2023 booklist for Small Business Saturday
Middle Grade
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
I am going to pat myself on the back forever because I hosted the writing retreat where Erin started work on this book. Not many people say, "I'm going to write a middle grade novel that will shine the light of a white hot sun on gun violence and I'm going to make it funny." But Erin did. And it is amazing.
Teen
The Luminaries and The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard
At the launch for The Hunting Moon at Schuler's Books in Grand Rapids, they asked me to describe The Hunting Moon in six words and I said, Magic, Monsters, Witches, Impossible Family Expectations.
This unabashedly teen book was a breath of fresh air for me. Return to a simpler time when teenagers just had to risk their lives killing monsters in enchanted forests while struggling to win approval from people they are beginning to think have really questionable values.
Summer in Orcus by T Kingfisher
Ursula Vernon writes books for younger readers under her own name and everything from YA up to adult under the name T Kingfisher. I could recommend any of her books, but Summer in Orcus has a special place in my heart. Summer's mother wants to keep her safe, so safe that when Baba Yaga offers Summer a portal to the magical realm of Orcus, Summer is through it like a shot.
Adult SF and Fantasy
The Adventures of Amina Al Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
A retired pirate! Who happens to be a mother! Who is torn between her desire to live a nice safe life with her daughter and, you know, piracy.
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
When the new Ambassador from tiny Lesl Station arrives at the capital of the far flung galactic empire, her first job is to figure out who murdered her predecessor. I loved the convolutions in Martine's world building and story telling.
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Lorena Garcia
It's the Jazz Age in Mexico. Someone's been keeping the Mayan God of Death trapped in a trunk at the foot of the bed. And that someone's granddaughter, who is utterly sick and tired of her horrible relatives, has just opened that trunk.
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm
This is an old one. This book was published in 1976 and has recently been republished. I read it thirty years or more ago and have never forgotten it. It's a thoughtful, brutal, beautiful book about the decay of civilization and the importance of individuals, individuality, and the preservation of diversity.
Warrior's Apprentice by Bujold
If you like Gen, I think you'll love Miles. π
