Bailey
My Shelf
We ride upon sticks
by Barry, Quan, author.
FICTION Barry Quan
"Helmed by good-girl captain Abby Putnam (a descendant of the infamous Salem accuser Ann Putnam) and her co-captain Jen Fiorenza (whose bleached blond zClawy sees and knows all), the Falcons prove to be wily, original, and bold, flaunting society's stale notions of femininity in order to find their glorious true selves through the crucible of team sport and, more importantly, friendship."--Provided by publisher.
Check, please!
by Ukazu, Ngozi, artist, author.
GRAPHIC NOVEL Ukazu Check
"Eric Bittle may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and very talented amateur pâtissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It is nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia! First of all? There's checking (anything that hinders the player with possession of the puck, ranging from a stick check all the way to a physical sweep). And then, there is Jack-- his very attractive but moody captain"--Provided by publisher.

This adorable graphic novel series follows a hockey team on and off the ice as they train, get up to antics, and fall in love! -Bailey
Beartown : a novel
by Backman, Fredrik, 1981- author.
FICTION Backman Fredrik
"From the New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry, and Britt-Marie Was Here, comes a poignant, charming novel about a forgotten town fractured by scandal, and the amateur hockey team that might just change everything. Winning a junior ice hockey championship might not mean a lot to the average person, but it means everything to the residents of Beartown, a community slowly being eaten alive by unemployment and the surrounding wilderness. A victory like this would draw national attention to the ailing town: it could attract government funding and an influx of talented athletes who would choose Beartown over the big nearby cities. A victory like this would certainly mean everything to Amat, a short, scrawny teenager who is treated like an outcast everywhere but on the ice; to Kevin, a star player just on the cusp of securing his golden future in the NHL; and to Peter, their dedicated general manager whose own professional hockey career ended in tragedy. At first, it seems like the team might have a shot at fulfilling the dreams of their entire town. But one night at a drunken celebration following a key win, something happens between Kevin and the general manager's daughter--and the next day everything seems to have changed. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected. With so much riding on the success of the team, the line between loyalty and betrayal becomes difficult to discern. At last, it falls to one young man to find the courage to speak the truth that it seems no one else wants to hear. Fredrik Backman knows that we are forever shaped by the places we call home, and in this emotionally powerful, sweetly insightful story, he explores what can happen when we carry the heavy weight of other people's dreams on our shoulders"--

One of my all-time favorite books, this adult novel series is about a small town for whom hockey is everything. Following a cast of characters from around the town, this town sees their junior boys hockey team as their only hope--and will support them even when it means opposing justice. Backman's beautiful prose combines with a gritty plot about a fractured town and a shared love of sport. -Bailey
She drives me crazy
by Quindlen, Kelly, author.
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Quindlen Kelly
After an embarrassing loss to her ex-girlfriend in their first basketball game of the season, seventeen-year-old Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with her nemesis, Irene Abraham, head cheerleader for the Fighting Reindeer. When the accident sends Irene's car to the shop for repairs, the girls are forced to carpool, and their rocky start only gets worse. In trying to get back at her toxic ex, Scottie bribes Irene into a fake-dating scheme that threatens to reveal some very real feelings.

This sapphic rom-com is full of fun tropes as a basketball player and cheerleader enter a fake dating scheme. Though they start off as enemies, soon these two girls realize their passionate hatred may actually be a different feeling... -Bailey
Haikyu!!
by Furudate, Haruichi, 1983- author, artist.
MANGA Furudate Haikyu
"Ever since he saw the legendary player known as 'the Little Giant' compete at the national volleyball finals, Shoyo Hinata has been aiming to be the best volleyball player ever! Who says you need to be tall to play volleyball when you can jump higher than anyone else? After losing his first and last volleyball match against Tobio Kageyama, 'the King of the Court,' Shoyo Hinata swears to become his rival after graduating middle school. But what happens when the guy he wants to defeat ends up being his teammate?!,"

This manga series is so uplifting, following an underdog team with an unmatched drive to improve and be the best that they can be. What I love about this series is that even the smallest side characters get a backstory, but at it's core, this book features Shoyo Hinata, a short rookie with not much skill, but a love for volleyball and a drive to keep improving. -Bailey
Man O' War
by Cory McCarthy
YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Mccarthy Cory
Young Adult, LGBTQ+
On a field trip to SeaPlanet, seventeen-year-old Arab-American high school swimmer River McIntyre has a chance encounter with Indy, a happy, healthy queer person, which sets off a wrenching journey of self-discovery, from internalized homophobia and gender dysphoria, through layers of coming out, affirmation surgery, and true love.

This book is an exploration of internalized homophobia, dysphoria, and keeping your head above water. It follows a teenage swimmer struggling to explore themselves and remain competitive in the sport they love. -Bailey
Killers of a certain age
by Deanna Raybourn
FICTION Raybourn Deanna
"Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that's their secret weapon. They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller by New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn. Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills. When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death. Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They're about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman-and a killer-of a certain age"--

One thing about me, I love a heist novel. This was such a fun story about assassins on one final mission--and did I mention they are women in their seventies? I figured I would enjoy reading this one, but had no idea I would put off finishing it because I didn't want it to end! -Bailey
One for all
by Lillie Lainoff
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Lainoff Lillie
In 1655 sixteen-year-old Tania is the daughter of a retired musketeer, but she is afflicted with extreme vertigo and subject to frequent falls; when her father is murdered she finds that he has arranged for her to attend Madame de Treville's newly formed Académie des Mariées in Paris, which, it turns out, is less a school for would-be wives, than a fencing academy for girls--and so Tania begins her training to be a new kind of musketeer, and to get revenge for her father.

