Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey, 582 pages

From The Expanse, "Dulcinea": "In the 23rd century, humans have colonized the Solar System. The UN controls Earth. Mars is an independent military power. The inner planets depend on the resources of the asteroid belt. Belters live and work in space. In the Belt, air and water are more precious than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising - Earth, Mars and the Belt are now on the brink of war. All it will take is a single spark…"

This is my first time reading this book series and it is fascinating. Generally the futuristic scifi I consume is more like Star Trek, where humanity's future is mostly positive even if still fraught with the problems imperfect beings are plagued with.  Leviathan Wakes is not like that: the future is grimy and grim. The best AND the worst of humanity has been flung into the solar system, creating vast canyons of moral grayness, raw hope, and desperate actions.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, 404 pages

From GoodReads: "Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend."

This book has a slow, infuriating-but-necessary build. It features rampant systematic racism and misogyny and violation on a level that was intense. My cheeks burned with second hand humiliation in some scenes. Some scenes were so disturbing on a visceral level that I had to stop reading and just sit with it. The horror and the dread stick with you in a vicious, disturbingly thrilling way. 

Everything's Good by Toni Chapman

Everything's Good: Cozy Classics You'll Cook Always & Forever by Toni Chapman -- 255 pages

I was not very impressed with this cookbook.  The description made it seem like it would contain easy to make home cooking.  However, I found most of the recipes called for multiple ingredients you wouldn't normally have.  I only found 1-2 recipes I would even consider making.  Unfortunately, this was not the cookbook for me.

 

Bleach, Vol. 2 by Tite Kubo

Bleach, Vol. 2 by Tite Kubo

Bleach, 192 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Immediately after checking into the Kurosaki Clinic with a mysterious scar on his back, the muscle-bound Chad goes AWOL. Accompanying Chad is a talking parakeet imbued with the soul of a young boy named Yūichi. It doesn't take newbie Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki long to surmise that a Hollow must be involved. By far the strongest spirit he's faced to date, Ichigo is about to discover that not every soul is bound for the Soul Society, especially if it's tainted with innocent blood.

Bone, Vol. 7: Ghost Circles by Jeff Smith

Bone, Vol. 7: Ghost Circles by Jeff Smith

Bone, 184 pages

⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

The Bones, Gran’ma Ben, Thorn, and their loyal Rat Creature cub venture on a journey through the mysterious ghost circles to Atheia, the old city of the royal family. One wrong step could change the Valley’s fate forever…

One Year at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks

One Year at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks

176 pages

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Was boarding school supposed to be this hard?

When studious thirteen-year-old Juniper wins a scholarship to the prestigious Ellsmere Academy, she expects to find a scholastic utopia. But living at Ellsmere is far from ideal: She is labeled a “special project,” Ellsmere's queen bee is out to destroy her, and it’s rumored that a mythical beast roams the forest next to the school.

Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen

Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen

224 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

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?