Book Lists

Recommendations

Posted onAuthorCrystal

So far this year I’ve enjoyed quite a few books and would recommend these for readers wondering what to pick up next.

The background is fiery in color with small images of leaves and the phases of the moon above a young woman's face. There is also a red hand print above one of the moons. There are two bear cub faces below her face and many fish swimming.Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
Heny Holt and Company [My review]

Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is – the laidback twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Her aspirations won’t ever take her far from home, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. But as the rising number of missing Indigenous women starts circling closer to home, as her family becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation, and as greedy grave robbers seek to profit off of what belongs to her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry begins to question everything.

In order to reclaim this inheritance for her people, Perry has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. She can only count on her friends and allies, including her overachieving twin and a charming new boy in town with unwavering morals. Old rivalries, sister secrets, and botched heists cannot – will not – stop her from uncovering the mystery before the ancestors and missing women are lost forever.

Sometimes, the truth shouldn’t stay buried.

The cover has a young woman floating in water. Her hands are open and she is holding her mouth closed and is looking up. There is a sun in the background. There are clouds and birds.In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee
First Second [Jessica’s Review]

A debut YA graphic memoir about a Korean-American girl’s coming-of-age story—and a coming home story—set between a New Jersey suburb and Seoul, South Korea.

Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee knows she’s different. Ever since her family emigrated from South Korea to the United States, she’s felt her Otherness. For a while, her English isn’t perfect. None of her teachers can pronounce her Korean name. Her face and her eyes—especially her eyes—stand out. As the pressures of high school ramp up, friendships change and end, and everything gets harder. Even home isn’t a safe place, as fights with her mom escalate. Deb is caught in a limbo, with nowhere to go, and her mental health plummets. But Deb is resilient. She discovers art and self-care, and gradually begins to start recovering. And during a return trip to South Korea, she realizes something that changes her perspective on her family, her heritage, and herself.

The title is written as an overlay on the long brown flowing hair of a girl in profile. A much smaller person is down at the bottom of the cover. He is standing holding a tandem bicycle and is staring up at the larger face of the young woman.Gloria Buenrostro is Not My Girlfriend
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) [My Review]

Gary Võ is one of the few Vietnamese kids in his school and has been shy for as long as he can remember—being ignored and excluded by his classmates comes with the territory. So when the most popular guy in his grade offers Gary the opportunity to break into his inner circle, Gary jumps at the chance. All he needs to do is steal the prized possession of the most beautiful and untouchable girl they know—Gloria Buenrostro.

But as Gary gets to know Gloria, he’s taken in by her authenticity and genuine interest in who he really is. Soon, they’re best friends. Being part of the “in crowd” has always been Gary’s dream, but as he comes closer to achieving infamy, he risks losing the first person who recognizes his true self. Gary must consider if any amount of popularity is worth losing a true friend.

Next up, I am looking forward to reading Everyone Wants to Know by Kelly Loy Gilbert and Clementine and Danny Save the World (and each other) by Livia Blackburne. What’s on your TBR?