Table of contents for November 2023 in Booklist Reader

Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories. By Sherman Alexie. 2012. Grove. In this bighearted collection of short stories by National Book Award winner Alexie, his characters grapple with racism, damaging stereotypes, poverty, alcoholism, diabetes, the tragic loss of languages and custom, and questions of authenticity and identity. Alexie is funny, forthright, and compassionate. Calling for a Blanket Dance. By Oscar Hokeah. 2022. Workman. Hokeah’s debut novel tells the story of Ever Geimausaddle, the son of a Cherokee mother and a Kiowa father, as he navigates life across Native lands in Oklahoma, through the perspectives of 12 different Native American and Mexican family members in a seamlessly woven tale portraying several generations. A Council of Dolls. By Mona Susan Power. 2023. Mariner. Power’s saga dramatizes the impact of forced assimilation on three…

The Chilean Kitchen: 75 Seasonal Recipes for Stews, Breads, Salads, Cocktails, Desserts, and More. By Pilar Hernandez and Eileen Smith. 2020. Skyhorse. Among generally quick-to-make recipes from Chilean-native Hernandez and Smith, an American expat in Santiago, readers will notice less meat and more plants, a focus on stovetop cooking, and dairy appearing mostly in desserts. Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence. By Claire Saffitz. 2020. Clarkson Potter. With an approach of “more information rather than less,” Saffitz opens with a spread that plots every recipe in the book (cakes, pies, cookies, “fancy desserts,” breakfast fare, breads, and savory stuff, too) on a matrix arranged by level of difficulty (1 to 5) versus time required (5 minutes to 12 hours; 2 months for the fruitcake!). East: 120 Vegan…

Native America PBS presents a new second season of NATIVE AMERICA. This four-part series tells powerful, contemporary stories of our world from an Indigenous perspective. Building on the success of the first season, this Native-directed series reveals the beauty and power of today’s Indigenous world. Meet brilliant engineers, bold politicians, and cutting-edge artists who draw upon Native traditions while living their modern lives. NATIVE AMERICA premiered in late October 2023. Continue the journey by watching on the PBS App and check your local listing. PBS Environment and Climate Programming Last month in the October issue, we highlighted Season 2 of AMERICA OUTDOORS WITH BARATUNDE THURSTON, which is being broadcast by PBS stations across the nation and can be streamed at pbs.org. Did you know that earlier this year PBS launched…

Just across town Hard-Boiled Bugs for Breakfast: And Other Tasty Poems. By Jack Prelutsky. Read by Kirby Heyborne. 2021. 1hr. HarperAudio. Gr. 2–5. Kids will be tickled by Prelutsky’s silly poems read in Heyborne’s bouncy and enthusiastic tones. Parents will appreciate the groan-worthy puns and clever turns of phrase. My Name Is Lucy Barton. By Elizabeth Strout and Rona Munro. Read by Laura Linney. 2020. 1.5hr. Books on Tape. Oscar nominee Linney’s performance of the one-woman show based on Strout’s beloved novel uses impeccable pacing and perfect Midwestern tones. She is transfixing in this story of a woman forging a new relationship with her mother while recuperating in the hospital. Pressure. By David Haig. Performed by a full cast. 2020. 2hr. L.A. Theatre Works. In the lead-up to D-Day, British…

Adrift. By Tanya Guerrero. 2022. Farrar. Gr. 7–10. Half-Filipino cousins Coral and Isa are as close as sisters, but their bond is tested when a shipwreck strands Coral on a remote island. A visceral story of grief and triumph. Crumbs. By Danie Stirling. Art by the author. 2022. Clarion. Gr. 9–12. Magic abounds in this feel-good romance, based on the webcomic of the same name, which follows the burgeoning relationship between magically gifted Ray and sweet-tempered Laurie. Dead Flip. By Sara Farizan. 2022. Algonquin. Gr. 7–12. In the vein of Stranger Things comes a story of two teens investigating a childhood friend’s mysterious disappearance—and sudden, unsettling reappearance. Packed with 1980s nostalgia, horror, and the havoc of adolescence. In Honor of Broken Things. By Paul Acampora. 2022. Dial. Gr. 5–8. Despite…

