I’ve done this a few times some years ago, but as a practice, it never stuck. But as I spend time doing this every month for myself, I might as well take a couple of minutes and post it, right? This is not going to be exhaustive list—I’ll probably read other things, too, and may not get to all of these. But as of today, this is my plan. This is entirely too ambitious, but it’s where I find myself. Those titles marked with a † are those I’m prioritizing, but I’m hoping to get to the rest/most of the rest, too.
The Undefeated †
by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world's greatest heroes. The text is also peppered with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing stark attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present. Robust back matter at the end provides valuable historical context and additional detail for those wishing to learn more.
This is another from that Slate list that I’ve been working through. It sounds great–I don’t know how they’re going to pull all that off in the length of a Picture Book.
An Icelandic Adventure: One Family’s Mostly Successful Quest for Puffins, Pleasure, and Perfect Pizza †
by S. Bavey
Join the Bavey family in the Land of Ice and Fire. Experience 24-hour daylight, waterfalls galore, a nail-biting super jeep trip up a mountain onto the largest glacier in Europe, a duck boat tour on an iceberg lagoon and many wildlife encounters. The outpouring of lava from the recent volcanic eruption threatens to stop them from reaching the famous Blue Lagoon. Will they make it? And will they see any puffins before it’s time for them to depart?
I bought this years ago when it was first published. I haven’t made time for it yet, and that’s a mistake.
The House With a Clock in Its Walls †
by John Bellairs
When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan. comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermann, are both magicians! Lewis is thrilled. At first, watching magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Selenna Izard. It seems that Selenna and her husband built a timepiece into the walls--a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!
I’m tackling this one for a reading challenge, sure. But also, a friend has been working his way through all of Bellairs books, as well as the author who picked up his series, and has been having a blast with it. I’ve gotta check it out for myself.
Suppression of Powers
by JCM Berne
First entry in the SECOND ARC of the Hybrid Helix: Black Gold
Rohan doesn't want to be famous, to be rich, or to rule over the galaxy with an iron fist. All he wants is a peaceful life towing ships, a decent cup of coffee, and time to pursue the woman of his dreams.
First he'll have to tame or destroy a self-centered god, a sector-spanning evil empire, and a race of slumbering moon-sized vampiric cephalopods.
That will require new allies by his side and new tricks up the sleeves of his purple and yellow jumpsuit.
Allies like the il'Zkin, cat people who can't leave their homeworld, or the kaiju of Toth 3, monsters he can't control. Tricks like the mystical technique given to him by Spiral, his mentor, that seems completely incompatible with the Hybrid rage that has been his greatest strength.
When his friend Wei Li receives visitors from her own mysterious past, Rohan realizes they might hold the keys to helping him with several of those problems.
Those visitors seem to have other ideas.
Reading Eyes of Empire this summer reminded me how much I love this series and renewed my desire to get caught up with it tout suite. So, here we go!
Dawn †
by Octavia E. Butler
When Lilith lyapo wakes from a centuries-long sleep, she finds herself aboard the vast spaceship of the Oankali. She discovers that the Oankali--a seemingly benevolent alien race--intervened in the fate of the humanity hundreds of years ago, saving everyone who survived a nuclear war from a dying, ruined Earth and then putting them into a deep sleep. After learning all they could about Earth and its beings, the Oankali healed the planet, cured cancer, increased human strength, and they now want Lilith to lead her people back to Earth--but salvation comes at a price.
Hopeful and thought-provoking, this post-apocalyptic narrative deftly explores gender and race through the eyes of characters struggling to adapt during a pivotal time of crisis and change.
Sure, this is a book club selection. But reading reading this makes blurb I think would make me want to read it regardless.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? †
by Philip K. Dick
By 2021, the World War has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remain covet any living creature, and for people who can’t afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacra: horses, birds, cats, sheep. They’ve even built humans. Immigrants to Mars receive androids so sophisticated they are indistinguishable from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans can wreak, the government bans them from Earth. Driven into hiding, unauthorized androids live among human beings, undetected. Rick Deckard, an officially sanctioned bounty hunter, is commissioned to find rogue androids and “retire” them. But when cornered, androids fight back—with lethal force.
How I’ve made it this far in my life without reading this book, I cannot fathom. Time to fix that.
Teen Titans: Together †
by Kami Garcia, Gabriel Picolo
H.I.V.E. has been experimenting on teens with superhuman abilities, and Kori Anders is next on their list. Dick Grayson, Rachel 'Raven' Roth, Garfield Logan, Max Navarro, and Damian Wayne got to Los Angeles to save her before Slade Wilson found her, but should she trust these strangers? After all, they’ve accused her mom’s fiancé of abduction, experimentation, and torture! And Kory’s new friend, Victor Stone has a summer internship designing next-level prosthetics at Edge Labs, a company funding H.I.V.E.
