Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make - and Keep - Friends

Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make – and Keep – Friends
by Marisa G. Franco, Ph.D.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2022. 336 pages. Nonfiction 

You’ve probably heard of attachment theory – how you can have a secure, anxious, or avoidant attachment style – as it applies to romantic relationships. In Platonic, psychologist and researcher Marisa G. Franco instead applies the science of attachment theory to friendships. She explores the deep importance of adult friendship to our physical and mental well-being, in spite of our cultural tendency to devalue friendship in comparison with romantic and family relationships. 

This is a great pick for book clubs and self-help readers, especially for those who are interested in relationships and psychology. Franco discusses in detail how meaningful friendships enrich our lives and improve our health, while also diving into just how to make friends as an adult. She explains scientific research and studies in easy-to-understand terms, with many real life stories mixed in. 

If you like Platonic, you might also like:

The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness
by Robert Waldinger, M.D. and Marc Schulz, Ph.D.
Simon & Schuster, 2023. 352 pages. Nonfiction 

What makes a life fulfilling and meaningful? The simple but surprising answer is: relationships. The stronger our relationships, the more likely we are to live happy, satisfying, and overall healthier lives. In fact, the Harvard Study of Adult Development reveals that the strength of our connections with others can predict the health of both our bodies and our brains as we go through life.

The Power of Attachment: How to Create Deep and Lasting Intimate Relationships
by Diane Poole Heller, Ph.D.
Sounds True, 2019. 224 pages. Nonfiction 

From our earliest years, teaches Diane Poole Heller, we develop an attachment style that follows us through life, replaying in our intimate relationships, with our children, and at work. And traumatic events can deeply affect that core relational blueprint. With The Power of Attachment, a pioneer in attachment theory and trauma resolution brings together these two fields to help us understand and benefit from their complementary principles and methods.

SGR

Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove

Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove

By Rafi Mehrotra

Wednesday Books, 2022. 338 pages. Young Adult Fantasy

Bound to the queen of Chandela by a forbidden soul bond that saved her when she was a child, Katyani has never fallen short of what's expected of her--becoming the best guardswoman the Garuda has ever seen and an advisor to the crown prince when he ascends to the throne. But when the latest assassination attempt against the royals leaves them with a faceless body and no leads to the perpetrator, Katyani is unwillingly shipped off to guard the Chandela princes in Acharya Mahavir's esteemed monastic school in Nandovana, a forest where monsters have roamed unchecked for generations. Katyani wants nothing more than to return to her duties, especially when the Acharya starts asking questions about her past. The only upside of her stay are her run-ins with Daksh, the Acharya's son, who can't stop going on about the rules and whose gaze makes her feel like he can see into her soul. But when Katyani and the princes are hurriedly summoned back to Chandela before their training is complete, tragedy strikes and Katyani is torn from the only life she has ever known. Alone and betrayed in a land infested by monsters, Katyani must find the answers to her past so she can save what she loves and forge her own destiny. Bonds can be broken, but debts must be repaid.

I always enjoy a good young adult fantasy novel, and this one was a great one! The author immediately immerses you in their magic-filled India-inspired fantasy world and takes you on an adventure with Katyani at a whirlwind pace. Even with the extremely quick pacing there are moments to slow down and process what’s happened before another plot twist gets thrown at you again. Katyani’s internal struggles were also very relatable as her view of herself crumbles around her. I especially appreciated that even when she didn’t know who she was anymore, she continued to keep her core beliefs strong. Her no-nonsense attitude when it came to her responsibilities yet her penchant for jokes and mischief was also very refreshing. All in all, a very fun read, I would highly recommend it!

If you like Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove, you might also like:

The Wrath and the Dawn

By Renée Ahdieh

G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2015. 404 pages. Young Adult Fantasy

In this reimagining of The Arabian Nights, Shahrzad plans to avenge the death of her dearest friend by volunteering to marry the murderous boy-king of Khorasan, but discovers not all is as it seems within the palace.

Monsters Born and Made

By Tanvi Berwah

Sourcebooks Fire, 2022. 343 pages. Young Adult Fantasy

To ensure her family's survival, sixteen-year-old Koral cheats her way into the Glory Race, a dangerous chariot tournament using sea monsters meant for the ruling elite.