Older The Boy from Clearwater. By Pei-Yun Yu. Illus. by Jian-Xin Zhou. Tr. by Lin King. Levine Querido. Gr. 9–12. A stunning achievement of art and translation, this graphic novel tells the story of Khun-lim, a survivor of Taiwan’s oppressive White Terror era who served a brutal 10-year sentence as a political traitor for joining a school book club. Check & Mate. By Ali Hazelwood. Putnam. Gr. 8–12. Adult rom-com author Hazelwood makes her YA debut with this novel about Mallory, who finds herself pulled back into the world of competitive chess and, perhaps, losing her heart to her rival. Wish of the Wicked. By Danielle Paige. Bloomsbury YA. Gr. 8–12. Best-selling Paige regularly retells classic stories, and in her latest, she turns her attention to Cinderella’s fairy godmother, imbuing…

Who is Vanessa Lillie when she is at home? Third-grader chauffeur, personal assistant to a pugpoo (part pug, part poodle), and tarot/astrology enthusiast. I also read and write books when my kid and dog let me. What can you tell us about your new book Blood Sisters? Blood Sisters is about a Cherokee archaeologist who has left her rural Oklahoma hometown but is called back when a woman’s remains are found near a crime scene she barely escaped as a girl, and soon after, her sister goes missing. While Blood Sisters is absolutely fiction, there are true parts of this story that have been with me my whole life. I wanted to write about my Cherokee heritage and explore what it means to be Cherokee today. Just like Syd, my…

Cook Korean! A Comic Book with Recipes. By Robin Ha. Art by the author. 2016. Ten Speed. Ha’s not a professional chef, but she’s passionate about Korean food, and that cheerfully comes through in this amiable volume, covering everything from kimchi and banchan through cocktails and bar snacks in her simplified and stylized visual style. Let’s Make Dumplings! A Comic Book Cookbook. By Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan. Art by Sarah Becan. 2021. Ten Speed. Amano and Becan’s comic cookbook focuses on a wide variety of dumplings from across Asia. Meal. By Blue Delliquanti and Soliel Ho. Art by Blue Delliquanti. 2018. Iron Circus. Ho, a noted food writer, teams up with cartoonist Delliquanti in this comic about aspiring chef Yarrow, who’s eager to turn her practice of entomophagy (i.e.,…

The Good Part: A Novel Sophie Cousens (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) NoveList read-alike: The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver Do Your Worst Rosie Danan (Berkley) NoveList read-alike: Well Met by Jen DeLuca The Kingdom of Sweets: A Novel of the Nutcracker Erika Johansen (Dutton) NoveList read-alike: The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw A Power Unbound Freya Marske (Tordotcom) NoveList read-alike: Spellbreaker novels by Charlie N. Holmberg Hunt on Dark Waters Katee Robert (Berkley) NoveList read-alike: Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward Inheritance: The Lost Bride Trilogy Nora Roberts (St. Martin’s Press) NoveList read-alike: Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen System Collapse Martha Wells (Tordotcom) NoveList read-alike: Imperial Radch series by Ann Leckie Find out more at www.LibraryReads.org/HOF…

Heather Booth: It’s my understanding that audiobook narrators and any actor who’s involved in the strike can continue to narrate audiobooks. Erin Bennett: That’s correct. What SAG AFTRA narrators can’t do is certain on-camera work. Audiobook contracts are different, and they are not affected by this strike. So, we’re very fortunate in that regard. Booth: What do you see as the implications of the strike on audio narration? Do you see more screen actors possibly wanting to take on more audio? Bennett: Yes, I do, at least temporarily. A producer friend was telling me she’s getting calls from agents whose clients were heretofore unavailable, and now suddenly there’s a little hole in their schedule. So they’d like to take on that audiobook project. But for those who are concerned about…

Agent Most Wanted: The Never-Before-Told Story of the Most Dangerous Spy of World War II. By Sonia Purnell. Read by Caroline Hewitt. 2022. 5hr. Listening Library. Gr. 5–12. For fans of spycraft and strong women. Hewitt’s narration adds character voices and leaves listeners with a clear understanding of the importance of Virginia Hall’s work in defeating the Nazis. Dreaming in Code: Ada Byron Lovelace, Computer Pioneer. By Emily Arnold McCully. Read by the author. 2019. 3hr. Listening Library. Gr. 7–10. McCully performs smoothly, using a British accent for characters: Lady Byron is haughty and distant, while Ada is smart and determined. The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science. By Joyce Sidman. Read by Catherine Ho. 2019. 2hr. Recorded Books. Gr. 4–6. Merian, a curious seventeenth-century girl,…

