The Bean Trees is a novel written by Barbara Kingsolver about a young woman, Taylor Greer, who leaves her hometown of Pittman, Kentucky and sets off on a journey of personal growth in search of a better life. The story follows Taylor as she strikes out alone and takes charge of her life, meeting various people who influence her growth and transformation, including a orphaned Cherokee infant, Turtle, whom she takes under her wing.
The novel follows Naomi Witt and Knox Morgan. Naomi moved to a small town in Virginia after skipping out on her own wedding and found herself the guardian of her sister's daughter, Waylay after her sister left unexpectedly. When Naomi finds work at a bar she meets the bartender, Knox and they are instantly attracted to each other but neither of them want a relationship. Naomi’s sister shows back up and her and her boyfriend kidnap Waylay.
Sue Klebold is the mother of one of the two shooters from the Columbine shooting, Dylan Klebold. The shooting took the lives of thirteen students and teachers. Klebold’s memoir looks back on her son’s childhood and adolescence, reflecting on the missed signals of severe depression with much regret that she could not see those signals. She also reflects on the aftermath of the tragedy and how it was to be thrust into the public spotlight in such a way. Klebold wanted to destigmatize mental illness and explain that her son was an ordinary student with an undiagnosed clinical mental illness.
The book follows Winston Smith, a low ranking member of the ruling Party in London in the nation of Oceania. The Party watches the citizens through telescreens. Everywhere he would look there was the party’s leader, Big Brother. The Party would control citizens’ minds and they would erase history to make the past what they wanted it to. Winston did not want to follow the Party’s strict rules and wanted to take down the Party. Winston met a woman who he soon began a secretive relationship with and they joined the Brotherhood, a group that would do anything to take down the Party.
Selina Kyle returns to Gotham as Holly Vanderhees to carry out a vital personal mission. Luke Fox wants to prove that he is the hero that the city needs. As the two are pitted against each other in a game of cat and mouse, Selina is faced with other threats from her past. Will she be able to complete her mission before time runs out?
This Is Where It Ends is a young adult novel by Marieke Nijkamp. The novel is about a school shooting that takes place in a small town’s highschool. One of the students, Tyler Browne, is responsible for the shooting, locking the students in the auditorium and ending up killing thirty-nine people.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is classified as a fiction book. The book follows a pair of twins throughout two periods in their lives, the present and the past, and their dynamics and relationships with their family. The book features an array of topics such as; family dynamics, generational trauma, sexual assault, and death. So the book isn’t a light read because of the topics, but it is a beautiful combination of words and themes.
Firekeeper’s Daughter is a teen fiction book that follows Daunis and her connection to her community and the mysterious drug problem happening. Daunis experiences many life changing events in close succession all while navigating being an investigator into the drug problem and while trying to protect her community. I personally really enjoyed this book and the story it told.
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany Jackson is a teen fiction. The book is inspired by Carrie and the segregated proms happening in Georgia that came to large public light in 2014. It follows Maddy Washington and her classmates at Springville High and their roles on prom night. I really loved this book. The plot it follows and discusses I found to be really educational and entertaining.
The Winner's Crime is a captivating tale of rebellion, betrayal, war, and love. From the very beginning, the book's worldbuilding and storyline makes it impossible to put down. Kestrel, our protagonist, is very well-written and full of depth. At the start, she meets a strange Herrani slave who strikes her as special, and she cannot help but be intrigued. After she purchases him, they get to know each other and become almost friends. The slave, Arin, surprises Kestrel with his intelligence and quickly gains her trust.
