I finished Romeo and Juliet in my English class and unlike my peers in class, I adored the book. Several of my peers were outraged by the deceitful reputation of the book for being a story of pure love when they discovered that perhaps Romeo and Juliet‘s wasn‘t real love at all. But I think that‘s why it was so great. The book posed a question of what true love is and if/how it exists and also displays the effects of senseless hatred and pride.

High praise for The Program series by Suzanne Young. Fast, entertaining reads that left me pining for more. The series centers around an epidemic in which suicide is the consuming disease. In order to deal with the crisis, The Program is created to prevent adolescents from harming themselves. But The Program proves to be far more sinister than the adults in society perceive it to be.

I read The Samurai‘s Garden in English class this year, and while it wasn‘t a thrilling, edge of your seat suspense type of read, I found it eye opening and informative about other cultures and histories. The novel had deep underlying themes about death, and acceptance, and love. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a piece to think on.

“You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.” - Jennifer Niven, All the Bright Places