Bibliophiles of the internet, my name's Adriana and today I'm here to bring you
what is sure to be a super long July Wrap-Up.
I read all the things. Lots of things.
So I'm going to *try* keep it informative, but also short and sweet.
The first book I read for Tome Topple was "Echo" by Pam Muñoz Ryan, which I listened to as an audiobook
read by Rebecca Soler, Mark Bramhall, David de Vries, and MacLeod Andrews.
This is historical middle grade fiction about three kids all connected by the same harmonica
throughout different historical eras.
One lives in Nazi Germany, another is an orphan fighting to stay with his brother,
and the other is trying to hold her family together after her brother enlists in the armed forces.
And even though they all face extreme challenges, the one thing that gets them through is their love of music.
Honestly, I really enjoyed this, because it has a full-cast production, it has original compositions and music,
and that just elevates the entire experience that much *more*.
But there was nothing especially distinctive about it that makes me *love* it.
But I really responded to the way these characters connected with music.
And I think the story's greatest strength lies in the emotional themes
when the characters realize that there's always more room in your heart for love than for hate.
When we close ourselves off from other people, we lose out on so many wonderful possibilities.
So there is power in being vulnerable and opening yourself up to love.
Overall, a really memorable listening experience,
but not necessarily a story I see strongly impacting me over time. So I gave this one four stars.
Then, also for Tome Topple, I listened to "The Lies of Locke Lamora" by Scott Lynch, read by Michael Page.
This is a heist fantasy story about Locke Lamora, an orphan who falls in with a gang
known the Gentleman Bastards, and when the story starts, they are initiating a long-term con
where Locke poses as nobleman to swindle a wealthy family for all the coin they have.
As the plot moves forward, at the same time, people are trying to catch and expose Locke for the thief lord he is.
And before they know it, their simple con explodes into a life-or-death complex.
The best thing about this story is just that it's *fun*. It's chock-full of shenanigans and nonsense.
It very strongly reminds me of, like, "Casanova (2005)" with Heath Ledger,
but without the womanizing and seduction, just because Locke is also a character who will change identities
at a moment's notice or just completely make something the fuck up if it means getting out of tight spot.
And he focuses so much on the short-term in that way that when all these lies keep building up
and come back to bite him in the ass, it's just really entertaining and hilarious.
I would also say the clever banter and tight-knit friendship
between the Gentleman Bastards was also a strong point.
Still, I wouldn't say I bought into the hype. I wouldn't say this is like the absolute best fantasy book ever
and I'm not necessarily in any rush to read book two. But I still really enjoyed this, and I gave it four stars.
Then since I finished my Tome Topple TBR a few days early, I had a gap with nothing to read.
So very much on a whim I listened to "Fawkes" by Nadine Brandes, read by Oliver J. Hembrough.
This is historical fantasy that re-imagines the assassination plot of Guy Fawkes
from the perspective of his son, Thomas
In this alternate version of England, there is something called color magic,
where people can bond with certain colors and then manipulate everything around them
that has that same color in it.
Thomas is desperately hoping to bond with gray because he's contracted the Stone Plague
and eventually the stone will spread from his blind eye throughout his body
unless he can find a way to push it back.
He goes to seek help from his father, who brings him into the infamous gunpower plot as a means to wipe out
a group known as the Igniters, who they believe are responsible for starting and spreading the plague.
Full disclosure: I really did not enjoy this. I only listened to it because I'll listen to any book with a great narrator,
and Oliver J. Hembrough is an *extraordinary* narrator who really brought this mediocre story to life.
So I stayed for his voice. I don't regret it...
...but I also did not like it.
Not only are there a bunch of subplots and character threads that never really come to a boil,
not only is the hatred between Keepers and Igniters murky at best,
not only does the story fail to truly acknowledge oppressed groups with and kind of nuance,
but the way the story handles disability is hella suspect.
What rubs me the wrong way is that the story poses Thomas' disability as a major obstacle and then
revokes his disability and reinstates it as needed in order to add dramatic effect, which is kind of gross.
And because this illness has vague magical ties, it's kind of messed up for people who maybe share that disability
to see that there's this magical solution to this condition.
The characters just have to find it and then they'll be good,
and that cure will be like a "reward" for their personal growth.
It's ALL bad.
I think there are ways to do it, and this was not it.
And Thomas is an *insufferable* human. I don't mind when characters are not sure of themselves,
when they make mistakes, when they act rash, when they act out,
but this boy is just confused for like 99% of the book.
He is a doormat who just goes along with things not *really* knowing what's going on,
refusing to commit to any one side for, like, no actual reason.
