Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White, by Melissa Sweet
This is a children’s biography of the lovely E.B. White. This is a gorgeous book written and illustrated by Sweet who uses collage and mixed media art to bring to life White’s works. So good it made me tear up in places.
 
Cinders and Sparrows, by Stefan Bachmann
Zita is an orphan working as a servant when she gets a message, delivered by scarecrow, that she is the heir to a castle. She travels to cavernous Blackbird Castle to find she comes from a family of powerful witches. She begins to learn magic from the cold Mrs. Cantanker and becomes friends with the servant boy and girl. There is a mystery surrounding the castle and Zita must learn to use her magic well before it’s too late. Cinders and Sparrows is a great read. It has enjoyable characters, great worldbuilding, and just enough spookiness.
 
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, by Garth Nix
Brand new Garth Nix? Of course I must read it! This book is a bit of a departure from his standard fare, which usually takes place in imaginary worlds. This one is set firmly in a real-life London of 1983. It reminded me a bit of Diana Wynne Jones, which is never a bad thing. The story follows Susan as she goes to London to discover the identity of her father. She gets caught up with Merlin, a young person who is part of a family of ‘booksellers’ that are really the magical keepers of the arcane. When evil forces start hunting Susan, she and Merlin must go on the run to find her father and put a stop to a devilish plot. This is a one-off for Nix and a lot of fun. While I love his Abhorsen series, I do like it when he steps aside and writes single books—like he did with A Confusion of Princes.
 
And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie
Another audio book. I was in the mood for some Agatha and got this one from the library streaming service. Apparently, it is her bestselling book. I can understand why. Ten strangers are invited to a modern mansion on a tiny remote island off the coast of England. Then they start dying one by one. Who’s the murderer if there is no one on the island but themselves? The audio was narrated by Dan Stevens (of Downton Abbey fame) and he was wonderful. He brought a lot to the story. Not that you can really go wrong with an Agatha Christie book.
 
The Switch, by Beth O’Leary
Career-minded Leena is off her game, not having gotten over her sister’s death the year before. Eileen is ready for a new start after her husband of fifty years left her for another woman. So what does this granddaughter/grandmother pair do? Switch their lives. Leena moves to her Grandma’s place in rural Yorkshire. Eileen moves into Leena’s posh flat with her very modern roommates. This book is absolutely charming. Each character goes through a lot of changes and comes up with a happy ending that you’ll love.
 
Witch Hat Atelier (Vol. 1), by Kamome Shirahama
This manga was recommended to me by a coworker. Coco wants to be a witch and when she discovers that to be a witch only requires special ink and a knowledge of symbols, she causes her life to blow up. The magician, Qifrey, rescues her and takes her to learn magic in his school. He has an ulterior motive—to find the dangerous witch who gave Coco the magic ink. This is a cute story with almost too-cute art. It didn’t really grab me though, so I won’t be reading any more volumes.

Ikenga, by Nnedi Okorafor
I’m a huge fan of Okorafor and this is her first foray into middle grade fiction—although I think her YA novel Akata Witch could be for younger readers. In this one, Nnamdi is mourning the murder of his father, the town’s police chief, and vows to avenge him. When he is given a totem, the Ikenga, it gives him Hulk-like powers which he uses to track down the murderer. Nnamdi soon learns that might doesn’t make right and has to navigate some delicate situations that require a lot more than strength. Great story and interesting setting (Nigeria) that would serve as a good introduction for kids looking to read books beyond the U.S.
 
The Clockwork Crow, by Catherine Fisher
Another middle grade read. I loved several of Fisher’s young adult series, so I had to pick up this one. Fisher’s work often combines fantasy with sci fi in really imaginative ways. The Clockwork Crow combines fantasy with steam punk and is just as much fun. Orphan Seren, on her way to her new home, becomes guardian to a package that turns out to be clockwork parts. When she puts them together, she creates a sentient clockwork crow. Together they work to uncover the mystery surrounding her new home. Lots of fun and set at Christmas time.
 
The Relentless Moon, by Mary Robinette Kowal
I’m a huge fan of Kowal’s Lady Astronaut series, and this third book was fantastic. Maybe even better than the first two and I loved those books. This one takes place on Earth and on the Moon base, following Elma’s good friend and fellow astronaut Nicole Wargin as she navigates the vagaries of politics, misogyny, aging, and a mole trying to sabotage the space program by destroying the Moon base. This book is so damn good!
 
