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The Inheritance Games
Barnes, Jennifer
Reviewed: February 2, 2023
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the first book of The Inheritance Games series. The book follows Avery Kylie Grambs, a high school girl who lost her mom and is now living with her step-sister Libby. Avery has just discovered that Tobias Hawthorne, a billionaire, has left her in his will. However, Avery will not simply inherit the fortune. She must play Tobias Hawthornes' inheritance game. To earn her reward, she must go to Texas and live in the Hawthorne House for one year—along with Tobias' four grandsons. Avery must work together with the Hawthorne... Read Full Review
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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Pirsig, Robert M.
Reviewed: January 25, 2023
Based on author Robert M. Pirsig’s actual experiences, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a story about Pirsig’s relationship with his eleven-year-old son as they take a motorcycle trip across America. The journey is an opportunity for them to rekindle their relationship in the wake of Pirsig’s recovery from intense depression. As they traverse the twists and turns of America’s highways, so too is the reader taken down a winding path of philosophical inquiry. The focus of Pirsig’s narration alternates between past and present as he recounts his lifetime of studying... Read Full Review
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Five Feet Apart
Reviewed: January 19, 2023
Five Feet Apart (2019)
Five Feet Apart (2019), directed by Justin Baloni, is a suspenseful and on-your-toes type of movie. Stella is a 17-year-old girl who deals with cystic fibrosis and has spent most of her life in the hospital. She meets a young rebellious teen named Will, who also has the same illness. Once they meet, there is an instant spark, but just meeting is a huge risk because patients with CF have to maintain a distance of 6 feet to keep both patients safe. The more they get to know each other, the rules become less important. They both don't have a... Read Full Review
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The Catcher in the Rye
Salinger, J. D. (Jerome David), 1919-2010.
Reviewed: January 12, 2023
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger focuses on the experiences of Holden Caulfield as he travels around New York alone. After Holden is expelled from Pencey Prep, he decides it's best to escape to New York for the last few days he has at school before heading home to face his parents. He jumps from place to place in New York, from hotels to bars; he never seems to stay in just one place. Along the way, he meets with old love interests, friends of his brother D.B., and more. Holden mentions how the people he meets and everyone around him are phonies and dishonest. These people... Read Full Review
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From Twinkle, With Love
Menon, Sandhya
Reviewed: January 5, 2023
From Twinkle With Love is a spectacularly funny and heartwarming romance all in one. We follow aspiring director Twinkle Mehra as she works through the racial, gender, and social injustices of the film world, and an even more difficult challenge: the high school social system. Twinkle is what they call a groundling, someone who lives more in the shadows of the school, usually smart and always not popular. She has had a major crush on this guy called Neil Roy, a swimming prodigy and total hottie, for a very long time. Not only that but now dating Neil will give her an opportunity... Read Full Review
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Nimona
Stevenson, ND
Reviewed: December 21, 2022
Nimona by ND Stevenson is a stand-alone graphic novel. In this story, there is a shapeshifter who decides to become the sidekick of the villain, Lord Ballister Blackheart, but it turns out Blackheart is not as bad as society makes him out to be.
Nimona is a more light-hearted story for those who do not like angst, and it is appropriate for teens of any age. The genre of this graphic novel is comedy and action. As the story progresses, Nimona learns to be more comfortable with who she is, which is something that a lot of people can relate to.
I really... Read Full Review
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Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
Noah, Trevor
Reviewed: December 14, 2022
In Born a Crime, Trevor Noah shares his earnest, wholehearted experiences growing up in South Africa. A series of conflicts on race, culture, and values teach Trevor how to live and adapt to the modern world around him. Noah was born in 1984 to a single mother, Patricia, and though Apartheid ended in 1994, racial segregation was nowhere near accomplished throughout society. As Trevor follows his mother throughout the story, he grows, messes up, and learns from his experiences about what makes humans, humans. As he connects with his family and his brothers, Andrew and Isaac, he... Read Full Review
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Crazy Rich Asians
Kwan, Kevin.
Reviewed: December 7, 2022
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan is the first book in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. The story focuses on Rachel Chu as she travels to Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicolas Young, and then meets his family. But things start to take a turn towards the unexpected as Nicolas’s family is actually filthy rich, and they start to look down on Rachel for her lack of wealth and a notable bloodline.
This is one of those books that you do not want to put down—with the vivid scenery of the grand buildings and beautiful islands and, not to mention, a roller coaster of emotions... Read Full Review
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Howl and Other Poems
Ginsberg, Allen
Reviewed: December 1, 2022
Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg is an unforgettable book of poetry. This book of poems was published at the rise of the beat poetry movement. It gained national attention when Richard Eberhart described "Howl" as "the most remarkable poem of the young group" of poets in the beat generation. Inside the petite, intimate book "filled with sincerity and lyrically intense lines" is one of the most renowned poems the world has ever read. One of the major poets of the beat poetry movement, Allen Ginsberg brilliantly created his own form of beat poetry with the poem "Howl."... Read Full Review
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The Eye of the World
Jordan, Robert
Reviewed: November 23, 2022
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan is the start of a journey, and it's obvious. I really enjoyed this book because of that very fact, but it is mostly world-building and a whirlwind of new characters. As this is the start of a fantasy series, it is dense, it is more than a thousand pages long, and it focuses on development.
The plot of this book follows the regular formula of the hero’s journey. Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, and Nynaeve are ignorant villagers who are suddenly attacked and whisked away by a mysterious and powerful woman. The characters must leave their... Read Full Review
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La La Land
Reviewed: November 17, 2022
La La Land is a 2016 film and 3rd directed by Damien Chazelle, and my personal favorite. The movie follows two star-crossed lovers, Mia and Sebastian (played by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling). Mia is an aspiring actress, and Seb is a jazz pianist trying to make a living. The two meet several times and become interested in each other. Things are going in the right direction, but will the City of Stars (otherwise known as L.A.) have different plans? The only way to find out is to watch this film!
The movie's plot is great, but I can not just finish my review without talking... Read Full Review
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The Good Earth
Pearl S. Buck
Reviewed: November 9, 2022
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck details the life of Wang Lung, a peasant in 20th-century China. It begins with Wang’s early life filled with hardships, from begging on the streets to having to kill his own daughter. Despite this, he retained a great amount of devotion to the Earth, which would become one of his defining character traits throughout the novel. As he grew richer by luck of the land, many of his family and friends are spoiled by their wealth which subsequently cause him to be troubled. He realizes that no matter how many concubines he takes in and the opium he smokes... Read Full Review