Hello, everyone! I read six books in August with varying levels of success. Let’s get started.
1. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
A cannon. A strap.
A piece. A biscuit.
A burner. A heater.
A chopper. A gat.
A hammer
A tool
for RULE
Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he?
As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator?
Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.
And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if WILL gets off that elevator.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. After the People Lights Have Gone Off by Stephen Graham Jones
This collection of fifteen stories taps into the horrors and fears of the supernatural as well as the everyday. Included are two original stories, several rarities and out of print tales, as well as a few “best of the year” inclusions. Stephen Graham Jones is a master storyteller. What does happen after the people lights have gone off? Crack the spine and find out.
Rating: ⭐⭐
I was really disappointed with this one. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Stephen Graham Jones up to this point, and I thought this would be no exception. I was wrong.
The stories overall felt more suited for longer works. They were (mostly) interesting at first, then rushed towards the end. I understand that you won’t get all the answers from a short story, but a lot of these seemed underdeveloped.
The only one I can say I enjoyed was the last one, “Solve for X.” The images were horrifying and the plot fascinating.
3. Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen
Vietnamese refugees Debbie and Phil Tran have built a comfortable life for themselves in Toronto with their family nail salon. But when an ultra-glam chain salon opens across the street, their world is rocked.
Complicating matters further, their landlord has jacked up the rent and it seems only a matter of time before they lose their business and everything they’ve built. They enlist the help of their daughter, Jessica, who has just returned home after a messy breakup and a messier firing. Together with their son, Dustin, and niece, Thuy, they devise some good old-fashioned sabotage. Relationships are put to the test as the line between right and wrong gets blurred. Debbie and Phil must choose: do they keep their family intact or fight for their salon?
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
I had a lot of fun with this book. The characters felt real and dealt with their own personal (but related) issues. Their relationships with each other and their heritage was fascinating to read about. Also, the ending was perfect.
That being said, the plot was all over the place. It read more like a series of semi-connected short stories than a novel. I wanted more from the sabotage angle. Also, Dustin and Thuy’s perspectives were unnecessary and brought little to the table.
4. Time to Roll by Jamie Sumner
Ellie is so not the pageant type. They’re Coralee’s thing, and Ellie is happy to let her talented friend shine in the spotlight. But what’s she supposed to do when Coralee asks her to enter a beauty pageant, and their other best friend, Bert, volunteers to be their manager? Then again, how else is she going to get through this summer with her dad, who barely knows her, while her mom is off on her honeymoon with Ellie’s amazing gym teacher? Ellie decides she has nothing to lose.
There’s only one the director of the pageant seems determined to put Ellie and her wheelchair front and center. So it’s up to Ellie to figure out a way to do it on her own terms and make sure her friendships don’t fall apart along the way. Through it all, from thrift store deep dives to disastrous dance routines, she begins to form her own definition of beauty and what it means to really be seen.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A sequel I liked more than the original? It’s more likely than you think.
I forgot how much I loved Ellie, Coralee, and Bert. They’re such cute friends with such big personalities. I would read a million books about them, honestly. The audiobook narrator, Candace Thaxton, does a great job portraying them, too.
Although I could’ve used some more scenes at the pageant rehearsals (we don’t even get names for the other contestants, minus Maya), it was an adorable read with a solid plot.
5. Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra
Graduation is only a few months away, and so far Rubi Ramos’s recipe for success is on track.
*Step 1: Get into the prestigious Alma University.
*Step 2: Become incredibly successful lawyer.
But when Alma waitlists Rubi’s application, her plan is in jeopardy. Her parents–especially her mom, AKA the boss–have wanted this for her for years. In order to get off the waitlist without her parents knowing, she needs math tutoring from surfer-hottie math genius Ryan, lead the debate team to a championship–and remember the final step of the recipe.
*Step 3: Never break the ban on baking.
Rubi has always been obsessed with baking, daydreaming up new concoctions and taking shifts at her parents’ celebrated bakery. But her mother dismisses baking as a distraction–her parents didn’t leave Cuba so she could bake just like them.
But some recipes are begging to be tampered with…
When the First Annual Bake Off comes to town, Rubi’s passion for baking goes from subtle simmer to full boil. She’s not sure if she has what it takes to become OC’s best amateur baker, and there’s only one way to find out–even though it means rejecting the ban on baking, and by extension, her parents. But life is what you bake it, and now Rubi must differentiate between the responsibility of unfulfilled dreams she holds, and finding the path she’s meant for.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I didn’t expect this to be a five-star read, but that’s just what it was! Rubi was a great protagonist. Understandable even when she did questionable things, smart in a variety of ways, and great with puns. And that ending! I was grinning like an idiot through the last few chapters. I hope Jessica Parra writes another book soon!
6. Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson
Biggie Smalls was right. Things done changed. But that doesn’t mean that Quadir and Jarrell are okay letting their best friend Steph’s tracks lie forgotten in his bedroom after he’s killed—not when his beats could turn any Bed-Stuy corner into a celebration, not after years of having each other’s backs.
Enlisting the help of Steph’s younger sister, Jasmine, Quadir and Jarrell come up with a plan to promote Steph’s music under a new rap name: The Architect. Soon, everyone in Brooklyn is dancing to Steph’s voice. But then his mixtape catches the attention of a hotheaded music rep and—with just hours on the clock—the trio must race to prove Steph’s talent from beyond the grave.
Now, as the pressure—and danger—of keeping their secret grows, Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine are forced to confront the truth about what happened to Steph. Only each has something to hide. And with everything riding on Steph’s fame, together they need to decide what they stand for before they lose everything they’ve worked so hard to hold on to—including each other.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My first Tiffany D. Jackson book, and certainly not my last! This book plopped me right into 90s Brooklyn and made me feel like I’d been there. The characters were lovable and unique, and what’s more fun than trying to pull one over a music exec? (For a friend, of course.)
More than that, it dealt with issues like grief and trying to find a better life for yourself while not leaving your loved ones behind. Highly recommend!
What was your favorite book from August?
Laken Berry 