It started off as a random, yet strange collection. I went from library book sales to second hand booksellers in search of a rather strange YA series called Cirque du Freak. The protagonist of the story purports to be the author, Darren Shan, a young boy turned vampire. But upon further discovery, Darren Shan is…
One of my favorite books of 2017. Jason Reynolds is a master storyteller and a man of words. “Long Way Down” may be a quick read, but the message lasts forever inside your heart. Will’s brother was just shot and killed. The rules of the hood (no crying, no snitching, and revenge) dictate that he…
I am not going to lie, I really loved this story. Sure, the book is for kids, but for this blogger who is always using social media, I learned a few things from these kids. I did not read the first book, but I plan on picking it up (as soon as I get through…
This book is one of the most important books you need to read. It is so well written and brings to light the stories of four people in Africa who are fighting extremism. These stories will enlighten you, rattle you, anger you, and make you very sad. In one story, a young girl wants to…
If you are stuck in life and trying to figure out how to get out of that rut, this is the book for you. This book helps you create a plan in your life. Instead of dreaming about doing X, Y and Z, this book helps you create actionable items to help you create the…
A coming of age book that will make you remember what it was like when you were a young teenager (if you’re an adult). Or if you are a teenager, you will relate to the growing pains of trying to figure life out. The reason why I decided to pick up this book was the…
The Edge of Winter is a beautifully written tale mixing the present day with a unique part of World War II history in Rhode Island. Neve and her daughter, Mickey, live in a small coastal town in South County. Mickey’s love of birds has her risking her life to save a rare Arctic Owl. With…
Marvel gets it wrong. Perhaps they should have picked up the old Norse Mythology stories before developing the movies. It was because of the Thor comic books that this book exists. Neil Gaiman loved Thor. He loved the comic books and the Norse stories. The books that told the old stories started to disappear, so…
Due to be released on January 2, 2018. Imagine on your 18th birthday you can make one wish and it will come true. What would you wish for? That is the question Eldon is faced with as he approaches his wish day. He has no idea what he wants to wish for. His mother wants…
As America became the new land people throughout the world immigrated to over the last few centuries, they brought their gods with them. Now, the gods of yesterday (Norse, Egyptian, etc.) battle against the gods of today (the internet, television, etc.) for survival. Shadow is thrown in the middle of this war and he has…
From the author of Salvage the Bones comes another great American novel set in the rural south of the Gulf Coast of Mississippi where young Jojo lives with his grandparents and baby sister. His white father (Michael) is locked up in the state penitentiary. His mother (Leonie), a drug addict and sometimes mother, is absent…
Due to be released on October 3, 2017. Asha is the Iskari – bringer of death to dragons. As daughter of the dragon king, she hunts down dragons and tries to extinguish the old stories, the poisonous tales that killed her mother. As a child, Asha told the stories to dragons until her mother died….
Due to be released on Halloween 2017 (or shall I say “Hallowmas”). In the advanced copy I received, the publisher said that this book came to her shortly after the election last year. She needed a place to escape and this book became a wonderful escape. I have to say that I agree with her….
An incredible debut novel from Jenny Zhang. This book is a collection of stories from Chinese immigrants in Queens, New York. This is not for the faint of heart. In our political climate today, there is a bit of arrogance that goes along with the immigration experience. People assume all immigrants (both legal and illegal)…
Stay With Me is one of the most phenomenal books of 2017. Written by Ayobami Adebayo, this debut novel takes us to Nigeria where we are introduced to Yejide and Akin. Yejide and Akin are happily married, but are missing one thing…a baby. Akin’s mother begins to pester the couple about an heir before bringing…
This book is set to be released on September 19, 2017. Exploring the dysfunctional family dynamic, Peery takes us into the lives of the Campbell family. Just how does a family become dysfunctional? Does the book ever find an answer? No, but then again, maybe it does. For those who come from families struggling to…
Due to be released September 26, 2017. Imagine Guardians of the Galaxy meets Doctor Who, and you have Farway Gaius McCarthy and his band of misfits scavenging for priceless artifacts throughout time aboard their ship, Invictus. From the Titanic to the Library of Alexandria, Far and his friends steal precious items for clients until things…
This book is set to be released on September 5, 2017. Have you ever wondered about your significant other’s previous lover? Have you ever compared yourself to her? In this book, the protagonist obsesses a little too much over her husband’s first wife. She tries to calculate how many times they had sex. Was she…
I really love this series. In book three of Kevin Kwan’s “Crazy Rich Asians,” Ah Ma is dying. Everyone descends upon Tyersall Hall to say goodbye and stake their rights in the Will. Nick and Astrid find themselves banished from their ancestral home. It takes a couple of servants to sneak them in to see…
In anticipation for the upcoming movie starring Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon, I thought I’d pick this book up to get an idea of what I should anticipate this spring. Meg, her brother Charles Wallace and new friend Calvin, embark on a journey across dimensions to find Meg’s father. He’s been missing for…
