

O'Daniels
- Jan 28, 2021
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe
Guys, I know it’s only January, but I’m pretty sure this will be one of my favorites for the year. It ticks ALL the boxes for me. Rebecca Samantha Haley Katie Ashley Nora Of all the times she’s cursed the girls she’s been in her past, Nora (not her real name) is happy to have been them this ONE time. This particular time happens to be in the middle of a bank robbery with her girlfriend, Iris, and best friend, Wes. It was supposed to be a quick errand in their tiny California


Grieshaber
- Jan 25, 2021
Charming as a Verb by Ben Phillippe
Look at this CUUUUTE cover! And the fun-font title! You think you know exactly what you’re getting into when you pick up this book. But it’s much more than a rom-com (in fact, it’s only a tiny bit rom-com). Henri Haltiwanger is the charming child of hardworking, Haitian immigrants. He understands he needs to work just a little bit harder (no, A LOT HARDER) than his wealthy peers. Henri is a scholarship kid at a prestigious NYC private school. Dad is the superintendent of the


O'Daniels
- Jan 21, 2021
Teen Killers Club by
How do you pass up a book with a title this creepy surrounded by bubble gum pink background? Obviously, I didn’t. Signal, a Class A criminal in jail forever for killing her best friend, is headed to her new home. Can a camp for the worst of the worst teen criminals be considered home? She’s not sure, but it’s the only hope she has toward her freedom because she didn’t kill her best friend. In fact, she doesn’t even remember what happened that night. Teen Killers Club doesn’t


Grieshaber
- Jan 19, 2021
Relish by Lucy Knisley
A food memoir in graphic novel format. So fun! This book was recommended as a pairing with Mastering the Art of French Eating by Ann Mah and I’m thankful to the Modern Mrs. Darcy (online) Book Club for both of the recommendations. They were a delicious beginning to the new year. In Relish, artist Lucy Knisley tells stories of growing up around food. A child of two foodies, she spent the first several years of her life in NYC - eating a variety of different foods, playing in t


O'Daniels
- Jan 14, 2021
Skyhunter by Marie Lu
"But conquering people is easy. You break past their defenses, seize their cities, burn their world to the ground. To annihilate us, though, is impossible. A seed will survive. I am not done. I will survive." I devoured this book, well, the audio anyway (which was EXCELLENT). Marie Lu's science fiction/dystopian exploration of a civilization long after we've effectively destroyed everything is fascinating and frightening. Tarin is a refugee from Basea, an outsider in the coun


Grieshaber
- Jan 8, 2021
Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein is one of my all-time favorite books. I also loved Rose Under Fire and The Pearl Thief which take place in the same time period (WWII) and include some of the same characters. I was excited to see Wein was writing yet another book in this world. In Enigma Game, the recurring characters are Jamie Beaufort-Stuart (Queenie makes an appearance, too!) from Code Name Verity and Ellen from The Pearl Thief. The story takes place before the events of


O'Daniels
- Jan 8, 2021
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
You can’t start a conversation about this book without talking about this cover. It’s absolutely gorgeous and drawn by Detroit artist Rachelle Baker (check her stuff out here https://www.rachellebakerdraws.com). It embodies the maturity that Enchanted Jones seeks so desperately but also catches her innocence. Her shaved head also helps with her swimming and a seemingly innocent dress code policy that states “no distracting hairstyles” at her preppy high school. She’s not supe


Grieshaber
- Jan 5, 2021
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
Amal was there, that night when everything went wrong and Jeremy Mathis ended up in a coma. But Amal didn’t do it but he WAS sick to death of those white boys yelling “n-” at him and his friends. When you’re young and black in America, it’s guilty until proven innocent so Amal is wrongly convicted. Punching the Air exposes the inequities of the justice system (especially as they apply to the young and black) and shows the healing power of art. This story is told all the more