A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow is by Amor Towles. A magnificent work of historical fiction set in Russia after the Communist takeover. In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is found to be an aristocrat and sentenced by a Bolshevik tribunal to spend the rest of his life under house arrest in Mocow's famous Hotel Metropol. He now lives in a small attic room and watches the decades of change go by, never able to leave the hotel. This is a wonderful look at the Communist takeover of Russia through the eyes of a former noble. Count Rostov handles his reduced fortunes with grace, never losing his breeding and sense of humor. This is a Reader's Corner Must Read Book! Enjoy!

Ratings: 11th grade - 10 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content).

The Girl With All the Gifts

The Girl With All the Gifts is by M.R. Carey. The first in the science fiction dystopian Hungry Plague series. A plague has reduced most of humanity to zombie-like cannibals called "hungries." Melanie is a young girl in a special school, she spends her days locked in a chair and taking classes. Her favorite teacher is Miss Justineau. She begins to discover that she is not being protected, she is being studied. When the compound she's in is razed, Melanie, Miss Justineau, a scientist, and two soldiers try to find their way to another safe base near London. On the way, Melanie learns the truth about herself, her future, and the future of the human race.

Ratings: 10th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content) - V (violence). 

City of Endless Night

City of Endless Night is by Douglas Present and Lincoln Child. The seventeenth installment in the realistic fiction mystery Pendergast series. Pendergast and D'Agosta try to find the identity of a killer who is beheading the rich and famous. Fans of the series will love this book as well. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World is by William H. McRaven. A short book based on McRaven's commencement speech at the University of Texas at Austin. A must read for everyone, but especially students of all ages. The speech itself is well worth listening to on youtube.

Ratings: 7th grade - 10 out of 10. 

Missing Pieces

Missing Pieces is by Carly Anne West. The first realistic fiction installment in the Hello Neighbor series - based on the children's video game. Nick is 12; his father is a newspaper publisher and his mother is a university professor. They move to a new town when Nick's father gets a new job at the local paper. Nick meets the strange family across the street, the Peterson's. Their son Aaron seems to be just the friend Nick needs right now, but Aaron's mother and sister are a little strange and his father is down right scary. "The Burbs" for kids. A cute children's book for young readers. 

Ratings: 6th grade - 6 out of 10. 

Lab Girl

Lab Girl is by Hope Jahren. An autobiographical memoir of geobiologist Hope Jahren. The tale follows Jahren from her childhood to the present as she completes university and tries to make a name from herself as a female scientist. The autobiographical parts are interspersed with fascinating information on plants. She and Bill, her eccentric lab partner, travel the world to do research and move to various universities chasing grant money and tenure. Jahren also discusses her mental health issues and her obvious love for her husband and son. An excellent read for anyone interested in science, especially girls. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity). 

The Girls

The Girls is by Emma Cline. A historical/realistic fiction knock off of the Manson family story. Set in California in 1969, and then flipping forward in time, this is the story of Evie. In 1969, she sees several girls in the park and watches them dumpster dive for food. She is especially attracted to Suzanne, who seems so free and mesmerizing. She is drawn into their world. They live on a "ranch" and are enthralled by Russel, a clear Manson-esque character. Evie, already, disenchanted by her home life, becomes more drawn in to the group. Then comes the night when members of the group are sent out to kill for Russell. The book seems to focus more on what would make a "normal" girl from an upper middle class background join a group like Manson's and stay. 

Ratings: Adult - 6 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content) - S (non-graphic sexual content). 

Swinging on a Star

Swinging on a Star is by David Trinidad. A very good book of poetry, especially the "Ode to Buddy Holly."

Ratings: 8th grade.

A Thousand Mornings

A Thousand Mornings is by Mary Oliver. A beautiful selection of Oliver's magnificent poetry. 

Ratings: 8th grade - 9 out of 10. 

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra is by Vaseem Khan. The first installment in The Baby Ganesh Agency mystery series. This charming realistic fiction multicultural series is set in India. After suffering a heart attack, Inspector Chopra is forced into early retirement from the Mumbai police. The day he retires he is confronted with a drowned boy, whose death no one seems to want to investigate and a baby elephant which was left to him by a dead relative. His desire to solve the mystery leads him all over Mumbai, and his new elephant plays a role in solving the case. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 9 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Gingerbread

Gingerbread is by Helen Oyeyemi. A strange and at times confusing fantasy novel revolving around gingerbread. Perdita Lee, her mother, and grandmother seem like a normal British family, but Perdita's mother, Harriet, comes from the mysterious - and some say non-existent land of Druhastrana. When Perdita attempts to return to Druhastrana to meet her mother's best friend, and gingerbread lover, Gretel, it prompts a retelling of the the story of Harriet's life and the history of the Lee and Kercheval families. 

Rating: 10th grade - 6 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content). 

The Woman in Cabin 10

The Woman in Cabin 10 is by Ruth Ware. A realistic fiction mystery set on a yacht in the North Sea. Laura Blacklock writes for a travel publication; when a colleague goes on maternity leave, Laura is chosen to go on a promotional cruise on a luxury yacht in the North Sea. She is assigned Cabin 9; looking for mascara, she meets a strange woman in the cabin next door. Later that evening, she wakes to hear a loud splash, rushes to the veranda and sees a bloody smear on the glass partition between her cabin and the next. She calls security and is told that there was never anyone in Cabin 10, and that she imagined the whole episode. Her search for the truth may cost her her life. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 6 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content). 

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is by Matthew Sullivan. Sullivan's first novel is a realistic fiction foray into a suicide in a bookstore. Lydia survived a horrible mass murder as a child, she now works as a clerk in the Bright Ideas Bookstore. When a young ex-con hangs himself in the bookstore and leaves all of his possessions to Lydia, she must face the possibility that Joey's death may be related to the crime she's spent her life trying to forget. 

Rated: 10th grade - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content) - V (violence).