Keeping Two

The alternating storylines and jumping around through me a bit. But the more I read the more I was able to piece together this graphic novel. A young couple is going through a rough patch and their recent car ride has the tensions even higher. They are frazzled and annoyed with each other. They are both also reading and reacting to a book with "similar" struggles and both process that story a little differently. As the evening progresses they are both confronting their inner demons and evaluating how important they are to each other. Beautifully illustrated but at times a little tricky to figure out where the story is leading you. 

The Grace Year

This made me soo mad! This novel is more intense than The Handmaid's Tale, it's a dystopian where the girls and women are looked down upon, but yet for one year they are so scared of they must be sent away. The sixteenth year is the grace year, no one is allowed to speak of it, but everyone knows it's horrific and not all girls come back alive. The girls are marched away and forced to live a year in isolation with only each other for company. If they weren't sent away they could bewitch men with their power. Everyone knows that magic comes to girls when they reach womanhood. Hence, the grace year. It must be wiped out before the girls can return. Tierney is dreading the grace year, she keeps having odd dreams - are they linked? Is it magic? Will she survive? Very dark, but so fast paced - you will be rooting so hard for Tierney to survive! It's a mix of The Handmaid's Tale and Lord of the Flies. 

The House Across the Lake

I was definitely got Girl on the Train/ The Woman in the Window vibes from this book because the main character is a falling down drunk and doesn't seem like the most reliable narrator on the planet. Casey Fletcher is a notorious drunk, she used to be a successful actress, but after her husband died she turned to the bottle and started her very public descent of despair. Eventually the public stops sympathizing with you the more you drink. Casey's mother (an even bigger celebrity) has decided to exile Casey to the family lake house to keep her out of the public eye and maybe even get sobered up. All alone and trapped at the place where her husband died, Casey immediately falls back to the bottle and takes to spying on her wealthy neighbors across the lake with a pair of binoculars. They have a huge glass house and when the lights are on at night it's easy to see everything that goes on. One night while she is drinking and spying she sees something that makes her blood run cold. But what if it's all in her head? A fast paced suspenseful novel that will keep you guessing right up to the deliciously unexpected twist at the end. 

And We Rise

And We Rise is a powerful telling of the Civil Rights Movement in verse. Words matter and these poems go beyond just Dr. King and Rosa Parks; they tell of the marches, the murders, the mayhem, the injustices and more. Told in a linear fashion, the poems march right alongside the movement that they are discussing. The layout of the poems is meaningful and add extra layers to the intensity of what is being said. Peppered throughout the poetry are photos from the Civil Rights Movement. Extremely powerful. 

The Dutch House

I've seen this book cover and always judged this book as some over-hyped literary nonsense that I would probably hate... and boy was I wrong. This book was selected as our August book club selection so I went into it blind, and I was pretty much hooked from the beginning. I read this in one day. The story centers on Danny and Maeve two siblings who had the fortune (or unfortune) to grow up in the stately manor known as the Dutch house. The house is dark and gothic and is essentially a character. Their childhoods center around this house, their mother left because of the house, and when they are forced to eventually leave the house they can't keep away. What is the pull? Why does it matter? Maeve and Danny are two ultimately flawed and relatable characters, both of whom I grew to really enjoy - throughout the book they never grow apart and have a great sibling bond even as their lives change. A fantastic book with great "villains" and thoughtful questions. It's a title I will definitely think about often. 

Tanqueray

I LOVED this! I was initially hooked from the HONY Instagram series so I was beyond excited to read the full story. Tanqueray does NOT disappoint. It's full of pictures, illustrations, and the most outrageous stories you've ever read. Tanqueray is easily one of the most interesting people on the planet and her story is wild. From her failed prom night to Italian mobsters, burlesque, go go dancing, and more - Tanqueray's life was unconventional and wild. It wasn't all sunshines and rainbows though and she is very upfront about her struggles as well. What a woman and what a life. Huge props to Brandon for finding this woman and sharing her story with the world. 

Lore Olympus vol. 2

It had been a while since I read the first volume, but it came back pretty quickly. This comic is perfect. I can't rave about it enough. I love what Rachel Smythe has done with an old Greek legend. She has brought it into the twenty first century and made it fresh and relevant. The gods and goddesses are so fleshed out and contain so many human flaws which make them relatable. The art is also amazing. It's a slow burn romance between Persephone and Hades and even though I know how it ends - I can't wait for this series to continue so I can watch it play out.