I’m not going to sugarcoat anything here. We get A LOT of books coming through our office door. Some are more exciting than others (to each his/her/their own), and when the advance copy of Busy Philipps' THIS WILL ONLY HURT A LITTLE arrived in late August, it was maybe one of the best days of my life. I had really, really been waiting for this one, and I’ve been tracking its entire journey --- from the announcement, to the cover reveal and everything after. It hasn’t been that hard to follow along. In fact, Busy’s made it pretty easy for me and her other 1.3 million followers on Instagram, arguably the most popular social media platform at the moment and the vehicle by which she’s made an incredible name for herself over the past few years.
Busy’s been an actress for quite some time now...since 1999, starring in “Dawson’s Creek” (where she met and made Michelle Williams her best friend), “Freaks and Geeks” and “Cougar Town.” She’s also appeared in a handful of movies, most notably White Chicks, He's Just Not That Into You and, most recently, I Feel Pretty, which was co-written and co-directed by her husband, Marc Silverstein. Her podcast “We’re No Doctors” with fellow actor Steve Agee gave in to all my hypochondriac whims as they talked about all their past and ongoing health issues. This past summer, I walked past her and her family eating outside at a restaurant and I was starstruck. I kept my cool and didn’t even flinch, but it made my entire day.
IG stories is her Kryptonite, and it gives me life. She’s raw, sweet, hilarious, at times clumsy, and in other moments frighteningly relatable. She often cries in restaurants. She dated Colin Hanks (yes, Tom Hanks’ son) in college. She has two young daughters with names just as delightfully obscure as her own, Birdie and Cricket. She films herself dripping in sweat every morning at her beloved workout boutique LEKFit in LA. She watches “Friends” reruns on the regular. Sometimes, she dyes her hair in a rich millennial pink hue. She’s loved nachos since when she was a kid and shamelessly indulges in selfie culture. She’s that good that she secured her own late-night talk show called “Busy Tonight” premiering on Sunday, October 28th at 10pm ET on E!. And, despite the casual fame stuff, she is still unforgettably and undeniably herself. Lucky me got to experience all of that last night at her very first book event in Brooklyn, celebrating her first memoir, which comes out today. Run, don’t walk.
In true form, Busy brought a surprise guest, her BFF Michelle Williams, and they were in conversation for about one hour. I was in awe for about one hour. Everything Busy is online, she is in person. Honest, down to earth, funny and loving. She sneaked in past the crowd, linking arms with Michelle, and when it was time for her to come out, she did the exact same. They each carried a glass of white wine (which they admitted they picked up at a liquor store down the street on their way there, and the young guys working there were cute). They were approachable, relatable and real icons as mothers, best friends and women. Busy opened the talk by commenting that she’s looked better at age 39 (and Michelle, too!) than any other point in her life and said maybe it was the outside finally catching up with the inside (Real talk: Tear shed and should this be my first tattoo?).
Michelle went on and asked Busy questions about the book, which parts needed to be changed at the request of her friends, how her relationship with her husband affected her writing process. Busy recalled loving Oprah’s show and “The Real World” since the beginning of time. She talked about loving the confessional aspect of “The Real World,” and when she was unhappy in her life and career, she turned to Instagram and specifically Instagram stories, which became her own kind of confessional. For that hour, they shot the sh*t just like two longtime best friends who have been sitting in a cafe for way too many hours, drinking glass after glass, recalling stories from the past, and giggling and crying at inside jokes. They let the crowd take a peek into their amazing friendship and how this different kind of fame has shaped Busy into the woman she is now.
Busy commented that the book is heavily about love, about the relationships and friendships she’s made in her life, which have stayed and will forever, and which have left as a result of this or that. She talks about Heath Ledger’s death, being raped at 14, having an abortion at 15 and the pressure to lose weight --- that is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s about a woman’s journey, all the ups and downs, the good, the bad and the ugly. You’ll ride that journey with Busy as you read along; in moments, saying to yourself #MeToo, other times devouring with glee and urgency every sort of ridiculous situation she’s gotten herself in and possibly shedding a tear because the emotional struggle is real even in Hollywood, even in sunny LA and even when you’re an Instagram star.
