en-US Sun, 06 Jul 2025 07:29:11 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 217025938 480 Tanya Talaga 1335015388 0 to-read 4.67 2024
author: Tanya Talaga
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220140302 Always each other��s plus-ones, but never each other��s real dates, two?childhood best friends have one last summer wedding to fall in love in this?dual-narrative debut. Available while supplies last, this stunning edition features designed sprayed edges!

One of?The Washington Post��s?��8?Romance Novels to Read this Summer��!

��Left me feeling desperately romantic. Prepare for a book hangover��I loved it.��?��Annabel Monaghan, New York Times?bestselling author of Summer Romance

Best friends Joni and Ren have been inseparable since childhood. So when Joni moves across the country for her job, the two devise a creative way to stay in they��ll be each other��s plus-ones every year for wedding season, no matter what else is happening in their lives.

It��s a tradition that works, until a line is crossed and the friendship they once thought was forever is ruined.

Now Joni is back at their families�� shared summer home for her sister��s wedding, and she��s determined to make the week perfect, even if it means faking a friendship with Ren��and avoiding the truth of why they have to fake it in the first place. How hard can it be to pretend to be friends with the person who once knew you best?

But as sunny beach days together turn into starry nights, Joni begins to question what her life is without Ren in it. And when the wedding arrives, bringing past heartaches to the surface, she��ll be forced to decide if loving Ren means letting him go, or if theirs is a love story worth fighting for.

��Your heart will explode when you read this book. I?defy you not to fall in love with Joni and Ren.��?��Tessa Bickers, USA Today bestselling author of The Book Swap

Perfect for fans The Summer I Turned Pretty?and?People We Meet on Vacation Reunion romances Forced Proximity Dual narratives & Single POV]]> 351 Sally Blakely 0369762053 0 to-read 4.00 2025
author: Sally Blakely
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217547906 An essential introduction to trans history, from ancient times to the present day, in full-color graphic nonfiction format. Deeply researched, highly readable, and featuring a broad range of voices.

What does ��trans�� mean, and what does it mean to be trans? Diversity in human sex and gender is not a modern phenomenon, as readers will discover through illustrated stories and records that introduce historical figures ranging from the controversial Roman emperor Elagabalus to the swashbuckling seventeenth-century conquistador Antonio de Erauso to veterans of the Stonewall uprising Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.

In addition to these individual profiles, the book explores some of the societal roles played by trans people beginning in ancient times and shows how European ideas about gender were spread across the globe. It explains how the science of sexology and the growing acceptance of (and backlash to) gender nonconformity have helped to shape what it means to be trans today. Illustrated conversations with modern activists, scholars, and creatives highlight the breadth of current trans experiences and give readers a deeper sense of the diversity of trans people, a group numbering in the millions. Extensive source notes provide further resources.

Moving, funny, heartbreaking, and empowering, this remarkable compendium from trans creators Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett is packed with research on every dynamic page.]]> 384 Alex L. Combs 1536244171 0 currently-reading 4.57
author: Alex L. Combs
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.57
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/04
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 220999773 Following the award-winning bestseller They Called Us Enemy, George Takei��s new full-color graphic memoir reveals his most personal story of all��told in full for the first time anywhere!

George Takei has shown the world many faces: actor, author, outspoken activist, helmsman of the starship Enterprise, living witness to the internment of Japanese Americans, and king of social media. But until October 27, 2005, there was always one piece missing��one face he did not show the world. There was one very intimate fact about George that he never shared�� and it rhymes with Takei.

Now, for the first time ever, George shares the full story of his life in the closet, his decision to come out as gay at the age of 68, and the way that moment transformed everything. Following the phenomenal success of his first graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, George Takei reunites with the team of Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger for a jaw-dropping new testament. From his earliest childhood crushes and youthful experiments in the rigidly conformist 1950s, to global fame as an actor and the paralyzing fear of exposure, to the watershed moment of speaking his truth and becoming one of the most high-profile gay men on the planet, It Rhymes With Takei presents a sweeping portrait of one iconic American navigating the tides of LGBTQ+ history.

Combining historical context with intimate subjectivity, It Rhymes With Takei shows how the personal and the political have always been intertwined. Its richly emotional words and images depict the terror of entrapment even in gay community spaces, the anguish of speaking up for so many issues while remaining silent on his most personal issue, the grief of losing friends to AIDS, the joy of finding true love with Brad Altman, and the determination to declare that love openly��and legally��before the whole world.

Looking back on his own astonishing life on both sides of the closet, George Takei presents a charismatic and candid witness to how far America has come�� and how precious that progress is.]]> 336 George Takei 1603095748 4 4.63 2025
author: George Takei
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/07/04
date added: 2025/07/04
shelves: graphic-novel, adult-titles, diversity, gltbqia, memoir, nonfiction
review:

]]> 214537790 From?Pulitzer finalist, MacArthur Fellowship recipient, and bestselling?author of Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove. A gripping Dust Bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town

The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing��not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl drought, but beneath its own violent histories. The Antidote follows a "Prairie Witch," whose body serves as a bank vault for peoples�� memories and secrets; a Polish wheat farmer who learns how quickly a hoarded blessing can become a curse; his orphan niece, a basketball star and witch��s apprentice in furious flight from her grief; a voluble scarecrow; and a New Deal photographer whose time-traveling camera threatens to reveal both the town��s secrets and its fate.

Russell's novel is above all a reckoning with a nation��s forgetting��enacting the settler amnesia and willful omissions passed down from generation to generation, and unearthing not only horrors but shimmering possibilities. The Antidote echoes with urgent warnings for our own climate emergency, challenging readers with a vision of what might have been��and what still could be.]]> 432 Karen Russell 059380225X 0 3.96 2025
author: Karen Russell
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: currently-reading, adult-titles, historical-fiction
review:

]]> 231126910 A fan-favorite character returns in this action-packed instalment of the Hugo Award-winning Wayward Children series.

After Nancy was cast out of the Halls of the Dead and forced to enroll at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children, she never believed she'd find her door again, and when she did, she didn't look back. She disappeared from the school to resume her place in the Halls, never intending to return.

Years have passed. A darkness has descended on the Halls, and the living statues who populate them are dying at the hands of the already dead. The Lord and Lady who rule the land are helpless to stop the slaughter, forcing Nancy to leave the Halls again, this time on purpose, as she attempts to seek much-needed help from her former schoolmates.

But who would volunteer to quest in a world where the dead roam freely?

And why are the dead so intent on adding to their number?]]> 160 Seanan McGuire 1250339405 0 to-read 3.81 2026
author: Seanan McGuire
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220652184 A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK!

In this dazzling debut novel, a hidden and nearly forgotten magic��of Reforging pencils, bringing the memories they contain back to life��holds the power to transform a young woman��s relationship with her grandmother, and to mend long-lost connections across time and space.

Monica Tsai spends most days on her computer, journaling the details of her ordinary life and coding for a program that seeks to connect strangers online. A self-proclaimed recluse, she's always struggled to make friends and, as a college freshman, finds herself escaping into a digital world, counting the days until she can return home to her beloved grandparents. They are now in their nineties, and Monica worries about them constantly��especially her grandmother, Yun, who survived two wars in China before coming to the States, and whose memory has begun to fade.

Though Yun rarely speaks of her past, Monica is determined to find the long-lost cousin she was separated from years ago. One day, the very program Monica is helping to build connects her to a young woman, whose gift of a single pencil holds a surprising clue. Monica��s discovery of a hidden family history is exquisitely braided with Yun��s own memories as she writes of her years in Shanghai, working at the Phoenix Pencil Company. As WWII rages outside their door, Yun and her cousin, Meng, learn of a special power the women in their family possess: the ability to Reforge a pencil��s words. But when the government uncovers their secret, they are forced into a life of espionage, betraying other people��s stories to survive.

Combining the cross-generational family saga and epistolary form of A Tale for the Time Being with the uplifting, emotional magic of The Midnight Library, Allison King��s stunning debut novel asks: who owns and inherits our stories? The answers and secrets that surface on the page may have the unerasable power to reconnect a family and restore a legacy.]]> 368 Allison King 0063446235 3
In my opinion, I found the two primary points of view to be uneven. I was most certainly more invested in Yun's personal diary entries as she explores the pencil company, has complicated yet loving connection with her cousin Meng, and deceives her way out of Taiwan and immigrates to the U.S. I was less interested in Monica's contemporary storyline. Monica actually read much younger to me than a college student and I felt the aspect of her working on EMBRS and her budding romance with Louisa to be very underdeveloped and rushed. I did appreciate Monica's sweet devotion and care of her grandparents.

TW: self harm, Alzheimers]]> 3.54 2025
author: Allison King
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/07/02
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: adult-titles, 3-stars, debut-author, diversity, family, gltbqia, magical-realism, romance, realistic-fiction, historical-fiction, immigrants
review:
Part speculative, part multigenerational family epic, part historical record, part coming-of-age romance King's debut novel "The Phoenix Pencil Company" has an intriguing and original premise about a pencil company that creates pencils that can reveal all of the words its writer has previously wrote, through a process called reforging. The novel's themes of memory, privacy, ownership, history, techology, and intergenerational trauma are mostly well woven into the story.

In my opinion, I found the two primary points of view to be uneven. I was most certainly more invested in Yun's personal diary entries as she explores the pencil company, has complicated yet loving connection with her cousin Meng, and deceives her way out of Taiwan and immigrates to the U.S. I was less interested in Monica's contemporary storyline. Monica actually read much younger to me than a college student and I felt the aspect of her working on EMBRS and her budding romance with Louisa to be very underdeveloped and rushed. I did appreciate Monica's sweet devotion and care of her grandparents.

TW: self harm, Alzheimers
]]> 223854914 At her lowest point, a teen girl finds solace and a potential crush in her local theater's mascot's DMs, sparking a quest to uncover the true identity of this mysterious figure. From the bestselling author of The Magic Fish comes a new fairy tale romance with a twist.

What do you do when you're the girl who can do it all, and suddenly you can't?

After burning out last year, Angelica is ready to get her life back together. Thankfully she has amazing friends to support her...including Peri the Bear, the mascot of her town's local theater. At her lowest moments, Angelica found comfort in private messaging Peri's social media account, and well, she might have a bit of a crush. Now, Angelica is interning at the local theater in the hopes of finding the person beind the account and thanking them. Who was this mysterious stranger and why did they help her out? Was it just caring for a stranger...or did they feel the same connection that Angelica felt?]]> 224 Trung Le Nguyen 0593125479 0 to-read, graphic-novel 4.47 2025
author: Trung Le Nguyen
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 227786677 A compelling, propulsive YA graphic novel mystery from acclaimed Eisner Award�Cwinning author of Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, Mariko Tamaki, and Eisner-nominated illustrator Nicole Goux

At Wilberton Academy, few students are more revered than the members of the elite Wilberton Theatrical Society��a.k.a. the WTS��and no one represents that exclusive club better than Elizabeth Woodward. Breathtakingly beautiful, beloved by all, and a talented thespian, it��s no surprise she��s starring as Juliet in the WTS��s performance of Shakespeare��s classic tragedy. But when she��s found dead the morning after opening night, the whole school is thrown into chaos.

Transfer student Abby Kita was one of the last people to see Elizabeth alive, and when local authorities deem the it-girl��s death a suicide, Abby��s not convinced. She��s sure there��s more to Wilburton and the WTS than meets the eye. As she gets tangled in prep school intrigues, Abby quickly realizes that Elizabeth was keeping secrets. Was one of those secrets worth killing for?

Told in comics, letters, diary entries, and news articles, This Place Kills Me is a page-turning whodunnit from award-winning writer Mariko Tamaki and acclaimed illustrator Nicole Goux that will have readers on the edge of their seats and begging for an encore.]]> 272 Mariko Tamaki 141976845X 0 to-read, graphic-novel 4.00 2025
author: Mariko Tamaki
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 215149189 A swoon-worthy young adult graphic novel about a girl's summer job at a theme park from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer.


When Tabitha Laurie was growing up, a visit to Sommerland saved her belief in true love, even as her parents�� marriage was falling apart. Now she��s landed her dream job at the theme park��s prestigious summer program, where she can make magical memories for other kids, guests, and superfans just like her. All she has to do is audition for one of the coveted princess roles, and soon her dreams will come true.

There��s just one problem. The heroes and heroines at Sommerland are all, well�� thin. And no matter how much Tabi lives for the magic, she simply doesn't fit the park's idea of a princess.

Given a not-so-regal position at a nacho food stand instead, Tabi is going to need the support of new friends, a new crush, and a whole lot of magic if she��s going to devise her own happily ever after. . . without getting herself fired in the process.

With art by Joelle Murray, the wonder of Sommerland comes to life with charming characters and whimsical backdrops. We Could Be Magic is a perfect read for anyone looking to get swept away by a sparkly summer romance.]]> 256 Marissa Meyer 1250379393 0 to-read, graphic-novel 4.43 2025
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 40893782 A TOUCH OF MAGIC

In a world where everyone takes wonders like magic spells and dragons for granted, Coco is a girl with a simple dream: She wants to be a witch. But everybody knows magicians are born, not made, and Coco was not born with a gift for magic. Resigned to her un-magical life, Coco is about to give up on her dream to become a witch��until the day she meets Qifrey, a mysterious, traveling magician. After secretly seeing Qifrey perform magic in a way she��s never seen before, Coco soon learns what everybody ��knows�� might not be the truth, and discovers that her magical dream may not be as far away as it may seem��]]> 204 Kamome Shirahama 163236770X 0 to-read, manga 4.44 2017
author: Kamome Shirahama
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> 150065146 JINSHI'S PAST AND PARENTAGE AT LAST COME TO LIGHT?!

