The Kid Who Only Hit Homers

 

Title: The Kid Who Only Hit Homers

Author: Matt Christopher

Publisher: Little, Brown

 
ISBN: 9781501126222

Thoughts: Probably a good choice for a baseball fan who is a reluctant reader, but it is so dated.

Rating: 2/5

Lily and the Octopus

 

Title: Lily and the Octopus

Author: Steven Rowley

Publisher: Simon Schuster

 
ISBN: 9781501126222

Thoughts:  I usually shy away from books where the dog dies, but this one has a lot of heart and humor, and you know what the outcome will be from the start.

Rating: 5/5

Anya's Ghost

 

Title: Anya's Ghost

Author: Vera Brosgol

Publisher: First Second

 
ISBN: 9781596435520

Thoughts:  A good ghost story and so much more.

Rating: 4/5

This Book is Anti-Racist

 

Title: This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work

Author: Tiffany Jewell

Publisher: Francis Lincoln

 
ISBN: n/a

Thoughts:  A very approachable look at racism and work that everyone can do to become anti-racist.

Rating: 4/5

Fates and Furies

 

Title: Fates and Furies

Author: Lauren Groff

Publisher: Penguin Random House

 
ISBN: 9781101923856

Thoughts:  It takes a lot to get to the end, but it is stunning once it does.

Rating: 3/5

The Little Prince

 

Title: The Little Prince

Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Publisher: Harcourt

 
ISBN: 9780152023980

Thoughts:  I still do not fully understand this beautiful but melancholy novella, but I feel it is definitely a modern morality tale.

Rating: 3/5

This Is Big

 

Title: This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World (and Me)

Author: Marisa Meltzer

Publisher: Little, Brown

 
ISBN: 9780316414005

Thoughts:  Part biography, part memoir, this book is an engaging look at the diet industry.

Rating: 4/5

The Haze

 

Title: The Haze

Author: Dean F. Wilson

Publisher: Dioscuri

 
ISBN: n/a

Thoughts:  A well-thought out short fantasy, but I kept waiting for a twist.

Rating: 3/5

Separation Anxiety

 

Title: Separation Anxiety

Author: Laura Zigman

Publisher: Ecco

 
ISBN: 9780062909077

Thoughts:  The situations are highly improbable, but so relatable.

Rating: 4/5

Diamond Head

Title: Diamond Head

Author: Cecily Wong

Publisher: Harper

 
ISBN: 9780062345431

Thoughts:  So much happens in this family saga, but still not enough in the end.

Rating: 3/5

Before the Mayflower

 

Title: Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America

Author: Lerone Bennett Jr

Publisher: Johnson

 
ISBN:9780874850291

Thoughts:  A little dated since it only goes up to 1962, but it made me astonished how much was left out of history class.

Rating: 4/5

Stacking the Shelves: 8/9-8/15

 

 Got at a yard sale:

Fear by R. L. Stine

The Widder Woman

 

Title: The Widder Woman

Author: Elizabeth Baxter

Publisher: self

 
ISBN: n/a

Thoughts:  A folktale of a fictional people.

Rating: 3/5

Look

 

Title: Look

Author: Solmaz Sharif

Publisher: Graywolf

 
ISBN: 9781555977443

Thoughts:  Very gripping poems that show another side to war.

Rating: 4/5

Stacking the Shelves: 8/2-8/8

 

LibraryThing Early Review:

 

Salvation by J. S. Bailey

 

Bought on Amazon:

The Age of Grief by Jane Smiley

The Herd

 

Title: The Herd 

Author: Andrea Barttz

Publisher: Ballantine

 
ISBN: 9781984826367

Thoughts:  A solid contemporary mystery, but a little too much exposition.

Rating: 3/5

Valentine

Title: Valentine

Author: Elizabeth Wetmore

 
Publisher: HarperCollins

 
ISBN: 9781094107592

Thoughts:  While there is a powerful plot, this is so much more than that - it is very much a tale of time and place.

Rating: 4/5

Strange Planet

Title: Strange Planet

Author: Nathan W. Plye

 
Publisher: Morrow Gift

 
ISBN: 9780062970701

Thoughts:  Wonderful dry humor.

Rating: 5/5

Payback

 

Title: Payback 

Author: Natalie Y. Moore

Publisher: Amazon Originals

 
ISBN: n/a

Thoughts:  A very eye-opening look at systemic racism in Chicago.

Rating: 5/5

Chasing Rabbits

Title: Chasing Rabbits

Author: Erin R. Bedford
Publisher: Smashwords
ISBN: 9781370304509

Thoughts:  A fun, fresh take on Alice in Wonderland for adults.

Rating: 4/5

Make Me Stay

Title: Make Me Stay

Author: Rebecca Brooks
Publisher: Entangled
ISBN: n/a

Thoughts:  While steamy, it was a nice change of pace from many contemporary romances.

Rating: 3/5

Calamity Jane and the Haunted Homecoming

Title: Calamity Jane and the Haunted Homecoming

Author: Kathleen Bacus
Publisher: Gemma Halliday
ISBN: 9781311513021

Thoughts:  Fun, but I wish there was a little more haunting.

Rating: 3/5

Hairballs and Homicide

Title: Hairballs and Homicide

Author: Ruth J. Hartman
Publisher: self
ISBN: n/a

Thoughts:  Just as fun as Hartman's Regency romances, but more episodic than I expect from a cozy mystery.

Rating: 3/5

A Hundred Suns

Title: A Hundred Suns

Author: Karin Tanabi
Publisher: St Martin's
ISBN: 9781250231475

Thoughts:  Fascinating historical fiction with a touch of psychological suspense.

Rating: 3/5

Stacking the Shelves: 7/5-8-1

Bought on Amazon:

The Art of Living by Epictetus