A Classic

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – My grandmother loved this book and recommended it to me ages ago. I finally read it.

Jane is a great character. She’s strong, intelligent, caring and thoughtful. Orphaned at a young age, she is taken in by her uncle and aunt. When he passes away, her aunt begrudgingly keeps her according to his wishes. However, Jane’s cousins and her aunt all treat her worse than an outsider.

She ends up being sent to a school, Lowood, meant to improve one’s disposition. It is strict and sparse in its offerings. Jane excels and eventually becomes a teacher here before deciding that she would like to do more with her life.

She gains a position as a governess. Over time, she develops feelings for the master of the home, Mr. Rochester. Their relationship slowly builds to a climactic secret which causes Jane to run away.

On the verge of death, Jane happens upon a family who are willing to help her: St John and his two kind sisters. Jane becomes very close with them and faces a life changing decision. However, her deep feelings and worry for Mr Rochester’s well being drive her back to check on him.

Jane learns important information about her lineage which changes her life. Again, the old-fashioned writing can take a little getting used to, but it’s well worth it. I really enjoyed this story (more than Wuthering Heights). Thank you Grandma ❤️

Failing Scheme

Bad Girls with Perfect Faces by Lynn Weingarten involves a catfish scheme that goes horribly wrong.

It’s told from multiple perspectives – Sasha, Xavier and a third perspective that appears to be Ivy.

Sasha and Xavier are best friends, but Sasha has been feeling more than friendship. The problem is that Xavier was in a relationship with Ivy. Sasha vows to tell him how she feels after their breakup. But it’s short-lived. Ivy works her way back into his heart before she can say anything. Sasha decides to prove that Ivy is a cheater and a terrible person by developing a fake guy, Jake. Jake and Ivy are getting closer and closer through messages.

Sasha finally decides to reveal herself to Ivy and to threaten her to back away from Xavier. This is when everything goes terribly wrong.

Spoiler- Ivy dies shortly after their encounter and there’s evidence that Xavier may be the murderer. Sasha sets off to conceal the body and ends up discovering that nothing was what she thought.

This book would be entertaining for upper grade level teens looking for a tragic love story with a twist. The lesson here- be honest about your feelings.

Unexpected Love

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and Leuyen Pham is a 2026 Nutmeg nominee.

This graphic novel is a very sweet love story. It is about Valentina. As a young girl she loves Valentine’s Day. But finding out the truth about her mom’s absence turns her away from love. She feels that her family is cursed in love.

Once she’s in high school, her interactions with her imaginary friend, St. Valentine, have her trying to find love within a year or giving up on it for good.

She gets involved with the very handsome ladies’ man, Les. He seems very interested in her, but she realizes he acts that way with other girls too. Is she different for him, or could there be something more real with his cousin Jae?

This book offers a love triangle, along with family and friendship drama and interesting cultural components – lion dancing!

March Sisters

Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet is a young adult murder mystery that provides a modern twist on the classic Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

The story is laid out from each girl’s perspective alternating between past and present. Beth, Meg, Jo and Amy, are celebrities following the publication of their dad’s book, “Little Women.” Readers hate him for killing Beth in his book. Each daughter handles fame differently.

Of course, the main plot revolves around Beth’s actual death following a New Year’s Eve party. Each sister explores her own relationship with Beth, with some feeling more guilty than others. There are other suspects among the girls’ male friends too.

Eventually, the truth reveals itself with a shocking additional murder taking place.

Never Forget

The 9:09 Project by Mark H. Parsons is another teen Nutmeg nominee.

Jamison has been struggling since his mom’s death from cancer. She was the only one who really understood his way of thinking as a synesthetic among being a confidante.

He uses photography as a way to commemorate her. Each night, he takes a photo at her time of death, 9:09.

Jamison decides to use his 9:09 photos and others he’s taken of classmates to build a website which begins getting attention.

Through this is a budding relationship with a seemingly surly classmate. He also navigates having his little sister at high school with him for the first time, overcoming his childhood crush with the hottest girl in school, a new friendship and supporting his dad.

Photography is a key element to the story. Each chapter begins with a quote from Dorothea Lange and there is a plentiful amount of photo editing details.

The author’s note explains how personal this story is as he was caring for his mother while writing this book, highlighting the need to celebrate our loved ones through our own talents and memories.

Back in Time

Throwback by Maurene Goo is a 2026 Nutmeg nominee (high school).

This was a fun story about Samantha (Sam) and relationships with her mom Priscilla and her grandmother. Sam is very close with her grandmother but is constantly at odds with her mom, much as her mom doesn’t get along with her own mom. This comes to a head after her grandmother ends up in the hospital. They have a huge fight about shopping for a homecoming dress.

Sam ends up being transported back to her mom’s senior year of high school in 1995. She must help her mom and grandmother avoid the massive fight they have homecoming night or risk being stuck back in time. She thinks the solution is making sure her mom wins homecoming queen.

Sam’s ideas of how to campaign don’t work as expected in the past. The result is an entertaining quest for the crown. Sam gains a better understanding of her mom through the process, and also gets time to visit her grandmother (while seeing a different side of her). She also meets a potential love interest.

Overall, this is a fun read about teens, time and learning to understand other’s struggles.

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.