š§āš« Read with my students
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton - Hinton wrote this when she was in high school, yo.
The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares - I finally understood why this was so popular.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - and this one too. Banned in Singapore where my student was living.
George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl - 8 year old boys approve.
ā Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie - two of my colleagues also read this at my recommendation and enjoyed it.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - a nice reminder that all we can do is live the life we are currently living.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller - it's a classic for a reason
Breath by Tim Winton - NOT appropriate for teens (oops)
š Nonfiction
West with the Night by Beryl Markman - beautifully written
Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative by Jane Alison - over my head, will need to read it again
The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr - good 101-type book
The Situation and the Story by Vivian Gornick - see Meander
š Fiction (mostly historical)
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See - depressing, fascinating, important
ā The Last Samurai by Gail Tsukiyama - easily one of my all-time favorites
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis - Sometimes old sci-fi hits the spot.
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang - horrible book that starts off YA-fun and ends with "justifying genocide".
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah - loved The Nightingale, so I read this one and really liked it.
Romanov by Nadine Brandes - Magic + history = entertaining
Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes - wanted to like it more
The Widow Queen by Elzbieta Cherezinska - more Polish, English, Scandinavian, Danish, and Norwegian 10th cent history than you ever thought you needed... waiting for book two.
ā As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner - Spanish flu + undertaker family = new favorite author
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman - good laughs over geriatrics solving a murder
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick - another light-hearted read
Starflight by Melissa Landers - part of a trilogy, but couldn't get through the second one, this one's a fun sci-fi though.
Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner - see new favorite
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo - I love everything she does.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - Reminder that I need to read another from her...
Well, I'm a few short of my reading goal for this year due to abandoning several novels halfway through. Grrr. But there's always next year, right? For more detailed reviews you can go to my blog.
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