Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin

320 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pedro Martín has grown up hearing stories about his abuelito—his legendary crime-fighting, grandfather who was once a part of the Mexican Revolution! But that doesn't mean Pedro is excited at the news that Abuelito is coming to live with their family. After all, Pedro has 8 brothers and sisters and the house is crowded enough! Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring Abuelito home, and what follows is the trip of a lifetime, one filled with laughs and heartache. Along the way, Pedro finally connects with his abuelito and learns what it means to grow up and find his grito.

Who Was Paul Revere? by Roberta Edwards

 

Who Was Paul Revere? by Roberta Edwards - 105 pages

In 1775, Paul Revere of Boston made his now-famous horseback ride warning colonists of an impending attack by the British. This event went largely unnoticed in history until Longfellow celebrated it in a poem in 1861. So who was Paul Revere? In addition to being an American patriot, he was a skilled silversmith and made false teeth from hippo tusks! This biography, with black-and-white illustrations throughout, brings to life Paul Revere's thrilling ride as well as the personal side of the man and the exciting times in which he lived.

This was a quick and informative read!

My Hero Academia, Volume 22 & 23

My Hero Academia, Volume 22 - 192 pages

My Hero Academia, Volume 23 - 198 pages

Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb D. Cook (Translator)

Series Summary (From Volume 1 on Goodreads)

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks” at age four? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny…

Review

I thought it was neat to have this compare and contrast dynamic between the events of the joint training arc in these volumes, and the sports festival from the beginning of the series.  We get to see all the progress made both by class 1-A, and their rivals in class 1-B.  I was also glad to see the return of Shinso; I'd been worried he was just going to be used to make a point early on in the series about flaws in the U.A. system, before being removed from the story entirely.  

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #1-6, 152 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Don’t murder the locals—this is small-town serial killer, upstanding citizen, and adorable brown bear Samantha Strong’s cardinal rule. A sea of potential victims is in the city just beyond the forest, but when you’ve worked as hard as Sam to build a cozy life and a thriving business in a community surrounded by friendly fellow animal folk, warm decor, and the aroma of cedar trees and freshly baked apple pie, the last thing you want is to disturb the peace. So imagine Sam's indignation when one of Woodbrook’s own meets a grisly, mysterious demise. You wouldn’t blame her for doing anything it takes to hunt down her rival before the town self-destructs and Sheriff Patterson starts barking up the wrong tree.

Stone Fruit by Lee Lai

Stone Fruit by Lee Lai

231 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Bron and Ray are a queer couple who enjoy their role as the fun weirdo aunties to Ray’s niece, six-year-old Nessie. Their playdates are little oases of wildness, joy, and ease in all three of their lives, which ping-pong between familial tensions and deep-seated personal stumbling blocks. As their emotional intimacy erodes, Ray and Bron isolate from each other and attempt to repair their broken family ties — Ray with her overworked, resentful single-mother sister and Bron with her religious teenage sister who doesn’t fully grasp the complexities of gender identity. Taking a leap of faith, each opens up and learns they have more in common with their siblings than they ever knew.

When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer

 When the Day Comes  by Gabrielle Meyer  373 pages

Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other without any time passing. On her twenty-first birthday, Libby must choose one path and forfeit the other--but how can she possibly decide when she has so much to lose?

I am not a time-travel reader most of the time, but I thought I would try this one since I love Historical Fiction.  This book was set in 1774-1776 and then she travels to 1914.  I really became invested in this book and couldn't put it down. She even met George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.  She is a printer so she helped publish the Federalist Papers.  I was so upset about the decision she made but the ending was awesome!! I can't wait to read the next book in the series. 

Between the Pines by Amber Palmer

Between the Pines by Amber Palmer -- 312 pages

Josie Hayes is always on the run. From bad decisions. From heartbreak. From cowboys. Her latest escape was supposed to be a quiet reset at her family’s cabin in Tennessee—not a reckless detour at a smoky backwoods bar, and definitely not a collision with Lincoln Carter. Rugged and magnetic, he’s temptation in a cowboy hat, and his slow smile makes forgetting her rules far too easy.

Their connection is instant, electric, and impossible to ignore. What starts with teasing glances and lingering touches spiral into a series of nights that feel like more—too much more. By the end of the week, Josie does what she does best: she bolts, leaving behind only her name and the memory of a man she can’t shake.

A year later, Josie’s done running. With a steady job, a new boyfriend, and her life finally on track, she’s ready to prove she’s not the same girl she used to be. Except her father’s prestigious summer horse training program just brought a ghost from her past straight to her front door. Lincoln isn’t the forgiving type, and now that he’s on the ranch, he’s determined to show Josie exactly what she left behind—and what they could have had if she’d stayed. As old wounds reopen and sparks reignite, Josie must decide: keep running from her past or take a chance on the cowboy who just might be worth staying for.