ERB

Club de brujas: Una Guia de Inicio al Tarot y la Astrologia

Club de Brujas: Una Guia de Inicio al Tarot y la Astrologia
Por Mel Knarik y Ayelen Romano
Lectorum Pubns, 2022. 205 páginas. No Ficción

Este libro no es uno más. Es uno de magia. En él te iniciarás en la astrología y el Tarot. Conocerás sus orígenes y los primeros pasos para empezar a usarlos.

¡BIENVENIDO A CLUB DE BRUJAS!

¿Cómo leer tu Carta Natal? ¿De dónde viene la astrología? ¿Sirven los horóscopos? ¿Cómo tiro las cartas? ¿Qué es ser una bruja en la actualidad?

Las talentosas creadoras de podcast Club de brujas, Mel Knarik y Ayelén Romano, presentan esta guía práctica para iniciarte en el Tarot y la astrología, repleta de historia, tips, cultura pop y mucho girl power.

Si le gusta «Club de Brujas: Una Guia de Inicio al Tarot y la Astrologia» le recomendamos:

Bruja: despertar el poder ancestral de las mujeres
Por Lister, Lisa
Editorial Sirio, 2018. 370 páginas. No Ficción

Una bruja es una mujer sabia, una sanadora. Sin embargo, durante demasiado tiempo, esta palabra ha tenido connotaciones negativas. En este libro, Lisa Lister, tercera generación de una estirpe de brujas, revela la historia oculta tras este movimiento, por qué tantas fueron quemadas y, sobre todo, por qué la bruja está despertando hoy en las mujeres de todo el mundo. Todas las mujeres son brujas, y cuando se conectan con sus orígenes, confían en su intuición y usan su magia, pueden crear medicina para sanarse a sí mismas y al mundo.

Este libro es un relato con voz femenina, que acerca la sabiduría antigua al mundo moderno, un repaso por las diferentes escuelas de brujería y sus prácticas. Descubrirás entre, las diferentes propuestas de la autora, la rueda del año, los sabbats y los ciclos de la luna; herramientas para mejorar tu intuición, incluidas las cartas y la radiestesia ... Porque no lo olvides: somos las nietas de las brujas que no pudieron quemar.

American Brujeria : modern Mexican-American folk magic
Por J. Allen Cross
Weiser Books, 2021. 212 páginas. Nonfiction

A practical, hands-on guide to Mexican-American folk magic.

American Brujeria is about the fascinating blend of American and Mexican folk magic currently practiced by those living in the US but whose roots are steeped in Mexican culture. The author, who has named this tradition “American brujeria,” explores this magical system, while also offering practical advice on using it. American brujeria is a living, vital tradition that -- while it shares things in common with other folk magic traditions, such as American Conjure—also features its own unique traditions, as well as familiar ones, such as the veneration of saints, both canonized, such as Guadalupe, and folk saints like Santa Muerte.

American Brujeria includes stories from Mexico (folk saints, the story of Guadalupe), the influence of Catholicism, the art of limpias (spiritual cleansings), spell casting, oil crafting, praying the rosary (in English and Spanish), making an altar to Guadalupe, using novena candle magic, crafting protective charms from saints’ medals, and more.

The Mexican witch lifestyle : brujeria spells, tarot, and crystal magic
Por Valeria Ruelas
Simon Element, 2022. 164 páginas. Nonfiction

Discover the vibrant culture of brujeria and embrace your own inner witch with this essential guide to spellcasting, spirit worship, tarot, crystals, and all the other elements of this increasingly popular lifestyle.

A modern Mexican bruja is a powerful person, one who reads the tarot and performs spellwork and rituals of devotion to their spirit guides and deities. Brujeria, which translates as witchcraft in Spanish, is a unique form of spirituality that blends core elements of Afro-Indigenous beliefs. Having originated in Mexico, brujeria is now practiced in Latinx communities across the world.

