The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a novel with elements of historical fiction and magical realism. Addie is a young woman, born in sixteenth-century France. She hates the life set out for her: never leaving the village, never seeing anything new. She refuses to resign herself to a life of marriage and children; on her wedding night, she takes a risk. By praying to the old gods who answer after dark, she falls under a curse to be forgotten forever unless she agrees to give up her soul.
This novel is presented as a letter from a 29-year-old author, Little Dog, to his illiterate mother. His writings flow from his youth in an abusive home, his relationship with his Vietnamese mother and grandmother, to his first job in the sweltering tobacco fields. The narrator, freed from the pressure of anyone ever reading it, pours his heart and story onto the pages. The result is a beautiful story of love, danger, family, abuse, race, class, and coming-of-age as Little Dog recalls his youth.
Splinters of Scarlet is a loving and action-filled fictional novel by Emily Bain Murphy. This book is about an orphaned girl named Marit who can sew with magic. Eve, Marit’s friend, gets adopted by her idol, Helene Vestergaard. Marit befriends Liljan and her brother Jacob. Marit finds out that Philip Vestergaard is killing people for their magical blood and making the jewels instead of mining for them.
You may have read Madeleine L’Engle’s most famous book, A Wrinkle in Time, which won the Newbery Medal and is still available almost everywhere, even 60 years after it was published in 1962. But you may not know about L’Engle’s “other” famous series, about the Austin family. The Moon by Night is the second book in the Austin family series. The book, which is not science fiction, focuses on the coming-of-age story of Vicky Austin, age 14.
Rob has only ever wanted a normal life. She wants a normal husband, with normal kids, a normal house, and a normal job. Things from the past come back to haunt her family. She finds herself unable to ignore it when her daughter starts collecting bones and talking to people that aren’t there. Stuck between her want for normality, and the trauma reawakening, Rob decides to take one last trip to a place buried in her memories.
A book I quickly fell in love with. It may not be a perfect book for every reader, as we all have our different preferences. Not everyone will love it as much as I. But I love it. I find it hard to imagine a book that could be more perfect.
I rarely buy books. I work in a library, so I feel almost every day I have all the books I could ever want at my fingertips for free. I don't often feel the need to buy them for myself. Plus, buying a book means I am unlikely to read it.
The book begins by describing Albert’s childhood and experience in school. While most kids wanted to play games outside and have fun, Albert enjoyed spending his time solving puzzles and learning about science. In school he would ask a lot of questions; in fact, he asked so many that his teachers got annoyed with him and expelled him. Albert was then forced to learn things on his own. Although it took him time to gain respect in the science community, Albert published many theories and equations which were proven correct, and he became one of the most successful scientists of all time.
Agnes lives happily in Red Creek. She likes the people, the tasks, the Prophet, the God, everything. But Agnes is a sinner. She makes contact with the Outside to treat her little brother of his diabetes. But it’s through this contact with the Outside that Agnes realizes that Red Creek isn’t perfect. That’s when everything starts to go wrong. Stuck between a religious cult and a global pandemic Agnes must fight to stay alive.
In the Ballroom with the Candlestick is the final book of the Clue Mystery trio. It picks up a little after the events inside In the Study with the Wrench with the Murder Crew at a now almost abandoned Blackbrook Academy. Following a series of murders from the previous books has driven most of the students away, and you are left with an closed circle mystery involving a small group of students composed of both victims and suspects.
Bad Things Happen Here is an intriguing and amazingly written YA murder mystery. It is set on an island of extremely wealthy people where horrible and unexplainable disappearances happen but the consciousness of the society sweeps it all under the rug. It is a twisted tale in both the story itself and the characters, the lead protagonist is flawed, mentally ill and haunted by loss, but yet unlike other books, this does not undermine her character, but instead strengthens Luca.
