Well-written but I found this to be disjointed and not as in-depth as I would have liked. It‘s hard not to feel sorry for the girl Brennan-Jobs was as she looked to make sense of her identity but I found her stories to be odd at times and not a satisfying portrait of her life as Steve Jobs‘s daughter.

Anyone who remembers the horror and panic of the peak of the AIDS crisis in the 80s will recognize the devastation and sadness that Makkai‘s characters represent. This is a moving, beautifully written, heartbreaking novel that will stay with me for a long time.

This incredible book won my high school library‘s March Book Madness tournament🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

I just finished this and it gave me a good cry. Such a moving memoir of the author‘s experiences growing up, navigating adulthood, and learning what it means to have a loving mother/daughter relationship.

One of the most beautifully written, literary YA books I‘ve read in a long time. There are so many topics covered with such eloquence—immigration, suicide, sexuality, teen friendship—and I‘m in awe of how Gilbert weaves together the stories of all the complex characters. A must read!!

Hard to believe that this phenomenal novel is a debut. Contreras paints a chilling but intimate story of life in Colombia during the 90s. Alternately narrated by two young girls, it shows the horrific struggles their families deal with while also revealing the beauty of the country‘s landscape and culture.

A beautiful novel in verse focusing on a teenage Latina girl‘s struggle with identity, family, cultural tradition, and the strength to defend her desires.

Though this page-turning book touches on the atrocities of slavery, it does so in a completely original way. At heart it is an adventure story that follows an 11-year-old slave from a plantation in Barbados as he travels across the world. Beautiful writing.

A fascinating story spanning hundreds of years of slavery. It begins in 18th-century Ghana and follows the descendants of two half sisters whose lives take different paths. Using various perspectives coming from Africa, Harlem and other North American cities, the author weaves together all the individual stories and shows how deeply people are tied to their roots.

Wow—this memoir of the author‘s escape from North Korea is fascinating, heartbreaking, and compelling. I can‘t wait to watch her TED talk.

At first I thought this novel kind of dragged but after pushing myself to stick with it I came to love its gentle, slow pace. Rooney‘s writing is so beautiful and perfectly captures the intricacies of a 21-year-old college student in Ireland as she attempts to discover who she is.

After hearing Anne Bogel talk about Elinor Lipman on her latest podcast episode, I took this one home from my library and I was not disappointed! I loved every page of this charming, hilarious story about 32-year-old Faith, who is navigating her romantic life while dealing with her family members, her career, and a mysterious crime that took place in her new house.

Completely engaging story but a bit formulaic and predictable at times. I loved the descriptions of Alaska (ever since watching the show Northern Exposure in the 90s I‘ve had a thing for Alaska) and Hannah covers some important issues like domestic abuse, love, and PTSD. This was a page-turner but seemed a little like a soap opera toward the end.

What an incredible book! It focuses on the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Public Library but also gives a fascinating account of the history of public libraries and the librarians who were, and are, the inspiring forces behind all the action.

This book has not been publicized nearly enough! A couple living in a border town in South Texas gets married on The Day of the Dead and encounters the groom‘s dead father‘s spirit on their wedding day and subsequent anniversaries. Chapters alternate between the present and the 1980s, when the groom‘s family experienced a harrowing journey while crossing the border from Mexico. A beautifully written, moving reflection on immigration and love.

Winter in my high school library (Black Boy is part of my snowman)🌲⛄️🕎📚

After all the positive buzz about this book I was disappointed. The first half of the book was a mish-mash of mythology stories and characters. It seemed to be picking up a bit when Circe was exiled to her island but it never really did. I didn‘t connect with the characters and found the storyline shallow and trite. I praise Miller for her impressive feat of weaving together the Greek myths in this fictional account but it was not for me!

Although I knew this already, Becoming truly highlights how brilliant, warm, funny, poetic, articulate, and ambitious Michelle Obama is. She tastefully leaves out any in-depth political analyses and instead focuses on her personal journey from the South Side of Chicago to the present day. Reading this reminded me of the uplifting, hopeful, and profound messages that true leaders impart on all those around them.