Mañanaland, by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Ryan’s last book, Echo, is one of my very favorites (and should have won the Newbery) and while not as great as that one, Mañanaland is a delight. It has a fairytale quality to it that makes it seem both magical and ordinary. The story is about Max who feels like he’s old enough to be told why his mother left him as a baby, but his father doesn’t want to talk about it. When his father has to go away for a few weeks, Max finds out more of the secrets his father and grandfather keep from him and he has to choose what to do with that knowledge and figure out what kind of person he wants to be.
 
Beach Read, by Emily Henry
A fun romance about two writers—of very different genres—who decide to write in the other’s genre to see who gets published first. Since her father’s death, January, a successful romance writer, has had writer’s block. Enter her college foe and fellow writer, Augustus. He writes serious literary fiction. To show him that romance is not easy to write, January dares him to write a romance. They agree to do “research” for each of their new books together—he takes her to research a cult and she takes him on cliché romance dates. You can guess the rest. It’s a very sweet book.
 
Leonard & Hungry Paul, by Ronan Hession
This is Irish author Hession’s first book and it is lovely. It’s a nice story about nice people going through some life changes and doing it nicely. You’d think a book that I use three “nice”s to describe would be boring. It was not. I was eager to read about introvert Leonard’s hesitant romance and the slightly odd Hungry Paul’s small efforts to make the world a better place. This is a hard book to describe because the biggest villain is Hungry Paul’s sister who is cranky with pre-wedding jitters. I kept thinking something bad would happen, but it didn’t. I feel like I need to recommend this book to everybody who wants to escape into a story where nothing much happens, and that is a very good thing.
 
(Side note: I ‘reread’ Martha Wells’ Network Effect by listening to it. As I’ve already reviewed it twice before, I thought I better not do another. However, I do recommend the audio. The reader does a great job of bringing Murderbot to life.)

The Ballad of Black Tom, by Victor Lavalle
This one had been on my TBR list since I read The Changeling. It’s delightfully creepy. Yet, it’s also a serious commentary on police brutality and systemic racism that is incredibly timely for a book set in the 1920s. Tom is a young hustler from Harlem who gets caught up in a rich white man’s gambit to unleash an eldritch horror. For a novella, it has a lot of plot twists and some seriously sad events. Overall, it is a great read.
 
This Was Our Pact, by Ryan Andrews
This graphic novel is soooo good. A friend gave it to me for my birthday more than a year ago and it’s been sitting on my shelf. The cover does nothing to explain what the book is about, which is probably why I didn’t read it earlier. Ben and his friends vow to follow the lanterns released on the river for the autumn festival until they reach the sea or they turn into the Milky Way, which is what the stories say. Ben’s friends veer off, except for Nathaniel—the class misfit. From there, he and Ben follow the river meeting a talking bear, a witch and her dog, find a cavern filled with stars, and have more dream-like adventures. Beautiful artwork, super imaginative, and filled with delight, I wish I had read this sooner.
 
Strange Weather in Tokyo, by Hiromi Kawakami
A quirky romance between a 30-something woman and her retired former high school teacher. Tsukiko and her teacher, Sensei, wind up drinking at the same bar and strike up a friendship (even though she had been a terrible student). Over the months and years, they become more than drinking buddies. Tsukiko dates a man she went to school with, but never feels like she fits in his world. Subtle and understated, this is a gem of a story. I’m not generally a fan of May/December romances, but here, Tsukiko has all the agency which makes this romance more palatable (for me).
 
Skein Island, by Aliya Whiteley
So, this book. I started it last December, but it was just too scary for me. I was enjoying the building horror, but had to have the heart to finish—and this past half year has not been in the least calming. However, I did finish and really enjoyed it. It takes on themes of male/female relationships—the mythos around them—and the mythological ideal of hero, victim, sage, sidekick, and heroine. Basically, the stories we tell ourselves to make the world work. This book is not for everyone. In fact, I’m not sure who I’d recommend it too and that’s what I love to do. But it does make you think.
 
Sorcery of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson
A fun YA fantasy about a series of libraries that hold all the grimoires of sorcery in the country and the girl who grew up among their magic. In this world, sorcerers are evil but their books of magic—which are practically alive—are important works of knowledge, so kept safe by librarians. Elisabeth’s greatest desire is to be a warden, a protector/soldier of the libraries. When her library’s most evil book is unleashed, she battles it to the death, but is then accused of setting it free and sent to trial in the city, escorted by a young sorcerer, Nathaniel Thorn, and his demon servant. Once there, they have to stop a plot that seeks to unleash the greatest demon. Sorcery of Thorns felt a bit derivative to me. It takes a lot from Garth Nix’s Abhorsen series, the movie version of Howl’s Moving Castle, and several other stories—and doesn’t shy away from acknowledging those influences—but it does make the story its own in a completely enjoyable way.
 
