Índex per April 2022 a Booklist Reader

From the Editor & Publisher Expressiveness, lyricism, and new perspectives and points of view–these are just a few of the aspects we love about poetry and first novels. And this is why these topics work so well together in this issue, published during National Poetry Month. For me, April is a time to celebrate creativity and diverse cultures, to intensely observe, and to immerse ourselves in the pure delight of artistic endeavors. The weaving of the rich tapestry of global art, including the fiction and poetry highlighted here, requires courage, vulnerability, and sacrifice on the part of creators. In return, a kind of intimacy and invention are communicated that help us see the world anew. As Eric Charles May points out in his Writers Backstory column (p.3), storytelling also requires…

Booklist Reader Adult Books The Essentials First Novels Confronting Discrimination by Donna Seaman First novels can be reflections of their times; they can also be prescient. Because U.S. presidential elections are landmark events, we were curious about first novels that appeared between 2016 and 2020. We discovered that Booklist bestowed starred reviews on an array of works with global scope, novels that grapple compassionately, imaginatively, humorously, and righteously with discrimination’s many forms, including racism, sexism, and classism, and their persistent and malignant consequences. The Atlas of Reds and Blues. By Devi S. Laskar. 2019. Counterpoint. At once tragically and infuriatingly timely and timeless, Laskar’s powerful drama takes place over the course of one morning, yet covers lifetimes. An American of Bengali descent and her three daughters living in an Atlanta suburb…

Booklist Reader Adult Books Spotlight Women Poets by Nell Keep There is a tendency to contrast more formal poetry with poetry that is “experimental” or more emotionally transparent. This divide is frequently cited when discussing poetry by women, especially women of color, trans women, or gay women. But women poets have always excelled in both traditional and innovative forms and continue to do so as new voices emerge. The poetry collections below, published by university and small presses, range from widely influential works by established poets to more recent titles. Dear Angel of Death. By Simone White. 2018. Ugly Duckling. A combination of shorter poems and the longer poetic essay that gives the collection its title, this book marks White’s critical intervention in the history of Black poetics in America. White…

LIBRARY READS April 2022 - The top ten books published this month that library staff across the country love. Lessons in Chemistry A Novel by Bonnie Garmus (Doubleday) “In the 50s and early 60s when women were viewed as little more than chattel for men’s convenience, Elizabeth Zott had the temerity to become a chemist. With complex and wonderful characters, her story is funny, sad, enraging, hopeful, and will have readers cheering for every character and all women everywhere. For fans of Where'd You Go Bernadette?, The Rosie Project, and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.” —Judy G. Sebastian, Eastham Public Library, Eastham, MA NoveList read-alike: Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen The Good Left Undone A Novel by Adriana Trigiani (Dutton) “Following the lives of various generations of the Cabrelli…

Booklist Reader Books for Youth Lightning Round 2021 Debuts by Sarah Hunter Another year, another group of exciting new authors to celebrate! Read on to get the scoop on these nine writers’ writing habits, influences, and the experience of holding their book for the first time (five out of nine debut authors agree: it’s surreal!). Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Ace of Spades Describe your book in seven words or fewer. Black teens solving crimes and being badass. Plotter or seat-of-your-pants-er? Plotter that often goes off script. Pick one word (or emoji!) that most accurately describes your writing process. This emoji because I feel like I’m always going undercover whenever I’m writing. What was it like holding your book for the first time? Surreal. What’s the best question you’ve gotten from a reader so…

Booklist Reader Books for Youth Youth Read-alikes Novels in Verse By Julia Smith Adapting to a new country or calibrating different cultures that exist in one’s family—or oneself—is a deeply personal process. It’s no wonder that these are subjects frequently explored by novels in verse, a writing form driven by emotion, imagery, and the senses. Reem Faruqi’s new middle-grade verse novel, Unsettled, and Safia Elhillo’s Home Is Not a Country, for tween and YA readers, venture into these sometimes turbulent, sometimes healing waters to join a poetic roster of titles about finding oneself and one’s home. Middle Grade Beyond Me. By Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu. 2020. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy. Gr. 4–7. The 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan reverberate through this historical novel in verse and through the life of Maya, a Japanese…

Booklist Reader Adult Books Top 10 First Novels Family sagas rooted in Africa, America, and Saudi Arabia and tales of an avant-garde rock duo and two West Bank teens are found among the most exceptional first novels of the past year, each exploring complex questions of self, society, and history with vision, empathy, and artistry. Black Buck. By Mateo Askaripour. 2021. HMH. Askaripour’s biting and absurdist first novel stars the only Black employee at a cult-like start-up and sheds light on racism, corporate morality, media bias, gentrification, and many other important themes. Bride of the Sea. By Eman Quotah. 2021. Tin House. Quotah’s gripping tale about a family split between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. portrays Saeedah, Muneer, and their daughter, Hanadji, as they navigate immigration, cultural dissonance, and family separation…

