While Justice Sleeps

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams is a thrill ride through the Supreme Court. 

When Justice Howard Wynn slips into a coma, his clerk Avery Keene is as shocked as everyone else that she is his power of attorney. Not his son or his estranged wife, but a law clerk with whom he has only a working relationship.

Justice Wynn is often the swing vote on and otherwise 4-4 court. Nearing the end of the session, there are still some big cases to decide. And it is starting to seem that one of them is related to what happened to the Justice.

Keene has a mystery to solve and little time to do it. Not helping her deadline is the fact that the NSA and FBI think it is fishy that she was named his executor. 

Abrams is a brilliant legal and political mind. She has the knowledge and has had the access to create a story that goes deeper into D.C. politics than most. 

If you are looking for a completely engrossing thrill ride, this is the book you are looking for. 

Abrams, Stacey. (2021). While Justice Sleeps. New York: Doubleday.

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea

The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall is the story of a pirate and an aristocrat falling in love in the midst of a kidnapping.

Lady Evelyn Hasegawa has been betrothed to a man across the sea. It is not uncommon for the upper classes to marry off daughters to secure their fortune. It is, however, so far away that she is unlikely to ever see her family or her city again. But the only person she is likely to miss is her maid.

Evelyn is taking a passenger ship across the sea to meet her husband. As is tradition in these cases, she has packed her belongings into a coffin for transport, signifying her pledge to remain there for her lifetime.

What Evelyn and the other passengers do not know if that their passenger ship is really a pirate ship in disguise. They are all likely to be sold at the end of the voyage.

The pirate Florian does what it takes to survive - including changing their gender presentation to get by on a male only ship. But due to this, they have been assigned to guard the Lady Evelyn to keep her from harm (so her price is higher). 

Tokuda-Hall has written a great fantasy adventure with wonderful, fantastical creatures, budding young love, and pirates! What more could you need. 

Tokuda-Hall, Maggie. (2020). The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea. New York: Candlewick Press.

Recursion

Recursion by Blake Crouch has been described as a science fiction puzzle box. 

Barry Sutton is an NYPD detective. He is currently investigating a False Memory death. Recently some people have been plagued with what feels like real memories of their lives that never happened - years of other lives suddenly in their brains.

Helena Smith is a neuroscientist studying the brain to try and solve Alzheimer's, a disease affecting her mother. She is working on a chair that can save memories that could be re-loaded into people's brains when their originals ones are not accessible. 

But her memory chair does more than that. Using a described memory, a person can be sent back to that moment. But everyone else effected - anyone in the room with you or who you met after that point - goes too. The chair tests our ideas about how time itself works.

Crouch is a great thriller and science writer. His books have been turned into movies and tv shows. This one is very thought provoking. Not since Replay by Ken Grimwood have I read a book that stays in my head for so long. Get this book from you library today!

Crouch, Blake. (2019). Recursion. New York: Crown.

Crying in H Mart

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner is a memoir of losing a parent and how that leads to her teaching her self to cook Korean food as a cultural pathway to her mother.

Growing up Michelle visited her mother's family in Seoul every other year. They stayed with her grandmother, two aunts and cousins. 

Michelle is most well known as the singer of the band Japanese Breakfast. Which, being Korean American, creates questions each time she is interviewed.

When she looked at her life with her mother she noticed that food was used not just as sustenance but as love. Her mom got sick quickly and did not have time to teach Michelle to cook Korean food. 

Michelle took it upon herself to learn. Using the blog Maangchi, she describes delicious food as she processes her loss and her band's growing popularity. 

Zauner has written a memoir that does not shy away from looking at herself and her family truthfully. She tells the good and bad without glossing over. This is a beautiful book of love, food and grief. 

Zauner, Michelle. (2021). Crying in H Mart. New York: Knopf.

Tell Me How You Really Feel

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi is the tale of school enemies being forced together and realizing they may have been wrong about each other.

Sana Khan is a Persian/Indian high school student in Los Angeles who lives with her mom, a production designer for movies. She is going to be a doctor, is currently a cheerleader and loves movies. 

Rachel Recht is a film student at the same high school. She creates and directs movies and is running out of time to finish her senior project - which could undue her acceptance to NYU is she doesn't work fast.

When they were both freshmen, Sana asked Rachel on a date. Rachel thought it was a prank by a snooty cheerleader and has hated Sana since that day. 

When an literal run in (to each other) happens and a camera gets damaged, the film teacher tells them they will have to work together to finish the project or pay for the damaged camera. 

Safi has set Sana and Rachel up for a bumpy start to the next phase of their relationship. This is fun young adult book. Great summer read. 

Safi, Aminah Mae. (2019). Tell Me How You Really Feel. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

The Galaxy and the Ground Within (Wayfarers #4)

The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers is the final book of her Wayfarers science fiction series - one of my favorite book series of any genre!

The planet of Gora has not water or life. However, it is perfectly situated at the crossroads of five wormholes that see huge numbers of ships each standard. Since people often have a wait to transmit to the next gate, inns and entertainment venues have been built on the stark planet.

Once such place is the Five-Hop One-Stop. An eclectic inn that tries to cater to all forms of life that may visit. 

With a satellite system malfunction, the three strangers who have landed will be staying for longer that they thought. The two hosts, one exiled artist, one cargo runner and a mysterious person whose species is rarely seen will all have time to get to know each other better. 

Chambers is a wonderful story teller. Her characters and species of sentient beings are well thought out and fully formed. This is one of two complete series I own. I plan on rereading it about once per year! The entire series won a Hugo Award. Get started reading it today!

Chambers, Becky. (2021). The Galaxy and the Ground Within. New York: Harper Voyager. 

Grrrls on the Side

Grrrls on the Side by Carrie Pack is a young adult punk rock tales set in 1994.

Tabitha Denton is sixteen years old. She does not fit in at her school. She needs to find new friends. 

At a punk concert she is handed a zine and invited to a Riot Grrrl meeting. 

At the meeting she finds her people. They are all different but accepting of those differences. It is also the first time meeting other queer women - including the out and proud Jackie.

Pack has captured both the Riot Grrrl scene and the feelings of being a new queer woman in our society. 

Pack, Carrie. (2017). Grrrls on the Side. New York: Interlude Press.

The Rose Code

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is about the women who broke codes for England during World War II and the person who betrayed them.

Bletchley Park recruited from anyone who might be able to help break codes - mathematicians, puzzle aficionados, men and women.

Three code breakers who were inseparable during the war are brought back together in 1947 when one of them receives a coded message in the mail - using a cypher they used to pass notes during the war. 

Osla, a German speaker is a debutante who dated Prince Phillip. Mab is from Shoreditch and took a secretarial course to get out and help her family. Beth is a master at crosswords and seeing patterns.

They are called to crack one more code - one that will save the lives of two of them. 

Quinn is a storytelling mage. Her historical fiction puts the reader right in the thick of it. Choose any of her books and you will be up well past your bedtime thoroughly engrossed.

Quinn, Kate. (2021). The Rose Code. New York: William Morrow.  

A Psalm for the Wild-Built (A Monk and Robot Book #1)

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers is the first book in the Monk and Robot series. 

Sibling Dex is a monk who is changing their job and planning to go on the road to offer tea service. After declining the optional training session, Dex is on the road with this Oxbike and trailer.

Tea Service is a ceremony where the monk parks, sets up a seating area and anyone can come and talk about their problems or ideas. At the end of the talk, the monk makes them a tea appropriate to the discussion / feelings expressed.

This is a part of Panga human culture centuries after the split between humans and robot. The land was divided fifty percent for humans and fifty percent for robots. 

When Sibling Dex decides that even the small villages are not as remote as they were hoping, they decide to try a pilgrimage to a former temple in the wilds.

Not too far off of the paved human road, Sibling Dex meets a robot! This is the first conversation between human and robot since the split. 

Chambers is a wonderful writer who brings humanity to her characters - regardless of species. This discussion between two very different beings illustrates what humans think of themselves versus what others might see. A beautiful book for all humans!