MEB

Labels: español, ingles, MEB, No Ficción, Juvenil, Brujería, Paranormal, Jóven Adulto

Malala Yousafzai: Mi historia es la historia de muchas chicas

Malala Yousafzai: Mi historia es la historia de muchas chicas
Por Malala Yousafzai
Akiara Books, 2019. 76 páginas. No Ficción

Cuando Malala Yousafzai tenía quince años, fue atacada por los talibanes por su defensa del derecho de las niñas a recibir educación. Tras sobrevivir a múltiples operaciones, su voz se ha convertido en un referente mundial de los derechos humanos y, especialmente, del derecho a la educación. Es la persona más joven que ha sido galardonada con el Premio Nobel de la Paz. En su discurso de aceptación del premio, Malala explica su historia, que es la historia de millones de niñas que viven en situaciones de discriminación o de conflicto.

Edición bilingüe.

Si le gusta «Malala Yousafzai: Mi Historia es la Historia de Muchas Chicas» le recomendamos:

Si’ahl / Ted Perry: Cada parte de esta tierra es sagrada para mi pueblo

Por Ted Perry
Akiara Books, 2019. 60 páginas. No Ficción

La ecología y la espiritualidad caracterizan la visión de la naturaleza de los pueblos indígenas. En enero de 1854 el jefe indígena Si’ahl (más conocido como Seattle) pronunció un elocuente discurso explicando porqué la tierra no se puede vender. Desde el siglo XIX se han hecho muchos intentos de recrear las palabras perdidas de Si’ahl. Aquí presentamos, a partir de lo que hoy sabemos, la versión más fiable del discurso en edición bilingüe e ilustrada, con un comentario sobre sus temas clave y su calidad oratoria.

Edición bilingüe.

José Mujica: Soy del sur, vengo del sur, esquina del atlántico y el plata
Por José Alberto Mujica Cordano
Editorial, Año. XX páginas. No Ficción

José Mujica, en aquel momento presidente de Uruguay, con su estilo llano, entrañable y contundente, se dirige a la Asamblea de Naciones Unidas para criticar el sinsentido de la economía contemporánea, las desigualdades del mundo y el consumismo que impera en nuestras vidas. Sus palabras son también un poderoso llamamiento a la coherencia y una invitación al gozo y a la libertad que nacen de una vida más sencilla.


MEB

Labels: español, Ficción Juvenil, No Ficción, Bilingüe, Biografía, Memoria, Jóven Adulto

Dark Room Etiquette

Dark Room Etiquette 

By Robin Roe 

HarperTeen, 2022. 505 pages. Young Adult 

Sixteen-year-old Sayers Wayte has everything: popularity, good looks, perfect grades--there's nothing Sayers' family money can't buy. Until he's kidnapped by a man who tells him the privileged life he's been living is based on a lie. Trapped in a windowless room, without knowing why he's been taken or how long the man plans to keep him shut away, Sayers faces a terrifying new reality. To survive, he must forget the world he once knew, and play the part his abductor has created for him. But as time passes, the line between fact and fiction starts to blur, and Sayers begins to wonder if he can escape... before he loses himself. 

Sayers is an easy character to dislike due to his entitled attitude with his very privileged life. But, it was fascinating to see how his mental state changed as time progressed and captivity changed how he viewed his life. The stakes were high, and then they got even higher! This book was hard to put down, so this is a great recommendation for those who like suspenseful young adult fiction. It definitely puts you on edge. As a final thought, do make sure your GPS is properly functioning before you venture into the middle of nowhere. 

If you liked Dark Room Etiquette, you might also like: 

Room

By Emma Donoghue 

Little, Brown and Co., 2010. 321 pages. Adult Fiction 

Narrator Jack and his mother, who was kidnapped seven years earlier when she was a 19-year-old college student, celebrate his fifth birthday. They live in a tiny, 11-foot-square soundproofed cell in a converted shed in the kidnapper's yard. The sociopath, whom Jack has dubbed Old Nick, visits at night, grudgingly doling out food and supplies. But Ma, as Jack calls her, proves to be resilient and resourceful--and attempts a nail-biting escape. 

Jane Anonymous

By Laurie Faria Stolarz 

Wednesday Books, 2020. 306 pages. Young Adult 

In chapters alternating between "then" and "now," 17-year-old Jane Anonymous chronicles the events leading up to her abduction and seven-month captivity and her painful return to family and friends. 

