December Reviews

With 2019 nearing it's inevitable end, I figured I'd take the time to post my reviews a day early. This should give me a little more time for non-book reflection. Although, I do have to brag a little bit because while reflecting on books and counting pictures, I realized I finished reading about 80 books this year, 76 of which I wrote reviews for. I also realized that I started doing these reviews in 2017, not 2018, and as such will be going into my third year of writing them. Wow. It's probably time I shared them on other social medias and actively tried to get people to read them, rather than just writing them for me. We'll see, I guess.

Anyway, I should probably get us into the actual reviews, so let's round out the year with some good stuff:

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

As far as Jodi Picoult books go, this one wasn't my favorite. That honor sits very firmly with Leaving Time and Second Glance.

A Spark of Light follows several people throughout the day-long course of an active shooter in an abortion center. Told from the point of view of the myriad of people affected by the center and the gunman's decisions, this book separates the day into each hour and gives us a glimpse into about ten characters for each hour, each with a personal connection to the center and each other, even if they didn't know it.

This story felt a little more disjointed than her others. Normally all the characters are so easily woven together that the narrative between all of them feels very connected, but this time around it was more difficult to put all the people in the right place. That is probably very much do to the fact that the story was told backwards, in a sequence of hours counting backwards to the beginning of the day, before returning to the end for an epilogue. It provided dramatic irony and insight into certain situations, since the reader knew how the day would go on, but it made everything a little more disjointed, and I wanted to go back and reread certain sections with that information in mind.

Picoult always does her research for her books, and in this one it was Super apparent. I always learn something reading her books and this one is no exception. It was also a very important topic for several reasons, the least of which is the relevance of the issue in modern politics. Picoult adds a little afterward note about her research and how it's even more relevant than the reader thinks, and I always enjoy reading that almost as much as I do her books, because I get to learn so much about topics that are made fascinating through narrative. This topic didn't need much narrative to make it interesting, at least to me.

Now, some parts of the book were difficult to read. I'm very heavily pro-choice, so some of the angry rhetoric was frustrating, and some of the violence was graphic, but actually the most difficult part of the book was a two paragraph description of a sexual assault. I've mentioned this in previous reviews that anything on that topic just throws me off, and while I think it's an incredibly important topic to discuss, especially if we're to recognize and reduce it, it's still a difficult thing to witness in any kind of media. However, it was very small portion of the book, and the narrative arc of the characters was easy to follow towards other topics.

So, to recap, I learned a lot but didn't super love the story. Picoult is a genius, though, so look through her extensive collection of works and you'll find something you'll like, even if this one isn't your cup of tea.

See You In The Cosmos by Jack Cheng

This is a middle grade book, so it's a little younger than what I would usually read and recommend. But I think something changed when I read "The Thing About Jellyfish" earlier this year, because I've been picking up a few other middle grade books and it's been absolutely wonderful.

See You In The Cosmos is about eleven-year old Alex and his dog, named after his hero, Carl Sagan. Alex has been recording things on a gold ipod, which he intends to send into space on the rocket he built. So he heads out by himself to SHARF, where he starts his multi-state adventure, learning where he really came from and how to be brave.

The story is told as the recordings that Alex makes on his adventure, which adds a very interesting child-like and stream of consciousness style to the book, as Alex rambles on about the things that are happening and his thoughts on the universe and the people around him. It feels very young in places, which was jarring at the beginning but soon felt very natural. Alex is a very reliable narrator, and he's such a smart kid. He had to grow up pretty quickly with his rather absent mother and much older brother, but that didn't affect his curious nature or capacity for kindness.

He collects people along the way; Zed and Steve and Terra, who all have some very important things to learn from Alex. I think the child's perspective was really important in telling this story, rather than telling it from his brother Ronnie, or even Terra's perspective. It makes everything feel a little bit bigger, a little bit more wondrous, even when it's something bad.

