Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
This was very wholesome. I have been a fan of Gene Luen Yang’s work for a while now, and I try to read all of his graphic novels (I have given up on his superhero comics work; there is too much of it). So when the Read Harder Challenge said I had to read a nonfiction YA comic, I was excited to finally be able to fit this one in. Dragon Hoops is a memoir of Yang’s time shadowing the Bishop O’Dowd High School basketball team […]
Emmie & Friends Truly Tyler by Terri Libenson
Truly Tyler in the Emmie & Friends series might be my favorite of the group. I have enjoyed the others by Terri Libenson, but after a bit it felt like I was reading the same one over. This time we are focusing on a side character who is male. In the author afterwards, Libenson mentions how this was for them, among other fun facts. We follow two of the characters, Tyler and Emmie (switching between their points of view) and see how the same situation can be […]
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
I thought it over. Dollywood. “Islands in the Stream.” That body. She was the best thing that had ever come out of Tennessee. Jesus Christ, it wasn’t even close. ― Kevin Wilson, Nothing to See Here I’ll admit it. I chose this book because of its cover. The combination of the title plus a cartoon wrapped in flames immediately made me curious to see if the author shares the same dark sense of humor as I do. It turns out, they do. Nothing to see […]
Bounce Back by Misako Rocks!
I picked up Bounce Back by Misako Rocks! several weeks ago, while I was in the vehicle waiting for someone to leave the grocery store. I did not get very far, so when I picked it up again a few days ago, I skimmed to remind myself what was going on. I realized I had missed pages and a couple plot points. So, not off to a good start for this cute book with diversity and contemporary themes. But I got into the swing of […]
The City Game: Triumph, Scandal and a Legendary Basketball Team by Matthew Goodman
March Madness concluded last week. I can legally say that I had some financial skin in the game (which sadly didn’t pay off). I also enjoyed the games on the March Madness app, brought to me by whatever sponsor the NCAA is using these days. Oh yeah, and the players got zero dollars. Zero. Big time college sports has always been a con where self-righteous (mostly) white men bleat about scholarships and academia while collecting money hand-over-fist off unpaid labor. There’s truth to what legendary […]
Boom Town by Sam Anderson
This was another suggestion by Emmalita and I really loved it! I didn’t know much of anything about Oklahoma City beyond the basic facts and this was such a fascinating read. I like history that shows how important every little thing is, and how many interesting stories are everywhere. I also like the attempt to break through the East/West coast’s cultural hegemony and show what’s happening elsewhere and the ripple effects things have. Boom Town follows the histories of Oklahoma City from its founding, the […]
