the art of reading

thoughts & musings from a chronic bookworm

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It's my 6 year anniversary on Tumblr! Shoutout to me from 6 years ago for deciding to start a book blog to cope with covid era loneliness and boredom. 💕

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book review | The Radius of Us

Author: Marie Marquardt

Cover Designer: Kerri Resnick

Jacket Art: David Curtis Studio

Illustrations: Carlos Alfredo Morataya

Genre: YA Fiction, YA Romance

Ninety seconds can change a life — so how will the ninety seconds of Gretchen and Phoenix’s first encounter change theirs? Told in alternating first person points of view, The Radius of Us is a story of love, sacrifice, and the journey from victim to survivor. It offers an intimate glimpse into the causes and devastating impact of Latino gang violence, both in the U.S. and in Central America, and explores the risks that victims take when they try to start over. Most importantly, Marie Marquardt's The Radius of Us shows how people struggling to overcome trauma can find healing in love.

Picked this up because of the similarities to Eleanor and Park and The Sun Is Also a Star. I appreciated this book for shining a light on the complexities of immigration and detention as well as one experience of PTSD and trauma. The courtroom scene was extremely moving. However, the romance (which is meant to be a big part of the plot line) didn't do much for me. It developed so quickly whereas a slower build would've felt more meaningful within the overall plot.

I can't help but imagine what this would've been like as a dual-POV of Phoenix and Ari's experiences with an emphasis shifted towards their relationship.

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book review | Give Me a Sign

Author: Anna Sortino

Cover Designer: Kaitlin Yang

Jacket Art: Christina Chung

Genre: YA Fiction, Romance

Lilah is stuck in the middle. At least, that’s what having a hearing loss seems like sometimes—when you don’t feel “deaf enough” to identify as Deaf or hearing enough to meet the world’s expectations. But this summer, Lilah is ready for a change. When Lilah becomes a counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind, her plan is to brush up on her ASL. Once there, she also finds a community. There are cute British lifeguards who break hearts but not rules, a YouTuber who’s just a bit desperate for clout, the campers Lilah’s responsible for (and overwhelmed by)—and then there’s Isaac, the dreamy Deaf counselor who volunteers to help Lilah with her signing. Romance was never on the agenda, and Lilah’s not positive Isaac likes her that way. But all signs seem to point to love. Unless she’s reading them wrong? One thing’s for sure: Lilah wanted change, and things here are certainly different than what she’s used to. In her sweet and swoony debut, Anna Sortino delivers a poignant coming-of-age story and a revelatory exploration of Deaf culture, its vastness, and its beautiful complexities.

Such a sweet read! The summer camp vibes were peak throughout, although I did find myself wishing that the author had put energy towards developing just 1 or 2 plot points or slightly cutting back on the number of characters. Aside from El Deafo, by Cece Bell, this is the only book that I've come across organically which features a Deaf protagonist. Sortino covers so many aspects of Deaf culture in a way that will be accessible to her YA target audience. At the same time, she acknowledges that each person's experience will be different (both through the character interactions and the author's note).

With Lilah, I enjoyed seeing her growth over the course of the novel as she explored new responsibilities, improved her ASL, built relationships and balanced all the typical challenges of young adulthood. Her character's voice is great overall (with the occasional slip into reading as also almost textbook-like in its explanations) which kept me engaged throughout. Sortino has added something wonderful to this space in the YA market and I'm looking forward to the stories she'll write in the future.

Side note - I also found it interesting that there is no glossary or such in this book. A lot of terms pertaining to Deaf culture are dropped and not all of them are explained. I ended up doing my own research, being mindful of the resources or content creators I turned to (which is something discussed in relation to Mackenzie's role as an hearing ASL content creator). I love it when a book forces me to do my own HW, leading me to build connections outside of what's contained within its pages :)

Similar reads: Love from A to Z, Chronically Delores, Breathe and Count Back from Ten, and How We Roll.

