I’d heard that The Hate U Give (2017) by Angie Thomas was really good. I’d also heard something about a bestseller controversy that I paid just enough attention to to remind me that I should read this novel. When I finally picked it up, I wasn’t disappointed. Starr Carter is sixteen years old. She is black and lives in a poor, segregated neighborhood that is challenged by drugs and gangs. Her parents don’t want to leave the neighborhood, but they want the best for their kids. So […]
Jane Steele – a superhero of the 1800’s
After seeing Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye on Cannonball and on NPR’s Best Books of 2016, I was intrigued. I’ve read Jane Eyre, and liked it–even though it was as long time ago. But a retelling of Jane Eyre, with Jane as a serial killer? I just couldn’t guess how that would work. But it also got consistently good reviews, which was more than enough for me. I was most curious how Faye would make Jane Steele a sympathetic character as a “cold-blooded killer.” Jane Steele kills her cousin when she […]
Sweet, farcical romance
Crosstalk by Connie Willis is one of the many books I’ve found from NPR’s list of Best Books from 2016. I’ve also read To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, but Crosstalk had some mixed reviews and I wasn’t too excited about reading it. I was afraid I was going to get stuck in an uninteresting slog of a book. Fortunately, I was very wrong. This turned out to be quite a fun and romantic page turner. I had a hard time putting it down while on vacation. Although […]
Love, violence, loss, and mystery
A Change of Heart is the first book I’ve read by Sonali Dev. I found it through NPR’s Best Books of 2016. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and it was unusual, violent, and sometimes disturbing, but I have to say that it sucked me in. I was reading it while I was on vacation, on my first cruise. It was kind of fun to read a book that starts on a cruise while on a cruise, and I definitely got into it. Dr. Nikhil Joshi’s wife, […]
Fox and friends
Pax by Sara Pennypacker is a young adult novel geared for kids aged eight to twelve. I first saw it on NPR’s Best Books of 2016 List, but it is also on the National Book Award Long List. I often enjoy young adult novels because they have a sweet simplicity that is appealing. I also enjoyed reading Pax. Peter is twelve years old and has been living with his dad and caring for his pet fox, Pax, for five years. He found Pax as a kit and the two […]
Hunger, religion, and faith
I remember reading Room by Emma Donoghue and not being able to put it down. I was impressed that Donoghue was able to write such a sensitive story, with such a realistic viewpoint of a little boy in extraordinary conditions. Even more, I was glad that she managed it without it feeling too exploitative. So when I saw that Donoghue had just written The Wonder (2016), I knew I wanted to read it. At first glance, The Wonder looks like it could not be more different than Room. It takes place in […]
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