The Women of Chateau of Lafayette by Stephanie Dray

The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many thanks to my Albright reading buddy, Mary McGrath Nakajima, for recommending this awesome read & stellar narration by Tavia Gilbert , Emma Bering , Rachel Jacobs! Even though I did not enjoy the horrors of my last historical fiction read (many many times I wanted to put it down for the misery it evoked) The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan; I was energized to read more and more about the heroines of Chateau Lafayette! These women (Marthe & Beatrice) strived to be like their heroine, Adrienne Lafayette (who emulated the ideals of freedom and equality of her husband, the Marquis de Lafayette) and the time periods this book spans were so thoroughly researched and plotted that I could not put this book down! Highly recommended!

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Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Aven's life has gotten more complicated with her entrance into high school; oh did I love Dusti Bowling's writing, her characters, her honesty and Aven's adventures in friendship, family, horses and making her way in the world. I could not stop reading and admiring Aven; how she loves life but is crushed by the bullies who want to destroy her high school experience. And I loved how her friends Zion and his brother to name just a few, band together to help their friend. Another awesome book by Dusti Bowling and a must read for all.

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Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I LOVED listening to this amazing audiobook by one of my fave romance authors, Jennifer E. Smith. The idea of a girl, Alice (in love with her best friend, Teddy & he of course does not know) buying a lottery ticket and using Teddy's favorite numbers and a few of Alice's as a gag gift for his 18th birthday made this a phenomenal listen (but also a great book). The narrator, Tonya Cornelisse, was great! She had a breathy kind of deep voice so Alice's voice was perfect but the raspy sound for Teddy & her cousin made for good guy voices. The evolution of Alice as she grows during this time made me ache for her often (ahe lost both parents 9 years before, she was afraid of change, holding back with her cousin and aunt and uncle - and of course, Teddy) but Smith knows how to grow her characters and GROW Alice & Teddy she does - PERFECTLY!!! The family dynamics were absorbing, the drama of winning the lottery and the ups & downs afterwards for Alice and Teddy were gripping, but through it all their friendship manages to bear the pitfalls & highs. Highly recommended as an audiobook and/or book, great YA read!

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All the Light You Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a beautiful, haunting book! Doerr's look at WWII & the Holocaust also delves into characters' lives before the war- Marie Laure & Werner are the main, rich characters who are defined by their families (one blind, the other an orphan) and as the book jumps between 1940 and 1944 the reader is immersed in their worlds and cannot break away as war envelopes them and their lives are irrevocably changed. I loved the depth and breadth of this book; will be thinking about snails, radio transmitters, puzzles for a very long time; highly recommended to adults and HS readers who cover The Holocaust in school.

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The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Franciso X. Stork

The Last Summer Of The Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Stork's book was just as good as Marcelo In The Real Worldbut in a very different way. Stork's writing is just so engrossing! When we meet Pancho, he is bent on finding the killer of his sister (even though the police said she wasn't murdered, it was natural causes) and going to live at St. Anthony's an orphanage and plot his revenge. But it is at St. Anthony's that he meets D.Q., a kid with cancer, who comandeers Pancho as his aide because DQ has brain cancer but DQ has plans to make Pancho and DQ "death warriors" and DQ is writing the manifesto while Pancho is tracking clues to his sister's killer. And along the way, Pancho's anger with his father's accidental death, his feeling somehow responsbile for his sister's death, is used by D.Q. to change him. D.Q. is such a strong character, even though he is suffering from cancer,but he is knowledgable, kind, not given to "whining---part of the Death Warrior Manifesto" and along with his love interest, Marisol, we see Pancho begin to grow as a person once hardened into a vulnerable young man with a future that does not include prison. I urger everyone to read this book, if you liked Marcelo, YOU WILL LOVE this book! Stork is one of my new favorite writers!



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