award winners

 

The next Reader’s Advisory Roundtable will be on Wednesday, February 9^th at 9am for a discussion of women’s history.  Novels, nonfiction, music, movies…you pick!  As of this posting, the meeting will be hybrid so you can travel to the O’Neal Library OR log on to Zoom.  We’ll see how Omicron, or any of its brethren, are treating us come February. 

RART met this morning via a technical difficulty-laden Zoom meeting, but some information was shared about award winners! 

In attendance:

Holley W, O’Neal
Nicole L, Tarrant
Maura D, Trussville
Shawn C, Pinson
Lynn H, BPL West End
William B, BPL Central
Riana M, Pinson

What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad

Looking at the global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child, this dramatic story follows Vänna, who comes to the rescue of a nine-year-old Syrian boy who has washed up on the shores of her small island and is determined to do whatever it takes to save him.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry

From New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan comes an exquisite novel of Joy Davidman, the woman C. S. Lewis called "my whole world." When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis-known as Jack-she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Love, after all, wasn't holding together her crumbling marriage. Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and against all odds, finding a love that even the threat of death couldn't destroy.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She's not sure what she will find -- her cousin's husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger. Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family's youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family's past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (illus)

Set in an alternate world of art deco beauty and steampunk horror, Monstress tells the epic story of Maika Halfwolf, a teenage survivor of a cataclysmic war between humans and their hated enemies, the Arcanics. In the face of oppression and terrible danger, Maika is both hunter and hunted, searching for answers about her mysterious past as those who seek to use her remain just one step behind... and all the while, the monster within begins to awaken.

Jade City by Fonda Lee

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for -- and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion. Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon's bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation. When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone -- even foreigners -- wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones -- from their grandest patriarch to the lowliest motorcycle runner on the streets -- and of Kekon itself. JADE CITY begins an epic tale of family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of jade and blood.

I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott

When a child has a "bad speech day" at school, his father gives him a new perspective on his stuttering.

Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he's seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes -- and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself?

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

Suzette returns home to Los Angeles from boarding school and grapples with her bisexual identity when she and her brother Lionel fall in love with the same girl, pushing Lionel's bipolar disorder to spin out of control and forcing Suzette to confront her own demons.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North.

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki

Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It's her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had, completing her summer family. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and Rose and Windy have gotten tangled up in a tragedy-in-the-making in the small town of Awago Beach. It's a summer of secrets and heartache, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does-or does not-say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life. And don't miss On the Come Up, Angie Thomas's powerful follow-up to The Hate U Give.

Common, popular awards:

The Edgar Allan Poe Awards honor the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction, tv, film and theater published or produced in the previous year.

The Christy Awards recognize fiction of excellence written from a Christian perspective with matters of faith at its core.

The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie, honor mystery and crime writers who write in the traditional mystery genre, with no explicit sex, gore, or violence and are not classified as “hard-boiled.”

National Book Awards are a set of annual United States literary awards honoring the best literature in America.

The Booker and International Booker Prizes are awarded each year for the best novel written in English (or translated into English) and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland.

The ScotiaBank Giller Prize is given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English.

The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published during the preceding calendar year.

The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the United States in the previous year.

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, recognize artistic and technical merit in the film industry.

The Emmy Awards are presented annually to recognize achievements in a particular sector of the television industry.

The Tony Awards recognize excellence in live Broadway theatre.

The Alabama Author Awards (ALLA) celebrate excellence in children’s books, young adult books, adult fiction and nonfiction, and poetry.

The Stonewall Book Award is a set of three literary awards that annually recognize exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQ+ experience in English-language books published in the United States.

The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States.

The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements, chose by the members of the World Science Fiction Convention.

An Audie Award is given annually by the American Audio Publishers Association for audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment.

The Grammy Award is presented by the Recording Academy to recognize achievement in the music industry of the United States.

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are considered the “Oscars” of the comics world.

The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit.

