The Beach, Some Books & A Lot of SPF
Anyone else love the combination of 🌊+ 📚+ sand between your toes? Pull up a beach chair 🏖️
For as long as I can remember, various family members of mine have made the journey DTS (that’s Jersey for down the shore) for a week of beach, eat, sleep, repeat. In the past decade or so my cousins and I have continued this tradition and I’m grateful for this once a year moment to connect and be in community with my family and their kids.
In recent years, even some of me and my husband's framily (friends who are family = framily!) have joined for a few nights. I love seeing everyone together laughing, eating, sun-tanning, and yes, occasionally bickering.
One of my favorite parts of this vacation is the group of us who are hard core readers. We park ourselves on the beach early in the AM, crack open a fresh book, and most days we don’t leave until we’ve turned the last page.
This year I read a handful of books that I’m still thinking about and am excited to be able to share them with more than just myself this year (yes, I see you my 10 subscribers, I’m so excited you’re here 🎊)
Here’s the 411 on the books I read while DTS:
Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook, Ko Hyung-Ju & Ryan Estrada
Genre: Young Adult Graphic Novel
Rating: 🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵
Why I Chose this Book: I’ve had this on my TBR pile since it came out in 2020. I don’t know why it took me so long to get around to reading it, especially because it combines my love of history with the powerful storytelling format of a graphic novel.
Summary: It’s 1983 and Kim Hyun Sook is bursting at the seams with excitement about starting college. However, her parents worry for her safety because protests and political unrest in South Korea is growing and universities are at the center of it all. Within her first weeks on campus, Hyun Sook stumbles into an underground banned book club and joins a group of students who believe knowledge is power and who risk their freedom and safety to circulate books and share the truth about what is happening in their country. Bit by bit Hyun Sook finds her voice and with it the courage to stand up for herself and fight for truth.
Opinion of this Book: These events may have taken place in South Korea in 1983, but they echo what we’re seeing today in the U.S., which made the story feel incredibly relatable, heartbreaking, and inspiring. At the time, South Korea faced widespread censorship of information on books, news, and more. Today in the U.S., we’re seeing book bans alongside the federal government’s efforts to stack positions of power with cronies and unqualified loyalists, while also pressuring media outlets like CBS and Paramount to push a curated narrative. The hope these students carried in the Banned Book Club was a reminder to keep moving forward in the pursuit of justice.
Highlights: One of my favorite parts was all the book mentions, my TBR pile is now even taller. Some of the books mentioned in the story and that have been added to the TBR pile are:
The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevar
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
Cry of the Peoples and Other Poems by Kim Chi-Ha (Ji-Ha)
Favorite Quote:
Hyun Sook: “Why did you start the club, Yuni?”
Yuni: “Ah, that’s a story for another time.”
Gundo: “Come on! Tell us why you started the book club!”
Yuni: “Because everyone has a right to the truth. But I don’t owe you mine.”
✨
Bones to the Wind by Tatiana Obey
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 💜💜💜💜
Why I Chose this Book: I restarted my Satisfiction subscription this summer and this was the book that arrived in the first box. Satisfiction is my favorite book subscription, full stop. It focuses on sci-fi and fantasy novels by authors of color AND a part of the proceeds goes towards literacy programs. On top of that, the books always have these beautifully designed page edges. 🤩
Summary: Rasia is strong and determined, known for her fierceness, while Kai is timid and pushed to the edges of their Grankull. In their community, Rasia is either cheered on or feared, while Kai is bullied or beaten down. When the two join together for their Forging—a coming-of-age hunt—they form an unlikely likeable duo. Along the way, Rasia helps Kai build strength and confidence, while Kai shows Rasia the value of trust and partnership. Their Forging is filled with terrifying creatures, first loves, and politics, all while a greater threat looms over Kai’s sister, Nico.
