Riot New Media

I was really interested to read this memoir, mostly because I really knew nothing about Billie Jean King (probably because when I was little, the Billie Jean I was into was the 1985 Legend of Billie Jean movie). This is King’s story of her life as a groundbreaking, world class athlete, and champion not only of tennis but many important causes, such as civil rights, feminism, and LGBTQ rights. She discusses her many public moments, such as her “Battle of the Sexes” match with Bobby Riggs, her eating disorder, the nonstop sexism on the circuit, and coming out at age fifty-one. It’s a fascinating look into the life of a legend.

Backlist bump: Seeing Serena by Gerald Marzorati

Yes, this is a sequel, but the first book, Raybearer, is so freaking good that I had to draw your attention to it again. I mean, this one is also fantastic, but let me tell you about Raybearer, in case you haven’t read it yet. Tarisai was raised in isolation from a young age, kept away from other people and her town, and looked after by servants. She occasionally sees her mother, a distant and cold woman called The Lady, who is waiting for Tarisari to be old enough so she can send her to be one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. Once this happens, The Lady can start dismantling their rule from the inside, or so she thinks. She wants Tarisari to kill the Crown Prince. But when the time comes to move to the kingdom and put her mother’s plan in motion, Tarisari discovers she likes her time at the palace, and the people around her. Will she follow her mother’s orders, or learn to stand on her own?

Backlist bump: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

And last, but not least, here is a delightful—and scary!—book about a young girl whose family moves to a new home, and she discovers there is something terrible in the basement. Noe isn’t thrilled about having to change homes or schools, but it might help her to put a terrible slumber party incident behind her. On her first day at her new home, the neighborhood children warn her not to go in the basement, but Noe is a sleepwalker, and awakens mid-stroll to find herself down there anyway. And what she sees is the stuff of nightmares! (I don’t want to tell you what it is because I thought the monster was SO creepy and effective!) It’s up to Noe and the other neighborhood kids to figure out a way to rid their cul-de-sac of evil once and for all. But can they do it? This is a fun Stranger Things-esque scary middle grade story. I am not usually a fan of parents not believing children when they tell them something is wrong, but the point of this monster is that only children can see it, so it adds an extra scary layer to the story!

Backlist bump: Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

If you want something funny, smart, and wonderful to read, then January can’t come soon enough for you! This is a delightful Bridget Jones-ish story about Yinka, an Oxford-educated British Nigerian woman who believes in true love, even if it means waiting a long time to find it. Unfortunately, her meddling mother and aunties don’t think it’s happening fast enough. Yinka’s sister is having a baby and her cousin just got engaged, and it has really turned the heat up on Yinka, whose family literally prays that she finds a husband. Her family makes Yinka feel bad about herself, and it frustrates her.

Yinka is happy to have her career and her freedom, but does think that finding someone to love would be nice. She recently got out of a relationship, and her heart is still bruised. She’s not thrilled with her family trying to set her up with strangers, but she’d really like a date to her cousin’s upcoming wedding—especially since she found out her ex is going to be there. So she decides she’s going to go about finding a boyfriend the smart way: with a spreadsheet. But life has a way of surprising you, even when you think you have it all planned out.

This is an utterly charming novel full of heart. I loved the witty banter, especially with her would-be suitors, and I loved Yinka’s best friend Nana. The book is peppered with text messages and actual spreadsheets. And like Bridget Jones, there are a lot of funny, awkward mishaps, but there’s also an important message about societal and cultural pressures and independence. Hooray for Yinka!

(CW for mentions of infidelity, racism, death of a family member, body shaming, and disordered eating.)