Summoned to attend the Emperor on an evening jaunt to an ancient shrine that functions as a rite of passage for the rulers of the land, Maomao makes quick work of the puzzle inside, acquitting herself with aplomb. Having learned more about the Imperial bloodline than a commoner has any right to know, Maomao returns to her post at the Jade Palace. But her aim to stay out of the business of her betters is foiled once again when the Empress Dowager comes calling! The mother of His Imperial Majesty seeks Maomao's aid in investigating yet another curse, one she fears she herself may have cast upon the infamous late Emperor...]]> 180 Nekokurage 164609252X 0 to-read, manga 4.49 2023
author: Nekokurage
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> 203162298
Having solved the curse of the late emperor, things are back to usual for Maomao at the Jade Palace. Yinghua brings her along to an evening social gathering being held in the inner court, then Jinshi requests her to accompany him on a hunting trip. There, Maomao finds herself getting involved in yet another new case...!]]> 176 Nekokurage 1646092961 0 to-read, manga 4.61 2023
author: Nekokurage
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> 214274128 176 Nekokurage 164609347X 0 to-read, manga 4.49 2023
author: Nekokurage
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> 223363627
After tangling with a ghost at the Diamond Palace and temporarily trading in her poisons for sweet treats, Maomao returns to the Jade Palace only to find a grave problem staring her in the face! Mere weeks before the heavily pregnant Consort Gyokuyo is due to bear her child, Maomao deduces that all is not well with the coming birth of the new Imperial addition. But even with her skills, Maomao knows she isn��t up to the momentous task of seeing her lady through this trial. Who to turn to, then? The quack, sweet though he may be, is out of the question. That only leaves��Maomao��s Pa! But while his plucky daughter would gladly vouch for Luomen, will the Inner Court really be willing to put the future of the empire into the hands of a criminal once more?]]> 176 Nekokurage 1646094220 0 to-read, manga 4.63 2024
author: Nekokurage
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> 61048560 MAOMAO FOILS A PLOT, BUT IS THE THREAT GONE FOR GOOD?

Proving herself indispensable yet again by saving Jinshi from a horrific fate, Maomao is given the chance to explain her rash behavior during the holy ritual. But when she continues her investigation into the foiled plot, a bizarre outcome awaits, leaving the plucky apothecary impressed by the sheer nerve of the culprit behind it. But admiring the exploits of another won't get Maomao very far when Jinshi tasks her with a feat of her own��to present him with blue roses at the needling of the eccentric La Kan! How will Maomao respond to this provocation from the man she despises the most?]]> 194 Nekokurage 1646091205 0 to-read, manga 4.44 2020
author: Nekokurage
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> 61105561 THE TRUTH OF MAOMAO��S BIRTH IS REVEALED?!

Sly tactician Lakan��s attempts at provocation lead to his own downfall when Maomao challenges him to elephant chess, only to outplay him in a game of wits! In a stupor from drinking ��poison�� as punishment for his loss, Lakan dreams of a long-lost past, his affair with a beautiful courtesan, and meeting her daughter for the very first time. Upon waking, he finds himself at Verdigris, where he is pressed to buy the freedom of a girl of his choosing and take her home as his wife! But will any of the flowers there catch his eye when his heart is in love with a memory?]]> 178 Nekokurage 1646091345 0 to-read, manga 4.53 2021
author: Nekokurage
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> 72199570
A festive atmosphere descends upon the Inner Court with the arrival of a long-awaited merchant caravan and its myriad wares. Though the excitement is contagious and even Maomao looks forward to making purchases of her own, she soon cottons on to something potentially sinister about the innocuous goods for sale.

Before Maomao can tease out any evidence, however, her attention turns to mushrooms when Jinshi asks her to root out any poisonous varieties on the grounds. But is this request just a bit of landscaping or does it have anything to do with the rumors making the rounds about a court lady who has gone missing?]]> 176 Nekokurage 0 to-read, manga 4.38 2021
author: Nekokurage
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> 63837791 MAOMAO PUTS ON A SHOW FOR THE GOOD OF THE NATION!

When two beautiful foreign envoys with designs on the Emperor come calling, they spin a fantastical tale about a courtesan who once captured the imagination of their family patriarch. Now it falls to Maomao to concoct a theatrical scheme to give the ladies a whopper of a story to take home! And when the hubbub from their visit dies down, Maomao goes back to sniffing around the Inner Court for the perfume oils and spices sold by the caravan that could spell disaster for the throne's future heirs. But the trail leads her back...to the Crystal Palace?!]]> 180 Nekokurage 1646091361 0 to-read, manga 4.43 2022
author: Nekokurage
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> 215805920 After the loss of her mother, Adara struggles to communicate with her family about her grief. When a sympathetic ear arises in an unlikely place, Adara can finally find her words �� but can she find the time to listen? A stunning graphic novel for middle-grade readers about family, friendship and magic in unlikely places,?for fans of The Witches of Brooklyn and Raina Telgemeier.

Eleven-year-old Adara and her dad are moving from California to the cold and flat lands of Michigan . . . and it sucks. After Mom's recent passing, it seems way too soon. Talking to Dad has always been harder than with Mom, but now it's like walking on eggshells. And why did Dad bring so many of Mom's houseplants across the country? Her mother might have been called the Plant Whisperer back home, but Adara is beginning to wonder if there is something more to it. But when she meets a little succulent named Perle, she unlocks the same magical ability her mother had: talking to plants!

But taking care of Perle isn't as easy as it seems �� the environment isn't suited for her, and Adara doesn't know how to meet her needs. Kind of like the situation Adara herself is in. If only Perle could ask Adara for help . . . and Adara could ask her dad.

With a touch of magic, this debut middle-grade graphic novel explores loneliness, mental health and empathy, and shows how communication, openness and a willingness to listen can help young people �� and older people �� and plants! �� navigate their mental well-being and heal from loss, individually and together.]]> 224 Zoe Persico 1774883147 0 to-read, graphic-novel 4.02 2025
author: Zoe Persico
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 78292387
London isn��t the safest place for mad scientists these days. After that whole ordeal with Frankenstein, angry mobs have gotten awfully good at hunting down monsters and wiping out anything they don��t understand. In fact, if it weren��t for one extraordinary young man, every out-of-the-box thinker would have been locked up . . . or worse.

That young man is none other than Dr. Henry Jekyll.?He believes mad scientists would thrive if they could just fix their public image, which is why he?founded the Society for Arcane 카지노싸이트s, a place where like-minded eccentrics could come together to defy the laws of nature in peace.

But everything changes when a mysterious stranger arrives, bent on taking the Society in a radical new direction. With everyone turning against him, Jekyll��s life starts to spiral out of control, shattering all his carefully laid plans and threatening to expose his darkest secret��one that could destroy everything he has built from the inside out.

Volume One collects Chapters 1-7 of this thrilling, humorous, beloved webcomic, which is available in print for the first time ever. It also features a brand-new side story, a behind-the-scenes look at artwork, and more exclusive bonus content!]]> 240 S.H. Cotugno 059352442X 0 to-read, graphic-novel 4.47
author: S.H. Cotugno
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.47
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 227786466
Alex Wilson hasn��t been back to Indigo Harbor, the seaside village where she grew up, in years. In fact, she can barely remember anything about it. But when her grandmother dies unexpectedly, Alex will have to return to her childhood home to say goodbye.

Accompanied by her best friend, Grim, Alex travels back to her hometown and begins cleaning out her grandmother��s house, but the longer they stay, the stranger things get. Indigo Harbor isn��t your average town��there are falling stars, witches running tea shops, and a name that comes up again and again: Elizabeth. Who was this woman, and how did she know Alex��s grandmother?

As she explores the town and sorts through her grandmother��s belongings, Alex reconnects with her past and tries with increasing desperation to uncover the greatest secret of all, the identity of the mysterious Elizabeth. Tackling grief, acceptance, and how to honor a loved one��s life, Bex Glendining has crafted a beautiful and moving graphic novel perfect for readers who loved The Dark Matter of Mona Starr, Girl From the Sea, and the Magic Fish.]]> 192 Bex Glendining 1419765043 0 to-read, graphic-novel 4.05 2025
author: Bex Glendining
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 228342280
A new tween graphic novel by bestselling author Faith Erin Hicks.

Twin sisters Ash and Sloane are headed to animation camp -- where their courage, drive, and sisterly bond will be put to the test!

Twin sisters Sloane and Ash are two peas in a pod, and they do everything together: watch movies, attend classes, and most importantly, draw! So when the summer animation classes of their dreams are about to start, they can barely contain their excitement!

Well��Ash is excited but Sloane is surprised to find she isn��t as jubilant about it, which makes no sense, since she loves art. Meanwhile, Ash discovers that just because you love something, doesn��t mean you��ll automatically be good at it, and she struggles under the weight of her own expectations and those of her teacher��s. Soon, the trials of challenging classwork and new friendships drive a wedge between the twins. Can their bond survive the summer?]]> 240 Faith Erin Hicks 1250838746 0 to-read, graphic-novel 5.00
author: Faith Erin Hicks
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 230025737 176 Eve L. Ewing 1302959409 0 to-read, graphic-novel 3.75
author: Eve L. Ewing
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 214077 96 Anders Nilsen 1897299087 0 to-read, graphic-novel 3.78 2004
author: Anders Nilsen
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 213618141
��An extraordinary reinvention of some of our oldest stories. Nilsen brings these old gods to an electrifying new life, and gives us a new sense of humanity as well.����Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel

��Mind-bendingly good. It��s up there with Maus, Fun Home, Persepolis, Jimmy Corrigan.�� ��Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Set in a version of modern Central Asia, Tongues is a retelling of the Greek myth of Prometheus. It follows the captive god��s friendship with the eagle who carries out his daily sentence of torture and chronicles his pursuit of revenge on the god that has imprisoned him.

Prometheus��s story is entwined with that of an East African orphan on an errand of murder, and a young man with a teddy bear strapped to his back, wandering aimlessly into catastrophe (a character readers may recognize from Nilsen��s Dogs and Water). The story is set against the backdrop of tensions]]> 368 Anders Nilsen 1524747203 0 to-read, graphic-novel 4.19 2025
author: Anders Nilsen
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 220160446 ��Whimsy abounds in this playful�� (Publishers Weekly, starred review) middle grade graphic novel about a young witch who struggles to fit in��perfect for fans of The Okay Witch and Hooky!

In her town full of witches, Jazzy��s always been a little bit different. She��s not excited about magic. She forgets the steps to spells. And even though her parents run the town��s broom shop, she doesn��t want to fly.

Then, one day, she discovers what she was born to do: cycling! Now she just has to find a way to get a bicycle��and learn how to ride it. But will her new passion come between her and her best friend��and possibly get her in big trouble?]]> 232 Jessixa Bagley 166592232X 0 to-read, graphic-novel 4.00 2025
author: Jessixa Bagley
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 224003216 A skateboarding vampire falls for a human artist as they combine their talents to create a skating brand in this lightly paranormal coming-of-age young adult graphic novel romance for fans of Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and The Girl from the Sea.

Pepper Mint might be born a vampire, but she��s pretty much your average teenager who loves skateboarding and her dog. What she doesn��t love is her mother��s continuous efforts to find her a vampire bride so that she can become fully immortal. Then Pepper meets Ana��she��s a charming art student, a part-time waitress��and interested in Pepper.

Ana��s presence changes everything, especially when she uses Pepper for the inspiration behind her art. But the two girls�� instant chemistry seems to provide the perfect opportunity for Pepper to finally commit to becoming the immortal creature of the night her mother desperately wants her to be.

Between the pressure from her mom and her inability to figure out whether Ana likes Pepper for herself or her aesthetic, it feels like everyone just wants a bite of Pepper. And with all these looming questions, will Pepper be ready to take the biggest bite of her life, committing to an unchanging immortality?]]> 224 Balazs Lorinczi 1665970472 0 to-read, graphic-novel 3.85
author: Balazs Lorinczi
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 224004401 175 Amy Chase 1545820821 0 to-read, graphic-novel 3.00
author: Amy Chase
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 9970421 Big Questions is the magnum opus of Anders Nilsen, one of the brightest and most talented young cartoonists working today. This beautiful minimalist story, collected here for the first time, is the culmination of ten years and more than six hundred pages of work that details the metaphysical quandaries of the occupants of an endless plain, existing somewhere between a dream and a Russian steppe. A downed plane is thought to be a bird and the unexploded bomb that came from it is mistaken for a giant egg by the group of birds whose lives the story follows. The indifferent, stranded pilot is of great interest to the birds��some doggedly seek his approval, while others do quite the opposite, leading to tensions in the group. Nilsen seamlessly moves from humor to heartbreak. His distinctive, detailed line work is paired with plentiful white space and large, often frameless panels, conveying an ineffable sense of vulnerability and openness.

