The book Half Brother is an engrossing novel based in Victoria, Canada, in the 1970s. Ben was a teenager whose father had gotten a job as a behavioral psychologist at a university. He was going to try to teach a chimpanzee how to communicate with humans using sign language. At first, Ben thought Zan, the baby chimpanzee that his parents brought home, was weird. How dare his parents have more time for some random animal than him? But soon, Zan grew on Ben and they became like brothers.
Mariam is a fifteen-year-old girl growing up in Afghanistan amidst the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Sent away from her home and father to be married off to a man 30 years older, Mariam reluctantly acquiesces. As a girl in this place and time, she doesn’t have a choice. As she grows into a woman, she is forced to endure endless abuse and disrespect.
Years later, Laila is born. While Laila has a happy childhood, her life takes a turn for the worse amidst the Taliban takeover, and when her family is taken from her, she is forced to marry.
They Both Die at the End, written by Adam Silvera, is a novel about Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio. These two teenagers received a call from Death-Cast, an organization that gives you 24 hours to live until you die. The boys are shocked at the news and try to do as much as they can before it’s too late. They cross paths during the night to accomplish some of their goals together. Will they get everything done in time?
Here’s to Us, a novel by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli, shows the reunion of Ben and Arthur. They cross paths once more as Arthur arrives on Broadway for a dream internship. Even as the boys try to focus on their futures, they can't seem to help running into each other in the present. I loved this sequel to What if It's Us.
Book Lovers, written by Emily Henry, is a novel about Nora who has been through more breakups than you can count. She is a workaholic living in New York, but when her younger sister drags her into a month-long trip to Sunshine Falls North Carolina, Nora is hopeful that she'll find a summer love. That's when she meets Charlie Lastra. She's not quite sure how her story is going to end after meeting him.
All the Bright Places, written by Jennifer Niven, is a novel where Theodore Finch and Violet Markey are two teenagers who badly want to escape from their small Indiana town of Bartlett. Violet is a popular girl who is secretly dealing with survivor's remorse, and Finch is a boy obsessed with death, labeled a freak by his peers. What ways will they try to find relief in their dark lives?
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a story about a group of high class, wealthy people who live in Long Island, New York. Nick Carraway moves there to learn more about bond business. His next-door neighbor, Jay Gatsby, is a mysterious man who throws parties every Saturday night. Mr. Gatsby has feelings for Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s cousin. Daisy and Gatsby have a history, but now she is married. Gatsby will do anything in his power to get her back.
Josh and Jordan Bell “JB”, the twins of a famous former NBA player, strive to be the best on the court. But as time goes on, the two are met with an even bigger opponent -- life. Although the boys’ close relationship may help them in some cases, a spark of change could ultimately change their relationship for good or worse.
The Calling is the first book in the Endgame series by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton. Set in a dystopian world, the story follows a high-stakes competition called Endgame, where twelve ancient bloodlines, represented by their skilled players, compete in a battle for survival. The Players must solve a series of global clues in a race against time, with the fate of their bloodlines and the world at stake.
