Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a novel that follows Holden Caulfield's sudden expulsion from his all-boy prep academy. After being kicked out, Holden embarks on a three-day journey through New York City, where he meets various people who reflect his inner turmoil. Throughout the novel, Holden grapples with themes of identity and loss of childhood.
How to Make Friends with the Dark follows Tiger, a teenage girl just trying to make it through high school when her mom tragically and suddenly dies. This book follows her journey of learning to grieve and cope with her mother's death while trying to maintain her relationships.
Legend follows June and Day, two teens living completely opposite lives. June is a prodigy, destined to be one of the most successful people in the Republic. Day is a criminal, the most-wanted criminal in the country. But when June’s brother died and Day became the main suspect their lives cross in unexpected ways.
Red Queen follows Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old girl in a world divided by the color of blood. Mare has red blood, meaning that she's a commoner whereas those with silver blood are the elite with supernatural powers. In this dystopian novel Mare discovers her powers and fights against the silvers.
House of Hollow follows Iris Hollow, a seventeen-year-old girl with a strange past. In this book, Iris tries to uncover the mystery that has haunted her family for years. One dark night Iris and her sisters disappear and return, but they aren’t the same as before.
Throne of Glass follows Celaena Sardothien, a teenage assassin who has spent the past year as a slave in the salt mines of Endovier. When the crowned prince shows up and takes her away she has to fight for her freedom in a competition to become the king’s assassin. However, dark forces are at play, and she might not make it out of the castle alive.
Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Mitch Albom, is a memoir recounting his reconnection with his former college professor, Morrie Schwartz, who is battling ALS(amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). As Mitch finds himself drifting from his former passionate self to a discontented individual, Morrie's illness serves as a catalyst for their reunion. Through their weekly Tuesday gatherings, Morrie shares lessons with Mitch about life, love, and death.
Persepolis is a unique book that doesn’t adhere to what is expected in literature. It combines the personality and ease of reading a graphic novel with the depth of a non-fiction book, particularly a memoir. Specifically, this book follows Satrapi’s life as she grows through the Islamic Revolution. As a child, she becomes rebellious and seeks better out of the Islamic government. Later in her life, she keeps some elements but is subdued in others.
This novel by Roy questions many parts of life and being. The story follows the life of a brother (Estha) and sister (Rahel) who grow up in Ayemenem. They witness their lives gradually fall apart after an incident in which their cousin dies and they are blamed for her death. Years of mediocrity and disappointment go by, with the book eventually ending with the reunification of the siblings after being separated and washed away of hope and life. A main point of discussion Roy has is the “love laws,” which was a theme I enjoyed hearing her thoughts about.
This anthology is a compilation of the works of poet Elizabeth Bishop. Her creations are clouded metaphorical representations of her life and resolve. The themes the works reach can be as simple as the simple observations of the environment to sobriety and alcoholism. It is clear by her writing that these messages are intended to be buried deep into the works, only discovered by those determined to find them and those who look through each work and her personal life with a magnifying lens. This is the benefit and limitation of her work.