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book review | As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

Author: Zoulfa Katouh

Cover Designers: Sasha Illingworth and Patrick Hulse

Jacket Art: David Curtis

Genre: YA Fiction, Historical Fiction

Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager’s life. Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe. But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all. Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.

*slight spoilers in paragraph 2 of this post*

My heart has been shattered and rebuilt. It's rare that a book makes my eyes water, my breath catch in my chest, my heart race, and my lips curve into a smile. Those are feelings that can only come from having an author share a piece of their heart so openly and honestly with the reader.

In the author's note Katouh states, "This book was very difficult to write..." After finishing, I realized how that statement translated into this being a very difficult book to read. And it should be. We must bear witness with pain and patience in the same way Ahmad did as he used his dying breaths to promise to tell God everything that the rest of the world couldn't see. That realization was also a reminder of my privilege. When things became too unbearable for the characters, I could simply close the book, put it down, walk away, and process. But that is a luxury that is not afforded to those going through the most unspeakable of atrocities at this very moment. And Syria is free, alhamdulillah, but as Salama's battles showed us, grief and trauma can fight to become part of a person forever.

My words, in this review, will never measure up to the immense feat that Katouh has accomplished. So this is not a review, but instead an expression of gratitude. Thank you Zoulfa Katouh for putting such raw feelings into words. Thank you for sharing the beauty and grace of Syrian culture. Thank you for the reminder that we should also hold space for hope in our hearts. Thank you for bringing the story of Syria and its resilience to us.

*I will end this by saying, it's been so so long since I've posted a review on here. I deeply missed writing love letters to my favorite books and putting them out there in the hope that I would reach someone out there. This book has shaken me to my core and helped me to find my voice again. I hope to keep writing and hope that you will read this and be moved to read the beautiful words that Katouh has given us.

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Goodreads Year in Books 2022!

Here it is! The good, the bad, the long, the short. 2022 was a great year for reading and I found some new favorites will revisiting some cherished classics. Here’s to a wonderful year of reading in 2023!

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book review | Prepped

Author: Bethany Mangle

Cover Design & Art: Rebecca Syracuse

Genre: YA Fiction, Romance

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

For fans of Jeff Zentner and Katie Henry comes a thrilling and funny debut about a teen raised in a doomsday community who plots her escape with the boy from the bunker next door. Always be ready for the worst day of your life. This is the mantra that Becca Aldaine has grown up with. Her family is part of a community of doomsday preppers, a neighborhood that prioritizes survivalist training over class trips or senior prom. They’re even arranging Becca’s marriage with Roy Kang, the only eligible boy in their community. Roy is a nice guy, but he’s so enthusiastic about prepping that Becca doesn’t have the heart to tell him she’s planning to leave as soon as she can earn a full ride to a college far, far away. Then a devastating accident rocks Becca’s family and pushes the entire community, including Becca’s usually cynical little sister, deeper into the doomsday ideology. With her getaway plans thrown into jeopardy, the only person Becca can turn to is Roy, who reveals that he’s not nearly as clueless as he’s been pretending to be. When Roy proposes they run away together, Becca will have to risk everything—including her heart—for a chance to hope for the best instead of planning for the worst.

So I originally picked up this book for its cover (I’m a sucker for minimalist // retro illustrations), but stayed for the unusual plot. This novel was at times hard to read as Becca goes through so much emotional, internal, and physical hardship. However, the overall novel shares an important message of finding the strength to break away from a familiar, but harmful reality in order to pursue one’s dreams. The one thing I didn’t like was the character development for Roy who was such an important part of the story. It was difficult to connect with him and we only got to know him through his interactions with Becca. I would’ve loved to see things from his perspective. A novel with similar themes, but targeting a different issue is A Shot at Normal by Marisa Reichardt.

