Racing with Aloha starts with the story of how Mark Haywood's childhood growing up in Hawaii influenced him to finish High School in California on a swim scholarship. Then, go on to be a champion swimmer, to champion windsurfer, to father, and very successful realtor on his home island of Maui. The book follows Mark's life growing up barefooted and in the water in Hawaii. When he starts swimming competitively, he finds out he has a really special talent.
Beyah is a teeneager forced to spend the summer at her—absent through most of her life—dad’s beach house, with his new family. She is not the most excited because she lived a poverty filled life, much different than her dad’s and her new step sisters. She feels out of place, especially around the guy who really caught her eye, Samson. As they spend more time together, their emotional connection grows and grows. But something is holding them back, and on top of that, their relationship is built on secrets. I, simply put, loved this book. It is a relatable book for teenagers.
Kenna is the main character in Reminders of Him. She just recently is out of prison and is back in her hometown. She runs into local bar-owner Owen, and feels like she has seen him before, but can’t put a finger on where. Kenna is on a mission to reconnect with her daughter, but it is not that easy. She has to live with one bad decision for the rest of her life. The book follows her story and life after trauma, getting released from prison, and memories.
The storyline of November 9 follows Fallon, who is making a cross-country move to New York and Ben, an aspiring novelist. They have an attraction that leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in Los Angeles together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time, through the ins and outs of life they continue to meet on the same day (November 9th) every year, for 5 years. Until Fallon gets a feeling that Ben might be hiding something from her.
Summary: Out of my Mind by Sharon M. Draper follows the story of an eleven year old girl, Melody, who struggles with cerebral palsy. After not being able to express herself her whole life, she is finally given the chance to speak and show her talents. Melody is the smartest in her class, with a photographic memory. Though not everyone is ready for her. Battling with the struggles of middle school and her new way of communicating, she is forced into a whole new battle.
“I could never afford to look past survival, especially not for anything as insanely expensive as happiness, and I don’t believe in it anyway.”
Returning to the infamous Schoolmance, but this time with actual allies and a hope of getting out, senior year is going to be wild. Finally beginning to embrace her darkness, El is put in a difficult position, being forced to choose between her insured survival, or that of everyone else in the school. Will she continue as her mother would want, or cave and become the monster that everyone already assumes she is?
“I rose too high, loved too hard, dared too much. I tried to grasp a star, overreached, and fell.”
The Queen of the East finally turns her attention towards Westeros, and what does this mean for the already war-torn kingdom? Will they be able to fight of yet another conqueror, or will they embrace her as their savior?
“How much can a crown be worth, when a crow can dine upon a king?”
The War Of Five Kings is finally over, and a single family stands at the top, yet when the head of said family dies under suspicious circumstances, how will the grab for power go? And when the crown is finally placed, will the people agree with the choices of the nobility?
