The Story Spectator: adult reads

Showing posts with label adult reads. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann provides an intriguing look at who becomes these important roles in our society. As a librarian myself, I know that the journey one takes to get to that work is incredibly different for each person. I enjoyed the short snapshots of these people, both in their library work but also as individuals.

The authors also delve into the lives of booksellers, with whom I am less familiar. I was surprised to learn about booksellers outside of the independent bookstore world. At times the big-box stores and corporations get a bad reputation for wiping out smaller bookstores and this book gave some of those booksellers a chance to give their perspective. The rich descriptions of the bookstores and libraries themselves did cause me to seek some out while vacationing in the areas that were cited in the book. To my delight, they were just as charming and special as the authors described. This book is a great read for adults who are interested in the literary world on the end of getting books out to readers and making connections with communities that last a lifetime.

Sunday, January 8, 2023

2022 - A Year of Book Picks

2022 was quite the year in publishing. We are so lucky to have more inclusive and broader range of perspectives represented in literature. Thinking back to my year in reading, here are my highest rated chapter books that I recommend for children, teens and adults:

Early Readers (ages 5-9)

Slug Days - realistic fiction, autism, school, friendship

Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey - realistic fiction, overcoming fears, friendship, family

Surely Surely Marisol Rainey - realistic fiction, school, self-confidence, friendship

The Weird Sisters: A Note, a Goat and a Casserole - fantasy, mystery, humor, sisters

Bee & Flea and the Compost Caper - science, biology, humor

Ada Twist and the Perilous Plants - science, inquiry

Pet That Cat! - nonfiction, cat care, cat behavior

Middle Grade (ages 9-14)

Fantasy

Cress Watercress - fantasy, animals, grief, humor, adventure, community

The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez - fantasy, military families, bullying, mystery, Cuban folklore

The Ogress and the Orphans - fantasy, community, family, social commentary

Too Bright to See - paranormal, mystery, grief, ghosts, identity, LGBTQ, family, friendship

The Last Mapmaker - fantasy, family, mystery, adventure, humor, dragons

Lalani of the Distant Sea - fantasy, Filipino folklore, adventure, monsters

Lotería - magical realism, Mexico, mortality, fate

Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City - fantasy, suspense, scary, animal adventure, sequel to Scary Stories for Young Foxes

The Silver Arrow - fantasy, train travel, family, friendship, mystery, humor

The Marvellers - fantasy, action, family secrets, magic school

Pony - supernatural, historical fiction, 1860s, U.S., horses, grief, sons, fathers, horses, bandits

Snapdragon - fantasy, graphic novel, friendship, LGBTQ, mystery

Zatanna and the House of Secrets - fantasy, magic, graphic novel, family secrets, mystery

Scritch Scratch - paranormal, Chicago, tragedies, family, friendship

The Year I Flew Away - fantasy, historical fiction, 1980s New York City, Haitian folklore, immigrants in the U.S.

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, Book 1 - fantasy, humor, adventure, grandfathers, magic, clumsiness

Frances and the Monster - fantasy, adventure, humor

Historical Fiction

The Other Side of the River - historical fiction, Mexican revolution, immigrants in the U.S., identity, sequel to The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna

The Door of No Return - historical fiction, Africa, slavery, family

The Blackbird Girls - historical fiction, 1980s Chernobyl Explosion, Russia, family, friendship, religion

Red, White and Whole - historical fiction, 1980s, Indian, immigrants the U.S., ill parent, family, identity

My Own Lightning - historical fiction, 1940s Pennsylvania, mystery, sequel to Wolf Hollow

Long Road to the Circus - historical fiction, 1900s, U.S. farms, gender roles, family

Starting from Seneca Falls - historical fiction, 1800s, U.S., women's rights, child abuse

Moonwalking - historical fiction, 1980s New York City, novel in verse, art, autism, friendship, ill parent, bullying, race

By the Light of the Fireflies - historical fiction, American Revolution, child hero, family

Being Clem - historical fiction, 1940s Chicago, grief, race, family, friendship, class

The Legend of Auntie Po - historical fiction, graphic novel, 1880s NW U.S., LGBTQ, Chinese voices, logging history

A Place to Hang the Moon - historical fiction, WWII, England, siblings, orphans, community

Nonfiction

Alias Anna - biography, WWII, novel in verse, music, family

While I Was Away - memoir, immigrants in the U.S., Japanese, friendship, family, grandparents

