Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children by Arthur Chrisman Bowie

I couldn't think of anything else other than "cultural appropriation" the whole time I was reading this. It feels like a book that would never in a million years be published today: fake "folktales" about a culture that the author does not belong to. Many of them were just perpetuating false stereotypes about Chinese people. Several of the stories were cute, but it was just not a great read. It's easy to see how much the Newbery Award (and our own culture) has evolved since this time. 

It's Like This, Cat by Emily Cheney Neville

I wasn't super excited to read this book, at all, but it's one of the Newbery winners so I thought I'd chug through it. And it turned out to be surprisingly pleasant. It really didn't seem like anything earthshaking, but I really enjoyed the story and the many adventures that our main character, Davey, got into with his Cat. I liked how much freedom Davey had and how he just roamed around New York City and got to know all sorts of people. It was very easy to read and quick to get through, which made it very enjoyable, and there was a great cast of characters, like Aunt Kate, the crazy cat lady, Mary, the girl that Davey meets who he can talk to not just like a girl, and Tom, the college dropout who gets into trouble and needs help from Davey and his dad. 

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

I have no idea where I got the recommendation for this book, but I can tell you that I had no idea what this was about, since I started listening to it and totally expected it to be a self-help, memoir type book. Turned out that was not true at all; it was a YA romance set in an LA high school--a complete opposite of what I was expecting. But I really enjoyed this once I got started--it felt very realistic and believable, and it had a lot of serious themes. The main character, Jessie, lost her mom a few years ago and moved to a new state and has to adjust to a whole new life, and it felt like a very real story about a very real life issue. I did have to suspend disbelief about the whole "anonymous emailer" thing because I feel like that would never actually happen, but once I accepted it for the point of the story, I enjoyed it. Also, I can't believe Jessie didn't guess who SN was because I figured it out about 30 minutes into the book. But overall, a really fun book. 

Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark

This is a Newbery winner from the 1930s--it beat out Charlotte's Web for the Newbery Medal, which is still hotly contested to this day. And I can see why--after reading it, I think it's pretty obvious that Charlotte's Web is better. This was a nice story set in Peru, which setting I actually really liked since it was original and different (and I'm guessing that's why it won the Newbery). But it was definitely slow-moving, plus by today's standards it seemed super culturally insensitive (the boy referred to himself and his caretaker as Indians throughout the whole book, which is completely inaccurate these days). I was surprised by the big reveal of a treasure at the end of the book--I guess that was the "secret of the Andes" from the title, although I clearly didn't see it coming. I kind of felt like there was a lot that wasn't clear or wasn't explained as the story went on, so I was kind of confused a lot of the time. This definitely wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't super terrible either. 

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho

I really enjoyed this audiobook by Emmanuel Acho. It's exactly what it sounds like--he answers questions from white people from his perspective as a Black man. He started with a youtube series or videos and then got this book out of it. I definitely enjoyed listening to it more than I might have reading it, because his voice was very dynamic and he really gave a lot of personality to his writing with his inflections. But I really liked his points he made and I thought it was a really accessible book about race and racism in America.

God Will Prevail: Ancient Covenants, Modern Blessings, and the Gathering of Israel by Kerry Muhlstein

I heard about this book when the author went on the Follow Him podcast with John Bytheway, and the idea of it sounded really fantastic. The Abrahamic covenant is not something that I've ever really understood, and I've felt really lame that I haven't put the time or energy into understanding the covenant that is a huge part of our doctrine, not to mention that President Nelson specifically told us to study it. I figured reading this book would be a great start in studying and learning about it. It was a very well-written, very well organized book, with a TON of great, scholarly information. I felt like I learned a lot about the Abrahamic covenant and what it really entails and focuses on--it is really about helping us to create a relationship with God as our Father and as our God, and helping us to become like Him. I underlined a ton of parts in this book and don't have time to type them all out here, but I do feel like I learned a lot from this book and that I would definitely use it as a reference again to look through. (It was kind of dry and hard to get through, but once I got going, there were so many golden nuggets in there.)

