May and June 2022 Books
May was a pretty "blah" month for me. First my oldest sister informed me that she would never support my "choice" to be gay (thanks, sis! Love you, too), then I had a lot of financial stress and had to do some gross stuff to earn extra $$, and I got super sick on top of it. Not Covid, thankfully; just regular sick. I didn't feel like reading, but I DID do a fair bit of writing.
June was a little better, emotionally speaking, but I still didn't feel like reading. My friend said that's just how summer is; you don't wanna do shit. So... That'll be my excuse. I don't exactly feel bad about it; I don't have any obligation to read more than I want to. But still...
Books I recommended my library purchase in May of 2022:
1. Sometime in Summer by Katrina Leno (expected release: June 27, 2022). A new Leno book! I loved "Summer of Salt" and "Horrid." Those two books are tonally way different from each other, so I don't really know what to expect here, but I'm excited! Based on the summary, I'm getting some SoS seaside vibes and magical realism, and some Horrid mother-daughter tensions. 
2. Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey (expected release: July 18, 2022). Pretty pink cover with dripping blood? Clearly, this was made for me! I liked Gailey's River of Teeth novellas and, while I'm not speculating on a stranger's gender/sexuality, it wouldn't surprise me if she wasn't cishet. So— haunted house, family drama, serial killers? Count me in! 
3. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (expected release: July 18, 2022). Moreno-Garcia is growing on me. I was disappointed by "Mexican Gothic," but I loved "Certain Dark Things" enough to give her other stuff a chance. This book seems to have some gothic vibes; jungle isolation, mad scientists, and monsters!! Love that. 
4. The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim (expected release: August 29, 2022). I loved Six Crimson Cranes, and I'm so hyped for the sequel! I wanna know what's gonna happen to Shiori! I'm hoping there isn't a love triangle with the dragon (I'm fond of Takkan as the love interest). Still, I can't wait to see what the kingdom of dragons is like. Will the dragon king be a total ass? Cranes surprised me multiple times with its twists, so I'm expecting to be blown away by the reveals here, too.
5. Little Eve by Catriona Ward (expected release: October 10, 2022). This one is weird, because the book has been out since 2018, but my library is acting as though it's new. Maybe the audiobook is new, or the American* edition, or...? I don't know, but I love the author, and my libraries don't carry any older versions, so if I ever want to read this spooky goodness, this is what I have to recommend.
* I don't know if this is considered a hot take, but I don't like when books are "Americanized." It feels patronizing! Translate works into as many languages as you can, of course (good translators are freaking amazing and I love them) but there's no need to change anything on a national/cultural level! Who cares if "color" is spelled with a U or it says "bin" instead of "trash can"? It's fine! We can put on our big-girl pants and figure it out, I promise!
Books read in May 2022: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, I Am the Ghost in Your House by Maria Romasco Moore, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer, Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz, and Dragonslayer by Tui T. Sutherland.
That's not a lot of reading for me. But I did do some watching! I finally watched seasons 3 and 4 of Castlevania and it was fantastic and I heard the news that the series is getting a French revolution-era spinoff??? DUDE.
Dracula is still fine as wine, thanks for asking. If I had a nickel for every time my lesbian ass lusted after a thicc, cape-wearing, homicidal cartoon DILF who adores his wife but makes questionable parenting decisions, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it is weird that it happened twice. (If it wasn't clear, I'm also referring to Magneto, the ultimate love of my life.) 
Unf. Rip my throat out, Dracudaddy.
Books I recommended the library should purchase in June of 2022:
Life Ceremony: Stories by Sayaka Murata (release date: July 4, 2022). After the charmingly, heartbreakingly relatable slice-of-life that was Convenience Store Woman and the absolutely bizarre (yet similarly-themed) cannibalism and incest of "Earthling," I honestly don't know what to expect from a collection of short stories by Murata, but I'm excited to find out. (I hope there will be more themes of "not all women fit in when they live in a conservative, Capitalism-driven society.") 
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (release date: July 11, 2022). I don't know what it is about lesbians and the ocean, but we apparently love it (I'm no exception. Love me some Sapphic ocean themes). If you've read my Deep Water series, you know I love queers, marine biologists, and mental health. I don't know if this will be a literal or metaphorical drowning (I suspect the former), but I'm here for it regardless.
Our Shadows Have Claws by multiple authors (release date: September 5, 2022). I hope the cover is released on GR soon, because it looks great on my library website. I'm so here to support Latino YA authors! I don't usually like short story compilations, but I'm ready to get my socks blown off regardless. Latin America has some of the best monsters in literature, so I sincerely hope at least a few of these stories give me the creeps!
The Depths by Nicole Lesperance (release date: September 12, 2022). YESSS, gimme the creepy magical islands!!! Would you look at that gorgeous cover?! Magical realism? (Hopefully) spooky magical realism? "Dark, tangled secrets"? YES PLEASE. I'm particularly intrigued by the "strange little girl" the premise promises, since creepy children are the best. Ahhh I hope this is good, and more than just basic YA.
The Encounter by Chris Grine (release date: October 3, 2022). The third Animorphs graphic novel is coming out this fall!!! If you've read this blog for a while, you know I've been an Animorphs fan since I was a kid, and I recently re-read the entire series. I tried to get two of my three nieces into the series. One loves it; the other doesn't. Such is life. Anyway, I can't afford to financially support Mr. Grine's work, but I can recommend him to my library, and I can try to get The New Generation into a very good series about surviving the horrors of war, as well as the realistic complexities and trauma that come with being a child soldier. (This book in particular is notorious for a scene of attempted child suicide, so brace yourselves.)
Books read in June 2022: Billy Summers by Stephen King, Scars by Cheryl Rainfield, Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher, You Must Not Miss by Katrina Leno, We Can Never Leave This Place by Eric LaRocca, The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan. and Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino.
