Automatic Noodle

 Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz, 163 pages.

Four food service robots wake up in the flooded remains of the ghost kitchen they worked in, with no idea what happened or how to pay their bills. They decide to reopen the restaurant under their own power, making the kind of food they can actually be proud of, and building something just for them. But anti-bot sentiment is brewing in near future San Francisco, and a review bombing campaign threatens to destroy everything they worked to build.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really liked the characters, and some things were executed in a way that was very interesting. For example, I found the exploration of how PTSD would work for robots really interesting. However, I also found some of the world building pretty hard to buy, to the point of being nonsensical in some cases, which is sort of a problem in such a short book. I know many people who loved this one, but I'm afraid it's more mixed for me. I must acknowledge that the cover rules though. 

 

Interior Chinatown

 

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, 288 pages.

Willis Wu is always playing the role of "Generic Asian Man," and in the world of Black and White, a procedural cop show eternally in production, he can't expect much more. Secretly he longs to be Kung Fu Guy, the ultimate for Asians who have made it. But these lofty, unreachable aspirations are just a restriction of a different sort, and Willis doesn't know how to dream a bigger American Dream.

I first reviewed this book here five years ago, and I definitely liked it better the second time. Perhaps it is more experience with contemporary literary fiction, but I found myself much more okay with the uncertainty on a reread, which left me in a better place to appreciate how phenomenal this book is thematically. Which I maybe should have guessed, since I've been thinking about it periodically for five years. This book deals with racism, assimilation, and the myth of the model minority in a way that is not only nuanced and thoughtful, but also frequently funny. Willis uses the structure of Hollywood to make sense of the nonsensical in life in a way that is very interesting, even if I found it deeply confusing on my first read. I would definitely recommend this book. 

REBEL GIRL

 Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna, 336 pgs, © 2024

This is a great punk rock memoir. The writing is short and choppy and it moves pretty quickly--by the second section, Hanna's covered most of her traumatic childhood and is trying to get into college. As the father of a daughter, a lot of this book was kind of a hard read for me. Hanna suffers though physical and emotional abuse after abuse, all at the hands of the men in her life, her own father being the worst--I wanted to push him off of a bridge. And then I found myself getting frustrated with the author when she would occasionally go back to him. She usually did that when she needed something, but I just wanted to shake her and shout "get away from this guy!" At a certain point, she's older and stronger and cuts him off entirely. On some level, this is a good entry text into understanding how alcoholism and trauma runs in families from generation to generation. Hanna internalized all of her trauma and it manifests in self-sabotaging ways throughout her life but she perseveres as she gets involved in the local art scene and ultimately, starts a band in college--Bikini Kill. 

What a life she's had--her contributions to the punk/grunge scene and the Riot Grrrl movement, opening for Sonic Youth, recording with Joan Jett. She's even credited with giving Kurt Cobain the title of Nirvana's first hit single, Smells Like Teen Spirit. By the end of the book. she's faring much better. She's married to Adam Horowitz AKA Ad-Rock from the Beastie Boys and they've adopted a son. Her band Bikini Kill has gotten back together and touring and she's genuinely working through a lot of her past trauma and trying to take better care of herself. By the end I was so relieved for her--the whole time you're reading this, you just want good things to happen to her, she seems like such a good person--she reminded me of some of the punk kids I knew in high school. 

Level 13

 Level 13 (A Slacker Novel) by Gordon Korman, 256 pages  © 2019

My daughter and I read the first one of this short series, she read this in a night or two and wanted me to read as well. Basically reads like the first book, each chapter is the interior monologue of a different character. Silly and funny, easy grab for 3rd to 5th grade readers, especially boys interested in video games and hijinks. 

The Roma: A Traveling History

The Roma: A Traveling History by Madeline Potter (2025), 222 pgs. 

The Romani people have faced persecution throughout the many lands to which they have traveled, and in which they now live, but their culture and their resilient community members persist. In this book, Romani author Madeline Potter combines personal experience and historical fact to paint a truly beautiful picture of the Roma across time and space. She tells Romani folktales, writes about Romani artists and activists and athletes, and sheds light on a group which has historically been--at best--written off and--at worst actively stereotyped and discriminated against. After being enslaved in Romania, forced to assimilate in France, ignored in the United States, and put through the horrors of the Samudaripen, the Romani Holocaust, the Roma have remained. This history is a beautiful recognition of the pain that has been inflicted and the triumphs that shine through. 

This is a wonderful introduction to Romani history. Madeline Potter does a great job of addressing stereotypes and disputing them with historical fact and context. There is so much about the Roma I did not know, and I really appreciated how accessible this book is in introducing the reader to so much culture. Each chapter encompasses a quick history in a certain country, and despite including so much knowledge, it is a pretty quick read. I highly recommend for those looking to learn more about this marginalized group.

