Check out Gracie's Best in Shelf for 2020!
A stunning debut set in a dystopian Cape Town where an airborne disease that causes death by laughter has ravaged an entire country. From pony-tail dealers to death eaters, an imaginative, rich, and beautifully written novel.
Imagine writing a book that covers the Spanish Influenza pandemic, women's suffrage, the Irish War for Independence, World War I, and the struggles of child delivery in the early 20th century. Okay, now imagine reading that book and having your breath absolutely taken away. That is this book and it is glorious!
The first biography of Washington that I have ever read, but also the first one that looks through a critical lens at the canon that has been established around him (and his muscular thighs) and what his actual legacy should be. Also the graphics are *beautiful*
Think Harry Potter meets Hunger Games but much darker and from the perspective of a witch whose power is to create mass destruction - a power she tries desperately not to use even when faced with grave danger. Such a fresh magic system and characters that are diverse, global, and complex.
This is the singular book that made me laugh out loud in 2020. Dark humor collides with slapstick comedy in a whirlwind that is both touching and freaking hilarious.