Opinion of this Book: Following Rasia and Kai’s journey of personal growth and coming of age was emotional and full of action. The moments where these two very different people came together and filled in the gaps for each other were so emotional. Especially when you understood that each of them genuinely saw each other's truth and what they really needed. Kai needed someone to believe in him while Rasia needed someone who would show up for her. I think that’s such a beautiful message, that we each have something amazing in us that can support and lift up someone else.
Also, the way Rasia and Kai push back against societal and cultural norms and show that being your authentic self and being a good person matters more than having power is a message that is very needed in today’s world.
Highlights: It was such a joy to start learning about the systems and culture of the Grankull and the larger world they live in. The world Obey created feels so unique, and her descriptions gave my imagination such a ride. I’m already itching for book two of the series!
Favorite Quote: “I’m willing to see what you can do, but it’s impossible to gauge the possibilities if you're constantly limiting yourself. Eat like you’re fucking worth something. Dress like you’re fucking worth something. Run like you’re fucking worth something. You’ll never fly if you're clipping your own wings. Understand?”
✨
Wicked Fox by Kat Cho
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating: 💜💜💜💜
Why I Chose this Book: My best friend and I were browsing the shelves at Sweet Pickle Books, a second-hand bookstore on the LES, when I stumbled upon this gem! I hadn’t heard of this series before and last year I had gone on a bit of a reading spree of fiction books that centered around the gumiho folklore which included The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha and The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo. Consequently I was stoked to experience the gumiho folklore from another point of view.
Summary: Miyoung is half human half gumiho and is constantly battling her inner self and the push and pull of humanity and predator. When she saves a human, Jihoon, from being killed by a goblin their lives become inextricably linked when she loses her fox bead (I understood it to be like her essence). Miyoung and Jihoon journey through the world of shamans, folklore, and the complexity of humanity which forces them to grow-up and are faced with the fact that sometimes humans are the real monsters.
Opinion of this Book: I devoured this book in 1.5 days on the beach. I couldn’t put it down and even ignored the ice cream vendor as they walked back and forth on the beach with their bell alerting us to their presence which, if you know me at all, I NEVER say no to ice cream. This book was a young adult K-drama meets Buffy type of vibes and I’m completely here for it. You can bet your socks that I’ll be reading the sequel.
Highlights: I’m completely obsessed with the various mythical and supernatural beings that you meet throughout this story. I loved the multi-dimensional aspects of each of them, everyone had good and bad in them.
Favorite Quote: “Not all predators are monsters. But if you beat them enough, they’ll bite.”
✨
The Boys in the Back Row by Mike Jung
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Rating: 🩷🩷🩷
Why I Chose this Book: My nephew chose this book as one of his summer reading books and I thought it would be fun for us to read it together while DTS. And boy, I was right! It was such a joy to read alongside him and to hear his perspective on the characters and story.
Summary: Picture this: you’re in 6th grade, you love marching band and comics, and your best friend is moving across the country at the end of the year. That’s Eric and Matt. Determined to have one last, unforgettable adventure together, they set out to make memories before Eric leaves. But of course, school bullies Sean and Kenny keep trying to derail their plans. The big question is, will they pull off their never-forget extravaganza before the year ends?!
Opinion of this Book: This is the second book I read this summer (the first was Falling Short by Ernesto Cisneros) that was written by a man and depicted healthy and caring friendships between boys. Eric and Matt not only share their interests in comics and music, but they also communicate openly about how they’re feeling and what they notice in each other. I just love it. I’m thrilled my nephew is getting to read stories that show friendship in such a positive way.
Highlights: After finishing the book, I learned that Mike Jung based the story on a real-life friendship, which made it feel even more special.
Favorite Quote:
“We can be, you know. Kind of. Not biological brothers, but, like, brothers by choice.”
“Kind of like how my mom says ‘found family’?”
“Yeah, like that. Found brothers.”
“Yeah. That sounds… really good.”
✨
My Completely Technical Book Rating Scale:
🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵= Couldn’t put it down/totally obsessed/might even read it again
💜💜💜💜= Thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely recommend
🩷🩷🩷= Solid read, glad I picked it up
