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.

Breaking Bonds

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White is not for the faint of heart (hence the author’s note which provides a disclaimer including the following statement: “You can get off the operating table and walk away at any time”). This is a 2026 high school Nutmeg nominee.

The book is set during the late 1800s in London and is considered a Gothic horror story.

Gloria is a beautiful young lady who identifies as a male named Silas with a passion for all things surgical. She learned as much as possible from her older medical brother. Her violet eyes mark her as special with an ability to split the veil between reality and the spirit world. Silas is also autistic.

With so many differences stacked against her, she has spent her life being forced to control herself and to be ladylike. Through her adolescence she tried to avoid the attention of the Speaker society (creepy men who wish to procreate with violet-eyed girls).

Silas is caught impersonating a male at a public event, and is sent to a boarding school to fix problematic girls just like her. It is while in this school that she meets the twisted Headmaster whose sole purpose is to torture the inmates.

Silas is able to connect to ghosts of his previous victims and to forge connections with some of the other girls in the home. He finds a kindred spirit in Edward, a suitor who identifies as Daphne.

They work together to expose the horrors in the home. But lives will be lost and unspeakable events will occur throughout.

As mentioned, there is graphic medical gore (which was definitely unsettling at certain points). There is also the creepy feeling from ghosts trying to share their experiences. I definitely enjoyed the book despite some moments of discomfort.

Breaking Patterns

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover explores the struggles and perspectives around abusive relationships.

The story begins following Lily’s father’s funeral. She isn’t very broken up considering his abusiveness toward her mother growing up. She meets Ryle in this moment. He is a handsome neurosurgeon who is only interested in one night stands.

Fast forward a year and Lily is opening her dream flower store. It turns out that her new hire is Ryle’s sister. It’s only a matter of time before they become involved.

Meanwhile, flashbacks are provided through Lily’s letters to Ellen Degeneres, her favorite tv personality as a teen. Through her letters we discover her first true love was a homeless young man that she developed a relationship with as he was staying in the abandoned home near her.

All seems great until Ryle shows his aggressive side on more than one occasion. Lily doesn’t want to repeat the abusive pattern that she witnessed growing up, but she acknowledges the complexity of the situation.

The book was predictable for me, but still kept my interest.

Kansas Killers

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is a classic that I hadn’t read until now.

It is an account of the real-life murder of the Clutter family in 1959. The family of four was well-respected and liked in their small Kansas town. Their murders shocked the town and instigated a tireless search to apprehend the killers.

The book provides background on the two men responsible for their deaths. Events detail their eventual capture, trial and deaths.

It is a chilling story due to its reality. The murderers are two very different men who managed to connect during time in prison. They shared a desire for easy money and disregard for human lives.

Dragon Riders

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is first in a fantasy series that I am hooked on! A student recommended this book, and it was a perfect read during the December break.

Violet is the youngest of three (sister Mira and deceased brother Brennan). Her father was a scribe, and Violet was happy to follow the same path in his memory. Instead her mother, General Sorrengail, forces her into the Riders Squadrant (same as her sister Mira). This is almost certain death considering her fragile body. Riders are given death defying stunts in preparation to become dragon riders and lethal fighters.

The tests are difficult enough for Violet, added to the fact that multiple students would love to kill her for her perceived weakness or as retaliation against her mother for authorizing the death of anyone involved in the rebellion against their kingdom.

The story tells how Violet manages to survive and become a fierce rider, as well as how she becomes aware of secrets being kept by those in charge.

While I am not normally a fantasy fan, this book had so much to keep my interest, including plenty of magic, action, romance, and of course, there are dragons.

Creating Beauty

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland is another 2024 high school Nutmeg nominee.

Moon and her twin sister Star couldn’t be more different. Star is a beautiful social media sensation, and she is their mother’s pet. Meanwhile, Moon works behind the scenes as her sister’s assistant. She is overweight, and constantly berated by their mother. The only thing they have in common is a family curse.

Moon is forced to set out on a social media tour with Star as a merchandise salesperson. She will try to make the best of the trip by focusing on her passion- photography and flowers. She immediately butts heads with the head social media guy’s attractive brother Santiago.

During the trip, she is forced to confront her insecurities and abusive upbringing. Her dynamic with her sister is also tested. Through this she begins to develop real feelings for Santiago, who is also battling his own insecurities. Moon learns to love and trust herself.

This is not a book I would typically pick up. But it covers a lot of important topics, such as abuse, depression and suicide. Most importantly it addresses how to nurture positive relationships, learn acceptance and to trust in one’s passions/talents.

Fairy Wars

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is first in its series.

Reminiscent of the Twilight books and HBO’s “True Blood” series, this is a story full of magic, otherworldly creatures, action and romance.

Fayre has been the provider for her family ever since her father brutally lost his business. She taught herself to become a fierce hunter, which is what she is doing when she kills a large wolf. It turns out that the wolf was a high fairy in disguise. She is taken prisoner by one of seven Fairy lords to atone for her actions.

As prisoner, she learns that her mortal world may be in danger. There is a ruthless female Fairy with an age old vendetta to settle, and she will do anything to get her way. Fayre becomes involved in all of this once she starts falling for her captor. She finds out that she may be able to stop a century-old curse.

The story kept my interest and prompted me to check out book two. Although based on the size of it, I’m not sure if I’ll finish any time soon!

Not Into It

Loveless by Alice Oseman is a book about self discovery.

Georgia is finishing high school without a single romantic involvement or even a kiss. She wishes she could be confident and experienced like everyone else seems to be, but she is struggling to make it happen. She hopes that going to university will be a chance to ignite her love life. Luckily, her best friends will be there too.

Georgia’s new roommate is an outgoing party girl who decides she is going to help Georgia. As Georgia tries new experiences, she realizes that she may not be like everyone else when it comes to love. Her best friend relationships are seriously challenged as Georgia discovers more about her sexual preferences.

Spoiler- Eventually Georgia figures out her identity, and in doing so strengthens her old friendships while also forming new ones.

Embracing Nature

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is an account of Christopher McCandless’s untimely death. Shortly after graduating college, he decided to go off the grid. He cut contact with his family and belongings to travel around much of the western half of the U.S. before reaching his final destination in a remote section of Alaska.

The author shares various perspectives surrounding Chris’s death. He includes some of the people he befriended, his life and travels leading up to the trip, and other accounts of young men who died due to an encounter with nature. There are also snippets and quotes from Chris’s journal along with the author’s musings.

These various pieces all create a thought provoking and emotional look at a person whose deep love of freedom and nature cost him his life.

Hungry for Love

The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller is Matt’s journey of coming to terms with his eating disorder.

Each chapter offers one of Matt’s life rules to the reader along with that day’s calorie count. He perceives himself as a disgusting, unlovable person who achieves superhero abilities by starving himself. By eating minimally, he notices every sense sharpen and his ability to handle difficult social situations improve.

This is important to him since he is trying to figure out what terrible thing happened to drive his older sister away from him and their mother. He feels that their mutual crush Tariq and his jock buddies are to blame. It also helps him navigate teen life as a gay male.

Spoiler- Over time, Matt realizes that his senses aren’t as acute as he thought. He comes dangerously close to dying (more than once) before being able to face the truth about himself and his family.