Chambers, Becky. (2021). A Psalm for the Wild-Built. New York: Tor.

Magic for Liars

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey is the story of Ivy Gamble being hired to solve a death at a high school for magic students - the same high school in which her sister teaches.

Ivy and her twin sister kinda went their separate ways when Tabitha started doing magic. You are either born with magic or you are not. Now Tabitha is a teacher at a prestigious magic school and Ivy is a hard-drinking private detective.

Ivy will have to investigate in a setting she does not understand. Her knowledge of magic is better than most, in that she knows it exists. But that is where her knowledge stops. She will have to decide who to trust to teach her as she interviews teachers and students to discover what happened to the woman who was divided in two in the library.

Gailey is a creative storyteller. Their books never go quite where you expect. If you need a book Sarah Gailey is always a great author to pick up.

Gailey, Sarah. (2019). Magic for Lairs. New York: Tor. 

The Forest of Vanishing Stars

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is the story of survival in the greatest of odds. 

Stolen from a wealthy German couple, Yona is raised in the forest by an old woman. Jerusza teaches her how to survive on what the land provides, how to avoid other people, and how to kill if necessary.

In 941, Jerusza dies, leaving Yona alone. While she stay away from the villages on the edges of the forest, she is starting to encounter more people in the woods. After a while she decides to intervene to help a family of three who will not make it without some guidance on how to live in the forest. 

They tell her of the Nazis and their abhorrent attempt to kill all Jewish people. Yona decides to help the Jews refugees who escape from the ghettos and make it to her forest.  

Harmel is a master of historical fiction story telling. This is an amazing book with a strong lead character whom we could all learn something from. 

Harmel, Kristin. (2021). The Forest of Vanishing Stars. New York: Gallery Books.

A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan #2)

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine is the second book in the Teixcalaan empire science fiction series. 

Mahit Dzmare is the ambassador to Teixcalaan from the small Lsel Station, a nation floating in space untied to any planet. She is home after an emotional start to her job in the capital city planet of Teixcalaan. She is hoping to take a small break from the intensity of politics - only to find herself in danger from one of her counselors. 

Back in Teixcalaan, Three Seagrass has been promoted. When she gets a request from their starships at the front of a new war - a request for someone to try and understand the alien language - she assigns herself to the job. She plans to pick up Mahit Dzmare on her way, as the fighting is just outside Lsel space's jumpgate.

This second book is every bit as good as the first. Martine's series has quickly become one of my top three science fiction series of all time! Can't wait for more...

Martine, Arkady. (2021). A Desolation Called Peace. New York: Tor. 

The Sun is a Compass: My 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds

The Sun is a Compass: My 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds by Caroline Van Hemert is the story of two people traveling from Bellingham, Washington to the Arctic Circle, ending in Kotzebue wholly under their own power - rowing, skiing, paddling, hiking.

After finishing a degree in biology, that kept her in the lab so long that she needed a trip to remind her of her love of birds and nature. Joined by her husband, Pat, a builder who designed and built his first cabin in Alaska at nineteen, they came up with an ambitious route that they tackled in 2012.

Traveling through the Inside Passage, Coast Mountains, Yukon River, Yukon, Mackenzie Delta, Artic Coast, Brooks Range and Noatak River this was an incredible jouney.

Van Hemert includes information on the birds they see along the way, including the Roufus Hummingbird who has the longest documented migration, there is so much in this adventure for bird lovers. 

Van Hemert, Caroline. (2019). The Sun is a Compass. New York: Little, Brown Sparks. 

A Chain Across the Dawn (Universe After #2)

A Chain Across the Dawn by Drew Williams is the second book in the science fiction series Universe After. 

Jane and Esa, a girl she rescued who has joined her mission, travel the stars in search of children with a gift - running into trouble occasionally. 

Jane and Esa are headed to a planet that should have little higher technology. The pulse wiped out most of it. They arrive in the middle of a war - the three sects always battling each other. 