To make matters worse, Kori’s sister Kira is working with the organization and singing its praises. H.I.V.E. has a plan for taking down Raven’s demon father, Trigon. It's got a plan for training the next generation of superheroes. It's got plans for everything.
Lines blur as the teens struggle to decide what to do. H.I.V.E. might be their greatest ally…but at what cost? Can the Teen Titans pull together a plan before they fall apart?
I’ve been enjoying the take on the Titans that Garca/Picolo have been rolling out the last few years. Of course I have to jump on this.
Fallen Star
by Lee Goldberg
A fifty-five-gallon drum washes up in the Malibu Lagoon stuffed with the corpse of Gene Dent, the key player in a bribery scandal that ensnared several local politicians. LASD detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone know the case--and all the likely suspects--well. Just as they begin their investigation, the sheriff publicly reveals evidence linking the crime to LA's mayor.
But Eve and Duncan realize the bombshell allegation, true or not, arises from corruption within the sheriff's own office...because they helped cover it up years ago. If the sheriff goes down, so will they.
Eve is agonizing over her moral dilemma when a helicopter crashes in the hillside below her Calabasas home. It's not a coincidence. Eve soon discovers among the twisted wreckage and dead passengers shocking connections to her own past...and they lead straight to a fight for her life.
Things got away from me last year, and I didn’t read Eve’s adventure. One of those oversights that’s been bugging me–with a new Eve novel coming out in October, it’s one I need to fix.
Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI †
by Karen Hao
When AI expert and investigative journalist Karen Hao first began covering OpenAI, she thought they were the good guys. Founded as a nonprofit with safety enshrined, the organization was meant to act as a check against more purely mercantile forces. What could go wrong?
Over time, Hao wrestled with that question. Increasingly, she realized that this disruptive sector’s vision of success requires an unprecedented amount of resources: the “compute” power of high-end chips and the processing capacity to create massive large language models, the sheer volume of data that needs to be amassed at scale, the humans “cleaning up” that data for sweatshop wages throughout the Global South, and a truly alarming spike in the usage of energy and water underlying it all. We have entered a new age of empire where only a handful of globally scaled companies can enter the field of play.
Armed with billions, pushing on trillions, OpenAI is setting a breakneck pace—toward what end, not even they can define. All this time, Hao has maintained deep sourcing within the company and the industry, keeping in intimate contact with the story that shocked the entire tech industry—Altman’s sudden firing and triumphant return. The behind-the-scenes of what happened is revelatory of who the people controlling this technology really are. But this isn’t just the story of a single company. As Hao shows through intrepid global reporting, the enormous wheels of extraction grind on. An astonishing eyewitness view from both the command capsule of the new economy and where the real suffering happens, Empire of AI pierces the veil of the industry defining our era.
When I brought The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI back to the library a few weeks back, one of the librarians asked if I’d read this. It sounded good enough that I wanted to give it a shot.
Eating Salad Drunk: Haikus for the Burnout Age by Comedy Greats †
edited by Gabe Henry
In Eating Salad Drunk, comedy's biggest names come together to deliver succinct, hard-hitting humor in the form of haikus. Tackling topics from modern romance and screentime to self-love and loathing, these poignant and sometimes dirty poems offer a fresh perspective on coping in our "burnout age."
Contributors include Jerry Seinfeld, Michael Ian Black, Aubrey Plaza, Margaret Cho, Maria Bamford, Ray Romano, Aparna Nancherla, Ziwe Fumudoh, Chris Gethard, Sasheer Zamata, Colin Mochrie, Zach Woods, and many more! Curated by Gabe Henry, manager of Brooklyn's popular Littlefield comedy venue, Eating Salad Drunk also features 50 relatable black and white drawings by New Yorker cartoonist Emily Flake and a foreword by comedian and actor Aparna Nancherla (Crashing, BoJack Horseman, Inside Amy Schumer).
Eating Salad Drunk is the perfect gift for any fan of humor seeking an escape from our dystopian present. All author proceeds go towards Comedy Gives Back, supporting mental health and crisis resources for comedians.
I need to read a poetry collection for a challenge, and just don’t have the mental capacity for something more serious. Also, if you check out the list of contributors, you just have to dive in.
Unpredictable Magic
by Faith Hunter
Angelina Everhart-Trueblood and her brother Evan run Everhart Investigations, a PI firm in Chattanooga that solves paranormal crimes committed by supernatural beings. When their new client wants help finding her friend, who supposedly disappeared during a reception at Angie’s aunt Jane’s winter residence, things get . . . complicated.
The client is not who she appears to be, and demons strike the city for the first time since the Witch War. On top of that, evidence is pointing toward the involvement of an overly ambitious vampire—who just happens to be Angie’s ex-husband.