Big Questions has roots in classic fables��the birds and snakes have more to say than their human counterparts, and there are hints of the hero��s journey, but here the easy moral that closes most fables is left open and ambiguous. Rather than lending its world meaning, Nilsen��s parable lets the questions wander where they will.]]> 592 Anders Nilsen 1770460470 0 to-read, graphic-novel 4.16 2011
author: Anders Nilsen
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> 75609423
One rainy night, Saki is rushing to a piano lesson when she crashes into a beautiful, long-haired girl, dropping her sheet music in the process. Saki stutters an apology, but the girl simply hands back her sheet music and leaves without a word. Saki begins her first day of high school the following morning, only to find the stranger from the night before sitting in the desk next to hers. She learns that the girl's name is Kanon and that she is not quite completely deaf, but very hard of hearing. Though Kanon needs to be close to people to read their lips, she tends to push people away with her icy demeanor. Through one kind gesture, Saki slowly begins breaking down the walls around Kanon, even as she feels something new blossoming within her.]]> 174 Kuzushiro 1646519418 0 to-read, manga 4.32 2021
author: Kuzushiro
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> 60200693
When it comes to love, high schooler Chika wonders if she might be an alien. She��s never fallen for or even had a crush on anyone, and she has no desire for physical intimacy. Her friends tell her that she just "hasn't met the one yet," but Chika has doubts... It's only when Chika enters college and meets peers like herself that she realizes there��s a word for what she feels inside--asexual--and she��s not the only one. After years of wondering if love was the answer, Chika realizes that the answer she long sought may not exist at all--and that that's perfectly normal.]]> 258 Uta Isaki 1646516494 0 to-read, manga 4.24 2021
author: Uta Isaki
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> 228645101 Ů�Ӵ�����ѩ���—ҙ�Ϥ��������äƶ���—�����ʤ��Է֤ˤ�Ӥ��뤳�Ȥʤ���Ȼ�˽Ӥ��Ƥ�����ѧ����݅?��贤��Ǥ���坺ä��ˤʤ롣
�����Ϥ�ʼ��Ƥ�����Τ��ȴ��Фˤ��Ƥ������贡�
�ˤ��¤������֪�뤿�Ӥ�坤�äȺä��ˤʤ�ѩ��
�����2�ˤ���贤������᰸��C��坂����뤤���Ф�ͬ����ʼ��뤳�Ȥˡ�
��贤Ϥ��äȱ����Ƥ���Ԓ��坸Ĥ��ѩ�ؤΚݳ֤������~�ˤ��ơ���
������С������ʤ��㤤���ʤ��¡����򤭺ϟ��@־�ϡ�?]]> 160 Suu Morishita 0 to-read, manga 4.60 2025
author: Suu Morishita
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> 220160321 A cricket-loving Pakistani girl stifled by patriarchal expectations disguises herself as a boy to get a job to pay her sister��s medical bills in this empowering middle grade novel-in-verse.

Living with her aunt and patriarchal uncle in Karachi, Pakistan, recently orphaned twelve-year-old Aarzu detests the way she and her younger sister get treated like extras and excluded from all the fun stuff. Aarzu dreams of playing cricket, just like her male cousins and the neighborhood boys in the streets, but her uncle will hear nothing of it. According to him, girls ought to master the art of making round rotis, not play sports.

When her sister requires urgent medical treatment but finances are tight, Aarzu decides to earn money herself. She hears of a part-time job at a bungalow near her school��but it��s only open to boys. Aarzu has no choice but to disguise herself as a turban-wearing boy to get the gig.

Now, Aarzu must find a way to balance school, work, chores, and secret cricket practices��all without burning out or getting caught by her uncle��or else her dreams of making the girls cricket team and her quest to save her sister will crumble around her.]]> 384 Marzieh Abbas 1665970413 0 to-read 3.89 2025
author: Marzieh Abbas
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 204294881 Part ecological Orpheus and Eurydice myth and part gothic thriller, discover this atmospheric near-future sci-fi novel about fae mysteries deep within strange nature preserves

Perfect for readers of Jeff VanderMeer, Chuck Wendig, and Sunyi Dean ? ��Richly imagined and beautifully written, with a highly original and very creepy magic system.�� ��R. F. Kuang (on Johnson's The Forever Sea)

On the autumnal equinox of 1987, after fencing off half of the Earth��s land for huge nature reserves called Harbors, the leaders of the world called on their peoples to celebrate. Then began the horror and the magic.

Everyone who died that day��all 132,329 of them��instead of going cold and still, turned odd and fae. They became mischievous and murderous, before disappearing into their nearest Harbor, never seen again. And each year after that on the autumnal equinox, the same terrible transformations would occur: the wretched dead not dying, but instead riddling and whispering of a faerie queen��bloodless and powerful��while fleeing into the wild confines of the Harbors.

In the present day, Evangeline and Calidore are working as fencers, government-employed protectors whose magical powers come from mysterious tattoos of prime numbers. When they aren��t fixing the fences of the Midwest Harbor that separates the human world from Faerie or patrolling on the equinox, they are parents of an almost-seven-year-old daughter named Winnie.

But as the new year��s autumnal equinox approaches, Evangeline and Calidore find themselves thrust into a vast conspiracy that stretches across governments, religions, and fencers worldwide. As they race to untangle this web of power and intrigue, they will need to confront the questions that have haunted the world since the fences were built:

What lies at the heart of the Harbors? Who waits there?]]> 464 Joshua Phillip Johnson 0756419190 0 to-read 3.92 2025
author: Joshua Phillip Johnson
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203047433
Then everything changes. An engagement ring and cryptic love letter addressed to 'Gertrude' turn up. Billie meets yacht-club handsome Avery Webster. Unsettling phone calls and visits from a man in a fedora begin. She ends up being one of the last people to see Gertrude alive��and the first to see her dead.

What follows is an intoxicating cocktail of stalking, blackmail, Jell-O salads, and champagne secrets, all served along the rocky Maine coastline. Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a secret. And (strangely) everyone has a boat. But who is willing to kiss and tell? As the body count rises and the danger nears, why does Billie feel like she's more than just a side character?]]> Anna Fitzgerald Healy 0 to-read 3.81 2025
author: Anna Fitzgerald Healy
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 224003529
Azrael Ashmedai Hart must be cursed. He��s a witch twice named for the devil. He��s making his way back to his family manor in Hallowcross after a failed screenwriting career. He��s adopted a cat he��s allergic to, and if all of that is not enough, he��s also forced to come face-to-face with his childhood best friend and former crush.

Victoria Starnberger, the bubbly girl-next-door Az lost touch with after an awkward incident in college, has just been disowned by her parents for quitting business school and buying Azrael��s late parents�� Hopelessly Teavoted tea shop against their wishes. Being cut off financially is one thing. But, now Vickie also owes a lesser devil for the souls her parents promised him in exchange for her gift to summon the dead by touching something they treasured in life, destroying the object in the process.

When spirits all over town, including Az��s parents, keep warning her about a sinister threat, Vickie and Az are forced to combine their powers to save the Hallowcross. But to do so, they must prevent her magic from immolating him after Vickie��s devil places a curse on them to keep them from touching until she repays her debt. As they race against the clock to find clever ways around their curse, they find it increasingly harder to deny that they��ve been hopelessly devoted to each other all along.]]> 368 Audrey Goldberg Ruoff 166806832X 0 to-read 3.50 2025
author: Audrey Goldberg Ruoff
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60758304 In this lighthearted YA romance, Maisie and Ollie discover that nothing beats the feeling of falling in love for the first time.

Maisie is on her way to Fancon! She's looking forward to meeting her idol, Kara Bufano, the action hero from her favorite TV show, who has a lower-leg amputation, just like Maisie. But when Maisie and her mom arrive at the convention center, she is stopped in her tracks by Ollie, a cute volunteer working the show. They are kind, charming, and geek out about nerd culture just as much as Maisie does. And as the day wears on, Maisie notices feelings for Ollie that she's never had before. Is this what it feels like to fall in love?



Perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, this graphic novel debut is a fresh, one-of-a-kind story that celebrates the excitement of meeting someone special for the first time.]]> 224 Jessica Walton 1338818805 4 3.91 2021
author: Jessica Walton
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/31
date added: 2025/06/30
shelves: gltbqia, graphic-novel, diversity
review:
I really liked how this graphic novel addressed ableism while still making the story joyful.
]]> 217245532 Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love��the Greek tale of Hades and Persephone gets a romantic modern update in the gorgeously illustrated, Eisner Award-winning Lore Olympus, including a brand new bonus short story!

��You have no authority here.��

Revelations rock Olympus as Persephone��s trial ends, threatening to throw the gods into a new war.

Though Persephone and Hades become closer than ever after she opens up to him about all she has endured, their peace is shattered when another truth is revealed: Apollo is Zeus��s son. The announcement shocks the pantheon, and the king of the gods realizes that the would-be usurper wants Persephone��s power to take the throne.

Zeus banishes Persephone to the Mortal Realm and, out of fear, cuts it off entirely from the rest of the gods. This decree succeeds in undercutting Apollo��s plan, but also inadvertently begins a decade-long divine cold war when Hades strikes back by shuttering the Underworld. With the gods scattered and weakened, Kronos uses the ensuing bedlam to finally escape his imprisonment and begin staging his own coup.

Persephone has only one choice when she discovers all the realms on the verge of collapse: Descend into the Underworld to try to defeat the power-hungry Titan, claim her rightful place as queen, and reunite with her one true love.

This edition of Smythe��s original Eisner Award�Cwinning webcomic Lore Olympus features a brand-new, exclusive short story from creator Rachel Smythe and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

This volume collects episodes 180�C206 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.]]> 416 Rachel Smythe 0593871995 4 graphic-novel, adult-titles 4.58 2025
author: Rachel Smythe
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/29
date added: 2025/06/29
shelves: graphic-novel, adult-titles
review:

]]> 48888564 A gothic tale set in a rambling house by the sea in which a maid cares for a mute old woman with a mysterious past, alongside her superstitious staff--from the author of The Silent Companions.

A perfect spooky read!

Consumption has ravaged Louise Pinecroft's family, leaving her and her father alone and heartbroken. But Dr. Pinecroft has plans for a revolutionary experiment: convinced that sea air will prove to be the cure his wife and children needed, he arranges to house a group of prisoners suffering from the disease in the caves beneath his new Cornish home. While he devotes himself to his controversial medical trials, Louise finds herself increasingly discomfited by the strange tales her new maid tells of the fairies that hunt the land, searching for those they can steal away to their realm.

Forty years later, Hester arrives at Morvoren House to take up a position as nurse to the now partially paralyzed and mute Miss Pinecroft. Hester has fled to Cornwall to try to escape her past, but surrounded by superstitious staff enacting bizarre rituals, she soon discovers her new home may be just as dangerous as her last.]]> 336 Laura Purcell 0143135538 0 to-read 3.48 2019
author: Laura Purcell
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214151304 Emma Donoghue, the ��soul-stirring�� (Oprah Daily) nationally bestselling author of Room, returns with a sweeping historical novel about an infamous 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station.

Based on an 1895 disaster that went down in history when it was captured in a series of surreal, extraordinary photographs, The Paris Express is a propulsive novel set on a train packed with a fascinating cast of characters who hail from as close as Brittany and as far as Russia, Ireland, Algeria, Pennsylvania, and Cambodia. Members of parliament hurry back to Paris to vote; a medical student suspects a girl may be dying; a secretary tries to convince her boss of the potential of moving pictures; two of the train��s crew build a life away from their wives; a young anarchist makes a terrifying plan, and much more.

From an author whose ��writing is superb alchemy�� (Audrey Niffenegger, New York Times bestselling author), The Paris Express is an evocative masterpiece that effortlessly captures the politics, glamour, chaos, and speed that marked the end of the 19th century.]]> 288 Emma Donoghue 1668082799 3 3.23 2025
author: Emma Donoghue
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.23
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/28
date added: 2025/06/28
shelves: adult-titles, historical-fiction
review:

]]> 223362068 WARNING! Under no circumstances must employees strike a deal with unauthorized personnel on Dark Enterprises property. Such behavior could result in death��or the end of the world.

Colin is a low-level employee at Dark Enterprises, a Hell-like multinational corporation solving the world��s most difficult problems in deeply questionable ways. After years of toiling away in a cubicle, he's ready to climb the corporate ladder and claim the power he's never had.

The only problem is, he��s pretty sure he��s about to be terminated. Like, terminated. That's tough, because his BFF has just set him up with a great guy. In fact, maybe he's a little too great. And asks a lot of questions...

When Colin meets a shadowy figure promising him his heart��s deepest desire, he can��t resist the urge to fast-track his goals. In return for a small, unspecified favor, he asks for the one thing that will improve his life: a promotion.

But that small favor unleashes an ancient evil. People in New York are disappearing, the world?might?be ending, and Management is starting to notice. Getting to the top is never easy, and now it��s up to Colin to save the world. It's the ultimate power move, after all.]]> 384 Mark Waddell 0593818407 0 to-read 4.32
author: Mark Waddell
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 231126993 A lush, atmospheric and achingly magical standalone adult fantasy romance set in Renaissance Italy from a #1 New York Times bestselling author.

