I'm beginning to see a pattern in my reading habits. When I abandon books I'm not completely into, I end up reading more great books. Imagine that. In non-book news, both the husband and I are vaccinated! Some of my anxiety has receded, but we're still being careful--masks, social distancing, etc. Cases of Covid have soared in Michigan, and in my county in particular. I hope everyone is vaccinated or on their way to be vaccinated and staying safe.
1. Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
I am completely smitten with Sal. He would totally be best friends with Travis Zolecki from A Seymour Christmas: A Ghost Story. I am particularly impressed with how Sal's diabetes was portrayed. Gabi is good at everything, and I thought this would annoy me, but she is so genuine and ambitious that I really loved her too. Actually, all the characters are pretty amazing.
What would you do if you had the power to reach through time and space and retrieve anything you want, including your mother, who is no longer living (in this universe, anyway)? How did a raw chicken get inside Yasmany's locker? When Sal Vidon meets Gabi Real for the first time, it isn't under the best of circumstances. Sal is in the principal's office for the third time in three days, and it's still the first week of school. Gabi, student council president and editor of the school paper, is there to support her friend Yasmany, who just picked a fight with Sal. She is determined to prove that somehow, Sal planted a raw chicken in Yasmany's locker, even though nobody saw him do it and the bloody poultry has since mysteriously disappeared. Sal prides himself on being an excellent magician, but for this sleight of hand, he relied on a talent no one would guess . . . except maybe Gabi, whose sharp eyes never miss a trick. When Gabi learns that he's capable of conjuring things much bigger than a chicken--including his dead mother--and she takes it all in stride, Sal knows that she is someone he can work with. There's only one slight problem: their manipulation of time and space could put the entire universe at risk. A sassy entropy sweeper, a documentary about wedgies, a principal who wears a Venetian bauta mask, and heaping platefuls of Cuban food are just some of the delights that await in his mind-blowing novel gift-wrapped in love and laughter.
2. To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
I am madly in love with Chambers's Wayfarers series. The world she builds, the characters she writes, and the way she sidesteps all the cliched drama you usually see when a story is about a crew on a ship. This novella is particularly beautiful. It's heavy on the science but very layman friendly. Highly, highly recommend this series.
At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through a revolutionary method known as somaforming, astronauts can survive in hostile environments off Earth using synthetic biological supplementations. They can produce antifreeze in subzero temperatures, absorb radiation and convert it for food, and conveniently adjust to the pull of different gravitational forces. With the fragility of the body no longer a limiting factor, human beings are at last able to journey to neighboring exoplanets long known to harbor life.
A team of these explorers, Ariadne O’Neill and her three crewmates, are hard at work in a planetary system fifteen light-years from Sol, on a mission to ecologically survey four habitable worlds. But as Ariadne shifts through both form and time, the culture back on Earth has also been transformed. Faced with the possibility of returning to a planet that has forgotten those who have left, Ariadne begins to chronicle the story of the wonders and dangers of her mission, in the hope that someone back home might still be listening.
3. Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
This book is all about friendships. Old friendships. New friendships. Changing friendships. And toxic ones too. And all these dynamics will feel familiar, not just for kids, but for adults too. Even though it's middle grade, I think adults would get something out of this book as well.
Long ago, best friends Bridge, Emily, and Tab made a pact: no fighting. But it’s the start of seventh grade, and everything is changing. Emily’s new curves are attracting attention, and Tab is suddenly a member of the Human Rights Club. And then there’s Bridge. She’s started wearing cat ears and is the only one who’s still tempted to draw funny cartoons on her homework.
It’s also the beginning of seventh grade for Sherm Russo. He wonders: what does it mean to fall for a girl—as a friend?
By the time Valentine’s Day approaches, the girls have begun to question the bonds—and the limits—of friendship. Can they grow up without growing apart?
4. Galatea by Madeline Miller
This is only a short story, but I really enjoyed it. It's based on the story of Pygmalion, a sculptor who falls in love with his own creation, told by the statue's point of view. I feel like it belongs aside Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper and Kate Chopin's The Awakening.
In Ancient Greece, a skilled marble sculptor has been blessed by a goddess who has given his masterpiece – the most beautiful woman the town has ever seen – the gift of life. Now his wife, Galatea is expected to be obedience and humility personified, but it is not long before she learns to use her beauty as a form of manipulation.