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book review | Himawari House

Author: Harmony Becker

Cover Design: Sunny Lee

Genre: Graphic novel, YA Fiction

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When Nao returns to Tokyo to reconnect with her Japanese heritage, she books a yearlong stay at the Himawari sharehouse. There she meets Hyejung and Tina, two other girls who came to Japan to freely forge their own paths. The trio live together, share meals, and even attend the same Japanese-language school, which results in them becoming fast friends. But will they be able to hold one another up as life tests them with new loves, old heartbreaks, and the everyday challenges of being fish out of water?

This graphic novel was one of those stories that just feels perfect. For 384 pages readers are given an intimate look into the lives of the 5 residents of Himawari House - residents each with their own histories, ambitions, fears, and triumphs. I especially connected to Nao’s story of belonging to two different worlds. The artwork was amazing and hilarious at times. The only reservation I have is that there sometimes wasn’t a clear indication of the switching between the POVs of the three main characters, but I think that decision also reflected the fluidity of life and it’s small moments. The author, Harmony Becker, also illustrated They Called Us Enemy by George Takei ~ another read I recommend which is a moving graphic memoir about the internment of Japanese Americans. 

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book review |  Call Me American: The Extraordinary True Story of a Young Somali Immigrant

Author: Abdi Nor Iftin

Genre: Memoir, Nonfiction, YA Adaptation

Jacket Design: Jennifer Heuer

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Abdi Nor Iftin first fell in love with America from afar. As a child, he learned English by listening to American pop and watching action films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. When U.S. marines landed in Mogadishu to take on the warlords, Abdi cheered the arrival of these Americans, who seemed as heroic as those of the movies. Sporting American clothes and dance moves, he became known around Mogadishu as Abdi American, but when the radical Islamist group al-Shabaab rose to power in 2006, it became dangerous to celebrate Western culture. Desperate to make a living, Abdi used his language skills to post secret dispatches, which found an audience of worldwide listeners. Eventually, though, Abdi was forced to flee to Kenya. In an amazing stroke of luck, Abdi won entrance to the U.S. in the annual visa lottery, though his route to America did not come easily. Parts of his story were first heard on the BBC World Service and This American Life. Now a proud resident of Maine, on the path to citizenship, Abdi Nor Iftin's dramatic, deeply stirring memoir is truly a story for our time: a vivid reminder of why America still beckons to those looking to make a better life.

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book review | Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet

Authors: Jennifer L. Armentrout, Dhonielle Clayton, Katie Cotugno, Joeclyn Davies, Huntley Fitzpatrick, Nina LaCour, Emery Lord, Katharine McGee, Kass Morgan, Julie Murphy, Meredith Russo, Sara Shepard, Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi

Cover Art: Nina Cosford, Mallory Grigg

Genre: Anthology, YA, Romance

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Whether or not you believe in fate, or luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. MEET CUTE is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of "how they first met" from some of today’s most popular YA authors. Readers will experience Nina LaCour's beautifully written piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via a cranky customer service Tweet, Sara Shepard's glossy tale about a magazine intern and a young rock star, Nicola Yoon's imaginative take on break-ups and make-ups, Katie Cotugno's story of two teens hiding out from the police at a house party, and Huntley Fitzpatrick's charming love story that begins over iced teas at a diner. There’s futuristic flirting from Kass Morgan and Katharine McGee, a riveting transgender heroine from Meredith Russo, a subway missed connection moment from Jocelyn Davies, and a girl determined to get out of her small town from Ibi Zoboi. Jennifer Armentrout writes a sweet story about finding love from a missing library book, Emery Lord has a heartwarming and funny tale of two girls stuck in an airport, Dhonielle Clayton takes a thoughtful, speculate approach to pre-destined love, and Julie Murphy dreams up a fun twist on reality dating show contestants. This incredibly talented group of authors brings us a collection of stories that are at turns romantic and witty, epic and everyday, heartbreaking and real.

