The Song of Achilles, written by Madeline Miller, is a fictional romance novel, set in ancient Greece. Set from the point of view of Patroclus, a young boy exiled from his home to the kingdom of the young prince Achilles, whose mother is a small god. Patroclus is one of the many boys Achilles’ father has taken in, but as Patroclus and Achilles become closer, Patroclus becomes his right-hand man. Achilles is everything Patroclus is not, strong, smart, and charismatic.
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, is a philosophical fiction book. Siddhartha is the story of a young boy, the son of a Brahmin, who leaves his town to go on a spiritual journey to enlightenment. He explored many regions in India, in 625 BC. He finds himself in many situations, he becomes a Samana, and business, a ferryman, a father. The book follows his whole life, through all of his relationships and experiences.
Daphne Bridgerton is the eldest daughter in the eight-sibling Bridgerton family. In London’s debutante season, she eagerly looks for a husband with whom she can have a family and live a life with. Everything changes when she meets the rakish Simon, the Duke of Hastings. As they begin their relationship with friendship, Daphne and Simon’s relationship enters into precarious territory where one must give up the lifelong commitment they’ve made.
The Firekeeper’s Daughter was not what I expected. This book follows an indigenous woman who is trying to help herself and her community after going through some pretty horrible stuff.
Hopepunk is a story about Hope Cassidy. A girl who grew up in an extremely Christian household being told that rock was the Devil’s song. But this was nothing compared to her sister Faith, who had to lie about her relationship with the record shop cashier, Mavis. But when their younger sister rats Faith out, she makes the decision to run away instead of going to the horrible facility her parents suggested. Her family is now in pieces and Hope decides she wants to rebel.
Zealous reverend Nathan Price travels to Kilanga from Georgia with his wife Orleanna and four daughters: Leah, Adah, Rachel, and Ruth May. As the five women alternate perspectives, each of them shares their unique story as they navigate through their unfamiliar environment in the Congo. As the story progresses, each character is morphed by the new Congolese culture. Each character comes to realize her place in the world with regards to their patriarch Nathan and the culture they left behind in America.
The Hunger Games is back and follows the main protagonist Katniss Everdeen. After previously winning the last hunger games Katniss sparked rebellion against the capital. She is now faced with a new challenge and forced to return to the hunger games to fight against previous winners. How will Katniss escape this time?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen follows Elizabeth Bennet who is daring and extremely opinionated, and Mr. Darcy who is proud and arrogant as their relationship blossoms. At first meeting Elizabeth views Darcy as self-absorbed and ignorant, but as she meets him more and more she starts to see a new side of Mr. Darcy. With her sisters Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy learns what it truly means to love.
In the novel Emma by Jane Austen, readers follow the story of a young girl named Emma who is intelligent, beautiful, but also ignorant living in England. This is a coming of age story and does an excellent job of portraying the transition from a girl to a woman, or the growth of maturity. Along with her friends Harriet and Mr. Knightley, readers witness the fun adventure and characters Emma meets as she grows up.