ACS

The 9:09 Project

The 9:09 Project 

By Mark H. Parsons 

Delacorte Press, 2022. 386 pages. Young Adult 

It has been two years since his mom’s death, and Jamison, his dad, and his younger sister have been dealing with their loss separately and in different ways. When Jamison almost forgets the date of his mother's birthday, he worries that his memory of her is slipping away. To help make sense of the passing of time, he picks up his camera. Jamison begins to take photos of ordinary people on the street, at the same time and place each night. As he focuses his lens on the random people who cross his path, Jamison begins to see the world in a deeper way. His endeavor turns into a school project, and then into something more. Along with his new outlook, Jamison forges new and unexpected friendships at school. But more importantly, he’s able to revive the memory of his mother, and to connect with his father and younger sister once again. 

This was such an emotionally intense and thought-provoking story that I had a hard time putting it down. It was beautifully written, but not in terms of flowery language, rather by the emotions it evoked and Jamison’s evolution and self-discovery. While this story focuses on photography, having a background in photography isn’t necessary to enjoy it. It’s an easy read and I think most people could find something they relate to in it. I would especially recommend this for artists of any medium. Definitely one of my favorite reads of the last several months. 

If you liked The 9:09 Project, you might also like: 

The Tragedy of Dane Riley  

By Kat Spears 

Wednesday Books, 2021. 307 pages. Young Adult 

Dane Riley's grasp on reality is slipping, and he's not sure that he cares. While his mother has moved on after his father's death, Dane desperately misses the man who made Dane feel okay to be himself. He can't stand his mother's boyfriend, or the boyfriend's son, whose favorite pastime is tormenting Dane. Then there's the girl next door: Dane can't quite define their relationship, and he doesn't know if he's got the courage to leave the friend zone. An emotional novel about mental health, and dealing with grief and growing up.  

Goodbye Days 

By Jeff Zentner 

Crown Books for Young Readers, 2017. 404 pages. Young Adult 

Looks at a teen's life after the death of his best friend and how he navigates through the guilt and pain by celebrating their lives--and ultimately learning to forgive himself. 

 ACS

Spinning Silver

Spinning Silver
By Naomi Novik
Del Rey, 2018. 466 pages. Fantasy

Abstract: A fresh and imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale from the bestselling author of Uprooted. It was called "a very enjoyable fantasy with the air of a modern classic" by The New York Times Book Review. 

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father is not a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem intercedes. Hardening her heart, she sets out to retrieve what is owed, and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. But when an ill-advised boast brings her to the attention of the cold creatures who haunt the wood, nothing will be the same again. For words have power and the fate of a kingdom will be forever altered by the challenge she is issued. Channeling the heart of the classic fairy tale, Novik deftly interweaves six distinct narrative voices—each learning valuable lessons about sacrifice, power and love—into a rich, multilayered fantasy that readers will want to return to again and again.

Spinning Silver begins with tales of the realities of life in a seemingly unmagical world. The author slowly introduces you to the many characters’ thoughts, backgrounds, sufferings, and desires from multiple perspectives. The author does not shy away from revealing the sorrowful life of our protagonists. There were times in this book where I almost cried. Despite its more somber tone and lack of romance, I enjoyed reading this retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. If you like books by Robin McKinley and Katherine Arden, I recommend you read this one as well.

JJC

If you like Spinning Silver you might also like:

The Bear and the Nightingale
By Katherine Arden
Del Rey, 2017. 322 pages. Fantasy

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift—a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning, Pytor hides the gift away and Vasya grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed with the necklace, she may be the only one who can keep the darkness at bay.

Gods of Jade and Shadow
By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Del Rey, 2019. 338 pages. Fantasy

The Mayan God of Death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore.

The Book of Gothel
By Mary McmYne
Redhook, 2022. 374 pages. Fantasy

Haelewise has always lived under the shadow of her mother, Hedda—a woman who will do anything to keep her daughter protected. For with her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, Haelewise is shunned by her village, and her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, of an ancient tower cloaked in mist, where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it. Then, Hedda dies, and Haelewise is left unmoored. With nothing left for her in her village, she sets out to find the legendary tower her mother used to speak of—a place called Gothel, where Haelewise meets a wise woman willing to take her under her wing. But Haelewise is not the only woman to seek refuge at Gothel. It's also a haven for a girl named Rika, who carries with her a secret the Church strives to keep hidden. A secret that people will kill to uncover…

A Spindle Splintered

 ASpindle Splintered

by Alix Harrow

Tordotcom, 2021. 119 pages. Science Fiction.