As Angie and Evan team up with CPD, they will have to dig deep into their magical reserves—and rely on some friends in high places—to rid Chattanooga of the danger creeping into their city.
Like I said last month, I really only needed “Angelina Everhart-Trueblood and her brother Evan run Everhart Investigations” to be sold on this. Angie and Evan as adults? I’m in.
Sure, the rest of the blurb sounds good, but it’s just extra icing on the cake.
Fool †
by K.R. Lockhaven
Kyrien's ascendancy from a prisoner of war to the trusted "Fool and Advisor to the God-King" has been the stuff of storybooks. He owes his dramatic reversal of fortune to Vaerain, the God-King himself. Kyrien's life in the capital city is blessed with fame, riches, and a beautiful young family. But when a group of unknown conspirators kidnaps his son, his charmed world collapses. The people holding his son have one demand, which they believe Kyrien is in a unique position to grant-they want to know where the king, the only person in the world who wields god-like magic, derives his powers. As Kyrien and his wife, Acali, begin to unravel this mystery under the watchful eyes of the king and his religious zealots, they learn that their blessed life has always come at a steep cost and that a revolution is brewing among the city's poor and trampled. The deeper they dig, the more Kyrien questions his reverence for the man he once saw as his savior. Kyrien and Acali will stop at nothing to find answers and get their son back, even if it means tearing the kingdom apart.
This book comes out in a couple of weeks and I want to give it a read in its final version–I read it in beta and really enjoyed it. I assume I’m going to enjoy it more now.
A Divided Duty †
by Seanan McGuire
October “Toby” Daye is settling into life with a baby, remembering the ins and outs of motherhood, and trying to find ways to balance her work with her desire to keep her baby safe at home and away from all the terrors Faerie has to offer. Her whole household is pitching in, from May all the way down to Raysel, the estranged daughter of Toby’s liege lord, who is currently serving out a term of offense in Toby’s home.
Naturally, as everything is beginning to find a balance, it’s time for Raysel’s term of offense to end, and Luna Torquill very much wants her daughter back.
But Toby has been helping Raysel get the help she desperately needs, from giving her a safe place to hide all the way to finding her a licensed therapist who works with the fae, and Raysel isn’t ready to leave. Luna isn’t taking no for an answer, and before anyone can realize what she’s planning, she steals her own child away to Blind Michael’s lands.
Not even Luna knows all the terrible secrets her father and his works hid from the world, and not even she can protect her daughter from the monsters in their lineage. All too quickly, Toby must race the clock to save Raysel—before it’s too late for her to ever come home.
It’s been years, but now the question will be asked again: can she get there and back by the light of a candle?
Toby Daye books are a highlight of my Fall the last several years, so I was eager to read this even before I read the description. But Toby and Luna butting heads in Blink Michael’s land? Come on…why am I wasting time writing about it when I could be reading it?
The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing †
by Marshall J. Moore
As the laboratory assistant to the brilliant but demanding Doctor, Igor spends his nights robbing graves, stitching together body parts, and ensuring that his master doesn’t electrocute himself (too badly).
When a mob of peasants wielding torches and pitchforks drives them out of town (again), Igor and the Doctor relocate to the isolated Ravenwald Manor to resume their experiments creating new life from dead flesh. But Igor and the Doctor are not the only ones seeking refuge within the walls of Ravenwald. The manor is already home to a vampiric Count and his highly dissatisfied bride, Cornelia—and an enigmatic witch and her feline familiar, Grimalkin, intend to use it as the site of a magical ritual.
At Igor’s suggestion, the three pairs come to an uneasy agreement to cohabitate in Ravenwald, lest they attract the suspicion of the nearby village. In the wake of this truce, Igor, Cornelia, and Grimalkin soon begin to realize that they might have more common with one another than their respective masters. When the trio discovers that they've been unwitting participants in a horrible plan to destroy the world as they know it, they must work together to stop their masters from bringing on armageddon . . . and stop the increasingly suspicious villagers from reaching for their pitchforks and torches.
Igor, Grim, and Cornelia must unite to cast off the chains of their masters and embrace life on their own terms in the hilarious, heartwarming, and just-scary-enough The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing.
This ARC seems like a good mix of humor and pre-Halloween fun.
Dreamers †
by Yuyi Morales
We are resilience. We are hope. We are dreamers.
Yuyi Morales brought her hopes, her passion, her strength, and her stories with her, when she came to the United States in 1994 with her infant son. She left behind nearly everything she owned, but she didn't come empty-handed.
From the author-illustrator of Bright Star, Dreamers is a celebration of making your home with the things you always carry: your resilience, your dreams, your hopes and history. It's the story of finding your way in a new place, of navigating an unfamiliar world and finding the best parts of it. In dark times, it's a promise that you can make better tomorrows.
