The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a short story that follows the life of a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, after he mysteriously transforms into a bug. When Gregor wakes up as a bug, he cannot support his family, open his bedroom door, or even get out of bed. This story provides great commentary on societal expectations while maintaining its hilarity. Kafka manages to spell out all of modern society’s great faults through the eyes of his insect narrator.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, is a historical fiction novel set in the mid to late 1900s. The novel tells the tale of a famous Hollywood actress, Evelyn Hugo, as she narrates her story to a journalist. Evelyn Hugo is seventy-nine and has made the decision to finally open up about her mysterious and scandalous rise to fame, including the stories of her seven husbands. She chooses to tell her story to Monique Grant, a relatively unknown magazine journalist.
Helen Jukes, unsatisfied with her work and home life, receives a colony of bees as a gift from a friend. Recalling how she enjoyed her previous beekeeping experiences, she decides to keep and care for the colony in her backyard. She describes her year of beekeeping, all the while learning more about honey bees and rediscovering passion.
Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen, the first in a series, is a fantasy, dystopian novel which follows the story of a teenage girl, Mare, as she discovers that she, a "Red-blooded" person, has special powers similar to those of the elite "Silver-blooded" class. Mare's life is turned upside down when her power is revealed as the Silvers attempt to disguise the fact that she is a lowly Red by telling the public that she is the long-lost relative of a dead Silver general.
Khaled Hosseini's historical fiction novel A Thousand Splendid Suns tells the story of two Afghan women, belonging to different generations, from the early 1960s through the early 2000s. Both women are born in different circumstances as Mariam is the illegitimate daughter of a rich man and Laila is the daughter of a teacher. Mariam is forced to marry a shoemaker from Kabul when she is fifteen and Laila's life is turned upside down when her parents are killed.
The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller, belongs to the historical fiction genre and is a retelling of Homer's Iliad. When Patroclus is exiled from his home for an act of violence, he meets Achilles, the son of a sea goddess, who is destined to be the greatest Greek hero ever known. The two form a friendship despite the disapproval of Achilles' mother.
Amity is soon to be appointed of as one of the four saints of Haven. With the entire town against her because of the sins her mother committed in the past she must work to prove that she is loyal to her new position. But things don’t go as planned. Strange things start happening to the people in the town. Is this connected with Amity’s new role in the town? Is she going to repeat the actions of her mother? On top of it all Amity starts to learn things about herself and the people around her that leave her unsure of what to do next.
In Becca’s new town, three girls rule. When Becca is invited to join the pack, saying no isn’t an option. I mean, who wouldn’t give anything to have everything? Every full moon, Becca joins her new friends on the hunt. But they don’t prey on the weak; they only seek out the wicked. After the death of head-of-the-pack Arianna’s boyfriend, tensions begin to rise. Soon, Becca’s left wondering: Is everything truly worth the cost?
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a thrilling YA mystery about a murder that no one seems to care about - except the main character, Pippa, of course. Every senior at her high school is meant to do a Capstone Project, a big research endeavor that concludes their high school experience. Pippa, always the overachieving journalist, chooses to do hers on the “case-closed” murder that occurred five years ago.
Taken by Edward Bloor is a mystery/fantasy novel that explores the idea of what the future will be like. It's the year 2030 and kidnapping is one of the most lucrative industries. Charity Meyers, a daughter of a rich family, the prime target for kidnapping, was taken from her family. Following standard procedure, she keeps calm and waits for her parents to pay the ransom. When things don’t go as planned, Charity finds herself in the center of a larger scheme.