The William C. Morris Young Adult Debut Award is given to a work of young adult literature by first-time author writing for teens.

The Randolph Caldecott Medal annually recognizes the preceding year’s most distinguished American picture book for children.

The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children to the author of the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children.

The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Roundtable for the most distinguished portrayal of African American experience in literature for children or teens.

The Alex Awards annually recognize ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults ages 12-18.

book club picks

 

The next Reader's Advisory Roundtable will be Wednesday, December 8th at 9am at O'Neal Library.  As usual, a Zoom option will be available.  The topic up for discussion is Award Winners!  Books, movies, audiobooks, we'll discuss 'em all.  Mark your calendars!  RART met today to discuss the most discussable and fresh book club picks.

Topic: Fresh Bookclub Picks

In-person:

Holley W – O’Neal
Michelle H – Irondale

On Zoom:

Judith W – Homewood
Maura D – Trussville
Emily M – Center Point
Shannon H – Hoover
Deidre S – Bessemer
Tamiko N – Inglenook
Reba W – Titusville
Bridget T – Homewood
Riana M – Pinson
Noelle G
Tywanna M
Pamela G
timilcir

Fifteen attendees in total.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
A remarkable novel about J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, the Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white in order to leave a lasting legacy that enriched our nation, from New York Times bestselling authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.

Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan Henry
It was called "The Titanic of the South." The luxury steamship sank in 1838 with Savannah's elite on board; through time, their fates were forgotten--until the wreck was found, and now their story is finally being told in this breathtaking novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis.

Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively blends memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose fresh truths about racialized consciousness in America. Part memoir and part cultural criticism, this collection is vulnerable, humorous, and provocative—and its relentless and riveting pursuit of vital questions around family and friendship, art and politics, identity and individuality, will change the way you think about our world.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Set in Constantinople in the fifteenth century, in a small town in present-day Idaho, and on an interstellar ship decades from now, Anthony Doerr’s gorgeous third novel is a triumph of imagination and compassion, a soaring story about children on the cusp of adulthood in worlds in peril, who find resilience, hope—and a book. In Cloud Cuckoo Land, Doerr has created a magnificent tapestry of times and places that reflects our vast interconnectedness—with other species, with each other, with those who lived before us, and with those who will be here after we’re gone.

Digging to America by Anne Tyler
Two families meet at the Baltimore airport while waiting for their baby girls to arrive from Korea. The Iranian-American Sami and Ziba Yazdan, with Ziba's elegant and reserved mother, Maryam, in tow, wait quietly while brash and all-American Bitsy and Brad Donaldson, plus extended family, are armed with camcorders and a fleet of balloons proclaiming "It's a girl!" After they decide together to throw an impromptu "arrival party," a tradition is born, and so begins a lifelong friendship between the two families.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Garbriel Garcia Marquez
One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendiá family. Inventive, amusing, magnetic, sad and alive with unforgettable men and women—brimming with truth, compassion, and a lyrical magic that strikes the soul—this novel is a masterpiece in the art of fiction.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself?

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
Based on the extraordinary life of National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C., this powerful novel explores themes of love and death with lightness and gravity and unfolds with the elegant prose, sly humor, and depth of feeling of a master craftsman.

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia
From 19th-century cigar factories to present-day detention centers, from Cuba to Mexico, Gabriela Garcia's Of Women and Salt is a kaleidoscopic portrait of betrayals, a haunting meditation on the choices of mothers, the legacy of the memories they carry, and the tenacity of women who choose to tell their stories despite those who wish to silence them. This is more than a diaspora story; it is a story of America’s most tangled, honest, human roots.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.

Beautiful Country: A Memoir by Quan Julie Wang
Inhabiting her childhood perspective with exquisite lyric clarity and unforgettable charm and strength, Qian Julie Wang has penned an essential American story about a family fracturing under the weight of invisibility, and a girl coming of age in the shadows, who never stops seeking the light.