I got about two chapters into this book and then told myself, "it's adorable, it's funny, and it's going to break my heart." And it did, in the best way. Alex learns a lot of complicated things over the course of this book, and he makes a lot of great comparisons to space, making these big feelings and events feel just a little bit more manageable. There's a beauty in the way he sees the world, and Cheng captures that innocence and brilliance with such child-like grace. Alex felt like a kid the entire book, so I commend Cheng for that, as well as for weaving this twisting story that entertained me and all my coworkers when I talked about this book.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be recommending this book to all the middle grade readers I know and also probably a lot of adults.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

This was a book I'd been considering reading for a while, and it kind of fell into my lap at the right time. TROUJLH is set in a world where the YA protagonists for dramatic chosen stories are the background characters, saving the world and exploding things and dying as a backdrop for the normal kids. Mikey is just trying to survive his mother's senatorial campaign, graduate high school, and maybe kiss his friend Henna before another indie kid blows up the school. It doesn't help that his best friend, Jared, is one quarter God, or that something is suspicious about the new kid, Nathan, or that his OCD and anxiety are getting him trapped in loops, but he's trying his best. And maybe--hopefully--that will be enough.

Mikey was an interesting character to read. His pov was very much tainted by his fears and anxiety, and when he got trapped in his own head, circling certain problems like a vulture, the rest of the characters kind of fell away. It was consuming and selfish, but also kind of necessary for his survival. His family situation wss six kinds of messed up, but the book did a really good job exploring the different ways parents can fail, along with the different ways they can succeed.

I really liked Mikey's sisters and his friend Jared. Henna was cool too, but Mikey's obsession with her was annoying, so I kind of got tired of her being around, if only because the pov got super annoying and jealous, which was unfortunate, since Henna was really cool. They were all supportive friends for each other, though, and we all know how much I love neat friend groups.

The world building in this book was really cool, since it had to incorporate generations of weird stuff going on--vampires, explosions, ghosts--with just the right amount of adult denial. We were given dramatic and satirical snippets of the big world ending ya stuff at the beginning of each chapter, but then got to back off and see how it affects every who wasn't the chosen one. Ness did a great job capturing the messiness of high school and anxiety, all in a world that we know is going to be saved by someone else.

A Boy Worth Knowing by Jennifer Cosgrove

Nathan's just trying to graduate high school without being crushed by bullies. He can talk to ghosts, which has been great for keeping in touch with his deceased grandmother, but not to great when it comes to making new friends or convincing his mother he's not crazy. So when new boy James moves to town, a ghost of his own in tow, Nate falls head over heels and ends up in over his head, but maybe also has a chance at finding real happiness.

This premise of this story sounded really, really cool. LGBT rep and ghosts? All about it. There was so much potential there, which is why I think it was so much of a let down. The execution of this story was bad, the writing was juvenile, and the plot was all over the place. And while I hate to say this sort of thing where my full name is attached, I feel it must be stated: I've read better fanfiction than this.

I wanted so much more from this book. The cover was pretty, and as previously stated it was LGBT with a super sick premise. But then I started reading and was kind of instantly disappointed. I kept reading kept telling myself it could get better, to give it a chance, but it really didn't improve. It was overly-dramatic in a poorly written was, and the coolest aspect of the book--the ghosts--was hardly ever utilized. I finished the book feeling old and judgy about these teenagers, but honestly if you've only dated for four months you shouldn't be following each other to college. None of it was reasonable, and while I try not to ask for too much books, I still have standards. And unfortunately this book didn't really meet any of them, despite how much I desperately wanted it to.

Out of The Blue by Sophie Cameron

This book was a really interesting look at grief and the way it affects people differently. Loss exists in many forms, and this was an interesting way to portray that.

Out of The Blue is about a teenager named Jaya, who lives in a world where about ten months ago winged beings started falling out of the sky. About ten days before that, her mother died in a tragic accident, and now her father is obsessed with finding one of these winged being alive. Jaya hates the hype over the beings and the way her father's obsession has driven them apart, but when a being falls in front of her and survives, she makes the decision to nurse it back to health. Set in a world obsessed with the possibility of finding what's beyond death, Out of The Blue takes a look at coping with grief and potential all at once.

Jaya is a rather standard teenage protagonist trying to do something good in the world while recovering from a trauma no one will talk about. She's a little sullen and angry, but all for a good reason, and she wasn't ever annoying in her insolence or frustration. Her dad was a whole other story. I understood that this obsession was his way of coping with the loss of his wife, but it was detrimental to his relationship with his daughter, although he did eventually figure that out.

The other characters in the book were cool; I especially liked fiery Allie, who despite living with Cystic FIbrosis was doing her damndest to live her life. Also! LGBT rep! Go Allie and Jaya! I will always support representation, especially since we got some of the LGBT variety as well as South Asian rep, as Jaya and her sister, Rani, were half Sri Lankan. Teacake, the being she looks after, is a delight, and witnessing her healing process and the many ways Jaya and co tried to communicate with her was super interesting.

