I’m deep into my Cybils reading for this year, with a total of 20 books read in full and many others begun. When I read so many books in such a short period of time, it’s easy to pick up on similarities, patterns, and trends. As in previous years, I made note of these and organized them into a sort of mind map that I call a spiderweb. Some of the common themes this year have been stories set in France, gods who meddle in human affairs, and a whole lot of warrior girls. I anticipate the spiderweb will grow over the next few weeks, and I hope to provide a final version sometime after the announcement of our shortlist in January.