How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones
How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House is an intimate and visceral portrayal of interconnected lives, across race and class, in a rapidly changing resort town, told by an astonishing new author of literary fiction.

The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse,and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts
The triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
With candor and sympathy, debut novelist Nathan Harris creates an unforgettable cast of characters, depicting Georgia in the violent crucible of Reconstruction. Equal parts beauty and terror, as gripping as it is moving, The Sweetness of Water is an epic whose grandeur locates humanity and love amid the most harrowing circumstances.

Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge
Inspired by the life of one of the first Black female doctors in the United States and rich with historical detail, Kaitlyn Greenidge’s new and immersive novel will resonate with readers eager to understand our present through a deep, moving, and lyrical dive into our past.

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (middle-grade novel)
In this powerful novel that explodes the stigma around child sexual abuse and leavens an intense tale with compassion and humor, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley tells a story about two sisters, linked by love and trauma, who must find their own voices before they can find their way back to each other.

Starfish by Lisa Fipps (middle-grade novel)
Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules—like "no making waves," "avoid eating in public," and "don't move so fast that your body jiggles." And she's found her safe space—her swimming pool—where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. Her pushy mom thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and unapologetically be her own fabulous self.

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people in a London suburb.

A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
The New York Times bestseller and Read with Jenna TODAY SHOW Book Club pick telling the story of three generations of Palestinian-American women struggling to express their individual desires within the confines of their Arab culture in the wake of shocking intimate violence in their community.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
It is a perfect July morning, and Elle, a fifty-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at “The Paper Palace”—the family summer place which she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: last night Elle and her oldest friend Jonas crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Now, over the next twenty-four hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn’t forever changed the course of their lives. 

Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors. When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
“Of all the stories that argue and speculate about Shakespeare’s life ... here is a novel ... so gorgeously written that it transports you." —The Boston Globe

Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore
Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the “wonder” substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives...

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
The heartrending story of a midcentury American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, that became science's great hope in the quest to understand the disease.

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
A riveting debut novel set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, about four young women making their way in a world defined by impossible standards of beauty, after-hours room salons catering to wealthy men, ruthless social hierarchies, and K-pop mania.

Exhalation by Ted Chiang
Tackling some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine, these stories will change the way you think, feel, and see the world. They are Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympathetic, revelatory.

The Changeling by Victor LaValle
When Apollo Kagwa’s father disappeared, he left his son a box of books and strange recurring dreams. Now Apollo is a father himself—and as he and his wife, Emma, settle into their new lives as parents, exhaustion and anxiety start to take their toll. Apollo’s old dreams return and Emma begins acting odd. At first Emma seems to be exhibiting signs of postpartum depression. But before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act and vanishes. Thus begins Apollo’s quest to find a wife and child who are nothing like he’d imagined. His odyssey takes him to a forgotten island, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever.

The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright
A major literary event: an explosive, previously unpublished novel about race and police violence by the legendary author of Native Son and Black Boy. Fred Daniels, a Black man, is picked up by the police after a brutal double murder and tortured until he confesses to a crime he did not commit. After signing a confession, he escapes from custody and flees into the city’s sewer system. This is the devastating premise of this scorching novel, a masterpiece that Richard Wright was unable to publish in his lifetime. Now, for the first time, by special arrangement with the author's estate, the full text of this incendiary novel about race and violence in America, the work that meant more to Wright than any other (“I have never written anything in my life that stemmed more from sheer inspiration”), is published in the form that he intended, complete with his companion essay, “Memories of My Grandmother.” Malcolm Wright, the author’s grandson, contributes an afterword.

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and theFuture of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson
The bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother. Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they’re also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated. With its breakneck pacing, dizzying plot twists, and evocative family drama, The Last Thing He Told Me is a riveting mystery, certain to shock you with its final, heartbreaking turn.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
A dark and gripping tale with a tart edge about women struggling to survive in a world built by men, for men. Vengeance is the only way out from under their thumb, but when the reckoning comes no one will save women with as much heart and heroism as other women.

