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Athena Protocol

Description: Jessie Archer is a member of the Athena Protocol, an elite organization of female spies who enact vigilante justice around the world. Athena operatives are never supposed to shoot to kill—so when Jessie can’t stop herself from pulling the trigger, she gets kicked out of the organization, right before a huge mission to take down a human trafficker in Belgrade.   Jessie needs to right her wrong and prove herself, so she starts her own investigation into the trafficking. But going rogue means she has no one to watch her back as she delves into the horrors she uncovers. Meanwhile, her former teammates have been ordered to bring her down. Jessie must face danger from all sides if she’s to complete her mission—and survive. Review: I have always been frustrated with the James Bond and Mission Impossible movie franchises especially with their reductive treatment of women who are either the femme fatale caricuture or an "agent" who is suppose to be capable an...

The Secret

Favorite Books of 2018



 Here are my favorite books of 2018. As a quick disclaimer, these books may not all be 2018 releases but I did read them in 2018. Currently, I am wrapping up my reading challenge and may go beyond my goal of 250 books. Without further ado, here are my favorite books of 2018 ranked according to the interest level. 

Favorite Adult Books


I read a quite a few adult titles that I enjoyed in 2018 and I am happy to report that I enjoyed quite a few titles.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah: In eighteen poignant, humorous, and incisive essays, Noah takes the reader along a personal journey of life inside South Africa.

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty: The City of Brass is a complex, multilayered story that centers on the kingdom's deeply divisive religious, political, and racial tensions. The world building is excellent as clues are sprinkled evenly throughout the story will leaving mysteries that need to be solved. I loved the inclusion and infusion of Middle Eastern culture throughout the novel. I loved this debut novel and I can't wait to read the next installment next month.

The Girl in the Tower (The Winternight Trilogy #2) by Katherine Arden: A fantastic sequel that skillfully avoids the dreaded middle book syndrome. Arden expands her world with new characters and a new setting in Moscow. Some readers have complained that the pacing was slow in this book, but I did not find it slow at all. I was completely captivated with the story and its multiple moving parts. I am sad to see this series end.

Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews: The last book in the Kate Daniel series, one of my favorite urban fantasy series. 


Favorite Children Book


 I always try to fit in some children and middle grade reads into my yearly reading challenge. While I read quite a few children and middle grade books this year, I may have been extra picky this year as I only had one that I truly loved. 

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales: In this gorgeously illustrated memoir picture book, Morales recalls the time from her son's birth to their move to the United States from Mexico in the mid-1990s.

Favorite YA Books

Young Adult books dominate my reading pile because I work for teens as a high school librarian and I thoroughly enjoy reading and recommending them. I did not get to a lot of the big releases of 2018 and there were a few titles that didn't meet the hype. 
Autoboyography by Christina Lauren: A story of family, friendship, acceptance, and being true to yourself with a sweet romance.

Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley created Frankenstein by Lita Judge: An exquistie novel in verse biography on Mary Shelley. 

Sadie by Courtney Summers: A powerful, timely, gut wrenching, thriller that will elicit strong emotions from you as you read it. Definitely check out the audiobook if you get a chance, it is fantastic.

Favorite Graphic Novels/Manga

I read several fantastic graphic novels in 2018. I still have to review a few of them.

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka: An intimate and heart wrenching memoir of growing up with family addiction and drug abuse. 
Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll: A fabulous adaptation of a groundbreaking YA novel. Carroll's nightmarish illustrations highlight the horrors of rape culture.

The Divided Earth (The Nameless City #3) by Faith Erin Hicks: A fantastic ending to a solid fantasy series inspired by 13th century China. 

Honorable Mentions

The following books are the ones that left a lasting impression on me that I would also highly recommend reading:

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Circe by Madeline Miller
Us Against You by Fredrick Backman
Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust 
A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

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Shout

Description: Bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson is known for the unflinching way she writes about, and advocates for, survivors of sexual assault. Now, inspired by her fans and enraged by how little in our culture has changed since her groundbreaking novel Speak was first published twenty years ago, she has written a poetry memoir that is as vulnerable as it is rallying, as timely as it is timeless. In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action woven between deeply personal stories from her life that she's never written about before. Review: Like many readers my first introduction to Laurie Halse Anderson is through her powerful, heart wrenching debut novel, Speak, which I read during my first year of library school and it has resonated with me since then. I had no idea that the root of that novel stemmed from personal experience. In this powerful, timely, candid, and exquisite memoir told in free verse, Anderson delves into her past and th...

Funny Bones + Game Changer

Description:  A picture book biography of José Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada (1852–1913). In a country that was not known for freedom of speech, he first drew political cartoons, much to the amusement of the local population but not the politicians. He continued to draw cartoons throughout much of his life, but he is best known today for his calavera drawings. They have become synonymous with Mexico’s Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival. Juxtaposing his own art with that of Lupe’s, author Duncan Tonatiuh brings to light the remarkable life and work of a man whose art is beloved by many but whose name has remained in obscurity. Review: I learned a lot while reading Duncan Tonatiuh's fun and informative picture-book biography on Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada (1852–1913). I never heard of Posada before, but I am familiar of his portrayal of calaveras, the droll skeletons prominent in Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations. Posada was a very talented artist who began ...

Front Desk

Description:  Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests. Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed. Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language? It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams? Review: Front Desk is a wonderful debut middle grade novel that explores a multitude of themes that are nicely woven into a story of activism. Mia Tang and her family has immigrated from China two years ago in dreams of starting over. After bei...

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