Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery, 426 pages

A sweet, lively story. Young Anne definitely was a bit too much for me at times. She's so intense, overly much. But she mellows out as she ages through this book, so that was nice. It's a really bittersweet story, with lots of highs and lows, but overall it's a pretty good one with interesting characters. I'll probably finish out the series.

If you're looking for a slice-of-life historical fiction, this is pretty good once, especially if you're looking for a book for a young but advanced reader and need something they can handle that is age-appropriate.

Lady Susan

Lady Susan by Jane Austen     128 pages

From Goodreads:

Of what a mistake were you guilty in marrying a Man of his age! - just old enough to be formal, ungovernable and to have the Gout - too old to be agreable, and too young to die.'

The scheming and unscrupulous Lady Susan is unlike any Austen heroine you've met in this fascinating early novella.

Review:

I highly enjoyed this book and it has so many things to recommend itself to readers: it’s short and sweet, it’s witty and humorous, and most of all the story and characters are strong. Austen is a masterful writer and this book, though not one of her most well-known works, definitely deserves attention. I definitely recommend this book. If you’re looking for a short, sweet summer read, this one definitely hits the spot.

The Water Cure

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh     288 pages

From Goodreads:


King has tenderly staked out a territory for his wife and three daughters, Grace, Lia, and Sky. He has lain the barbed wire; he has anchored the buoys in the water; he has marked out a clear message: Do not enter. Or viewed from another angle: Not safe to leave. Here women are protected from the chaos and violence of men on the mainland. The cult-like rituals and therapies they endure fortify them from the spreading toxicity of a degrading world.

But when their father, the only man they’ve ever seen, disappears, they retreat further inward until the day three strange men wash ashore. Over the span of one blistering hot week, a psychological cat-and-mouse game plays out. Sexual tensions and sibling rivalries flare as the sisters confront the amorphous threat the strangers represent. Can they survive the men?

Review:

Overall, it's a stunning book, very thought provoking, and I couldn't have imagined where it would lead me. Though I'm not normally a fan of multiple points of view, here, I think, Mackintosh has utilized this tool to the greatest effect. It really shines. I will definitely be recommending this book.

Rebecca

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier     441 pages

From Goodreads:

The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

My review:

This book is a roller coaster of emotions. It's dark, it's a bit creepy/insidious, it has an air of the mysterious and disturbing. I was thoroughly engrossed, especially because this book provides a slow build to a rather late climax, and the falling action is so full of tension that you can't put it down.

I didn't like any of the characters - so it's out of character for me to be rating this book so high. But the writing is well crafted, the story is so strong, it grips you. I absolutely hated the narrator and her weird infatuation with a man who is twice her age, her longing for him and her willingness to put up with basically anything so long as she can remain his wife. I hated Maxim, the worst kind of snobby, wealthy Man with a capital M. He babies his wife, he definitely doesn't love her, and he's so obsessed with image, he literally doesn't care about anybody. I also hated Rebecca, but only in the way that she's presented by everyone (who knows what she was really like because everyone who describes her has a different bias - she literally has no voice, she's just a symbol, throw any context on her you want because it can't be called wrong). Perhaps the only person I didn't hate was Frank.

In the end, read this book for its writing - the symbolism, the mirroring, the cyclical story-line. The characters feel very much like caricatures, but they are very intense and fascinating in their own way. I can see why this book is considered a classic. I very much respect du Maurier's writing and her book should definitely be considered more than just a "romance" story (if you can call it romance, it's one-sided, whatever, I hated the romance).

Wide Sargasso Sea

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys     189 pages

"Wide Sargasso Sea, a masterpiece of modern fiction, was Jean Rhys’s return to the literary center stage. She had a startling early career and was known for her extraordinary prose and haunting women characters. With Wide Sargasso Sea, her last and best-selling novel, she ingeniously brings into light one of fiction’s most fascinating characters: the madwoman in the attic from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. This mesmerizing work introduces us to Antoinette Cosway, a sensual and protected young woman who is sold into marriage to the prideful Mr. Rochester. Rhys portrays Cosway amidst a society so driven by hatred, so skewed in its sexual relations, that it can literally drive a woman out of her mind."