And then he knows like one marginalized person and all of sudden he thinks he's SUPER woke
and that everyone else is heinously ignorant and that his wokeness is going to single-handedly dismantle the government.
And I'm like, "Please, stupid melodramatic boy, shut up."
But I digress!
It was an interesting magic system, a creative twist on historical figures,
but the story left me feeling very cold and I gave it two-and-a-half stars.
On a much better note, at the same time I was buddy-reading "Front Desk" by Kelly Yang
with Melissa from MelissaGeekery, and that was actually the best.
This is #ownvoices middle grade about first generation Chinese immigrant Mia,
who helps her parents run the motel they manage by taking care of the guests
and keeping things running at the front desk.
One day, a customer's car goes missing and the police show up to investigate,
which makes Mia and her parents nervous, because unbeknownst to their terrible boss,
they sometimes offer other immigrants shelter by letting them stay in the empty rooms at night.
On top of that, running a motel is much more costly than Mia's family thought,
and they're starting to realize that their boss might just be taking advantage of them
because of their social status as immigrants.
I'm gonna need all of you to go out and read this book IMMEDIATELY because it is brilliant, full of life,
stunningly written, heartfelt, and so so SO important.
Mia is *fantastic*. She is so earnest, proactive, business-savvy, and she doesn't do anything halfway.
She puts everything she has into everything she does.
The story constantly is so compelling and engaging because the stakes are so high.
Mia's parents are clearly hurting for money and they don't have many options because they're not exactly
getting a ton of opportunities. So Mia is really trying to make up the difference by being self-sufficient.
It's fun to read about her earnestness, because she's trying so hard to be an asset, not a burden,
that she often tries to do everything herself, sometimes to disaster and sometimes to success.
There's a lot of zany trial-and-error, but it's heightened because her family's conflict is present on every single page.
And there's also another layer of complexity since her parents' boss, Mr. Yao, is also of Chinese descent.
And it shows that, yes, people of color can be persecuted and othered by people within our own cultures.
But Mia takes that and goes in the other direction, because every action *she* takes is specifically about
supporting and cooperating with her fellow POCs instead of turning her back,
which would be the easy choice.
That really sums up what I love about this book.
It realistically discusses the cycle of poverty, the social and economic hardships immigrants face,
but more importantly it shows how the world defaults to exclusion, and this story is about what happens
when you dare to INclude. And I think everything about this story is true to that message.
This was amazing and it more than earned its rightful five stars.
Then we get into the stuff I read for #GetGraphic, which was so much.
I may not even give synopses for these series, and I'm going to try and keep my thoughts super brief.
At the beginning of the month, I read volume 12 of "Boku no Hero Academia" by Horikoshi Kohei,
and for #GetGraphic I continued on with volume 13, which was great.
This series is about young superheroes in training in an increasingly dangerous world, and it is my life force.
My favorite thing about this series is that it's not one note.
It's not just about kids discovering a superpower and that's it.
They're constantly having to adapt, and grow, and change, sometimes in a very short amount of time,
and it makes me feel so many things.
My two sons, Bakugo and Midoriya are in a really compelling place by the end of volume 13,
and I just can't wait to see what happens next.
Then I read volume 7 of "Giant Days," and surprising *no one*, it was fantastic.
I just can't say enough about the friendship between Daisy, Esther, and Susan.
It's so pure, it's so engaging. And I love how they take mundane situations
and fixate on them until they become A Thing.
I find myself laughing out loud constantly and I love how genuine and accepting this friend group is.
This series is truly magic
Then I read the manga adaptation of RWBY, adapted by Shirow Miwa.
This is an action-packed fantasy series about a world overrun by horrific creatures known as Grimm.
The four main girls—Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang—are all attending Beacon Academy to be trained in combat.
Or, more accurately, they are training to become hunters.
I really enjoyed this manga adaptation because it was more of an homage to the series,
where each chapter gives a more in-depth look at the promo trailers you're supposed to watch
before volume one, which do get referenced in the show and are integral to the series.
So it was nice to go back to the characters origins, in a way, and get more insight into those situations.
There's also a joint mission at the end with Team RWBY and Team JNPR, which brought me to LIFE.
The tone of the characters is consistent with the show, and it's cool to see some original content
that really feels like it fits in with the canon content.
However, I will say you have to have watched RWBY to fully appreciate it.
I definitely would not recommend going in blind and having this be, like, your first exposure to the show.
But I gave this four-and-a-half stars.
I also read the official RWBY manga anthology, which I did not enjoy as much.
This definitely felt more fanfiction-y. Like it's very clear that these side episodes are not canon in any way,
and there were some instances where I felt like the content was not true to the characters.
It was a bit gratuitous.
