Animal Crossing: Deserted Island Diary is a graphic novel story that follows four goofy characters, Coroyuki, Benben, Himepoyo, and Guchan, as they try to create the island of their dreams. I absolutely loved this book, and it is great for fans of the Animal Crossing game. Plus, there are bonus pages for game information and a look at the author’s island. This book truly deserves five stars.
Six of Crows is the first book in a duology written by Leigh Bardugo. It is set in the same universe as a previous series by Bardugo, the Shadow and Bone trilogy. Six of Crows follows Kaz Brekker, a notorious thief and his crew, known as the Crows. Kaz is tasked with completing an impossible heist in order to rescue a scientist from the impenetrable Ice Court.
Giving a very grumpy/sunshine type of trope, the story follows Hazel Bradford and Josh Im, who have known each other since they were in college. Hazel’s outgoing, fun, loud, and an elementary school teacher if that sums it up. Josh is a do it by the book, go through life sort of unnoticed, minding his own business type of guy. Their paths cross years after college and it simply follows their relationship/friendship. I’m a sucker for quick, romance, cute reads and this was exactly that, which I was happy with.
This book follows the story of teenager Craig Gilner. He wants to succeed but nearly kills himself over it. The book follows his journey with his mental health and all the ups and downs along the way. To me, the book was in a way very relatable, which I personally always love in a book. The way that Craig reacted to situations and simply the things he struggled with as a teen, is very compelling and I sort of saw myself in him a little bit, as I am also a teenager.
The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould is a young adult paranormal thriller that follows the adventures of a teenage girl as she tries to unravel the mysteries of a small town in Oregon. Logan’s parents are famous ghosthunters, but when they return to their hometown to film their show, Logan knows something more is going on. Along with some local teens, Logan investigates the darkness that consumes the town. While Gould maintains an ominous tone throughout the novel, I didn’t find most of the story very creepy.
Edith Warton's narration of high society life during the Golden Age of Old New York is filled with drama, forbidden romance, and betrayal. Newland Archer is wealthy, popular, and he's about to marry New York's finest young woman, May Welland; everything changes when May's cousin, Ellen Olenska, returns to New York. Archer is pulled between his duty to May and his desire for Ellen. Warton's plotlines were exciting, and her writing was palpable. I despised Archer after the first couple of chapters, but Warton's story kept me intrigued and even made me root for Archer at times.
Madeline Miller’s Circe is a retelling of the ancient Greek myth of a witch with the powers of transformation. Born to Helios, the Titan god of the sun yet evidently without any powers of her own, Circe has a childhood in the shadows, largely unnoticed unless harassed. She discovers her magical abilities after picking flowers grown from the blood of gods and is cast down from the halls of the gods for her offense. Stranded on an island and forbidden to leave, a cast of characters from Greek mythology enter her story.
Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell, is a fantasy novel and the first in the Simon Snow trilogy. It's Simon Snow's last year at Watford School of Magicks and time is running out for him to defeat the Insidious Humdrum, whose goal is to destroy all magic in the United Kingdom. When Simon searches for his evil roommate, Baz Pitch, who fails to show up at school at the beginning of term, Simon discovers secrets that he was not meant to find out and that may threaten everything he knows about the World of Mages.
The Diary of Anne Frank and Related Readings, edited by Frances Goodrich, is Historical Non-Fiction. Hiding with the Van Pels family was the Frank family. Among the Frank family was Anne Frank, a young woman who, no matter what happens, is always so cheerful. The Frank family, along with the Van Pels family, goes into hiding in the Secret Annex. The Secret Annex is a very tight place. There are strict rules, and everyone has to obey them. Anne writes down her feelings and what goes around in the annex.
Darling is a story about Wendy, your average new girl in town. She misses the life she left behind and wants to finally meet her online friend despite her parent’s refusal. But instead, she quickly finds herself swept up into a night of chaos. After a strange encounter she ends up spending the night with Peter and his gang. But it doesn’t take long for her to realize that there’s something off about Peter. That maybe his gang isn’t as much of a family as they originally seemed.
