Welcome to Litsy!

Another from the NPR list linked below. Similar to other works by the authors, I felt like this captured the feeling of various complex relationships with a lot of subtlety. Still, I appreciated this more than enjoyed it. Rose, the MC, is going through a difficult time coming of age in a stressful family dynamic. She‘s very impressionable and testing boundaries. She‘s not always kind or likable, but she is going through a lot. ⬇️

Maybe it was my mood lately but this one didn't hit as well as I expected. Two young teens spend the summer exploring the small town where they vacation and encounter adult situations and problems. A lot of angst and grief. I liked the art style and how it was done in all one color.
This was my November #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

#SummerSpecial
Day 3. Summer sun
#SummerSun

Perfectly encapsulates that awkward preteen/early teen phase, the curiousity and the missteps on the road to knowledge and maturity.
As the author and illustrator are cousins, I wonder if they had a shared childhood to pull from for that feeling of summers past.
Second hand view of psychological effect of fertility issues: depression, how all family members are affected, how different people respond, often in unhelpful ways. 1/?

Important addendum!

😌 Yes, thank you, needed this.

This was a soft pick for me. The story of 2 preteen girls who spend summers together at their parents‘ lake cabins. They wrestle w typical feelings about growing up the summer they start to change from kids to women. It made top 10 banned book lists for being sexually explicit despite having 0 sex scenes (there is a preoccupation w the idea of sex that accompanies puberty: a discussion about blow jobs, a fascination w a pregnant 18 yr old in town)

Diving into summer 💦 with this Caldecott honor book.
Lol even though I‘m curled under my blanket!! Bandette likes to read with me, but she insists on a blanket- even in the summer!
💦 🏊‍♂️ 📚 🐶 ☀️

Dinner at the park with my library book was a good decision.

This is when kids have that moment they realize their parents are real people and notice how other kids/teens act and behave to fit in or judge.

The artwork is gorgeous and it definitely captures the liminal experience of early adolescence. Definitely more of a vibe than a plot.

Clearly, I am not the intended audience, but still…I would like that hour of my life back, please. So boring. And I wanted to punch Rose. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#bannedbook

Reading for Banned Book Week
(September 26 - October 2, 2021)

This One Summer is a graphic novel written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

#1 on the American Library Association (ALA) Top Ten Challenged Books of 2016 for including LGBTQ+ characters, drug use, and profanity, and it was considered sexually explicit with mature themes.

Rated: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for story, not content

The ALA was really stretching it with this challenge.

What are you reading for Banned Book Week?
September 26 - October 2, 2021

This is what I‘ll be reading.

#BannedBookWeek

This one fell flat for me. It‘s not bad, but I was expecting more. Nothing really memorable about it. I did like the artwork though!

#bookspinbingo

This was a one-sitting read. It deals with growing up and becoming your own person outside of parental expectations. I loved the feminism themes involved, but only really enjoyed one of the characters. Not sure how memorable this one actually will be

🌟🌟🌟🌟 This is a summer full of secrets, sorrow, and growing up.

#YA #graphicnovel #comics #fiction #comingofage

4/5

A well written young adult graphic novel. The story deals with multiple mature themes tastefully. It resurrects a nostalgic love for summer through indigo shades.
Artwork : Complements the story, simple yet powerful portrayal of emotions
Characters : Interesting, relatable and well written
Story: Engaging, well composed
Language : Simple, witty, direct

Pic source : https://www.cbc.ca/books/mariko-tamaki-how-i-wrote-this-one-summer-1.4022789

' I am vegan not delusional'. For some reason I absolutely want this on a T-shirt 😅

I am drowning in a sea of work and Awago sounds like a siren call to me right now. Awago does sound like a place where summer break never ends.

#thisonesummer #summer #holiday #mariko

This appears so ominous. I don't know if the author meant it to be a joke but the way this book begins, reminds me so much of 'spirited away'.

#summer #holiday #eerie

Treated myself to some used books the other day! I used to love the Wolf's Rain anime, but never read the manga. #ShopLocal #UsedBooks

It was cute but wow so heavy! Like these poor super grown up girls! Just not a “light“ read I was thinking it would be.

#JustAnotherGraphicMonday
@Bookworm54 @AkashaVampie @AsYouWish @jb72 @AnansiGirl

#BookSpinBingo
@TheAromaOfBooks

I can totally relate! My body is screaming for me to drink some water!!!

#JustAnotherGraphicMonday
@Bookworm54 @AkashaVampie @AsYouWish @jb72 @AnansiGirl

Found this on Libby (been really devouring graphic novels - during the commercial breaks of my binging shows) ..

