Of Princes and Promises by Sandhya Menon is a romantic twist on the tale of The Frog Prince. It follows the main character Caterina DeValle who is on top of the social ladder at St. Rosetta’s Academy. However, after an ugly fallout with her boyfriend Alaric, her status is left shaken. Rahul Chopra, the other main character, is a classic nerd — socially awkward and highly intelligent.
Of Dreams and Destiny by Sandhya Menon is a romance-fantasy mix with a thrilling twist on the classic childhood tale of Sleeping Beauty. The plot of this book follows Daphne Elizabeth — DE — as she recovers from past betrayals of her love interest and her family. A snowstorm traps all the students in the school with no communication with the outside world. However, a historic secret unfolds as this storm starts to get very mysterious and people start falling into death-like sleep.
Interstellar is a 2014 science fiction film by renowned director Christopher Nolan. Set in the mid-21st century, the plot depicts a futuristic version of earth. It is not the extremely advanced technological world we imagine but a place of destruction. Governments and countries are falling apart, the environment has completely changed, and people are barely able to grow any food due to water shortages. Joseph Cooper, a former NASA test pilot, is the main character in this movie.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hossini is a heart wrenching story about the lives of two women — Mariam and Laila — in war-struck Afghanistan. Mariam is an illegitimate child who gets married off to an older man in the city after a family tragedy. Burdened with her husbands' expectations and abused by him, she grows older and more resentful of the world. Soon after her marriage, a little girl called Laila is born in the neighborhood.
The book Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a dystopian novel that follows the main characters Bernard, Lenina, and John. In this world, religion is replaced by drugs that are called soma and individuals worship Henry Ford. All individuals are placed into a caste system which creates a divided and judgmental society, with all individuals having predestined lives. The novel has lots of plot twists with scenarios that are very dystopian compared to our own world.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a beautifully written novel about love, wealth, and the American Dream. Set in the 1920s, it tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who throws lavish parties in hopes of winning back his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. The story is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a newcomer to Gatsby’s world, who slowly uncovers the truth about Gatsby’s past and his deep longing for something he can never truly have.
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust is a LGBTQ+ YA Fantasy novel with enemies to lovers and forbidden love tropes. This book is about a princess named Soraya with a power, or rather a curse, that kills anything she touches. Cursed before birth by a div, a magical faerie, and all her misfortunes make her question if she is a princess or simply a monster with poison rushing through her veins.
The Falafel Cookbook is a fun and lighthearted cookbook with unique recipes and healthy alternatives. Heather Thomas has written many other food specific cookbooks, but her recipes for Falafel are especially tasty. She successfully integrates healthy ingredients with fulfilling meals, creating salads, appetizers, bowls, and sandwiches all from falafel. This cookbook is beautifully designed, with inspiring photos and enticing meals.
What Happened to You? is an insightful book about human behavior and why we make decisions. Bruce Perry is a renowned psychiatrist and behavioral scientist, discussing the brain science behind the actions we make, and how our past impacts our present. This book talks about understanding behavior, trauma, and emotions, better helping people understand their behavioral patterns. The book is written like a discussion between Winfrey and Perry, as they discuss people, trauma, and their impact on each other.
The Hate U Give is a must read for fans of realistic fiction, and/or socially conscious books. The book is about Starr, a 16-year-old African American teenager who witnesses the shooting of her friend Khalil by a police officer. The rest of the book follows the struggles Starr faces while trying to seek justice for her friend and the impact it has on her and those around her. It has won awards such as Goodreads Choice Awards Best of the Best (2018), and Audie Award for Young Adult (2018).