Ultimately, this book was very boringly written, there was no plot, and the characters were so bizarre and weirdly written so as to make them confusing. I couldn't really say there was anything I particularly cared for in this book, so I had to give it the lowest rating because I did not enjoy reading any part of it. I had tried reading this a year ago, but could not get into it. I only attempted it again because of Book Riot's challenge. I have succeeded in reading all of it but not in liking it any better than the first time.

How Hard Can Love Be?

How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne     480 pages

Amber, Evie and Lottie: three girls facing down tough issues with the combined powers of friendship, feminism and cheesy snacks. Both hilarious and heart-rending, this is Amber’s story of how painful – and exhilarating – love can be, following on from Evie’s story in Am I Normal Yet?

All Amber wants is a little bit of love. Her mum has never been the caring type, even before she moved to California, got remarried and had a personality transplant. But Amber's hoping that spending the summer with her can change all that.

And then there's prom king Kyle, the guy all the girls want. Can he really be interested in anti-cheerleader Amber? Even with best friends Evie and Lottie's advice, there's no escaping the fact: love is hard.

This was a fun, summer romance read. Though it's considered the second book in Bourne's "Spinster Club," series, each book acts as a stand-alone, with a different girl at the center of the story. While there are references to events or people from the first book, you can read this one alone and it's just as enjoyable. I thought Amber was an interesting character to read - at times, she is very difficult because she has a lot of emotional baggage (and represses a lot of it), but there are times where you see her spunky, fun side come out and you get a sense of how strong she is as an individual, despite all the things in her life that might have broken her. This is a romance story, but this is also a mother/daughter story - Amber leaves England to spend the summer with her mother (albeit helping out at a camp that her mother and her step-father run). Her mother, a recovering alcoholic, is a difficult character to like - she continually pushes Amber away or deflects Amber's attempts to remember good memories or make new bonds. She often pushes blame away from her - but one of the things that makes this book a strong book is that Bourne doesn't shy away from discussing alcoholism, and how it affects a family. Amber is hurt that her mother is not living up to how she used to be, she's frustrated that her mom has never apologized for the terrible things she did while she was an alcoholic, or that she left her in England to start a new life, with a man Amber despises, in America. While Amber's feelings are valid, Bourne doesn't place all the blame on her mom, giving space in the novel to talk about alcoholism as a disease (one that is for life and that her mother must struggle with continually). It makes the story stronger, gives it an element of realness that doesn't let the reader shy away from. The romance in the book is light and cute and just what you'd want from a summer read. Kyle, the All-American Boy is handsome, nice, but think's he's totally boring. The growth that happens as Amber helps coax him out of his shell, and how he helps her see how amazing she is as a person, is the kind of mutually-beneficial relationship I'd like to see more often in YA books. They are adorable together and their exchanges bring a lightness to the novel that balances out the darker bits. The only nit-pick I would have is that whoever Bourne's editor is didn't seem to see fit to take some of the Britishisms out of the American characters speech. Often Kyle, Russ, or some of the other American characters will say things that are completely British, such as "at the weekend," "whinge," or even the exclamation of, "oi!" It's a bit awkward, as an American who never hears such terms said, read American characters saying those things. While this is not a deal-breaker, it is jarring and takes me out of the story every time I come across it. Otherwise, a solid read and I'll definitely continue on reading the rest of the series. I would recommend to any teen or young adult looking for a cute summer romance story (and doesn't mind a bit of drama of the serious kind, aka: alcoholism and broken families).

A Spark of Light

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult     352 pages

The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.

After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.

But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester disguised as a patient, who now stands in the cross hairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.

This was a fascinating story, and well crafted, as it weaves together the stories of several lives as they intersect on one particular day at a woman's reproductive health clinic.

Some are there to get an abortion, some are there to get the pill, some are there because they work there, they are the abortion doctor, or that is where they receive they're gynecological exams. Whatever the reason, on this fateful day all their lives are thrown together when an anti-abortion activist starts shooting.

This story was a bit difficult to follow, at first, as it traces the story backwards. Immediately you're thrust into the story, amongst the hostages, the negotiator, and the gunman. It's always difficult for me when a story jumps back and forth between perspec

tives, and this story followed ten different people, and it jumped rather frequently.

The thing that Picoult is so skilled at is revealing the story, bit by bit, until all the pieces begin to come together, finally, into a whole, at the very end. And when you finally get a major reveal you've been waiting for the whole time you've been reading, often you end up making some audible sound, like a gasp, because you just didn't see it coming. At least, that's how it was for me, though not as strongly this time, as I predicted the sort-of big reveal before it happened, though not until I was at least half-way done.

