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

Fiction, Historical, Mystery, Pastiche

Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz

Sherlock Holmes #2 I'm not the biggest Sherlock Holmes fangirl, but when Anthony Horowitz came to the bookstore I work at, I figured I should pick out one of his books to read, and to break out of my reading comfort zone! Synopsis Internationally bestselling author Anthony Horowitz's nail-biting new novel plunges us back into… Continue reading Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz

Contemporary, Fiction, Young Adult

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

A few years ago I was looking for new books to listen to on my long work drives and picked up Eleanor & Park, having seen it all over the book stores and hearing lots of wonderful things about Rainbow Rowell’s work. I almost didn’t bother listening to it after the first 5 minutes –… Continue reading Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Memoir/Autobiography, Nonfiction, Psychology

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

A Funny Book About Horrible Things I started reading Furiously Happy as soon as I finished Let's Pretend This Never Happened. I love it THAT much. There seems to be only one person who understands my anxiety better than I understand it, and that person is Jenny Lawson. Also, how awesome is a book that when you casually… Continue reading Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

Book Club, Memoir/Autobiography, Nonfiction

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

A Mostly True Memoir It is not often that I get the idea in my head that I absolutely must read a book at a particular time, but I decided this year before Christmas that I absolutely had to read Furiously Happy. My coworker, Jennifer, who loves Jenny Lawson, said "No, no. You have to… Continue reading Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Contemporary, Fiction, New Adult

Jessica Darling quintet by Megan McCafferty

Sloppy Firsts, Second Helpings, Charmed Thirds, Fourth Comings, Perfect Fifths Jessica Darling helped me survive high school. I was first introduced to the delightfully snarky, sarcastic and spunky teen heroine of Sloppy Firsts when I was a freshman in speech and debate practice after school one autumn afternoon back in 2003. A frenemy of mine… Continue reading Jessica Darling quintet by Megan McCafferty

Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess While an undergrad at Pitt, I was book browsing before seeing a movie with a friend, I saw Clockwork Angel sitting on the shelf at the Waterfront Barnes & Noble. Not knowing anything about the vast popularity of the Mortal Instruments series, I picked it up as I was… Continue reading Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare

Fiction, Historical, Photography/Art

The War Bride’s Scrapbook by Caroline Preston

Each year for Christmas, my boss at the bookstore lets each of us pick out a book for our Christmas present. It is SO hard to narrow it down to just one, but this year, The War Bride's Scrapbook screamed my name. Synopsis Lila Jerome has never been very lucky in love. She has always been… Continue reading The War Bride’s Scrapbook by Caroline Preston

Contemporary, Fiction, Young Adult

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss #1 This book came very highly reviewed on Goodreads and seemed like a fun quick in-between book to read while I was student teaching. I figured it wouldn’t require much thought and could help me related to students. But I have since discovered that “young adult” consists of two subcategories… Continue reading Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins