bbwesquire

When Women Were Dragons

I”m a little behind, as When Women Were Dragons (2022) by Kelly Barnhill, was a nominee for a Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Fantasy that year. I loved the concept, and have come to realize that I especially enjoy historical fantasy. Told from the perspective of Alex Green, who is recalling her childhood in aContinue reading “When Women Were Dragons”

The Centre

The Centre (2023) by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi was an interesting listen, though it has some flaws and it may not be for everyone. I’d call it character-driven horror with themes of colonialism. Anisa is a Pakistan-born Londoner, supported by her parents but halfheartedly doing Urdu translations for Bollywood films, when she meets Adam at aContinue reading “The Centre”

The Sound of Stars

The Sound of Stars (2020) by Alechia Dow blew me away! I wish I remembered how I found out about it, given that it’s been out nearly 4 years and I want to read more just like it. Ellie (Janelle) Baker is 17, living in a building in New York with her parents, after anContinue reading “The Sound of Stars”

Pod

Pod (2023) by Laline Paull was completely unique, gripping, and heartbreaking. It’s Paull’s third novel, and I’m going to put her other books on my TBR list, as I understand they are unique as well. The book starts out from Ea’s perspective. She is a young adult spinner dolphin, part of a dolphin pod whoContinue reading “Pod”

Full of Myself

Full of Myself: A Graphic Memoir About Body Image (Pub. Date April 2, 2024) by Siobhán Gallagher is a nicely-done, visually-appealing memoir in graphic form, dealing with difficult topics, such as body image, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Siobhán starts off with her childhood in the Canadian Maritimes, as she began keeping a diary asContinue reading “Full of Myself”

Elsewhere

Elsewhere (2005) by Gabrielle Zevin was a delight! You wouldn’t think that a book that opens with a 15-year old girl, Liz, who dies in an accident on her bicycle would be so uplifting, but Zevin (Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow; The Storied Life of AJ Fikry) is a magician, and this is one ofContinue reading “Elsewhere”

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls

In Funeral Songs for Dying Girls (2023), Cherie Dimaline has beautifully captured the yearning and loneliness of motherless teenager Winifred, who lives with her father and her pug Mrs. Dingleberry in a house located at a cemetery. Winnie has the habit of wandering the cemetery, which leads to the rumor that it is haunted. ButContinue reading “Funeral Songs for Dying Girls”

At First Spite

At First Spite (February 13, 2024) is the incomparable Olivia Dade’s newest romance, the first in her Harlot’s Bay series, set in a fictional coastal Maryland small town. She is always explicitly fat-positive, and At First Spite is no exception. We first meet Athena Greydon at her engagement party to pediatrician Johnny Vine, where sheContinue reading “At First Spite”

Really Cute People

Really Cute People (pub. date March 12, 2024) is a queer romance unlike any I’ve read before, primarily because it was a polyamorous romance between a nonbinary single person with a queer couple–a queer trans man and a bisexual woman. I so enjoyed it! The nonbinary single person–Charlie Dee–works for a nonprofit and is burnedContinue reading “Really Cute People”

Skye Falling

Skye Falling (2021) by Mia McKenzie was both hilarious and heartbreaking in nearly equal measure. Bad things happen, as they do in the world, but Skye’s perspective and ability to find humor made me laugh through the tears. Skye owns a Black travel agency, leading groups traveling around the world, living her best life. She’sContinue reading “Skye Falling”