Honestly, I can’t write about every little comment, every little joke and every great moment because there were just too many good ones. Towards the end, they took a few questions and comments from the audience. One girl had made Busy a cross-stitch, which she promised to put on the set of her show. Another girl asked her tips for when things were “sh*tty,” and she told her to remind herself that she’s valued and her story is important. She followed with: everyone is valued and everyone’s story is important, it’s just about finding how to share your story in the best way you can. Another guy said he just wrote a college paper on Busy and why she’s an important social media star today. He admitted to only getting a B on the paper, but it was sweet and was the perfect point to show Busy how committed and loving her fans really are. She already knew.
Obviously, you should read THIS WILL ONLY HURT A LITTLE first. You can see the rest of her book tour dates here, but beware there are only a few! Also, enter the sweepstakes for your chance to win a box of Busy's favorite things.
More books to check out:
Nicole Chung, author of ALL YOU CAN EVER KNOW: A Memoir, was born severely premature, placed for adoption by her Korean parents, and raised by a white family in a sheltered Oregon town. From childhood, she heard the story of her adoption as a comforting, prepackaged myth. She believed that her biological parents had made the ultimate sacrifice in the hope of giving her a better life, that forever feeling slightly out of place was her fate as a transracial adoptee. But as Nicole grew up --- facing prejudice her adoptive family couldn’t see, finding her identity as an Asian American and as a writer, becoming ever more curious about where she came from --- she wondered if the story she’d been told was the whole truth.
In THE CAREGIVER by Samuel Park, Ana eclipses her little girl Mara’s entire world because she has no other family or friends her own age. They take turns caring for each other --- in ways big and small. However, their arrangement begins to unravel when Ana becomes involved with a civilian rebel group attempting to undermine the city's torturous Police Chief, who rules over 1980s Rio de Janeiro with terrifying brutality. Ana makes decisions that indelibly change their shared life. When Mara is forced to escape, she emigrates to California where she finds employment as a caregiver to a young woman dying of stomach cancer. It’s here that she begins to grapple with her turbulent past and starts to uncover vital truths --- about her mother, herself, and what it means to truly take care of someone.
One last thing that we need your help on! 20SomethingReads.com will be getting a new look in Q1 next year. Our goal is to keep giving you content that intrigues and inspires you. We want to know what you're looking for. What can we do more of? What interests you? Please email me and let me know what works for you and what doesn't. What would you like to see on the site? What should we skip going forward? I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments and concerns as we make this creative transition.
5 Things To Obsess About This Very Moment, in no particular order:
1. Jill Soloway's SHE WANTS IT: Desire, Power, and Toppling the Patriarchy is on shelves today
2. A Star Is Born --- Please go, it's amazing!
3. It: Chapter 2 will hit theaters September 6, 2019
4. Mark your calendars: November 3rd is National Book Lovers Day
5. Wonder Woman 2 will hit theaters November 1, 2019
Happy reading,
Nicole Sherman
AN ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE THING by Hank Green (Science Fiction/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by Kristen Sieh and Hank Green
The Carls just appeared. Coming home from work at 3am, 23-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship, April and her friend Andy make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world, and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight. Now April has to deal with the pressure on her relationships, her identity and her safety that this new position brings, all while being on the front lines of the quest to find out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
ALL YOU CAN EVER KNOW: A Memoir by Nicole Chung (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Janet Song
Nicole Chung was born severely premature, placed for adoption by her Korean parents, and raised by a white family in a sheltered Oregon town. From childhood, she heard the story of her adoption as a comforting, prepackaged myth. She believed that her biological parents had made the ultimate sacrifice in the hope of giving her a better life, that forever feeling slightly out of place was her fate as a transracial adoptee. But as Nicole grew up --- facing prejudice her adoptive family couldn’t see, finding her identity as an Asian American and as a writer, becoming ever more curious about where she came from --- she wondered if the story she’d been told was the whole truth. Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.
