★★★★★ As a graduate student.... this one got to me. It was real. Painfully real. The burnout. The depression. The loss of feeling towards something you once loved. And yet, it was funny.A down-to-earth humor brought out in the darkest of times. I was constantly blown away by the accuracy of Wang's novel. There's so many times where I… Continue reading Chemistry – Weike Wang
Christmas Train (board book) – David Miles
★★★★★ All aboard the Christmas train! Hold your ticket tight. We'll count our way from 1 to 20 all throughout the night. Grab your hot chocolates - we are going for a wild ride! This Christmas train is going all through the village, and we are along for the adventure - counting all the fun things… Continue reading Christmas Train (board book) – David Miles
Aunt Severe and the Dragons – Nick Garlick
★★★ ½ Daniel just lost his parents (quite literally lost them - they're explorers and haven't found their way home yet). And because society generally frowns on children living on their own, Daniel is shipped off to Aunt Severe's place. And at first, it is JUST AWFUL...until he finds four dragons living among her garden...but the Gotcha… Continue reading Aunt Severe and the Dragons – Nick Garlick
Caddie Woodlawn – Carol Ryrie Brink
★★ ½ Disappointing and yet marginally charming. How far I've come! I'm the same girl and yet not the same. I wonder if it's always like that? Caddie Woodlawn, a fiery redhead growing up in Wisconsin in the 1800s, has always been a tom boy. Her mother is at her wits end but her father enjoys his daughter's plucky… Continue reading Caddie Woodlawn – Carol Ryrie Brink
Seedfolks – Paul Fleischman
★★★★ The word "paradise" came out of my mouth, without thinking. An old Romanian woman keeps a keen eye on the neighborhood. Her suspicious glance falls upon a young Vietnamese girl squatting in a vacant lot, poking at the ground. Upon further inspection, she realizes that the young girl was planting lima bean seeds. You have to have faith, especially… Continue reading Seedfolks – Paul Fleischman
The Gifts of the Animals – Carole Gerber & Yumi Shimokawara
★★★★ The gentle beasts of sky and earth prepare their stable for Christ's birth. Everyone knows that in a little stable in Bethlehem, Christ is born...but what happened before that? How did the manger get its straw? Was there a little pillow for His head? In this sweet and charming Christmas tale, we learn how the animals… Continue reading The Gifts of the Animals – Carole Gerber & Yumi Shimokawara
Crazy Rich Girlfriend – Kevin Kwan
★★★★ ½ I know the average outfit in your wardrobe costs more than a semester of tuition at Princeton, but it makes you look like a community college during summertime: NO CLASS. Rachel Chu managed to (unwittingly) snag one of the most eligible bachelors - Mr. Nicholas Young, heir to an obscene fortune. And they are ready… Continue reading Crazy Rich Girlfriend – Kevin Kwan
