October was better than September, but I still feel like life is careening out of control. Maybe it’s just a side effect of getting older. At any rate, reading was done this month. My favorite:

It’s not for everyone (and it’s not really Horror in the traditional sense), but I found it fascinating and compelling. And so very unique. I’m still thinking about it.

As for the rest:

Middle Grade

Death in the Tallgrass (audiobook)
Familiar Magic

Non-Fiction

Tending

Adult Fiction

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (audiobook)
Threshing Day (audiobook)
Grim Tidings
Sweet Saints
Girl Next Door
We Chase Shadows (audiobook)

What was your favorite this month?

September kicked my butt. I don’t know if it was the three weeks of 95- to 105-degree heat, or if it was things piling up at work, or just the general funk I found myself in, but I didn’t read much at all. I probably started 20 books, but the vast majority I bailed on. Nothing stuck. That is, until this one:

God bless Hannah Kaner for having a new book and for getting me out of a reading slump. As for the rest:

Adult Fiction:

The Blonde Identity (audiobook)
The Hocus Pocus Handbook (audiobook)
Hollywood, Ending
The Someday Garden

Non-Fiction:

The Wild Season

Middle Grade:

The Year I Stopped Drawing

Young Adult:

Rising Thunder

And that’s it, folks. Did you have a favorite this month?

I got through the month reading lots of short books on audio. I don’t know why August seems to drag (probably the heat), but I haven’t really had the attention span for something really long since I finished Victorious. Ah, well. It’s the end of summer; one must give oneself grace.

My favorite this month:

It’s the Libba Bray of the 2010s that I love, mixed with great music. I hope others will enjoy it as much as I did. As for the rest:

Adult Fiction:

Kill All Wizards (audiobook)
Victorious
Free Falling
Rasputin Swims the Potomac (audiobook)
Moon Called (audiobook)
Eric (audiobook)
Carmilla (audiobook)

Graphic Novels:

Hometown
Mexidkid Dreams

Non-Fiction:

First Light

What was your favorite this month?

July was a lot, and it went by FAST. Even though I didn’t read as much as I wanted on vacation (silly me), I did read some, and I managed to finish a few books since we returned. There was one that I DNFed at 26% on audiobook, but I couldn’t bring myself to review it. My favorite ended up being the one for Romance Book Club:

Adult Fiction:

Everyone in this Bank is a Thief (audiobook)
Murmuration

YA Fiction:

Wondrous

Non-Fiction:

All About Love (audiobook)
We Are the Answer (audiobook)

Graphic Novels:

Heartstopper, Volume 6
Last Day Pool Party
Mixed Feelings
The Whole Wide World of Mabel Mulligan

Middle Grade Fiction

This is a Door

What was your favorite this month?

June came and went much too fast. I’m not entirely sure where it went, either. But go it did, and some books got read.

My favorite this month:

An absolutely wonderful little book. I’m still thinking about it.

As for the rest:

Adult Fiction:

A Girl with a Thousand Faces (audiobook)
Vengeful
Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It (audiobook)
Christmas in Austenland (DNF)
Rules for Aging and Larceny
The Starling House (audiobook)
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 7 and 8

Middle Grade:

Licorice

Non-Fiction:

Jesus for Everyone

And on to July!

We are looking for a new bookseller at the store, and the floor manager (who has been there as long as I have) was talking about some of the people she interviewed. One of the things: a lot of the people applying don’t read more than 4-5 books a year. We were all baffled: even the slowest reader on staff reads about a book a week. What would compel you to apply as a bookseller at an independent bookstore if you don’t actually read? Maybe I’m being snobby, but it did make us wonder.

Choosing my favorite this month was kind of challenging. There were several that I really loved, but in the end I chose this one:

I think it was because the audiobook was just so perfect for this story. I would happily listen to this story again, thinking about the themes of family and death and choice that it brings up. It’s truly a gem.

As for the rest:

Graphic Novels:

Encore
The Lost Daughter of Sparta

Middle Grade:

Building 903

Adult Fiction:

Sunlight Finds You
Star Shipped (audiobook)
Dolly All the Time
Sea of Charms
Piranesi (reread) (audiobook)
Love Song
Wild Goose Chase

Young Adult:

Young World

Non-Fiction

The Future is Peace

It’s summertime, so it’ll be interesting to see what my reading looks like next month!

The problem this month, if you can call it that, is that I had a really good reading month, and there are three excellent books to choose from. How does one choose? Maybe I shouldn’t and I should just pick three favorites. Two are the next in series that I adore, so maybe I should focus on the stand-alone. Except that one is currently getting a lot of buzz, and maybe it’s over-hyped (it’s still good, though.) Maybe I should just leave you guessing which three I really adored.

I think I’ll just pick all three:

A Kingfisher, Murderbot, and the One everyone is talking about. I loved them all.

Daggerbound
Platform Decay
Yesteryear (audiobook)

As for the rest:

Adult Fiction:

The Rally
Take Me With You
The Deal
How to Fake It in Society (audiobook)

Graphic Novel:

Midsummer Sisters
The Dream Thieves

Non-Fiction:

The Secret History of Wonder Woman
The Universe in Verse

What was your favorite this month?

March kicked my butt in so many ways. I was sick for a lot of it, and then we went on vacation for spring break. I had frontlist orders to tackle most of the month, and all of the stuff that goes along with that. However, even with all of that, I feel like I had a good reading month. My favorite will come as no surprise:

Can’t go wrong with a Mac Barnett book. As for the rest:

Adult:

And Now, Back to You
The Book Witch
French Windows (audiobook)
Pole Position (audiobook)
Once and Again
Heir of Illusion

Graphic Novel:

Haven and the Fallen Giants
To Dance the Moon and Stars

Middle Grade:

The Magic Library of Waterfall Way
The Experiment (audiobook)

Young Adult:

When We Ride
Death in the Jungle

What was your favorite this month?

It’s been a month. Not a bad one, and at least it’s short (and a perfect rectangle; I do like it when February looks like that). I was thinking at the beginning of the month that while I’ve read books I like, I have yet to read one I loved, and then I listened to this one:

It’s important, yes, but it’s also interesting and entertaining. Highly recommend, especially on audio.

As for the rest:

Middle Grade:

Dragon Girl and the Awakened Flames

Adult Fiction:

The Wedding Date (audiobook)
The Favorites
Our Sister’s Keeper
The Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl (audiobook)

Graphic Novel:

Offside
Coming Out Perfect
Patchwork: A Graphic Biography of Jane Austen

Young Adult:

A Prince Among Pirates

What was your favorite this month?

I saw somewhere that it feels very derivative to read with all that *gestures widely*. That said, I did read some books this month. This was my favorite:

It was a beautiful book, and I can’t wait for it to come out.

As for the rest:

Adult fiction:

Thistlemarch
Heated Rivalry
Canon
Fever Beach (audiobook)
Annie Knows Everything
Spark of the Everflame
Red City (audiobook)
Fishbone Cinderella

Non-Fiction:

Separation of Church and Hate

There’s so much to say and yet no idea how to say it. Be kind, friends.