Category Archives: Weight-Neutral

The Miracles of the Namiya General Store

The Miracles of the Namiya General Store by Keigo Higashino, translated by Sam Bett (2019. originally published in Japanese in 2012) is a sweet, poignant novel about how one person can make a difference in someone else’s life. Higashino is a popular novelist in Japan, comparable to US blockbuster author James Patterson–I thoroughly enjoyed hisContinue reading “The Miracles of the Namiya General Store”

Rise to the Sun

Rise to the Sun (2021) by Leah Johnson (You Should See Me In a Crown) is a contemporary sapphic YA romance that takes place over the three days of a summer music festival. Both Olivia and Toni are from the Indianapolis area, but they don’t know each other. Olivia goes to the festival with herContinue reading “Rise to the Sun”

Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden

I loved Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden (2023) by Camille T. Dungy so much that I had to buy my own copy after reading my library copy. Soil really defies categorization–it’s a memoir (much of which she wrote during the COVID-19 pandemic), but she also writes about black history and social justiceContinue reading “Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden”

Little & Lion

Little & Lion (2017) by Brandy Colbert is a well-done YA novel that covers many themes: bisexuality, mental illness (specifically bipolar), and loyalty in a blended family, and it features a black Jewish main character in a multiethnic family. It won a Stonewall Award the year it was published. Suzette has just returned home toContinue reading “Little & Lion”

A Council of Dolls

Wow. There are few other words that do justice to A Council of Dolls, by Mona Susan Power (publication date August 8, 2023). Told in multiple perspectives over several time periods in the late 1800s and through the 1900s, each of the storylines involves a doll given to the little girl that is the mainContinue reading “A Council of Dolls”

Out of the Dawn

Out of the Dawn (pub. date 8/8/2023) by P.C. Cast is the sequel to Into the Mist, which I listened to earlier this year and reviewed just a couple of months ago. Once I realized there was a sequel, I was anxiously awaiting it, so I was thrilled to be approved to read it onContinue reading “Out of the Dawn”

The Sea Elephants

The Sea Elephants (publication date July 11, 2023) by Shastri Akella is the book about grief, queerness, Hindu mythology, and street theatre that I had no idea that I needed. It’s beautifully written, and though it’s not a short book, I wished that I could stay immersed in Shagun world longer. As the book opensContinue reading “The Sea Elephants”