Short Stories

Beyond the Stars - short stories, Irish authors, emotional

Hope Wins - short stories, inspiring, overcoming challenges

Realistic Fiction

Stuntboy, in the Meantime - realistic fiction, graphic novel, anxiety, bullying, community, family

Out of My Heart - realistic fiction, disability POV, friendship, sequel to Out of My Mind

The Best Liars in Riverview - realistic fiction, mystery, LGBTQ, friendship, bullying

Maizy Chen's Last Chance - realistic fiction, identity, racism, immigrants in the U.S., Asian, family, community

Efrén Divided - realistic fiction, immigrants in the U.S., Mexico, deportation, friendship, family

Worser - realistic fiction, school, friendship, family, ill parent, autism, bullying, community activism

Golden Girl - realistic fiction, novel in verse, Pakistani immigrants in the U.S., family, kleptomaniac

Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence - realistic fiction, friendship, pets, inspiring

New From Here - realistic fiction, COVID lockdown, Asian, racism, community, family, ADHD

Tune it Out - realistic fiction, homelessness, sensory processing disorder, family, friendship

Turtle Boy - realistic fiction, identity, friendship, grief, religion, death

Brave Like That - realistic fiction, adoption, identity, friendship

Five Things About Ava Andrews - realistic fiction, friendship, social anxiety, community activism

96 Miles - realistic fiction, family, survival, friendship, mystery, suspense

This Last Adventure - realistic fiction, grandparents, Alzheimers, friendship

The Amelia Six - realistic fiction, friendship, mystery, gender, humor

Jennifer Chan is Not Alone - realistic fiction, friendship, mystery, identity, bullying, Asian, aliens

Solving for M - realistic fiction, ill parent, friendship, family

Stuck - realistic fiction, learning disabilities, friendship, school, family

Lemon Drop Falls - realistic fiction, grief, OCD, anxiety, family, friendship

Samira Surfs - realistic fiction, novel in verse, Rohingya refugees, gender roles, identity, Bangladesh, surfing

One Time - realistic fiction, school, imagination, friendship, identity

How to Become a Planet - realistic fiction, LGBTQ, anxiety, depression, family, friendship

Violets are Blue - realistic fiction, opioids, divorce, friendship, special FX makeup

Count Me In - realistic fiction, Indian, immigrants in the U.S., racism, community activism, friendship

The Girl Who Stole an Elephant - realistic fiction, adventure, Sri Lanka, friendship, class

Young Adult (ages 14 +)

Nonfiction

Black Birds in the Sky - nonfiction, Tulsa Race Massacre, racism, American history, Oklahoma

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry - nonfiction, true crime, Asian, justice, American history

Fallout - nonfiction, Cold War, espionage, nuclear war, Soviet Union, United States, communism

Revolution in Our Time - nonfiction, Black Panthers, history, politics

The Woman All Spies Fear - nonfiction, biography, code breaker, heroism

Historical Fiction

Last Night at the Telegraph Club - historical fiction, 1950s San Fransisco, LGTBQ, Chinese immigrants, gender, identity

A Sitting in St. James - historical fiction, 1860s Louisiana, enslaved generation, plantation life, identity, racism, class

I Must Betray You - historical fiction, Romania, Communism, spies, romance, family

Under a Painted Sky - historical fiction, 1849 Oregon Trail, romance, friendship, gender roles

Displacement - historical fiction, graphic novel, Japanese-American Internment Camps, WWII, Asian

Realistic Fiction

All My Rage - realistic fiction, immigrants in the U.S., romance, ill parent, abuse, identity, trauma, Middle Eastern

Firekeeper's Daughter - realistic fiction, Ojibwe, identity, mystery, thriller, family

You Should See Me in a Crown - realistic fiction, LGBTQ, high school, friendship, social pressure

Jagged Little Pill - realistic fiction, sexual assault, multiple narrators, community, friendship

Ain't Burned All the Bright - poetry, COVID, Black voices, social commentary

Blackout - short stories (intertwined), realistic fiction, identity, LGBTQ, relationships, romance

Fantasy

A Snake Falls to Earth - fantasy, Indigenous futurism, family, community, Lipan Apache, supernatural

Me (Moth) - supernatural, romance, grief, identity, spiritualism, Navajo

Gleanings - short stories, dystopian, death, power, part of the Arc of a Scythe trilogy

Poster Girl - dystopian, mystery, power, family

Adult

When Women Were Dragons - fantasy, gender roles, family, mystery, social commentary