A few resources shared at the meeting:

BookList Magazine - Top 10 Book-Group Books

Ingram - Reading Group Picks They Will Love

BookBub - The Best New Books for Your Book Club

The Modern Mrs. Darcy - 20 Wonderfully Discussable Books (scroll past her new book journal)

 

 

own voices

The next Reader’s Advisory Roundtable meeting will be on Wednesday, October 13th at 9am IN THE O’NEAL LIBRARY COMMUNITY MEETING ROOM.  There will be a Zoom option for those who don’t care to/don’t have time to travel to Mountain Brook, so no worries!  The topic up for discussion is book club possibilities, fiction and nonfiction.

This week, the talented and resourceful Shannon H (Hoover Library) graciously agreed lead the meeting in my absence.  Thanks, Shannon! 

The topic was #ownvoices books.  See the linked article near the end of the recap for information on the growing dissatisfaction with #ownvoices as a descriptor.

6 total attendance, plus 3 emailed lists

Shannon H, Hoover

Samantha H, Hoover

Riana M, Pinson

Maura D, Trussville

Jane, ?

1 anonymous 

...and 3 emailed book lists from Lynn H, West End, Shawn C, Pinson, and Holley W, Mountain Brook

Shannon H, Hoover

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli (Hispanic)

“An epic road trip [that also] captures the unruly intimacies of marriage and parenthood ... This is a novel that daylights our common humanity, and challenges us to reconcile our differences.” —The Washington Post

Luster by Raven Leilani (African-American millennial)

Irresistibly unruly and strikingly beautiful, razor-sharp and slyly comic, sexually charged and utterly absorbing, Raven Leilani’s Luster is a portrait of a young woman trying to make sense of her life—her hunger, her anger—in a tumultuous era. It is also a haunting, aching description of how hard it is to believe in your own talent, and the unexpected influences that bring us into ourselves along the way.

Real Life by Brandon Taylor (African-American, Gay & from AL)

A novel of startling intimacy, violence, and mercy among friends in a Midwestern university town, from an electric new voice.

Samantha H, Hoover

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (First Nations)

From USA Today best-selling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a “masterpiece” (Locus Magazine) of a novel about revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition. Labeled “one of 2020’s buzziest horror novels” (Entertainment Weekly), this is a remarkable horror story that “will give you nightmares - the good kind of course” (BuzzFeed).

Moonshot: the indigenous comics collection. Volume 1 by Hope Nicholson (Graphic Novel, First Nations)

Brings together dozens of creators from North America to contribute comic book stories showcasing the rich heritage and identity of indigenous storytelling. From traditional stories to exciting new visions of the future, this collection presents some of the finest comic book and graphic novel work on the continent.

Riana M, Pinson

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice (Post-apocalyptic, First Nations)

With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south. Soon after, others follow.

Ghost Bride  by Yangsze Choo (Malaysian)

A startlingly original voice makes her literary debut with this wondrous coming-of-age story infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue, adventure, and fascinating, dreamlike twists.

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha (Korean-American)

A riveting debut novel set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, about four young women making their way in a world defined by impossible standards of beauty, after-hours room salons catering to wealthy men, ruthless social hierarchies, and K-pop mania.

Shawn, Pinson (asked Riana to present)

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson (YA, African-American)

"Grown exposes the underbelly of a tough conversation, providing a searing examination of misogynoir, rape culture, and the vulnerability of young black girls. Groundbreaking, heart-wrenching, and essential reading for all in the #MeToo era." (Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times best-selling author of The Belles)

Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker (YA, African-American)

A pitch-perfect novel about a black teenage girl searching for her identity when the world around her views her depression as a lack of faith and blackness as something to be politely ignored. 

