Here's what I read this past month, including what I've been reading to my son!
A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie: This one had an interesting setup and a lot of possible paths to follow, and I figured out just enough to feel satisfying but not enough to make it feel predictable or obvious. It had minimal Miss Marple, but still enough that it didn't feel like a stretch that she could figure out the solution. So on the whole, a pretty good Agatha Christie.
Rick by Alex Gino: I'm very impressed how Gino writes books about queer kids that 1) are accessible to elementary school and 2) express the love and joy of being part of the queer community even while tackling difficult topics. There's little enough ace rep in books in general, and having one that can introduce the identity to a younger audience is much appreciated.
Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson: Lawson has again delivered a book that literally made me laugh until I cried on multiple occasions. Different readers will take away different things, but I think most people can find something to appreciate or enjoy about the book.
The Zapato Power series by Jacqueline Jules: I'm grouping together this 7-book (so far) series that I read to my son, which we both really enjoyed. It's a great mix of action, suspense, and real-life kid problems, with a young protagonist whose identity and experiences (Latino, single mom, deceased soldier dad, living in an apartment complex) are less often represented in books for this age group.
Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli: This was sweet, if hella predictable. It's a romance, but it's also a celebration of friendship, and it had the hallmarks of everything I love about Albertalli's books. This wasn't quite as good as some of my favorites of Albertalli's books, but it was still an enjoyable read and she remains one of my favorite authors.
The Case of the Haunted History Museum by Steve Brezenoff: My 6-year-old was so into this book that he asked me to read it to him even outside of our pre-bedtime reading time. The mystery and solution weren't particularly spectacular, but the book was well written and I was happy to see a diverse group of kids making up the sleuthing friends.
Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend: Notes from the Other Side of the Fist Bump by Ben Philippe: This book had the potential to be good but never quite made it there. Philippe tried to take too many angles, and the end result was not, alas, a laugh-out-loud memoir seamlessly supported with cultural context, but a random assortment of essays that jump around different points of Philippe's life and self-consciously break the fourth wall far too often.
The Case of the Missing Museum Archives by Steve Brezenoff: This was fine, but a bit disappointing compared to the first book. The solution seemed obvious (to me) from the beginning, and the mystery was far less engaging to my son than uncovering the "ghost" in the first book. I'm interested to see how the next book in the series is.
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and Team of Rivals
Five years ago I was reading: The Husband's Secret, The Name of God Is Mercy, Will I Ever Be Good Enough?, and The Fellowship of the Ring
Ten years ago I was reading: Blame It on Paris
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