In 15th-century Volterra, sculptress Ravenna Maffei enters a competition hosted by a secretive, immortal family who offer an invaluable boon to the victor. Desperate to win so she can save her brother, Ravenna reveals a rare magical talent-a dangerous act in a city where magic is forbidden. Her revelation makes her a target, and she is kidnapped by the Luni family and taken to Florence, a city of breathtaking beauty and cutthroat ambition.

There, Ravenna is forced into an impossible task where failure means certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the family's enigmatic and merciless heir. But under his cold reserve hides a vulnerability that draws her closer than she ever intended.

Meanwhile, Ravenna's forbidden magic does not go unnoticed. The Pope, waging war against Florence, the Medici, and magic itself, has his own interest in her abilities, seeing her as a potential weapon in his ruthless campaign.

As alliances shift and war brews on the horizon, Ravenna must navigate the treacherous line between survival and betrayal, between love and duty. With time running out and her every move watched, the choices she makes will determine the fate of not just her own life, but the fragile balance of magic and power that could unravel Florence itself.]]> 488 Isabel Iba?ez 1250376696 0 to-read 4.43 2026
author: Isabel Iba?ez
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 224034951
Julia moves back into her old bedroom, the one that overlooks the neighbor��s house. While unpacking her few possessions and setting up a place to work at her the desk, she is shocked to see her old boyfriend, literally the boy next door, Liam Murphy in his old bedroom. She hides, hitting the floor and creeping back up to the windowsill to watch him as he works out in his room. The years have been good to Liam, very good, and Julia is alarmed by the attraction she still feels for the buff surfer boy, whose heart she smashed to bits when she ran away a decade ago.

While Babs's condition deteriorates, family secrets are revealed and the past comes roaring back into the present. As the clock winds down on her time in Gull's Harbor, Julia frantically tries to help her sisters, make peace with her mother, and win back the first love she has never gotten over.]]> 337 Jenn McKinlay 0 to-read 3.60 2025
author: Jenn McKinlay
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 29237228 In the epic twelfth volume of SAGA, Alana takes on a dangerous new role, her 12-year-old daughter Hazel forges an important friendship, and the galaxy's balance of power begins to shift.

Romeo & Juliet meets Star Wars in this genre-blending, sci-fi/fantasy space opera about star crossed lovers from enemy worlds. An epic for mature readers, Saga follows new parents Marko and Alana as they risk everything to raise their child amidst a never-ending galactic war. A multiple award winning, critically acclaimed masterpiece and one of the most iconic, bestselling comic book series of its time.

The SAGA series has sold over 7 million copies to date across all formats, has been translated into 20 languages, and has garnered multiple Eisner and Harvey Awards, plus a Hugo Award, British Fantasy Award, 카지노싸이트 Choice Award, Shuster Award, Inkwell Award, Ringo Award, and more. It has been featured in such mainstream media outlets as TIME, Entertainment Weekly, The Atlantic, NPR, and beyond, and has become a pop culture phenomenon.

Collects SAGA #67-72]]> 154 Brian K. Vaughan 1534328785 3 graphic-novel, adult-titles 4.14 2025
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/26
date added: 2025/06/26
shelves: graphic-novel, adult-titles
review:

]]> 217247929 From the ashes of the Krakoan era, a unique team of X-Men rises with members both familiar and brand new!

Mutantkind��s two greatest teachers mold the next generation of X-Men!
Coming at you straight from the streets of Chicago, Kate Pryde leads a team of all-new mutants! Well, that is, if Emma Frost will let her! Meet Melee, Bronze and Axo, three young mutants who are just coming into their powers and who need guidance and training. And like it or not, that��s a job for Kate and Emma!

COLLECTING: Exceptional X-Men (2024) 1-5]]> 128 Eve L. Ewing 1302959395 4 3.78 2025
author: Eve L. Ewing
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/26
date added: 2025/06/26
shelves: graphic-novel, marvel-superheroes
review:

]]> 222505665 Anita Kelly delivers their YA debut��a sweet and satisfying queer romance about two teens who fall for each other while trying to save the local donut shop where they��re working for the summer.

��Relaxing�� and ��getting a tan�� may be on most teens�� summer to-do lists, but for chronically freckled and deeply anxious Penny Dexter? Not a chance. Socking money away for college? Of course. Babysitting her siblings? Sure. Becoming a climate scientist and saving the world? She wishes.

At least she can tackle the tuition money with the seasonal gig she landed at Delicious Donuts. But when she finds out that her genderqueer nemesis, Mateo della Penna, will also be working behind the counter, Penny��s summer of mindless labor instantly vanishes before her eyes. Mateo is ridiculous and artsy, and their favorite kind of donut is Boston Cr��me (gross!). But the duo��s two-and-a-half-year feud will have to take a backseat when the donut shop is threatened by a corporate takeover.

As their small town faces big pressure, and anxiety threatens everything Penny��s worked for, there��s still one person who remains by her side. And though their taste in donuts is questionable, Mateo��s presence manages to keep Penny calm and focused. Could it be that Penny��s found the perfect, most infuriating person to change the world with?
]]> Anita Kelly 0369761472 0 to-read 4.67
author: Anita Kelly
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217182338 AI meets American Girl Dolls in this quirky novel about a group of preteen androids who have been cast aside and have to make their own way in a new human colony.

Max isn't always sweet and bubbly. That wouldn't be an issue except for the fact that she's programmed to be. "Max" isn't even her real name. She's a Libby�C?one of the most popular?A.I.Cademy Girl social robots,?which?top the sales charts for girls ages eight to twelve. They look almost human and there��s a companion to fit every personality. Wendys are?smart. Robins are?sporty. Noras are?artistic. And Libbys? As the box they come?in Always chipper, cheerful, and sweet, Libby(TM) makes the perfect friend.

But despite her packaging and her programmed memories, Max?is feeling the opposite of perfect.?The only thing she wants to know is?why.?But this question uncovers bigger answers than she bargained for �C like the shocking fate of the other A.I.Cademy Girls, and what the founders of their idyllic community are really hiding. Max may not be the perfect Libby, but she��ll have to embrace what makes her uniquely?Max?to save herself and her friends before they're all sent to the junkyard.]]> 320 Steph Cherrywell 031657709X 3 4.14
author: Steph Cherrywell
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/25
date added: 2025/06/25
shelves: 3-stars, childrens, friendship, science-fiction
review:
I still think this book has very strong Barbie vibes. Some reviewers mention the American Girl dolls but I never had any desire/experience in owning one. I really liked the premise of this story. Sentient dolls wondering if they have their own individual identity other than the one they are programmed to be. Replace the concept of feminism and add in middle school priorities- friendship, managing jealousies, and creating your own identity. I didn't find the interludes of advertisement funny or amusing and it did take me a while to distinguish all the different dolls.
]]> 216751037 A tale as old as time refreshed for modern readers. This Beauty and the Beast retelling captures the magic and romance of first-year university students Brielle and Bear and the fairytale they are destined to live.

Once upon a time, Brielle met Bear. And then they fell in love.?

But that's just the beginning. Fairytales have a way of twisting and swirling before you get to "happily ever after." And though modern-day Once Upon a Time University first-year, Brielle, is a dreamer, always with her nose in a book, her imagination can't help but run wild with potential romance.?

To her, Bear is perfect. . . until Brielle discovers a secret he's been hiding for a long time that just might shatter their fairytale love. . . .]]> 176 Salomey Doku 0593711181 3 graphic-novel 3.59 2025
author: Salomey Doku
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/24
date added: 2025/06/24
shelves: graphic-novel
review:
A cute webtoon turned into graphic novel. The illustrations are beautiful and I really appreciated the diverse and inclusive cast of characters. You can definitely tell it��s a debut by the pacing issues and the lack of a conflict. The structure of the panels and the dialogue balloons were a bit hard to follow. I enjoyed reading it but I don��t think it will be memorable. Not sure if I will pick up the next volume.
]]> 207573374 Welcome to the ultimate TBR list! With meticulously researched book descriptions and hundreds of guided prompts and reading tips, The?Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge is an officially licensed, one-of-a-kind fan's guide to the Gilmore Girls universe and all 339 books referenced in the series.

For fans of Gilmore Girls, one of the most dedicated ways to tap into the psyche of Rory Gilmore is committing to one Herculean The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge. Over the course of seven seasons, Rory Gilmore and her fellow Stars Hollow residents were seen reading or referencing 339 books. Now you can read along with Rory! This book is a distillation of those zealous inventories and is meant to make you fall back in love with Gilmore Girls all over again. Challenge yourself to reading the 300+ books from the series and exploring hundreds of guided prompts about each selection.

Included in this first-ever officially licensed reading challenge companion are thought starters and prompts pertaining to the books seen, mentioned, and referenced over the series�� seven-season run. This compendium has been carefully researched and is more thorough and verified than any other Rory Gilmore reading list that has been compiled. Whether you choose to start from the very beginning or dive into a particular character��s literary favorites, you��ll find a reading guide within.?

You'll also find helpful information for organizing your TBR collection, tips for maximizing your reading time and becoming a more mindful reader, secrets for reading multiple books at once, and an essential episode guide index with checkboxes. And if any part of the challenge feels daunting, take a bit of advice from the bibliophile queen ��I just take a book with me everywhere,�� Rory once said. ��It��s a habit.��]]> 251 Erika Berlin 0762486651 2 3.89
author: Erika Berlin
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.89
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/06/23
date added: 2025/06/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 217929512 The history-bending speculative fiction from Adam Oyebanji, award-winning author of BRAKING DAY.

An impossible death: Detective Ethan Krol has been called to the scene of a baffling murder: a man and his son, who appear to have been drowned in sea-water. But the nearest ocean is a thousand miles away.

An improbable story: Hollie Rogers doesn��t want to ask too many questions of her new friend, Abi Eniola. Abi claims to be an ordinary woman from Nigeria, but her high-tech gadgets and extraordinary physical abilities suggest she��s not telling the whole truth.

An incredible quest: As Ethan��s investigation begins to point towards Abi, Hollie��s fears mount. For Abi is very much not who she seems. And it won��t be long before Ethan and Hollie find themselves playing a part in a story that spans cultures, continents�� and centuries.

An extraordinary speculative thriller about the scars left by the Atlantic slave-trade, by a master of the genre.]]> 432 Adam Oyebanji 0756419913 4 4.03 2025
author: Adam Oyebanji
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/23
date added: 2025/06/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 218372464 Twelve-year-old Millicent Graves discovers she can alter the personalities of her friends and family with hilarious reality-warping results in this extra-magical middle grade graphic novel.

Twelve-year-old Millicent Grave's life is a mess. After her mom sank all their money into a fancy fish tank business, her family had to move to an apartment with three creepy landladies.

Then?fate?(or, actually,?the?Fates) leads Millie to discover a room full of jigsaw puzzles that give her the power to fix the imperfections in everyone she knows. Soon, her sister is sensible instead of gross, and her mom is successful instead of unlucky. Dad still needs some work, and her new neighbor and classmate Sam Smolt is still annoying��but he��s kind of becoming her best friend anyway.

And if there are mysterious new cracks in the universe in the exact shape of those puzzle pieces, that��s not a problem, right? It��s not like all of reality is about to unravel. Right? . . .?Right?]]> 224 Dora M. Mitchell 1523527366 4 graphic-novel 4.12 2025
author: Dora M. Mitchell
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/20
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: graphic-novel
review:

]]> 221473206 A heartwarming and unforgettable collection of love stories at Historically Black Colleges and Universities that explore hope, endurance, and what it means to leave a legacy, from some of today's most prominent Black writers and edited by the acclaimed author of Love Radio.


Featuring stories by Elizabeth Acevedo, Kiese Laymon, Dawnie Walton, Farrah Rochon, Kennedy Ryan, Christine Platt, Nicola Yoon, Kai Harris, Carla Bruce and more.

Love can be messy, painful, and heartbreaking, but it can also be revolutionary, profound, and hopeful. With twelve stories ranging from love that��s found on one of the oldest HBCU campuses in the country, to modern-day romance budding against the rhythm and spirit of homecoming, You��ve Got a Place Here, Too is a celebration of Black love as well as everything HBCUs have given the community.

In Kennedy Ryan��s ��Brave the Skies,�� tensions brew between a once forbidden love. In Dawnie Walton��s ��The Highest of Seven Hills,�� Nia might land a second chance with the one that got away while visiting her alma mater. In Kai Harris�� ��Whatever Gods May Be,�� a coveted audition for the Fisk University Jubilee Singers brings harmony in more ways than one. And in Kiese Laymon��s ��The Musty�� a darker romance ensues across Jackson State University.