Nightcrawling - poverty, crime, realistic fiction, law enforcement

Wrong Place, Wrong Time - organized crime, time travel, family, betrayal

The It Girl - mystery, suspense, murder, Oxford, friendship, romance

Book Lovers - romance, family, book publishing industry

Tracy Flick Can't Win - realistic fiction, dark humor, community, high school, sequel to Election

One Italian Summer - realistic fiction, grief, marriage, mothers, romance

She Come By it Natural - nonfiction, culture, music, feminism

This Tender Land - historical fiction, 1930s ,Great Depression, midwest U.S., epic quest

Compiling this list reflects the genres I gravitate towards and what I need to seek out more. The upcoming year provides the perfect time to read more books that will leave their mark in my psyche. If you have any suggestions for me, please leave them in the comments. 90% of these books I read come from others' recommendations!

I'm incredibly grateful to be a part of book clubs, review groups and other professional learning networks that allow me to discuss the best books. The American Library Association's Youth Media Awards are also a source of my selected books to read in the coming year. The nominees and winning books are announced on January 30, 2023 from 8 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. CENTRAL time. I can't wait!

Friday, February 18, 2022

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: Asian-American activism begins

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula Yoo is an award-winning non-fiction, young adult book that looks deeply at the people and circumstances that launched activism for Asian-Americans. Yoo uses primary sources and interviews from the 1980s to the present-day hate crimes against Asian-Americans due to the Coronavirus pandemic to put the whole plight of Asian-Americans in context. This is a valuable book for U.S. History classes, social justice and law classes, as well as for teens and adults who want to learn more about other civil rights movements aside from the ones for Black people and perhaps the LGBTQIA+ communities.

Detroit in 1982 was full of tension. Tension between Asian-Americans and those in the automobile industry. When a Chinese-American man, Vincent Chin, was brutally killed by two white men and the sentence was only probation and a $3000 fine, the Asian-American community organized to protest against this injustice. Chin's wrongful death was the first case brought against someone's civil rights being violated. The prosecutors retried the defendants claiming that their crime was racially motivated and that violated Chin's civil rights that were protected under the law. What ensued was a years-long battle in and out of the courts with multiple law enforcement, attorneys, witnesses, and national figures for justice being pulled back in to find closure on the case.

What stood out to me was how ordinary, everyday people got involved in the movement. For example, Mable Lim, an elderly woman who drove around Detroit with press releases shared that when she was younger she never stood up to the racism she encountered. "I accepted it, you're used to being excluded and treated differently." Many readers may relate to Lim and her perspective, even to this day. Marginalized groups benefit from learning about the past where coming together for a common cause brings strength to the community as a whole.

Another part of this story that was especially informative was how all-encompassing the movement became. At first it was Chinese-American activists that then grew to Japanese-Americans, then the NAACP and Pacific Islander groups joined. During a march an elderly Filipino man was asked why he joined and his reply encapsulated the feeling for justice, "If we don't stand together, we'll always be divided." This book teaches the origins of the term Asian American and Pacific Islander. Readers can better understand how these modern-day terms came about and how they are used today.

Finally, the true-crime aspect of the story is also a reason why I recommend it to young adults and adult readers. Yoo writes in a narrative style similar to true crime podcast scripts that provide details to the reader about the background of each person involved in the case. The courtroom scenes and judicial procedures are also notable because they were the cause of laws actually changing to ensure equitable sentencing procedures for future cases. Readers are also not lectured at in this book. For example, Yoo doesn't state her opinions about the motivation behind the killing. She lays out the evidence from both sides and that is what is also good to read. How she handles the effects on the defendants' lives brought a more balanced approach to this story.

After reading this book readers will undoubtedly want to do their own research on the case and the people involved. Yoo provides numerous sources for further reading, including the film, Who Killed Vincent Chin? Here is an interview from the Glendale Library that was done with Yoo:

Sunday, January 23, 2022

Revolution in Our Time: the Black Panthers' rise, fall & legacy today

Kekla Magoon's young adult, nonfiction book, Revolution in Our Time, about the history of the Black Panthers, their enduring struggle for progress in their lifetimes and the recurring themes in the modern-day American society is a poignant informational book that benefits everyone who reads it.

The Black Panther Party played a large role in pushing back against racist policies in communities, however, the media portrayal focused on the sensational aspects rather than the multi-faceted parts of the movement that actually helped communities. This is where Magoon's book comes in to set the record straight on how women and children were the focus in order to provide for their basic needs while in poverty.