When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk (YA, African-American)

For fans of Nina LaCour's We Are Okay and Adam Silvera's History Is All You Left Me, this heartfelt and ultimately uplifting novel follows one 16-year-old girl's friend breakup through two concurrent timelines - ultimately proving that even endings can lead to new beginnings.

Maura D, Trussville

All the Real Indians Died Off :and 20 other myths about Native Americans by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (Nonfiction, First Nations)

In this enlightening book, scholars and activists Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker tackle a wide range of myths about Native American culture and history that have misinformed generations. Tracing how these ideas evolved, and drawing from history, the authors disrupt long-held and enduring myths.

On the Trapline by David Robertson and Julie Flett (Children's, Indigenous Cultures)

A picture book celebrating Indigenous culture and traditions. The Governor General Award--winning team behind When We Were Alone shares a story that honors our connections to our past and our grandfathers and fathers.

Maura notes that all of Julie Flett’s books are wonderful.

Lynn H, created a display of Own Voices materials at West End

March: Book One (of 4) by John Lewis et al

March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston Weatherford

Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first black director in Hollywood. But before he made movies and wrote books, he was a poor African American looking for work. When he bought a camera, his life changed forever.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson's National Book Award and Newbery Honor winner is a powerful memoir that tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.

Blended by Sharon Draper

Eleven-year-old Isabella’s blended family is more divided than ever in this “timely but genuine” (Publishers Weekly) story about divorce and racial identity from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper.

Shannon found this June 2021 article about the growing dissatisfaction with the #OWNVOICES label: 

https://diversebooks.org/why-we-need-diverse-books-is-no-longer-using-the-term-ownvoices/

Holley W, Mountain Brook I regret missing the meeting, but these are the titles and authors I had cued up to share prior to not being able to be there:

Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh (adult graphic novel)

Fresh out of shipwreck wine, three tipsy mermaids decide to magically masquerade as humans and sneak onto land to indulge in much more drinking and a whole lot of fun in the heart of a local seaside tourist trap. But the good times abruptly end the next morning as, through the haze of killer hangovers, the trio realizes they never actually learned how to break the spell, and are now stuck on land for the foreseeable future. 

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh (middle grade graphic novel)

Kat Leyh's Snapdragon is a magical realist graphic novel about a young girl who befriends her town’s witch and discovers the strange magic within herself.

Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi

For readers of African diasporic authors such as Teju Cole and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Butter Honey Pig Bread is a story of choices and their consequences, of motherhood, of the malleable line between the spirit and the mind, of finding new homes and mending old ones, of voracious appetites, of queer love, of friendship, faith, and above all, family.

I’m throwing in another vote for Stephen Graham Jones, along with sci fi/fantasy authors Rebecca Roanhorse and Nnedi Okorafor.

Read with PRIDE

 

LGBTQIA+ Fiction and Nonfiction
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 on Zoom at 9am

17 in attendance

Holley W, O’Neal
Riana M, Pinson
Alisha J, BPL
Cara W, Center Point
Holly P, Vestavia
Joan I, BPL
Laura T, Homewood
Lynn H, BPL Central
Maura D, Trussville
Meredith J, Homewood
Nicole L, Tarrant
Pam J, BPL
Samantha H, Hoover
Shawn C, Pinson
Samuel R, Springville Road
and 2 people whose names I didn’t catch

Mark your calendar for Staff Day on Friday, August 27th.  It will be a virtual half-day morning conference, with both live and pre-recorded content to accommodate a variety of schedules.