The world building in this book in fascinating. Crafting new ways of looking at religion, the formation of a rather scary cult, and a look at the way people might possibly act in the face of an unknown end. It glosses over some stuff, telling instead of showing, but it's necessary for the progression of the plot. The important things are shown, keeping everything interesting and informational.

Jaya coming to terms with her mother's death happened around the same time the reader learns what happened to her, giving even more meaning behind Jaya's hatred toward obsessing with the beings and their fatal fall to earth. It all tied together quite nicely. I think my only complaints would be with how some of the action scenes were handled. Everything moved quickly during their infiltration of the Standing Fallen, but they were creepy and terrifying so I can't really complain much that they didn't spend a lot of time there.

Overall, this was a decent read. Not my favorite thing, but a good time.

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Maria McLemore

I was lucky enough to end up with an advanced reader's copy of this book, but when it comes out in January I very highly recommend you find a way to get a copy.

This book does a beautiful job spanning five hundred years to tell two deeply entwined stories. In modern day, we meet Rosella and Emil, two brown kids living in a very white city, trying to grow into themselves and find their history in a place that stifles anything different. In 1518, we're given a glimpse into the lives of Lala and Alifair, trying to survive in a city, country, world, that blames people like them for anything that goes wrong. The Romani people, it seems, cannot escape a history that hunts them. Tackling the story of the dancing plague of 1518, McLemore finds a way to weave tragedy and betrayal into a story of red shoes and owning your history, gifting us a bridge between 500 years of history and a world where being who you are is the bravest thing a person can do.

I've read something of McLemore's before, earlier this year, and while I very much enjoyed The Weight of Feathers, this book hit a little different. Maybe it was because I knew what to expect of their writing style now, but I felt as though I could bury myself in this book and never reemerge, happy to sail away on the tail end of a glimmer in the sky, or dance through the woods in a pair of red shoes. The poetic style of this novel makes even the ordinary feel magical and extraordinary. McLemore writes beautiful words drenched in fear, terror striking through us even as we cannot help but marvel at the beauty.

That being said, since my last review of their other book, McLemore has changed their pronouns, and I am happy to use the correct ones now in reference to them and their works. I'll go back and change the previous review to use the correct pronouns and encourage everyone to read more books that feature and are written by members of the non-binary, gender neutral, and transgender community.

The representation and diversity in DADR is fantastic, both in regards to race and culture and LGBT of the characters and the author themself. Alifair, a wonderful medieval transgender prince (to use McLemore's own words) is Great and I love him. The relationship he and Lala have is such a beautifully consuming one, and all the little pieces of Alifair revealed make him all the more charming in that lovely quiet and woodsy way.

All the characters are carefully and lovingly stitched together, presented to the reader with a tenderness not often seen in such a callous world. The characters drive the story forward for sure, but the plot is also a wild, fearsome thing, which I meant in the most complimentary way. The story line was twisty in the best way, and I thought I'd figured out what would happen next (especially with Lala and Alifair) so many times, only to be proven delightfully wrong in the next chapter.

Everything was very well researched as well, something the author's note reveals in full measure, recounting just how far McLemore went to find all the information for their story. There's a deep history with both the red shoes fairy tale and the real life dancing plague of 1518, as well as the far-reaching persecution of the Romani and LGBT peoples throughout history. So in addition to the story itself being rather riveting, the history was fascinating to learn about as well.

McLemore takes cultures and stories takes all the terrible things done to them in history and forces people to see them, confront them, to recognize the horror that has been wrought on these marginalized corners. They take these pieces and spin them into a brilliant tale of taking the knives the world points at you and using them yourself.

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

About two and a half years after her mom died, Jessie's starting to finally feel like she's come to terms with losing her best friend. That is, until her dad reveals he's married someone knew and is moving Jessie across the country to Los Angeles, where she'll be without her familiar city, her friends, and the house that reminds her of how complete her family used to be. Dealing with a literal world of change on top of feeling orphaned by her remaining parent, Jessie finds solace in an anonymous email exchange with another student at her new school. What starts as a way for Somebody/Nobody (SN) to help Jessie, quickly becomes a way for both Jessie and this mystery messenger to process their grief and let loose the things they might never have the courage to say in person.

