Damani is one of the most memorable main characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading! Fast paced, funny, sharp and full of deadly lines that sink into you. For sure one of the best books I've read so far this year.
Abbi Waxman has done it again! Alongside some of your favorite Bookish Life of Nina Hill characters, Laura & the other residents of Maggie's house will surely encourage all of us "adults" to cut ourselves a break, take a leap of faith, and find (or finally recognize) the people that feel like home.
The enchanting illustrations and increasingly amusing tale made this book an instant favorite. Mina is usually fine with her father's eccentric finds, like the stick bugs with their charismatic voices, but she's a little skeptical of the new squirrel he brings home, especially when the squirrel refuses to eat - not even acorns!
As anyone fortunate enough to live with a cat will tell you, cats generally don't do anything they don't want to do. This hilarious, rhyming read-aloud shows you exactly how far a cat will go to avoid being bathed.
This book made me so happy. Not just because it has an adorable You've Got Mail set up (with 2 competing Halal restaurants and via a podcast instead of email) but also for the depth and many layers this story has about family, community, and the power of telling your own story. And yes, this book IS calling your name.
This gender-bent Beauty and the Beast retelling with Ella Enchanted (the movie) vibes was an absolute treat. It genuinely made me laugh out loud with all its smart quips and the adorable romance made me swoon, repeatedly. The two main characters have chemistry that leaps off the page and there's a lovable diverse friend group that you won't want to part with. Get ready for balls, masquerades, and posh garden parties as well as enchanted forests, silly princes, and a support group for those who've been cursed. Also Tevin is a total dreamboat and I love him. That is all.
Easily combining the modern ways of standup comedy for Indigenous folks with the tragic history of their 'real estate problem' (as the great Charlie Hill puts it), Nesteroff does wonders in 270 odd pages. He flexes his wide knowledge of comedy and show business and is upfront in the Author's Note that he himself is not Indigenous so his goal was to highlight the voices in comedy and show business who are. And, in these short but comprehensive essays/chapters, I think he succeeds.
Perfect for those humor fans or non-pretentious movie buffs that want to weigh in on what other movie characters would be in Regina George's clique or who got it the worst in Kill Bill? Paired with Torres' fantastic illustrations, Serrano writes lovingly and analytically about movies from the 1980s to today with opinions that toggle between silly and serious. Because really which movie villain would make the best hang and how culturally significant was 1997's Selena? This is a great book to escape into with the kind of author that wouldn't leave you bored at a party.
Listening to the audiobook felt like, hilarious comedian, Michelle Buteau was my best friend sitting in my passenger seat. What I liked was that, like everyone, she has insecurities (especially as a mixed race plus size woman in our society) but she doesn't dwell and then fully embodies confidence, not cockiness and not in a ra-ra-bumper-sticker way. Essays range from her early years in comedy to bumbling hookups that led to her Dutch husband to 9/11 and trying to get pregnant via IVF. If that didn't convince you, watch her minute-long scene in Someone Great on Youtube then read this book.
