Harry Turtledove's The Big Switch is an action-packed alternate history anthology that explores a fascinating concept: what if historical events had taken different turns? This collection of short stories and novellas presents a variety of scenarios, each offering a unique "what if" scenario and its potential consequences. From alternate outcomes of famous battles to different paths for key historical figures, the book delves into a range of pivotal moments in history.
The Assassin’s Blade is the prequel to Sarah J Maas’s book series Throne of Glass. The Assassin’s Blade follows young assassin Celaena Sardothien and how she ended up in a slave camp called Endovier. It was the third book written in the series and is personally one of my favorites because of the character development and introduction to new characters. It includes multiple short stories about adventures she went on and different people she met.
This book is a collection of fantasy short stories, about brave heroes facing tough challenges. Edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes, the book includes stories from well-known fantasy writers like Patricia Briggs, Anne Bishop and Kevin Hearne. Each story shows a different kind of hero, from magical warriors to ordinary people in extraordinary situations.
The House on Mango Street depicts the life of a girl, Esperanza. It shows her early life, all the way up to adulthood. Esperanza struggles with living a poor life often faced by immigrants, unable to live in a house of her own. She learns that life isn’t fair, and how difficult it is to grow up. Despite all this, she still dreams of owning her own house one day, on a hill, with a big yard. Esperanza’s story is one of my favorites.
Summary: Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yoko Ogawa is a collection of interconnected short stories that dive into the complexities of human relationships and the dark aspects of life. The narratives are tied together through recurring characters and subtle connections, creating a lot of psychological suspense and unsettling events. Ogawa's writing explores themes of revenge and obsession. With each story revealing the complexities of the characters' lives and their intertwined fates.
An incredible collection of stories from truly amazing authors, Cursed brings back classic horror literature. Without the possibility of using cheap jump scares or showing mindless gore, like most horror movies today, Cursed shows what horror is about. While horror short stories are becoming fairly popular nowadays, Cursed does the best job of it I’ve seen.
The sequel to the best horror short story book on the market, Twice Cursed was heavily awaited by the many fans of the first book (me). With the return of most of the authors from the first book, such as M. R. Carey, Christina Henry and of course, Neil Gaiman, I was excited for the new stories to be told. After reading the first book, I had high expectations, and this book both met and exceeded them.
The House on Mango Street is about a young Latino girl named Esperanza, navigating through her adolescent through teen life in Chicago. Her house and neighborhood aren't in very good condition, and throughout the book Esperanza talks about how she wants a house of her own in the future where she can be herself. Multiple events are happening in the book that shape her and give her new understanding of the world. However, near the end of the book, she learns an important lesson.
Auggie & Me is a fiction novel written by R.J. Palacio is a sequel to Wonder. The book is focused on 3 of Wonder’s characters, Julian, Christopher and Charlotte. First off, Julian Albans, the main antagonist of Wonder, or Auggie’s bully, is going to his Grandma’s for the summer and during his time there, learns about his family’s past and tries to better himself. Next, is Christoper, Auggie’s old friend where we learn about his struggles in life.
The Reason I Jump, by Naoki Higashida, is a short collection of questions, answers, and a couple short stories that all are written in hopes of showing what life’s like for somebody who is autistic. This collection was written when Higashida was 12 years old and is mainly compiled of the questions that people ask him about certain behaviors based in autism that they consider odd or confusing.