Overall a really fun anthology that renewed my belief in love and serendipity. All of the stories are either m/f or f/f, there are some that involve fantasy elements, and some that take place in the future/alternate reality. A good read for anyone looking to take a break from full length YA novels or wanting something new. Individual story reviews below!

Siege Etiquette - 3/5 Print Shop - 4/5 Hourglass - 3/5 Click - 5/5 The Intern - 2/5 Somewhere That's Green - 4/5 The Way We Love Here - 5/5 Oomph - 5/5 The Dictionary of You And Me - 3/5 The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling In Love - 4/5 259 Million Miles - 2/5 Something Real - 2/5 Say Everything - 1/5 The Department of Dead Love - 3/5

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book review | I Was Their American Dream

Author: Malaka Gharib

Cover Design: Danielle Deschenes - sorry for the blurry cover art in this post :(

Genre: Graphic Novel, Memoir

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One part Mari Andrew, one part Marjane Satrapi, I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir is a triumphant tale of self-discovery, a celebration of a family's rich heritage, and a love letter to American immigrant freedom. Malaka Gharib's illustrations come alive with teenage antics and earnest questions about identity and culture, while providing thoughtful insight into the lives of modern immigrants and the generation of millennial children they raised. Malaka's upbringing will look familiar to anyone who grew up in the pre-internet era, but her particular story is a heartfelt tribute to the American immigrants who have invested their future in the promise of the American dream. The daughter of parents with unfulfilled dreams themselves, Malaka navigates her childhood chasing her parents' ideals, learning to code-switch between her family's Filipino and Egyptian customs, adapting to white culture to fit in, crushing on skater boys, and trying to understand the tension between holding onto cultural values and trying to be an all-American kid. I Was Their American Dream is at once a journal of growing up and a reminder of the thousands of immigrants who come to America in search for a better life for themselves and their children.

A quick read that gave me a lot to think about! I love reading the stories of immigrants and first generation Americans because I see so much of my experience reflected in theirs. Gharib does a wonderful job of balancing her own experiences with commentary on how many people from foreign backgrounds struggle to navigate straddling two (or three) cultural identities in addition to American life. The illustrations are fun (sometimes visually overwhelming, but in a good way) and I liked how it was organized into different sections. I do wish the pacing had been a bit slower, some parts flew by, but I feel like that's the case for many memoir style graphic novels. Overall, a great addition to this genre and a great weekend read! Similar reads: Almost American Girl by Robin Ha and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. 

Find this book on Goodreads - I Was Their American Dream 

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book review | A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions

Author: Sheena Boekweg

Cover Art: Sofia Bonati

Cover Design: Trisha Previte

Genre: YA Fiction, Historical Fiction, YA Romance

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(like a 3.75?)

Behind every powerful man is a trained woman, and behind every trained woman is the Society. It started with tea parties and matchmaking, but is now a countrywide secret. Gossips pass messages in recipes, Spinsters train to fight, and women work together to grant safety to abused women and children. The Society is more than oaths—it is sisterhood and purpose. In 1926, seventeen-year-old Elsie is dropped off in a new city with four other teenage girls. All of them have trained together since childhood to become the Wife of a powerful man. But when they learn that their next target is earmarked to become President, their mission becomes more than just an assignment; this is a chance at the most powerful position in the Society. All they have to do is make one man fall in love with them first.

Goodness, this was an interesting book. I’ve read a couple of ‘girls compete for a powerful man’s heart’ novels, told from the perspective of the ambitious, outlier protagonist, but this was so different and so refreshing. The worldbuilding was well done with the society’s motives and structure developed throughout the book, rather than all at once. I absolutely loved the dynamic between the main 5 characters, with Mira being my favorite (more on that later). There was some drama, which kept it realistic, but not so much that it felt like a reality tv show.

