Are you following our #RiotGrams Instagram challenge? It’s been tons of fun and following the tag has added so many books to my giant mountain. Let’s get started:
Inbox (Books Acquired)
Something in Between by Melissa De La Cruz– A contemporary YA novel about the daughter of Filipino immigrants who discovers that her parents’ visas have expired just as she is about to leave for college. Jasmine now has to navigate normal American teen life while also facing the threat that her family could be deported. I’m far away from my family’s immigration story–my grandmother came here from the Philippines decades ago–but this one still feels personal, especially in the current hostile, xenophobic, racist political climate.
The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George (Berkley Books, March 7th)— New Margaret George! She writes dense, meticulous historical fiction, and Nero is such an interesting and unexpected topic. I’m excited about this one!
Outbox (Books Finished)
Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee— I bought this thinking for some reason that it was a graphic novel (it is not). Instead what I got was a super fun YA novel about a girl in a dystopian future, long after WWIII, where society has been mostly rebuilt and returned sort of to normal, with the exception that the radiation from the war unlocked genes that turned people into superheroes. Jess, the daughter of two such superheroes, is coming to grips with the realization that she hasn’t inherited any of her parents’ abilities, and the future she thought she would have isn’t going to happen. Oh, also, she has a super big mega crush on her pretty classmate Abby, and DOUBLE ALSO, has accidentally accepted an internship working for her parents’ arch-villain nemesis. Shenanigans abound!
In the Queue (What I’m Reading Next)
The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race by Jesmyn Ward— Finally got this one from the library holds list! I’ve just started it, (Jesmyn’s story about going as a schoolchild to visit Senator Trent Lott and having him gleefully show her white classmates the whip he kept on his desk will murder your feelings) and already know this will be slow-going. An essay a day is probably all I’ll be able to handle.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson— The latest in my attempt to actually read some books from the piles around my house! I love Shirley Jackson and don’t know why I haven’t picked this up sooner. The opening paragraph is so creepy! What a great winter read.
That’s it for me! Tell me about your week.