The parts I loved about this story were the different character's stories and how they all fit together to tell this overarching story about abortion from all sides. Going into this story, you might just think it's a pro-live vs. pro-choice struggle. But there are so many facets that make up the abortion discussion, that aren't as often brought up. Picoult makes sure to touch them all. I learned so much just reading this book - and I highly recommend reading Picoult's "Author's Note," as well, where she speaks personally about her thoughts on abortion.

That being said, what kept this from being higher rated for me were the numerous times that this story felt less like a story and more like a "covering all the bases" blanket statement about abortion. As much as I appreciated all the information about abortion, sometimes the story element was lacking and a character became a mouth-piece to tell me a specific fact or point of view about abortion rather than me feeling link this was something heart-felt by that character. This story is definitely coming in at a time where these kinds of discussions are raging and abortion is painting a wide swath in a political landscape. This notion unfortunately colors my enjoyment of the story, a bit, as it feels like a PSA rather than a story.

But otherwise, I really felt like this was well done and is definitely up there in my list of favorite Picoult books. I would definitely recommend it to anyone because perspective is necessary when it comes to topics like these. Empathy is an amazing eye-opener, and getting an idea of what someone facing such a choice might be thinking or feeling or even knowing what their life is like is important and humanizing, a point that Picoult is emphasizing, underlining, and exclaiming with every word. So read it.

Not If I See You First

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom     310 pages

Parker Grant doesn't need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart. 

When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there's only one way to react - shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough

on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that's right, her eyes don't work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death three months ago. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened - both with Scott, and her dad - the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken.

Parker Grant is one of my favorite literary characters now. She's funny, she's direct (read: brutally honest), and she's a fierce, loyal friend. I am so glad I got to read a book from her perspective. And she's blind, a fact that does not change how you read her as a relatable teen character. Lindstrom does a fantastic job of adding layers to this story - Parker's blindness is not there to make her special or novel. She's just a YA protagonist who happens to be blind. And I learned so much about what being blind means from Parker. That was a brilliant side bonus to this story. I will never forget what she has taught me. Having a close friend who is disabled, I can relate a lot to Parker's friends and that dynamic. Many times, it doesn't change how the friendship is - only things like how the world handles the differently-abled changes things, like making it more difficult for them to get around or people treating them differently because they have this idea of how they're supposed to be treated. This is brought up well in the book, often in humorous ways so it doesn't feel preachy or overly sympathetic (things that Parker would hate). The story is so well constructed, the characters develop and evolve, and there are some very sweet, touching moments about friendship in here, about how you can love your friends and lean on them when you really need to. It's a great story about friendship, among other things. It's also a high school drama, and there is lots of drama, but it never feels cliched or redone. Lindstrom is not telling this story just because it's his idea for a high school story. There are many levels happening here and the fact that it takes place during high school is just a fact, not the main purpose. I also greatly appreciate the use of this novel to show that differently-abled people can do amazing, extraordinary things that often people would think them incapable of. Parker runs track. And she's good at it and it gives her a freedom that many would think her unable to achieve. I love that this book shows that, it's such an important thing, aside from bringing diversity to YA. Because of this, I would highly recommend this book to everyone, adults included. And Parker is a great character - she should get more recognition.

 

The Art of French Kissing

The Art of French Kissing by Brianna R. Shrum     256 pages

Seventeen-year-old Carter Lane has wanted to be a chef since she was old enough to ignore her mom's warnings to stay away from the hot stove. And now she has the chance of a lifetime: a prestigious scholarship competition in Savannah, where students compete all summer in Chopped style challenges for a full-ride to one of the best culinary schools in the country. The only impossible challenge ingredient in her basket: Reid Yamada.

After Reid, her cute but unbearably cocky opponent, goes out of his way to screw her over on day one, Carter vows revenge, and soon they're involved in a full-fledged culinary war. Just as the tension between them reaches its boiling point, Carter and Reid are forced to work together if they want to win, and Carter begins to wonder if Reid's constant presence in her brain is about more than rivalry. And if maybe her desire to smack his mouth doesn't necessarily cancel out her desire to kiss it.

I wanted to love this book, but instead I just enjoyed it for what is: a easy YA romance with a cooking competition thrown into the mix. Why didn't I love it? Well, for starters - some serious sabotage happens, and not the kind that can be laughed off as no big deal. No, it's the kind where it would be really inexcusable if the judges knew that it happened: tripping some one on purpose? Going into their room, going into their phone without their permission? No bueno. And it felt really unbalanced - the kind of sabotage that Reid did verses what Carter did are totally disproportionate. Carter crossed all the lines. I was not okay with what she did.

But the biggest issue I had was the romance between Reid and Carter. There is a strong animosity between them that is somehow crossed over into romantic tension/feelings. I don't buy it. I don't think the author did enough to show that switch between rivalry to camaraderie. And what I find even more problematic is that they cannot go long without blowing up at each other. Almost every encounter between them ends in an argument. And to top it all off - they sleep with each other. After only knowing each other for a few weeks, and starting off sabotaging each other. They decide to have sex. And the very next day, what happens? They blow up again. I just don't see how this is a good message for any teen. 

The author does attempt to be contemporary with her inclusion of comments about "privileged white girl problems," and the inclusion of a diverse cast (not just ethnicity, but also sexual orientation - Reid himself being what he calls "queer" and admitting to having dated a non-binary person). So I appreciate that this book is attempting to exist in a more current environment of inclusion, even if it did feel clunky and trying to hard on that score (a bit like name-dropping). 

Another issue - though I wouldn't call it a deal breaking one - was the writing style. For some reason, I felt the author's way of writing Carter's narrative, her speech, and even the speech of other characters seemed very weird and staccato. Lots of periods and half-sentences, such as "I'm really. Like mad at him." It was a bit difficult to read and it happened a lot. Most of the characters did this at some point, so it took a way, a bit, from the distinction of their voices.

Character-wise, it was a mixed bag. Carter was really hard to like at points, but other times she was relatable. I would be agreeing with her one minute, but within moments I would be shaking my head and completely hate her. It made me feel like the author didn't quite know how to write a character that is supposed to be the one you root for, but also one that would do things that were really despicable, just because it was the whole crux of the story and have it be believable. I still half-hate Carter after everything. And Reid was all over the place as well. At times, I couldn't understand why he'd be willing to put up with everything Carder does and still like her (and by the end, even love her!). Though his decision to sabotage her seems a bit weird, considering he otherwise seems like a likable guy, gives me the feeling that the "assholery" (as the author puts it) exhibited by both of them is purely for plot and doesn't really seem to be the nature of their characters outside of that. All other characters are really just props for the story and aren't really fleshed out, most of them don't even have names.

Overall, I would say I liked reading this story, but I would be hard-pressed to recommend it to anyone unless I knew they were into YA romance stories. This book has a very specific audience and does not really do much to attract outside of that, in my opinion.

X

X by Ilyasah Shabazz     348 pages

Cowritten by Malcolm X's daughter, this riveting and revealing novel follows the formative years of the man whose words and actions shook the world.

X follows Malcolm from his childhood to his imprisonment for theft at age twenty, when he found the faith that would lead him to forge a new path and command a voice that still resonates today.

This book paints a stark picture of Malcolm X's young adult life. It delves deeply into his troubled youth, touching on drug-abuse, hustling, and a variety of money-scheming crimes that eventually land him in jail. Not knowing much about Malcolm X's early life, I'd say this book certainly doesn't paint him in a good light until the final chapter. Most of the book feels like a deep descent into darkness and you wait for the shoe to drop, except it doesn't - until the very end. This book is targeted at a teen audience, but it would be difficult for me to suggest this book to just any teen - it is certainly geared for a teen who likes historical fiction and who really wants to see Malcolm X through his life as a young adult - there are very adult themes in this book, including, as mentioned before, drug-abuse, hustling, crime, sex, alcohol, and foul language (including the n-word). It's deep stuff, and it certainly is a cautionary tale, not a story for light reading or for a general curiosity in Malcolm X's biography. The writing is very well done, but the story doesn't feel like a story (it feels plot-less for most of the book and the ending is rushed and wrapped up clumsily). It's not a book I will re-read, but I can say that it wasn't a waste of my time to read this book. Perhaps reading Malcolm X's autobiography would be, in some ways, a better option, though.

The Window

The Window by Amelia Brunskill     338 pages

Anna is everything her identical twin is not. Outgoing and athletic, she is the opposite of quiet introvert Jess. The same on the outside, yet so completely different inside--it's hard to believe the girls are sisters, let alone twins. But they are. And they tell each other everything.

