The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James--"Sometimes I forget that I made it all up, The mermaid in the sea And me in the sand."

 Title: The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James

Author: Ashley Herring Blake


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main character wants to kiss girls, not boys


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Now that she's gotten a new heart, twelve-year-old Sunny's goals are 1) do everything she couldn't do before, 2) find a best friend, and 3) kiss a boy. Sunny's swimming again, and finds best-friend potential in cool, new girl Quinn, and maybe . . . Sunny would rather kiss Quinn than a boy! But how does Quinn feel? Plus, Sunny is still reeling from her former-best-friend's (FBF's) betrayal, and Sunny's estranged mother moves back into town, complicating everything.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): Blake writes in her afterward that she's not picking favorites, but "Sunny swept and stole my heart" (pg. 373); since I can pick favorites, Sunny is my favorite of Blake's main characters.

Like Water--"I just want one thing to be good enough, because one good, right thing can be enough"

Title: Like Water

Author: Rebecca Podos


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): High school graduate Vanni does not want to be stuck in her small New Mexico town forever, but ever since her father was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, Vanni has been living life without a plan. She isolates herself from her girl friends and passes her time with boy after boy. Vanni then meets Leigh, who becomes more than just a friend, but they can't ignore the problems in their lives forever without everything crashing down.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): Vanni's father is deteriorating rapidly, her mother is trying to keep the family's restaurant afloat, and Vanni is at a natural crossroads in her life anyway, so it is no surprise that poor Vanni is a mess and turns to sex to deal with her pain. I feel so bad for her parents, especially her father who had lost the ability to do what he loved.

Just Between Us--"I am not my disease. I am a human being."

Title: Just Between Us
  

Author: J.H. Trumble


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Curtis is home from his freshman year of college, working as a band tech for his old high school band, when he meets band member Luke, and the two are instantly attracted to each other. But just when Curtis decides to act on his feelings for Luke, Curtis takes an HIV test: and it's positive. Depressed and ashamed, Curtis tries to push Luke away, but Luke is determined to be a part of Curtis's life.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer):  Luke appears as a young, pitiable sophomore in Don't Let Me Go but a mature, confident senior in Where You Are--such a drastic difference; I couldn't wait to read what happened in the year between.

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy--"I'd rather write my own legends. Or be the story someone else looks to someday."

Title: The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy

Author: Mackenzi Lee


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Felicity escapes to London for two reasons: to avoid marrying Callum the baker and enroll in medical school; however, men are the ones in charge and they will not admit women to their schools.  Felicity then finds out her childhood friend, Johanna, is marrying a famous doctor, so Felicity plans to crash the wedding and meet the doctor. This leads to Felicity and Joanna involved in an adventure of medicine, pirates, petticoats, and sea dragons.


What I think:  Pirates and Petticoats is the companion book to Vice and Virtue.  I didn't love Felicity's voice as much as I loved Monty's, but I definitely enjoyed her story.

The Porcupine of Truth--Part 1: "There are so many wise people who have taught us so many wise lessons"

Title: The Porcupine of Truth

Author: Bill Konigsberg


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Carson is not looking forward to spending the summer with his dying, estranged father in Billings, Montana, who is still angry about the disappearance of his father (Carson's grandfather) over thirty years ago. Carson's summer becomes more interesting when he meets Aisha, a beautiful teenage lesbian who was kicked out of her father's home.  Carson and Aisha vow to find out what happened to Carson's grandfather--why did he leave?  Could he still be alive somewhere?

Confession time:  I actually read this book back at the end of July and keep renewing it from the library.  I had this post in draft mode ever since.  It's not that I didn't want to review this book--in fact, Bill Konigsberg's books have inspired me to write a lot; and since this one was my favorite of his books, I wanted this post to be perfect!

Where You Are--"Public school is a world unto itself. It's okay to be gay; you just don't talk about it. It's an unspoken rule."

Title: Where You Are

Author: J. H. Trumble


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer):  Robert is a high school senior who has never felt accepted by his dying father and feels lost in the shuffle of his demanding aunts and hospice care who have taken over the house.  Andrew is Robert's high school calculus teacher who bonds with Robert when Robert needs an adult role model.  However, student-teacher boundaries are crossed when their relationship turns from friendly to romantic.  If the truth gets out, Andrew will lose everything.


What I think:  ADHD is my superpower, at least, that's what I tell myself.  I am in the process of drafting four posts, reading six books, completing three class projects, and have four books on hold at the library, and this is in addition to raising three kids with special needs and acting in community theatre.  (If you are reading this and you live near Greensboro, NC, come see Shared Radiance's production of As You Like It!)

So how do I deal with so many projects at once?