Going Gray by Brian Spangler

In this apocalyptic novel, Emily's father works on a "machine" that controls the weather.  When the machine messes up spewing out poisonous gasses, the world in plunged into an acopalypse.
The poisonous fog eats away at metal and masonry dissolving buildings as well as people. Emily is one of the few survivors.  She and her younger brother get to the shopping mall where they join a group of survivors that includes Peter, who had been a few grades above her in high school.  Can they survive in the world the way it has become?  Is it ok for Emily to feel the way she does about Peter as the world collapses around them?  

Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green

Written in
free verse
eleven year old
Macy,
who is deaf,
befriends her elderly neighbor,
Iris,
while dreading
her mother's
upcoming
marriage.

The Exporers: The Door in the Alley by Adrienne Kress

In this fun to read first book in a new adventure series, eleven year olds Sebastian and Evie have their worlds drawn together when he takes a job at The Explorers Society and she has to escape from the home where she is eating dinner when it is attacked.  Sebastian is a very intelligent, logical boy and Evie is an orphan who is living at a state school since her parents passed away two years before.  Together, they search for clues to find Evie's grandfather, who she had never met and though was dead, but who had been a past member of the Explorers Society.  The book is totally fun and silly and magical and adventurous as the kids escape from the bad guys repeatedly in their search. I highly recommend this fun new book and I look forward to the next ones!

Think Twice by Sarah Mlynowski

This is a cute, fun sequel to the first book.  It is two years later and the teens who had developed the power to read minds after taking the flu shot are now seniors in high school.  Two of them star in a reality TV show, and Pi is planning to use her psychic powers to be a spy.  What will happen as they begin to lose their power to read minds?  How will that affect their lives and their plans?  Can their experiment to save their powers work?  There is romance, mystery and lots of gossip in this fun to read book.

Night Shift by B.R. Myers

After the death of his father, Daniel chose not to finish high school, but rather to travel around trying to find a department store that he once visited with his mother.  When he takes a job as the night security guard at Willard's department store, he is asked if he believes in ghosts.  It seems that most night guards don't last long there.  Daniel, however is different and he makes friends with the other people who also work nights at Willard's.  He soon learns that things are not as they seem and there is quite a mystery afoot.

Saint Death by Marcus Sedgwick

The story in this book, about a young man named Arturo is just a backdrop for the author to explain the political situation on the Texas/Mexico border.  He uses his main character, who lives in abject poverty and has an old friend who becomes involved in the drug trade to explain the drug trade.  The main character's mother worked for a maquiladora, a Mexican sweatshop owned by Americans,which is explained in the book as well. The story of Arturo is the story of many poor people in Mexico whose lives are ruled by those who have money and power.  The book is quite political.

Making Sense of the Alt-Right by George Hawley

This book attempts to explain what the alt-right is and what it is not.  It is a white nationalist movement that is an online phenomenon.  Just as the KKK members hide their heads under their white hoods, many of the alt-right members hide their identities while online.  The movement is diverse and does not have a leader or cohesive ideology that all of its followers would agree upon.  It is a reactionary movement against the staid conservatives that uses humor to attract young people and to hide their hatred.  They are antifeminist as well as being white supremacists and while many of them are anti-Semetic, there are some who are not.  The book looks at several individuals who are involved in the movement and its impact on the last election and what its future may be.

The Xanth Novels Books 38-40 by Piers Anthony

If you like the latter Xanth novels, which have more of the adult conspiracy included, you will enjoy these punny stories as well.  Some of the characters in these books overlap beginning with Kandy who is enchanted to become a board by day accompanying Ease and several others on a quest to save the puns of Xanth in the story Board Stiff.  Then, in Five Portraits, Astrid basilisk and the Demon Fornax lead the questors as they try to get children from the future adopted. In Isis Orb, Hapless attracts women, as the Good Magician has foretold that he will have two or three good girlfriends and one bad one.  They are all trying to find the Isis Orb in order to grant their wishes.  The books are full of puns and fun to read.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Wow.  This book is just amazing.  When legendary actress Evelyn Hugo asks unknown magazine writer Monique to write her life story, Monique knows something is up.  Why her?  Why now?  However, it is an opportunity that Monique can't pass up and learning Evelyn's story changes Monique's life.  Hollywood, romance, intrigue, and mystery abound in this well-told fascinating story!  I highly recommend it!

Ghost (Track #1) by Jason Reynolds

Castle, who likes to go by the name Ghost, has had a rough life and lives on the wrong side of town.  When he sees a track team practicing, he knows that he can run faster than that.  The coach recruits him to the team and we see how that makes a big difference in his life.  I like how the coach, who comes from a similar background cares for Ghost in a tough, yet loving way.  This is an excellent book!

Year of No Clutter by Eve O. Schaub

This is a humorous memoir of how the author worked through her issues with clutter.  As the book began, she had read Marie Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which I have also read, and quite frankly, a lot of that book is very weird.  I did stop balling up my socks after reading her book, but not because they can't rest that way, I just think it helps the elastic last longer and I don't thank my inanimate objects for their service or empty my purse nightly so it can rest.  Kondo's book is popular, but people are either ignoring that stuff or they are all weird and I am not.  Anyway, as a result, Eve, the author of this book, decided to clean out her "hell room", a large room in her house filled with clutter.  As the book goes on she visited the home of a deceased hoarder and wondered if she had hoarding tendencies.  The book is funny and fun to read and it inspired me to get rid of more of my clutter - I will have a bag of stuff picked up tomorrow.  Like Eve, I still have things I need to work on - I had a difficult time finding an important piece of paperwork this morning - so I will continue working on making things neater and keeping less unimportant items.