Drown by Junot Diaz

I enjoyed The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and the audiobook was combined with Diaz's short story collection--like, it literally began as soon as the novel was finished. So I figured I would just keep listening and read his short story collection. It had a really similar feel to the novel, but felt a little more depressing and hopeless. Every story was sad and heart-wrenching in some way. I thought it was kind of more of the same as Oscar Wao, but I didn't enjoy it as much. I hate the way all of the women are viewed and treated throughout both books. 

Beyond the Mapped Stars by Rosalyn Eves

Rosalyn was my boss and professor when I was in Writing Fellows at BYU, which is why I was aware of this book, but I would have picked it up not knowing her anyways because she wrote it about a Mormon girl in the 1870s trying to become an astronomer. I loved the wrestle between her dreams and her expectations and I really enjoyed the story. This is what I wrote on Goodreads (I rarely review books there but more reviews helps her book to become more visible): 

Sometimes it feels like all of the books that are out there are set in New York City or London. So it's a huge treat to read a book in a completely new setting that I've never considered before. That was one thing I loved about Rosalyn Eves' first book set in Hungary. This book is set in 1870s rural Utah, with a young female Mormon protagonist, and I have never come across a story in this setting or with this cast of characters before. I really loved how distinctive this was, and even if the rest of the book hadn't been good, that would still have made it worth reading. Eves did a fantastic job representing the Mormon religion at the time, with all of its positive and negative aspects, in a very real and believable way. I really loved how Elizabeth Bertelsen, the main character, traveled this journey of struggling between her desires for achievement and learning and her desire to fulfill her family's wishes for her, at a time and in a place where there weren't many opportunities for her. Her dreams of becoming an astronomer and her dreams for a family and her religion felt very applicable to women today. I really loved how Elizabeth was able to validate both desires, instead of giving up one part of herself entirely. It felt much more nuanced than many YA coming-of-age novels in that way. I am a Mormon, and I personally have ancestors who lived similar lives to Elizabeth Bertelsen's, so that was a personally compelling reason for me to enjoy this book. I also personally identify with many of the issues and conclusions that Elizabeth is wrestling with throughout the book. But I think this could be a book that anyone would enjoy, especially anyone who belongs to any faith and grapples with the demands of their faith.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Listening to this, I realized that I basically know absolutely nothing about the Dominican Republic and its culture or history. I had no idea about their past with dictators and uprisings (although I guess it shouldn't be too surprising since it's the Caribbean...) and I knew nothing about what Dominican people are like. Even though I have a brother who served his two year mission there, and loved it! So it was a real eye-opener to listen to this book and to learn about Dominican culture and experience it. I loved how this book covered several generations and stories--it almost felt like each chapter was its own short story at the beginning. I felt so bad for Oscar and his dreams of being in love, and I liked how the narrator was revealed about halfway through the book as being a real character and someone who knew Oscar and who had his own perspective and personality. Basically, it was a really fun read. I didn't love all the swearing and talking about sex, but that was part of the story and part of the narrator being who he was. I'd wanted to read this one for forever, so I'm glad I finally did.

Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace

I read this out loud with Lucy and loved it so much. It was really wonderful to read this out loud. She loved Betsy and Tacy and all of their adventures. 

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney

This was a cute, super fast, easy and fun YA read. Quinn is a list-maker and one day her book of lists goes missing.. and chaos ensues. Someone steals her book with hundreds of lists and starts blackmailing her on Instagram until she completes all of the things on her "to do before I graduate" list. She enlists the help of some of her new friends to get these things done, and does a lot of growing and changing and facing her fears and herself as she does them. I loved how this book honestly addressed the issues of race and stereotypes from the perspective of different Black characters, and how racism appeared in different forms throughout the book. I loved the way Quinn started off not really knowing what her values were and eventually realizing what made her uncomfortable or not as she tackled her fears throughout the book. I thought the story was a little unrealistic but super fun and worth the read.