It's easy to see why this book appeals to such a wide audience. Tova, Cameron, Marcellus, Ethan, all lovable characters. This book will stay with me for a long time. A sentient octopus that understands humans better than humans can understand them? Totally works!

I love a good fantasy that feels like historical fiction. This uses the orphan girl turned heroine trope. The world building is intricate. I loved how each chapter began with a rhyme. However, this book cannot stand alone; it ends on a cliffhanger making the second book in the duology an must.

This lives up to the hype. Push it to the top of your TBR. Martha Ballard is a strong female character/historical figure who you'll want to meet. This will make me look to read Lawhon's other books. DO NOT skip the author's note at the end!

Cherry reminds me a bit of Eleanor Oliphant. I love the way the multiple story lines co-exist and come together. Except for Cherry, I think Ethan's character and storyline was my favourite. This book has much to teach us about grief and acceptance. We don't learn the protagonist's name until we're 20% through the book and that made it more difficult for me to connect to the story at first, but I ended up loving it.

I like this book a lot. I devoured it in just two days. I wanted to love it, but didn't. I think it Iwan's character that seemed a bit too good to be true, the time slip element not developed well enough, I'm not entirely sure. Still glad I read it.

This is the second novel I've read from Kirsten Miller and it will bump her up to an automatic buy author for me. If you understand that banning books, even monster erotica, is stupid, this book is for you.

Gratz has a talent for writing the truth of difficult situations. He weaves several plots together, making the reader care about each. It makes me want to host a refugee family. The audiobook was a great road trip listen.

Half the book is narrated by a sentient fig tree. This book isn't for everyone, but the poignant prose kept me hooked. 16-year-old Ada Kazantzakis in 2010s London, grappling with grief and cultural identity, and her parents, Defne and Kostas, navigating their forbidden love during the Turkish-Greek conflict in 1970s Cyprus.

I almost gave up on this one, but l'm glad I didn't. Once Rachel Price reappears, the story just keeps getting better. This would make a fantastic mother-daughter read. So twisty turny!

If you didn't hate The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, you'll love James. It is refreshing to get the story from Jim's POV. I loved the idea that he and other slaves were just putting on the “slave talk“ for the benefit of white people, to appear less educated than they were. Highly recommend!

In the last few years, these have been my favs. I'm looking for your recommendations based on this.

It's not even halfway through January but I know this will be a strong contender for my best read of 2025. Dual time line, a strong fantasy element, with realistic characters and setting, and a strong female protagonist, this is everything I want in a book. If you've had this on your list for a while, don't hesitate.

I'm going to miss this series so much! I don't usually read sequels, so when I do, you know it's good. If you liked this series, try GET A LIFE CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert and BEFORE I LET YOU GO by Kennedy Ryan.

I loved the dual narrative and the way Elaine and Ava's stories eventually intertwined. I liked learning of the history of Portugal's role in WW2.

A beautiful poetic narrative that reminds the reader that ALL life is valuable.

Lord of the Flies meets The Handmaid's Tale, this powerfully gripping YA dystopian story kept me hooked from beginning to end. Tierney, a strong and brave female protagonist, fights against injustice and for what she believes. The Grace Year is a must read!

This book was everything I expect from a Hallmark-esque Christmas read. It was the perfect holiday rom-com, predictable in all the best ways. It was good to read about Callie gaining strength and asserting herself and Marco was the perfect love interest.

I enjoyed this examination of life, family, and race. It shows us how one life could be lived in so many different ways. It also highlights how lies about who you are, your truth, can resonate for a lifetime.

This is a beautiful collection of quotes/tweets about optimism, hope, and growth. It encourages the reader to find beauty in the life they're presently living, making room for the wonderful unknown future, embracing the power of uncertainty.

An amazing duology and atypical for me, I liked the second book even better than the first. I was rooting for Iris and Roman, and I loved Iris's strong female character. I was impressed that the ending was positive without being a happily ever after ending.

This was a beautiful story of friendship, found family, and resilience. Grace was a loveable character, steadfast and heroic. This was everything I want in a good historical fiction read.

The only thing I kept thinking, over and over, is that not much has changed. The rich still keep the poor downtrodden so they can get richer. This was my first Kristin Hannah and I'm excited to read her others.

I teach a course called Growth Goals and Grit. This has been an invaluable resource both personally and professionally. We are working on building strong habits that will help us reach our goals. This is the undisputed handbook.

Can you believe it's my first time reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? The audiobook was simply delightful. With my background knowledge, the allegory was unmistakable. But, I truly think this story would capture the heart of every child and adult alike.

McManus's best yet! I loved Kat and Liam's characters. This book definitely shows young people who rise above their raising. I didn‘t find the plot twists predictable and there were quite a few. A fun and engrossing read.

I think I would have enjoyed this so much more when I was first divorced, over 20 years ago now. I loved the questions, quotations, and chapter titles. I especially loved the chapter, “It gets pretty woo here“ about the idea that children get to choose which parents they'll be born to.

I chose this book because it was a short audiobook and available at the library while I was looking for something while I was waiting for my holds to come in. Compelling, huh? The title was off-putting and part of the reason I hadn't picked it up before now. Sorry mom! Also, memoirs/biographies usually aren't my thing. So, I'm shocked at how much I enjoyed Jenette's story. I was rooting and horrified for her the whole time.

I enjoyed the first book in Barnes' spin-off series. I'm rooting for Rohan. I want to see him become the proprietor of the Devil's Mercy. But I'm annoyed with the ending.

Lord is quickly becoming an auto-read author for me. This is such a sweet YA Romance with well-written characters who grow as a result of the conflict. Andy's internal struggles remind me so much of my own. I feel seen. I love how the title was woven into the story.

This is a MUST read for all parents and educators and everyone who has or works with children of any age. It will open your eyes to what tech companies are doing, knowingly, that harms our children's mental health and development. More importantly, it tells us how to take back our power and mitigate the damage.

Book 2 in the Skyland series by Kennedy Ryan was every bit as good as the first. Ryan has a way of making you root for her characters. An FBI raid, twins with autism, a rising social media influencer, and a dad goes to prison. Bring on book 3!

A beautiful tribute to slow readers with big imaginations. A big hug to my inner child who was, and despite the amount I read, still is a slow reader. This is a must book for every elementary classroom!

I wanted to love this. I read 30%. I have a difficult time knowing when I'm not really enjoying a book. When I start to avoid reading is about the only indicator. This was super funny in spots, but not often enough to hold my interest. #DNF

Great simile. Fits the plot line.

🖤

Watching the final season of The Crown and thought thisline by Prince Charles was worth noting: “great pain and sadness doesn‘t discriminate — it comes to those with beauty and privilege, too.”

Set in a dystopia where reproductive rights extend into a child's teenage years, Unwind is the story of Connor, Risa, and Lev on the run from being “unwound“, becoming unwilling organ donors. This is a story I will definitely share with my HS students.

“Picasso had to prove to the world he can paint the right way, before he goes putting both eyes on one side of a face, and noses stickin' outta kneecaps and stuff. See, if you paint wrong because that's the best you can do, you just a chump. But you do it because you want to? Then you're an artist.“

Riley and Tom, recent high school grads and former best friends reconnect and learn that, “Home has never been a place, but a feeling.“ This book is for anyone who has ever felt like they need to get away, or is searching for a place to belong.