Or so Jess thought.

After Anna falls to her death while sneaking out her bedroom window, Jess's life begins to unravel. Everyone says it was an accident, but to Jess, that doesn't add up. Where was Anna going? Who was she meeting? And how long had Anna been lying to her?

Jess is compelled to learn everything she can about the sister she thought she knew. At first it's a way to stay busy and find closure . . . but Jess soon discovers that her twin kept a lot of secrets. And as she digs deeper, she learns that the answers she's looking for may be truths that no one wants her to uncover.

Because Anna wasn't the only one with secrets

The premise of this story is what got me to read it - a twin dies, the living twin is sure it wasn't the accident everyone thinks it was, she goes on a stealthy detective quest to find the answers to her sister's death. Do I think that the book played this out realistically? Yes and no. I can believe Jess wanting to get to the bottom of things, especially since she has come to the realization that there were huge secrets that her sister kept from her. What I don't understand is how easily her parents went along with the accident idea, especially since this was out of character behavior for their daughter. I don't know, maybe I've watched to many crime shows where parents are always determined to know the exact reasons behind what happened to their children. This was not the case in this book.

I also didn't like how there was lots of hints brought up about how Jess was the "messed-up" twin, that she went to therapy as a child, and lots of lines were given about how she couldn't stand to be touched. I'll give the main example my confusion about Jess's character: "they'd always remember the time when someone bumped against you in the grocery store and you screamed and screamed, or how, back in kindergarten, the teacher's aide had to come with you to the bathroom so you didn't spend thirty minutes washing your hands," (p. 14). This is just dropped into the story and is never discussed again. Jess appears to have some serious mental problems, but throughout the story, the closest the author comes to reinforcing this idea is to mention how Jess doesn't like to be touched - and yet she overcomes this fairly easily at one point in the story, with no negative repercussions or thoughts. I guess I'm just confused about what the point of bringing up Jess's past issues has to do with her character, if it doesn't seem like she has these problems currently.

Lastly, it bothered me how non-teen-like the majority of the characters are. It surprised me that Anna could end up keeping so much a secret from Jess, especially since they are twins and Jess is so oblivious, believing that they have no secrets, that she had absolutely no idea that her sister had this secret other life.

Aside from all that, I did not expect the twist at the end, so hats off to Brunskill. I enjoyed the slow build of Jess's investigation. I thought, aside from the weird health inconsistencies, that Jess's character felt very real - her grief, her determination, her fierce love for her sister. She was a good narrator and I enjoyed her perspective. I feel this would make a good mini-series or movie, because the tone of it is very melancholic, but has moments of beauty and suspense wrapped up in it. I could easily picture it in my head as I was reading. So, I gave it three out of five stars. It was a good read, I enjoyed my time with this book, and I don't regret picking it up. Just a little let down by the execution. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a suspenseful teen mystery. 

Catherine, Called Birdy

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman     169 pages

The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off.


I highly enjoyed this book. I love historical fiction and Cushman does an excellent job of capturing Medieval life. Catherine, Birdy, is now one of my favorite literary characters, and certainly in my top five of favorite female literary characters. Her insights into her life and the lives of others, her social commentary, and her overall desire to do good by others makes her such a fascinating and inspiring character. For example, when she learns that a merchant who owns a bear, who performs poorly at a fair that Birdy attends, decides to subject it to bear baiting, she observes:

"The performance I saw was so clumsy and sad and brought the bear's owner so little profit that he announced a bearbaiting, planning to set a pack of dogs against a poor bear and see who cries and bleeds and dies first, all for the amusement of those wagering money on the outcome. How can we think ourselves made in the likeness of God when we act worse than beasts?" (p. 148)

This is such a profound statement and it made me love Birdy all the more. Though she often acts rashly and selfishly, she generally reflects upon her actions and either feels ashamed or desires to make amends and, at the very least, does what she can to correct her ways.

This book is an excellent choice for anyone who loves historical fiction, especially about Medieval England. It also serves well as a book for those who love a feisty female narrator. Birdy's narrative voice injects a lot of humor and lightheartedness to the story. It's also a quick read, so for those who are looking for something short and sweet, this is the perfect bite. This is truly an enjoyable read.

Beartown

Beartown by Fredrik Backman     418 pages

The saga of a small town and the ripples that one action causes all unfold from the various viewpoints of the grownups and children in Beartown.

