Bold Beauty

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh is a young adult novel set in historic New Orleans.

Celine and a number of other young women from various parts of Europe are sent to live in a convent. They will be supervised until arranged in a suitable marriage.

Celine is different. There is a spark in her unlike the others which immediately is noticed by the very handsome Sebastien, as well as by his deadly enemy.

She is swept up in a tale of revenge as a string of violent murders begin adding up.

This is a hate to love story with elements of magic and monsters. It evokes the feeling of Twilight and similar vampire-type novels. For me, it was a bit slow and predictable.

Heist

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is first in a two-part series.

It’s a story very much like an “Ocean’s Eleven,” with a high stakes heist as its main plot.

Kaz is the leader of a crew looking to kidnap the head scientist responsible for a drug that deeply intensifies Grisha powers. It’s worth a small fortune to accomplish this feat, and his crew wants the money for various personal reasons. Kaz wants the money and revenge on the man responsible for his brother’s untimely death when they were boys.

Kaz has assembled a crew consisting of his own sharp mind, Inej (acrobat/spy), Nina (Grisha heartrender), Jesper (sharpshooter and secret Grisha), Matthias (the muscle freed from prison to provide inside intel), and Wylan (novice bomb expert).

The story is packed with adventure and near-death experiences as they work toward their goal. Events lead to a cliffhanger as they finish the heist with unfinished business- getting their payment and rescuing wraith.

Haunted

Beloved by Toni Morrison is a book delving into the horrors of slavery and its aftermath.

Sethe is an escaped slave living in Ohio. She moved in with her mother in law and her children, but there is a terrible heaviness upon their home. It’s the ghost of Sethe’s murdered daughter, Beloved. Once they’re old enough, her two sons moved away leaving behind her one living daughter.

After her mother in law’s death, Sethe and her daughter receive two visitors. One is a man from her past and the other is the adult version of her deceased daughter. Strange events occur as Sethe wrestles with her past actions and tries to make amends with her dead daughter. The horrors of her past (and the men in her life) are revealed in snippets throughout the book which lends some understanding of the post traumatic stress she inhabits. Meanwhile her living daughter, Denver, is forced to step outside her (self-imposed?) reclusiveness.

This is a strongly written read (of course – it’s authored by Morrison!) which will force one to think about the atrocities white men were capable of during this time period and the horrible after effects on their victims.

Tainted Victory

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins is the most recent book of The Hunger Games series.

It’s the 50th quarter quell, and every district must send double the tributes. After a deadly riot, Haymitch is chosen as the unfortunate backup tribute for district twelve on his sixteenth birthday. He is forced to leave his mother, young brother and the love of his life behind.

The book follows his experience along with his districts three other tributes as they prepare to enter the arena. Their odds don’t look great as they are given some of the worst treatment of all the districts. Also, Haymitch has already pissed off Snow so he is marked for disaster.

However, he’s able to spin the public’s view of him to be a rebellious rascal. He is also part of a plan to destroy the arena from within.

In typical Hunger Games fashion, there are grisly deaths, mutated creatures and strategy. Spoiler- while Haymitch may end up surviving, his whole world crashes down after the games.

Royal Romance

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz is a fun, romantic graphic novel.

The main character is a countess who stands to inherit none of her fortune as a woman. Her father gives his blessing for her to become a man, the count, in order to keep her inheritance. She moves to a new area with her lifelong handmaid to protect the ruse.

This is when she begins falling for the Princess. But she can’t allow herself to get too close to avoid her secret being revealed. The Princess develops feelings too, but is also onto her secret which has the potential to change all their plans.

It’s been several weeks since I read the book which is why my review lacks detail. It was a light-hearted, quick read with great cheesy references throughout.

The Real Snake

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins is a prequel to The Hunger Games.

Coriolanus Snow is a senior student residing in the Capitol. He aspires to attend university, success and wealth. However, his family consisting of his grandmother and cousin Tigris, are in financial trouble. They are in danger of losing their penthouse apartment and they are starving. His best meals are at school.

There seems to be hope with the upcoming Hunger Games because for the first time the students will be mentors to the tributes. The winner will receive full tuition at the University. However, Coriolanus is horrified when he is the last mentor assigned to the lowly District Twelve’s girl tribute.

But, he soon realizes that his mentee, Lucy Gray, is captivating. She has an amazing presence and sings beautifully. They begin to develop a relationship as they strategize how to win the games.

During the buildup to the games, Coriolanus has to worry about the game creator, Dean Highbottom, who seems to have a personal vendetta against him. There is also the twisted Dr. Gaul. Her experiments on animals and possibly people seems to have no boundaries.