In a desperate bid by her obsessive husband to keep her under control, she is locked away under the constant supervision of doctors and nurses. But with a daughter to rescue, she is determined to break free, whatever the cost...
5. The Vagina Bible by Jen Gunter, MD
If you have a vagina, you should read this book. I wish I would have had this book when I was teen, or at least in my early twenties. There is so much information about my reproductive system that I didn't know back then and even some I didn't know now. I was really impressed that Gunter included trans men and women.
Does eating sugar cause yeast infections?
Does pubic hair have a function?
Should you have a vulvovaginal care regimen?
Will your vagina shrivel up if you go without sex?
What’s the truth about the HPV vaccine?
So many important questions, so much convincing, confusing, contradictory misinformation! In this age of click bait, pseudoscience, and celebrity-endorsed products, it’s easy to be overwhelmed—whether it’s websites, advice from well-meaning friends, uneducated partners, and even healthcare providers. So how do you separate facts from fiction? OB-GYN Jen Gunter, an expert on women’s health—and the internet’s most popular go-to doc—comes to the rescue with a book that debunks the myths and educates and empowers women. From reproductive health to the impact of antibiotics and probiotics, and the latest trends, including vaginal steaming, vaginal marijuana products, and jade eggs, Gunter takes us on a factual, fun-filled journey. Discover the truth about:
• The vaginal microbiome
• Genital hygiene, lubricants, and hormone myths and fallacies
• How diet impacts vaginal health
• Stem cells and the vagina
• Cosmetic vaginal surgery
• What changes to expect during pregnancy and after childbirth
• What changes to expect through menopause
• How medicine fails women by dismissing symptoms
Plus:
• Thongs vs. lace: the best underwear for vaginal health
• How to select a tampon
• The full glory of the clitoris and the myth of the G Spot
. . . And so much more. Whether you’re a twenty-six-year-old worried that her labia are “uncool” or a sixty-six-year-old dealing with painful sex, this comprehensive guide is sure to become a lifelong trusted resource.
Bonus Books
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
I know, I've been reading a lot of Madeline Miller lately. When I find an author I like, I tend to devour their work. I like Circe and Galatea better than The Song of Achilles, probably because there is a lot less war in them. But this book is still really good, and the ending is downright haunting. One of the best endings I've ever read, actually.
A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner, Miller’s monumental debut novel has already earned resounding acclaim from some of contemporary fiction’s brightest lights—and fans of Mary Renault, Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, and Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series will delight in this unforgettable journey back to ancient Greece in the Age of Heroes.
The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence
Yet another middle grade book. This one is a survival story in the vein of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet (which was my husband's favorite book when he was a kid). I enjoyed it and I think it's a great book, but I wasn't a fan of the animal deaths. I will typically put down a book or turn off a movie if an animal is killed, especially a pet (hunting gets pass as long as it's not gratuitous or too vivid). In fact, I abandoned The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones this month for this very reason. It was shaping up to be a great novel, but I couldn't handle all the animal death. So if animals dying upsets you, you may want to pass on this book.
Less than forty-eight hours after twelve-year-old Chris sets off on a sailing trip down the Alaskan coast with his uncle, their boat sinks. The only survivors are Chris and a boy named Frank, who hates Chris immediately. Chris and Frank have no radio, no flares, no food. Suddenly, they’ve got to forage, fish, and scavenge the shore for supplies. Chris likes the company of a curious, friendly raven more than he likes the prickly Frank. But the boys have to get along if they want to survive.
Because as the days get colder and the salmon migration ends, survival will take more than sheer force of will. Eventually, in the wilderness of Alaska, the boys discover an improbable bond—and the compassion that might truly be the path to rescue.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Yep, another Stead book. If you're a fan of A Wrinkle of Time, you'll probably like this middle grade book, too. It's a mix of normal middle school problems, mystery, and science fiction.
Shortly after a fall-out with her best friend, sixth grader Miranda starts receiving mysterious notes, and she doesn’t know what to do. The notes tell her that she must write a letter—a true story, and that she can’t share her mission with anyone.
It would be easy to ignore the strange messages, except that whoever is leaving them has an uncanny ability to predict the future. If that is the case, then Miranda has a big problem—because the notes tell her that someone is going to die, and she might be too late to stop it.