AMBUSH: A Detective Michael Bennett Thriller by James Patterson and James O. Born (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Danny Mastrogiorgio
An anonymous tip about a crime in Upper Manhattan proves to be a setup. An officer is taken down --- and, despite the attackers' efforts, it's not Michael Bennett. New York's top cop is not the only one at risk. One of Bennett's children sustains a mysterious injury. And a series of murders follows, each with a distinct signature, alerting Bennett to the presence of a professional killer with a flair for disguise. Bennett taps his best investigators and sources, and they fan out across the five boroughs. But the leads they're chasing turn out to be phantoms. The assassin takes advantage of the chaos, enticing an officer into compromising Bennett, then luring another member of Bennett's family into even graver danger. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
BELICHICK: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All Time by Ian O'Connor (Sports/Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Brian Hutchison
Bill Belichick is perhaps the most fascinating figure in the NFL --- the infamously dour face of one of the winningest franchises in sports. As head coach of the New England Patriots, he’s led the team to five Super Bowl championship trophies. In Ian O’Connor’s revelatory biography, readers will come to understand and see Belichick’s full life in football --- from watching college games as a kid with his father, a Naval Academy scout, to orchestrating two Super Bowl–winning game plans as defensive coordinator for the Giants, to his dramatic leap to New England, where he has made history. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
THE BETRAYALS by Fiona Neill (Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Kate Lock, Sarah Ovens, Huw Parmenter and David Thorpe
Best friends Rosie and Lisa's families had always been inseparable. But that summer, Lisa had an affair with Rosie's husband, Nick. None of them would forget that week on the wild Norfolk seacoast. Relationships were torn apart, friendships shattered and childish innocence destroyed. Now, after years of silence, a letter arrives that begs for help --- a letter that exposes dark secrets. Then Rosie’s daughter Daisy's fragile hold on reality begins to unravel. Teenage son Max blames himself for everything that happened that long hot summer, and Nick must confront his own version of events. As long-repressed memories bubble to the surface, the past has never seemed more present and the truth murkier. Reviewed by Roberta O’Hara.
BLOOD COMMUNION: A Tale of Prince Lestat by Anne Rice (Paranormal Thriller/Fantasy)
Audiobook available, read by Eric Shaw Quinn
Lestat, rebel outlaw, addresses the tribe of vampires, telling the mesmerizing story of the formation of the Blood Communion and how he became Prince of the vampire world, the true ruler of this vast realm, and how his vision for all the Children of the Universe to thrive as one came to be. The tale spills from Lestat's heart, as he speaks first of his new existence as reigning monarch --- and then of his fierce battle of wits and words with the mysterious Rhoshamandes, a demon spirit who refuses to live in harmony at the Court of Prince Lestat and threatens all that Lestat has dreamt of. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
BRIDGE OF CLAY by Markus Zusak (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Markus Zusak
BRIDGE OF CLAY is the breathtaking story of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules. As the Dunbar boys love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world, they discover the moving secret behind their father’s disappearance. At the center of the Dunbar family is Clay, a boy who will build a bridge --- for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins, for a miracle. The question is, how far is Clay willing to go? And how much can he overcome? Reviewed by Anushka Giri.
THE CAREGIVER by Samuel Park (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Cassandra Campbell
With no other family or friends her own age, Ana eclipses her little girl Mara’s entire world. They take turns caring for each other --- in ways big and small. However, their arrangement begins to unravel when Ana becomes involved with a civilian rebel group attempting to undermine the city's torturous Police Chief, who rules over 1980s Rio de Janeiro with terrifying brutality. Ana makes decisions that indelibly change their shared life. When Mara is forced to escape, she emigrates to California where she finds employment as a caregiver to a young woman dying of stomach cancer. It’s here that she begins to grapple with her turbulent past and starts to uncover vital truths --- about her mother, herself, and what it means to truly take care of someone. Reviewed by Catherine Rubino.
THE CONFESSION by Jo Spain (Psychological Thriller)
Late one night, a man walks into the luxurious home of disgraced banker Harry McNamara and his wife, Julie. And when the man launches an unspeakably brutal attack on Harry, a horror-struck Julie watches her husband die. Just one hour later, J. P. Carney hands himself into the police and confesses to beating Harry to death. Except he also claims that the assault was not premeditated and that he didn’t know the identity of his victim. With a man as notorious as Harry McNamara, who was just found innocent in a highly sensationalized fraud trial, the detectives cannot help but wonder: Was this really a random act of violence? Was Julie really powerless to stop JP? When Harry’s many sins are unveiled to include corruption, greed and betrayal, nothing is for sure. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE DIARY OF A BOOKSELLER by Shaun Bythell (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Robin Laing
When Shaun Bythell first thought of taking over The Bookshop, it seemed like a great idea: The Bookshop is Scotland's largest second-hand store, with over 100,000 books in a glorious old house with twisting corridors and roaring fireplaces, set in a tiny, beautiful town by the sea. It seemed like a book-lover's paradise. Until Bythell did indeed buy the store. In THE DIARY OF A BOOKSELLER, he tells us what happened next --- the trials and tribulations of being a small businessman; of learning that customers can be, um, eccentric; and of wrangling with his own staff of oddballs. And perhaps none are quirkier than the charmingly cantankerous bookseller Bythell himself turns out to be. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.
