Who Was Jules Verne? tells the fun and exciting story of one of the first people to write science fiction. He was born in France in 1828 and loved books and exploring when he was a kid. His dad wanted him to be a lawyer, but Jules wanted to be a writer. He followed his dream and wrote cool stories like Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Around the World in 80 Days.
Compound Fracture follows our main character, Miles Abernathy, as he dives deep into the rotten history of his West Virginia mining town, and how it ties with his family. When a ghost shows up, Miles takes on the task of trying to break free from the wicked blood cycle of the town– but at what cost? This is truly a different work from Andrew Joseph White, wholly unique in premise (as always), but fundamentally different from his other books.
Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner presents a unique take on science fiction. It alternates between fast action and slow, rich, thoughtful, and visually stunning exposition and plot development. The movie, based on Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, is set in 2019 Los Angeles, in an alternate future where flying cars, rain, and animated advertisements dominate the skyline.
14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph follows Jessica, a 17-year-old girl who just became the star of a new YouTube reality series: The Eye. The show follows five different people, each with interesting stories to tell. Each day of the week, a participant live streams their days, using the time to tell their stories. Jessica wants to help solve her mother’s murder, but instead of solving her case, Jessica becomes the new target.
Lowen Ashleigh is walking down the street when someone gets into a car accident. She stays to clean up when a stranger, Jeremy Crawford, also helps her clean up. They share an intimate moment. Jeremy’s wife, Verity, was a famous author who was tragically killed in a car crash. Jeremy asks Lowen to finish Verity’s novels and even offers to let her live in his house. While Lowen is living there, she finds Verity’s unpublished autobiography where strange and mysterious things are revealed about her life.
Stolen follows Gemma, a sixteen year old girl who was abducted on vacation with her parents. Gemma is taken to the Australian outback and is forced to adjust to the harsh terrain. Her attempts to escape her captor are useless, but as she spends time with him she realizes that he’s not as bad as she’s made him out to be. This book was definitely strange. It had super quick pacing, but ultimately had a rushed ending leaving a lot to be unresolved. I liked the setting for the book as well as the characters.
The Only One Left by Riley Sager is a fictional thriller that tells the tragic events of Lenora Hope’s past at Hope's End through her caregiver, Kit McDeer. Lenora is not the only one with a tragic past involving murder; Kit also has a mysterious story to tell. Throughout the book, more and more murders take place while Kit tries to uncover the secrets of the past and present. This book keeps readers interested by slowly revealing clues of Lenora’s past.
A Court of Silver Flames is the spin-off book about Feyre’s oldest sister, Nesta. The book centers on Nesta and the trauma and issues that follow her. It also explores her relationship with Cassian, who is a warrior and a part of the Night Court. As Nesta follows a path towards healing, Cassian is busy with a threat from another continent.
All of Us Villains by authors Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman is about seven teenagers picked as champions in a tournament occurring each generation, where only one can reclaim ancient magic for their families. Now exposed to the world, the Blood Moon Curse tournament is being watched and followed by everyone in the city of Ilvernath. The story follows the perspectives of four champions and their internal battle to choose between supplying their family with glory or rewriting the rules of their predicament.
In Verity, a hard-working, but struggling writer gets hired to take over for famous author, Verity, after she is involved in an accident that left her unable to write again. This is one of my favorite Colleen Hoover books. It is so different from her other novels and it really stands out. This book has you on the edge of your seat. You never expect what is going to happen. Definitely one of Hoover's best novels, I would totally recommend this book for anyone looking for a thrilling read.
