April

They Went Left by Monica Hesse
Having read and loved Hesse's previous book, The Girl in the Blue Coat, I was intrigued by the premise of her latest historical fiction. Every WWII book seems to stop when the war is won, when the prisoners are released from the camps, when the soldiers head home. But what happened next? What happened to the sick and starving prisoners who survived the death camps, or the soldiers who didn't know where home was, or the families separated from loved ones? Hesse explores this idea in They Went Left, where Zofia, a survivor of the camps, searches desperately for her beloved younger brother. Zofia knows the rest of her family were all killed, but where was Abek? Her search takes her all over Eastern Europe, and ultimately to Germany. In Zofia's journey, I learned along with her the after effects of the systematic killing, of the gross experimentation, of the flattening of German cities, of the will to survive and create new families. This is a powerful YA story that led me to new thoughts and conclusions about this terrible time in our history.

These Ghosts Are Family by Maisy Card
This book is difficult for me to review as I am rather torn. Ostensibly about a multigenerational Jamaican family across the centuries, underneath it is a story of our racial history, where each character fits, who benefits and who is to blame, how slavery from hundreds of years ago impacts generations today. In other words...it's complicated. A fantastic narrator on the audio tells the story of Stanford Solomon, an old Jamaican man in Brooklyn, yet in reality he is Abel, a man who left a young family on the island. The narration veers off quickly into other points of views and other time periods, creating some confusion from me, as I searched for connection. Admittedly, I almost stopped reading, yet I was glad I didn't, particularly when Deb came into the picture, Deb who his the descendant of the slave owners, Deb who embodies white privilege that comes through history and forces the reader to see, truly see, the impact from centuries ago. This book is an incredible learning experience, yet not the most gripping reading experience, if that makes sense.

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1) by Sarah J. Maas
If you have read the Crown of Thorn and Roses series or Throne of Glass series, then you know this author. And if you haven't, you really should. I used to be you, saying "Nope, I don't read fantasy." But then I discovered YA fantasy - a world where the female leads kick ass, magic plays a pivotal role, and the bad guys get defeated. Right now, that's kinda a beautiful thing with the world upside down. This new adult series by Maas (arguably the most powerful YA fantasy writer of today), is the perfect escapism. It's got a murder to be solved, a hot angel (yes, there's angels and demons), a badass female lead, and friends that can turn into wolves. What else can you want???

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
If you read Station Eleven (huge hit a few years ago), you will know that Mandel's latest book has been highly anticipated in the book world. However, I was rather torn by it. It is a meandering look at a wide cast of characters, with the siblings of Paul and Vincent providing the axis upon which the story turns. There's a rich man with a Ponzi scheme, a dead mother, a down-on-his-luck investigator, brother Paul who is a video artist, and Vincent, the sister who searches for identity. Yes, it is beautifully written and I could admire that. However, each time I would get invested in an intriguing story line, the plot would shift and send me somewhere else. It does show our interconnectedness with one another, which is interesting, and admittedly I have thought about this book for longer than expected. Not a page turner for sure, but a thoughtful exploration on how the world and its people interact.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds is hands down my current favorite YA author - he writes with such an authentic voice, he 'gets' teenagers, and he addresses issues of today with honestly and equanimity to both sides. In this book, two authors take on the story of two boys, one white, one black, and what happens when the black boy is beaten by the policeman brother of a white boy. Yeah, fire hot topic but told with such power, such grace. If I was still teaching, I would push hard to add this one to the curriculum. Highly highly recommend.

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott
I'm not that big on graphic novels; they always strike me as being like the comic books of my childhood, but with more serious content. Yet this book is different. This is George Takei's (Sulu on the original Star Trek), story of his family and their life before, during, and after the internment camps in America during WWII. Usually, the graphic novels seem all about the illustrations. While these are wonderfully done, for me this book was all about the words and they are beautiful, powerful, heartbreaking. If you've never read a graphic novel, this one would be an incredible way to start.

The Cruelest Month / A Rule Against Murder (#3 and #4 Chief Inspector Armand Gamache) by Louise Penny
A quarantine is the perfect time to get after the 15 book mystery series by acclaimed Canadian author, Louise Penny. It's like bingeing on Netflix, but this time I'm inside a small Quebec town called Three Pines, surrounded by character I know and love, and there's always a complicated mystery to solve. Note: I have not ONCE figured it out until Inspector Gamache reveals the murderer! Number 3 involves a murder at a seance, as in the woman was literally 'scared to death.' And Number 4 finds a family member murdered by a statue (I know, weird, but trust me, engrossing). These are great comfort books during an uncertain time in our world + the way she describes all the delectable food makes one want to head to the kitchen as well. Highly recommend if you're a mystery lover - you don't go wrong with Penny:) And yes, each can be read as a stand alone - it's not necessary to read them in order, but it is kinda fun to start from the beginning!