Spy x Family vol. 2

 Spy x Family vol. 2 by Tatsuya Endo (trans. Casey Loe), 200 pages.

In this volume we get more into the meat of the mission as Anya goes to school! Unfortunately, telepathy is not enough to make her grades good, and her attempts to befriend the targets arrogant son, Damien Desmond, are less than stellar. This volume is still extremely cute, and I am waiting impatiently for volume three to come in for me.

The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater   409 pp.

Blue, the daughter of a psychic, has no psychic powers of her own. However, she does have the ability to increase the powers of others just by being near them. She also knows that if ever she kisses her true love, it will cause his death. She is pretty sure this means Gansy, a student at nearby Aglionby, a private school for wealthy boys, whose students are known locally as the "Raven Boys."
Gansy and fellow student, Adam, are searching for a way to access a local ley line which will lead them to Glendower, an ancient Welsh king. In addition to the search there is the discovery of a murder, a student who isn't really alive, an abusive parent, and multiple conflicts between the haves and have nots in the small town of Henrietta, Virginia. This is the first book in a trilogy. It didn't impress me enough to make me want to continue with the other books.

The disasters

The disasters / M. K. England, 357 pgs.

After spending their lives trying to get into the exclusive Academy, four students wash out on their first day and are getting sent away.  The timing coincides with an attack on the Academy and ends with our washouts stealing a ship and escaping.  Nax is the hot shot pilot (wanna be), Zee is almost as good as a medical officer, Rion a heartthrob military type and Case the genius girl/engineer type.  This motley crew discovers a plot to destroy Earth and all other worlds. They hook up with Asra who has been living on the criminal side for awhile. Now they are all on the run and dealing with their issues.  This very diverse group works together and fight the clock to save lives.  Fun character interactions and clever writing make this a winner.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, 330 pages

When precocious eighth grader Bee chooses a family trip to Antarctica as a prize for perfect grades, her quirky, agoraphobic mother Bernadette is thrown for a loop. Told in a mostly epistolary form consisting of emails between Bernadette and her Indian online assistant, and between snooty moms at Bee's school, this is a fantastically funny book. I'm glad I bought it, as I intend to read it again whenever I need a laugh.