This blog is for Missouri State Library staff members to record their books read for the annual Missouri Book Challenge.
Welcome to the MOSL Book Challenge
Friday, October 21, 2022
Longshadow by Olivia Atwater
I loved the cameos.
Imma be honest I wasn't paying attention cause Midnights was coming....
288 Pages
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
"Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses. Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?"
I absolutely loved this book. The angst was a little drawn out for me, but the characters and plot made up for it. I was not expecting the neurodivergent representation and fell in love with Ty. I hope we get more of him in the next two books. I really liked the weaving in of the poem into the story and could not stop reading the last 200 pages. Everything was happening at once and so many reveals were made. I cannot wait to start the next book!
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
fjkldssfjkdl Emery has heterochromia fjkldsajklfdssfjklda
The fall witchy vibes.
Me living in a tourist town, so like.... the love hate relationships with the tourists.
I just like....want to sit with the characters and stare at them. Like.....Emery and August are just...chef's kiss.
368 Pages
Monday, October 17, 2022
Soul of the Deep by Natasha Bowen
Me still only knowing vague bits of West African mythology, so I'm kind of clueless
304 Pages
Friday, October 14, 2022
Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater
Also the magic of embroidery and using it as a coping mechanism and like....the magic. fjkld
288 Pages
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Pages: 206
"Set in the author's girlhood hometown of Lorain, Ohio, it tells the story of black, eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove. Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be as beautiful and beloved as all the blond, blue-eyed children in America. In the autumn of 1941, the year the marigolds in the Breedloves' garden do not bloom. Pecola's life does change- in painful, devastating ways.
What its vivid evocation of the fear and loneliness at the heart of a child's yearning, and the tragedy of its fulfillment. The Bluest Eye remains one of Toni Morrisons's most powerful, unforgettable novels."Thursday, October 13, 2022
Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer
Also like....I wish I had written down my crack theory from the first book because like....it might have helped with the second book.
The ending.. Me looking for the publication date of the next book and it's not even on GoodReads....also like....
I'm a HarriSTAN. haha. I'm funny. Also I totally called it... like....I knew it.
When you get the queer vibes and you were RIGHT.
Oh it's the dawn cause...yeah that makes sense...
The last three chapters....like.... at leas there was some comfort in the last chapter, but like....
448 Pages
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
!!!!!!!
309 pages
In a Garden Buring Gold by Rory Power
......when it's not tagged as romance, but I have a ship....istg.....

......when you think either a character is really good at lying and faking feelings, or they genuinely have feelings and they're going to die... I'm fine. I'm not anxious for one specific character.
The epilogue: ok ok ok....I can dig this.
448 Pages
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
ok ok ok cool cool cool.
All the mythology
336 Pages
Saturday, October 8, 2022
The Layover by Lacie Waldon
I don't know how I feel about this book. I liked it in some sense, but not so much in another. Maybe it's just that others have done it better? hmmm. Probably would have been better as a vacay read.
320 pages
Friday, October 7, 2022
The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim
(I like this cover better, so I'm sticking with it!)
Please give me all the stories with all the dragons.
I love this series so much.
I want a paper crane named Kiki.
482 pages
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
I love Ian.
I was wondering how they were going to cover both sides of the story.
Brianna and Roger. Just. My ship.
Me over here waiting for commentary on how slavery and indentured servitude is bad and how the people are being mistreated and treated as animals....
Sir Gray....same bro... We don't have to talk about; I gotchu. and I love you.
I really hope we don't make a pattern of villainizing characters that are larger (like I know we hate her and she's like....a crappy person)...or are already in marginalized groups....
Me being anxious for all the chilren.
Do I picture Brianna as Sadie Sink...yes. shut up
912 Pages
The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
Also like....Did and did not see the twist coming, but called the last part.
Sometimes I keep forgetting that Stephanie Garber and Marissa Meyer aren't the same person, so I keep thinking that it's going to be a Wonderland retelling.....
The obsession with apples.
416 Pages
TS Song: ....The Archer...obviously.
The Memory of Babel by Christelle Dabos
Has my recent reading of R.F. Kuang's Babel influenced this....a little.
meh
456 Pages
Prince of Song and Sea by Linsey Miller
Absolute fluff... I love it. Like...obviously... It's a retelling of the movie, but from Eric's perspective, and it's expanded.
The Scuttle, Sebastian, and Flounder cameos.
Eric is one of my favorite princes cause like...he sees Ariel's excitement and joy and doesn't try to crush it and doesn't get annoyed by it... like...he loves her for it... also he loves her bravery....like...she might be reckless, but she's brave
My boy has friends
Also communication and developing a system of communication. so pure.
It's the emotional vulnerability and intimacy for me.
The cuteness
We stan Max.
When some of the chapters are named after the songs in the Broadway musical.
Also the epilogue.
352 Pages
Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco
Me thinking of:
Sloth is a reader....Rude....not wrong...but rude...
Celestia:

Tell me you love a guy with tattoos without telling me you love a guy with tattoos
When we get more backstory of the brothers
Not me asking for a spin off series.
Also give me more Envy and Sloth content
...es more spicy...but it's also more fluffy.
464 Pages
Lightlark by Alex Aster
I feel like the magic system and naming of it was kind of straightforward....like.... Moonlings...moon powers...
But I thought the curse aspect was neat, and the challenges were cool.
416 Pages
Behind the Scenes (Volume 1) by Bisco Hatori
Also like... it's a club, but it's in college
My sweet poor fisherman boy who is creative and sweet... Must protect.
200 Pages
Monthly Girls Nozaki Kun (Volumes 2-5) by Izumi Tsubaki
the side character shenanigans where they try to fix their problems by copying shojo manga....and then Nozaki writes about it
Or the time when Nozaki pretends to be the heroine of his manga in order to get into her headspace and confuses Sakura
144 Pages
Volume 3
Mikoshiba being awkward and easy to trick and anxious. I love him. Like.....they're trying to practice for a group date, and it's just iconic.
And we get more of Wakamatsu and Hori
The Valentine's Day chapter.
144 Pages
Volume 4
Nozaki trying to figure out what counts as a surprise in shojo manga.
And we get Nozaki's little brother and we find out how and why Nozaki is able to live on his own.
The mall scene. Is just chef's kiss. Like...the running around...and Mikoshiba being Mikoshiba and being lost.
The rage for cardboard boxes
the sleepover
aaand the festival that was the season/series finale in the anime
160 Pages
Volume 5
Aaaaaand this is all new cause the anime cut off here.
Sakura trying to get Nozaki to notice that she likes him by being subtle....as if that ever works with men.....
The Prince loses her voice and has to speak through pen and paper
Little bro can actually draw.
The beach episode.
And the overnight field trip.
And the origin story, aka when they met.
144 Pages
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
The fact that Helena works with a person named Karen....like....come on.... it's perfect.
You ever just look at someone and wonder what's going on inside their head: racism and bigotry.

When you get attached to a character cause they're actually cool, but....
448 Pages



















