Albany Public Library discussion

Good afternoon, summer readers, and congratulations on making it to week six! It's been wonderful to see everyone sharing their favorite (and not-so-favorite) books in these threads. Are your tbr piles stacked high(er)? Mine sure are!

As for this week's theme, I'm back with just a few of the recommendations we've all compiled! These books fit our "Walk In Someone Else's Shoes" theme, but as always, feel free to buck the trend and/or add more suggestions in the comments!

Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, by Meg Medina and Sonia Sánchez
Namaste Is a Greeting, by Suma Subramaniam and Sandhya Prabhat
Amal Unbound, by Aisha Saeed
Front Desk, by Kelly Yang
Hey, Kiddo, by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Notes from a Young Black Chef, by Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein
A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara
Drawing Breath: Essays on Writing, the Body, and Loss, by Gayle Brandeis

Happy reading! 🔆📚

This morning, I finished Izzy at the End of the World; the main character is neurodivergent. Loved it.

Good morning! I finished Ink Blood Sister Scribe which seems to be getting a lot of buzz, but I only found it so-so. I’m in kind of a rut. My physical and digital TBR piles are quite large, but nothing is really calling to me.

This is perfect! Because I love being a yakuza, walking in Tatsu's shoes as the Immortal Dragon who now lives a reformed life as a househusband in the manga series The Way of the Househusband. I am absolutely in love with this manga series and binged volumes 7-9 this morning before work. Here's the links for volume 7-9: The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 7, The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 8, and The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 9. Now I'm waiting for 10 to come in...

In addition, I read a new book by Dashka Slater called Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed which details a racist Instagram account created by a teenage boy in Albany, California and the repercussions of free speech versus hate speech. Slater reports from all angles using court documents, interviews, and research. I highly recommend it especially if you loved The 57 Bus.

So many books are being added to my TBR list from these posts. Last night I finished a reread of The Host by Stephanie Meyer.

Currently reading In Case Of Emergency by Mahsa Mohebali and listening to Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

Finished Paper Names, which fits in with the theme of this week, although that was unintentional when I picked it up. It was a decent debut novel, although some of the themes were pretty typical Chinese-immigrant-adapting-to-US ones.

After reading, Blessed Life: My Surprising Journey of Joy, Tears, and Tales from Harlem to Hollywood by Kim Fields, I am further resolved that the public knows little about celebrity life. The Facts of Life was a classic show and Kim Fields is TV royalty. Her career has spanned over 40 years and this autobiography really gives a very vulnerable and open view of how she did it.

I read Oona Out of Order and She Started It this week.

Stayed up too late reading The Connelly’s of County Down. I’m hoping to eek out another book this weekend!

Jaybee wrote: "Stayed up too late reading The Connelly’s of County Down. I’m hoping to eek out another book this weekend!"

How is that one? I keep seeing it online and it keeps catching my eye.

The other day, I finished In Case of Emergency and tonight finished Off the Talyn by Timbray Shafer. I was slow to gain affection but really enjoyed Off the Talyn by the end.

I think that brings me to 10 books?

Jaybee wrote: "Stayed up too late reading The Connelly’s of County Down. I’m hoping to eek out another book this weekend!"

I liked it--and enjoyable family drama, but the ending was a little too pat for me.

I stayed up too late (again) reading Lisa Jewell's new book, None of This is True. It's definitely twisty!

My long weekend included a bittersweet adult graphic novel called Always Never that has a clever unraveling (backward). The first volume of Twig, Volume 1, and two YA titles-- the newest and last in the One of Us trilogy called One of Us Is Back and I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me. While Feed Her has an awesome cover, it's still the same old trope of catty ballet dancers (with a darker edge). I'd love to see a celebration of ballet in a positive light, especially in YA.

The The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat is an efficient primer on the importance of integrity in the ambitious search for more... more fame, more prestige, more lineals. This fantasy adventure outlines the journey of a young apprentice and her legendary mapmaker teacher who tries to rectify mistakes made in the past in charting territory for a kingdom determined to conquer every piece of land discovered. However, he is quickly deposed due to his plans to undermine the journey and his young apprentice is left to make some very important decisions. This is a great story for young people to ponder and understand the ramifications of decisions made to achieve notoriety at the cost of another's freedom.

I just finished Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano.

Ashley wrote: "The other day, I finished In Case of Emergency and tonight finished Off the Talyn by Timbray Shafer. I was slow to gain affection but really enjoyed Off the Talyn by the end.

I think that brings ..."

Hello, Ashley! We have your count as more than 10 books, so either way, you've definitely completed this year's Summer Reading Challenge! 🎉 When you have time, feel free to e-mail us at albanyreads@albanypubliclibrary.org with your name and home branch information! Hannah will post more information in this week's post, coming soon. 😊

Why am I sending a morose theme in my summer reading? Tried to read Blood Meridian…moved to The Painted Bird. Finished that and went back to McCarthy.