Books I Got:

• Dune by Frank Herbert
• Binti: The Complete Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor
• Becoming Superman (old ARC) by J. Michael Straczynski
• Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
• The Invention of Sound (old ARC) by Chuck Palahnuik
• The Humorless Ladies of Border Control by Franz Nicolay
• Sparrow Hill Road (old ARC) by Seanan McGuire
• The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs
• The New York Trilogy Paul Auster
• The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
• Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh

Books I Read:

• None Shall Sleep (ARC) by Ellie Marney
• Timestamp: Musings of an Introverted Black Boy by Marcus Granderson
• Bookish and the Beast (old ARC) by Ashley Poston
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (audiobook) by Mary Ann Shaffer
• Boy Meets Boy (audiobook) by David Levithan
• Holes (audiobook) by Louis Sachar
• A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green
• Kiki’s Delivery Surface (audiobook) by Eiko Kadono
• Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
• Book Love (graphic memoir) by Debbie Tung
• The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan
• Hotel Dare (graphic novel) by Terry Blas
• This is a Book (re-read) by Demetri Martin
• Spinning (graphic memoir) by Tillie Walden
• Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that if I have too much time on my hands, I pick up a book. And then another. And then another. Goodreads just informed me that I have read 102 books so far this year. My goal was fifty. So I decided to read some books outside my comfort zone this month, starting with a mystery. None Shall Sleep is a mystery thriller about two college students who have both had personal experiences with serial killers. They are recruited by the FBI to interview teen killers, but it turns out that they are actually there to interview a specific teen serial killer to help solve an ongoing case. Though the concept was super cool, this book was disappointing. It involved too many recycled tropes, the pacing was just odd, and the characters were only a half-step away from being stock characters. A few moments were thrilling, but they were rare and the outcomes easy to predict. What a bummer!

Then I chose to read Marcus Granderson’s book of essays, which was also disappointing. While I agreed with a lot of what this book says, there was just no personal narrative voice at all. Almost every short essay sounded generic and rarely included concrete details. When details were included, they were about something other than the author or point being made, or they were part of a metaphor that was randomly slapped in there without further exploration. I wish I could have gotten to know the author better as he tells parts of his story, but the writings are disjointed, vague, and tediously repetitive (in terms of themes and phrasing). I was also put off a little bit by the use of “we” and “our.” Sometimes, it made perfect sense, but other times it just felt like a lazy way to try to relate to the reader.

That being said, a few chapters were really beautiful, but it was such a small portion.
The most compelling chapters for me were “Black Girl Magic,” “Pop Off” (an Obama fanboy moment), “Please Be Advised,” and “Boy Gear.” I enjoyed all of the fanboy moments Granderson included about the Obamas. Because, like, same. Oh, boy, do I miss them… I also liked when he brought in music to help tell the story or make the point. If the entire book did something like that, it would’ve been much more interesting to read.

Another out-of-my-comfort choice came with the romance novels I read this month. Who am I?

Well, Bookish and the Beast was all kinds of adorable. It was exactly the fluffy and cheesy YA romance novel I needed in my life. It was exactly what it set out to be: an unrealistic fandom romance novel that is nonetheless engaging and cute. I don’t often allow myself to just enjoy tropes that have been used too often, but this book forces you to let go of that. And it was great.

The same can be said of Get a Life, Chloe Brown, except that this book explores chronic pain, disability, the aftermath of domestic abuse, and characters who want to be together, but know they don’t need each other. Unfortunately (because this is an objectively well-written book), I’ve come to learn that I really only enjoy YA romance. I find it uncomfy to read about sex and masturbation, even though I know there’s nothing wrong with doing so. I just don’t like it! I much prefer awkward and almost old-fashioned flirting (see The Raven Cycle). Also, the random conflict toward the end was pointless and jarring. I’m sure romance fans will love this book, and I still enjoyed it, but adult romance might be a lost cause for me. Though I have heard that the sequel is even better, so maybe I’ll give it another shot?