THE DREAM DAUGHTER by Diane Chamberlain (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Susan Bennett
When Carly Sears, a young woman widowed by the Vietnam War, receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970, and she is told that nothing can be done to help her child. But her brother-in-law, a physicist with a mysterious past, tells her that perhaps there is a way to save her baby. What he suggests is something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Carly has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage she never knew existed. Something that will mean an unimaginable leap of faith on Carly's part. And all for the love of her unborn child. Reviewed by Sonia Chopra.
FEAR: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward (Politics)
Audiobook available, read by Robert Petkoff
With authoritative reporting honed through eight presidencies from Nixon to Obama, author Bob Woodward reveals in unprecedented detail the harrowing life inside President Donald Trump’s White House and precisely how he makes decisions on major foreign and domestic policies. Woodward draws from hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand sources, meeting notes, personal diaries, files and documents. The focus is on the explosive debates and the decision-making in the Oval Office, the Situation Room, Air Force One and the White House residence. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
HIPPIE by Paulo Coelho (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Graham Halstead
Paulo is a young, skinny Brazilian man who wants to become a writer and sets off on a journey in search of a deeper meaning for his life: first on the famous “Death Train” to Bolivia, then on to Peru, later hitchhiking through Chile and Argentina. Paulo’s travels take him farther to the famous Dam Square in Amsterdam, where he meets Karla, a Dutch woman who has been waiting to find the ideal companion to accompany her on the fabled hippie trail to Nepal. As they travel together, Paulo and Karla explore their own relationship: a life-defining love story that awakens them on every level and leads to choices and decisions that will set the course for their lives thereafter. Reviewed by Julianne Holmquist.
A KILLER’S MIND by Mike Omer (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Brittany Pressley
Three Chicago women have been found strangled, embalmed and posed as if still alive. Doubting the findings of the local PD’s profiler, the FBI calls on forensic psychologist Zoe Bentley to investigate. Zoe quickly gets off on the wrong foot with her new partner, Special Agent Tatum Gray. Zoe is a hunter, intense and focused; Tatum is a smug maverick with little respect for the rules. Together, they must descend into a serial killer’s psyche and untangle his twisted fantasies, or more women will die. But when the contents of three inconspicuous envelopes reveal a chilling connection to gruesome murders from Zoe’s childhood, suddenly the hunter becomes the hunted. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE NEXT PERSON YOU MEET IN HEAVEN by Mitch Albom (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Mitch Albom
The accident that killed Eddie in THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN left an indelible mark on Annie, the young girl whose life he saved. Injured, scarred and unable to remember why, Annie’s life is forever changed by a guilt-ravaged mother who whisks her away from the world she knew. When, as a young woman, she reconnects with Paulo, her childhood love, she believes she has finally found happiness. As the novel opens, Annie is marrying Paulo. But when her wedding night ends in an unimaginable accident, Annie finds herself on her own heavenly journey --- and an inevitable reunion with Eddie, one of the five people who will show her how her life mattered in ways she could not have fathomed. Reviewed by Roberta O’Hara.
THE NIGHT IN QUESTION by Nic Joseph (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Jennifer O'Donnell
When Paula picks up her last passenger of the night, all she sees is a few more dollars to put toward her husband's medical bills. That's before she recognizes the quiet stranger in her back seat as a world-famous musician and realizes the woman waiting at his destination is not his equally famous wife. So, Paula does what any down-on-her-luck woman would do. She asks for money in exchange for silence. But when a woman is murdered in the same building days later, Paula discovers she is the only witness to the secret affair --- an affair that incriminates the musician. Now, Paula's silence comes at a much more dangerous price. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
PONTI by Sharlene Teo (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Vera Chok
“I am Miss Frankenstein, I am the bottom of the bell curve.” So declares Szu, a teenager living in a dark, dank house on a Singapore cul-de-sac, at the beginning of PONTI. Friendless and fatherless, Szu lives in the shadow of her mother Amisa, once a beautiful actress --- who gained fame for her portrayal of a ghost --- and now a hack medium performing séances with her sister in a rusty house. When Szu meets the privileged, acid-tongued Circe, an unlikely encounter develops into a fraught friendship that will haunt them both for decades to come. Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.
