Title: Ask Again, Yes Author: Mary Beth Keane   Genre: Contemporary      Publisher: Scribner Books   Format: Paperback Pages: 400 Rating: 5/5 stars Synopsis (Goodreads):   A profoundly moving novel about two neighboring families in a suburban town, the friendship between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, and the power of forgiveness. … Continue reading Book Review: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Title: On the Come Up Author: Angie Thomas    Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary      Publisher: Balzer + Bray    Format: Hardcover Pages: 464 Rating: 5/5 stars Synopsis (Goodreads):   Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the … Continue reading Book Review: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Title: Things Fall Apart Author: Chinua Achebe   Genre: Classics      Publisher: Anchor Canada    Format: Paperback Pages: 209 Rating: 4/5 stars Synopsis (Goodreads): THINGS FALL APART tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first of these stories traces Okonkwo's fall … Continue reading Book Review: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Title: Love from A to Z Author: S.K. Ali   Genre: Contemporary      Publisher: Salaam Reads      Format: Paperback Pages: 352 Rating: 5/5 stars Synopsis (Goodreads): From William C. Morris Award Finalist S.K. Ali comes an unforgettable romance that is part The Sun Is Also a Star mixed with Anna and the French Kiss , … Continue reading Book Review: Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali

Title: The Outsiders Author: S.E. Hinton Genre: Classics      Publisher: Speak      Format: Paperback Pages: 186 Rating: 5/5 stars Synopsis (Goodreads): The Outsiders is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he … Continue reading Book Review: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Title: The Martin Chronicles Author: John Fried Genre: Contemporary      Publisher: Grand Central Publishing      Format: Hardcover Pages: 272 Rating: 3.5/5 stars *Warning: Mature content. Parents please be advised* Synopsis (Goodreads):   A powerful and heartfelt coming-of-age novel that follows Martin Kelso as he grows up in 1980s New York and faces the magic of … Continue reading Book Review: The Martin Chronicles by John Fried

Title: North and South Author: Elizabeth Gaskell Genre: Classics      Publisher: Oxford World’s Classics     Format: Paperback Pages: 452 Rating: 5/5 stars Synopsis (Goodreads): "She tried to settle that most difficult problem for women, how much was to be utterly merged in obedience to authority, and how much might be set apart for freedom in … Continue reading Book Review: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Title: The Daughter’s Tale Author: Armando Lucas Correa Genre: Historical Fiction      Publisher: Atria Books      Format: Paperback Pages: 320 Rating: 4/5 stars Synopsis (Goodreads):   “The Daughter’s Tale is immersive, both heartbreaking and redemptive, steeped in harrowing historical events and heroic acts of compassion that will have you reflecting on the best and worst … Continue reading Book Review: The Daughter’s Tale by Armando Lucas Correa

Title: Russka: The Novel of Russia   Author:Edward Rutherfurd   Genre: Historical Fiction      Publisher: Ballantine Books     Format: Paperback Pages: 960 Rating: 5/5 stars Synopsis (Goodreads):   Spanning 1800 years of Russia's history, people, poltics, and culture, Edward Rurtherford, author of the phenomenally successful SARUM: THE NOVEL OF ENGLAND, tells a grand saga that … Continue reading Book Review: Russka: The Novel of Russia by Edward Rutherfurd