After expounding on my YA romance novel enjoyment, I feel a bit hypocritical. But Boy Meets Boy was just a bad YA romance novel. And honestly, I don’t get the hype or why David Levithan is so popular. Yes, the whole “this world is uber accepting of queer people” thing is lovely, but it has been done sooo much better. And the narrator/main character was annoying as heck. The only reason I finished this is because the audiobook was short and I walk to work. Otherwise I would’ve stopped.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was the exact opposite. I enjoyed it so much! Now I know that the book and the movie are totally awesome. And the audiobook is *chef’s kiss*. I couldn’t stop listening, and I usually have trouble keeping my attention on audiobooks. With a full cast and a found-family plot, I was sucked right in. It’s up there with the Aristotle and Dante audiobook, which I loved with my whole heart. A+, five gold stars, smiley face sticker.

Now, moving on from my random romance stint:

I’m not gonna lie, I found Hank Green’s first book to be incredibly mediocre, except for the cliffhanger. Which is why, for our sibling book club book for September, my sister and I picked up the sequel, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor. And, holy fuck, was it amazing. The pacing of the plot was much better than in the first book, and the alternate points of view are all unique to their character, which is hard to do. It’s usually why I dislike stories with multiple perspectives, but he did it so well. I loved getting Carl’s perspective, especially, because they explain what they are, and (no spoilers) it’s out of this world. Not to mention that the themes of this book are also extremely pertinent to the world we live in now, to the point that I wonder if Hank has the ability to predict the vibe of the future. While the first book was about the dangers of social media fame, this book is, at its core, about the hope that comes from humanity working as a collective for each other. This hope is definitely something we need more of in our real lives.

Kiki’s Delivery Service and Hotel Dare were cute and lovely magic-filled found family stories that I thoroughly enjoyed. (Also, if you haven’t seen the movie version of Kiki’s Delivery Service, you should watch it as soon as you can.) Book Love was also a lovely comic book, one that every bookworm will relate to. Most of it could have come out of my own brain!

All of Tillie Walden’s graphic novels that I’ve read have been successes, and Spinning was no exception, even though it was a graphic memoir. Walden writes about the experiences and emotions surrounding her life growing up in figure and synchronized skating. Tillie’s feelings about ice skating and how everything in your life affects it are similar to how I started to feel about tennis in my sophomore year of high school. She explains how her acceptance and coming out journey affected her skating, affected everything. Nothing in her life was isolated, and even though this is a novel mainly about skating, she couldn’t ignore other aspects of her life that shaped her. This book made me feel so many complicated emotions, and as usual, the art is amazing. The yellow added to the black and white illustrations gave it a really interesting atmosphere. Tillie Walden is such a talented artist and storyteller.

Lastly, let’s discuss Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, another author whose books have always been enjoyable for me to read. I picked this up for Latinx Heritage Month. Written in verse, Clap When You Land tells the story of the two daughters of a man who dies in a plane crash as he goes to visit his one daughter in the DR. These girls don’t know about each other initially, and really not until most of the way through the book.

This one didn’t pull me in as much as the other two stories of hers I’ve read (The Poet X and With the Fire on High), and I think it’s because the characters were just way too similar. Sure, they grew up in very different circumstances and, of course, had a lot of differences. But what I really mean is that they sounded too similar, to the point that I would have to search for clues (like names or places) if I forgot which one was narrating that chapter. Even with that, the plot and emotional exploration were intriguing enough to keep me reading and enjoying doing so. The beauty and lyricism of Acevedo’s words pulled me along through the somewhat slow plot (as this is more of a character-driven story). Acevedo is an extremely talented writer, but I think it was just the dual perspective that let her down.

This month was full of mediocre and disappointing books, but also a few enjoyable ones. I guess going outside your comfort zone can be hit or miss, and a low-risk way to do this is through books! And music, too. I’m not a super adventurous person, but I have books to help me with that. (Sort of.)

As always, have a good month and find something to enjoy, maybe even something outside of your comfort zone. Stay safe and revel in the arrival of spooky season!