Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

“I genuinely believe that Reynolds has magical powers. One of my students (a self-proclaimed “hater” of reading) read this book for book club, finished it in one night and came in the next day to tell us how good it was. As an English teacher, this is the kind of thing I dream about!”

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

“With a focus on female friendships, social justice, and the power of identity — all with the magic of the sea sprinkled throughout — A Song Below Water is a unique blend of fantasy and reality.”

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Rosanne A. Brown

“The fantastical elements of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin will capture your imagination, but it’s the characters and their ways of surviving adversity that capture our interest and our emotions.”

Shadow of Night (#2 in All Souls Trilogy) by Deborah Harkness

“No, Diana can save herself. She even saves her significant other, Matthew de Clairmont on more than one occasion. This pattern continues in the second installment of the trilogy Shadow of Night.”

Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4) by Diana Gabaldon

“Drums of Autumn has plenty of action, violence, romance, family reunion, and time travel. Despite the horrors and traumas of various characters, this installation in the series is perhaps the richest as it brings multiple worlds together.”

The Legend of Fire Horse Woman by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston

“the United States government long concentrated populations of American Indians on reservations, prisoners of the Civil War, and incarcerated Japanese Americans in camps.”

Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi

” Oyeyemi smashes it into shards and makes an entirely different mosaic out of the “Hansel and Gretel” shards and fragments of glass belonging to her own imagination. “

A #BlackLivesMatter Reading List

My cousin and I discussed collaborating on a reading list. Here is what I came up with. FICTION The Wilful Girl by Anonymous (2000 BC) The Book of Thoth by Anonymous (5th – 1st Century BC) Things Fall Apart by Chinua Acebe Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo …

‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

I’m not sure if it’s the best time to review ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King . . . or the worst. Since King depicts vampire bites and turning somewhat like a viral disease, this book will either make your more anxious or remind you that it could be worse . . .

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

“Ultimately, I appreciate how this book turns the vampire-romance story on its head and makes room for a strong, intelligent, capable female protagonist.”