A SPARK OF LIGHT by Jodi Picoult (Fiction, Women's Fiction)
The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center --- a women’s reproductive health services clinic --- its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage. After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages, he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his 15-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic. But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.
THE STRANGER GAME by Peter Gadol (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Rebekkah Ross
Rebecca’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Ezra, has gone missing. The police suspect he has been playing the “stranger game,” a viral hit in which players start following others in real life, as they might otherwise do on social media. As the game spreads, however, the rules begin to change, and disappearances are reported across the country. Curious about this popular new obsession, and hoping that she might be able to track down Ezra, Rebecca tries the game for herself. She also meets Carey, who is willing to take the game further than she imagined possible. As her relationship with Carey and involvement in the game deepen, she begins to uncover an unsettling subculture that has infiltrated the world around her. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THERE WILL BE NO MIRACLES HERE: A Memoir by Casey Gerald (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Casey Gerald
Casey Gerald's story begins at the end of the world: Dallas, New Year's Eve 1999, when he gathers with the congregation of his grandfather's black evangelical church to see which of them will be carried off. His beautiful, fragile mother disappears frequently and mysteriously; for a brief idyll, he and his sister live like Boxcar Children on her disability checks. When Casey --- following in the footsteps of his father, a gridiron legend --- is recruited to play football at Yale, he enters a world he's never dreamed of. But even as he attains the inner sanctums of power, Casey sees how the world crushes those who live at its margins. He sees how the elite perpetuate the salvation stories that keep others from rising. And he sees, most painfully, how his own ascension is part of the scheme. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
TRANSCRIPTION by Kate Atkinson (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Fenella Woolgar
In 1940, 18-year-old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathizers, she discovers the work to be by turns both tedious and terrifying. But after the war has ended, she presumes the events of those years have been relegated to the past forever. Ten years later, now a radio producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, but Juliet finds herself once more under threat. A bill of reckoning is due, and she finally begins to realize that there is no action without consequence. Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman Nicol.
UNDER MY SKIN by Lisa Unger (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Vivienne Leheny
It’s been a year since Poppy’s husband, Jack, was brutally murdered during his morning run through Manhattan’s Riverside Park. In the immediate aftermath, Poppy spiraled into an oblivion of grief, disappearing for several days only to turn up ragged and confused. Those lost days have never stopped haunting her. Poppy starts having nightmares and blackouts --- there are periods of time she can’t remember, and she’s unable to tell the difference between what is real and what she’s imagining. When she begins to sense that someone is following her, Poppy is plunged into a game of cat and mouse, determined to unravel the mystery around her husband’s death. But can she handle the truth about what really happened? Reviewed by Ray Palen.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE by Matthew Farrell (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Chris Andrew Ciulla
When a mutilated body is found hanging in a seedy motel, forensics specialist Liam Dwyer assumes the crime scene will be business as usual. Instead, the victim turns out to be a woman he’d had an affair with before breaking it off to save his marriage. But there’s a bigger problem: Liam has no memory of where he was or what he did on the night of the murder. Panicked, Liam turns to his brother, Sean, a homicide detective. From fingerprints to DNA, everything points to Liam, who must race against time and his department to uncover the truth --- even if that truth is his own guilt. Yet as he digs deeper, dark secrets come to light, and Liam begins to suspect the killer might actually be Sean. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
WHITE DANCING ELEPHANTS: Stories by Chaya Bhuvaneswar (Fiction/Short Stories)
Audiobook available, read by Priya Ayyar
A woman grieves a miscarriage, haunted by the Buddha’s birth. An artist with schizophrenia tries to survive hatred and indifference in small-town India by turning to the beauty of sculpture and dance. Orphans in India get pulled into a strange “rescue” mission aimed at stripping their mysterious powers. A brief but intense affair between two women culminates in regret and betrayal. And fragments of history, from child brickmakers to slaves in Renaissance Portugal, are held up in brief fictions, burnished, made dazzling and unforgettable. In 16 remarkable stories, Chaya Bhuvaneswar spotlights diverse women of color facing sexual harassment and racial violence, and occasionally inflicting that violence on each other. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
WINTER IN PARADISE by Elin Hilderbrand (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Erin Bennett
Irene Steele's idyllic life is shattered when she is woken up by a late-night phone call. Her beloved husband has been found dead, but before Irene can process this tragic news, she must confront the perplexing details of his death. He was found on St. John island, a tropical paradise far removed from their suburban life. Leaving the cold winter behind, Irene flies down to the beautiful Caribbean beaches of St. John only to make another shocking discovery: her husband had a secret second family. As Irene investigates the mysterious circumstances of her husband's death, she is plunged into a web of intrigue and deceit belied by the pristine white sand beaches of St. John's. Reviewed by Vivian Payton.
THE WITCH ELM by Tana French (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Paul Nugent
Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who has dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life --- he surprises two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Struggling to recover from his injuries, beginning to understand that he might never be the same man again, he takes refuge at his family's ancestral home to care for his dying uncle Hugo. Then a skull is found in the trunk of an elm tree in the garden --- and as detectives close in, Toby is forced to face the possibility that his past may not be what he has always believed. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
ANNE FRANK'S DIARY: The Graphic Adaptation adapted by Ari Folman from Anne Frank with illustrations by David Polonsky (Graphic Novel)
A timeless story rediscovered by each new generation, THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL stands without peer. For both young readers and adults it continues to capture the remarkable spirit of Anne Frank, who for a time survived the worst horror the modern world has seen --- and who remained triumphantly and heartbreakingly human throughout her ordeal. Adapted by Ari Folman, illustrated by David Polonsky, and authorized by the Anne Frank Foundation in Basel, this is the first graphic edition of THE DIARY and includes extensive quotation directly from the definitive edition. Reviewed by Marco M., Teen Board Member.
BRIDGE OF CLAY by Markus Zusak (Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Markus Zusak
BRIDGE OF CLAY is the breathtaking story of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules. As the Dunbar boys love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world, they discover the moving secret behind their father’s disappearance. At the center of the Dunbar family is Clay, a boy who will build a bridge --- for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins, for a miracle. The question is, how far is Clay willing to go? And how much can he overcome? Reviewed by Anushka Giri.
DAMSEL by Elana K. Arnold (Dark Fantasy)
Audiobook available, narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden
The rite has existed for as long as anyone can remember: When the king dies, his son must venture out into the gray lands, slay a dragon and rescue a damsel to be his bride. When Ama wakes in the arms of Prince Emory, she knows none of this. She knows only this handsome young man, the story he tells of her rescue and her destiny of sitting on a throne beside him. But there is more to the legends of the dragons and the damsels than anyone knows, and the greatest threats may not be behind her, but around her, now, and closing in. Reviewed by Amber Shepherd.
THE DARK DESCENT OF ELIZABETH FRANKENSTEIN by Kiersten White (Horror)
Audiobook available, narrated by Katharine McEwan
Elizabeth Lavenza's thin arms are covered with bruises from her "caregiver," and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets...until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, a boy who has everything --- except a friend. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable, and it works. But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth's survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost...as the world she knows is consumed by darkness. Reviewed by Cat Barra.
DEAR EVAN HANSEN by Val Emmich, with Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Contemporary Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Ben Levi Ross, Mike Faist and Mallory Bechtel
When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family’s grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend. Suddenly, Evan isn’t invisible anymore --- even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy’s parents have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his closest friend. As Evan gets pulled deeper into their swirl of anger, regret and confusion, he knows that what he’s doing can’t be right, but if he’s helping people, how wrong can it be? Reviewed by Gabby B., Teen Board Member.
DRY by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman (Science Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Neal Shusterman, Jarrod Shusterman, Jenni Barber, Michael Crouch, Kivlighan De Montebello, Noah Galvin and Candace Thaxton
The drought --- or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it --- has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers. Until the taps run dry. Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbors and families turn against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life --- and the life of her brother --- is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive. Reviewed by Marco M., Teen Board Member.
