Rebecca Brown is a 15-year-old New Yorker. She loves everything about her life in New York. You can imagine her dismay when she finds out that she has to go live with her aunt in New Orleans for six months because her father is going to China on business. The traditions and groups in New […]
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson: Book Review
Review of I Am Legend Several GR friends have read this and raved about it recently. I’ve been doing a lot of Halloween-related books this month, so I decided to give it a try. It somehow wasn’t exactly what I expected, and I mean that in a good way. I’ve seen bits of the Will […]
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson: Book Review
“My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister, Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content […]
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
Rocker Judas Coyne thought it was a joke when he bought a ghost off the internet. Still, he’s a collector of the arcane, so what could it hurt? An old man is haunting his daughter and granddaughter, so Judas might be helping them, but even if it’s a joke, Judas can easily afford it. But […]
East of Eden by John Steinbeck: Book Review
Synopsis from GoodReads: In his journal, John Steinbeck called East of Eden “the first book,” and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families–the Trasks and the Hamiltons–whose generations helplessly reenact […]
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer: Book Review
Nine-year-old Oskar Schell adores his father, Thomas. Oskar is something of a genius, so he never fits in at school, but his dad sort of becomes everything to Oskar. And then Thomas Schell dies in one of the towers on 9/11. Two years later, Oskar still isn’t handling this well. Snooping around his dad’s closet […]
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Book Review
Janie Crawford is only 16 years old when her grandmother decides to marry her off to a man who is well-respected in the community. Nanny has had to work hard all her life and she wants Janie to have an easier life. She marries her off as soon as she notices boys noticing Janie. It […]
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey: Book Review
George Beard and Harold Hutchins are the 4th grade pranksters at their school. They change school signs around to say funny things, they fill cheerleader pom poms with black pepper, and they fill footballs with helium. Perhaps their favorite pastime, though, is writing comic books. They steal into the school office and make copies to […]
The Color Purple by Alice Walker: Book Review
Celie is only a young teen when her stepfather marries her off to their widowed acquaintance, Albert. Celie is little more than a slave to the family. Albert has several spoiled children who terrorize her and he regularly beats her himself. Celie just puts her head down, writes letters to God, and tries to go […]
Heir to the Shadows by Anne Bishop: Book Review
Definite spoilers for Daughter of the Blood. At the end of the first book, Jaenelle is broken and Daemon isn’t in much better shape. Jaenelle has to heal in this book and come to terms with what she is. Luckily, she’s surrounded by caring friends who are willing to protect her and push her as […]
Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs: Book Review
**Possible spoilers for Moon Called** Mercedes Thompson is a mechanic who just happens to walk in two worlds. There’s the mundane world where she spends her time fixing VWs, and there’s the supernatural world that she was born into. See, Mercy is a walker. She can shift into coyote form at will. She’s not as […]