I also adored the ace rep! One of the character’s coming out as (questioning) ace/aro meant a lot -- early on, I could sort of tell that we were going to get some kind of big coming out moment from one of the characters, but seeing it written out on the page was so nice. Platonic and non-physical romantic relationships are just as valid :)

There were things that bothered me, but they don’t break this book. I would’ve liked to see more POC rep instead of just a passing reference. Sometimes, the whole 1927 atmosphere was lost on me -- it could’ve passed for any post-war time period.  The ending was satisfying, although I wish this book was a teeny bit longer to help with the pacing -- after the climax everything felt a little rushed and underdeveloped. However, I do think Boekweg did a wonderful job in telling the empowering story she set out to write and readers looking for a women-centered novel with an intriguing twist will appreciate this read...I’m keeping an eye out for her novels in the future!

For the book cover/design, I give this a 5/5. I love the visual contrasts between the main figure and the background and the colors are just as bold as our main character. The interior design was also really fun, I loved the illustrations and the vintage adverts. Definitely one of my favorite covers from this year!

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quick review | Pachinko

Author: Min Jin Lee

Genre: Historical fiction, Fiction

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pachinko follows one Korean family through the generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the prized daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame them all. Deserted by her lover, Sunja is saved when a young tubercular minister offers to marry and bring her to Japan. So begins a sweeping saga of an exceptional family in exile from its homeland and caught in the indifferent arc of history. Through desperate struggles and hard-won triumphs, its members are bound together by deep roots as they face enduring questions of faith, family, and identity.

This book was recommended and lent to me by a friend, making it something I would have otherwise not picked up (for lack of knowledge about it). This book is a moving, wonderfully written saga about several generations of a Korean family. I absolutely adore books like this because it includes the highs, the lows, and the ordinaries in a beautifully woven arc. As I review primarily YA books, I would compare this novel to Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns which covers several years in the life of two Afghani women. Both are must reads. Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month!

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book review | Almost American Girl

Author: Robin Ha

Genre: Graphic Novel, Memoir, YA

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A teen graphic novel memoir about a Korean-born, non-English-speaking girl who is abruptly transplanted from Seoul to Huntsville, Alabama, and struggles with extreme culture shock and isolation, until she discovers her passion for comic arts.

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! I love a good memoir and I love graphic novels, so this was an easy rating for me haha. Well written with wonderful and impactful illustrations, plus details about Korean culture.

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book review | Elena Vanishing

Authors: Elena and Clare B. Dunkle

Genre: Memoir

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Seventeen-year-old Elena is vanishing. Every day means renewed determination, so every day means fewer calories. This is the story of a girl whose armor against anxiety becomes artillery against herself as she battles on both sides of a lose-lose war in a struggle with anorexia. Told entirely from Elena's perspective over a five-year period and co-written with her mother, award-winning author Clare B. Dunkle, Elena's memoir is a fascinating and intimate look at a deadly disease, and a must read for anyone who knows someone suffering from an eating disorder.

I have never experienced an eating disorder, but there are people in my life who have. In school, they often taught us that eating disorders primarily centered around a desire to be skinny - to meet the standards plastered across magazines and advertisements. While that can be true for some, Elena Vanishing was the first time that I read a text where the deeper issues that can cause anorexia were discussed. Furthermore, this was not a cut and dry illness-diagnosis-recovery-cured story. Elena goes through so many setbacks and readers are taken along for the journey. There are no cut corners, no glossing overs. The detail with which this was written was my favorite part of this book and I came away from it with an increased understanding of what one person’s battle can look like. This is not meant to be an overview or an explanation of eating disorders (anorexia nervosa), but an honest storytelling that will change the way you think about eating disorders and those who are experiencing them. 

If I made any errors or unintentionally insensitive remarks in regards to anorexia nervosa or other eating disorders, please let me know to I can make the proper adjustments!