This urban retelling of Pride & Prejudice takes place in Bushwick and focuses on Zuri, whose family has Afro-Latino roots. The characterization is somewhat lacking at times but I still enjoyed reading this modern take on one of my favorite classics.

A heart wrenching account of what Sheff has gone through since his son became addicted to crystal meth. It makes you realize that no matter how much love and guidance you give your children, you have no control of who they become. Looking forward to seeing the movie.

This inspiring book couldn‘t be more timely. Through research and personal anecdotes, Brown explores the feeling of belonging and how people‘s beliefs and identities shouldn‘t prevent them from relating to those who disagree with them.

Though the actual storyline was confusing in this version, I loved reading it because of the beautiful artwork and extras like a map of Wakanda, sketches, and a chronology of all the comics Black Panther appeared in. And the original 1961 Fantastic Four comic, in which he first appeared, is included in the back!

I loved being transported back to the New York of the 1970s in this nostalgic, well-written novel. Narrated by the 23-year-old son of a famous talk-show host and socialite mother, the story follows the the Winters from their intriguing life in the Dakota apartment building, where they spend time with their friends John and Yoko, to campaign events they share with Ted and Joan Kennedy. A fascinating page turner filled with pain, love, and hope.

Such a satisfying and enjoyable read! I loved all of these essays, which cover topics such as acknowledgement pages, book logs, and the anxiety that comes from the sheer volume of books to be read. I got the same pleasure from reading this charming book as I do from listening to Bogel‘s podcast.

This was one of my favorite reads of the year. Amanda Stern pours her heart out and through her beautiful writing makes her lifetime of anxiety fascinating, inspiring, and even humorous. She recounts her experiences as a child growing up in NYCity‘s West Village and explores how her fears and worries affect every area of her life. A true page-turner that could have gone on for another 200 pages without losing my interest!

A fascinating story of a young married couple in Nigeria from the 1980s to 2008. Filled with troubling cultural traditions, complex emotions, and questionable decisions it highlights the effort it takes for a marriage to survive.

I picked up this short 1979 novel in a quaint bookstore while in Ann Arbor (Literati). It‘s the story of a middle aged widow who uses her savings to open up a bookshop in her seaside town. Fitzgerald‘s writing is brilliant, with the slow, easy tone and understated humor typical of many great British writers.

It took me a while to connect with this book at first because I had just watched the charming Netflix movie, which I loved so much that I bought the book. Han captures teenage emotions with honesty and humor and once I was able to forget the screen versions of the characters I enjoyed her writing. Now I‘ll go back to my rule of always reading the book first.

Mark Twain's masterpiece takes on an entirely new meaning for me as an adult. I grasped the humor and societal statements this time around in a way I hadn't before. Huck is hilarious and the mishaps he and Jim go through kept me laughing the entire book. Though it's uncomfortable seeing the N work so often, it highlights the racist world in which they lived and makes Huck and Jim's friendship even more poignant.

I just reread Giffin‘s first novel and I think I loved it even more the second time! If you‘re looking for a page-turner with romance, humor, New York atmosphere, love, friendship, and realistically flawed characters, this is it!! (My daughter and I talk about the book and movie on episode 7 of our Bookscreenz podcast).

I always feel compelled to read the book before watching the screen version. I‘m excited to see how the TV series compares to this fascinating, depressing novel. Atwood‘s prose is stark and powerful and although I was eager to finish the book to escape from this dreary world, I loved being immersed in her language and style.

This YA book highlights the important issues of alcoholism, hoarding, and suicide but the author‘s character development, writing style, and structure are weak. The prose took on a slightly childish tone, especially when she used onomatopoeia for sounds like the phone ringing. Teens might relate to it but I think there are other YA books that cover these issues more skillfully.

After Anne Bogel recommended this book on her podcast (What Should I Read Next?) I picked it up and was not disappointed! O‘Farrell‘s writing is drawn out and beautiful, focusing on the intimate details of her characters‘ lives and emotions. Told from many different points of view and changing time periods with each chapter, it is a family saga that is all-encompassing.

Picked up this little gem of a book at my favorite book store, The Strand. It‘s based on a TEDx talk of hers and is a brilliant commentary on feminism.