::fingers crossed:: this is a good one :)

#JustAnotherGraphicMonday
@Bookworm54 @AkashaVampie @AsYouWish @jb72 @AnansiGirl

I‘ll take “summer” in the title for the square.

#summerfun #bingo @4thhouseontheleft @StayCurious

A pretty cute graphic novel 3/5

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I, personally enjoyed this graphic novel but for it being a YA book, I don‘t know if teens would really like it as much. The characters were more middle school age but the maturity level of this book is much higher. It‘s left me a bit confused, but overall, I thought it was good.

Read this for Banned Books Week. Wasn‘t crazy about it. Not even quite sure who the target audience should be. I would think adults would appreciate it more than teens. Just not my thing I guess.

another graphic novel down 📚

7 days, 7 covers you love, no explanation. Try to tag someone new each day.

#7covers7days #covercrush

Day 5.

I thought this was a good story. Illustrations were okay. It was a story of a girl who goes to the cabin with her parents for the summer. I absolutely loved her friend Windy (best character in the novel hands down). The parents fight constantly which depresses the girl and she obsesses over a guy working at a store. Ending was interesting (neither good nor bad). All in all an okay read.
3 stars

So, so good. It took me two years and one hour of just sitting down without my phone to finally read this.

#bbrc #teenangst not appropriate for middle grades
I picked this one up not knowing what to expect. The beginning g seemed to appeal to those middle graders and growing up, but then the whole issue of sex, babies and miscarriages came through. Over all it was a good book.

This is a very interesting read about young girls growing up way to fast.

Max has the right idea. Sleeping away. This one wasn‘t ground breaking. Was expecting a bit more so wasn‘t a big fan. Felt like a lot of issues were trying to be jammed in one story. 3🌟

#30JuneBooks
A graphic novel with a #summer title which I‘ve read.

Great graphic novel that you can read in a sitting or two that explores the troubles and exploration of youth and the damage that some heavy events can have on a family.

My #LibraryStack from today!! (With my little Oscar Meyer in the background checking them out)

Most are graphic novels for week 3 of #MayMadness. @AnansiGirl You will also see I found 2 of those Shakespeare/Star Wars books. 😍

#StarWars #Shakespeare #MayTheFourthBeWithYou #BookChallenge #ReadingChallenge #Readathon @TheReadingMermaid @RadicalReader @Clwojick

The art is very pretty, and I appreciate that the text doesn‘t shy away from dealing with tough subject even though the main characters are young, but this one fell flat for me. There‘s nothing really wrong with it, but there just wasn‘t much that was memorable for me.

“Everyday in every way I am getting better and better.”

This is a harder book for children to understand at first. They eventually might be able to relate and understand what is happening in the book.

This One Summer by Marino Tamaki is a Caldecott winning book that was published in 2015. This story is about a girl who goes to Awago beach every summer since she can remember. Wendy is her summer cottage friend since she was five and they always hang out when she is there. She is constantly asking her mom to go swimming or to put her feet in the lake water. Her mom and her dad are having a rough patch together and Wendy is taking it hard.

When you kitten is into books too!!! You decide to read your first graphic novel together!!!

I‘ve had this one on my shelf for awhile. It was good- but I wasn‘t blown away or anything, which I kind of expected to be, based on other reviews. But it did make for an interesting look at young girls on the cusp of becoming young women, and how that impacts all parts of their lives.

Friends Rose and Windy have spent every summer on Awago Beach for years, but this summer is different. The girls seem to be growing apart, Rose‘s parents are fighting more often, and small town drama envelopes the beach. This coming-of-age graphic novel conveys all the changes of summer perfectly in a beautiful monochromatic palette of blues that complement the text wonderfully.

I‘m giving this a pick, but I can‘t really make up my mind about it. The artwork is 4⭐️ for me, but the story is about 3⭐️. The story felt a bit fragmented, and while it definitely depicts growing up and friendship between girls, it left a bit too much unsaid for my taste. Maybe it is my high expectations that are getting in the way of me completely loving this book 🤷‍♀️

But thank you @erzascarletbookgasm I‘m glad I finally got it off my tbr!

It‘s a typical teenager story. You have one reliable good friend, problems at home, a guy whom you have a possible crush on; mix all the issues together, and it‘s a walk down the memory lane 😅 I love the depiction of summer in Awago beach 💕 This book triggered the itch to book a trip to Bali right away

Jessie, I‘m blown away and feel completely spoiled! Thank you so much ❤️ these books have all been on my tbr for so long, and I just want to read them all RIGHT NOW! 😄

Thank you again, this is beyond lovely!

I was planning to sleep in a little but my brain was so excited to start reading again for #24in48 that I couldn‘t!