Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life by Delia Ephron

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia

In 1926, Louise Lloyd is still reeling from the effects of her kidnapping as a teenager when a serial kidnapper and killer starts killing young Black women in her neighborhood. Louise finds herself involved in the case. If you like books with a strong sense of place and time with a bit of intrigue as well as nuanced main and secondary characters, I recommend this title! Looking forward to the sequel, Harlem Sunset, due out next week.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

This book takes the premise of every Hallmark Channel Romantic Comedy ever and turns it on its end. If you love to hate those films or if you love them for real, this book should be a fun read. Nora is a literary agent whose stay in a small town with her sister causes her to run into an editor, Charlie, with whom she shares a bit of a rivalry. What I really appreciate about Emily Henry's novels is that her romantic leads read like people in the real world and actually communicate and doesn't lean into overused romance tropes.

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

A coming of age novel that employs magical realism to showcase the beauty and heartbreak of love. Evie is blessed (or rather cursed, in her opinion) with seeing the entirety of couples' relationships, even those that end in sadness. Meanwhile, Evie begins ballroom dance lessons and befriends X, and finds herself drawn to him, romantically. Evie is a relatable protagonist as she deals with a lot of familiar issues, especially as a teenager. Yoon's detailed writing paint a full picture of Evie and her world (and her new found power).

Batgirl: The Darkest Reflection and Batgirl: Knightfall by Gail Simone

I'm trying to become more fluent in the DC and Marvel Comics world and thanks to a recommendation from one of my colleagues at the Cary Library, I've been introduced to this great take on Batgirl (aka Barbara Gordon) by Gail Simone. This is easy to follow and accessible, whether you know everything about the inhabitants of Gotham City or if you think the Joker is a type of card from a playing deck.

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Felix Love (who has never been in love, despite his last name) is navigating high school and dynamics among his friends (and frienemies, in a couple of cases). One day, he receives anonymous transphobic messages on Instagram who also publicly posts his dead name and he embarks on finding the culprit while figuring out the best plan for handling it. Felix is a strong voice and his friends and fellow students are well developed characters. I appreciated that this book explores different experiences of the journey of self identity through the various characters, including Felix himself. Not everything in the novel is tied up in a neat bow or always sugar coated, there is a lot of joy and love. I thought the relationship between Felix and his father was especially well done.

Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim

Vanessa Yu has been able to see the future from tea leaves most of her life, a gift that seems to turn on at the most inconvenient times. She flies to Paris to stay with her aunt, Evelyn, who bears the same gift but doesn't resent it like Vanessa does. The relationship between Vanessa and her family, especially Evelyn, is very sweet and fun and the food descriptions are abundant and mouth watering. Do not read this book if you're hungry! I didn't find the romance between Vanessa and a man she meets in Paris particularly compelling and I don't think it added anything to the novel, but the rest of the book makes up for that side plot.

Redwood and Ponytail by K.A. Holt

I loved this novel, told in verse about two middle school girls, Kate (aka "Ponytail") and Tam (aka "Redwood") becoming friends and falling in love. Their relationship is lovely and I appreciated that the side characters don't always act in expected ways. I could have done without the Greek chorus addition of three students (presumably) commenting on the action but that's a minor quibble.

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

I've been familiar with Alison Bechdel for several years (partly because of "The Bechdel Test", I have to admit) but had never read one of her graphic novels. I was mainly familiar with this one because of the musical based on it. I really appreciate the detailed art and storytelling as she writes about her coming out, with the backdrop of her complicated relationship with her closeted father. The setting of the family funeral home (aka "The Fun Home" gives the book an extra flavor.

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

Jasmine Guillory has been my favorite romance writer ever since I read The Wedding Date. Her latest book is the second book I read recently which also takes place in the publishing world. It's also very loosely based on Disney's version of Beauty and the Beast but you don't need to be familiar at all with it to enjoy this. If you are familiar with it, imagine Beauty and the Beast without any of the problematic elements (no kidnapping, no-one is being held against their will, the male lead's employees are not forced to live out their days as a clock or a teapot.). In fact, the only real connection to the Disney movie are some cute references to lyrics from the songs and the main character, Isabelle ("Izzy") has the name "Belle" as part of her name. Her love interest, Beau, a famous actor with an undeserved bad reputation, is a little grumpy when we first meet him but he doesn't have the temper of the Beast from the film. Although it doesn't take place in the same universe as Guillory's other novels, it's an interesting follow up to her most recent, While We Were Dating, which also featured a celebrity romancing someone who isn't famous.

Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George by James Lapine

This part memoir/part oral history by the director and co-writer of Sunday in the Park with George will most likely be appreciated by musicals fans, especially Sondheim fans. Sunday is not my favorite musical but my Broadway loving heart did still find this book interesting. I would caution not to listen to the audiobook. There are several famous people with very recognizable voices who contribute to the oral history portions but they are voiced by other people and it's quite distracting. I often felt like I was listening to a television cast do a readthrough of a TV show episode in which actors were playing Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Kelsey Grammer, Christine Baranski, etc.