Overall, this book very much felt like a Simon Vs The Homosapien's Agenda/Love Simon sort of deal but for straight people. I even Googled it to make sure I kept the order right, and Simon Vs came out a year before Tell Me Three Things. But despite the anonymous notes, the books are very different. I don't want to spend the entirety of my book review comparing the two books, so I'm not going to do a list or venn diagram. In fact, fans of Simon Vs might enjoy this book, despite it's sad lack of LGBT rep.

I do love an anonymous love interest, because it really lets things build emotionally without any sort of physical barriers or judgments. Plus /, I love a little intrigue as characters try to determine who someone really is. However, Jessie was kinda dense and I figured out who her mystery email human was within like fifteen pages. Okay, that was a little mean, Jessie was a smart girl and I had the benefit of literary tropes and obvious character introductions to help me. But still. Some of her reasoning for believing certain characters could be SN was kind of flawed.

The characters were developed in a decent way, a lot of them given the chance to be teenagers and make mistakes and be annoying but care about each other and try their best. Crystal and Gem were needlessly cruel, as is the way of bullies, but tbh I'm kind of over the plastic blonde mean girl trope. I'm sure there are plenty of bullies out there who fall into that category, but honestly most of the popular girls I went to high school with--some of whom were pretty and blonde--were decent people. And I don't really know how to write about this sort of thing, since I know bullying is a sensitive topic and I'm certainly not saying that it is ever justifiable, but Crystal and Gem tormenting Jessie felt a little pointless? Like, Jessie was nice and smart and her being new doesn't exactly seem like a reason for them to treat her differently. And maybe that's the point, since bullying doesn't make sense and can't be justified, so I'm probably just getting to that age where I start to question certain things that teenage me probably wouldn't have even batted an eye at.

Jessie's relationship with her dad felt like the most important part of this book, even though the little romantic part of me revelled in the burgeoning secret sharing relationship between SN and Jessie. After losing her mom, Jessie has to act like the adult in a lot of ways, and she has a really important conversation with her dad about the roles of parents and children, one that I felt building the whole book. It was super gratifying when it happened and her dad actually listened to her, rock on for parents seeking to do right by their kids after they mess up.

Overall, this was a decent book, not one of my favorites by any means, but I enjoyed it.

Here To Stay by Sara Farizan

Last but certainly not least, Here To Stay is about Bijan, a high school junior who's finally given a chance to prove himself on the basketball court and win the big game, only to have an anonymous email with a image of him photoshopped to look like a terrorist sent out to his entire school. Now, Bijan's stuck in the middle of a controversy when all he wanted was to play basketball. It's going to take the help of some friends and a lot of confidence to make everyone at school recognize that Bijan is there to stay.

This was one of those books where I really do genuinely believe it's an important topic to write about, especially because the author is able to use her own voice and background to support it. Islamophobia and xenophobia have been a big part of our post-9/11 culture and can be recognized in the portrayal of middle eastern characters in all forms of media, not to mention the hate and violence xenophobes inflict in real life. This book tackled the portrayal of both students of color facing discrimination but also the frustrating way white supremacists and racists in general act. It was infuriating to read the things certain characters said to and about Bijan. It reminded me a bit of when I read Jodi Picoult's Small Great Things, where part of the book was from the perspective of a white supremacist. Thankfully we never had to go into any bigot's heads in this book, but reading how they interacted with Bijan was more than enough to get be raging.

Beyond the important cultural aspects of the book, the characters were fun to follow through the story. I especially liked Bijan's blunt take on situations, how he tripped up with his words sometimes to, recognizing that not everyone is perfect and teens in particular are always learning. This book had several of characters of color, and even some surprise LGBT rep, so that was a nice inclusion.

However, I do have a little critique that's more about my own interest than book itself. Basketball is neither a thing I understand nor a thing I like, so sometimes the terminology and action paragraphs got to be a lot. I skimmed some bits of it since a lot of sports references went over my head and was able to keep up with the story just fine.

And that wraps up my 2019 reading and reviews. I'm so very grateful I had the opportunity to read all the books that I did and I'm very much looking forward to reading ever more in 2020. Hopefully I'll knock most of my To Read shelf out, but odds are it'll fill up again just as quickly.

Happy New Year, everyone, and keep writing.

Sam

Literary recommendation: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Movie recommendation: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (not technically a movie, but this show is adorable and has been giving me such High School Musical movie nostalgia)