This lovingly-illustrated picture book memoir looks at the myriad gifts migrantes bring with them when they leave their homes. It's a story about family. And it's a story to remind us that we are all dreamers, bringing our own strengths wherever we roam. Beautiful and powerful at any time but given particular urgency as the status of our own Dreamers becomes uncertain, this is a story that is both topical and timeless.
The lyrical text is complemented by sumptuously detailed illustrations, rich in symbolism. Also included are a brief autobiographical essay about Yuyi's own experience, a list of books that inspired her (and still do), and a description of the beautiful images, textures, and mementos she used to create this book.
This looks appealing–if only for the art. Message should prove good, too.
The Cat Who Saved the Library †
by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai
A chronic asthma condition prevents thirteen-year-old Nanami from playing sports or spending time with her friends after school. But nothing can stop her from one of her favorite activities. Nanami loves to read and happily spends much of her free time in the library, cocooned among the stacks.
Then one day, Nanami notices that, despite the library being as deserted as ever, some of her favorite books, including literary classics like Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Thief and Anne of Green Gables are disappearing from the shelves. When she alerts the library staff, they dismiss her concerns. But just as Nanami is about to return to her reading, she spots a suspicious man in a gray suit. Eager to discover what he’s up to, she follows him. The chase is cut short when Nanami suffers an asthma attack. By the time she catches her breath, the man has disappeared and all that is left behind is a mysterious light filtering through the library’s familiar passageways.
That’s when Tiger, the talking tabby cat who saves books, comes to the rescue. Are Nanami and Tiger prepared to face the dangerous challenges that lie ahead? Why are faceless gray soldiers burning books in a stone castle? And what happened to Rintaro, the socially withdrawn hero who helped Tiger save books in a second-hand bookshop? At a time of increased book bannings worldwide, Sosuke Natsukawa urges us not to underestimate the power of great literature—and to be prepared to defend our freedom to choose.
It’s time for me to tackle the sequel to my favorite novella translated from Japanese. I hope this is almost as good.
The Name of the Wind †
by Patrick Rothfuss
DAY ONE: THE NAME OF THE WIND
My name is Kvothe.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.
So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature—the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man’s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.
I honestly don’t care if we get The Doors of Stone anymore or not. At least not when I think about this book. It’s an all-time favorite, and thanks to the Fantasy Book Club, I have an excuse to re-read it. YES!!
The Confederacy Myth: How an Insurrection of Slaveholders Tried to Destroy the United States †
by Connor Williams
What can Americans learn about our divided country today from the Civil War that divided us in the past?
Connor Williams’s The Confederacy Myth answers that question with a blistering historical exposé that reframes our understanding of the Confederacy towards with what it really was - a relatively small insurrection of uncompromising fanatics that plunged the nation into its deadliest war.
In his new book, Williams reveals the truth about the Confederacy by unraveling its myths and uncovering its perilous political tactics, irate ideologies, reckless brand of warfare, impotent governance, and enduring commitment to slavery. Most importantly, Williams reminds us why the United States prevailed in the Civil War: five out of six Americans resisted the Confederate insurgency and instead put everything on the line to fight for democracy so that our Republic would have a new birth of freedom.
The Confederacy Myth is at once an eye-opening work of history as well as a timely reminder of our duties as citizens today.
I had a moment of weakness when I saw this listed on NetGalley–I felt like I needed more history on my list this year. So, here I am trying to squeeze this in before the month is out.
The Dragon Has Some Complaints
by John Wiswell
Garrodigh was once a four-headed dragon, among the most powerful in Kardoša. After an unfortunate incident, he now has three heads, one stump, and a daily whirlwind of internal bickering. Centerhead wants to rain death upon all humanity, Bottomhead is like a feral cat, and Upperhead is under the delicate delusion that he is, in fact, human.
When a nearby battle goes awry, Garrodigh sneaks into an elite dragon rider academy, pretending to be tame to get free food and a warm bed. Lucky for him, rider Rania Charvátová is desperate enough for a dragon of her own that she overlooks his eccentricities.
As Garrodigh recovers under Rania’s care, all three heads start to turn, for the first time, in the same direction. Each wants to protect her from the invaders who killed their fourth head—the same invaders who seek to conquer Kardoša. When the academy comes under attack, can this wild dragon and his wilder rider save their homeland together?
This cozy fantasy intertwines epic battles with loving friendships, sharing an utterly unique perspective on what it means to be a “monster.”
A couple of bloggers I respect sang this book’s praises, and it looked like something I had to grab. Now I just need to find room to get ‘er read.
(Image by DaModernDaVinci from Pixabay)