Onibi: Diary of a Yokai Ghost Hunter, by Atelier Sento
Another graphic novel, this time on one of my favorite subjects, Japanese Yokai. Yokai are spirits or ghosts. This story follows two siblings from France as they explore some of Japans most haunted places trying to get pictures of yokai. This story uses a lovely compilation of drawn comics and altered photography to tell a fun story.

The Library of Legends, by Janie Chang
I picked this one up because of the library part in the title. It doesn’t have a whole lot to do with books. It was a very good story that was more of a historical novel really. Students in a Chinese university must evacuate inland when the Japanese invade mainland China in 1937. Stored at the university is the remaining volumes of a book about Chinese myths and each student is given a copy to transport inland. We follow Lian, a young woman, as she discovers the magical truth behind the volume she carries—the spiritual guardians of China are leaving. I didn’t know about this little piece of history (the student evacuations) or that China was fighting a two-front war against the Chinese communists, so this was really interesting to me. Very well written, with a nice love story subplot.
 
I Lost My Girlish Laughter, by Jane Allen
Madge Lawrence is new to Hollywood and she lands a job as personal secretary to one of the biggest producers in town. What follows is a months long back-and-forth trying to get his next big hit made. And it is hilarious. This book was written in 1937, but it could have been written today it was so fresh. The insight into not only Hollywood egos but also human nature makes this a true classic. A not-quite-epistolary novel, written in letters, memos, and diary entries, I Lost My Girlish Laughter is just plain fun. Highly recommend it.
 
Take a Hint, Dani Brown, by Talia Hibbert
The second book in Hibbert’s presumed trilogy about the Brown sisters. This one follows last year’s Get a Life, Chloe Brown, which I loved. This is about Chloe’s second sister—a PhD candidate in literature who likes to have sex but wants no strings attached. Enter Zafir, a former rugby player turned security guard. They have a friendship that turns into something more when they’re caught on camera looking like lovers during a fire drill. It’s good marketing for Zafir’s charity, so Dani can’t turn down his plea for a fake relationship. And you can guess how it ends. Sweet and fun, Hibbert makes both main characters so full of history and personality you can’t help but want to hang out with them.
 
Kerry & the Knight of the Forest, by Andi Waston
A graphic novel. I’ve been behind on reading comics/manga/graphic novels lately, but am making up for it. This is a tale about a big-hearted boy trying to get through an evil forest in order to save his parents from an illness. The guide is a sentient, mobile rock that used to be a guardian of the forest before the forest was taken over by an evil spirit. The boy and the Knight have to battle evil trees, ghosts, and monsters to get to the other side. There were a surprising number of twists and turns in the story and the art is awesome, but the story didn’t dig deep enough into the characters to make this anything other than a nice read for a couple of hours.
 
The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal
A reread of one of my favorites from the last few years. You can’t go wrong with Elma’s story, following a meteorite that takes out Washington, D.C. in 1952 and triggers a rise in temperature that means that all life will be gone in a hundred years. The space program is accelerated to get people off Earth and into space and math genius, expert pilot Elma means to be one of the first astronauts. Such a good book! I read it in anticipation of the release of the third book in the series, The Relentless Moon.
 
Every Heart a Doorway, by Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire is a beloved author of fantasy, but I hadn’t read any of her work before. This was a great introduction. The first of six (so far) novellas in the Wayward Children series, Every Heart is about a school for children who have visited one of myriad of fairylands and have returned home. Nancy is new to the school, having spent several years in the land of the dead, and is soon involved in searching for a murderer at the school. Surprising at every turn, this was a well-written story that was as engrossing as it was imaginative.
 
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea, by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Imperial colonials desperate to own the world, pirates who don’t abide by the code, the sentient sea and her mermaid daughters, memory and loss, a girl disguised as a boy, and a witch that lives on the side of an enormous cliff. Seriously, why wouldn’t you want to read this? Add in a lovely romance and a truly satisfying ending (though a little sad) and you will have a delightful read. This young adult novel is getting a lot of buzz and deservedly so. Highly recommended.

Making patches is so much fun! I made this for a friend who loves the anime/manga "Fruits Basket" as much as I do.