20. Across the Universe

By Beth Revis (399 pp, ebook)

This is a generation ship book, my favorite and it starts out amazing. Such a gripping scene of Amy and her parents getting into cryo-sleep for a three century trip across the universe to terraform a new planet. As these stories go, she's awakened before arrival to find the ship in chaos. She is part of 100 sleepers who are secret from the main ship residents who are living a tightly controlled existence on this trip. This is a YA with a very light romantic element (? -- some might find a wee bit creepy.) I love the ideas but the more the book went on the weaker it became and the characters harder to relate to. But also, I'm not the best audience for YA.

19. The Truth According to Ember

By Danica Nava (358 pp ebook)

Another contemporary Indigenous romance! In this one Ember Cardinal tells a little lie to get a much needed good paying job working in a tech company. There she meets super-hot Native IT guy Danuwoa and romance ensues! But company policy says colleagues shouldn't date and someone finds out and uses this information to get Ember into even more trouble. She has to figure out what truths to tell to be her best self and worthy of her dude. Super cute and funny.

18. Native Love Jams

By Tashia Hart (148 pp)

Another Native contemporary romance! In this one FMC Winnow is a cook and a forager who goes to a rural community to work at the big local cultural festival. When she firsts meets her colleague Niigaanii, they don't hit it off. But as the preparations go on, romance ensues. Both this book and Lizards Hold the Sun have epic berry picking scenes. This one is short and sweet.

17. Lizards Hold the Sun

By Dani Trujillo (255 pp)

Penname is going to be on a book festival panel with Dani and Tashia Hart (next review) next weekend (May 30-31, 2026) so I made sure to read one of each's book before I meet them. This book perfectly captures the intoxication of falling in love -- where you can't keep your hands off each other and you are entranced by the littlest details about the other person. Xiomara is an archeologist and she travels from her desert home to Bunchberry, Canada to work a a big cultural preservation and museum project. Calehan in an architect and loves his native community but feels kinda trapped and has an opportunity for an adventure in Spain. Romance ensues and they need to decide where they need to be and if they can be together. Recommend.