The book starts out when in 1967 a group of Black Panthers walked onto the floor of the California State Legislature to express their position on Black people being able to defend themselves against unlawful attacks. How did this group form and come to this pivotable moment when they were splashed in headlines all around the country? Magoon then takes the reader back to 1619 until 1965 and summarizes how Black people have endured inhumane treatment up until 1965. She explains the group's formation in 1966 during the Civil Rights Movement and how they grew in numbers all while being targeted by law enforcement and the FBI. Magoon finishes the book by going full circle to when the group disbanded in 1982 until the present day struggles for the same protection under the law that was the cornerstone of their platform from their formation.

It reminded me a lot of Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You and You Call This Democracy?, both written with a young adult audience in mind. Our youth deserve to know the historical events that have led our country to the state it is in and how they can help improve their world by not repeating mistakes of the past and recognizing what has worked before. This is an excellent book for teens and adults to read together and use it study the figures and events on their own. Full of photographs, quotes, and a storytelling technique that will leave a lasting impression in the mind and heart of the reader, this should be shared and discussed by all who care about Black people.

Click HERE for my book review of this book.

HERE is a short video of Kekla Magoon discussing her book.

If you have middle grade readers (ages 8 - 14) who'd like to learn more about The Black Panthers I'd recommend Rita Garcia-Williams' award winning trilogy:

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Infinite Country: a multi-generational saga in less than 200 pages

Infinite Country, a young adult and adult novel, by Patricia Engel clocks in at less than 200 pages, but it is a richly told story of a Colombian family whose choices have everlasting effects on future generations. Engel rotates the point-of-view throughout the story so it is told in a series of present-day snapshots and flashbacks to when their family was started with the union of Elena and Mauro.

The story opens with 15-year Talia's breaking out of a juvenile detention facility in the Andes mountains, "it was her idea to tie up the nun." Immediately the reader is drawn into the story and curious about all of the events that led to that point. Thankfully, Engel reveals just enough information through each character's chapters so it slowly trickles out, piece by piece. Talia's crime was justified in her mind yet "Talia considered how people who do horrible things can be victims, and how victims can be people who do horrible things." Readers can discuss if this is true and when history has done this for various people. Does this still happen today?

As the story moves forward the reader learns that "Talia's mother was abroad and sent Talia to Columbia when she was a baby but this story was so common it couldn't possibly be considered trauma." The choice that Elena makes resonates with everyone in the family. Readers can discuss if this is truly traumatic and in what way? Engel continues to divulge more of the how and why behind Elena's decision and the way it is revealed through the different characters' chapters makes it most heart-wrenching to read.

"People say drugs and alcohol are the greatest and most persuasive narcotics--the elements most likely to ruin a life. They're wrong. It's love." Engel drops this incredibly deep thought in the middle of the story as Mauro is dipping in and out of sobriety in his attempt to deal with the splitting up of his family. Readers can talk about addiction and the ways in which love drives people to do the unthinkable. How does Elena and Mauro's love story ruin lives? Did it ruin their own, their children's, Elena's mother's, or all of theirs, or none of theirs?

Another aspect of this novel that is especially meaningful is the idea of dual-identity that immigrants continually must grapple with on a daily basis. Elena thinks, "when you leave one country for another, nobody tells you years will bleed together like rain on newsprint. One year becomes five and five years becomes ten. Ten years become fifteen." Even over the course of many years in another country, immigrants hope to one day return, but in this story, Elena cannot just visit Columbia since her status is undocumented. Her family in the U.S. must straddle the awkward rope of trying to fit-in while not standing out and attracting the attention of authorities. Readers can discuss the stress of living this way. What are the drawbacks of this life for Elena and her children? What are the benefits? Which outweighs the other?

Elena and Mauro's children's perspective are told in vastly different ways. Talia, the youngest, is in Colombia with her father and her side of the story is the first the reader learns. Karina, the first-born, is in the U.S. with her mother and younger brother, who was born in the U.S. so his experience contrasts to hers. She has to go to great lengths to wrap her mind around half of her family being in another country. A country that she is a citizen of but will never live in, unless she is found and deported by ICE. Nando, the only son of the family is bullied incessantly but he keeps it all to himself. Nando and Karina's perspectives are ones that readers can discuss. Who has it better?

