I occasionally get books from Library Thing’s Early Reviewers program. Free books in exchange for an honest review. This book’s blurb did not match what I found inside the book, or maybe I got the blurb wrong. The author wants to talk about the idea of being a blessing, of oneg, of embodying the idea of joy through being a conduit (somewhat) for the divine. But it’s VERY Bible-heavy and Israel-heavy and thus not right for this secular pro-Palestine Jewish person.

A story place in a world where magic is real but restricted. That restriction is unequally enforced along racial lines in some parts of the country including where the book takes place. A group of mostly women and girls from many backgrounds (queer/non, disabled/non, trans/cis, Black and Choctaw and Chinese American) compete in underground broom racing to help raise much needed cash. There is a lot of supportive nurturing in this one, about people being able to make their own choices even in the face of a lot of pressure. A balm

This book has a well-crafted plot, a lot of interesting female and NB characters, and is a non-stop sufferfest which I should have guessed from the title and somehow not only decided to read it but decided to finish it. The author admits in the afterword that she was “going through some stuff” and I think that shows in the story, no one emerges unscathed. One of those “this is probably a great book for someone else” novels. Approach with caution.

A book I liked okay. I’m not really a fantasy person; I like some and I don’t like others. This, at its heart, is a mystery story. Or, rather, a few mysteries. The world described is interesting and somewhat fantastical with no modern tech and with recognizable elements; a city under siege from unseen beings. A maybe-autistic detective and her maybe-dyslexic assistant have to figure out a puzzling set of murders. I liked the world, but wasn’t compelled by the mystery and the whole book felt grimdark in a way that was ultimately a bit of a downer.

This is probably a teen/tween level graphic novel about a young bi goth woman who has a family situation that isn’t great (overworked mom, absent dad) which leads her to seek connection with people who may not have her best interests at heart. A guy with a girlfriend gives her a lot of attention. A teacher gives her a copy of Lolita, sends inappropriate texts. She knows there are issues but not how to talk about them. The situation(s) work out ultimately, but its a real-seeming conflict.

This was both delightful and also a little all over the place. Which makes sense, there are a lot of different parts to RPGs (war games, role playing, D&D, fan groups, theater, figurine painting) but I was thinking it might be a bit more linear and in some cases had trouble keeping track. The author and illustrator each came to RPGs from different avenues (and are themselves in parts of the book) which made it more enjoyable.

Raymond Ditmars was one of the early founders of the Bronx Zoo and nuts about reptiles and other animals. This is a book he wrote in 1935 which shows its age (Ditmars was not entirely sold on evolution for example, also he was racist towards people in other countries when he deigned to mention them) but is a fun read otherwise for some of his experiences dealing with the complexities of zoos, animals, and international travel so long ago. A few dull interludes about the weather towards the end seemed out of place.

This was a nice light story about a woman who lives in a flat in London and one day she comes home from a night out to find that she has... a husband who has appeared in her flat (complete with retconned history). Weirder still, when he goes into the attic to fetch something, a different husband comes down with a new history that everyone but her remembers. She has to manage this situation as best she can, keeping some husbands for a while and turning some back immediately, learning a bit about herself in the process. It gets weird at the end but overall a fun story.

This book was dark, not quite too dark for me but close. It takes place in a near future pandemic-ravaged dystopia where some people are immune from diseases for reasons no one knows. These “hardy” genes are sought after and one way to make income is to sell your genetic material. Our female protagonist, who has a very flat affect, does this and things go in a weird way. There are an awful lot of really hard things and a grim resignation to the way things are. With a more emotive narrator this would have been unreadable. As it was, it was tough but good.

This is a graphic memoir about Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee a Korean American young woman who is trying to muddle her way through high school while dealing with school and family expectations, bullies and racists, complicated friendships, and an abusive parent. She attempts suicide, she slowly crawls out of the hole she was in and, like many of these stories, she realizes there’s a bigger world out there once she gets out of high school and away from her family. Beautifully drawn.