This 'Three Musketeers' retelling places sisterhood at the center as three girls enter a secret society that trains them to become assassins. Even as someone with no knowledge of the source material, I enjoyed this book and loved this modern take on such a classic story. -Bailey
Radio silence
by Alice Oseman
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Oseman Alice
A studious girl and a quiet, straight-A boy start a controversial podcast together that challenges their courage and forces them to confront issues in the form of backlash and censorship.

Alice Oseman perfectly captures what it means to be a teenager, the beauty of platonic love, and the magic of fandom and friendship. This book is about academic pressure, but more than that, it's about the radical act of rejecting a normative life and following your passions. It is about the impact art can have and friends who won't stop listening. -Bailey
Obie is man enough
by Bailar, Schuyler, author.
jFICTION Bailar Schuyler
Obie knew his transition would have ripple effects. He has to leave his swim coach, his pool, and his best friends. But it's time for Obie to find where he truly belongs. As Obie dives into a new team, though, things are strange. Obie always felt at home in the water, but now he can't get his old coach out of his head. Even worse are the bullies that wait in the locker room and on the pool deck. Luckily, Obie has family behind him. And maybe some new friends too, including Charlie, his first crush. Obie is ready to prove he can be one of the fastest boys in the water--to his coach, his critics, and his biggest competition: himself.

This heartwarming middle grade novel features a transgender swimmer as he struggles with masculinity and finds joy in being himself. -Bailey
Beating Heart Baby
by Lio Min
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Min Lio
LGBTQ+
Seventeen-year-old Santi Arboleda finally feels settled in his new life in Los Angeles with a growing found family and a relationship with musical prodigy Suwa--until Suwa is offered the chance to step into the spotlight that he has always denied himself and they must finally face their dreams, their pasts, and their futures, whether together or apart.

This book broke my heart and pieced it back together. This is an intense and beautiful love story, but it's not a romance: it's an ode to internet friendships, the power of art, and the endurance of love across time and space. -Bailey
Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes
by Travis Baldree
OverDrive eBook
An Instant New York Times Bestseller A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2022 A Library Reads Pick An Indie Next Pick A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee The much-beloved BookTok sensation, Travis Baldree's novel of high fantasy and low stakes. *This new edition includes a very special, never-before-seen bonus story, 'Pages to Fill.'* After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time. The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is. If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone. But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed. "Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. Legends & Lattes is a low-stakes fantasy that delivers exactly what's advertised: a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug. This is my new comfort read."—Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

This is a Dungeons and Dragons inspired fantasy, but don't fret: no creatures were harmed in the writing of the book. On the contrary, this is about what happens after: when an orc is tired of fighting monsters, and wants to relax and open a coffee shop. It's a lovely and wholesome read perfect for a winter afternoon! -Bailey
Our wives under the sea
by Julia Armfield
FICTION Armfield Julia
"Leah is changed. Months earlier, she left for a routine expedition, only this time her submarine sank to the sea floor. When she finally surfaces and returns home, her wife Miri knows that something is wrong. Barely eating and lost in her thoughts, Leah rotates between rooms in their apartment, running the taps morning and night. As Miri searches for answers, desperate to understand what happened below the water, she must face the possibility that the woman she loves is slipping from her grasp. By turns elegiac and furious, wry and heartbreaking, Our Wives Under the Sea is a genre-bending exploration of the depths of love and grief at the heart of a marriage"--

I was enthralled with this book from the first page. it is slow and descriptive and filled with interiority, but has a dual timeline that keeps you turning the pages. The sapphic romance contrasts with the horror elements in a way that leaves you unsettled, yet satisfied. -Bailey
Ballad for Sophie
by Filipe Melo
GRAPHIC NOVEL Melo
"When a young journalist prompts a reclusive musical superstar to finally break his silence, he pours out an astonishing saga of rivalry and regret, starring child prodigies and bitter old men, beautiful dancers and demonic managers, Nazi commandants, compassionate nuns, and lifesaving animals. Ballad for Sophie is a sweeping tale that spans the twentieth century, packed with all the drama of a rock & roll biopic and more twists than a night at the opera."

This is one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. The story itself was amazing, but the way the graphic novel format leveraged to add just a bit of the uncanny made this a magical reading experience. I love the way music is an anchor to this story, and will definitely touch the hearts of any musician! -Bailey
The many half-lived lives of Sam Sylvester
by Maya MacGregor
YOUNG ADULT FICTION MacGregor, Maya
An autistic nonbinary eighteen-year-old moves to a new town and school with the support of their loving father and finds friends in an LGBTQ-plus club, but they all must come together to solve the decades-old murder of a teenage boy and confront the demons lurking in Sam's past.

This was a perfect blend of mystery/thriller with contemporary elements. I loved how authentically autism is portrayed as an integral part of Sam's life and experience, with family and friends that are so supportive and understanding! -Bailey
My Lists

About Me
Bailey is a Library and Information Science student at the University of Iowa and a page in Access Services here at ICPL. They love to read all kinds of books, but have a soft spot for speculative fiction and LGBTQ young adult novels. Outside of reading, they enjoy weightlifting and any craft that involves a needle and thread.
This adult novel is such a fun and witchy ride about a girls field hockey team determined to make their 1989 season the one where they go to state--even if that means involving some supernatural forces. With each chapter following a different girl on the team, this novel blends character exploration, magical realism, and historical fiction. -Bailey