So, I announced that I was stopping the newsletter and going back to blogging and . . . promptly didn’t think about blogging again. Until now!

Been a bit of a wild summer here at Chez George. My oldest child, Boy, graduated from high school and now is at college! Living in a dorm! Having to make his own food and get himself to classes on time! Weird, wild stuff, that. Boy, the first of my two little NICU babies! (Neither of my boys wanted to do stuff like breathe when they were born. Lazy.) Off at college! Like a tiny adult! A tiny adult who is taller than me! He loves The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy and Dune, just like his mama, so over the summer I had him read The Illuminae Files, and take Red Rising with him to school.

So the first of my summer reading recommendations is: If you are a teen (or adult) who loves Sci Fi: please enjoy The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. They are wonderful! As for Red Rising . . . I love the series with my whole heart, but they have a really high body count and they are emotionally devastating. (For those of you who had read the series, I have the board game and we just played it. It’s quite good, beautifully themed. I won by collecting Sevro and the Howlers, then putting Eo in permanent discard, because her card has terrible consequences. So clearly the people who made the game love the books. IYKYK.)

Over the summer I read, read aloud, or listened to, fifty books. Highlights include:

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley (YA)

The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis (Adult, but honestly, PG rated like most of Connie’s stuff.)

Yellowface by R. F. Huang (adult) (FANTASTIC. It was a very good summer for books about publishing. See also: The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick, The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston)

The Witch of Woodland by Laurel Snyder (MG)

The Skull by Jon Klassen (MG)

Two Dogs by Ian Falconer (We cannot stop reading this picture book)

Woo Hoo! You’re Doing Great! by Sandra Boynton (Ditto this, which my sister discovered, and which lives permanently on our sofa end table.)

100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle (Picture book)

I discovered Joan Aiken’s wonderful short stories in two collections: The People in the Castle and The Last Slice of Rainbow. That second one is aimed at kids and fully illustrated.

I read some AMAZING graphic novels/memoirs/comics:

Sunshine by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat

Lore Olympus Vol. 4 by Rachel Smythe (adult only)

Once & Future Vols 1-3 by Kieron Gillen (adult, but I would let Boy read them)

Squire & Knight by Scott Chandler

I listened to some great audiobooks:

The first four books of the Old Kingdom by Garth Nix. (YA) I read Sabriel when it first came out in paperback. By the time I had the next two in paperback, I decided I would like to reread the first and then go on, and kept putting it off . . . and then one day decades had passed and my sister said, “You know who reads the audiobooks? TIM CURRY.” Dr. Poole! From the movie Oscar! And he does a fabulous job! So I blazed through four in one fell swoop, but Clariel made me very sad, so I had to stop there for a bit. I mean, just leave the girl alone! She just wants to run free in the forest! She didn’t ask for this! Anyway.

The Silo Trilogy by Hugh Howey. Good narration, amazing story. There’s a guy in the second book with a POTTY MOUTH, but he’s not the main character, and otherwise I would have no reservation about letting teens read it, but . . . you do you.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt (adult) The audiobook is AMAZING, because of Marcellus. The guy doing his voice CRUSHED it. I mean, the book is great, but the way he would start the Marcellus chapters in this dry voice, “Day 782 of My Captivity . . .” had me practically in tears of laughter. Then just, you know, tears.

And there you have it! If you want the exact books and my exact thoughts, find me on Goodreads. If you ever are curious like, Do you think this book is appropriate for this or that age group, or if you yourself are sensitive to swearing or violence, feel free to email me via the website, and we’ll chat!

I also saw some great movies this summer, like the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Blue Beetle, which were both delightful! Oh, and The Portable Door, which was weird and cute at the same time. All three are family friendly. Barbie was amazing! And in a hilarious turn of events: I liked Oppenheimer more than my husband, who basically has had a countdown going since Christopher Nolan announced it!

And I worked on a book. More than one, really. But mostly the one. It’s coming along. I hope to have announcements of exciting things by the end of the year.

Read on, you crazy diamonds!