Fiction, Historical

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Laura: I found this book on my mom’s shelves and when she noticed that I had picked it up she told me I should absolutely read it. It is one of the few non-mystery type fiction books she has read in the past 10 years, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Knowing my love of all… Continue reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Contemporary, Fiction, New Adult

The Little Shop of Happy Ever After by Jenny Colgan

Scottish Bookshop #1 (The Bookshop on the Corner in the USA) A few years ago I picked this book up and thought it looked adorable and perfect for a friend. A perfect chick-lity read, a book about books, that she would love. Two years later, I found the audiobook on Overdrive I figured it was time I… Continue reading The Little Shop of Happy Ever After by Jenny Colgan

Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Reduction Duology by Diana Peterfreund

For Darkness Shows the Stars & Across a Star-Swept Sea Diana Peterfreund is one of my most favorite authors. I first discovered her works when I was getting ready to head off to college in 2007 and I stumbled upon the Secret Society Girl series. It is one of the few series that actually covers college age… Continue reading Reduction Duology by Diana Peterfreund

Memoir/Autobiography, Middle Grades, Nonfiction

Four Perfect Pebbles by Lila Perl & Marion Blumenthal Lazan

One of my grandmothers grew up in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, specifically in Nürnberg and the surrounding countryside. She doesn't talk about it. As such, I have spent my entire life fascinated by the stories of German children between 1933 and 1945. I don't remember the first book I read that fit the… Continue reading Four Perfect Pebbles by Lila Perl & Marion Blumenthal Lazan

Contemporary, Fiction, New Adult, Young Adult

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girls in Pants, Forever in Blue I have been best friends with Tibby, Carmen, Lena and Bridget for more than half my life now. The summer before I turned fourteen, I was attempting to walk to the Barnes and Noble of Virginia Beach… Continue reading Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares

Fantasy, Fiction, Retelling

Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon

I love a good fairy tale adaptation and when I first heard the true story of the Little Mermaid, I became a bit obsessed with all accurate adaptations. Synopsis Princess Margrethe has been hidden away while her kingdom is at war. One gloomy, windswept morning, as she stands in a convent garden overlooking the icy sea,… Continue reading Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon

Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grades, Retelling

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

I’ll readily admit that Ella’s dark green dress on the front cover of the first paperback edition was what first caught my attention. But given my established record as a lover of fairy tale adaptations, it should come as no surprise that this is the book that started my obsession! Synopsis How can a fairy's… Continue reading Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Contemporary, Fiction

The Ex-Debutante by Linda Francis Lee

This was one of the first "adult" fiction books I read after graduating high school and deciding I needed to branch out from the young adult section. And while I’m a northern at heart, when presented with the opportunity to read about southern debutantes, I usually do so in order to mock them later. But… Continue reading The Ex-Debutante by Linda Francis Lee

Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grades, Retelling

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson

Peter and the Starcatchers #1 I am a sucker for Peter Pan stories, especially ones that provide a more interesting and compelling female character than Wendy! Synopsis Peter was the leader of the orphan boys because he was the oldest – or so he claimed. And because he could spit the farthest. Not that it… Continue reading Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson

Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grades

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Fairyland #1 I picked this book up upon the recommendation of a fellow educator at the school book fair last spring and I read it while on vacation last summer. While I’m trying to review only books that I’ve read most recently now, I figured it best to throw this one in as well. Synopsis… Continue reading The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente