4.5 What a beautiful story. I really enjoyed this book and its surprises (I don’t like to give spoilers). The Community House is a surprising place and the librarian, as all librarians are, is magical. I can relate in some way to each story and each one touched my heart. Life’s simple things and what we can do if we think a little differently about our selves and situations. And try new things. And how we interpret stories differently. Libraries are always comforting to me. Sayuri Komachi is a wonderful librarian - she knows what people need. Open up and value ourselves a little more.

I adore this series. Light fun and intriguing. Each book said with be characters and interest. The references to everyday tasks with a mystical element are delightful.

This book is truly a masterpiece, depicting the tragedies of the Holocaust, and creating a powerful voice for the future.

I read this as part of an all school summer read. The two author voices create an authentic experience providing two perspectives. I appreciated the back and forth of two young people sharing vulnerabilities coming from different backgrounds, using a forgotten medium that allows for a mindfulness that I think young people could benefit from. I did think the novel attempted a lot with all the issues it covered.

So far i have read chapter one and i find it very enjoyable and it shows off the main character's personality a bit, the main problem/the main character's home life. we also get to see a friend :)

I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone. I don’t need a book that mentions the pandemic all the time and I didn’t like the main character at all either. It was a predictable read.

Fences is a beautifully written yet heart wrenching story of a black man and father being so affected by the past that he can’t move forward, causing him to lose control of those he loved over time. Troy, the main character of the play, is in many ways scarred from his past. He works with his hands because his father did and he knows that a skill if the only thing the harsh world can’t take away from you. Growing up in the post-civil war time period and seeing the ways in which his father and black people struggled, he refuses to believe society will ever treat black people justly and allow them a chance to pursue what they love most. This is reflected in his refusal to sign a paper and let Cory, his son, play football and gain an opportunity for college. Troy can not fathom a world which allows black people to play mainstream sports and tries to prevent the pain before it starts by stopping Cory from playing. Resentment grows in Cory and with added issues of society’s treatment of his disabled veteran brother, Gabe, Troy begins to feel stuck and out of control with his life’s path. In doing so, he cheats on his wife, Rose, with a woman named Alberta and becomes the father to a girl who he asks Rose to take in. Miserable, and pushing away all who cared about him in his life, he becomes a stranger in his own home and begins his “fight” with death until he passes 8 years later. His impact on those around him (both good and bad) lingers on. I liked the story, even with us heartfelt sad ending. It is an overall great book!

As a scientist, how could I not want to read a book about a booth owned by a company called DNAMix that uses a cheek swab and DNA to tell you what your ideal job/potential should be? This book has become an Apple TV plus series, and it contains a series of dramatic stories in a small town in Louisiana that have been somewhat changed by the readouts from the booth. The main stories follow Doug and Cherylee Hubbard as well as Jacob and Hank Richieu. The endings were not surprising except for the booth being a scam by one of the characters. I am on the fence on whether I liked the book, but I am intrigued with the author's style of writing enough to want to read his bestseller, My Sunshine Away.

Mentally stimulating poems. I wish there was an audiobook version read by the author. I loved his self narrated book something in the woods loves you. My favorite poem from this collection was “orcas”

I didn’t like this one as much, but I was proud to read it with just some help