Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow
Title: Ten Thousand Doors of January
Author: Alix E Harrow
Review
“When I was seven, I found a Door.” Thus begins January Scaller’s account of feeling out of place and alone and discovering other worlds that ultimately help her find where she belongs. This is a beautifully written story of bravery and perseverance.
Review by: Jannelle
Devolution by Max Brooks
Title: Devolution
Author: Max Brooks
Review: Kate Holland has moved into a new experimental sustainable community called Greenloop. Located south of Mt Rainier, the homes in Greenloop are built from 100% recycled materials and have all the latest technology for energy efficiency and communication with the outside world. Best of all, the community is surrounded by miles and miles of forest. Shortly after Kate and her husband move in, Mt. Rainier erupts. They are cut off physically and electronically from the rest of the world. When the world finally remembers Greenloop, all they find is Kate’s journal chronicling the events of the weeks following the eruption. It centers around one major fact: Bigfoot is real.
Review by: Jannelle
Simon, The Fiddler by Paulette Jiles
Title: Simon, The Fiddler
Author: Paulette Jiles
Review: A poignant, hopeful story of a young man, a fiddler, who had successfully avoided being conscripted into the Confederate Army until the very end of the Civil War. He and a few others formed a musical group to play at Army functions as required. This small group is at the center of the entire story. At one of these functions, Simon spots a young Irish immigrant serving as governess to the daughter of a Union officer. There the story begins. His determination to find her after the war and the music as the essence of who he is makes an engaging read. I recommend this book as a good summer read.
Review by: Dianne
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz
Title: Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II
Author: Alan Gratz
Review:
Projeckt 1065 is an exciting, action packed story that takes place in 1943, Nazi Germany.
Michael O’Shaunessey, son of the Irish ambassador to Germany, lives in the heart of Berlin with his parents. Much like the other kids at Michael’s school he has been recruited for the Hitler Youth. But Michael has a huge secret; He and his parents are spies.
This is one of my all time favorite books.
Review by: Zachary
The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence
Title: The Girl and the Stars
Author: Mark Lawrence
Review:
The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence is a brilliant and unique read. Living on an ice planet, the citizens must adopt strict rules to enable their race to survive. When Yaz's brother is deemed unfit to survive, he is thrown into the pit of the missing children. The adventure begins when Yaz jumps in to save him. And interesting magic system makes itself known under the ice. Can Yaz find her brother and survive her new reality?
Review by: Aly
How We Learn by Benedict Carey
Title: How We Learn
Author: Benedict Carey
Review:
Quite a bit of research has gone into understanding how we learn. This book lays out some of the most effective strategies. From spaced review, to changing your environment while studying. If you want to learn how to learn, start here.
Review by: Ben
Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
Title: Book of Lost Friends
Author: Lisa Wingate
Review:
This is the new book by the author of Before We Were Yours. Inspired by the "Lost Friends" advertisements in the South after the Civil War, this is the story of two women, Hannie Gossett and Benny Silva. Although they are separated by 100 years, their stories come together in such a beautiful way. I loved this book!
Review by: Jannelle
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St James
Title: The Sun Down Motel
Author: Simone St James
Review: This was a page turner from the get-go! A nail- biter and heart thumping ride of a book. Carly Kirk was always curious about what happened to her aunt Viv who disappeared 35 years ago. She goes to the last place that aunt Viv was, the Sundial Motel, a throwback from the 60s. She takes up the post that her aunt Viv had before she disappeared, a night office clerk. Soon things started happening, The smell of cigarette smoke when she was around a little boy by the pool, lights flashing, doors opening... It’s an amazing and creepy read!
Review by: Julie
A Hundred Suns by Karin Tanabe
Title: A Hundred Suns
Author: Karin Tanabe
Review:
Taking place in the 1930’s, this is a story of a woman, Jessie, leaving poverty and abuse in Kentucky in hope of a better life .
Travelling to Paris, she succeeds in meeting and marrying into the wealthy Michelin family. From here the story moves to Indochina where the Michelin rubber plantations operate. There she experiences the beginnings of the communist rebellion against France. A story with secrets, scandals , mystery and some history of what is now Viet Nam. A good read.
Review by: Dianne
Liquid Rules by Mark Miodownik
Title: Liquid Rules
Author: Mark Miodownik
Review:
From the author of Stuff Matters, comes another book. This time the focus is on liquids. I was fascinated by his account of how the liquid ink in a ball point pen works for example. Or how liquid soap is able to pull dirt from your hands. If you like the science of everyday stuff, check out this book.
