AAPI and Jewish Heritage Month Staff Picks (5/23/23)

We’re celebrating Asian American/Pacific Islander and Jewish Heritage Month with these four amazing titles! Searching for your next read? Look no further! Check out these staff picks and dive into some of MacLib’s favorites.

AMANDA’S PICK: EVERY DROP IS A MAN’S NIGHTMARE BY MEGAN KAMALEI KAKIMOTO | 9781639731169 | 8/29/23

This debut story collection follows a cast of mixed native Hawaiian and Japanese women through a contemporary landscape thick with inherited wisdom and the ghosts of colonization in a blazing, bodily, raucous journey through contemporary Hawaiian identity and womanhood. It’s both a fierce love letter to Hawaiian identity and mythology, and a searing dispatch from an occupied territory threatening to erupt with violent secrets. Hand this to fans of Jonathan Escoffrey, Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, and Carmen Maria Machado.

Available for download on Edelweiss know more. LibraryReads votes due by July 1st.

EMILY’S PICK: GOING BICOASTAL BY DAHLIA ADLER | 9781250871640 | 6/13/23

If you’re looking for a voicy queer love story that will make you laugh out loud, look no further than a Dahlia Adler YA rom-com. In GOING BICOASTAL, Natalya has to decide where to spend the summer—NYC with her dad, or LA with her mom. The decision seems impossible to make…so she doesn’t. Instead, both timelines play out side-by-side. In NYC, Natalya spends the summer hanging out with her longtime crush, Elly. In LA, she falls for her co-intern at her mom’s company. In both timelines, Natalya hones her cooking skills for Shabbat dinners, makes plans for her future, and has a truly unforgettable summer. If you loved the chaotic bi energy in PERFECT ON PAPER by Sophie Gonzales and the endearing family relationships in YOU HAVE A MATCH by Emma Lord, GOING BICOASTAL is the perfect mash-up of those two, with its own incredibly fun, unique twist.

Available for download on Edelweiss know more.

SAMANTHA’S PICK: THANK YOU FOR SHARING BY RACHEL RUNYA KATZ | 9781250888297 | 9/12/23

Rachel Runya Katz’s chemistry-filled debut is perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood, THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION, and Casey McQuiston. This sparkling friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story has diverse Jewish representation and stars Daniel and Liyah whose friendship ended fourteen years ago at their Jewish summer camp. They haven’t seen or heard from one another once in those fourteen years until they find themselves randomly sitting next to each other on a plane. Soon after, they learn that they’ll have to put aside their past and differences because Liyah’s museum has hired Daniel’s marketing firm to work on a project that can change both of their careers. As they relive memories from their childhood during some after-hours work nights, chemistry builds and feelings start to grow. Filled with a diverse cast of characters, THANK YOU FOR SHARING has fan favorite tropes–enemies to lovers, an “only one bed” scene, and childhood crushes. Overall a found family story, this has all the banter, swoony moments, and lovable characters you could want.

Available for download on Edelweiss know more. LibraryReads votes due by August 1st.

MICHELLE’S PICK: ARTIFACTS OF AN EX BY JENNIFER CHEN | 9781250865663 | 11/14/23

Two teens meet at an art show and everything would be perfect if it weren’t for the fact that Chloe is fresh off of a breakup and Daniel refuses to be someone’s rebound for a sixth time. In order to heal her broken heart, Chloe throws herself into creating an art exhibit with her and other dumpees “Heartifacts” or artifacts they’ve saved from their failed relationship. When Daniel and Chloe meet on her opening night, she insists she’s over her ex but Daniel doesn’t believe her. When Chloe’s ex shows up with a new girl, Chloe realizes, to her dismay, that Daniel was right. This leads her to only become more impassioned about curating the perfect Heartifacts exhibit to show herself and Daniel that she truly is over the breakup. Chen’s debut romance will remind you of loveable favorites like TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE and TWEET CUTE and is sure to delight any reader who’s had their heart broken then healed before.

Available for download on Edelweiss know more. LibraryReads votes due by October 1st.