Engrossing and heart-searing, tender and transporting, You��ve Got a Place Here, Too explores the beauty of finding love in transformative places.]]> 352 Ebony LaDelle 0593875176 0 to-read 4.50 2025
author: Ebony LaDelle
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 226744015 A sweet and fast-paced contemporary teen romance from USA Today bestselling author?Kristina Forest

High school senior Margot Whitman is an intern at Healing Hearts Inc., the company that created the innovative pill that can erase a person��s heartbreak overnight. Every weekend, Margot witnesses patients get cured of their broken hearts. Meanwhile, she��s nursing a heartbreak of her own. With college on the horizon and their futures taking them in different directions, she and her ex Isaac recently called it quits. Margot has thought about taking a pill but erasing her love for Isaac doesn��t feel right. However, her heart breaks all over again when Isaac shows up to the Healing Hearts center, presumably seeking a pill to stop loving her.

As soon as Isaac Fisher walked through the Healing Hearts center doors, knew he��d made a mistake. Even though he��s struggling with heartbreak, he realized that doesn��t want to fall out of love with Margot. He��s surprised to see her working at the front desk, and of course she assumes he's there to get over her. It doesn��t seem like things could get much worse, but then Margot and Isaac accidentally overhear a terrible and harmful secret about the pill. When they��re caught eavesdropping and almost attacked by shady Healing Hearts executives and their guards, they have no choice but to flee. Now they have to work together to reveal the truth about the pill . . . and maybe, just maybe, repair each other��s hearts in the process.]]> 272 Kristina Forest 0593407288 0 to-read 3.91
author: Kristina Forest
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223955096 No man will call your house his home. And if they try, they will not have peace...

So goes the family curse, long handed down from generation to generation, ruining families and breaking hearts. And now it's Eniiyi's turn - who, due to her uncanny resemblance to her dead aunt, Monife, is already used to her family's strange beliefs, as well as their insistence that she is a reincarnation. Still, when she falls in love with the handsome boy she saves from drowning, she can no longer run from her family's history. Is she destined to live out the habitual story of love and heartbreak, or can she escape the family curse and the mysterious fate that befell her aunt?]]> Oyinkan Braithwaite 1805463373 0 to-read 4.41 2025
author: Oyinkan Braithwaite
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 231108696 In this delightfully charming rom-com mystery, a woman becomes accidentally entangled in a murder investigation (and with a handsome stranger) when her fake detective agency is enlisted to solve a real homicide��from the bestselling author of the Pancake House Mysteries.

Emersyn Gray is definitely not a detective.

Really, she��s an unemployed twenty-eight-year-old raising her beloved niece in the only place she can afford after her ex-boyfriend ran off with her life a run-down, seniors-only apartment complex that was desperate for tenants. But never fear��her wild best friend has the perfect plan to get Emersyn back on her feet?and?stick it to her thieving scare him into returning her money by hiring a private investigator to prove he stole it. Only, there won��t be an actual detective, just a fabricated business card from?Wyatt Investigations. . .and a ridiculously hot stranger who steps in to play the part��a stranger whose name is, coincidentally, Wyatt.

Emersyn can��t help but notice the real-life Wyatt is capital H-O-T hot, even though she��s wary of his intentions. But her ex does seem flustered, and if she can get her money back and regain control of her life, maybe it��ll finally prove to her parents that she can be a responsible caregiver to her niece.

But the day after they set their plan in motion, the superintendent of Emersyn��s apartment building winds up dead, and her neighbors turn to her fake detective for help after finding one of the phony business cards. With so many eyes on them��or maybe just their eyes on each other��Emersyn and Wyatt agree to take on the case. Now the question Can they solve the murder without getting tangled up in their own fictions��or each other?]]> 352 Sarah Fox 0593984250 0 to-read 3.79
author: Sarah Fox
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 227881514 In an isolated desert town, a young woman seeking a fresh start is confronted by ancient gods, malevolent supernatural forces, and eccentric neighbours. A witty horror-tinged fantasy, perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Chuck Tingle, and Rachel Harrison.

When Selena travels to the remote desert town of Quartz Creek in search of her estranged Aunt Amelia, she is desperate and short of options. Fleeing an unhappy marriage, she has exactly twenty-seven dollars to her name, and her only friend in the world is her dog, Copper.

On arrival, Selena learns Amelia is dead. But the inhabitants of Quartz Creek are only too happy to have a new resident. Out of money and ideas, Selena sees no harm staying in her aunt's lovely house for a few weeks, tending to her garden and enjoying the strange, desolate beauty of the desert. The people are odd, but friendly, and eager to help Selena settle into her new home.

But Quartz Creek's inhabitants share their town with others, old gods and spirits whose claim to the land long predates their human neighbours. Selena finds herself pursued by disturbing apparitions, visitations that come in the night and seem to want something from her.

Aunt Amelia owed a debt. Now her god has come to collect.]]> 208 T. Kingfisher 1835410049 0 to-read 5.00 2025
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 227913043 A gripping, genre-bending novel about a mysterious new drug plaguing a small town and one girl who must uncover the terrifying truth behind the haunting side effects��or she will be next.

At sixteen Kyra is still haunted by the horrors she saw as little girl living with her mother��s drug addiction. Years later, Kyra doesn��t always feel like she belongs��and disturbing dreams come to her at night.

When a new party drug makes its way to her high school, Kyra��s life becomes an actual nightmare. A challenge spreads among the students thanks to a few videos circulating��and Kyra is unable to escape the inexplicably strange side effects.

Everyone around her seems to be mysteriously changing, including the people she loves the most. Her brother has a new personality overnight. Her best friend suddenly feels like a stranger. The only other person who seems to be noticing the eeriness around them is Logan, the new boy at school. Like Kyra, he has steered clear of the party scene.

But as strange occurrences begin to turn sinister, Kyra can��t shake the feeling that something unnatural is at play . . . as if something deadly spreading is in their veins. With Logan��s help, she decides to find out exactly what is behind the mysterious drug��before they��re next. As they begin to get closer to the truth, the line between Kyra��s past and her present blurs . . . and she will need to face the terrors inside herself to save everyone.]]> 368 Clay McLeod Chapman 0593904095 0 to-read 4.70
author: Clay McLeod Chapman
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.70
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228953550 Long-lost twin sisters unravel the mystery behind their mother's disappearance and face the family betrayal that ultimately separated them in this breathtaking speculative young adult thriller.

Aria Nguyen and Caliste Ha are identical twins. A fact that they just learned when a police officer told them that their mother is no longer a missing person. She��s been found dead in Minnesota, a place neither knew they had a connection to.

Aria is from DC, where she��s been struggling to pay their sick aunt��s medical bills and only does so by writing her classmates�� papers for extra cash. Meanwhile, Caliste is a successful influencer in LA, not that their food mogul father cares. Both have dreamt of the moment they��d see their mother again, of being happy again, but they could��ve never imagined this nightmare. Their mom��s body apparently hasn��t aged, and there��s a bruise on her neck.

Now beckoned to the quaint yet eerie city of Les Eaux, where a ghoul supposedly haunts the waters, Caliste and Aria must delve into their family��s past to find their mother��s murderer. Secrets don��t unravel easily though. And some people in this small town don��t want to give theirs up without a fight.]]> 352 Hien Nguyen 0 to-read 4.39 2025
author: Hien Nguyen
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223854584 A teen girl with the power of resurrection must venture into the afterlife, but to survive the death realm, she��ll need the help of her two mortal enemies�Cboth of whom she is inexplicably drawn to�Cin this romantic, gothic fantasy inspired by Wuthering Heights.

When Jia Yi suddenly finds herself alive again after being stabbed through the heart by an enemy��s sword, she realizes she possesses a rare power: the ability to move between the living realm and the shrouded world of ghosts. Ghosts including Lin, her ex-best friend and former love, whose betrayal she still hasn��t recovered from.

At first, Jia wants nothing to do with Lin, or any ghosts�Cmetaphorical or otherwise. But when her beloved grandmother abruptly passes away, Jia is forced to travel into the afterlife to save her.

To survive the treacherous death realm, Jia will need to rely on both Lin and her longtime enemy, the cold and enigmatic Prince Essien Lancaster. Only, she isn��t sure whether she can trust either of them. With tensions high and new and old connections blooming, Jia must confront the ghosts of her past��or risk becoming one herself.]]> 480 Keshe Chow 0593898478 0 to-read 4.46 2025
author: Keshe Chow
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223854927
Jade Aguilar can kill a man with nothing more than a needle and thread. Like her mother, a thread speaker in the queendom of M��recal, she has the unique ability to stitch love, beauty, intelligence and to unravel even death. When her mother goes missing, the queen orders Jade to find her or be conscripted into a life of servitude.
Lukas Keller is desperate to feed his family and makes a deal with a vicious gang leader. Though he swore never to seek the help of a thread speaker, he's in over his head and it might be his only option.
Jade and Lukas form a mistrustful alliance. But as M��recal erupts into chaos and the killer closes in, they must cling to one another for survival--and perhaps . . . something more?

From debut author Ruby Martinez comes a wildly romantic, heart pounding mystery set in a lush fantastical world inspired by Mexican and German lore.]]> 416 Ruby Martinez 0593901037 0 to-read 4.43 2025
author: Ruby Martinez
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223854513 In this heartwarming celebration of sisterhood, three girls explore the natural world and discover the harmony of being the littlest, middle, and oldest sister.

Haala, the middle sister, loves to follow along behind her older sister, Sanaa, on their outdoor adventures. But her little sister, Munira, always seems to get in the way.?Munira?blocks the sun��s kiss, interrupts the wind��s song, and scares away the goldfish��s secrets. Haala can��t keep up with Sanaa when Munira��s on her heels. But when the sisters take a moment to work as a team, they realize?that together they can achieve anything--and that together they are sunshine.

In this celebration of the natural world, three sisters learn to help one another in a story that feels like a warm, bright hug.]]> 40 Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow 0593705424 0 to-read 5.00
author: Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223854482
When a young boy asks his parents why he doesn��t have a brother or sister, his mother replies that on the day he was born, they planted an apple tree in their front yard. ��The apple tree is your sister,�� she says. At night, the boy wraps a blanket around his sister's trunk and during the day he shares all of his secrets with her. One day, they see helicopters in the sky and his parents tell him they must flee. But how can he leave his sister behind? Instead he digs her up and carries her away from their homeland. When they arrive to a new place, the air is colder and the ground is hard. Home feels so far away. But as his sister grows taller and her branches blossom, the boy realizes that he will always be connected to his homeland, even as he begins to embrace his new one.

This moving and hopeful refugee story is written by Syrian activist Jamal Saeed and co-written by acclaimed poet Jordan Scott. Illustrated by award-winning artist Zahra Marwan, who drew inspiration from her own immigration from Kuwait, this gorgeous book reminds readers that nothing is left behind forever.]]> 40 Jordan Scott 0593808428 0 to-read 4.00
author: Jordan Scott
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217387674
A Love Story tells the overlapping stories of James Baldwin��s most sustaining with his mentor, the Black American painter Beauford Delaney; with his lover and muse, the Swiss painter Lucien Happersberger; and with his collaborators, the famed Turkish actor Engin Cezzar and the iconoclastic French artist Yoran Cazac.

This biography shows for the first time how Baldwin drew on complex structures within these relationships��geographical, cultural, political, artistic, and erotic��and alchemized them into art that spoke truth to power and had an indelible impact on the Civil Rights Movement and on Black and queer literary history.

Nicholas Boggs's rich and subtle narration of Baldwin��s public story and his lucid discussion of his work are underpinned by what he calls ��a search for the truth about Baldwin��s most sustaining intimate relationships and how they had shaped his life and art, which in turn has had such an indelible impact on the literary and political landscape of the twentieth century and continues to influence and even offer some measure of hope for the world today. It would not be until close to the end of this voyage that Irealized what I had actually been researching and trying to write all along was a new James Baldwin biography. But from the very beginning, I always knew it was a love story."]]> 720 Nicholas Boggs 0374178712 0 to-read 4.08
author: Nicholas Boggs
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 210622677
When her older sister is found mysteriously drowned in the river that cuts through their small coastal town, Soojin Han disregards every rule and uses her ancestral magic to bring Mirae back from the dead. At first, the sisters are overjoyed, reveling in late-night escapades and the miracle of being together again, but Mirae grows tired of hiding from the world. She becomes restless and hungry . . .

Driven by an insatiable desire to finish what she started in life, to unravel the truth that crushed her family so many years ago, Mirae is out for revenge.

When their town is engulfed by increasingly destructive rain and a series of harrowing, unusual deaths, Soojin is forced to reckon with the fact that perhaps the sister she brought back isn��t the one she knew.]]> Jihyun Yun 0 to-read 4.39 2025
author: Jihyun Yun
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223854691 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken comes a dark fantasy about a girl who will do anything to find her sister, including posing as a maid to infiltrate the mysterious House of Quiet.

To save her sister, she must enter the House.

In the middle of a deadly bog sits the House of Quiet. It��s a place for children whose Procedure triggered powers too terrible to be lived with��their last hope for treatment. No one knows how they��re healed or where they go afterward.

Birdie has begged, bargained, and blackmailed her way inside as a maid, determined to find her missing sister, Magpie. But what she discovers is more mysteries. Instead of the destitute children who undergo the Procedure in hopes of social advancement, the house brims with aristocratic teens wielding strange powers they never should have been burdened with.

Though Birdie wants to ignore them, she can��t help being drawn to stoic and silent Forest, charmed by clever River, and concerned for the youngest residents. And with fellow maid Minnow keeping tabs on everything Birdie does, danger is everywhere.

