Grace:

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green 

While many of us may think of tuberculosis as a disease of the past, this preventable and curable malady still kills millions annually. Green uses this book as a way to humanize this disease, as well as educate folks about the history of tuberculosis in an accessible way. Additionally, this book sheds light on inequality, pharmaceutical greed, and systemic issues that have allowed this deadly illness to persist globally. 

Everything is Tuberculosis is a short read at around 200 pages and aims to open up the conversation about this illness. This is a great entry level introduction to tuberculosis for anyone looking to learn about this devastating and persistent disease.

Natalie:

The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso

Kembral Thorne is spending a few hours away from her newborn, and she’s determined to enjoy herself at this party no matter what. But when the guests start dropping dead, Kem has no choice but to get to work. Her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is on the prowl as well. They quickly identify what’s causing the mayhem: a mysterious grandfather clock that sends them down an Echo every time it chimes. In each strange new layer of reality, Kem and Rika fall into increasingly macabre versions of their city, they’ll need to rely on their wits-and each other-to unravel the secret of the clock and save their home — Provided by publisher.

The Last Hour Between Worlds is an intriguing mystery set in a lush, richly detailed and fantastical reality. I read this book in one afternoon because I could not put it down. The grandfather clock ticking away to calamity mixed with the delightful and eccentric characters kept me hooked until the end.

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

A hunter and seller of illegal magic, Loulie al-Nazari, after saving the life of a cowardly prince, is blackmailed into finding an ancient lamp, drawing her into a world where nothing is what it seems and where she must decide who she will become in this new reality. – Novelist

This one actually came out in 2022, but the sequel was published this year. The first in an epic fantasy trilogy, The Stardust Thief is filled with magic, mayhem, and treasure! It has an intricate plot but is filled with enough action to keep the story moving along at a quick pace. 

Kim:

Twice by Mitch Albom

Imagine if you had the ability to do anything in your life over again. That might sound like a pretty sweet deal, but what if you could only do that thing over once, and whatever happened the second time, you had to live with. You might think differently about your choices. In Twice, Alfie Logan inherited these exact powers from his mother right as she was passing away. He definitely used it to his benefit such as getting out of school embarrassments or convincing the girl of his dreams to give him a chance. However, one of his re-do’s completely changed the trajectory of his life and might have ruined his perfect love.

Twice was such a great read for me. It has everything from romance, to time travel and superpowers, and even a bit of mystery. I have read most of Mitch Albom’s books, and they are all short, fast reads, but you really get into them. This one is even already in development for a Netflix adaptation! The overall message of this book is what sticks with you: balancing our desires with being grateful for what we already have.

Alex:

The Adventures of Mary Darling by Pat Murphy

In this mashup of the classic stories of Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes, we find the focus centered on Mary Darling, mother to Wendy, John, and Michael and niece to John Watson. When Peter Pan comes to steal her children during the night, it is her greatest fear made manifest and she’ll gather allies to embark on a journey to get them back.

This book really grabs you and keeps you hooked (pun intended) throughout the entire story. Fans of either Sherlock Holmes or Peter Pan are highly encouraged to check this title out!

Dogsred by Satoru Noda

A relaunch of Noda’s hockey manga, Supinamarada!, Dogsred follows Rou Shirakawa, a disgraced high school figure skating champion, and his journey to finding his new passion of ice hockey. Shirakawa, now nicknamed “The Rabid Dog Prince”, moves from Tokyo to the smaller city of Tomakomai, Hokkaido. Tomakomai is famous for being an ice hockey stronghold with one of the high schools racking up 19 consectutive championship seasons.

Readers with an interest in sports, and specifically those with an interest in hockey, would greatly enjoy Dogsread. It’s a great introduction to the format of manga and well worth the time investment. Volumes 5 and 6 release in 2025 so get your holds in (after mine of course)!

Nature and the Mind by Marc Berman

Dr. Marc Berman, a researcher and professor at the University of Chicago, explores the impact that simply getting out and being in nature has on our brains, bodies, and social lives.  Berman’s research hinges on Attention Restoration Theory specifically that our modern environment gives us mental fatigue by constantly grabbing our attention with lights, sound, and other stimuli. One just has to own a smartphone to know how things want to constantly grab our attention. Now before everyone abandons their suburban homes to go live in the woods, Berman outlines how we can incorporate nature into our more urban environments and gain the benefits without losing indoor plumbing. Big takeaways from the book include incorportaing 120 min nature exposure every week, taking a longer walk through a park or arboretum, putting down the smart phone, naturalizing your indoor space, and ignoring the weather and getting outside even when it’s chilly (Berman specifically calls out study participants who walked outside in a Chicago winter as getting the same benefits… I’m not entirely convinced on that part but you take the good with the not so good).

A genuinely fascinating book and one that I read at a blistering pace, Nature and the Mind is a fascinating look at how we can make real differences into how we feel simply by embracing the outdoors. Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, put down the phone, shut off the screen, and just take a look at a trees or the sky. Let your involuntarily be drawn to the movement of the wind through the leaves of a tree or the patterns of clouds. Chances are, you’re mind will “reset” a bit and you’ll feel calmer, faster.