JARED R. LOPATIN - Reading

MOONFLOWER by Kacen Callender (Audiobook)

1/21/2026

Read by André Santana

I loved this book. There was something about it that reminded me of Susanna Clarke's Piranesi and a bit of A Christmas Carol. I don't know; the child in me responded to it. The writing is deceptively simple and appears heavy-handed but there is a delicate beauty to the story that sings. Moon is similar to Kacen Callender's other protagonists in their mix of fire and sugar. There's something about them that just draws the reader in and the world of the spirits is described in vivid color. It's an iron bar in a loaf of bread and one I would recommend to my students.

5/5

Quotes:

"There are a lot of wishes in this world that people mistake for pearls. There are a few in your own world also."
"Why do adults do that so much - laugh when something isn't really funny? Smile when they aren't really happy?"
"[...]I can't hold the weight of life in this language that we humans have made with our hands and our tongues. I think we should create a new language; words that we can use to describe the feeling when you sit and breathe and grow an entire universe, blossoming and curling and dying in your chest. What is the word for that?"
"And what about me? Maybe I'm just a piece of someone else's imagination. Maybe you are too. Hmmm."
"Just because I'm younger than adults, I don't always have to be happy. Even when I'm sitting alone in my bedroom with nothing but myself and my four walls and my journals, I can't escape my head. There isn't any point."
"Memories aren't real but they live inside my body anyway. I can feel the ache of them beneath my skin."

HURRICANE CHILD by Kacen Callender (Audiobook)

1/21/2026

Read by Krystel Roche.

It was an interesting story and, as with most of Callender's work, has an element of heartbreak to it. There is a strength, though, in the main character, Caroline, that refuses to break in the face of adversity. This coming-of-age story has all of the hallmarks of Callender's writing, especially the full characters. There's an ease to reading the almost stream-of-consciousness prose through which the story unfolds. Every visit to a Callender book feels like a different world and this one was no different. I enjoyed the found family elements of this story.

4/5

January 20th, 2026

1/20/2026

Read by Graham Halstead and Javi Wilder.
#1 - Roosevelt College

My goal this year is to read a title from each letter of the alphabet. X was a rough one to find last year so this year, I decided to knock it out early. I wasn't expecting a fun queer romance that begins a series. While a bit tropey, Lee writes a good story about two boys falling in love. While there aren't heavy stakes as one might define by the world, the stakes are certainly serious for them. It was a perfect winter read and flew by quickly without being fluff. I will have to check out the second in the series when it becomes available.

4/5

CHAOS KING by Kacen Callender (Audiobook)

1/17/2026

Read by Wes Haas
#2 - Infinity Alchemist

The end of this duology caught me a little by surprise. I wasn't sure where it was heading but I trust Callender. I was a little worried as we were getting towards the end and things still hadn't wrapped but they pulled it all into a knot at the end. Ash is such an interesting character; I don't always agree with his choices but, for the most part, I understand them. I feel the same way about Callum and Ramsay. I do feel that I got all I needed from this story; I'm glad it's a duology. I like the magic system and the world but the strength of Callender's writing is in the characters.

4/5

Quotes:
- "How could he not be angry in a world where humans justified killing others? Where so many believed that some deserved to be hated for simply existing? I think if I could choose, I wouldn't be angry at all. [...] I'm jealous of people who aren't. They seem so at peace. They're only at peace because they're ignorant. It isn't even within their imagination the amount a single person can survive."

THE BLACK WOLF by Louise Penny (Print)

1/10/2026

#20 - Inspector Gamache

I loved it. I mean, I always love Louise Penny's books. She has a knack for writing such wonderful characters. Although I missed the adventure happening in Three Pines, I was along for the ride as the wider political stage was set for disaster. She always keeps me guessing and it really had me on the edge of my proverbial seat near the end. I can't believe she still is able to create such intricate plots. This being a duology (The Grey Wolf and now The Black Wolf), it was an unusual deviation from her normal storytelling, though it still held all of her charm. The plot itself was terrifyingly close to real possibility. Many of the quotes that struck a chord were composed in notes of fear and warning. As a balm, I was happy to read her author's notes. Despite the darkness of many of her stories, Louise Penny just seems like someone I would want to know personally.

5/5

Quotes:

"[...] was far from the first politician whose reins of power were around the necks of their citizenry." (30)
"She knew that in refusing to name him, she was giving him more power than he deserved. More power over her. He'd become, inadvertently, not less than human but, in his anonymity, superhuman." (122)
"The ludicrous happens every day. The unthinkable is made real not through rational thought, but feelings. We'll follow a charismatic leader if they tell us that we have a legitimate grievance. That they'll give us back our dignity. Our threatened way of life. If we follow them, our enemies will be vanquished and we'll be heroes. Who doesn't want to be part of something bigger than ourselves? Who doesn't want to be a hero? Even if it's all fabricated. When was the last time you read Animal Farm?" (133)
"Good, reasonable people, and some idiots, were made to believe a life, then act in the most unconscionable way. Never, ever underestimate the power of social media, of groupthink [...] Or the power of toxic nationalism." (210)
"Every group ever targeted, ever rounded up, refused to believe their neighbors could do it. Every people who found themselves under the thumb of a tyrant must wonder where it began, and how they didn't see it coming. And what moment they missed, when it could have been stopped." (223)
"There doesn't have to be proof. Fear replaces facts." (229)
"They're beating plowshares into swords." (314)
"They'd happily trade freedom for safety. History had taught those in power that frightened people always did. Which made fear of an attack a far more effective weapon than any actual attack. And less messy." (322-323)
"The less rational, the better. The point was not to engage brains but emotions. And emotions could be manipulated ridiculously easily." (329)
"[...] sometimes we need to leave, so that a haven does not unintentionally become a prison." (372)