Rampart Trilogy by M. R. Carey (The Book of Koli, The Trials of Koli, and The Fall of Koli)

Everything that lives hates us...Beyond the walls of the small village of Mythen Rood lies an unrecognizable landscape. A place where overgrown forests are filled with choker trees and deadly seeds that will kill you where you stand. And if they don't get you, one of the dangerous shunned men will. Koli has lived in Mythen Rood his entire life. He believes the first rule of survival is that you don't venture too far beyond the walls. He's wrong.
Riana

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen

What exactly is sexual attraction and what is it like to go through life not experiencing it? What does asexuality reveal about gender roles, about romance and consent, and the pressures of society? This accessible examination of asexuality shows that the issues that aces face—confusion around sexual activity, the intersection of sexuality and identity, navigating different needs in relationships—are the same conflicts that nearly all of us will experience. Through a blend of reporting, cultural criticism, and memoir, Ace addresses the misconceptions around the “A” of LGBTQIA and invites everyone to rethink pleasure and intimacy.
Riana

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

In this gorgeous debut graphic novel, fairy tales are the only way one boy can communicate with his Vietnamese immigrant parents. But how will he find the words to tell them that he’s gay? A powerful read to celebrate Pride Month about family, identity and the enduring magic of stories.
Riana

Green Bone saga by Fonda Lee (Jade City, Jade War, and Jade Legacy[to be published Nov 30, 2021])

In this World Fantasy Award-winning novel of magic and kungfu, four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis. 
Riana

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

When Suzette comes home to Los Angeles from her boarding school in New England, she's isn't sure if she'll ever want to go back. L.A. is where her friends and family are (as well as her crush, Emil). And her stepbrother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, needs her emotional support. But as she settles into her old life, Suzette finds herself falling for someone new...the same girl her brother is in love with.
Shawn

Fat & Queer: An Anthology of Trans & Queer Bodies & Lives by Miguel Morales

We're here. We're queer. We're fat. This one-of-a-kind collection of prose and poetry radically explores the intersection of fat and queer identities, showcasing new, emerging and established queer and trans writers from around the world.
Shawn

Female Husbands: A Trans History by Jan Manion

Long before people identified as transgender or lesbian, there were female husbands and the women who loved them. Female husbands - people assigned female who transed gender, lived as men, and married women - were true queer pioneers. Moving deftly from the colonial era to just before the First World War, Jen Manion uncovers the riveting and very personal stories of ordinary people who lived as men despite tremendous risk, danger, violence, and threat of punishment. Female Husbands weaves the story of their lives in relation to broader social, economic, and political developments in the United States and the United Kingdom while also exploring how attitudes towards female husbands shifted in relation to transformations in gender politics and women's rights, ultimately leading to the demise of the category of 'female husband' in the early twentieth century. Groundbreaking and influential, Female Husbands offers a dynamic, varied, and complex history of the LGBTQ past.
Shawn

I’m Just a Person by Tig Notaro

One of America’s most original comedic voices delivers a darkly funny, wryly observed, and emotionally raw account of her year of death, cancer, and epiphany. In the span of four months in 2012, Tig Notaro was hospitalized for a debilitating intestinal disease called C. diff, her mother unexpectedly died, she went through a breakup, and then she was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. Hit with this devastating barrage, Tig took her grief onstage. Days after receiving her cancer diagnosis, she broke new comedic ground, opening an unvarnished set with the words: “Good evening. Hello. I have cancer. How are you? Hi, how are you? Is everybody having a good time? I have cancer.” The set went viral instantly and was ultimately released as Tig’s sophomore album, Live, which sold one hundred thousand units in just six weeks and was later nominated for a Grammy.
Samantha

Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett

What does it take to come back to life? For Jessa-Lynn Morton, the question is not an abstract one. In the wake of her father’s suicide, Jessa has stepped up to manage his failing taxidermy business while the rest of the Morton family crumbles. Her mother starts sneaking into the taxidermy shop to make provocative animal art, while her brother, Milo, withdraws. And Brynn, Milo’s wife—and the only person Jessa’s ever been in love with—walks out without a word. It’s not until the Mortons reach a tipping point that a string of unexpected incidents begins to open up surprising possibilities and second chances.
Samantha

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Nicole says, “A total rom-com that I usually don’t read but loved this one – did the audio and the narrator was great.”

