September Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabereviews below the cutStar Trek: The Wounded Sky by Diane

September Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabereviews below the cutStar Trek: The Wounded Sky by Diane Duane I heard Diane Duane talk about this book on a podcast years ago, and she made it sound so compelling it’s been on my radar ever since, even though I have never watched a single episode of Star Trek’s original series. I went online recently to see if it was available as audiobook, and found a fan-made one which was posted chapter by chapter to youtube during 2020! Three friends decided that recording this book would be their covid project, and apparently Diane Duane retweeted several of their posts about it. I don’t know if that counts as official authorization, but at the very least she was aware of the project and looked favorably on it.The story itself is quite enjoyable. It opens with Captain Kirk’s Enterprise being awarded the chance to test out a new engine system, the Intergalactic Inversion Drive, which far outstrips the warp drive in instantaneous jump capabilities. The Enterprise ends up hosting the alien scientist who invented it, an original character created by Duane who stole every scene she was in. This Inversion Drive pulls energy from an infinitely dense particle, but as the crew soon discovers, using it can have catastrophic effects on matter, time, and space near the ship. The ordeal that the crew must go through to heal the effects of the Inversion Drive is deeply philosophical and genuinely moving. I was already a long-time fan of Duane’s Young Wizards series, but I’m definitely interested in reading more of her Star Trek novels after this. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo A very fun, fast, addictive read. I think I plowed through the 500 pages in about 4 days? I can see why people are so into this series. It opens in fantasy-Amsterdam, where six outcasts and criminals assemble for a seemingly impossible heist: to steal a scientist out of a prison in the most highly guarded city in fantasy-Scandinavia. The crew is eclectic- a sharp-shooter, a spy, a demolitions expert who happens to be a runaway nobleman’s son, the thief/mastermind, a disgraced member of fantasy-Scandinavia’s military and a Grisha, aka, a witch. In this world some people are born with aptitudes for powers, some to work with natural materials, or work with weather, or to heal, or to kill. The scientist our team aims to collect has invented a drug which amplifies these powers to an almost unstoppable level, but the drug will also kill the magic user after only a few doses. The control of this drug, and of the addicted Grisha, could turn the fortunes of entire countries. Naturally, everyone on the heist team is between 15 and 18 years old, and there’s a tangled web of crushes, loyalties and betrayals between them. I was slightly caught off guard by the semi-cliff hanger ending, but it means I’ll probably start the second one as soon as I can get my hands on it, which is, I’m sure, the point! The Accursed Vampire by Madeline McGrane I’ve been following Madeline McGrane’s work for several years, enjoying the Little Vampire comics via zines and tumblr posts. I was extremely excited when this book was announced! I read it all in one day, and enjoyed it, but I have different feelings about it than my pure delight over the mini-comics that it grew out of.The story opens with vampire friends Dragoslava, Eztli and Quintus hanging in a graveyard, enjoying the vibes of fall. Then Drago receives an ominous missive: someone has stolen a spell book from a witch he is indentured to. She demands he retrieves it or there will be consequences. So the three undead children set out towards the little Michigan town of Baneberry Falls. There they encounter a grown up vampire and her witch girlfriend, who end up taking the trio under their wing. The mini-comics often just tell quiet, introspective slice-of-life moments of this queer found family going about their day. The graphic novel, to add excitement, throws in a vampire hunter and a few cursed items. I understand that a book for young readers should probably include some excitement and plot, but part of me wished the book was really just about Dragoslava quietly learning to handle their periods of melancholy and beginning to release their feelings of martyrdom and abandonment to enjoy the simple pleasures of warm blood and friendship. As odd as this may sound, I sort of wish the book had… less plot?All that said, the art is very gorgeous, and I did love seeing these characters in full color (the mini-comics were in black and white). It seems like there will be a second book in this series, so I will look forward to it, hoping for some more slice-of-life scenes in the sequel. Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani Twelve-year-old Shaheen’s father loves vinyl records and she’s tired of hearing about it. When he mysteriously disappears, she and her fifteen year old cousin Naz naturally look for him at his favorite record store. They find his broken glasses and a mysterious jukebox, which has the power to transport people to the back in time. Shaheen and Naz visit several important moments in Black American music history, searching for Shaheen’s father. The art in this book is very lovely, but the story didn’t quite land for me. It’s a good concept, but I think the time travel took up so much page time I never felt like I really got to know any of the characters well. Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out and Finding My Place, a Transgender memoir written and read by Jackson BirdThe story of a trans man who grew up deeply closeted in Texas, didn’t even really learn about the LGBT community until college, and eventually came out publicly after graduating from undergrad. Along the way he experienced periods of joyful friendship and periods of depression, and found community volunteering for the organization formerly known as The Harry Potter Alliance (now FandomForward.org). Jackson was ran their youtube series as a volunteer before being hired fulltime as part of their social media team, so when he did come out, he had to do so publicly to his followers as well as to his friends and family. I listened to the audiobook read by the author which is only about 6 hours. It’s written in an accessible style and the story moves fairly quickly. I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin (re-read) Ava and Gen are high school BFFs, but now work to maintain their close friendship from opposite sides of the country during their first semester at college. Ava is studying screen writing at the University of Southern California, while Gen crashes into the student journalism scene at Emerson College in Boston. Ava has struggled with mental illness since childhood, and anxiety, new therapists and new medications complicate her already stressful new schedule. Gen jumps headfirst into multiple newly available queer relationships, including a fling with a fellow student, an affair with her TA, a bitter rivalry with another journalist student and fun hookups with grad students. The friends’ successes are real and their failures are epic, testing their mental health, GPAs, and commitment to one another. This novel, told entirely in their texts and emails, is quick and witty. A light and fun read, especially if you’ve ever had a long distance best friend!Edit: re-read in 2021. I still enjoyed this a lot (I have the sequel on hold now) but I definitely think the book is less engaging if you aren’t a fan of the authors/haven’t watched a lot of their youtube videos or listened to the podcast. If you are going in blind, be prepared for a lot of inside jokes that may or may not make sense. The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor Beautifully written, beautifully drawn, this comic tells the story of Mei, a Chinese-American girl who works as a cook in a logging camp in the Sierra Nevadas in the 1880s. Her and her father’s skills in the kitchen are prized, but Chinese works are severely discriminated against. Mei focuses on her friendship with the camp foreman’s daughter and a series of tall tales she weaves at campfires about Auntie Po, a giant Chinese matriarch with her blue ox. Auntie Po wields a mean ax and helps keep loggers safe on the mountains. But even Auntie Po might not be able to protect Mei from the harsh realities of the world. This book was just nominated for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, and I will add to that my own high recommendation. The Girl from The Sea by Molly Know Ostertag A very sweet queer fairytale with a gentle environmental bend. High schooler Morgan has been struggling recently- her parents are newly divorced, her little brother has been acting out, and she’s hiding her queer identity from everyone even her close friend group. One night when walking the sea cliffs near her home on an island she stumbles, hits her head, and falls into the ocean. Just when her life is flashing before her eyes she is rescued by Keltie, a selkie girl who claims Morgan is her one true love. They kiss, and begin dating in secret. But their relationship isn’t the only thing both girls are hiding. As the summer unwinds they have to make some hard choices, including whether they can forgive each other after a fight. Beautifully drawn and wholesome. American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West by Nate Blakeslee read by Mark BramhallI listened to this as an audiobook and I was completely sucked in. The true story of the re-introduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park is woven together with the stories of park rangers, hunters, and individual wolves who park visitors and watchers were able to observes with unprecedented closeness. The bulk of the story takes place between 1995, when the wolf re-introduction project began, and 2013. The most charismatic character is a wolf known as O-Six, a female alpha, who lead a scrappy little pack to dominance and prosperity in the Lamar Canyon in Yellowstone. Exceptionally brave, a peerless hunter, blessed with skills, intelligence, and luck, she became one of the most photographed and most well-known wolves the park has ever had. As her rein unfolded, a parallel struggle was taking place in the courts in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana over the right to hunt and kill wolves. I left this book with more understanding about the political pressures of the region, and a lot of thoughts on how similar wolf packs are to human families. The loss of even one member can be devastating to all of the survivors. Please Send Help by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin This one didn’t do it for me like the first book in the series did. I think perhaps because the obsessive emailing/texting just made more sense to me as something that college freshmen would do, and seemed like realistic for college grads working their first jobs? It was a pick read though, and I might still pick up the sequel. She of the Mountains written and read by Vivek Shraya I listened to this as an audiobook without realizing it was initially an illustrated novel, and I was probably missing out quite a lot by not being able to see the pictures! Ah well, I still enjoyed it. It tells two interwoven stories, one of a queer Indian-Canadian man coming of age, growing through several romantic relationships and into a relationship with his own body. The other is a re-imagining of piece of Hindu mythology, of Parvati’s creation of Ganesh, his murder by Shiva, and his recreation with the head of an elephant. The overall theme is of the simultaneous monstrousness and divinity of bodies, and how one makes peace with the body they must live in. Given vol 1 by Natsuki Kizu Uenoyama is an indifferent student but a passionate guitar player. When he meets Mafuyu, an oddball from another class at his high school, carrying an extremely expensive guitar that he doesn’t know how to play, Uenoyama’s attention is caught. He helps Mafuyu fix a broken string, and Mafuyu asks him for guitar lessons. Uenoyama shrugs this off, saying he’d be a bad teacher because he’s entirely self-taught. But after he hears Mafuyu’s incredible singing voice (and hears rumors about a tragedy in his past) he decides he will take the other boy under his wing. It’s hinted there will be a very slow-burn romance between the two, but I’m not sure this first book hooked me strongly enough to keep going with the series. I did like the side characters of Uenoyama’s sister and his two bandmates, but the pacing of the story felt a bit rough. -- source link

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