Sejanus is a classmate and former District Two resident. Coriolanus envies Sejanus’s family money, and also can’t stand his rebellious tendencies. But he knows it’s best to keep up appearances as a friend.

Snow’s cheating during the games gets him assigned as a Peacekeeper. He chooses District Twelve in hopes of reuniting with Lucy Gray. And Sejanus ends up joining him.

Lucy and Snow reunite and seem destined to be together. However, Snow begins to realize his true nature. He cares more for acclaim and privilege than building a new life in the unknown.

There is so much more intricate detail to the story. The characters are well written and I was captivated.

The Meanwhile

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood is a beautifully written story full of emotion.

It tells Violet, Harriet and Frank’s stories which inevitably intertwine.

Violet is in jail for vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence with her boyfriend. They were running away together. The victim was Frank’s wife.

Violet is part of a book club while in jail which is led by Harriet, a volunteer and retired teacher. Harriet carefully chooses their books at a bookstore in Portland, Maine. Frank is a part time employee at this bookstore.

Each character’s background is developed with the emphasis on present time. It turns out that Frank was in the process of being divorced by his wife. Although, his grown daughter thinks it was due to his own infidelity.

Meanwhile, Violet is released but is essentially orphaned. Her mom passed while she was in jail, and the rest of her family (aunt and sister) have disowned her. They blame her mother’s death on the stress that her trial created.

Luckily, her connection to Harriet is rekindled on the outs. Harriet’s niece puts in a word for Violet to work as an assistant to an avian scientist, Misha, who is studying the intelligence of parrots. Violet is able to handle his abrupt manner and she loves the birds in their care. And she begins to love Misha too.

Eventually Frank, Harriet and Violet develop a familial relationship toward one another. There is kindness, forgiveness and a beautiful patience and love of story woven throughout.

A Boy and His Dog

Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow is a 2026 high school Nutmeg nominee.

Ian has been going through a tough time. His dad left him and his mom when he was young. His grandfather who was his idol died when Ian was younger. Now he’s in high school and dealing with poverty and his mom’s addiction. His grandfather’s lessons about life and land along with his own mechanical knowledge give him strength. This is when a stray dog, Gather, shows up in his life.

A hospital visit scares his mom straight for a while. Things seem to be moving in a positive direction. They both get jobs and Ian gets a girlfriend. He’s even allowed to keep his dog. But once they get a bill for back taxes on their house and property, Ian’s mom spirals and overdoses.

Now Ian is about to be shuffled to his dad in Tennessee, forcing him to leave his home and the community he is so attached to.

He decides not to move to his dad and starts making his way back home, just him and Gather. They survive on the run until he can reach out to those in his community, his teacher and neighbors, for help.

This was a story with a strong message about community and kindness. The author did a good job with Ian’s narration; however the plot moved a bit slowly for me during the second third of the book.

Lifetime of Letters

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is a narrative built through only letters to and from the main character – a retired legal assistant named Sybil.

Sybil is a unique character. She is bold in her letters and creates many meaningful relationships through them. She writes to family (her adopted brother, her son and daughter) friends, and also a friend’s son who is very troubled, an employer at a DNA lab, several authors, and a college dean (to name some).

Sone major events in Sybil’s life are understood. Most significant is the loss of her middle child, Gilbert. She also discovers that she has a sister after doing a DNA test. She receives hateful letters from someone known to her during her days in court. She is also experiencing vision loss. These life events are all explained through letters throughout the book.

I really appreciated Sybil’s character. She is strong, smart and also vulnerable. This is definitely a book I would like to read again (despite some character confusion in the beginning) as there are so many meaningful lines throughout (and it’s a tearjerker!). It is about aging, friendship, family trauma and forgiveness.

Opera Singers

The Understudy by Morgan Richter is a murder mystery taking place in NYC.

Kit is an aspiring opera singer getting ready for her first starring role in Barbarella. Her talent is exceptional but she lacks strong stage presence and sex appeal. Her understudy, Yolanda, is overflowing with these traits. The two begin a strained relationship in which Yolanda plays deadly pranks on Kit.

However, it is Yolanda who ends up dead. She is stabbed to death while Kit is passed out in the other room.

An investigation begins. Yolanda has crossed many people so there are plenty of suspects. Kit is also an initial suspect due to her own violent past. Kit begins her own investigation which sets her on a path to figure out who Yolanda really is.

Eventually, Kit figures out the killer’s identity, all while trying to stay professional and prove herself worthy of the starring role.