Heartstopper Volume 3 by Alice Oseman is her third installment in this series. It is a captivating and emotionally-charged story of love, acceptance, and personal growth as it follows the main characters, teens Nick and Charlie. The characters are warm, appealing and relatable, with a rockier path to navigate in this story, but again with the telling more special through Oseman’s gorgeous artwork. This novel is another amazing read from Oseman, which left me excited to read the next chapter for Nick and Charlie.
Heartstopper Volume 2 is Oseman’s second graphic novel in this series, and continues to explore the developing relationship between teenagers Nick and Charlie. It is an well-paced, emotional, and engaging story of self-discovery, identify, family expectations and acceptance. Oseman’s artwork is fantastic, with her writing quite powerful and compelling. The LGBTQIA+ themes are again explored in thoughtful and meaningful ways.
Heartstopper Volume 1 is a touching and uplifting graphic novel from Alice Oseman that captures the joys and struggles of first love. It tells the story of Charlie, an openly gay and engaging character, and straight rugby player Nick, from their tentative friendship to blossoming romance with themes of self-discovery and self-identity. It offers an emotional look at what it’s like to be young, gay, and trying to find your place in the world.
Macbeth, a tragedy play written by William Shakespeare, tells the story of a Scottish general Macbeth who receives a prophecy from three witches that he will become the king of Scotland. Driven by ambition and his wife's encouragement, he murders King Duncan and takes the throne. However, his guilt and paranoia lead to further acts of violence, and he eventually meets his tragic end.
Tara Sim's Chainbreaker is the second book in her "Timekeeper" series, and continues Danny Hart’s story as a clock mechanic in a world where time is controlled by clock towers. This novel delves deeper into the politics and time universe established in the word originally introduced in Timekeeper.
Timekeeper by Tara Sim is a young adult fiction novel that explores the concept of time and its impact upon the books’ characters. Set in an alternate Victorian London where time is literally controlled by clock towers, the story follows clock mechanic Danny who is struggling to come to terms with his father's death and the repercussions of a clock tower explosion that has thrown London's time out of sync.
Red, White & Royal Blue is a delightful LGBTQIA+ romance novel by Casey McQuiston that tells the story of Alex, the son of an American president, and Henry, the son of the British Prime Minister, as they navigate their respective identities and growing attraction. The book provides a unique take on identity and family, with the political settings of Washington, D.C. and London serving as the backdrop.
The Bean Trees is a novel written by Barbara Kingsolver about a young woman, Taylor Greer, who leaves her hometown of Pittman, Kentucky and sets off on a journey of personal growth in search of a better life. The story follows Taylor as she strikes out alone and takes charge of her life, meeting various people who influence her growth and transformation, including a orphaned Cherokee infant, Turtle, whom she takes under her wing.
The novel follows Naomi Witt and Knox Morgan. Naomi moved to a small town in Virginia after skipping out on her own wedding and found herself the guardian of her sister's daughter, Waylay after her sister left unexpectedly. When Naomi finds work at a bar she meets the bartender, Knox and they are instantly attracted to each other but neither of them want a relationship. Naomi’s sister shows back up and her and her boyfriend kidnap Waylay.
Sue Klebold is the mother of one of the two shooters from the Columbine shooting, Dylan Klebold. The shooting took the lives of thirteen students and teachers. Klebold’s memoir looks back on her son’s childhood and adolescence, reflecting on the missed signals of severe depression with much regret that she could not see those signals. She also reflects on the aftermath of the tragedy and how it was to be thrust into the public spotlight in such a way. Klebold wanted to destigmatize mental illness and explain that her son was an ordinary student with an undiagnosed clinical mental illness.