They are looking for a young Wulf pup who controls, maybe even produces electricity. Arriving in the middle of the fighting will reduce the time they have to get him and get out safely.

Williams has written some great characters in this series. Their story continues here, with some more hints to the overall universe and what may come next. Great science fiction, fast reading.

Williams, Drew. (2019). A Chain Across the Dawn. New York: Tor.

The Hidden Place (Golem and Jinni #2)

The Hidden Place by Helene Wecker is the second historical fiction book featuring the Golem and the Jinni. This second book is every bit as wonderful as the first!

In the early 1900s Manhattan, there live (at least) two creatures passing themselves off as human - a golem who goes by Chava and works as a baker. And a jinni who works with metal in Little Syria, Ahmad. 

Both Chava and Ahmad have changed the lives of the humans around the for the better. Now it is time for their lives to change a bit, too. 

Sophia Winston lives on the upper edges of Central Park with her family. She has an illness that makes her very cold. She has told her parent that she is to travel to Europe to get better. They have hired two companions to accompany her - and report back to her parents. 

Wecker is an amazing writer. You will be captured on the first page and long for more when you complete both books. If you are only going to read one thing this year, start here. 

Wecker, Helene. (2021). The Hidden Place. New York: Harper.

With the Fire on High

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo is the story of

Emoni Santiago is a high school senior, mother of a three year old, who loves to cook and lives with her grandmother. She loves to cook. Her family and friends say they can feel the emotion she puts into her meals. 

While juggling all of responsibilities Emoni has to figure out what is next for her when she graduates. What is the best plan for her and her daughter.

When an unexpected elective offers her the chance to study under a real chef, she cannot pass it up. How she will raise the money for the end of the year trip to Italy is another question.

Acevedo has piled responsibility on this character. And Emoni is plenty smart and tough enough to handle it. She has decision to make that remind us that while you may not be able to have it all right now, there is more than one path to get to your dreams.

Acevedo, Elizabeth. (2019). With the Fire on High. New York: Quill Tree Books.

The Stars Now Unclaimed (Universe After #1)

The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams is the first book in the Universe After series, a fast-paced race through the galaxies. 

About 100 years ago, a pulse traveled across known space, knocking out technology as it went. No all planets were hit at the same level. Some sent back to pre-combustion engine and some left virtually untouched. The one positive side-effect is that the intergalactic wars came to a halt.

Another side effect, seems to be some children being both with a skill, or power, to do what the ordinary human cannot.

Jane Kamali is a pilot, soldier and agent for the Justified. Her role is to rescue children with special gifts - children who are often look upon with suspicion on the backwards planets. 

Jane has just arrived on a planet that has about old West technology. She is looking for a child, she doesn't yet know who. Her first stop is the local church - always a good place to pick up town gossip. 

Williams has created a fun series filled with different types of sentient being, in the feel of Becky Chambers, but set in a time of unease. The wars would not have stopped if the pulse had not stranded most spaceships where they were. This is a great, fast read with some wonderful characters. 

Williams, Drew. (2018). The Stars Now Unclaimed. New York: Tor. 

The Secret to Superhuman Strength

The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel is an illustrated memoir of her life using exercise as the viewpoint.

After a book on her father and one on her mother, Bechdel tells of her relationship to exercise as both a way of being in shape, following the latest fads, and breaking the gender norms of her childhood.

She looks for enlightenment and the exercise for her in her usual light but poignant way. 

Bechdel is the master of the graphic novel form. It is a high art to be able to convey so much in each panel - limited by space that leads to such succinct dialog.  

Bechdel, Alison. (2021). The Secret to Superhuman Strength. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

The Best We Could Do

The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui is a beautifully told story of her family history.

This is the story of a Vietnamese family from generations before the American war, to living in the United States to raise the next generation. 

Beginning with the birth of her first child - the first drawing is a very pregnant belly - Thi looks back at her family and their history as she takes on the role of teacher for the next generation. 

The history of Vietnam from colonization, war, politics to her family in a refugee camp and emigrating to the US, this is a beautifully told story of hardship and choices for a better life. 

