thieves and is invited to compete in the Thieves Gambit with the world’s best. This fast-paced action and mystery novel is perfect for fans of The Inheritance Games series.
Annie Cardi’s Red is really powerful and at times heartbreaking. Tess and her mom have moved in with her religious grandparents, in a small town that is very conservative. At first welcomed into the church’s youth group, Tess finds herself outcast after having an abortion and carrying the heavy secret of who the father was.
The Brightwood Code by Monica Hesse takes place during World War I and centers around Edda St.James who is working as a switchboard operator in Washington D.C. Her past work on the front lines of France however has come to haunt her though when she gets a phone call saying the code word of “Brightwood”.
Beyond the Pages
We Are Bookish’s gift guide for all of us autumn loving readers. My favorites are this reading ghost sweatshirt and super cute pumpkin book sleeve.
An excerpt of That Librarian by Amanda Jones, who has become one of the leaders and public faces of the librarian fight against book bans.
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