This is a deep story, iceberg deep. On the surface is the story of the Beartown hockey team. Below it are all the different stories, complex and intricately told, of the people and children who make up the town and the team. Watching the different story lines unfold is one of the beauties of Backman's writing. Every character has their own voice, their dreams and their fears, and together, each voice paints a picture of the town. It's sad and it's bleak, it's hopeful and it's full of love. 

If you're into realistic fiction, especially of the small-town variety, this book is for you. Even if you don't appreciate or know anything about hockey, Backman draws you in, because this is not just about a hockey town, it's about the people that make up this hockey town. I found it infinitely frustrating, yet valuable, to read each character's reactions to/handling of rape, from the parents on down to the children. It will break your heart, but in the end, it's important because this story is build on empathy. 

The writing is beautiful, heartbreaking, and so well done. Though it was painful to get through in some parts, in the end, I feel it was worth the struggle. I highly recommend it. I listened to the audiobook of this story, which was very well done, and I'd recommend it, too.

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli     303 pages

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out--without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.

Pretty straight-forward love story about a gay high school boy who falls in love with his pen pal who happens to be one of his classmates, he's just not sure which one. It's a story of "coming outs" in many different ways. It's a solid story with good characters and it has a quirkiness that many teen readers will enjoy. Albertalli does a good job of writing a male voice - and a gay one, at that - so she's clearly done her homework. It doesn't shy away from it's purpose, which is to present a romantic comedy featuring a gay main character. It's funny, sweet, and poignant.

A Distant Heart

A Distant Heart by Sonali Dev     352 pages

Her name means “miracle” in Sanskrit, and to her parents, that’s exactly what Kimaya is. The first baby to survive after several miscarriages, Kimi grows up in a mansion at the top of Mumbai’s Pali Hill, surrounded by love and privilege. But at eleven years old, she develops a rare illness that requires her to be confined to a germ-free ivory tower in her home, with only the Arabian Sea churning outside her window for company. . . . Until one person dares venture into her world.

Tasked at fourteen-years-old with supporting his family, Rahul Savant shows up to wash Kimi’s windows, and an unlikely friendship develops across the plastic curtain of her isolation room. As years pass, Rahul becomes Kimi’s eyes to the outside world—and she becomes his inspiration to better himself by enrolling in the police force. But when a life-saving heart transplant offers the chance of a real future, both must face all that ties them together and keeps them apart.

In reality, I'd give this 2 1/2 stars. It was okay. As far as romances go, this was just barely one. For most of the book the two leads infuriatingly danced the "will they/won't they" while all the while being either oblivious or infuriatingly misunderstanding everything. 

So, the formatting of this book, with two chapters spent in the present, one from each of the main character perspectives, then two chapters set in the past, one each from the main character perspectives, is very tiring. It slows the advancement of the story way down. And the past seems almost no different from the present - it's just full of examples of how Kimi and Rahul continuously get angry/sad/hurt by each other's actions then make up because they're such! good! friends! Well, the present is more of the angry/sad/hurt brooding, with little to no talking about their feelings and a lot of internal monologues about how "this time, it's for real, I won't be in love with them anymore. I've drawn my line in the sand and I need to stop looking/touching/thinking about them." As a reader, you have to wade through all the "past" chapters to find out what it is "this time," that has them at odds with each other. The only reason why I wanted to finish this book was because I wanted to know what that reason was. It was as expected. Very cliched, to say the least about it.

See You in the Cosmos

See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng     320 pages

11-year-old Alex Petroski loves space and rockets, his mom, his brother, and his dog Carl Sagan—named for his hero, the real-life astronomer. All he wants is to launch his golden iPod into space the way Carl Sagan (the man, not the dog) launched his Golden Record on the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. From Colorado to New Mexico, Las Vegas to L.A., Alex records a journey on his iPod to show other lifeforms what life on earth, his earth, is like. 

But his destination keeps changing. And the funny, lost, remarkable people he meets along the way can only partially prepare him for the secrets he’ll uncover—from the truth about his long-dead dad to the fact that, for a kid with a troubled mom and a mostly not-around brother, he has way more family than he ever knew.

