Kids’ books

”The Civil War of Amos Abernathy,” by Michael Leali

In Michael Leali’s debut novel, readers follow a young gay boy, Amos, as he volunteers at a living history park in Illinois. He volunteers there with his two best friends, and while he loves the work , he also realizes that marginalized people aren’t represented in the park. Where are the stories of the enslaved people of the time? Why are there no visible stories of queer folks? Amos and his friends go on a journey of both self and historical discovery to find the answers to these questions and reveal the stories often forgotten. This book highlights kids as the heroes and the activists. It is funny, well-researched and my favorite book of 2023.

”Heartwood Hotel, A True Home,” by Kallie George

Are you looking for a cozy, sweet, low-trauma book? The Heartwood Hotel series is right up your alley! The first in the series, “A True Home,” is a balm for the stress of today. The story follows Mona, a small mouse whose home is washed away in a flood. She stumbles upon a giant tree and finds it to be a hotel filled with warmth and creatures of all sorts. She begins to work as a maid there, and her interactions with the guests are sweet even when she breaks some of the hotel’s rules. While this book is a fun and easy read for kids of all ages, “A True Home” is also on the Oregon Battle of the Books list for 2023-2024 in the 3rd to 5th grade division and is a great choice for those who are just beginning to read independently.

Teen books

”The Grimoire of Grave Fates,” created by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen

Welcome to the Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary, a traveling school for the magically inclined. Recent changes have been made to create a diverse campus where students from various cultures and identities are celebrated. However, there are those within the school who are less than pleased with these changes — particularly Professor of Magical History Septimius Dropwort. When the widely disliked professor is murdered in the middle of the night, almost everyone becomes a suspect. In this inventive anthology, follow 18 characters written by 18 different authors as they discover evidence to uncover the killer. The varied voices and writing styles will keep readers engaged chapter to chapter as they decode clues along with the students. “The Grimoire of Grave Fates”is a magical mystery worthy of the best detectives.

”Imogen, Obviously,” by Becky Albertalli

Imogen Scott is the World’s Greatest Ally. She’s super supportive of her two queer best friends, Gretchen and Lili. She’s never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. And she’s even more engaged with queer media discourse than her little sister, an out and proud lesbian. Imogen herself is hopelessly heterosexual, though — obviously. When she visits Lili at college and meets all of her amazing new queer friends, things start to become less … obvious. Imogen and Tess have an immediate connection, but they’re just friends because Imogen is straight. Right? As their relationship develops and it begins to feel less like friendship, Imogen must come to terms with the fact that maybe she isn’t so straight after all. “Imogen, Obviously” is a delightful rom-com full of complex, diverse, and fully developed characters that manages to maintain heartfelt humor even through frank discussions of identity and sexuality.

Adult books

”Foundation,” by Isaac Asimov

Now that Foundation by Isaac Asimov is gearing up for a 3rd season on Apple TV+ it’s the perfect time to re-read (or re-listen) to this classic again. Far from feeling stodgy and overdone, Asimov quickly guides the readers through a rapidly expanding timeline and cast of characters. In one chapter, we meet a main character, and in the next chapter, they are historical figure from a hundred years ago. It’s a wonderful trick of fiction writing that Asimov pulls off perfectly. Despite being written 75 years ago Foundation feels very modern. Follow “The Foundation’s” growth as they are formed when a scientist foresees the death of the Empire far before anyone else. Thanks to his eye to future, the scientist founds “The Foundation” in the hopes that it will someday emerge as the next far reaching space Empire. By space, it’s a good yarn! Read it now and then marvel at the cinematography in the TV show.

”Suburban Dicks,” by Fabian Nicieza

When a 7-month-pregnant mom of four rolls into a gas station in the early morning with baby screaming and peeing, the last thing she expected to see was a crime scene. And yet, there it is — a dead gas station attendant, two police newbies utterly bungling the crime scene, and all of the clues they are missing. Thankfully, this is no ordinary mom. No, it’s a woman who has profiled and solved murders in the past for the FBI. When she teams up with a disgraced journalist who now writes for the weekly town rag, they take on the ingrained division between the white, Indian, and Black community, long-buried secrets and town and police officials who are less than cooperative. You’ll tear through this well-written mystery as the unlikely pair of private eyes (aka private dicks) find the clues and solve the case.