I‘m so happy to have discovered the amazing Anne Bogel. (Thank you@BookaholicNatty!). Her podcast is now my favorite and this book was an insightful, intelligent read.

I couldn‘t put this book down! A heartbreaking novel based on the true story of a corrupt agency in the early 1900s that stole children from poor families in the South to give to wealthy couples. There‘s also a modern-day perspective that‘s narrated by the daughter of a prominent senator; the author cleverly weaves the two threads together to make a real page turner.

I know Didion‘s writing sets the standard for excellence but I found most of these essays about life during the 60s to be depressing and disjointed. The last two sections were much better than the first but I enjoyed her book The Year of Magical Thinking so much more.

An enjoyable read about a woman who gets together with her ex-husband to get help with college plans for her daughter (from her 2nd marriage). I would have liked it better if the characters were more deeply developed. I also found that the author made a lot of judgmental remarks via characters‘ feelings and thoughts but they felt more like his own beliefs being injected into the book.

I needed a short read after Hamilton and this was perfect. Each time I read this play I‘m amazed at how perfectly Wilder captures the human experience.

Just finished this tome and I can‘t do it justice with words. Chernow catalogues Hamilton‘s early years as a child in the Caribbean, his accomplished career as a lawyer and founding father of America, his endearing familial relationships, and his commitment to honor, which leads to the fateful mortal duel. One thing I realized while reading is that the irrational behavior and political tension of today was just as bad—maybe worse—back then!

My 16-year-old daughter and I started a podcast where we discuss books that were adapted to movies. Our pilot episode is about Simon and in other episodes we talk about A Wrinkle In Time, Wonder, Bridge to Terabithia and most recently Call Me By Your Name (my sister guest co-hosts this one). If you like podcasts, check us out! We‘re beginners so I welcome any suggestions or criticism. Thanks!

I loved this book!! There are many recent novels that deal with unjust treatment of African Americans but this one has an original slant by focusing on the deep-set emotions of the characters and their communication while one of them is incarcerated. The prose is lyrical and while the plot is not continually action-packed, that is what makes it seem more real.

Another incredible YA book by Becky Albertalli! She is a master at capturing teenage emotions and in this story about 17-year-old twins she explores body image, same sex marriage, young love, and the many complex paths to friendships and relationships.

As much as I appreciated the writing style of this book and loved the concept of four siblings facing their mortality, there was something about the novel that exhausted me. The first half was much stronger than the second. The last few chapters really dragged. But it is an original story containing illusion/magic, the AIDS epidemic, complex family dynamics, religion, and many more thought-provoking topics.

My heart broke so many times during this emotional novel about an 11-year-old boy who struggles to makes sense of his Chinese heritage while attempting to fit into a mostly white community. After Deming Guo says goodbye to his mother one morning in his Bronx apartment, he is shattered when she does not return. His search for her uncovers shocking circumstances that relate all too closely to our world today.

This book was phenomenal!! It‘s not often that a young adult book can poignantly comment on the cultural/political environment while also giving teen readers the romance and social interactions they crave. Mafi masters it in this story of a 16-year-old Muslim American girl in the aftermath of 9/11.

This book dragged a little for me but was a compelling story about a man who commits a horrific murder and leaves his young daughter behind. One thing that annoyed me (and I see this with many male authors) is that Dubus described all the female characters‘ breasts at some point—not necessary!

The classic novel, Rebecca, has always been a favorite of mine and this book, whose tone and plot parallels the original, is just as much of a page-turner. From the Grand Cayman Islands to an estate on the east end of Long Island, a couple‘s whirlwind romance turns into something terrifying in this riveting love story/thriller.

I pulled all the classics from my library‘s fiction collection and gave them two bookcases of their own. The harder job will be to get teenagers to read them! #HSlibrarian #finalsweekprojects

I did not expect to like this nearly as much as I did! The story is narrated by a young Nigerian woman, Korede, whose younger sister, Ayoola, has been casually murdering her recent boyfriends. Written in beautifully crisp prose that is filled with satire, the novel explores the ethics of supporting a loved one no matter how horrible her crimes are.