Hello Reader,

I've been neglecting the "What I'm Reading" portion of my newsletter in all the busy-ness of the past few months, so today is a double-header. If you're looking for something to distract you from the news once you get your ballot in, this is the newsletter for you!

Even though I'm mostly writing adult fiction these days, my love of middle grade endures. And part of the reason for that is the hope and heart that is so much a part of my favorite middle grade stories.

This week, one of my new favorites released: Unsinkable Cayenne by my friend and amazing middle grade author Jessica Vitalis. All of Jessica's stories are pure magic, but this one holds a special place in my heart because we were together at a writing retreat when a good chunk of this beautiful novel in verse was drafted and I got to read some bits that were fresh from her fingers.

This free verse historical uses the discovery of the wreck of the Titanic as the backdrop for a middle-grade appropriate and timely discussion of class, housing insecurity, and unique family circumstances. You'll fall in love with sweet Cayenne and her zany family and will appreciate the history and bird imagery that makes this book what School Library Journal called "intensely readable" in their starred review.

This week I also finally got around to reading TJ Klune's follow-up to one of my favorites, The House in the Cerulean Sea. Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a magnificent follow-up that I devoured in just a few late-night reading sessions.

During a season where each time we open the news, turn on the television, or get on social media, we're likely to be bombarded by fear and violence, this story was a much-needed balm and an excellent distraction.

I loved dipping back into Linus and Arthur's magical world and, although this book is technically for adults, the character development of the young people in this book was one of my favorite parts. This ensemble cast made up of a regular old human, his grumpy goddess of a cat, a Phoenix, the literal antichrist, a garden gnome, a wyvern, a shifter, a sprite or two, some mudmen, and an antagonist hilariously named Ms. Marblemaw does not disappoint. A moving story of acceptance, the power of love, and the ability of the human heart to heal after trauma, Somewhere Beyond the Sea had me laughing out loud one moment and crying the next.

Writing all the words may feel impossible these next few days. So grab a good book, snuggle up, and let one of these stories remind you of all the ways that books change hearts, minds, and lives. It's why we do this thing, isn't it?

Until next time...