INFINITY ALCHEMIST by Kacen Callender (Audiobook)

12/31/2025

Read by Wes Haas.
#1 - Infinity Alchemist

Having read another of Callender's books, I was eager to begin a series of theirs. The worldbuild and the magic system in this series is interesting but where Callender really shines is in character development. The trio of protagonists are fleshed out and it is in their interactions that the meat of the story resides. While the fantasy genre appears to be a background for the action and certainly is carried along on plot, the fascination for me is the relationships that develop and break down. It's a little soap opera-esque at times but I'm here for it.

4/5

Quotes:

What's there to fear? Lost potential? Dying before realizing his dreams? Ash knew that he would only get to live this particular life once even if he lived thousands more and he wanted to fulfill his goals.

THE ANXIOUS GENERATION by Jonathan Haidt (Audiobook)

12/24/2025

Read by Sean Pratt.

This was recommended to me by a colleague and I have to say that it was quite interesting, especially considering my recent move from high school to middle school. I have always been a bit of a psychology geek and the exploration of the way phones and technology have shaped the mind since the 2010s got me thinking about my students, my family, and my own patterns of thought. The way Haidt lays out the argument that Gen Z's brains were rewired by the ubiquity of the internet and what he calls "phone-based" vs. "play-based" life is hard to ignore, especially when the evidence is presented so clearly. I have to rethink how I approach the use of technology in my classroom.

4/5

THE THIRD GILMORE GIRL by Kelly Bishop (Audiobook)

12/22/2025

Read by Kelly Bishop.

Absolutely loved this book. While I was excited to hear about Kelly Bishop's time on Gilmore Girls, I was even more entranced by her Broadway stories. Hearing how A Chorus Line came together was fascinating. While there were plenty of interesting tidbits about the business, I found myself really captivated by Kelly's personal life. Her perspective on life is inspiring. I want to see more of Kelly's work now.

5/5

Quotes:
- No way would I try to talk somebody out of their dream, no matter what it is. Whatever it is, I believe you immerse yourself in it, work hard at it, express yourself through it, challenge yourself with it. Give yourself every opportunity to fall in love with it and explore the adventures that come with it. If it's the right dream for you that allows you to support yourself so that you're not pursuing your dream at someone else's expense, it will probably last a lifetime. If it stops being enjoyable and fulfilling and you fall out of love with it, if it starts feeling like drudgery to the point where it becomes painful and depressing, there's nothing wrong with saying, "Okay, what else do I want to do with my life?" and start pursuing that dream.
- What on earth would we do if everyone dreamed of being a movie star or a famous rapper, but no one dreamed of being a health care worker, or a teacher, or a dentist, or a mechanic, or a veterinarian, or a police officer, or a soldier, or a carpenter, or a camera operator, or or or. What on earth would we all do without one another, which is why you'll never see me look down on anyone who's earning an honest living exploring their passion?

APPRENTICE TO THE VILLAIN by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (Audiobook)

12/19/2025

Read by Em Eldridge
#2 - Assistant to the Villain

I liked it. I was a little lost at first because it had been so long since I'd read the first one but I swiftly slipped back into the world Maehrer created. Sage is always a delight to read and her dynamic with The Villain is really the meat of this story while the world goes on around them. That's not to say there isn't more to the story, of course. I had fun learning about some of the characters that we met in book one. The politics don't intrude too much on the interpersonal relationships but form a nice framework for the story to move forward.

4/5

FELIX EVER AFTER by Kacen Callender (Audiobook)

12/16/2025

Read by Logan Rozos.

I really liked this one. Felix is dealing with the drama of being trans, queer, and a person of color on top of the drama of being a teenager. It's kind of a romcom with some heavier moments. It moves much more quickly than I'd expected it to move but I never felt like it was disingenuous or flat. Callender writes a healthy breadth of characters and the interactions between them keep the reader interested. I'll have to look and see if there are more novels by this author.

5/5

Quotes:

"And I can confirm that there isn't much of a difference between sixteen and seventeen. Seventeen is just one of those in between years, easily forgotten, like a Tuesday, stuck in between sweet sixteen and legal eighteen."
"You know when life is just about as confusing as it can possibly be? And then you think to yourself, "Well, at least it can't get any worse than this." But then Life is like, "Huh. Really? You think so, huh?" And then, just to prove you wrong, it gets even more freaking confusing than it was before? So your entire life is nothing but a whole-ass mystery. Always a shit-ton of questions but never any answers. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, except...not?"