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Thea Sisters
Technically it’s the Thea Stilton series but since she only figures about a 1/4th of page time than her proteges, I’m just calling it the Thea Sisters series of which has spawned as many spin-offs as the Geronimo series. Seriously, there’s like 4 spin-off series ontop of the original one which is still going so it’s no wonder it took me six months to get through it all.
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Book of the Month: Spy x Family
Honestly, not much to delve into her as I reread the first volume of Spy x Family for book club.
Okay, there was a little as hindsight allows me to appreciate Twilight’s mission all the more. First, reading it you think he is like any other heroic archtype in his intense devotion to his country and a good person, not wanting others to suffer. But after reading volume 11, you understand the depths of his feelings because he has experienced the losses and violence of this war. He doesn’t want more to suffer because he knows it all to well.
Also I was surprised to see how little happens in the first volume. I mean, obviously a bunch of stuff happens in setting up the family and letting readers in on their double identities but we don’t get introduced to the plethora of characters and arcs that will take up the focus of the book. No Yuri, no Desmond, no Becky, no Bond. It took all I had not to spoil it for my friend.
Honestly, she had a much more confusing time as it was her first time reading manga and so she kept getting the left to right confused, but she enjoyed it in the end.
Next up, TBD.
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Summer Comics
Well so far, let’s face it, I’m going to be reading a lot more over the next few months but here are the new ones I read.
Go with the Flow and Look on the Bright Side by Lily Williams and Karen Scheeman
Williams and Scheeman deliver two wonderful graphic novels dealing with a very real yet underrated problem. Tampons and periods. As you might guess from the firts title, this foursome of BFFs are determined to bring a period revolution by petitioning their school to stock up on menstrual products for free but the football team needs new uniforms more. Because of course, they do. ‘
Honestly, the revolution is primarily motivated by Abby who’s big-hearted care and impatience prompt her to do reckless protest in order to get heard and get on everyone’s nerves. Even though the novel deals with important information on endometriosis and frank discussion of menstrual problems, it is also about friendship and learning to accept and recognize boundaries and apologize.
The second novel is more romance-centric as each of the girls deal with their own budding problems. Christine is unsure of admitting her feelings for Abby to Abby because of her own confused feelings about her identity and not wanting to ruin their friendship. Brit gets her own Pride and Prejudice (I love how closely her story parallels P&P down to her little sister named Lydia and the charming cheater bumping against the moody good guy) and Sasha is falling further behind on schoolwork, hiding her insecurities behind the fantasy her boyfriend gives her.
They can be seen as slice of life stories when put separately but Scheeman and Williams have a truly authentic teen voice. Even when they’re discussing the topical issue (like periods shouldn’t be stigmatized) sounds like how I talk (tbh complain) with my friends about it instead of trying to pound a message into your head. Plus they’re all so wholesome, I’d love to be friends with them too.
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Nancy Drew 8-9
Now I’m only two away from finishing the series, let’s get to it. The Clue in the Diary is one of the first Nancy Drew books I remember. Primarily because I was terrified of fire when I was little so even the cover looked daunting but I also was perversely fascinated because I wanted to get over my fear. Anyway, the fire is a minor catalyst compared to the twists that come after the house explosion Nancy witnesses. When a mysterious figure runs off, Nancy finds the titular diary hoping to find out who set the fire and why but the notes are in Swedish. From there, dead bodies and arsonist identities are battered back and forth over whether the owner of the house, Felix Rayburn is the jerkish victim or wily perpetrator. Even Nancy is briefly accused!
It was an entertaining book and I think it was a strong mystery compared to the pathetic attempt at red herring in Nancy’s Mysterious Letter.
Nancy gets a letter from England, only she’s not the right Nancy. She certainly doesn’t have a rich English relative bequeathing his fortune. It’s for a Nancy Smith Drew instead but before the right Nancy can be contacted, the letters (and the money accompained with it) are stolen!
Ira Nixon is the most skittish, dramatic mail carrier in literature. He literally faints the moment he hears the mail he was carrying was stolen. And when he awakes, he’s in hysterics. I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be comical but everyone takes his dramatics seriously so maybe not. Anyway, like a soap opera, it is Ira’s wasteral of a brother who stole his mail in order to find Lonely Hearts to defraud including one Nancy Smith Drew who turns out to be the acting coach for a local production of Shakespeare. What a coincidence.
This so-called mystery was pretty soapish for my taste even when Keene tries to briefly throw readers off scent by suggesting it might be some third-party degenerate and not Edgar Nixon when it is him all along, and yeah. Not one of the best ones.
51 down, two to go. So if anyone knows where I might find The Strange Message in the Parchment or The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes even for free online, that’d be great.
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Magic Tree House: Merlin Missions
I have finished my mission to read all the Merlin Missions. And the series except for the latest book because it has a long waiting list as it should. Some series don’t stand the test of time much less resonate with a new generation (usually by retconning the old which makes no one happy) but this one manages to do both.
