The Companion (2020) by Katie Alender was a creepy weight-neutral YA thriller/ horror that beautifully walked the line between–is this supernatural horror or plain old human cruelty? Margot is a teenager living in a group home because she’s the only survivor of a terrible car crash that killed her entire family–both parents and two youngerContinue reading “The Companion”
Category Archives: Weight-Neutral
The Ten Thousand Doors of January
I was completely enthralled by The Ten Thousand Doors of January (2019) by Alix E. Harrow from very nearly the first page. Set in the late 1800s, January is a teenager cared for by a guardian, Mr. Locke, because her father is always traveling on expeditions for him. His house is filled with wondrous thingsContinue reading “The Ten Thousand Doors of January”
You Should See Me in a Crown
You Should See Me In a Crown (2020) by Leah Johnson is so good!! Liz Lighty, senior at a suburban Indianapolis high school, band geek, straight-A student, lives with her grandparents in a small town on the outskirts of Indianapolis that feels very familiar. Her mother has passed away, and her brother is often sickContinue reading “You Should See Me in a Crown”
Sea of Tranquility
Wow! Sea of Tranquility (2022) by Emily St. John Mandel was just as brilliant or better than the hype about it! (New York Times, Goodreads, and NPR one of the best books of the year; on Barack Obama’s 2022 list.) It’s hard to describe, but I will try. The novel opens with a younger sonContinue reading “Sea of Tranquility”
Race to the Sun
Race to the Sun (2020) by Rebecca Roanhorse was published by Rick Riordan presents, which aims to publish stories about non-European mythologies for middle-grade readers. Nizhoni Begay is a 7th-grader at the intertribal school, best friend to Davery, and older sibling of 6th-grader, Mac. One day at a basketball game, she realizes she can seeContinue reading “Race to the Sun”
The Once and Future Witches
I absolutely loved The Once and Future Witches (2020) by Alix E. Harrow! From very near the first page, I was enthralled, I marked my first quote on page 12. (Marking a quote early on is usually a very good sign.) Juniper, Agnes, and Bella are three sisters separated for many years, but they nowContinue reading “The Once and Future Witches”
The Book of Etta
The Book of Etta (2017) by Meg Elison is the second book in The Road to Nowhere series, which begins with The Book of the Unnamed Midwife. We meet Etta/ Eddy, a daughter of Nowhere, the town the Unnamed had come to after her long journey. Etta goes by Eddy when she is out raiding,Continue reading “The Book of Etta”
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It (2021) by Elle Cosimano is the first installment in a widely-popular comic thriller/mystery series (the third book is expected in January 2023) in which we meet divorced mother of two, writer Finlay Donovan. After a rushed meeting with her editor, Finlay is mistaken for a hit woman, and decides toContinue reading “Finlay Donovan Is Killing It”
Operation Redwood
I read Operation Redwood (2010) by S. Terrell French as a result of one of my other book-related labors of love–being steward of a Little Free Library. I bought it with a bunch of other middle-grade and children’s books in a $7 per bag library sale, and when I was sorting, I had to putContinue reading “Operation Redwood”
Akata Warrior
Akata Warrior (2017) by Nnedi Okorafor is the second book in The Nsibidi Scripts series, which began with Akata Witch, which was the second review in this blog, back in January 2021. It picks up a year after Sunny Nwazue, a US-born teenager living in Nigeria, first learned of the secret Leopard Society and wasContinue reading “Akata Warrior”
Reading While Fat 