Elena’s website (Q&A, sample chapters, pictures): http://www.elenadunkle.com/

Clare B. Dunkle’s website: http://www.claredunkle.com/

National Eating Disorders Association: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

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book review | A Shot at Normal

Author: Marisa Reichardt

Cover Design: Aurora Parlagreco

Genre: YA Fiction

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Juniper Jade's parents are hippies. They didn’t attend the first Woodstock, but they were there for the second one. The Jade family lives an all-organic homeschool lifestyle that means no plastics, no cell phones, and no vaccines. It isn’t exactly normal, but it’s the only thing Juniper has ever known. She doesn’t agree with her parents on everything, but she knows that to be in this family, you've got to stick to the rules. That is, until the unthinkable happens. Juniper contracts the measles and unknowingly passes the disease along, with tragic consequences. She is shell-shocked. Juniper knows she is responsible and feels simultaneously helpless and furious at her parents, and herself. Now, with the help of Nico, the boy who works at the library and loves movies and may just be more than a friend, Juniper comes to a decision: she is going to get vaccinated. Her parents refuse so Juniper arms herself with a lawyer and prepares for battle. But is waging war for her autonomy worth losing her family? How much is Juniper willing to risk for a shot at normal? Marisa Reichardt's A Shot at Normal is a powerful and timely novel about justice, agency, family, and taking your shot, even when it seems impossible.

A timely novel about a minor’s decision to get vaccinated along with your typical YA fiction elements. Overall, this was a good novel that got me out of a reading slump. I appreciated that each character had their motivations for what they chose to do and the various confrontations weren’t glossed over. The romance was insta-lovey at first, but it blossomed nicely and I loved Nico’s character. I was a little disappointed by how Juniper suing her parents fell a little flat from what was in the synopsis, but satisfied with how realistic the ending felt.

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book review | Six Angry Girls

Author: Adrienne Kisner

Cover Design: Mallory Grigg (the design here and in the interior is so fun)

Cover Illustration: Noël Kalmus 

Genre: YA Fiction, Realistic Fiction

Rating: ⭐⭐

Raina Petree is crushing her senior year, until her boyfriend dumps her, the drama club (basically) dumps her, the college of her dreams slips away, and her arch-nemesis triumphs. Things aren’t much better for Millie Goodwin. Her father treats her like a servant, and the all-boy Mock Trial team votes her out, even after she spent the last three years helping to build its success. But then, an advice columnist unexpectedly helps Raina find new purpose in a pair of knitting needles and a politically active local yarn store. This leads to an unlikely meeting in the girls’ bathroom, where Raina inspires Millie to start a rival team. The two join together and recruit four other angry girls to not only take on Mock Trial, but to smash the patriarchy in the process.

I’m forever on the hunt for an enjoyable YA novel centered around feminism that’s but unfortunately this book was not for me. I admire the premise - activism, knitting, and mock trial are interesting topics for YA and the idea of six diverse, female characters in one novel was exciting. In the end, I just could not get my head around the confusing POV switching and clunky writing style (there are almost no contractions). The mock trial plot was fun at first, but in the end I lost interest as strong character development failed to emerge and the various subplots got in the way. 

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quick review | There There

Author: Tommy Orange

Cover Designer: Tyler Comrie

Genre: Adult Fiction

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tommy Orange's wondrous and shattering novel follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize. Among them is Jacquie Red Feather, newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind. Dene Oxendene, pulling his life together after his uncle's death and working at the powwow to honor his memory. Fourteen-year-old Orvil, coming to perform traditional dance for the very first time. Together, this chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American--grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spirituality, with communion and sacrifice and heroism. Hailed as an instant classic, There There is at once poignant and unflinching, utterly contemporary and truly unforgettable.

A powerful book, an unforgettable book, an important book that adds so much to the understanding of what it means to be an urban Native American. This book is written from the perspectives of multiple characters which made the narration shifts and time jumps a little disorienting, but I eventually found my groove. Orange writes with such a confidence that forces the reader to pay attention to the realities he is conveying. This is a must add to your reading list.