01 Aug, by in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers
Hungry? Then don't read this ...
BookDragon LGBTQIA+ Tag
Better Nate than Ever by Tim Federle
29 Jun, by in Audio, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific
Nate Foster, who at "four foot eight" looks much younger that his almost-14 years, makes up for his diminutive height with outsized dreams – and the grandest of plans to make them come true. While his parents are away for a romantic weekend (Dad's trying to make...
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
23 Jun, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
I can't believe we're already in the last full week of LGBT Pride Month! I confess that my June literary goal was to read as many David Levithan titles as possible (without guilt even, given what month this is). Alas, I didn't make much progress in any...
The Snow Queen by Michael Cunningham
08 Jun, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
Claire Danes, interestingly enough, narrates 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning Michael Cunningham’s latest novel. The choice seems a bit odd as most of the narrative is from the point of view of two brothers. Still, Danes is good enough, if a little on the flat side. Perhaps...
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
05 Jun, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
Without a doubt, Kimberly McCreight's bestselling debut contains every parent's every nightmare, beginning with the absolute worst at the end of the first full chapter: "I'm sorry, Mrs. Baron. But your daughter, Amelia, is dead." Her 15-year-old body lies broken on the grounds of her posh private school...
Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat
28 May, by in Adult Readers, Black/African American, Caribbean, Caribbean American, Fiction, Haitian, Haitian American
I read the eponymous first chapter almost a year ago and then stopped. I listened to the same story – the absolute highlight in the disappointingly uneven collection Haiti Noir – so smoothly, lullingly read by Robin Miles, and again stopped. The book stayed on my desk...
Every Day by David Levithan
25 May, by in Audio, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers
I really, really don't want to tell you what this book is about because I don't want to ruin your delight of discovery. I knew nothing at all of its premise ...
Frog Music by Emma Donoghue
20 May, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Canadian, Fiction
So much happens in the first few pages, you might need to re-read them a few times before moving on. Blanche is covered in blood, while Jenny lies dead. "Not quite a month ago," Blanche was again screaming because of Jenny, this time having just been thrown to the...
what did you eat yesterday? (vol. 1) by Fumi Yoshinaga, translated by Maya Rosewood
09 May, by in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers
Before you open this tasty title, ask your stomach if it's full. Any hint of hunger and you just might embarrass yourself salivating. The cover is already a toothsome teaser: salmon-and-burdock seasoned mixed rice, boiled bamboo shoots with konjac and wakame seaweed, eggplants and tomatoes with Chinese-style...
Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino, illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant
06 May, by in Canadian, Children/Picture Books, Fiction
As much as he likes to paint, do puzzles, and sing the loudest during circle time, Morris' favorite part of going to school is the dress-up center. There he dons the tangerine dress, marvels at its swish and crinkle, and loves that the bright color...
Moon at Nine by Deborah Ellis
21 Apr, by in Canadian, Fiction, Iranian, Middle Grade Readers, Young Adult Readers
At 15, Farrin is the privileged only child in a tense, unhappy, albeit very wealthy family. Her father runs a construction company that takes advantage of illegal, desperate Afghan workers to make big profits. As successful as he might be, Farrin's mother continuously laments that she has...
Look Who’s Morphing by Tom Cho
03 Apr, by in Adult Readers, Australian, Australian Asian, Fiction, Short Stories, Young Adult Readers
Each of Tom Cho's 18 stories in his just-over 100-page-debut is a surprise waiting to happen to you. Already lauded and awarded in Cho's native Australia, his Stateside arrival is sure to elicit gasps, guffaws, and more. Welcome to half a century of pop culture icons – before you...
We Are Water by Wally Lamb
27 Feb, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Hapa/Mixed-race, Nonethnic-specific
Over the past couple weeks, I've been a bit of an ethnic voyeur, picking up bestselling 'mainstream' titles in search of their APAness. I confess I picked up Wally Lamb's latest purely because I somehow learned the protagonist is named Annie Oh – Oh usually being a Korean...
Wandering Son (vol. 6) by Shimura Takako, translated by Matt Thorn
17 Jan, by in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers
Our daughter, now a senior at one of the most progressive of progressive schools where she's been a 'lifer,' was recently trying to explain the specifics of what 'gender-fluid' means using a classmate's evolving, changing behavior as descriptive examples. We old folks were still a...
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
29 Dec, by in Audio, Fiction, Latina/o/x, Middle Grade Readers, Young Adult Readers
What a year Benjamin Alire Sáenz has had: in the adult market, he made literary history last May as the first Latino writer to win the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for his seven-story collection, Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club; his latest young adult title...
Blue Is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh, translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger
13 Dec, by in Adult Readers, European, Fiction, French, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Translation, Young Adult Readers
From the very first page, you'll learn that one lover is dead, while the other survives: "My love, when you read these words I will have left this world." Emma is in transit to Clementine's childhood home to retrieve Emma's diaries: "I asked my mother...
Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison by Piper Kerman
01 Dec, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Memoir, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction
My older teenager tells me the series of the same name is what 'everyone' is watching: "It's the new favorite show," she insists. So when I found the book ("there's a book?" the daughter asks with surprise; there's almost always a book first!) available to...
Wandering Son (vol. 5) by Shimura Takako, translated by Matt Thorn
01 Nov, by in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers
If you don't like spoilers, might I suggest you click here to catch up. This series is so uniquely delightful, you really shouldn't miss a volume; trust me, they do need to be read in order. This latest installment officially hits shelves tomorrow. Welcome to junior high school...
If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan
12 Sep, by in Fiction, Iranian, Iranian American, Middle Grade Readers
Let me know if you've heard this one before ...