A. Banana

Hot take: Electabuzz was a perfect Pokémon and it was a mistake to introduce Electivire. I won't be taking comments at this time.

My 7yo announced that he would NEVER learn to drive.

Me: "That's fine, but you don't have to decide that right now. You might change your mind one day. Like if you have a child who needs a ride to school!" (what we were doing)

5yo: "WHOA whoa whoa. HE can't have a baby. He doesn't have a VULVA."

SO GOOD. The second one was my favorite and the one I re-read most frequently.

Review by banana_hutch - Starter Villain I really enjoyed this silly book. It's fast-paced but keeps you guessing. It's funny, surprisi...

Finished STARTER VILLAIN by @scalzi.com and boy does this book have everything: foul-mouthed unionizing dolphins, backstabbing (and regular stabbing), and a reluctant "hero" who is smarter than you think.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/b9dc...

"No. It's the children who are wrong."

Review by banana_hutch - Unnatural Magic This book both gave me an existential crisis and also pleasantly surprised me. I have long lov...

Finished UNNATURAL MAGIC by C.M. Waggoner last night. I haven't picked up a new fantasy book in awhile so here is a review about me re-finding my fantastical roots.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/2760...

Recently rediscovered a letter I wrote to Santa when I was probably 7 or 8 that ended with "No pressure" so it turns out I've literally always been this way.

Review by banana_hutch - Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am I've been reading a lot of magical realism and speculative fiction this year, so I paused to t...

Finished COME FLY THE WORLD: THE JET-AGE STORY OF THE WOMEN OF PAN AM by Julia Cooke last night. I was happy to take a little break for nonfiction this month. Here is my review!

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f760...

Salazzle, an absolute diva of a Pokemon. Charcoal-gray, magenta, and foggy purple. All attitude.

Salazzle is such a diva. I love her.

Playing "Spiders" with the kids.

Me: Hi, what's your name?
7yo: Stanley!
Me: Oh, hi Stanley! It's nice to meet you!
7yo: Please call me Justin.

When one of the kids slips into bed with us in the middle of the night, I never send them back. I know that one day they won't want to crawl in and snuggle, so I'll take what I can get.

Me: "UGH. I'm sorry, [daughter], but I think I'm done with this level for tonight."

Daughter, scornfully: "Okay, Ms. Fixed Mindset."

I am SO excited for this to come to Bloomington and so happy for Twila/BookMother. Absolutely cannot wait to throw money at this business!

Last night my son had a dream that he was drowning and crawled into bed with us. Little did he know I was in the middle of my own dream about an unquenchable bloody nose. Perhaps we're dream-linked.

Review by banana_hutch - Ghost Music This is a book about unfulfilled potential, family dynamics - specifically Chinese family dyna...

My final book of summer, GHOST MUSIC by An Yu. This one was melancholy, sedate, and eerie.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/dab4...

Review by banana_hutch - Days at the Morisaki Bookshop This a very fast and gentle story. I wish I could visit a place with that density of bookstore...

I'm done with DAYS AT THE MORISAKI BOOKSHOP by Satoshi Yagisawa (translated by Eric Ozawa). It was a perfect lakeside read.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/33d1...

Review by banana_hutch - Shark Heart: A Love Story I adored this book and will be telling everyone I know to read it. It is exactly, exactly my c...

Wowwwww I really loved SHARK HEART by Emily Habeck.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/b0bf...

Review by banana_hutch - The Unmaking of June Farrow This feels like a book that a lot of people will love. It has the makings of what could be a d...

THE UNMAKING OF JUNE FARROW by Adrienne Young was enjoyable, though I had been hoping for more.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/b5f4...

If my husband dies before me I'm going to get remarried to one of my best friends so we can grow old together and be happy and then I'll tell people, "We're friends with benefits...TAX BENEFITS."

Review by banana_hutch - Toward Eternity Me a few pages in: I don't know if this one is for me. Me a few sections in: WELP, that was a ...

Finished TOWARD ETERNITY by @antonhur.com. Summed up, this one was all too brief but brilliantly descriptive.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/56d2...

Screenshot of my energy bill that says 'Compared to this time last year, you used 31% more electricity.'

Yeah well this time last year the air was 31% less full of wildfire smoke and global warming. I'M DOING MY BEST.

Review by banana_hutch - The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle It's like a literary escape room. What a fun, almost interactive mystery this book is. I kept ...

THE 7 1/2 DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE by Stuart Turton was a treat, and I devoured it.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/508f...

Review by banana_hutch - Rotherweird At no point did this book go anywhere near where I was expecting it to. Such a strange, detail...

Finished ROTHERWEIRD by Andrew Caldecott last night. What a weird one! Really enjoyed it, tho.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ebd8...

4yo just read aloud a letter as she typed on her toy keyboard and it went like this:

"Dear Mom,
There's a zombie right behind you that's eating you. And there's a ghost in your mouth that's picking your lungs. I love you, but goodbye forever."

The other night my 4yo burst into heartbroken tears because she discovered my husband doesn't have a stuffy he sleeps with. Now she has brought me one of hers and wants to wrap it up for him as a gift. I love her so much.

Review by banana_hutch - The Monsoon War There is such rich world-building in this book. This story covers dark, sad, seemingly hopeles...

Just finished THE MONSOON WAR by @binashah.bsky.social and really, really enjoyed it.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/6687...

Take care of yourself! I went back over the weekend and re-read everything up until the current page. And maybe I'll do it again while I wait for what comes next. <3

I made a pasta sauce out of a zucchini that I grew myself this weekend so I'm feeling pretty good about that.

Review by banana_hutch - Lonely Castle in the Mirror This book is beautiful. I always wish when I read translated works that I could read other lan...

Recently finished Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura. If you've ever experienced loneliness, anxiety or bullying, this one will resonate with you.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f67f...

There is nothing redeemable about apples. They're PITA to eat whole but brown quickly when sliced or cut. They're mushy when cooked, mealy when sauced. I'll eat them if I must, but I won't be happy about it.