What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales? When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius―his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Nicole & Cara

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

Nicole says, “It’s a blast of Scooby crew nostalgia with a horror twist that I 100% chose for the cover; while the focus isn’t romance at all, one of the main characters is a lesbian and her perspectives on the world and those around her was nice representation.”

In 1977, four teenagers and a dog—Andy (the tomboy), Nate (the nerd), Kerri (the bookworm), Peter (the jock), and Tim (the Weimaraner)—solved the mystery of Sleepy Lake. The trail of an amphibian monster terrorizing the quiet town of Blyton Hills leads the gang to spend a night in Deboën Mansion and apprehend a familiar culprit: a bitter old man in a mask. 

Now, in 1990, the twenty-something former teen detectives are lost souls. Plagued by night terrors and Peter's tragic death, the three survivors have been running from their demons. When the man they apprehended all those years ago makes parole, Andy tracks him down to confirm what she’s always known—they got the wrong guy. Now she'll need to get the gang back together and return to Blyton Hills to find out what really happened in 1977, and this time, she's sure they're not looking for another man in a mask.
Nicole

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.
Cara

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Nicole says, “Covers Old Hollywood and covering up relationships and the pressure of maintaining love in secret.” Maura says, “I thought the love scenes were romantic without being overly graphic.”

From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six—an entrancing and “wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet” (PopSugar) as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.
Cara

The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr.

A singular and stunning debut novel about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation, the refuge they find in each other, and a betrayal that threatens their existence.
Cara

Sister Love: The Letters of Audre Lorde and Pat Barker 1974-1989 edited by Julie Enszer

Poets Audre Lorde and Pat Parker first met in 1969; they began exchanging letters regularly five years later. Over the next fifteen years, Lorde and Parker shared ideas, advice, and confidences through the mail. They sent each other handwritten and typewritten letters and postcards often with inserted items including articles, money, and video tapes. They discuss their work as writers as well as intimate details of their lives, including periods when each lived with cancer. SISTER LOVE is a rare opportunity to glimpse inside the minds and friendship of two great twentieth century poets.
Laura

Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom)

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams - but he can't pull it off alone.

A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction - if they don't kill each other first.
Riana

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

Almost everything about Wallace is at odds with the Midwestern university town where he is working uneasily toward a biochem degree. An introverted young man from Alabama, black and queer, he has left behind his family without escaping the long shadows of his childhood. For reasons of self-preservation, Wallace has enforced a wary distance even within his own circle of friends—some dating each other, some dating women, some feigning straightness. But over the course of a late-summer weekend, a series of confrontations with colleagues, and an unexpected encounter with an ostensibly straight, white classmate, conspire to fracture his defenses while exposing long-hidden currents of hostility and desire within their community.  

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Riana says, “It’s about the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus from Greek mythology. One of my fave romances, it’s written so well!”

A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner, Miller’s monumental debut novel has earned resounding acclaim.
Riana

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

Snap's town had a witch. At least, that’s how the rumor goes. But in reality, Jacks is just a crocks-wearing, internet-savvy old lady who sells roadkill skeletons online―after doing a little ritual to put their spirits to rest. It’s creepy, sure, but Snap thinks it’s kind of cool, too. They make a deal: Jacks will teach Snap how to take care of the baby opossums that Snap rescued, and Snap will help Jacks with her work. But as Snap starts to get to know Jacks, she realizes that Jacks may in fact have real magic―and a connection with Snap’s family’s past.
Holley

Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh

Fresh out of shipwreck wine, three tipsy mermaids decide to magically masquerade as humans and sneak onto land to indulge in much more drinking and a whole lot of fun in the heart of a local seaside tourist trap. But the good times abruptly end the next morning as, through the haze of killer hangovers, the trio realizes they never actually learned how to break the spell, and are now stuck on land for the foreseeable future. Which means everything from: enlisting the aid of their I-know-we-just-met-can-we-crash-with-you bartender friend, struggling to make sense of the world around them, and even trying to get a job with no skill set…all while attempting to somehow return to the sea and making the most of their current situation with tenacity and camaraderie (especially if someone else is buying).
Holley

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant

Holley says, “The LGBT characters are secondary characters, but this is such a great friend group surrounding Tessa and I love their loyalty and support of each other in all that they do!”