Chi’s Sweet Home. (13 volumes.) By Konami Kanata. Kodansha. Gr. 2 & Up. When mischievous Chi is separated from her mother on a stroll, she’s suddenly lost! Enter young Yohei and his family, who quickly learn what it means to take care of a kitten while Chi throws their lives into utter chaos. Utterly hilarious and adorable, this full-color manga is a treat for young readers. Dinosaur Hour! (1 volume.) By Hitoshi Shioya (VIZ Media). Gr. 1 & Up. This gag manga for dinosaur fans is hilarious and interspersed with facts about dinosaurs. Perfect for young readers just discovering manga and lovers of the prehistoric. The Evil Secret Society of Cats. (3 volumes.) By Pandania (Seven Seas). Gr. 2 & Up. Cats may seem cute and cuddly, but that’s just…

Critical Insights: Censored & Banned Literature. Ed. by Robert C. Evans. 2019. Grey House. Books have been censored and banned for centuries. This volume contains essays about banned books in general and specific cases, largely focusing on racism (especially the Black experience) and sexuality. First Amendment Freedoms: A Reference Handbook. By Michael C. LeMay. 2021. ABC-CLIO. The convergence of pervasive social media, a 24/7 news cycle, and the harsh balkanization of American political opinion are all challenging the First Amendment. Researchers will find primary-source documentation, scholarly analysis, case law, and profiles of the organizations and individuals commonly associated with the First Amendment. Foundations of Intellectual Freedom. By Emily J. M. Knox. 2022. Neal-Schuman. Knox presents a useful primer on intellectual freedom and censorship that explores the intersections between intellectual freedom…

Fiction Absolution. By Alice McDermott. Farrar. Two young American wives form a tentative alliance in Saigon in 1963 in the hotly anticipated new novel from beloved award-winner McDermott. Dirty Thirty. By Janet Evanovich. Atria. New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is back, and this time she must track down two men involved in a jewelry heist while she dodges bullets, firebombs, and two marriage proposals. The Future. By Naomi Alderman. Simon & Schuster. The author of The Power (2017) returns with a tour-deforce technothriller about a cult survivor and an internet survivalist, two initially unconnected people on opposite sides of the Earth who must save the world from billionaire tech giants hell-bent on destruction. Inheritance. By Nora Roberts. St. Martin’s. In the first in a new trilogy from romance master…

Charley Flyte (Oglala Sioux/Mohawk) Flyte is making a quick name for herself in narrating eerie and challenging tales for both youth and adults. Begin with her talent for voicing a varied cast of characters in Ramona Emerson’s crime thriller, Shutter (2022), then hear how she puts those talents to use narrating along with Shaun Taylor-Corbett in Cynthia Leitich Smith’s middle-grade haunted house tale, Harvest House (2023). Cara Gee (Ojibwe) Prominent Canadian actor Gee has only narrated a few books, but each of them has been a speculative-fiction standout. From the fantasy of Rebecca Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky series to the immersive sf world of Kameron Hurley’s The Light Brigade (2019) and the spine-chilling horror of Stephen Graham Jones’ My Heart Is a Chainsaw (2021), listeners will be transfixed by…

Young Adult Firekeeper’s Daughter. By Angeline Boulley. 2021. Holt. Gr. 10–12. Daunis gets embroiled in a dangerous investigation of a high-level drug ring in her Michigan community. Her non-enrolled status—Ojibwe on her father’s side; descendent of French fur traders on her mother’s—puts her in an especially tough position. Boulley expands on the story of Daunis’ community in Warrior Girl Unearthed (2023), which takes place a decade after the events in Firekeeper’s Daughter. Give Me Some Truth. By Eric Gansworth. 2018. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. Gr. 10–12. There are no easy life choices for Carson, Maggi, and Lewis as their lives intersect on their reservation and they try to start a band. Each teen has a personal struggle, but they unite to rally against a restaurant called Custard’s Last Stand and its…

Animals Brag about Their Bottoms. By Maki Saito. Illus. by the author. Tr. by Brian Bergstrom. 2020. Greystone. PreS–Gr. 2. From the tiniest rabbit to the largest Asian elephant, animals have every reason to be proud of their bottoms. One by one or in groups, these animals turn their tails—striped, patterned, and boldly colored—in vivid, masterful collage illustrations. Battle of the Butts: The Science behind Animal Behinds. By Jocelyn Rish. Illus. by David Creighton-Pester. 2021. Running Press. Gr. 1–3. Leaving no entendre unturned, Rish invites readers to rate a series of animal bottoms on a scale from “Terrific Tushie” to “Boring Backside” as she presents straight poop on how creatures employ bounteous booties to eat, breathe, communicate, turn coral into sand, and defend themselves from predators. The Big Book of…