★★★★★ He went through life with his hands firmly shoved into his pockets. She danced. Ove is the quintessential grumpy old man. He lives in a little development, where he spends much of his time patrolling and reporting rule-breakers. Even when he was younger, Ove has always been...particular. He had a steward set of principles and absolutely compromised… Continue reading A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Backman
Growing Up Amish – Ira Wagler
★★★ Even among the Amish, other Amish seem odd. Canadian Ira Wagler, is the ninth of eleven Amish children. Amish, for the unfamiliar, are a group of traditionalist Christians who are well-known for their simple, plain living style. Depending on their individual communities - some swear off all technology while others have strict rules for how and when it… Continue reading Growing Up Amish – Ira Wagler
The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
★★★★★ In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Bilbo Baggins, living comfortably in his hobbit-hole in Bag End, finds himself on the wrong end of an adventure. Gandalf the Grey has come recruiting for a burglar willing to raid the home of Smaug (a dragon) whose taken over the ancestral home of the dwarves. These… Continue reading The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
All the Crooked Saints – Maggie Stiefvater
★★ I was looking for a miracle, but I got a story instead, and sometimes those are the same thing. (More like this story needed a miracle). The Soriaa are a family of miracle-workers. People from all-around the world pilgrimage to their little spot of the desert, hoping for a catch-all cure. But what the pilgrims… Continue reading All the Crooked Saints – Maggie Stiefvater
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – JK Rowling
★★★★★ Can you hear me screaming? As expected, the illustrations brought this book to a whole new level. I legitimately want to buy another copy, solely to take it apart and frame it. Each page is just bursting with new life. Honestly, how could you not love such beautiful images? Hogwarts, Hogwarts. Hoggy Hoggy warty warts. I think at this point,… Continue reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – JK Rowling
Oh My Goth (redo) – Gena Showalter
★★ ½ My name is Jade Leighton, and this morning I staged my own death. Oh, hey. Didn't see you there. I was too busy staring apathetically at the middle distance. I'm seventeen-years-old now. Since the accident, I haven't shed a single tear or laughed. After witnessing the death of my mother, I decided to become… Continue reading Oh My Goth (redo) – Gena Showalter
Seven Questions on a Saturday – Shani Chen
Shani Chen, author of If Nuns Were Wives, began her writing career later in life. Why? because at first, she wanted to be a nun. Ever since becoming a teenager, Shani felt a calling towards religion and eventually to become a nun. However, sometimes, no matter how much we plan and want something, life takes… Continue reading Seven Questions on a Saturday – Shani Chen
Akata Witch – Nnedi Okorafor
★★ We embrace those things that make us unique or odd. For only in these things can we locate and then develop our most individual abilities. Sunny was born in New York, but recently moved back to her homeland (Aba, Nigeria) and that transition has not been easy. She's bullied for her "American-ness", her weirdness… Continue reading Akata Witch – Nnedi Okorafor
A Tale Dark & Grimm – Adam Gidwitz
★★★ ½ Once upon a time, fairy tales were AWESOME! Adam Gidwitz remembers the old tales - the ones with violence and blood - and truly regrets the watering down the modern times. And so he decides to tell the true tale of Hansel and Gretel. Their story is not all gingerbread and breadcrumbs - there's vampires, werewolves and monsters… Continue reading A Tale Dark & Grimm – Adam Gidwitz
The Suffering – Rin Chupeco
★★★★ Okiku, or better known as the Girl from the Well , has had quite the busy year. She may be over three hundred, but she's still getting around. In the last few months alone, she's killed child murderers, fought evil demons and even attached her spirit to a human, Tark. Tark narrowly survived a previous possession… Continue reading The Suffering – Rin Chupeco