Elena "blamed herself for displacing her own children, especially her girls. Karina and Talia, binational, each born in one country and raised in another like repotted flowers, creatures forced to live in the wrong habitat." Mauro's upbringing, what he teaches Talia in terms of folklore and native Columbian stories, weaves its way through the story. Engel beautifully uses the stories of the serpent, princesses, jaguar and condors to reflect what is happening to the family. Readers can try to find the parallels in these mentions. Which family member fits each animal's role?

Overall, this story leaves the reader with hope, want for action on current immigration policies in the U.S., and more empathy towards immigrant stories. Engel's Columbian background adds authenticity to every layer and is a must-read for any young adult and adult.

Sunday, May 2, 2021

Know your worth: Brother's Keeper

Brother's Keeper is a middle-grade, award-winning, historical fiction debut novel by #ownvoices author, Julie Lee. It is partially based on the experiences her mother had while growing up in North Korea in the 1940s and escaping the harrows of war by journeying to South Korea for a better life in 1950. This is a tale of survival and family, but also it's an emotional perspective on negative gender stereotyping and what it was like for North Koreans living under Communist rule. There are lots of topics for further study and discussion questions that readers can use for book clubs.

12-year-old Sora lives in a North Korean village with her parents and two younger brothers. She was just told by her mother that she would have to stop attending school in order to stay home and take care of her brothers while her parents work in the fields. She knows that this is a cultural expectation, however, that doesn't stop her from wanting to pursue her studies, especially, writing. It also doesn't make her feel better when her parents and neighbors constantly praise her brothers only for their gender. This pressure for her to learn proper cooking in order to marry well in a few years causes great anxiety in Sora and a rift forms between her and her parents.

Life under Communist rule adds strain to their daily lives. As the war gets closer to their village, Sora has flashbacks of when a family member was arrested and imprisoned for helping people cross the border into South Korea. The risk of her father being forced to join the Communist army is so high that they even bury him in a hole in the ground for months so he stays safe! Only when the bombs start dropping on their village is it the sign they need to flee. Sadly, Sora and her 8-year-old brother, Youngsoo, get separated from their family and it is up to Sora to keep them alive and make the difficult decision to continue trekking south toward freedom. As Sora dreadfully thinks when Youngsoo asks her how they will cross the river without a bridge, "I didn't know, and I didn't trust myself. Yet every decision was up to me--our lives depended on it."

Since the book opens up with a map of Korea and their journey on foot and train is marked, the reader knows that they both do make it to their final destination even before reading a single word of the book. That is a relief, except the reader knows that this is only Sora and Youngsoo's journey and that it doesn't include their family members who the readers get to know so well throughout the story.

Lee also divides the book into 3 parts: Home, Escape, and Busan. This helps the reader get ready for what is to come in the most basic sense. Lee describes their tribulations with such brutal detail that it was hard to continue reading at times. War is difficult for everyone and Lee brings that gruesome truth to light when documenting Sora and Youngsoo's journey. In one way, their escape contains all of the parts of a survival tale: cold, fatigue, hunger, lice, attempted kidnapping, even being driven to theft of food and begging for money for medical attention for Youngsoo. In another way, after they reach their destination, it is a whole other type of survival for Sora. She must go back into the gender expectations by learning how to cook, clean and take care of a house so she can be a good wife soon.

As a teacher and librarian, I would use this book to discuss a range of topics. First, readers can consider how the talk of gender affects children. In one scene, Youngsoo confides in Sora of his discomfort with being the first-born son. He says it is too much pressure for him. This surprises Sora. What do readers think about this revelation? Should Youngsoo speak up when his parents and neighbors put-down Sora and insult her because she is only a girl? How do we see these gender stereotypes reinforced in American culture? In another scene, a young woman encourages Sora to make sure that she looks after herself first, then her brother. "Know your worth." This advice brings tears to Sora's eyes because she had always been told to be the martyr and do everything, at whatever cost, to keep her brothers alive and well. What do readers think about this advice? Why do we need others to give us pep-talks like these? Who is someone that readers have in their lives whom they can give this type of advice?

The book ends with several sections that lead to further study and discussion for readers. First, there is an Author's Note where Lee describes all of the fiction and non-fiction parts of the story. Here is a video of Lee explaining her family's connection to the book:

There is also a section for photos from Lee's family during this time period.

Another section is a glossary of Korean words and finally, a timeline of the Korean War.

Readers can dive into these and the story is instantly enriched. TeachingBooks.net has a free discussion guide to use, too. I had never read a book from the Korean perspective during the 1950s and it has made me curious about other people's experiences during this time period . As Lee writes in her Author's Note, "the stories of refugee survivors remain largely untold..."

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