Booklist Reader Audiobooks Top 10 First Novels on Audio Genre fiction and some familiar names feature strongly in these recently published best debut novels on audio. Arsenic and Adobo. By Mia P. Manansala. Read by Danice Cabanela. 2021. 9.5hr. Books on Tape. This restaurant-set whodunit and first in a series is elevated by debut narrator Cabanela’s expressive performance. The energy, humor, relationships, and recipes all sparkle and are sure to entice. Faye, Faraway. By Helen Fisher. Read by Sophie Roberts. 2021. 9hr. Simon & Schuster Audio. In the audio version of this reflection on loss and love with a good mix of quirkiness, Roberts’ English accent lures the reader into the tale as if it were a bedtime story of magical realism. Beasts of Prey. By Ayana Gray. Read by a…

Booklist Reader Books for Youth Top 10 First Novels for Youth This past year was marked by a chorus of new, authentic voices in the kidlit arena, as seen in these outstanding titles. Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna. By Alda P. Dobbs. 2021. Sourcebooks/Young Readers. Gr. 4–6. In 1913, during the Mexican Revolution, 12-year-old Petra leads her family on a journey to safety in America. Dobbs’ wrenching debut illuminates the harsh realities of war and the disparities between the poor and the rich. Between Perfect and Real. By Ray Stoeve. 2021. Abrams/Amulet. Gr. 9–12. Cast as Romeo in a school production, Dean seeks the confidence to come out as a trans guy. Through Dean’s hopeful voice, Stoeve explores who we can become when we have the courage to choose our own…

Booklist Reader Adult Books Spotlight Poets of Native Nations by Diego Báez "There is no such thing as a Native American,” writes Joy Harjo, U.S. poet laureate, in When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through (2020), an anthology of poetry by Native writers. Harjo makes the point that terms like “Native American” and “American Indian” tend to carry less importance for poets of Native Nations, who instead identify foremost with tribal affiliations. For these reasons, any list of Indigenous poets will never be comprehensive, or even representative. Consider what follows a mere glimpse into the bright constellation of contemporary poetry by writers who are Inuit, Dine’, Chamorro, and Oglala Lakota, among others. Corpse Whale. By dg nanouk okpik. 2012. Univ. of Arizona. Okpik’s otherworldly first collection…

Booklist Reader Adult Books Reserve These Reads Adult Get your hands on these hotly anticipated books, all out this month. Fiction The Candy House. By Jennifer Egan. Scribner. Revisiting characters from A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010), Carnegie Medal–winner Egan presents a dazzling, imaginative novel featuring technology that externalizes memories so they can be shared. Dream Town. By David Baldacci. Grand Central. In the third book in the series (after A Gambling Man, 2021), WWII vet and P. I. Aloysius Archer takes on a case in Los Angeles that becomes deadly. Fevered Star. By Rebecca Roanhorse. Gallery/Saga. In the hotly anticipated sequel to Black Sun (2020), Roanhorse’s epic fantasy inspired by legends of Central and South America, a comet marks the rise of a new ruler in a land…

Booklist Reader Audiobooks Must Listen Poetry for Amanda Gorman Fans by Heather Booth She captivated a nation in her bold yellow coat and a broad red headband that adorned her like a crown on that cold January day in 2021. The youngest inaugural poet in American history, Amanda Gorman has brought public poetry back into focus in a way that we haven’t seen since Maya Angelou’s reign in the 1990s. If you have been inspired by Gorman’s insight, vision, and voice, or seek to understand her appeal, these volumes of poetry will be music to your ears. Start here: Call Us What We Carry. By Amanda Gorman. Read by the author. 2021. 3.5hr. Books on Tape. This collection is poetry that speaks for all of us. To hear Gorman read is…

Booklist Reader Books for Youth Top 10 Poetry for Youth These outstanding works of poetry for youth, reviewed in Booklist over the last five years, include thematic collections, creative approaches to form, and inspirational takes on Black history. Bookjoy, Wordjoy. By Pat Mora. Illus. by Raúl Colón. 2018. Lee & Low. PreS–Gr. 2. Two stellar vets combine to pair inventive, fun, adventuresome poems with exciting, exuberant art. Mora writes about her love of poetry and wordplay, emphasizing that each person is unique, so their wordplay will be as well. Cast Away: Poems for Our Time. By Naomi Shihab Nye. 2020. Greenwillow. Gr. 3–6. In this poignant collection, Young People’s Poet Laureate Nye challenges readers to consider their definition of trash and leaves them with a consciousness of Earth’s precarious environment. In the…

Booklist Reader Books for Youth Reserve These Reads Children & Teens Get your hands on these hotly anticipated books, all out this month. Older An Arrow to the Moon. By Emily X. R. Pan. Little, Brown. Gr. 9–12. Unusual, otherworldly events occur in the town where Hunter and Luna meet in this novel combining Romeo and Juliet with Chinese mythology. Nothing Burns as Bright as You. By Ashley Woodfolk. HarperCollins/Versify. Gr. 7–11. Taking place over the course of a single day, this novel in verse explores the complex past and uncertain future of the tumultuous friendship and romance between two teen girls. She Gets the Girl. By Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick. Simon & Schuster. Gr. 9–12. Molly and Alex get off on the wrong foot during their freshman year of…