Review by: Ben
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Title: Little Fires Everywhere
Author: Celeste Ng
Review:
This poignant and dramatic masterpiece shows what happens when the well-to-do Richardson family starts getting involved in the matters of the unconventional Warren family. Secrets get dug up when both families get tangled up in a moral dilemma turned huge political debate that shakes up the otherwise peaceful and rule-abiding town of Shaker Heights, Ohio. This novel is a masterclass in empathy, and one that I will joyfully return to time and time again.
Review by: Devon
The XY by Virginia Bergin
Title: The XY
Author: Virginia Bergin
Review:
Imagine a world where men can no longer survive. River grew up in a world very different from our own after a virus targeted every living being with a Y chromosome. That is, until one day when she stumbles across a boy who is very ill but alive all the same. The chain reaction sends River on a course she never saw coming. Bergin explores difficult, complex topics in her newest novel, including gender roles and rape. This is not a light read, but makes you consider the world from a different perspective.
Review by: Bethany
The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross
Title: The Beast's Heart
Author: Leife Shallcross
Review:
This story is a wondrous tale of beauty and the beast. This time it’s told by the beast. Through his eyes the story unfolds. It has new plots and twists but it holds the original flavor of the classic. A wonderful sweet retelling of a classic I will be sure to re-read it over and over again.
Review by: Julie
The Body by Bill Bryson
Title: The Body
Author: Bill Bryson
Review:
How is it that humans are so intricate yet fail to complete some of the simplest tasks? Bill Bryson, lacking any scientific or medical background, is surprisingly the perfect man to answer these questions (and many more) while also splitting your sides with laughter. This well-researched book combines interesting statistics, amusing anecdotes, and top-notch comedy to make an engaging read for anyone looking for an owner's manual to their own body. Hopefully you read the terms and conditions...
Review by: Devon
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Title: Mistborn
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Review:
Mistborn takes place on the planet Scadrial. It’s an exciting adventure fantasy that follows a young woman named Vin with amazing Allomancy powers. Can she save the planet from the evil Lord Ruler and overthrow the final empire?
Review by: Aly
Devil Darling Spy by Matt Killeen
Title: Devil Darling Spy
Author: Matt Killeen
Review:
What would happen to you if you were Jewish orphan Nazi Germany? More than likely you would be sent to a concentration camp and killed. Not Sarah. She became a spy, part of a resistance that was trying to hunt down a crazed German doctor. A doctor who was bent on creating the perfect germ warfare. Through Sarah’s quest to find him, she and her companions must go through central Africa where she sees the horrors of colonization that the allies and the Nazi brought upon the people and the land. This was a page turner that chilled me to the bone.
Review by: Julie
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
Title: How to Change Your Mind
Author: Michael Pollan
Review:
If you haven’t seen what’s changed with the subject of psychedelics since the 1960’s, then take a look at this book for an update to the field. There is promising research being done on the therapeutic benefits of many plants and compounds once only thought of in terms of hippies and counter culture. Times have changed. Pollan takes us on his quest to understand each one both scientifically and personally.
Review by: Ben
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Title: A Curse So Dark and Lonely
Author:
Review: Calling all fairy tale lovers! Following the traditional story line of the old-timey folktale “Beauty and the Beast”, we follow Rhen and Harper as they embark on the romantic journey we as kids learned to love. When Harper is kidnapped and taken to a world where cell phones don’t work, kings and queens still rule the land of Emberfall, and an evil monster lurks, she thinks she must be dreaming. But when Emberfall falls in danger, Harper must decide whose side she’s on and whether Rhen is worth risking her life over. This book is impossibly perfect and it exceeded my expectations one hundred times over. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
Review by: Jodie
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Title: Dear Edward
Author: Ann Napolitano
Review:
Twelve year old Edward and his family board a plane headed to Los Angeles. The plane crashes and Edward is the sole survivor. We follow Edward as he copes with the aftermath of losing his entire family and deals with the fame of being the only survivor of the 184 passengers aboard the plane. Alternately, the details of the plane and the stories of the other passengers reveal what happened on that day. This is a wonderful story of human resilience after tragedy.
Review by: Jannelle
Where She Fell by Kaitlin Ward
Title: Where She Fell
Author: Kaitlin Ward
Review:
Eliza, an aspiring geologist, has grown up hearing about people being swallowed by sinkholes near her home. Legend has it that those people fall into a vast cave system and join an underground society, but Eliza knows you simply couldn't survive in such a situation. That is until she finds herself in that very predicament. Determined to make it home to her family, Eliza finds herself battling creatures, forming friendships, and drawing on every geographical fact she's ever learned in order to escape.
Review by: Bethany