03.2021 Book Recommendation // TREASURE ISLAND!!! by Sara Levine

Mikayla recommends... Treasure Island!!! by Sara Levine.

During the last year, I have really struggled with reading books. I know, I know, I'm a librarian! Reading is what I do, and it stressed me out that something I love so much had become such a chore for me. I tried to be patient with myself and ease back in, so I decided that I'd try exclusively reading books less than 250 pages in length, in order to ease myself back into it. And in doing that, I found my love of reading rekindled in the form of the book Treasure Island!!! by Sara Levine.

Treasure Island!!! follows a protagonist who finds herself increasingly unhappy with her adventureless life and series of dead-end jobs. After reading Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of rollicking adventure, Treasure Island, she resolves to redesign her life according to the story's Core Values: boldness, resolution, independence, and horn-blowing. It's such a fun tale, told by an utterly unique voice.

04.2019 Book Recommendation // NOMADLAND by Jessica Bruder

This month, I wanted to recommend one of my favorite books I’ve read recently–Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, by Jessica Bruder. This work of non-fiction tells the stories of a small but growing subculture of Americans who live full-time nomadic lives out of vans and RVs, foregoing real estate in favor of “wheel estate.” They work grueling seasonal jobs in Amazon warehouses, national park campgrounds, and beet farms, working long hours for low wages, many times trading their labor for a free parking spot. But these travelers aren’t like the young artists and non-conformist transients of the Beat generation–the majority are older Americans, some well past retirement age, who had lost their jobs, their homes, and their savings in the Great Recession of 2008. While many would not have initially chosen this houseless lifestyle had their circumstances been different, they have built for themselves a tight-knit community, exemplified by a Burning Man-esque festival for van-dwellers which is held in the desert of Arizona each year. To me, this book really illustrated the creative ends that people sometimes have to go to just to survive in this day and age, and it highlighted the exploitation these people, already down on their luck, have faced in the seasonal labor market. At the same time though, it really got me daydreaming about how cool it could be to live that kind of free, wandering lifestyle.

Staff recommendation published in Crafton Public Library's monthly newsletter.

Book Review // BINGO LOVE by Tee Franklin & Jenn St-Onge

My Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

Hazel and Mari form an unshakeable bond when they meet at church bingo in 1963. They become close friends but quickly fall in love with one another. Their families do not approve of their relationship and force the girls to part. Hazel and Mari meet once again -- 50 years later -- at bingo, but by this time they both have families of their own. Will they throw everything away to be together? Or have they missed their chance at true love?

I found this comic at a library conference and was so excited to get to read it. I immediately fell in love with Hazel and Mari and wanted so badly for them to find happiness in one another. It's not a perfect story, there were parts of the story that felt a little rushed or unrealistic to me, but at the same time, as a queer woman I realize that this is such an important book in terms of representation. It's so rare to have a romance between two women that doesn't end in utter tragedy -- let alone one featuring two women of color or two elderly women. The story isn't overly saccharine -- there is some struggle and hardship woven throughout Hazel & Mari's stories, but the ending is bittersweet, satisfying, and very fitting.

I also just wanted to applaud the artist, Jenn St-Onge, because the art style is adorable. I appreciated how the characters actually looked like real people -- they have all different body types, skin tones, and are even depicted with stretch marks and imperfections. All in all, I think this is a cute, important comic and I would recommend it to any LGBT youth (or, heck, even adults) looking to see themselves represented in media.

Review originally published to Goodreads.com.