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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...
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The Secret

The Secret

Favorite Books of 2019


Here are my favorite books of 2019. As a quick disclaimer, these books may not all be 2019 releases but I did read them in 2019. These books are  ranked according to the interest level. 

Favorite Adult Books


I read a quite a few adult titles that I enjoyed in 2019 and I am happy to report that I enjoyed quite a few titles.

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin: A smart and witty homage to the Jane Austen classic featuring Muslim characters set in Toronto, Canada.

The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty:  An amazing sequel that completely had me at the edge of my seat and for once I have absolutely no idea how this wonderful series will end. If you are looking for a great fantasy with a complex, multilayered story that centers on the kingdom's deeply divisive religious, political, and racial tensions.

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia: A  genre-bending, highly entertaining, and enthralling mystery with lovable and quirky characters that dips into the supernatural but without losing sight to real life problems.


Favorite Children Book


I always try to fit in some children and middle grade reads into my yearly reading challenge. I loved three books this year.

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal: I’ve had a love/hate relationship with my name ever since I was little. This picture book reminds me of the story my dad always told me whenever I complained about my name to him.

Front Desk by Kelly Yang: A wonderful debut middle grade novel that explores a multitude of themes that are nicely woven into a story of activism.

Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson: Timely, important, and beautifully written. *Review coming soon


Favorite YA Books

Young Adult books dominate my reading pile because I work for teens as a high school librarian. I had a hard time keeping up with all the new releases for 2019. I avoided most of the hyped books because they almost always lead me to disappointment. Surprisingly a reread made it on to this list.  

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) and The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking #2) by Patrick Ness: I had dystopia fatigue for quite sometime, but this series is thought provoking, horrifying, exceptionally well written, and completely underrated. I hope to finish this series next year.

The Lovely War by Julie Berry: Incredibly well written and multilayered story of two pairs of lovers over the course of World War I and World War II narrated by the Greek Gods. *Review coming soon

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson: Timely, important, and beautifully written memoir in verse. *Review coming soon


There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon: A contemporary romance that is full of heart while also tackling fat shaming, identity, privilege, and self confidence

Favorite Graphic Novels/Manga

I read several fantastic graphic novels in 2019. I still have to review a few of them.


New Kid by Jerry Craft: New Kid may seem like another title about being the new kid in school, but this graphic novel is so much more. It is a candid and accessible story about race, class, microagressions, and the quest of self identity when you clearly do not fit into clean boxes.
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks: Rowell can make a simple story magical and Hick’s drawings make the graphic novel come to life.

Runaways Volumes 1-7 by Brian K. Vaughan: A teen centered superhero comic in which their parents are the villains. Smart, fun, and highly entertaining. 


Honorable Mentions

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

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Frankly in Love by David Yoon
Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason
If I'm Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali
The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg 

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Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

Description: Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn't commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinkmanship--and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever. Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer's coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice. Review: After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1988, Stevenson traveled to Alabama and an internship that involved assisting inmates on Alabama...
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How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse (Throne Chronicles #1)

Description:  Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she'd inherit her father's throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium. Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world. When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must the Regent and rescue the prince. Review:  How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is an enthralling and highly entertaining read that combines elements of fantasy, science fiction, and fairy tales with a feminist lens. It is pitched as The Princess Bride meets Star Wars, which seems like a really odd combination ...
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Pet

Description: Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look? There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question --How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist? Review: Pet is a slim novel that does not have much of a plot but it is packed with representation and big questions regarding justice, truth, and remembering. Jam is our protagonist, a transgender hearing person who communicates selectively, using both sign ...
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