Children’s books

“Sejal Sinha: Battles Superstorms,” by Maya PrasadRemember sitting in a cardboard box and pretending to travel all over world or build a fort and become a king or queen? Sejal knows that boxes have the power to become magical. On the night of the family’s Diwali celebration, a dangerous hurricane is reported, and it looks like the event will have to be canceled. When the lights go out, Sejal heads to her magical cardboard box with her stuffed animal and cousin Mira to figure out a way to stop the storm and save Diwali. This early chapter book took me on a new adventure. I loved Sejal’s imagination and the bravery she exhibited navigating a stressful situation. For ages 7 and up.

“Lo & Behold,”

by Wendy Mass, illustrated by Gabi Mendez

When Wendy Mass, one of my favorite children’s authors, publishes her first graphic novel featuring the art of Gabi Mendez, I am in. Addie’s life was going great until she was 11 and her mother had an accident. When Addie’s mother is arrested and her father takes a summer job at a college across the country, life only becomes more challenging. She reluctantly makes friends with a neighbor, Mateo, who is fascinated by her father’s virtual reality (VR) work. When Addie halfheartedly tries out the VR that her Dad’s students are creating, she feels alive for the first time in years. Addie begins to come out of her shell and, along with Mateo, finds solace in helping kids and adults who are struggling. For ages 10 and up.

Teen books

“The Hills of Estrella Roja,”

by Ashley Robin Franklin

The perfect spooky read for fall is here with cryptids, aliens, witches and more! Ashley Robin Franklin’s The Hills of Estrella Roja follows the story of a young podcaster, Kat, as she travels to the small Texas town of Estrella Roja to search for the reason behind mysterious red lights in the sky. Kat finds a hard time getting anyone to talk to her until she meets Mira who is visiting her hometown for her grandmother’s funeral. The two embark on a quest to discover the supernatural truth and find love along the way.

“Liberated: The Radical Art and Life of Claude Cahun,”

by Kaz Rowe

Claude Cahun, also known as Lucy Schowb, was a queer Jewish artist born in France in the late 1890s. They created a life of surrealism, resistance and transformation with their partner Marcel Moore, also known as Suzanne Malherbe. Kaz Rowe uses the artist’s own imagery and words as they show the reader Cahun’s life and struggles in this graphic novel. “Liberated” showcases beautifully the resistance that artists took during Nazi occupation, the intentionality of the women’s movement in post-World War I France, and the beauty of finding a queer community in the midst of it all.

Adult books

“Lone Women,”

by Victor Lavalle

It’s 1914 and the U.S. government is giving away homesteads in Montana for anyone willing to brave the remote wilderness. Adelaide Henry takes up the call, leaving her family home in California in the most dramatic fashion (I will not ruin this fabulous opening scene for you) with only a locked steamer trunk. She’s banking on being alone, but why? And what’s actually in that steamer trunk? A colorful, diverse cast of characters populates this fun and fast weird-western/horror novel making it a perfect read for the season. While one vignette did make my pulse quicken, I didn’t find it too scary, and I’m a horror lightweight.

“Silver Nitrate,”

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Montserrat is a struggling sound editor working in Mexico City in the early 1990s when she’s introduced to one of her heroes —legendary horror director Abel Urueta. Urueta’s career ended after a production was shut down and those involved became plagued by bad luck. Montserrat agrees to complete that cursed film and is drawn into a Nazi occult underworld, where many factions are fighting to either have it finished or destroyed. She has to figure out how to lift the curse before she’s consumed by its power. Moreno-Garcia exquisitely captures the mood and style of the mid-century horror genre in this exhilarating thriller.