Summer 2024 Book Recommendations
For all your beach ready needs
Books I Recently Read and Loved
Read to the end of this newsletter to get a bonus book recommendation of a book I did not read recently but keep thinking about, so you know it’s good.
Picture Books
Courage Hats by Kate Hoefler and Jessixa Bagley
Beautiful text about pretending to be brave with a hat until your heart catches up. Sort of a “fake it till you make it” but more heartfelt. Manages to be deeply meaningful with very simple language. Also, there’s a bear.The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker
I love a good wordless picture book, though my kids have their own (wrong) opinions. This one is really cool. Every page shows the same tree and river scene as a city/civilization grows and crumbles next to them. It feeds my soul obsessed with the far far past and far far future. Honestly, check this out for yourself. Forget about the kids.Oh No, the Aunts are Here! by Adam Rex and Lian Cho
Look, this is a weird book that's not for everyone, but I literally (and I mean that literally) LOLed at the hilarious aunts. Like many Adam Rex books, it's a weird little story that you can't take too seriously or think too hard about. Actually, I'm not sure there's an actual story here. It just, like, tells the reader about the aunts. And then there's a wolf? The illustrations are so energetic and engaging. A+On the Edge of the World by Anna Desnitskaya; translated by Lena Traer
I love picture books in translation because, at their best (IMO), picture books are experimental, and books in translation from other countries are often conducting very different and cool experiments from what you might see in American books. You read this book starting in one direction, then flip it and read it in the other, each direction following the story of one kid in Chile and the other in Russia. Their stories meet in the middle.
Middle Grade
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
OMG, why did it take me so long to read Ghost. My friend (thank you, Tula!) recommended it years ago. It is simply one of the most engaging, entertaining novels I've read in a really long time. And short, too! Yes, the cover has a kid on it running track. No, it's not a sport book. I mean, the main character (Ghost) does join the track team, but it's not ABOUT track. It's about him healing from a traumatic experience, making peace with himself that that happened to him, and finding a new community. Look, it's Jason Reynolds. It's GOOD. And the audiobook is extra special because the narrator does all the voices so each character has a wonderful personality that shines through.The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
This classic is great as an audiobook for a road trip. It kept us (10, 12, and 44 years old) guessing, trying to figure out whodunit. My son had already read the book and didn’t mind listening to it again. Listening to it together also allowed me to pause the playback and explain why we don't use certain words anymore (the R-word, for example), or explain how social conventions have changed from when this book was written (most mothers aren’t obsessed with their daughters marrying doctors anymore, I don’t think?).
Adult
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
I almost don’t want to tell you what this book is about because the low-stakes plot summary almost put me off before I started reading...OK, I’ll tell you. It's about an orc who wants to open a coffee shop. She makes friends almost immediately. When problems arise, they're solved by the end of the chapter. The food and drink descriptions are *chef’s kiss.* It's so soothing. I read this after a two-week funk, and the dopamine hit was just what I needed. I've been telling everyone I run into about this book. Either they look at me weird, or they get really intrigued and say, “yeah, I’ve heard about this book…” Essentially, imagine that this is 2015, and I’m telling you about something you have to watch called the British Baking Show. That’s the vibe. Push through the short and confusing prologue. If you don’t love it by chapter 3, it might not be the book for you. So just give it until the end of chapter 3.
BTW, there’s a prequel. You’re welcome.
This book is listed as an adult book. It has some light kissing and strong language (a few f-bombs if I remember right), but if your teen is ok with those things, I think this book would be fine for them.The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell
I don't know why, but I could not put this down. Montell took a slew of irrationalities (things I’ve heard mentioned during my time being married to an economist, eg sunk cost fallacy, the halo effect, and survivalship bias--although Chris calls this one sample bias), and applies them towards modern mental health. For the halo effect, she talks about stanning celebrities. For sunk cost, she talks about staying in a relationship for far too long. It's a fascinating and entertaining look at psychology and the irrational lies we accidentally tell ourselves. If you’re looking for a nonfiction beach read, this might be it.
Writing Craft Books
Wonderbook by Jeff VanderMeer
Really cool craft book on writing. He covers various topics that have already been covered other places (plot, structure, character development, beginnings) but has interesting takes on them, especially for SFF writers. The main appeal of this book are the beautiful illustrations. They didn't ALWAYS help illuminate a point for me, but they were always interesting. Maybe not a book to buy and reference often, but an interesting book to borrow from the library, especially if you're in the revision stages.
What an IRL Kid Recommends
I didn’t happen to read any YA/teen books I absolutely loved this season, so I asked my 11-year old friend, Ellie (who has been on a YA kick), what she would recommend. Actually, I specifically asked her for “books that she would enthusiastically try to make someone check out at the library, if they were there together.”
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
Ellie says: “I like it because the story is really engaging and it feels really realistic. It has a mystery flair to it. Well, it’s not entirely mystery, but it has an element of mystery to it. So if you’re interested in mystery but want to ease into that genre, this would be a good book.” (It seems to be about two kids who make a podcast. To be honest, Ellie did, in fact, encourage/force me to check this book out on one of our trips to the library together, but I didn’t have time to read it before I had to return it. But I will move it up the TBR list! Another note that Oseman wrote Heartstopper, one of my and Ellie’s favorite graphic novel series.)On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
Ellie says: “I really love it. The style of drawing and the sci-fi thrill of it, I really like.” (I also loved this graphic novel. It’s about a maintenance crew who wander the galaxy fixing buildings in disrepair, but they also form romances and friendships. It’s ultimately a space opera about found family. A++ if any of those things appeal to you at all.)
Random Thing
Kitchen hack: When you’re making spaghetti or some other long pasta, rather than boil that big caldron of water, try using a 12-inch skillet. It boils faster because you’re using less water, and you can fit more of the spaghetti into the water right away.
My Author News!
Forts is coming along. I haven’t seen the final art yet, but the rough sketches looks great. The most recent news I’ve heard is the pub date will be May/June 2025. Possibly only slightly more than one year to go! lol/sob
The final art for Cassini’s Mission is ready and I’ve seen the early stages of the gorgeous cover. The pub date for this one has been moved to August 2025.
Book I Read a While Ago and Keep Thinking About (So You Know It’s Good)
As promised, if you made it to the end of the newsletter, here’s a book I read a while ago and can’t stop thinking about (BTRWAKTA(SYKIG)):
The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and David M. Shapard (Editor)
This is not a book for people who haven’t read P&P before, but it IS a book for people who have read it many times, has opinions about the miniseries vs the Keira Knightly movie, and can split their focus. One page has the original book, and the facing page has Shapard’s contextualizing notes on Austen, social conventions, meaning, etc etc. Amazon has a preview so you can see if this is your jam. It was my jam. Oh yes.
(Psst: Shepard has also produced annotated versions of Austen’s other novels, if you’re more of a Northanger Abbey sort of person for some reason.)
Leave Me a Comment!
Have you read any of these books and have thoughts about them you want to share?
Is there something you want me to talk about in my next newsletter?
Have a question about my books or about the publishing process?
Let me know in the comments.