In her desperate search for Magpie, Birdie unearths terrifying threats and devastating truths, forcing her to confront just how much she��s willing to sacrifice to save her own sister. Because in the House of Quiet, if you find what��s lurking beneath . . . you lose everything.

Unravel the mystery. Ignite the rebellion.]]> 304 Kiersten White 0593806581 0 to-read 4.21 2025
author: Kiersten White
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212806663 Books can seduce you. They can, Sarah Chihaya believes, annihilate, reveal, and provoke you. And anyone incurably obsessed with books understands this kind of unsettling literary encounter. Sarah calls books that have this effect ��Life Ruiners��.

Her Life Ruiner, Toni Morrison��s The Bluest Eye, became a talisman for her in high school when its electrifying treatment of race exposed Sarah��s deepest feelings about being Japanese American in a predominantly white suburb of Cleveland. But Sarah had always lived through her books, seeking escape, self-definition, and rules for living. She built her life around reading, wrote criticism, and taught literature at an Ivy League University. Then she was hospitalized for a nervous breakdown, and the world became an unreadable blank page. In the aftermath, she was faced with a question. Could we ever truly rewrite the stories that govern our lives?

Bibliophobia is an alternately searing and darkly humorous story of breakdown and survival told through books. Delving into texts such as Anne of Green Gables, Possession, A Tale for the Time Being, The Last Samurai, Chihaya interrogates her cultural identity, her relationship with depression, and the intoxicating, sometimes painful, ways books push back on those who love them.]]> 240 Sarah Chihaya 059359472X 4
TW: attempted suicide, self harm, self harm ideations, and an abusive parent.]]> 3.65 2025
author: Sarah Chihaya
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/19
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: adult-titles, memoir, debut-author, diversity, mental-health, writers
review:
This is not an easy read. The author candidly explores her serious mental health issues and her unhealthy relationship with literature. I found the discussion of having imposter syndrome about having mental illness and seeing it as whiteness to be fascinating. How the author used every text she read as her guiding posts and treating people in her life as characters was disturbing and kind of intriguing.

TW: attempted suicide, self harm, self harm ideations, and an abusive parent.
]]> 207571136 Ms. Marvel continues her adventures as an X-Man, fighting to protect a neighborhood that hates and fears her - written by none other than her MCU actress Iman Vellani!

Ms. Marvel has officially come out to the world as a mutant and a member of the X-Men��and she��s about to learn just how hard things can get for mutantkind! Kamala Khan is used to being Jersey City��s hometown hero �� and there��s no way her community would turn on her just because she��s a mutant, right? Right???

COLLECTING: Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace (2024) 1-4]]> 112 Iman Vellani 1302958852 3 3.63
author: Iman Vellani
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.63
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/19
date added: 2025/06/19
shelves:
review:
This was a mixed bag for me. I liked the first two issues of Kamala dealing with Jersey City��s fear and weariness of mutants. I also really enjoyed having Red Dagger back. He and Kamala have great chemistry. Then the last two issues take a dive with Mojo as the big bad and then going over the Fall of X. I hope the next volume can hold its own without backtracking again on the past.
]]> 217506549
The Taylor family shatters in a single night when two teenage siblings are found dead in their own home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent, never shakes the whispers and accusations that he was the one who killed them. Decades later, the legend only grows as his career as a horror writer skyrockets.

Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of Vincent Taylor. Now on the brink of financial ruin, she's offered a job to ghostwrite her father's last book. What she doesn't know, though, is that this project is another one of his lies. Because it's not another horror novel he wants her to write.

After fifty years of silence, Vincent Taylor is finally ready to talk about what really happened that night in 1975.]]> 328 Julie Clark 1464221286 0 to-read 4.12 2025
author: Julie Clark
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 62792284 A princess desperate to win back the prince who broke her heart follows him to his kingdom's prestigious military academy��and in doing so, falls in love, saves the realm, and continues to look fabulous in this delightful debut fantasy.

Domhnall and Cl��a are an ideal match��or so everyone says. They are prince and princess of neighboring kingdoms. An alliance the gods will smile on. Until Domhnall ruins everything by refusing to propose.

Heartbroken but determined, Cl��a makes the perfect plan: Follow Domhnall to Caisle��n C��sta, the military academy he��s attending. Show she can protect her kingdom. Secure the betrothal. Sure, the castle has a brutal reputation. But how hard can dueling really be?

Warrior Ronan promised himself he��d never lose his focus. He fought and sacrificed for his place at Caisle��n C��sta, and he has no time for blonde princesses who waltz intro arenas like they��re attending a ball. Even if she and her otter-like pet are��well, cute.

He doesn��t want to be intrigued by Cl��a. But her hunger to prove herself is something he understands. He tells himself there��s no harm training her. Even if his heart does race around her. Even if Domhnall is his best friend.

But as they say, love is a battlefield��and unfortunately for them all, a very real war is looming on the horizon. It��s a fight that will threaten all their kingdoms��and test all their hearts.?]]> 400 Cait Jacobs 0063321157 0 to-read 3.76 2025
author: Cait Jacobs
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 191699693 Hidden behind the clouds, giant dragons guard the most powerful magic in the world from prying eyes. On one magical night, once every ten years, these leviathans reveal themselves to a fanfare of costumes, music, and parades in the Chimera Carnival.
But this time, something's wrong.
When Beetle, Penny, and Kat decide to check out the empty carnival site one night, they discover an injured dragon screaming for help. And the more Beetle uncovers about the Chimera Carnival, the more sinister it gets. Dragons who arrive for the early festivities disappear without a trace. Beetle's magic begins to go haywire. And Kat's parents come back to town, worrying both girls about whether they have a future together.
In the catacombs beneath the demolished 'Allowstown mall, something hungers for dragon magic. And Beetle and her friends are already more entwined with it than they could possibly imagine.]]> 368 Aliza Layne 4 4.48 2025
author: Aliza Layne
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/18
date added: 2025/06/18
shelves: graphic-novel, childrens, fantasy, gltbqia
review:

]]> 222259194 A young woman realizes her power and place in the world while defending her city from zealotry in a battle of words and beliefs during the Islamic Golden Age.



On the medieval hilltop city of Medina��tul-Agham, Khadija��s idyllic life as the daughter of the city��s leading jurist is shattered when fanatic forces weaponize Sharia law to threaten the community��s matriarchy. Can Khadija live up to her father��s legacy and use the power of her parchment and quill to write fatwas fighting injustice, or will the peace and prosperity of the city be nothing more than a footnote in the annals of history?]]> 288 Aamir Hussain 1459754441 0 to-read 4.67
author: Aamir Hussain
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220160335 This compelling and complex romance about love across cultures follows a Black girl and Brown boy who find themselves��and each other��while pursuing their passions the summer before college.

Deja��s got a plan. The first in her large family to go to college, she wants to study chemistry and sell natural skin care products, like the ones she already creates from plants grown on her family��s North Carolina farm. It all starts with the Onward Bound summer program at the University of Maryland, the summer before school officially starts.

Raja��s got a dream. His traditional Nepali parents want him to study engineering and settle down in an arranged marriage, but his passion is art, and he wants to open his own tattoo parlor one day. In the meantime, he��s apprenticing at a tattoo shop in College Park, Maryland.

When Deja walks into the shop where Raja��s working, they both start crushing hard��over the course of the summer, they fall more and more deeply for one another. But the closer they get and the more their lives entwine, the more they find that dating someone who doesn��t match your parents�� expectations is harder than they ever imagined.

Can they bridge the divide between the vision their families have for their futures and the lives��and love��that are starting to feel like destiny?]]> 384 Ebony LaDelle 1665948671 4 4.08 2025
author: Ebony LaDelle
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/17
date added: 2025/06/17
shelves: ya, culture, diversity, family, realistic-fiction, romance
review:

]]> 220175510 Sizzling chemistry and tender friendship develops between two accidental roommates in this hilarious rom-com from the author of As Seen on TV.

Sabrina is too busy with grad school and her job as a library page to think about dating. Until Marcia, her elderly roommate, invites her estranged grandson Adam to move into their two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan temporarily to ��find himself.�� Sabrina doesn��t mind sharing the small space with Adam if it helps Marcia repair her relationship with her grandson. But she��s not expecting to fall for him herself. Adam is not only gorgeous, he��s kind, funny, shares her love of reading, and clearly adores Marcia. After one too many accidental midnight rendezvous in the bathroom (him shirtless), the tension between them is hotter than ever.

But they��re not the only ones feeling the heat. After Marcia has a health scare, her doctors advise that one of her younger roommates must go. In a comical and sexy battle to prove who deserves to stay, the two pull out all the stops. All's fair in love and real estate, but in the end victory is not so sweet when winning the apartment could mean losing each other.??]]> 336 Meredith Schorr 1538758261 0 to-read 3.67
author: Meredith Schorr
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 235699043 Veronica and Stoker are practically dying for a new adventure but when their wish is granted, they find themselves up against a secret society and a darkly seductive duo in this landmark historical mystery from beloved New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award�Cnominated author Deanna Raybourn.

When the corpse of an entitled young man is found entirely drained of blood in a carriage next to Highgate Cemetery, Veronica��s interest is piqued. And then a second victim is found, his death made to look like a suicide, and Veronica and her intrepid beau, Stoker, know the hunt is on. The two men share one link: they were both members of a society so secretive that only a singular mention of it can be found anywhere.

Thirsty for more clues, Veronica and Stoker hear that a young Roma boy may know more about their first victim, but the only way to the boy is through an old acquaintance of Stoker��s, Lady Julia Brisbane. Lady Julia and her dashing husband, Nicholas, occasionally track down murderers and are only too happy to help. But as it becomes clear the secret society is a dangerous sect looking to entice immortality seekers, Veronica and Stoker find themselves ensnared by a decidedly more sinister couple.

The professed leader of the society claims to be a creature of the night; his partner practices witchcraft and they both fancy themselves emissaries of the otherworldly. Just as Veronica and Stoker get closer to learning the true purpose of the society and unraveling this macabre mystery, another body turns up, and they quickly discover they��ve gone from being the hunters to the hunted. . . .]]> 336 Deanna Raybourn 0593815734 0 to-read 0.0 2026
author: Deanna Raybourn
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 224003878 From Printz Honor�Cwinning and New York Times bestselling author Julie Berry, a true-crime-nailbiter-turned-mythic-odyssey pitting Jack the Ripper against Medusa. A defiant love song to sisterhood, a survivors�� battle cry, and a romantic literary tour de force laced with humor.

It��s autumn 1888, and Jack the Ripper is on the run. As London police close in, he flees England for New York City seeking new victims. But a primal force of female vengeance has had enough. With serpents for hair and a fearsome gaze, an awakened Medusa is hunting for one Jack.

And other dangers lurk in Manhattan��s Bowery. Salvation Army volunteers Tabitha and Pearl discover that a girl they once helped has been forced to work in a local brothel. Tabitha��s an upstate city girl with a wry humor and a thirst for adventure, while farmgirl Pearl takes everything with stone-cold seriousness. Their brittle partnership is tested as they team up with an aspiring girl reporter and a handsome Irish bartender to mount a rescue effort, only to find their fates entwine with Medusa��s and Jack��s.]]> 448 Julie Berry 1534470816 0 to-read 4.10 2025
author: Julie Berry
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199203475
In the city of Puck��s Port, where motorized vehicles fill the streets and new technological marvels abound, something rotten is lurking under the surface. A violent murder at the docks seems to point to a fey killer, igniting a powder keg of distrust between the city��s humans and its fey inhabitants �� folks who wield wonderful but often uncontrollable magical power.

Gristle Senan Maxim Junior finds himself caught in the middle. Forced into the reluctant role of private investigator, like his late father, he��s working to solve the mystery of this fiery murder . . . mainly because his sister, Hawthorne Stregoni, is a fey herself with an unfortunate penchant for setting things ablaze.

Hawthorne is part of an experimental study to control feyism but struggles to keep her powerful magic in check in a country that hates what she is. Can she and Gristle work together to find the true instigator of the murder before it��s too late?]]> Matteo L. Cerilli 0 to-read 5.00 2025
author: Matteo L. Cerilli
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228221108 New York Times #1 bestselling authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro collaborate again on a new adventure in which demigod Nico di Angelo teams up with his half-sister Hazel Levesque to protect . . . monsters?

A few months after returning from the depths of Tartarus, demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace agree to join Nico's half-sister Hazel Levesque at Camp Jupiter on the West Coast. She needs their help in managing a situation that the boys inadvertently brought about: the demigods showed the monsters of the Underworld that they have options; they don��t have to be evil.

Now some of those monsters have taken up residence at Camp Jupiter to seek refuge. Nico and Will are on site, assisting Hazel when one by one monsters start disappearing from camp. A mysterious dark force is at work, and its plan is to punish all monsters for their past crimes.

Things only get worse when Nico, Will, and Hazel learn that they��re all connected to it . . .]]> 448 Rick Riordan 136810911X 0 to-read 4.33 2025
author: Rick Riordan
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221473234 A young woman is drawn into a dangerous game after being invited to the mazelike home of her childhood friend, a rumored witch, in this gothic horror set in 1986 Philippines.

In this game, there��s one rule: survive.

Orphaned after her father��s political campaign ended in tragedy, Josephine is alone taking care of the family home while her older brother is off in Manila, where revolution brews. But an unexpected invitation from her childhood friend Hiraya to her house offers an escape....

Why don��t you come visit, and we can play games like we used to?

If Josephine wins, she��ll get whatever her heart desires. Her brother is invited, too, and it��s time they had a talk. Josephine��s heard the dark whispers: Hiraya is a witch and her family spits curses. But still, she��s just desperate enough to seize this chance to change her destiny.

Except Ranoco house is strange��labyrinthine and dangerously close to a treacherous sea. A sickly-sweet smell clings to the dimly lit walls, and veiled eyes follow Josephine through endless connecting rooms. The air is tense with secrets and as the game continues it��s clear Josephine doesn��t have the whole truth.

To save herself, she will have to play to win. But in this house, victory is earned with blood.

A lush new voice in horror arises in this riveting gothic set against the upheaval of 1986 Philippines and the People Power Revolution.]]> 336 Daphne Fama 0593817583 0 to-read 4.08
author: Daphne Fama
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219848315 Oprah��s Book Club Pick ? Ocean Vuong returns with a bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive

The hardest thing in the world is to live only once��

One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to alter Hai��s relationship to himself, his family, and a community at the brink.

Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Vuong��s writing �C formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness �C are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life��s most fleeting mercies: a second chance.]]> 416 Ocean Vuong 059383187X 3
This is an incredibly hard book to rate. I have not read Vuong's debut novel "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" not due to a lack of interest but because it is constantly checked out from the library (which is wonderful!). From what I gather from other readers and review journals, this one is much lengthier whereas his debut novel was stylistically challenging and sparse. I did find the book's descriptions to be numerous and would have liked to shift those passages with ones that have the characters interact with one another. Did we need the graphic chapter on working at a slaughterhouse? What I wanted was more scenes at college where Kai and Noah meet and other slice of life moments or flashbacks of home and family. Surely, Kai must have had some reflection when he was taking care of Grazina.

From reading its stunning, descriptive passages you can see a poet is at work. The book is a meditative piece on stagnation, shattered dreams, labor, war, unspoken intergenerational trauma, and death among many other things. There is a beautiful melancholy that cloaks the characters. I would not use the word "hopeful" to describe this book, especially concerning Kai's end which I interpreted as suicide since he has lost his purpose. This is certainly a messy but worthy exploration of humans desperately trying to find meaning and redemption in their lives even if that is self-deception.

I don't think this is an unworthy or a hyped read. I am glad that I experienced it, but I don't find myself wanting to revisit it. Vuong is an extremely gifted writer and I will be sure to explore his other books.

TW: Suicide, death of a grandparent, dementia, drug abuse, animal cruelty, and an incarcerated parent ]]> 4.09 2025
author: Ocean Vuong
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/15
date added: 2025/06/15
shelves: adult-titles, 3-5-stars, diversity, drug-abuse, family, friendship, gltbqia, grief, mental-health, realistic-fiction, racism
review:
Rating 3.5 stars

This is an incredibly hard book to rate. I have not read Vuong's debut novel "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" not due to a lack of interest but because it is constantly checked out from the library (which is wonderful!). From what I gather from other readers and review journals, this one is much lengthier whereas his debut novel was stylistically challenging and sparse. I did find the book's descriptions to be numerous and would have liked to shift those passages with ones that have the characters interact with one another. Did we need the graphic chapter on working at a slaughterhouse? What I wanted was more scenes at college where Kai and Noah meet and other slice of life moments or flashbacks of home and family. Surely, Kai must have had some reflection when he was taking care of Grazina.

From reading its stunning, descriptive passages you can see a poet is at work. The book is a meditative piece on stagnation, shattered dreams, labor, war, unspoken intergenerational trauma, and death among many other things. There is a beautiful melancholy that cloaks the characters. I would not use the word "hopeful" to describe this book, especially concerning Kai's end which I interpreted as suicide since he has lost his purpose. This is certainly a messy but worthy exploration of humans desperately trying to find meaning and redemption in their lives even if that is self-deception.

I don't think this is an unworthy or a hyped read. I am glad that I experienced it, but I don't find myself wanting to revisit it. Vuong is an extremely gifted writer and I will be sure to explore his other books.

TW: Suicide, death of a grandparent, dementia, drug abuse, animal cruelty, and an incarcerated parent
]]> 222376946 Misery meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers in this genre-bending, claustrophobic hospital gothic from the bestselling author of The Death of Jane Lawrence.

Margaret lives with a rare autoimmune condition that has destroyed her life, leaving her isolated. It has no cure, but she��s making do as best she can��until she��s offered a fully paid-for spot in an experimental medical trial at Graceview Memorial.

The conditions are simple, if grueling; she will live at the hospital as a full-time patient, subjecting herself to the near-total destruction of her immune system and its subsequent regeneration. The trial will essentially kill most of, but not all of her. But as the treatment progresses and her body begins to fail, she stumbles upon something sinister living and spreading within the hospital.

Unsure of what's real and what is just medication-induced delusion, Margaret struggles to find a way out as her body and mind succumb further to the darkness lurking throughout Graceview's halls.]]> 304 Caitlin Starling 1250340756 0 to-read 3.88 2025
author: Caitlin Starling
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 101159580
Things look dire for Kohka as South Kai��s elite assassins, the Dromos, infiltrate Hiryuu Palace! South Kai��s General Val gets a taste of the old days as he fights alongside former General Meinyan, but the biggest surprise is who appears before them in the midst of battle!]]> 184 Mizuho Kusanagi 1974741168 4 manga 4.47 2023
author: Mizuho Kusanagi
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/13
date added: 2025/06/13
shelves: manga
review:

]]> 199798788
Yona and friends embark on a dangerous mission to get Meinyan back��by sneaking into an enemy camp where the Dromos assassins await! Val must battle his former South Kai comrade General Hittan for Meinyan��s sake, but the rescue effort backfires once the cruel Emperor Chagol draws near!]]> 192 Mizuho Kusanagi 1974745724 4 manga 4.51 2023
author: Mizuho Kusanagi
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/13
date added: 2025/06/13
shelves: manga
review:

]]> 75286667
The battle between Kohka and South Kai intensifies, and Hak has no choice but to disguise himself as a South Kai soldier! To make matters worse, he runs into General Rahn, with whom he has crossed swords before. Now Hak��s identity as a citizen of Kohka is exposed, and he��s still in enemy territory with no backup!]]> 192 Mizuho Kusanagi 1974739007 4 ya, manga 4.55 2022
author: Mizuho Kusanagi
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/13
date added: 2025/06/13
shelves: ya, manga
review:

]]> 59082292 CAN MAOMAO DULL THE CHARMS OF A HEAVENLY MAIDEN?!

When the ever luminous Jinshi asks for her help in disguising himself to see to a matter beyond the palace walls, Maomao must dig deep to mar her employer's divine allure! And to make the ploy believable, Maomao herself is roped into a spot of theater right alongside her master.

But the "business" at hand takes the pair right to the gates of the Pleasure District, leaving Maomao to wonder if all her hard work has been for a mere assignation or if there's yet another mystery afoot...]]> 178 Nekokurage 1646090861 4 4.56 2020
author: Nekokurage
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/12
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves:
review:

]]> 221502398 When a demonic presence awakens deep in a Mexican silver mine, the young woman it seizes must turn to the one man she shouldn��t trust�� from bestselling author Isabel Ca?as.

In 1765, plague sweeps through Zacatecas. Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fianc��, Carlos, to his family��s isolated mine for refuge. But safety proves fleeting as other dangers soon bare their teeth: Alba begins suffering from strange hallucinations, sleepwalking, and violent convulsions. She senses something cold lurking beneath her skin. Something angry. Something wrong.

El��as, haunted by a troubled past, came to the New World to make his fortune and escape his family��s legacy of greed. Alba, as his cousin��s betrothed, is none of his business. Which is of course why he can��t help but notice her every time she enters a room or the growing tension between them�� and why he notices her deteriorate when the demon��s thirst for blood grows stronger.]]> 384 Isabel Ca?as 0593641078 0 to-read 4.34 2025
author: Isabel Ca?as
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58305942
Far from being fearful of her new surroundings, however, Maomao has her insatiable curiosity piqued by the soldier-occupied eastern wing, where she's been forbidden to go but where it seems further mysteries await...]]> 178 Nekokurage 1646090748 4 4.35 2019
author: Nekokurage
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/12
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: historical-fiction, manga, mystery
review:

]]> 57033897 MAOMAO STUMBLES ONTO AN EVEN BIGGER MYSTERY...

The trail of the garden banquet leads Maomao to the Garnet Palace! Aiming to uncover the identity and motives of the culprit who nearly succeeded in turning the festivities into a tragedy, the young apothecary-turned-lady's maid temporarily takes up there at Jinshi's behest. Home to Lady Aduo��the consort with the longest tenure in the Emperor's affections��the Garnet palace harbors many intrigues, some more shocking than even Maomao could have imagined! Will solving the mystery at hand lose Maomao her job...and maybe even her life?!]]> 194 Nekokurage 164609073X 4 4.49 2019
author: Nekokurage
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/12
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: manga, historical-fiction, mystery
review:

]]> 63028672 I wore a dress on the night I first met Ming.

It begins as your typical boy meets boy. While out with friends at their local university drag night, Tom buys Ming a drink. Confident and witty, a magnetic young playwright, Ming is the perfect antidote to Tom��s awkward energy, and their connection is instant. Tom finds himself deeply and desperately drawn into Ming��s orbit, and on the cusp of graduation, he��s already mapped out their future together. But?shortly after they move to London to start their next chapter, Ming announces her intention to transition.

From London to Kuala Lumpur, New York to Cologne, we follow Tom and Ming as they face tectonic shifts in their relationship and friend circle in the wake of Ming��s transition. Through a spiral of unforeseen crises��some personal, some professional, some life-altering��Tom and Ming are forced to confront the vastly different shapes their lives have taken since graduating, and each must answer the essential question: Is it worth losing a part of yourself to become who you are?

Buoyed by a voice as tender, effervescent and wryly funny?as the cast of characters it centers,?Bellies?is an unforgettable story of youth, intimacy, hunger and heartbreak, at once boldly original yet fiercely familiar, which unabashedly holds a mirror up to our most vulnerable selves and desires.]]> 368 Nicola Dinan 1335490884 4 adult-titles 4.02 2023
author: Nicola Dinan
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/11
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: adult-titles
review:
A character driven novel full of flawed and messy yet endearing characters who are trying to find themselves in their 20s.
]]> 218153678 An electrifying story of love, betrayal, and the complicated allure of bougie domesticity.

You can fall in love with an outline, you can even make a home with one, but there will come a time where you can��t deny the bones their flesh. A person is no fewer than two things.

Thirty years old with a lifetime of dysphoria and irritating exes rattling around in her head, Max is plagued by a deep dissatisfaction. Shouldn��t these be the best years of her life? Why doesn��t it feel that way? After taking a spill down the stairs at a New Year��s Eve party, she decides to make some changes. First: a stab at good old-fashioned heteronormativity.

Max thinks she��s found the answer in Vincent. While his corporate colleagues, trad friends, and Chinese parents never pictured their son dating a trans woman, he cares for Max in a way she��d always dismissed as a foolish fantasy. But he is also carrying baggage of his own. When the fall-out of a decades-old entanglement resurfaces, Max must decide what forgiveness really means. Can we be more than our worst mistakes? Is it possible to make peace with the past?

Funny, sharp, and poignant, Disappoint Me is a sweeping exploration of love, loss, trans panic, race, millennial angst, and the relationships��familial and romantic��that make us who we are.]]> 320 Nicola Dinan 0593977874 0 to-read 4.03 2025
author: Nicola Dinan
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 207298319 Harkening to the witty and swoon-worthy rom-coms of Christina Lauren and Kate Clayborn, a new enemies-to-lovers romp whisking us from the stress of city life to lush Caribbean beaches.

Sasha Rubinstein is not on her game. Parenting with an absent (and objectively douchey) ex has never been easy, but, lately, the judgmental side-eye from people at school pick-up feels extra. It doesn��t help that some entitled dad��with his perfect t-shirts and perfectly punchable (yet adorable) face��keeps stealing the last after-school spots and school hoodies out from under her.

Ethan Jones is not trying to trip Sasha up�� at school or otherwise. In fact, ever since they met (which she promptly forgot), he��s been hoping for the exact opposite��or at least to stop thinking about her.

When a game-changing job lands them trapped together on an exclusive private island, they resolve to stop sniping at each other and keep things professional. But with tension building between them and the permeating intoxication of island time, temptation blows in on every tropical breeze.]]> 368 Nora Dahlia 1668061163 0 did-not-finish
The author��s writing is not working for me. The humor irritates me and I don��t find it funny at all. There is a weird and totally unnecessary third person pov that adds nothing to the story and disrupts the flow of the book. The main characters act like they��re teens instead of grown adults who have children and are just plainly unlikable. I just don��t see the comparisons to Christina Lauren and Kate Clayborn (authors whose works I have enjoyed).