It's Zinnia Gray's twenty-first birthday, which is extra-special because it's the last birthday she'll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no-one has lived past twenty-one. Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia's last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.

If you like fractured fairytales, this LGBTQIA+ friendly, snarky reframing of Sleeping Beauty is for you. The writing and wit are razor sharp. There are lots of nods to pop culture. I laughed out loud several times. The story line is character driven and does more than just follow the basic fairy tale outline. The world building and magic system are well thought out and compelling. This is a fun jaunt through a well-known fairy tale that shows that there is always more to the story.    

If you like A Spindle Splintered, you might also like:

Kill the Farm Boy

by Delilah S. Dawson

Del Rey, 2018. 364 pages. Science Fiction

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, a hero, the Chosen One, was born … and so begins every fairy tale ever told. This is not that fairy tale. There is a Chosen One, but he is unlike any One who has ever been Chosened. And there is a faraway kingdom, but you have never been to a magical world quite like the land of Pell. There, a plucky farm boy will find more than he's bargained for on his quest to awaken the sleeping princess in her cursed tower. First there's the Dark Lord who wishes for the boy's untimely death … and also very fine cheese. Then there's a bard without a song in her heart but with a very adorable and fuzzy tail, an assassin who fears not the night but is terrified of chickens, and a mighty fighter more frightened of her sword than of her chain-mail bikini. This journey will lead to sinister umlauts, a trash-talking goat, the Dread Necromancer Steve, and a strange and wondrous journey to the most peculiar "happily ever after" that ever once-upon-a-timed

Briar Rose

by Jane Yolen

Tor Fantasy, 1992. 190 pages. Young Adult Fiction

Rebecca has always loved listening to her grandmother's stories about Briar Rose. However, the old woman's astonishing and hard-to-believe admission that she "is" Briar Rose sets Rebecca on an unforgettable path of self-discovery that will change her life forever.

Through the Woods

By Emily Carrol

Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2014. 208 pages. Graphic Novel

Journey through the woods in this sinister, compellingly spooky collection that features four brand-new stories and one phenomenally popular tale in print for the first time. These are fairy tales gone seriously wrong, where you can travel to "Our Neighbor's House"--though coming back might be a problem. Or find yourself a young bride in a house that holds a terrible secret in "A Lady's Hands Are Cold." You might try to figure out what is haunting "My Friend Janna," or discover that your brother's fiancée may not be what she seems in "The Nesting Place." And of course, you must revisit the horror of "His Face All Red," the breakout webcomic hit that has been gorgeously translated to the printed page.

AG

Babel

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution

by R.F. Kuang

Harper Voyager, 2022. 544 pages. Fantasy

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. He trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he'll enroll in Oxford University's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. Babel is the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire's quest for colonization. For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide ... Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?

Babel is an engrossing, detailed story that's written in such an immersive style, you'll feel like you're studying at Oxford too. While the magical element of silver-working is one of the driving plot-points of the book, this reads more like historical fiction, with discussions of colonialism and racism mixed in with the themes of magic and academia. I also appreciated the footnotes found throughout the book, in the style of those used in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell or The Historian. If you're looking for an atmospheric read full of moral questions and a bit of turmoil and magic, this book is for you.

If you like Babel you might also like:

The Ninth House

by Leigh Bardugo

Flatiron Books, 2019. 458 pages. Fantasy

Galaxy "Alex" Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale's freshman class to be given a full-ride scholarship. What's the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale's secret societies. Their eight windowless "tombs" are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

by Susanna Clarke

Bloomsbury, 2004. 782 pages. Fantasy

In nineteenth-century England, all is going well for rich, reclusive Mr Norrell, who has regained some of the power of England's magicians from the past, until a rival magician, Jonathan Strange, appears and becomes Mr Norrell's pupil.

Goblin Emperor

by Katherine Addison

Tor, 2014. 446 pages. Fantasy

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

MB

All My Rage

All My Rage

By Sabaa Tahir
Razorbill, 2022. 374 pages Young Adult Fiction

A family extending from Pakistan to California, deals with generations of young love, old regrets, and forgiveness.

