The Runaway Princess

The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A delightfully different fairy tale about a princess who wasn't content to sit around and let herself become a prize for men to fight over, and sets out to win her own hand (and save herself from a despicable, lying prince). I loved Meg and all her friends, and I can't wait to read more of their adventures, as I see there is a sequel, featuring Laddy! Also, despite the fact that I love that this book wasn't about romance or Meg finding her prince, I can't be the only one hoping to see Bain pop up again in the future, with his delightfully smirky smirk.

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Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies

Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies by Michael Ausiello
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An honest and heart-felt chronicle of not just the last year in the life of Ausiello's beloved husband, Kit, but also the true story of their relationship, with all the high and lows contained within. Ausiello doesn't sugarcoat anything - he is upfront about both his and Kit's issues that made their relationship contentious at times. But he also shows how their deep love for one another, despite infidelity and jealousy, and especially in the face of certain death, kept them together through all the dark days, and helped them treasure the bright ones.

As a lifelong tv fanatic (my username on most social media outlets is rachlovestv), I've been a fan of Ausiello's writing from his early Ask Ausiello days - no one could give me the scoop on Veronica, Felicity, Buffy, and all my other tv friends quite like Mike. I wasn't aware of his personal story, however, and when I first heard of this memoir of his, my first thought was, "Oh nooooo! That's too sad!" followed quickly by, "I'm going to need to read that!" This book has come at the perfect time in my life, as well, and I happen to have been reading quite a few cancer memoirs over the last 6 months.

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Hamilton: The Revolution

Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A delightful look into not just the genesis and creation of the hit musical, but at the history and hip hop that inspired its creator, and the journey the show went through from initial conception to Broadway. This is a must-read for fans of the show, but I'd also recommend it to musical theater fans in general.

The only downside to the audiobook is that Lin's annotations to the libretto are read straight through, without reference to what they are notating. Yes, a PDF is included with the audiobook for reference, but I mostly listen to audiobooks when I'm driving or walking or working on other things, not when I'm sitting in front of a computer, reading a PDF for reference.

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Just Listen

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD

Like most of Dessen's heroines, Annabelle has been through some Serious Sh*t, and although her silence is frustrating at times, I don't blame her for retreating into herself and trying to pretend that hadn't happened to her. It's true that becoming labeled as "the girl who was raped" or even harsher "the girl who SAID she was raped" is something people have a hard time forgetting. There's no other way this book was going to end, though, than with Annabelle finally gathering her courage and finally telling the truth about what happened to her, and spilling all the secrets she'd been keeping for the last six months.

It made sense that Owen was a big encouragement to her finally telling the truth: she wanted to be the person he saw her as, and Owen saw Emily as strong and honest. But she also needed the others around her to finally see her: her sisters, her parents, Clarke, Emily. I was a little frustrated by Owen when he got so angry at her not telling him what was going on. No matter how close you've gotten, if it's something she still can't say to you, don't you think that maybe it's a big deal, and you could be a little more understanding?

It might seem like stories like these aren't as relevant to my life as a 30-something, but sometimes we all need to be reminded that we are loved as we are, that those we love can be trusted, and that life will go on.

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The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe by Ryan North
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Such a fun adventure with Doreen (and her clone Allene)! If you are not reading squirr girl, you are missing out. She is such a positive role model of how to fight evil, but still always work towards compromise. If nothing else, this book shows how dangerous Doreen could be if she didn't love the world and love people. I love what she says st the end when she decides to forgive Allene. Nancy: "You think you can just decide not to hate someone?" Doreen: "I think -- I think you can try. I think that's the most revolutionary thing you can do, actually."

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I Am Princess X

I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Both a story of grief and loss and a riveting adventure to save someone before they are lost for good. I loved the creative combination of prose and sequential art, where it felt like we were reading both May and Libby's stories simultaneously. I also loved how specific the setting was - I'm from Seattle, and I've been to so many of the places in this book that it was really easy to picture each scene.

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Being Mortal

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fascinating look at how best to care for one another and ourselves as we grow older and reach the end of our lives. From doctors trained in geriatrics to a different style of "nursing" home, this book covers both the history of end-of-life care over the centuries and the research studies that show the benefits of prioritizing quality of life over strict medical care.

The author also talks a lot about having conversations with your loved ones about what truly makes life worth living for you, in concrete specific ways. We are often left to make major medical decisions for our loved ones, and having these concrete answers provides a guideline so that you as the caregiver don't have to just guess at what they'd want.

This book feels really important, and i think everyone should read it, especially if you are a medical professional. I couldn't stop calling my mom, who is a retired nurse, nursing school professor, and geriatrics researcher, to tell her things - so much so that she went and bought the book to read herself.

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