This is an example of why immigration is beneficial to both the people leaving to start again, and the nation that receives their knowledge and different way of looking at things. Immigration makes a country stronger.

Bui, Thi. (2017). The Best We Could Do. New York: Abrams.

A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1)

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine is the first book in the Teixcalaan science fiction series. 

Mahit Dzmare is being sent from Lsel Station, a nation that exists in outer space on mining vessels, to the hungry empire of Teixcalaan - a political entity known for subsuming anyone who lives too close. 

Mahit was called with no notice to be ambassador. She doesn't know what happened to the previous ambassador Yskandr. She does have what is common in Lsel - an implant in her brain stem that allows her to access his knowledge. This is how whey pass knowledge on to the next generation. Unfortunately, Yskandr has not been back to update the information so she has no way of knowing the situation she is walking into.

When she arrives at the city-planet at the center of Emperor Six Direction's rule, she finds that Yskandr is dead. Her assigned liaison has trained her whole life to serve an ambassador, but Mahit is not sure who to trust. Three Seagrass has no idea what happened before her promotion but is willing to join Mahit in finding out - even if that means risking her life to do so.

This first book in the series is engaging, filled with political intrigue, confusion of the new ambassador, rumblings of a revolt against the emperor - everything a space opera should be and more. If you are a science fiction fan, read this!  

Martine, Arkady. (2019). A Memory Called Empire. New York: Tor.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo is the story of a Chinese American young woman coming of as in 1950s San Francisco and balancing her budding lesbianism with her family culture. 

Seventeen year old Lily Hu lives in China town with her family. When at a friend's restaurant one evening, she sees in the paper an ad for a male impersonator. Her curiosity is piqued. Lily dreams of leaving the neighborhood where everyone knows her to explore other ways of life.

At classmate she has shared classes with but not often spoken to, Kathleen Miller, sees the newspaper clipping when Lily drops her book. Kath has seen that same ad, and the show it references.

Through shy hints and slowly opening up to each other, Lily and Kath find they have something in common. Their discovery is both exciting and dangerous - in the midst of the McCarthy era.

Lo is a wonderful writer, one of my favorites. She is a master as historical fiction. Read this book for a glimpse into our past. 

Lo, Malinda. (2021). Last Night at the Telegraph Club. New York: Dutton Books.

The Seed Keeper

The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson is the story of one woman's journey from foster care back to her Native American roots. 

Rosalie Iron Wing was twelve when her father died. Instead of looking for relatives, the state removed her from her tribe and placed her with a foster family hours from home. In her case, the foster family was only in it for the money and free labor, not to help a girl who lost her parent.

As Rosalie grows up, she has few encounters with other Lakota. One friend at school reminds her of a home that is fading from memory.

When Rosalie takes a job working in a corn field her senior year - in the hopes of saving money to move away on her eighteenth birthday - she recalls her father teaching her about plants near their cabin. This fertilizes a long dormant seed in her about her family and being Lakota.

I will admit I am biased in favor of any book about plants or animals, but The Seed Keeper is also an important look at the history of how the US and state governments treat Native Americans. 

Read-A-Like for plant lovers / gardeners The Overstory.

Wilson, Diane. (2021). The Seed Keeper. Canada: Milkweed Editions. 

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar is a beautiful tale of one family's difficult time during the Islamic revolution in Iran. Translated from Persian.

Narrated by Bahar, a thirteen year old ghost, we follow her family as they flee from Tehran for a small village in the forest. They build a house in the woods where they can continue to enjoy the now illegal music, books and intellectual freedom they had before the revolution.

In the chaos of the time they are only trying to go on living. While the violence of the time intrudes, the writing of this family tale is more folktale than horror story. Infused with magical realism, this based on real life tale, is poignant in our unstable times.

Azar and her translator have created a story that will quickly become a classic. Read this book for the beauty of an ancient culture trying to survive in the midst of political oppression.  

Azar, Shokoofeh. (2017). The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree. NY: Europa Editions.