What a complex story! I enjoyed it immensely as an adult, but I'm not too sure how much a middle-grade reader would understand or appreciate it. It's from the perspective of an eleven year old, but the book involves themes of depression/schizophrenia, affairs, and other grown-up issues that Alex, the main character, doesn't understand fully or isn't aware of until others around him explain it to him. As a kid, reading this, it might not been very clear until these themes are explained, and, again, it's told in as child-friendly a way possible, but I'm not sure how much a kid reading this would enjoy these parts of the book.

I enjoyed this book and I would give it to kids who are on a higher reading level and are also mature for their age. I just think they'd get more out of it. There is a lot of life-evaluation in this book and I think a mature middle-grade reader would find that interesting. Perhaps the space and rocket themes would be the hook. I'd also recommend it to any adults I know who enjoy juvenile literature. It's a very well written story and the characters are interesting. Definitely a solid read for me (however, I did listen to the audiobook version, which I'd also recommend - it includes several narrators, which is nice, and the boy who narrates Alex is very good!)

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling     262 pages

Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again.

Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms.

This is a really well-crafted book about friendship. Aven, the main character, has grown up without having arms, learning to do things herself because her parents want her to be capable of caring for herself. She is good-natured, has a big heart, and isn't afraid to shut down those who want to make fun of her or others because they are different. While Aven is differently-abled, the book centers on her friendship with two other social "outcasts": Connor, a boy with Tourette's Syndrome, and Zion, a slightly overweight African-American boy. Through their friendship, Aven learns how to support those who, like her, get the "look" but also how to be supported by her friends as well. There's a mystery on the side that the friends try to solve, but mostly the book is about how Aven, Connor, and Zion work together to be good friends to each other and how to push themselves to step out of their comfort zones. I really liked Aven's narrative voice. She's strong, but she isn't completely invulnerable to the comments of others. She's confident in herself, but she has some learning to do and by the end of the novel, you can see the growth she's made. I particularly love Aven's parents, who give her the right amount of support, but also push her to try things for herself and to support herself so that she doesn't have to rely on them for everything. The setting of this story is also really neat and gives Aven a chance to stretch her wings and show her talents in ways even she didn't know she had. There's a lot of humor, thoughtful handling of differently-abled peoples and adoption, and the characters are so well rounded and dynamic. I'd recommend this book to anyone, but especially kids who are either in middle school or are entering middle school and are worried they won't fit in or if they just want a fun, realistic fiction to read.

The Awakening

The Awakening by Kate Chopin       157 pages

The Awakening, originally titled A Solitary Soul, is a novel by Kate Chopin, first published in 1899. Set in New Orleans and the Southern Louisiana coast at the end of the nineteenth century, the plot centers on Edna Pontellier and her struggle to reconcile her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood with the prevailing social attitudes of the turn-of-the-century South. It is one of the earliest American novels that focuses on women's issues without condescension.

If anyone has written a story that captures the stifling, objectified life of society women better, I don't know them. Chopin deftly captures the sense of suffocation at having so little choice in one's life in this novel. Her words capture Edna's mood so smoothly and perfectly, you feel stifled yourself as you read it. The hopelessness that Edna feels, even after her "awakening" just go to show that being "woke," even the tiniest bit, does not solve the problem. Her soul's repression is so strong, even doing little things for herself are not enough to tamp down on the pressure she feels from the eyes of society. She truly believes her life will never be hers unless she does the one thing that can release her from everything.

Human Acts

Human Acts by Han Kang      218 pages

In the midst of a violent student uprising in South Korea, a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed.

This story is told through six perspectives, with the writer's perspective at the very end in an epilogue. It begins with Dong-Ho and it ends with his mother, but each individual person is some how tied to Dong-Ho. The story focuses on the rise of Chun Doo-Hwan as South Korea's leader, who instated martial law and ruled as a dictator. Dong-Ho and each of the people in this story all were involved in the student demonstrations in Gwangju - it became known as the Gwangju Uprising and it led to a brutal crackdown from the military under the guise of a Communist plot sparked by North Korean spies. This led to the violent killing, torture, and wounding of Korean citizens, some who - like Dong-Ho, were merely high-schoolers. 

With this book, Kang wanted to show the many layers of this uprising, from the work and dedication of innocent children to the abuse and torture suffered by others, to the mourning of parents, all of which were in violation of human rights. Kang's main focus is to showcase humanity - how each person handle's the stripping of humanity or rises above it. The book is also in memory of the young boy who's country did not allow him to grow into an adult, who took his life needlessly and brutally. It was a very sad story, but it really resonated with me.