Hey YA Readers!
I am letting my current desire to read all things YA comics inspire this week’s newsletter. This week, I blew through Huda Famey’s latest Huda F Cares?, a wonderfully funny and enjoyable story of sisterhood, family, and road trips. I’ve got an adult comic up next; then I’ll be tracking down The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz, which I’ve been told has cheese puns aplenty.
Before we get to everything, just wanted to say that since autumn is here, many of us will be gravitating towards the Cozy. And, whatever cozy means for you, be it romance, creepy reads, modern classics, or whatever, TBR can help you find the perfect books for your fall reading, with options curated to your specific reading tastes.
Bookish Goods
Stained Glass Book Lamp by GlassExpress
If you’re in the market for something unique, cozy, functional, artistic, and bookish? Maybe you’re looking for this sweet stained glass book stack lamp. It looks like the kind of perfect light for ambiance while you’re cozy in your blankets with your favorite read. $54.
New Releases
For all of the rush of fall releases in the book world, this week is surprisingly quiet in YA. There are a handful of new hardcovers, and the two I’ve pulled out to talk about both feature lost mothers–not necessarily lost as in cannot be found, but lost as in gone too soon. These are very different books, but that is an interesting commonality.
You can see the entire list of new releases today here.
Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai
Sora lost her mother to a powerful earthquake, and the strength of that quake changed the way time works in her Japanese community. Time can speed up or slow down in these zones without any rhyme or reason.
Sora’s father is a researcher trying to understand what is happening in these zones. But the longer he is gone from home doing work, the lonelier Sora becomes. She has begun her own research into the phenomenon as well, and through that work and travel to Tokyo, she finds herself meeting Maya. They bond quickly over both being hafu, and that friendship starts to feel like something more.
Then, Sora’s father disappears. Now she must go back to her town to find out what happened and where he is. Maya is joining her, and together, they might solve the mystery not only of her father but of time itself.
Flower and Thorn by Rati Mehrotra
Irinya began feeling the need to become a flower hunter after her mother disappeared into the mist encapsulating the Rann flats one night. She uses her knowledge to keep everyone safe in the desert, and now, one of her partners has discovered a princess silver spider lily. This flower has the power to ruin kingdoms and take down armies–now Irinya sees a way for everyone to have a better life.
That’s when a smooth impostor manages to trick Irinya, and the flower is gone. Now, she must do everything she can to recover it in order to save herself, her community, and the boy she cannot stop thinking about.
There have been a number of excellent YA books that explore plant magic over the last few years, and this sounds like one worthy of sitting on that shelf, too.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
It’s comics time! Both of these titles hit shelves this week.
If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie
In this meet-cute, we have Momo, an introverted, helpful girl who believes in the best of people–to a fault, even. Then we have PG, the kind of girl who refuses to be anyone but herself, even if that gives her a bit of a bad reputation. The two are very different, but sparks begin to fly quickly. Will they be able to navigate their differences, as well as some secrets from the past, in order to build the relationship of both of their dreams?
Layers by Pénélope Bagieu, Montana Kane (Translated by)
Bagieu does some of my favorite graphic novels, and now, she offers up a funny memoir. This is a collection of 15 short stories from her time growing up, from childhood through her awkward teenage years, and it is inspired by her own diaries from these periods of her life. It’s a relatable collection, exploring what it is to be young, awkward, and in that challenging space between where she is and where she wants to be.
As always, thanks for hanging out. We will see you again on Thursday for more YA book talk and news.
Until then, happy reading!
–Kelly Jensen