Books about music usually are full of heart and soul. On the Come Up is no exception. In fact, it far surpassed more than a few of such books I’ve loved before. On that front, I actually am a bit surprised. I knew that coming from Angie Thomas, this one would be a good book. However, hip hop isn’t generally on my radar, so I did go in with slightly tempered expectations.
SUMMER BIRD BLUE by Akemi Dawn Bowman
I was pretty excited when my hold on the audiobook of Summer Bird Blue came through on Overdrive. I knew that the main character was biracial, and since I am too, I’m constantly seeking out out such identities in book.
CHRISTMAS CAKES AND MISTLETOE NIGHTS by Carole Matthews
Technically, Christmas Cakes and Mistletoe Nights is a sequel to Cake Shop in the Garden but it stands quite well on its own. I actually only realised that it’s a sequel due to the summarised info dump during the first couple of chapters — think throwback highlight reel at the start of new seasons of TV shows. Once that’s done and dusted, it’s back to regular writing and storytelling.
ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART by Katherine Webber
Only Love Can Break Your Heart demonstrates how messy relationships can be, be they romantic, platonic or familial. From grief, to love, to forgiveness and hope, this book covered a huge spectrum of life experiences.
FAMILY AND OTHER CATASTROPHES by Alexandra Borowitz
Good satire makes you laugh while simultaneously reflecting on the subject matters. Rooted in reality, it makes you wonder how serious these characters are (very) but then on second thought you realise that they’re world views are so black and white, they couldn’t be for real. With that in mind, Borowitz used satire very effectively in Family and Other Catastrophes. Emily was so neurotic but with the kind of mother she had, it kind of made sense. Her sister Lauren, was fully committed to feminist social activism, in stark contrast to their brother, Jason, who was a desperate divorcé and quite the sexist.
