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The Education of Margot Sanchez
Rivera, Lilliam
Reviewed: September 27, 2023
The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera is an admirable novel that wonderfully captures the challenge of being yourself while being in an intimidating social circle. Throughout the novel, we follow the main character, Margo, whose family makes sacrifices to ensure she can attend a school that offers her the most lavish education one can receive. There’s only one problem: Margot doesn’t come from where her peers come from; her demographic background makes it hard for her to fully be herself. The pressure to “fit in” with the kids around her leads her to make bad choices.... Read Full Review
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The Fault in Our Stars
Green, John
Reviewed: September 20, 2023
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is about a girl named Hazel who was diagnosed with cancer when she was a child. Hazel starts to go to a support group for people who also have cancer, and Hazel meets people who later on become her friends. Her friends add a certain light to her life, making her enjoy things more and pushing her limits so as not to let cancer stop her from doing certain things in life. The short version is The Fault in Our Stars makes the reader know how it feels for people who have cancer and the struggles they have to endure. It teaches the reader to... Read Full Review
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Renegades
Meyer, Marissa
Reviewed: September 13, 2023
Renegades by Marisa Meyer takes place in a dystopian world where humans with different abilities create peace and order in a once-crumbled society. Nova, our main character, despises the Renegades. She creates a plan to destroy the Renegades and bring back power to her side, the Anarchists. However, she meets Adrian, a renegade with a huge secret and an enticing personality. Although Nova is very loyal, will it last forever?
This book had me wanting more from the start. The character development throughout the book is very relatable, as most characters are developing a... Read Full Review
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Catching Fire
Collins, Suzanne
Reviewed: September 6, 2023
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the second book of the series The Hunger Games. Catching Fire starts with Peeta and Katniss enjoying life free from the Games. But just when they were finally getting comfortable, President Snow announced that everyone who has ever won the Hunger Games will fight again—against other people who have experience in the games.
To survive their next Games, Katniss and Peeta develop some counter strategies. Katniss and Peeta start acting out a fake romantic relationship to get the audience to love them. They also start... Read Full Review
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Crime and Punishment
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor
Reviewed: August 30, 2023
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky is as agonizing as it is intriguing. Dostoyevsky provides the unique experience of undergoing a brutal murder from the—wait for it—killer's perspective! The main character Raskolnikov is characterized as a poor student who is unable to go on with his law studies. He has a superiority complex, and he believes he is above morality. Although he believes he is above the law, he is burdened to find out that he is not free from a guilty conscience once he commits a heinous murder. Raskolnikov must then endure the punishments for his crimes.... Read Full Review
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American Psycho
Ellis, Bret Easton
Reviewed: August 23, 2023
American Psycho is a novel written by Bret Easton Ellis in 1991. The story follows the descent into total insanity of the main character and narrator, Patrick Bateman, an elite, narcissistic investment banker in Manhattan. The book portrays his daily life as skewed within a path of murder and crime, a vice in which he partakes in his free time. Released as a film in 2000, the movie recreation of the book depicts more of an underlying criticism of white-collar, high-society beings forced to adapt to everyday life, as portrayed by actor Christian Bale. Although Bateman’s mental... Read Full Review
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The Female of the Species
McGinnis, Mindy
Reviewed: August 16, 2023
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis is a complex exploration of modern-day rape culture ridden with morally ambiguous characters. The story’s protagonist, Alex Craft, is no exception. She lives with the fact that her sister was raped and killed only a few years prior to the book’s beginning, and even though all signs pointed to one culprit, the murderer was able to walk free. Alex now serves as a tragic reminder of the most gruesome crime her small town has ever witnessed, making her a social pariah within her community, but Alex prefers it that way. Because despite her... Read Full Review
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The Prestige
Priest, Christopher
Reviewed: August 9, 2023
The Prestige by Christopher Priest is about two magicians, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, in the 1800s. They are always fighting each other or sabotaging each other's magic shows to make people come to their own shows instead. Robert starts to get more popular with a new magic trick, and Alfred cannot solve how Robert does it. Alfred gets more invested in deciphering Robert's trick, causing his own and Robert's downfall.
The Prestige is one of the most confusing books I have ever read, but it is a good kind of confusing. This book just plays with you with all... Read Full Review
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Beloved
Morrison, Toni
Reviewed: August 2, 2023
Beloved tells the story of Sethe, an escaped slave, living with her 18-year-old daughter Denver on 124 Bluestone Road in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sethe experiences unparalleled trauma throughout her life. Even upon escaping slavery, she could not run from her past. Her eldest daughter, often referred to as Beloved, had died years back, and the spirit of Beloved manifested in the form of a ghost that haunted the house they lived in. In addition, Sethe’s two sons ran away from home at 13 years old, never to be seen again. Sethe’s husband, whom she met on a plantation called Sweet Home in... Read Full Review
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The Awakening
Chopin, Kate
Reviewed: July 19, 2023
The Awakening is about Edna Pontellier who has everything that she has ever wanted in life. Edna is a mother of two children with a very loving husband. He cares dearly for her, and he provides her with a comfortable lifestyle. Yet, Edna complains that her life is difficult because she has responsibilities, and she believes there is something missing from her life.
Even though Edna has a loving and caring husband, she thinks he does not love her. As a result, she decides to cheat on him with some Playboy (and she seduces additional men!). But in reality, you can tell that... Read Full Review
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The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales
Sacks, Oliver
Reviewed: July 12, 2023
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is a thrilling book about the patients of Dr. Sacks. As a neurologist and talented poet, Sacks unravels his experiences with different psychological disorders. Although the book may seem daunting at first with the intense medical vocabulary, it incorporates Dr. Sack's great sense of humor into each case. Each case history is based on a different patient’s visit with Sacks, goes over the patient's symptoms, and nicely illustrates a unique worldview. A good portion of the book revolves around hallucinations; the man who mistook his wife for a... Read Full Review
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The Selection
Cass, Kiera
Reviewed: July 5, 2023
The Selection by Kiera Cass is the first book in the series. This dystopian romance follows America Singer, who is considered a part of the lower class, living her life as she desires with her first love. Suddenly, when the news spreads that the Prince will select his queen, America is thrust into the world of glitz and glamor, where she doesn't want to be. America misses her love back at home deeply but forms a friendly bond with the Prince, which doesn't go over well. Throw in some twists and humor, and you have a pretty good book.
I read the whole series during COVID,... Read Full Review