Salahudin and Noor paint the story of what it is like to be young ethnic teenagers with few resources and even fewer options. Told in alternating points of view between Salahudin, his mother Misbah, and his best friend Noor, this is an emotional tale filled with tragedy, and as the title suggests, rage. Themes include coping with death, the immigrant experience, and racism.  This is a beautiful, lyrical, and fast-paced book. Trigger warnings for abuse, and childhood sexual trauma.    

If you like All My Rage, you might also like:

Love from A to Z

By S.K. Ali

Salaam Reads, 2019. 342 pages. Young Adult Fiction

Eighteen-year-old Muslims Adam and Zayneb meet in Doha, Qatar, during spring break and fall in love as both struggle to find a way to live their own truths.

An Emotion of Great Delight

By Tahereh Mafi

Harper, 2021. 248 pages. Young Adult Fiction

In the wake of 9/11, Shadi, a child of Muslim immigrants, tries to navigate her crumbling world of death, heartbreak and bigotry in silence, until finally everything changes.

RBL

Let's Learn Hiragana

Let's Learn Hiragana

by Yasuko Kosaka Mitamura

Kodansha International, 195. 71 pages. Nonfiction

This text teaches hiragana, the basic Japanese written alphabet in well-tested, step-by-step lessons for individual study. There are three types of Japanese script-katakana, hiragana, and kanji. It is possible to read Japanese knowing only a limited number of kanji, but it is not possible with only a limited number of katakana or hiragana-one must know all of them. Let's Learn Hiragana, and its companion volume Let's Learn Katakana, is a textbook that introduces the learner to the basics of one of these fundamental Japanese scripts.

If you want to learn Japanese, learning Hiragana is the first step. I found this book to be a big help in learning to write Hiragana, and in memorizing them as well.

If you like Let's Learn Hiragana, you might also like...

Easy Hiragana

by Fujihiko Kaneda

Passport Books, 1989. 153 pages. Nonfiction

Beginning This step-by-step guide to hiragana includes writing models by award-winning Japanese calligraphers, concise explanations, and numerous exercises to improve students' writing style, build vocabulary, improve pronunciation, and increase knowledge of Japanese language structures, counters, and punctuation.

Reading & Writing Japanese

by Eriko Sato

Tuttle Publishing, 2021. 127 pages. Nonfiction

This book gives you all the tools you need to learn to pronounce, read and write Japanese! ·A thorough overview of the hiragana and katakana alphabets ·An introduction to 50 key kanji characters ·Audio recordings to improve your pronunciation and comprehension ·A step-by-step approach to writing words and then sentences ·Practice exercises featuring everyday activities and situations.

NS

Wrong Place Wrong Time

Wrong Place Wrong Time

by Gillian McAllister

William Morrow, 2022. 402 pages. Fiction

Can you stop a murder after it's already happened? It's late October. After midnight. Jen is waiting up for her seventeen-year-old son. He's late. As she watches from the window, he emerges, and she realizes he isn't alone: he's walking toward a man, and he's armed. Jen can't believe what she sees when her funny, happy teenage son kills a stranger, right there on the street outside the house. Devastated and in despair, Jen wakes up the next morning only to discover that she is living that fateful day over again. The next day, it is the day before yesterday. Every morning she wakes up a day earlier, another day before the murder, with another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lies an answer to why this all happened.

I like suspense novels in general, but adding a time travel element to the story helped keep the premise of this novel new and fresh for me. It means Jen can actually stop the murder, while also adding extra complications. At first, Jen focuses on ways to stop the murder itself, trying to figure out where her son gets the knife. But as Jen goes further back in time, she delves into more than just causes and effects, and realizes there's a larger mystery at hand. I also loved that Jen's own motivations were motivations of love and concern instead of the motivations a hardened detective might have. This is a unique take on a suspense story that you won't want to miss.