Jane the Virgin meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in this charming debut romantic comedy filled with Black Girl Magic. Perfect for fans of Mary H. K. Choi and Nicola Yoon, with crossover appeal for readers of Jasmine Guillory and Talia Hibbert romances. Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She’s rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she’s a true leading lady is in her own writing—in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader.

When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just...gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming.
Holley

It’s Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake by Claire Christian

Of all the women and men Noni Blake has pleased in her life, there’s one she’s often overlooked—herself. After the end of a decade-long relationship, Noni decides it’s time for that to change. She’s finally going to prioritize her wants and desires and only do things (and people) that feel good in the moment. As she embarks on a pleasure-seeking quest that takes her halfway around the world, she discovers that maybe she can have everything, and everyone, she’s ever wanted.
Holley

Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker

Samantha says, “YA book about transitioning with great supporting cast of drag queens.” The critically acclaimed author of Felix Yz crafts a bold, heartfelt story about a trans girl solving a cyber mystery and coming into her own.
Samantha

The Lions of 5th Avenue by Fiona Davis

In New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis's latest historical novel, a series of book thefts roils the iconic New York Public Library, leaving two generations of strong-willed women to pick up the pieces.
Lynn

The Something Like… series by Jay Bell (specifically: Something Like Summer, Something Like Winter, Something Like Autumn, and Something Like Spring.  The series has grown much larger since those first four!)

The Something Like… series is a collection of books by Jay Bell, each written from a different character’s perspective that began in 2011. The plots intertwine at key points while also venturing off in new directions. Love, like everything in the universe, cannot be destroyed. But over time it can change. The hot Texas nights were lonely for Ben before his heart began beating to the rhythm of two words; Tim Wyman. By all appearances, Tim had the perfect body and ideal life, but when a not-so-accidental collision brings them together, Ben discovers that the truth is rarely so simple. If winning Tim’s heart was an impossible quest, keeping it safe would prove even harder as family, society, and emotion threaten to tear them apart. Something Like Summer is a love story spanning a decade and beyond as two boys discover what it means to be friends, lovers, and sometimes even enemies.
Holley

Less by Andrew Sean Greer

Who says you can't run away from your problems? You are a failed novelist about to turn fifty. A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years is engaged to someone else. You can't say yes--it would be too awkward--and you can't say no--it would look like defeat. On your desk are a series of invitations to half-baked literary events around the world.
QUESTION: How do you arrange to skip town?
ANSWER: You accept them all.
Samuel

Historical character Deborah Sampson is a fun research topic! Find out more about this Revolutionary War figure at https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/deborah-sampson
Samantha

Samuel reports that Hoopla has a great ebook and eaudio selection of LGBTQIA+ romance authors.  Among his favorites are Eden Finley, Aimee Nicole Walker, and Anyta Sunday.

Blog posts from JCLC libraries (if you’d like you library’s PRIDE blog post listed here, email me a link):

Hoover Library

www.hooverlibrary.org/blog/read-pride-0

www.hooverlibrary.org/blog/enjoy-new-memoir-lgbtqia-pride-month

Homewood Library

https://tclkidsblog.wordpress.com/2021/06/03/pride-month

O’Neal Library

https://eolib.blogspot.com/2021/06/read-with-pride.html

Awards/Recommended Reading Lists:

Stonewall Awards

Lambda Awards

2021 Over the Rainbow Book List (adults)

2021 Rainbow Book List (YA & children)

Samuel says, “If you want to get involved in selecting queer materials, you want to join the Rainbow Round Table of the American Library Association and join one of the book selection committees. I did it for a few years. It was a lot of fun and great working with librarians from all over the country and the world.”