The (Most Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy

 

The (Most Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy by Roan Parrish (2025) 366 pages

Jamie is nonbinary trans masculine (they/them). Edgar is gay. When they meet, there is an instant connection, but Edgar flees because he sees a ghost. This is a frequent occurence. He does all he can to avoid ghosts, which makes his nighttime social life just about nonexistent. His main support comes from his sister, Allie. Their father left long ago, their mother is apparently mentally disabled and out of their lives, and their brother disappeared 6 years ago.

One of Jamie's jobs is being part of a team that creates haunted houses for Halloween. The spookier the better. Jamie is also part of a political family that still sees them as a woman.

As a relationship develops between Jamie and Edgar, Jamie is frustrated as they are called to participate in their sister's upcoming wedding, while their family ignores Jamie's achievements in helping create fabulous haunted house attractions. Meanwhile, Edgar is trying trying to live with less fear. And for anyone who wonders what sex might mean for a trans nonbinary person and a gay man, you'll find that here, too.

Not Quite Dead Yet

 Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson (2025), 400 pages

This was an interesting premise. Jet, a twenty-seven-year-old, trying to figure out her life becomes the unintended (?!?) victim of a crime that leaves her with seven days to live. Motivated by the ticking time bomb in her head, she is determined to solve who murdered her before she actually dies. 

I actually really enjoyed this book. It is a fun premise that kept the story line moving. You can't dawdle too much when you only have a week to live. I believe this is Jackson's first non-YA book and, honestly, it still feels like a YA book. This is not to say YA books aren't good, but if you are looking for something different from Jackson, this is not it. Which is actually ok.

As the World Falls Down

 As the World Falls Down (Galaxy #2) by Jadzia Axelrod with art by Rye Hickman (2026) 208 pages

I've been excitedly waiting for this continuation of Galaxy's origin story. This trans hero by a trans author has a lot of unique qualities in her favor. We get to explore her super powers more. There is more superhero action in this volume with less getting to know her girlfriend Kat. There are less land of Oz references, which I missed. Supporting roles for Dreamer and Superman make a lot of sense. There are frames where Hickman's art works really well. However flashback frames, and Superman's portrayal, and certain "in motion" frames are a bit awkward. I found the art of mixed quality, but not bad at all.

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

 The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A Heinlein (1966) 302 pages

I listened to the audiobook on Libby. Narrator Lloyd James has the facile ability to handle the many accents of all the characters. I really enjoyed this sci-fi adventure even though it does have some slower sections. Our protagonist is Manny, a computer programmer/repairman with Russian ancestry. Strangely, another book I'm reading includes characters in the future using occasional Russian phrases and calling each other comrade too. In this book Heinlein establishes a quirky Lunar culture in post-prison colony underground cities all around our Moon. Manny befriends a central computer that has become sentient. Manny is a fan of Sherlock Holmes so he names the computer Mycroft or Myc and later refers to kids of all the lunar families as irregulars helping in small ways with the revolution efforts. Myc is curious about the human concept of humor. He is not a mobile android, but Myc reminded me quite a lot of Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Myc, the computer, is truly a secret weapon that almost magically makes the revolution against the authoritarian Authority possible. Heinlein was inspired by the American Revolution. With the moon being a former prison colony Australia was also brought to mind. But, with the Russian influence, I couldn't help imagining parallels to the Bolshevik Revolution although Heinlein is not espousing communist views. There is a teacher nicknamed Prof, who is responsible for the political direction of the revolution. The book is known for containing Libertarian views and they mostly come from Prof's voice. Manny, at first, fully trusts Prof, but questions him more as the story goes on. Honestly, Prof becomes a bit insufferable. Diplomatic meetings on Earth and explosive fights in the Lunar cities all make it an exciting  and humorous book.

A Fortune of Sand

 A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys, 320 pages.

Detroit in 1927 is a city of astounding wealth, but also more than its fair share of the crime and corruption that comes along with it. Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter of a family who made their fortune in the glass business, but they also have more than their fair share of secrets and corruption. Marjorie is something of an innocent, and she dreams of fashion design. So when she has the opportunity for an artist's residency for women, she jumps on it. And so what if something seems a little off about it, with the buildings strict rules and obsession with security? But although Marjorie has left home, she can't get away from her family's secrets nearly so easily. 

Ruta Sepetys is the master of exquisitely researched historical fiction, and this detail rich book is no exception. Prohibition-era Detroit is an interesting setting, and Sepetys uses a wealth of primary sources to make it fully textured. Unfortunately, I don't know that the story quite holds up to her usual standards. The many, many threads of this book never quite come together to a satisfying conclusion, and instead it feels like it peters out to an anticlimax. I also found that although this is Sepetys' adult debut, it does in many ways still read like a YA novel. That being said, I really loved Marjorie as a character, and found the prose very solid, so I still really enjoyed most of my experience reading this book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the setting, but I'm not sure I would recommend it purely on it's own merits. 

This book is scheduled to be released on May 26th, 2026.