If you like Wrong Place Wrong Time you might also like:

The Last Thing He Told Me

by Laura Dave

Simon and Schuster, 2021. 306 pages. Fiction

When her husband of one year disappears, Hannah Hall’s only warning is a cryptic note stating “Protect her.” Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen's 16-year-old daughter, Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother. Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn't who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen's true identity—and why he really disappeared.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

by Stuart Turton

Sourcebooks Landmark, 2018. 435 pages. Mystery

Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, occupying the body of a different person each time, Aiden Bishop must solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle in order to escape the curse in a world where nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

Here and Now and Then

by Mike Chen

Mira, 2019. 326 pages. Science Fiction

Stranded for eighteen years since the 1990s, time-traveling agent Kin Stewart, suffering from memory loss, has started a new life. When rescuers from the year 2142 finally arrive, he must choose between his current family and the one he left behind in the future. Although this novel is more sci-fi than mystery, this novel will appeal to readers who liked the time travel element and family motivations of Wrong Place Wrong Time.

MB

The Writing Retreat

The Writing Retreat

By Julia Bartz

Emily Bestler Books/Atria, 2023. 313 pages. Fiction

While attending a month-long writing retreat at the estate of a feminist horror writer who issues a life-changing challenge, Alex, determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, ignores the strange happenings around her. Until the disappearance of a fellow writer leads her on a desperate search for the truth.

I really enjoyed this bleak, genre bending debut from Julia Bartz. She is definitely an author to look out for! I will say this book is not for everyone; it’s part gothic horror, part psychological suspense and all bizarre. From our narrator Alex and her frustrating decision making to the wonderfully creepy Blackbriar Estate, the descriptive writing tips you off early on that something is not quite right with the Blackbriar or the writers and staff circling the estate. There’s also a book within a book since we can read some of the manuscript pages Alex is working on during the retreat. I found this concept intriguing as it provided even more insight into the dark history of Blackbriar and Alex’s mindset. Overall, this ferocious debut from Julia Bartz kept me guessing and feeling uneasy from the first page. 

If you liked The Writing Retreat, you might also like: 

What Lies in the Woods

By Kate Alice Marshall

Flatiron Books, 2023. 322 pages. Fiction

Twenty-two years ago, Naomi Shaw believed in magic. She and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent that summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder--the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to find the man who had hurt her. The girls' testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes. And they were liars. For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods, no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be.

One by One

By Ruth Ware

Scout Press, 2021. 372 pages. Fiction 

Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn't sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there's a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep warm. But what happens when that company has eight coworkers, none of whom can be trusted? An off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?

BW

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

By Heather Fawcett

Del Ray, 2023. 317 pages. Fiction

In the early 1900s, a curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town to study faerie folklore, where she discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love. Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on dryadology, the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encylopedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party--much less get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog Shadow, and the Fair Folk to that of friends or lovers. So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hransvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: the dashing and insufferably handsome Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of her research, and utterly confound and frustrate Emily. But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones--the most elusive of all faeries--lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all--her own heart.

This was a really fun novel to read, and I didn't want to put it down. The footnotes were delightful and convincing (are there really all those 19th century scholarly books on faeries?). The author also described things really beautifully, in a cinematic way. I was a little disappointed by the end (but I'm assuming some things get resolved in the next book!) and sometimes in the book, there's a feeling of cold detachment, but I think the author intended that, through her character Emily. Despite this, Emily is a likeable character, and even though he's drastically different from Emily, so is Wendell Bambleby. Definitely an enjoyable, convincing story about humans and their strange interactions with the faerie folk. 

If you liked Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, you may also like:

The Perilous Gard

By Elizabeth Marie Pope

Puffin Books, 1992. 280 pages. Junior Fiction

Kate Sutton, out of favor with Queen (Bloody) Mary and under house arrest at Elvenwood Hall, becomes intrigued by Christopher Heron, the younger brother of the Lord of the Manor. Having lost Cecily his niece, and fearing she drowned in the old holy well, he is a tortured soul. Kate begins to learn the secrets of her new home, and how closely they're entwined with the fairy folk who have run Elvenwood Hall for centuries. When Christopher is taken underground to be sacrificed in Cecily's stead and Kate too is captured, she so impresses her fairy hosts that they begin to teach her their secrets. Another secret -- that of saving Christopher from sacrifice -- she learns from the mad minstrel Randal straight out of the ballad Tam Lin. This is a beautiful story set in Elizabethan England, with rich details and characters.

Nettle and Bone

By T. Kingfisher

Tom Doherty Associates, 2021. 243 pages. Science Fiction

After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra-the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter-has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself. Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch, Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince-if she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning. On her quest, Marra is joined by the gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra's family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last.

MGB