"I am telling you the truth. The unvarnished, ugly truth. And it is all that. It is unpolished and unpleasant, and I don't pretend I acted like an angel. But I didn't kill anyone" (16). Ruth Ware's The Turn of the Key is an adult thriller that begins with Rowen Caine writing a letter to a potential lawyer … Continue reading The Turn of the Key
"Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive, and will come forth later, in uglier ways" - Sigmund Freud The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is an adult thriller that tells the story of Alicia Berenson: a famous painter living in one of London's most desirable areas with in-demand fashion photographer husband, Gabriel. Everything … Continue reading The Silent Patient
I know, I know. It's definitely not summer anymore. We're two weeks into October, and I'm clearly a slacker. Just kidding. I'm back in grad school, and it's taken over MY LIFE! Oh man. This is the first time since school started in August that I've been able to sit down and write something that … Continue reading Summer Wrap Up (June-August)
"The problem with wanting is that it makes us weak" (221). Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone is a YA fantasy set in the Russian-inspired fictional world of Ravka. Ravka was once a great nation, until an impenetrable darkness known as the "Shadow Fold" ripped it in two and turned innocent people into flesh-eating monsters that thrive … Continue reading Shadow and Bone
"May the queens forever rule the day. Together, yet apart" (10). Astrid Scholte's Four Dead Queens is a YA Science Fiction novel that takes place in Quadara: a dystopian world ruled by...wait for it...four queens (!!!). Quadara is separated into four "queendoms," with each "queendom" following a unique set of rules and ways of living: Archia - … Continue reading Four Dead Queens
My blood is my crime. If you look at it, it's still red. If you touch it, it's still wet. But if you listen to it, it speaks a single name in a pulsing chant. Romanov. Romanov. Romanov. I received a complimentary eARC of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this … Continue reading Romanov
Bram Stoker's Dracula is one of those stories that has been taken and made-over by Hollywood so many times, it's hard to decipher what came from the original, and what came from a studio. In the movies, Dracula has luscious black locks, nice cheek bones—in the older films he wore a cape—and in the 21st century, … Continue reading Dracula
Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone is a West-African inspired YA fantasy set in the fictional world of Orïsha. In this world, there are magic wielders known as divîners, or maji—people born with white hair who have power over the elements, death, life, etc. The white hair is a symbol of the gods' touch, and … Continue reading Children of Blood and Bone
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole is a book I had never heard of or seen at my library until I saw it on the checklist for PBS' The Great American Read (see previous post for more details). When I looked into this mysterious book, I was surprised to discover it had won the Pulitzer back … Continue reading A Confederacy of Dunces
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han was one of those books I saw on the library shelf and thought, That's a nice cover, but YA romance isn't my thing. Fast forward to this past summer when I was knee deep in my Master's program and needed something to take my mind off all … Continue reading To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Alynn the Librarian 