How’s your Summer Reading going? If you need a few more books to finish up, try these! I have no theme this month, except general awesomeness.
“Give Me a Sign” by Anna Sortino
Lilah has severe hearing loss, but with hearing aids and lip reading, she’s able to get along well enough. Still, she misses the feeling of connection she had when attending Camp Gray Wolf as a kid, a camp for deaf and/or blind kids. The summer before senior year, she applies to be a counselor at the camp and is accepted. While she never felt like she fully fit in with the hearing world, she also struggles to fit into the Deaf community—especially because her ASL is nowhere near fluent. But she makes patient and supportive new friends as she starts to define and embrace her identity. It doesn’t hurt that her sweet and attractive fellow junior counselor volunteers to help her improve her signing. This debut by a Deaf author explores many different aspects of Deaf culture, including perspectives from people with supportive families and not-so-supportive ones. It also gives good examples of difficulties Deaf folks might face in the hearing world, especially with things like interactions with the police. A summer romance with excellent diverse representation. Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: July 2023”
If I tell you to guess the theme this month, I think you’ll get it without having to try too hard. Enjoy!
“Starlings” by Amanda Linsmeier
Kit just lost her dad unexpectedly, and now she and her grieving mother have been invited to spend Christmas with her paternal grandmother. The problem is that Kit’s dad always claimed his mom was dead. When they arrive in the small town of Rosemont, everything is perfect. Roses bloom all year round, the townspeople are super friendly, there’s a cute boy (and girl!) to crush on, and everyone treats her grandmother Agatha Starling—and Kit by extension—with a deference bordering on reverence. Kit and her mother aren’t planning on staying past the holidays, but everyone else seems to think otherwise. When things start to go wrong, Kit has to discover the truth about the town, and why her father never wanted her to know it existed. With a bisexual main character, nuanced character development and suspenseful plotting, this horror novel has a lot to offer. Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: June 2023”
Last month my theme was books I wouldn’t normally reach for first (meaning anything not fantasy). This time my theme is nonfiction because these three looked so amazing that I couldn’t resist highlighting them. If you find yourself wanting to try more nonfiction but are unsure where to start, these are all excellent options. Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: May 2023”
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”
Last month I had a lot of romances for you. This month the theme is more murder and monsters (admittedly with a little bit of romance thrown in). These all come out before Spring Break, so whether you’re traveling or staying at home, grab a new book and settle in. Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: March 2023”
It’s February, and the books that caught my eye this month all happened to have romance. If rom-coms (or rom-drams) aren’t your thing, stick with the first book! It’s got plenty of demons and monsters and magic. The other two are decidedly fluffier!
“Wildblood” by Lauren Blackwood
Victoria is a Wildblood. Kidnapped as a child for her rare magical abilities, she has worked for the Exotic Lands Touring Company as a jungle tour guide ever since. The jungle is full of deadly spirits and creatures, and Victoria and her fellow Wildbloods use their magic to protect wealthy clients on their tours. Now Victoria is eighteen and due for a promotion in the company that will afford her more freedoms than she’s ever had. But she’s instructed to only act as support on her next expedition, letting her competitive and vindictive ex-boyfriend take the lead. The tour is for American gold miners who are headed to the most dangerous part of the jungle, where all the fiercest beasts are drawn to the gold in the Gilded Orchard. As the tour progresses, Victoria and the lead goldminer, Laertes Thorn, begin to fall for each other, and she has to decide if advancement in a corrupt company is really all she should hope for. This fast-paced adventure deftly balances fantasy and folklore with themes of colonialism and slavery. Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: February 2023”
I love snuggling up under a pile of blankets (and my dog!) and not moving for hours, and these new books provide a wonderful excuse! Use them if you need inspiration for Winter Reading, our reading program where you set your own goals. For example, you could make your Winter Reading goal: Read a new book with a person of color on the cover! Just saying.
“Friday I’m in Love” by Camryn Garrett
Look at this dress! How can you not pick this book up? Mahalia had been looking forward to a Sweet Sixteen party for years, but when her birthday rolls around there’s no way her single mother can afford it. It doesn’t help that Mahalia’s best friend got a super extravagant party. On top of dealing with her party disappointment and awkward crush on the new girl at school, Mahalia is struggling with how to come out to her mom. Then she decides that she’ll throw herself a coming out party, with rainbow everything and tons of dancing. She starts to save every penny from her afterschool job, but as her home life and school start to spiral out of control, the party may be just out of reach. Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: January 2023”
Hello Winter Break! If you’d like a little escapism in your reading before diving back into the next semester, check out these new books I ordered. We’ve got a heist, a magical mystery and a summer romance.
“A Million to One” by Adiba Jaigirdar
Are you ready for an all girl heist set aboard the Titanic? Dublin thief Josefa has just gotten her hands on a coveted ticket for the Titanic’s maiden voyage—but she has even bigger plans. Though the ship will be full of outrageously wealthy passengers, Josefa only has eyes for a jewel-encrusted copy of the Rubaiyat that is also traveling to America. The book is worth millions, so Josefa assembles a team to help her steal it. Told in alternating perspectives by the four young women, the action moves at a brisk pace as hidden motives and burgeoning romances are revealed. The heist story is so involving that readers might almost forget the stakes are a lot higher than our characters realize. Fun fact, the jewel-covered Rubaiyat actually was on board the Titanic! Spoilers in the link, so read at your own risk. Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: December 2022”
Sometimes I end up with themes for these posts, and this time the accidental theme is debut authors. Two out of three of these books are debuts, so let’s give some love to new authors! Yes, we could all just keep re-reading Holly Black or Karen McManus, but I’m always excited to find new favorites. (A bonus theme is protagonists with names that start with the letters “Av”!) Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: November 2022”