Plus it's really hard to adjust to twenty different art styles, twenty different ways of paneling and structuring,
twenty stories that are vastly different in tone.
So I would say this anthology is more for mega-fans who want to consume all things RWBY
and see their faves doing all the things...which, yes, in fact, is me. But I believe I gave this one 3 stars.
Then I read a few issues of "Dodge City" by Josh Trujillo and Cara McGee.
This is an all-ages sports comic about this underdog dodgeball team called the Jazz Pandas
who are trying to fight their way from the bottom of the league to the top against all odds.
Listen: this comic is a GIFT.
It's written by a queer Latinx author, the main character is Latinx, almost all the supporting cast are POC,
one of the teammates is super into cosplay, there are queer girls, there is a fat Deaf character who could be queer.
There's that underdog mentality! There's sports! There is *nothing* I shall want.
It is a treasure. It's beautifully designed in a way that captures the action and the emotion.
There's really great conflict on and off the court.
It needs to be read by *everyone.* And I gave these issues four-and-a-half stars.
Then I read "The High School Life of a Fudanshi" volume 1 by Michinoku Atami.
I didn't enjoy this one as much as I wanted, because I think there's obviously some problems with how
Japanese culture inherently fetishizes yaoi and yuri as entertainment for people who are largely cis
and not queer. And instead of acknowledging that, as I hoped it would, the story plays *into* that.
I love the tone and the format. There's some good stuff in here about being supportive, being open minded,
and the validation that comes from connecting with people who love what you love, but there were still parts
in here that left me feeling a little bit squicky as a queer reader, so ultimately I gave this one three stars.
And I also read "Dreamin' Sun" vol. 1 by Takano Ichigo.
It's a slice of life shojo manga about a girl with a dysfunctional family who runs away,
and through a series of wacky events, falls into a new living arrangement with some classmates.
It's a super cute, heartfelt series with an amazing sense of humor, about a character who just
wants the freedom to live her life, fall in love, and make mistakes.
I really love the light-hearted dynamic between these housemates and how they can sense exactly
what each person needs in that moment, and how they do their best to offer support.
There's also kind of a love triangle being set up, but it's GOOD.
And for once I really wouldn't be mad either way it ends up, which is definitely a plus.
I gave this one four stars.
Then my poetry collection for July was "Calling a Wolf a Wolf" by Kaveh Akbar, an Iranian-born poet.
This collection explores the Akbar's alcoholism, his struggle with addiction,
and his hunger for some sense of comfort.
This collection is extremely powerful and honest.
I found myself so moved by the poet's ability to go from one idea to the next
and then pull the reader up short with his stark use of language.
These poems use dark surrealism and dark humor to show a speaker who is
viewing and experiencing the world through a distorted lens.
There's a pervasive sense of melancholy and wrongness that highlights the destructive nature of the alcoholic's existence.
I'm pretty sure I highlighted something from every single poem in this collection,
which really goes to show Akbar's mastery of language. And I gave this collection five stars.
The last thing I read in July was "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Maurene Goo.
This is #ownvoices YA about a biracial girl named Clara, whose father has transformed their Korean-Brazilian
heritage into a brand for his food truck known as KoBra, and he hopes to break into the restaurant business.
Clara is a trouble-maker, and at the big school dance, she takes a prank way too far,
and as punishment, her father is forcing her to work all summer long on the food truck
with her fellow classmate and number one enemy, Rose.
There's also a super cute, charismatic guy working a coffee kiosk along the food truck route
who is definitely *not* part of of her summer plans.
This book has *everything* I could want. It has humor, summer vibes, that enemies-to-friends dynamic,
a swoon-worthy romance...But it also has a really great amount of emotional depth and growth.
This story really gets into *why* Clara defaults to being a trickster and a prankster,
and that's because it keeps her at arm's length and keeps her from feeling to real stuff.
If you're making fun of everything, you don't have any serious expectations, and you won't feel disappointment.
Clara always goes for what's easy. And she's always been able to take the easy route
and get exactly what she wants out of it.
But it's *this* summer where she somehow befriends the girl she used to hate,
*this* summer where she falls in love with someone who is so genuine, authentic, and passionate,
and she's realizing it's okay to be real, to go all in, and to [fully] commit to each moment.
It's terrifying and you open yourself up to the possibility of being hurt,
but the things that are real and true are worth protecting.
I *love* this and I gave it four-and-a-half stars.
So those are all the books I read in the month of July. If you've read any of these yourself,
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
But that's everything I had for this wrap-up today. Thank you so much for watching this video.
I really hope that you enjoyed it, and I will catch YOU on the flip-side of the page.
Bye!
[♫ snazzy end screen music ♫]