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Simon & Schuster for an advanced readers copy of the book. ]]> 3.57 2024
author: Nora Dahlia
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/10/19
date added: 2025/06/10
shelves: did-not-finish
review:
DNF at 20%

The author��s writing is not working for me. The humor irritates me and I don��t find it funny at all. There is a weird and totally unnecessary third person pov that adds nothing to the story and disrupts the flow of the book. The main characters act like they��re teens instead of grown adults who have children and are just plainly unlikable. I just don��t see the comparisons to Christina Lauren and Kate Clayborn (authors whose works I have enjoyed).

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Simon & Schuster for an advanced readers copy of the book.
]]> 214565614 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians comes a tale of the American West, writ in blood.

This chilling historical novel is set in the nascent days of the state of Montana, following a Blackfeet Indian named Good Stab as he haunts the fields of the Blackfeet Nation looking for justice.

It begins when a diary written in 1912 by a Lutheran pastor is discovered within a wall in 2012. What is unveiled is a slow massacre, a nearly forgotten chain of events that goes back to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow, told in the transcribed interviews with Good Stab, who shares the narrative of his peculiar and unnaturally long life over a series of confessional visits.

This is an American Indian revenge story, captured in the vivid voices of the time, by one of the new masters of literary horror, Stephen Graham Jones.]]> 435 Stephen Graham Jones 1668075083 4
I don't consider myself a horror reader. It's not a genre that I find myself drifting to, but I do like to dabble once in a while especially if there is any hint of historical horror or gothic horror. This is my third book by Stephen Graham Jones and so far I've been sucked in to every book that I read. In my opinion Jones draws me in with the humanity of the characters in his books and slowly creeps in the horror when I'm already invested and feel cornered.

"The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" is a great amalgamation of Blackfeet culture, history, horror, and revenge. The events slowly unfold into the Marias Massacre, a real event in which 173 members of the Blackfeet nation (men, women, and children) were slaughtered by a U.S. Calvary in what's now called Montana in 1870.

Told in alternating narratives- a Blackfeet named Good Stab and a Lutheran priest named Arthur Beaucarne, Jones invites his readers to witness a "confession" without resorting to binary judgement. Is there really a difference between these two characters? One who kills for survival and another who helps "saves people's souls"?

This is not an easy read. There are some barriers that a patient reader has to overcome such as the language. I wouldn't call this a plot driven book but rather a character driven and slow burning horror. There is plenty of blood and violence that soaks these pages. If you are new to Jones' writing, I don't recommend picking this one up as your introduction. I think "The Only Good Indians" would be a better fit for you.

This chilling, multi-layered, complex historical horror novel is my top horror pick of 2025 so far. I won't forget Good Stab for a long time. I don't read horror, but I will read anything by Stephen Graham Jones and luckily for me I got a long backlist to read. ]]> 4.13 2025
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/08
date added: 2025/06/09
shelves: adult-titles, 4-5-stars, diversity, grief, horror, historical-fiction, paranormal, survival-fiction
review:
4.5 stars

I don't consider myself a horror reader. It's not a genre that I find myself drifting to, but I do like to dabble once in a while especially if there is any hint of historical horror or gothic horror. This is my third book by Stephen Graham Jones and so far I've been sucked in to every book that I read. In my opinion Jones draws me in with the humanity of the characters in his books and slowly creeps in the horror when I'm already invested and feel cornered.

"The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" is a great amalgamation of Blackfeet culture, history, horror, and revenge. The events slowly unfold into the Marias Massacre, a real event in which 173 members of the Blackfeet nation (men, women, and children) were slaughtered by a U.S. Calvary in what's now called Montana in 1870.

Told in alternating narratives- a Blackfeet named Good Stab and a Lutheran priest named Arthur Beaucarne, Jones invites his readers to witness a "confession" without resorting to binary judgement. Is there really a difference between these two characters? One who kills for survival and another who helps "saves people's souls"?

This is not an easy read. There are some barriers that a patient reader has to overcome such as the language. I wouldn't call this a plot driven book but rather a character driven and slow burning horror. There is plenty of blood and violence that soaks these pages. If you are new to Jones' writing, I don't recommend picking this one up as your introduction. I think "The Only Good Indians" would be a better fit for you.

This chilling, multi-layered, complex historical horror novel is my top horror pick of 2025 so far. I won't forget Good Stab for a long time. I don't read horror, but I will read anything by Stephen Graham Jones and luckily for me I got a long backlist to read.
]]> 217760213 The Last Thorn is Hibbert��s d��but fantasy novel. Hibbert, a New York Times bestselling author, is best known for her romance writing, including Get a Life, Chloe Brown, while her latest novel is pitched as a spicy magical Beauty and the Beast retelling."]]> Talia Hibbert 0 to-read 0.0
author: Talia Hibbert
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214152430
Mark is a good Catholic boy. He goes to church, says his prayers, and spends too much time worrying about hell. When Mark realizes he has a crush on another boy in his school, he struggles to reconcile his feelings with his faith as the weight of centuries of shame and judgment��and his fear of his parents' response��presses on his shoulders. Mark seeks advice from his priest, as well as a local drag performer, but also receives unexpected input from key figures in Catholic history and lore, including Joan of Arc, Michelangelo, St. Sebastian, and Savonarola. Ultimately, only Mark can answer the Is it possible for him to be both Catholic and gay?]]> 128 Andrew Wheeler 1637156383 4 graphic-novel 3.95 2025
author: Andrew Wheeler
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/07
date added: 2025/06/07
shelves: graphic-novel
review:

]]> 219520699 The USA Today bestselling author of The Worst Best Man is back with a fun and flirty rom-com about a pact between friends that goes awry when one of them unexpectedly announces they're getting married.

On the eve of their college graduation, best friends Javier B��ez and Marisol Campos swore never to date someone the other doesn��t approve of. Now, ten years later, Javi has a problem. Mari, the woman he's secretly pined for since sophomore year, is planning to marry��and Javi didn��t even get the chance to vet the Pedro Pascal knockoff.

Mari, a successful entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles, is no longer seeking Javi's dating advice or waiting for him to declare his love for her. Instead, she's made a different pact��with herself. And to succeed, she'll need to build a future with someone else.

With his life and theater career finally on track, Javi��s ready to confess his feelings. Except Mari��s changed the script and moved on without him. Which means he has eight weeks to convince her this marriage is a flop. And if Javi has to ruffle some feathers to help Mari avert a disaster, well, he��s up for the challenge. After all, isn't that what best friends are for?]]> 448 Mia Sosa 4 3.91 2025
author: Mia Sosa
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/07
date added: 2025/06/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 231126916 New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez delivers a captivating story about a young woman whose life becomes ensnared in her glamorous neighbor��s secret past, laying bare the mounting tensions at play in a rapidly gentrifying, early 2000��s Fort Greene, Brooklyn.


SPRING, 2007


At twenty-six, Alicia Canales Forten feels smothered by her future. She��s in a long-distance relationship, living at home with her mother��s beliefs, saving up for her wedding to a future doctor. But after Alicia ventures out one night in the neighborhood of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, she finds herself lured by the siren song of youth and possibility that the striving crowd of creatives holds, and moves in.


No one embodies this more than La Garza, a larger-than-life, up-and-coming fashion designer whose epic house parties fuel neighborhood lore. La Garza��s life, observed by Alicia from her apartment across the street, seems to hold the allure and fearlessness Alicia has never dared to imagine for herself.



But when Alicia��s wealthy banker cousin moves to the neighborhood, she finds herself increasingly drawn into both his and La Garza��s precarious lives.


Against the backdrop of a potentially life-changing presidential election and a looming once-in-a-generation fiscal crisis, Last Night in Brooklyn explores the dark compromise of the American Dream for people of color living, unknowingly, in the twilight of a cultural moment. It is a story about everything money can buy�Cand the destruction of what it can��t.]]> 256 X��chitl Gonz��lez 1250372038 0 to-read 0.0
author: X��chitl Gonz��lez
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228342325 Two teen boys grapple with identity and accountability and set off a ripple effect within their community after a school assembly is disrupted by a shouted slur.

Freshmen Dayton and Farshid couldn��t be more different��or so it seems.

When Dayton takes a dare and shouts the f-slur at a visiting author during a school event, it sets off a chain reaction that forces both boys to face parts of themselves they��d rather ignore.

Dayton, grappling with the fallout of his actions, faces rejection from his friends, disappointment from his parents, and a growing awareness of the harm he��s caused. Meanwhile, Farshid is left to untangle his own feelings��about himself and about the quiet struggle of coming to terms with his queerness in a world steeped in heteronormativity.

As their lives unexpectedly intersect, Dayton and Farshid must reckon with what kind of men they want to become and whether they have the courage to defy toxic masculinity and societal expectations.

Timely, raw, and deeply thought-provoking, this novel is perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Nic Stone.]]> 224 Adib Khorram 1250405556 0 to-read 4.83
author: Adib Khorram
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.83
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218695891 Popular bookstagrammer Chip Pons's gay rom-com about two men who impulsively pose as a couple to compete in a reality show contest just minutes after meeting at an airport, and their run-in?with?the very real feelings that start to simmer between them.

Catching flights...& feelings...has never been more complicated.

Asher Bennet thought his relationship was just fine. Until he��s unceremoniously dumped at the Boston airport ahead of the world-wide travel competition reality show, The Epic Trek. Armed with only a ticket and righteous indignation, Asher finds the closest solace he can: a mimosa and mozzarella sticks combo?at an airport TGI Fridays. Still, Asher is determined to find a new partner and luckily, right in front of him is a smooth-talking airline pilot ready for takeoff.?

Theo Fernandez has been grounded. He��s the only pilot that has never taken a vacation and the edict has been passed prove you're prioritizing a work-life balance or say goodbye to your wings. As he struggles to bask in his new downtime, without reconnecting?with his family, he stumbles upon the perfect opportunity. The handsome guy who "stole" his mozzarella sticks at his favorite terminal eatery has a sudden opening for a partner . . . on a nationally televised reality show.

Theo and Asher?buckle up to?fake date for the cameras,?but as they do?the undercurrents of attraction make them wonder if?their on-screen chemistry hints at something bigger. Do they have the courage to leave behind their baggage, and wing it together for another chance at love?]]> 384 Chip Pons 0593853504 0 to-read 4.11 2025
author: Chip Pons
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 41183537 A contemporary, coming-of-age story, written by an #OwnVoices author, about a Guyanese girl who must find the balance between her parents' "old world" expectations and traditions while pursuing her dream of being a great trumpeter.

Nira Ghani has always dreamed of becoming a musician. Her Guyanese parents, however, have big plans for her to become a scientist or doctor. Nira's grandmother and her best friend, Emily, are the only people who seem to truly understand her desire to establish an identity outside of the one imposed on Nira by her parents. When auditions for jazz band are announced, Nira realizes it's now or never to convince her parents that she deserves a chance to pursue her passion.

As if fighting with her parents weren't bad enough, Nira finds herself navigating a new friendship dynamic when her crush, Noah, and notorious mean-girl, McKenzie "Mac," take a sudden interest in her and Emily, inserting themselves into the fold. So, too, does Nira's much cooler (and very competitive) cousin Farah. Is she trying to wiggle her way into the new group to get closer to Noah? Is McKenzie trying to steal Emily's attention away from her? As Farah and Noah grow closer and Emily begins to pull away, Nira's trusted trumpet "George" remains her constant, offering her an escape from family and school drama.

But it isn't until Nira takes a step back that she realizes she's not the only one struggling to find her place in the world. As painful truths about her family are revealed, Nira learns to accept people for who they are and to open herself in ways she never thought possible.

A relatable and timely contemporary, coming-of age story, IN THE KEY OF NIRA GHANI explores the social and cultural struggles of a teen in an immigrant household.]]> 298 Natasha Deen 0762465476 3 4.08 2019
author: Natasha Deen
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/11/04
date added: 2025/06/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 219301751 A transformative love story about two best friends who fall for each other, fall apart, and try to find their way back together in their tight-knit British-Jamaican community.

South London, 1981: Daphne is the only Black girl in her class. All she wants is to keep her head down, preferably in a book. The easiest way to survive is to go unnoticed.?

Daphne��s attempts at invisibility are upended when a boy named Connie Small arrives from Jamaica. Connie is the opposite of small in every lanky, outgoing, and unapologetically himself. Daphne tries to keep her distance, but Connie is magnetic, and they form an intense bond. As they navigate growing up in a volatile, rapidly changing city, their families become close, and their friendship begins to shift into something more complicated. When Connie reveals that he and his mother ��nuh land����meaning they��re in England illegally��Daphne realizes that she is dangerously entangled in Connie��s fragile home life. Soon, long-buried secrets in both families threaten to tear them apart permanently.

Spanning one tumultuous decade, from the industrial docklands of the Thames to the sandy beaches of Calabash Bay, Jamaica Road is a deftly plotted and emotionally expansive debut novel about race and class, the family you��re born with and the family you choose, and the limits of what true love can really conquer.]]> 448 Lisa Smith 0593537653 0 to-read, adult-titles 4.18
author: Lisa Smith
name: Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight)
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/04
shelves: to-read, adult-titles
review:

]]>