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Candice Jalili Interview
Candice Jalili is an author and journalist whose work can be found in many major publications, The Cut, Cosmopolitan, Rolling Stone and Elite Daily where she held the role of Senior Dating Writer for four years. She is also the author of Just Send the Text: An Expert’s Guide to Letting Go of the Stress and Anxiety of Modern Dating and the upcoming Finding Famous. She graciously took the time to have a phone interview with me to discuss her fiction debut, favorite authors and more.
Since this was a phone interview based on my hastily typed notes as she talked, these are not direct quotes. Enjoy!
1. To start off simple, when did you first begin writing?
I’ve been writing my whole life. I went to a Montessori school from preschool to 6th grade where we were encouraged to do what we were interested in. I did a lot of short stories, creative writing but I lost that in middle school.
I didn’t reconnect with it until college where I was a creative writing major and my friend encouraged me to apply for a Cosmopolitan internship. I got it and that also reignited my interest in writing. I got a few bylines and really enjoyed my work there. By my senior year I started doing a lot of freelance writing.
2. What were some of your inspirations?
There are a lot of YA books that I read when I was younger that served as an inspiration for me to fall in love with reading and writing like Lisi Harrison’s The Clique, The A-List by Zoey Dean, Cecily Von Zeigesar’s Gossip Girl, Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries, and anything Judy Blume. None of them are summer reading for school, but I think there’s a lot of value in books that are just fun. It encourages kids to read more. Those authors were and still are like gods to me, and they gave me such a passion for writing. This book is sort of my homage to all those that I loved back then.
As I got older there were some nonfiction and editorial writers that I’ve grown to love like Dolly Alderton’s Dear Dolly column; E. Jean Caroll, I loved her articles for Elle; Nancy Jo Sales wrote a profile of Paris and Nicky Hilton when they were younger that I came across later, and I just love her writing style for all her profiles.
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Patriot Hearts Review
After going on that Hamilton binge, I needed to read more about our Revolutionary Founders. Or as Abigail Adams said, “Remember the Ladies.”
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May Books
Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Sophie and Nick have been best friends since they were toddlers, next door neighbors playing in the mud and blending the artistic talents as dancer and piano-player respectively to create “Terrible Twosome” performances. They know each other better than anyone, love each other and respect each other like no one else. And senior year, Sophie helps to save Nick’s life by giving her kidney, giving the chronically ill Nick a new sort of future. No more homeschool, no more dialysis. There’s a few limitations but basically, he’s free.
Sophie’s sure that this will change things forever. Not only will Nick be free but maybe he will finally feel the irrevocable connection she knows they have. She has loved him for nearly three years and she’s sure he will see how deeply she cares for him. After all, he would have done the same, Sophie is sure. He just wasn’t given the chance like she was to prove her love.
Buuuuut. . . with new freedom, Nick has new chances. He’s joining a band, he gets to go to regular school and doesn’t share any classes with Sophie. In fact, it starts to feel they are splitting apart and their friendship turns into a codependent pining that they need to settle before it irrevocably breaks them.
Solomon’s debut novel was deft in handling chronic illness and complicated relationships and this novel is no different as the reader can see how unhealthy and limiting the friendship is for both. Sophie has denied herself opportunities and socializing because she believes the only time that matters is the time spent with Nick, he makes her feel like her best self. She nearly becomes a martyr for her love because she always concedes to his wants because he’s sick, he’s good, he’s Nick and she loves him. Yet she resents it too, he always gets what he wants. All she wants is his love.
But does that mean he owes her? No, it doesn’t. That would be wrong. Which is why Nick is so hesitant to hear or accept Sophie’s love because he is so grateful that she gave him her kidney, but he doesn’t want to confude gratitude and lifelong friendship for love. He doesn’t want it to end badly and she regrets the decision (though considering the situation, we know there’s gonna be regret). Besides, he has right to experience life and not be chained to Sophie’s side now that he has a chance to explore his own interests outside of the home and not confined by his health. He gets to experience first love and not be known as the sick kid which is nice.
But he also has to confront that he has been pretty sheltered, even spoiled as a sick kid and that maybe he has taken more out of this friendship than he has given and maybe held Sophie as a guarentee in his life without reflection of her wants.
Just a really moving story about friendship, and love and the co-dependency of both that is rarely explored in YA.
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Waterfire Saga: Sea Spell Review
The grand final book in the Waterfire Saga has the merls facing up to their biggest challenges yet-Overthrowing Vallerio and his accomplices and destroying Abbedon and Orfeo.
It’s a thrilling book with some surprise conclusions that I hadn’t seen coming and filled with action that kept me at the edge of my seat. But there are some missteps. Let’s start with what worked.
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Waterfire Saga: Dark Tide Review
Donnelly gets right into the action with a heist! I love heists. Sera has grown in her confidence and badassery, formulating and succeeding in divesting the throne’s treasurey. Just in time too because they’ll need that gold to convince the goblin tribe to join their covert Blackfin army when they fight Sera’s traitorous uncle.
But while readers get a nice glimpse of Sera’s newfound leadership and confidence, the book’s focus is on her fellow merls-Becca, Ling and Astrid as they conquer their inner demons to find their talisems before Vallerio and his allies.
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Rachel Reads & Reviews 