GLIMMER OF HOPE: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement by The March For Our Lives Founders (Nonfiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Giullian Gioiello and Sienna Jeffries
GLIMMER OF HOPE tells the story of how a group of teenagers raced to channel their rage and sorrow into action and went on to create one of the largest youth led movements in global history. In keeping up with their ongoing fight to end gun-violence in all communities the student leaders of March for Our Lives have decided not to be paid as authors of the book. 100% of net proceeds from this book will be paid to March For Our Lives Action Fund. Reviewed by Rebecca D., Teen Board Member.
GOOGLE IT: A History of Google by Anna Crowley Redding (Nonfiction/Technology)
Larry Page and Sergey Brin started out as two Stanford college students with a wild idea: They were going to organize the world's information. From that one deceptively simple goal, they created one of the most influential and innovative companies in the world. Now, find out the true history of Google --- from its humble beginnings as a thesis project made out of “borrowed” hardware and discount toys through its revolution of the world's relationship with technology to a brief glimpse of where they might take us next. Reviewed by Aimee Rogers.
HEY, KIDDO by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Graphic Novel/Memoir)
In kindergarten, Jarrett's teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy and a daddy. But Jarrett's family is much more complicated than that. His mom is an addict. His father is a mystery. Jarrett lives with his grandparents. Jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through drawing even as so little is being said to him about what's going on. Only as a teenager can Jarrett begin to piece together the truth of his family, reckoning with his mother and tracking down his father. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
THE LADY'S GUIDE TO PETTICOATS AND PIRACY by Mackenzi Lee (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Moira Quirk
Felicity Montague has returned to England with two goals in mind: avoid the proposal of a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the guardians of science. But then a window of opportunity opens --- a doctor she idolizes is marrying a friend of hers in Germany. Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity’s way, so long as she’s allowed to travel with Felicity as her maid. In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl’s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that leads them from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic. Reviewed by Grace P., Teen Board Member.
ON A SUNBEAM by Tillie Walden (Graphic Novel)
Two timelines. Second chances. One love. A ragtag crew travels to the deepest reaches of space, rebuilding beautiful, broken structures to piece the past together. Two girls meet in boarding school and fall deeply in love --- only to learn the pain of loss. With interwoven timelines and stunning art, award-winning graphic novelist Tillie Walden creates an inventive world, breathtaking romance and an epic quest for love. Reviewed by Brianna Robinson.
THE SPELLBOOK OF KATRINA VAN TASSEL: A Story of Sleepy Hollow by Alyssa Palombo (Historical Fantasy)
When Ichabod arrives in Sleepy Hollow as the new schoolmaster, Katrina is instantly drawn to him. Ichabod knows that as an itinerant schoolteacher of little social standing, he has nothing to offer the wealthy Katrina --- unlike her childhood friend-turned-enemy, Brom. Ichabod and Katrina embark on a secret love affair, sneaking away into the woods after dark to be together until Ichabod disappears. Enlisting the help of her friend --- and rumored witch --- Charlotte, Katrina seeks the truth of Ichabod's disappearance, investigating the forest around Sleepy Hollow using unconventional means. Reviewed by Janine Chouinard.
UNSTOPPABLE MOSES by Tyler James Smith (Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Graham Halstead
Moses and his cousin Charlie were best friends and unstoppable forces of teenage energy --- until the night they became accidental arsonists and set in motion a chain of events that left Moses alone, guilt-stricken and most likely trapped in his dead-end town. Then Moses gets a lucky break: the chance to volunteer as a camp counselor and prove that the incident should be expunged from his record. And since a criminal record and enrollment at Duke are mutually exclusive, he’s determined to get through his community service and get on with his life. But tragedy seems to follow him wherever he goes, and this time, it might just stop him in his tracks. Reviewed by Olivia W., Teen Board Member.
WE SAY #NEVERAGAIN: Reporting by the Parkland Student Journalists edited by Melissa Falkowski and Eric Garner (Nonfiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by David Hogg, Delaney Tarr and a full cast
A journalistic look at the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland and the fight for gun control as told by the student reporters for the school's newspaper and TV station. This timely and media-driven approach to the Parkland shooting is an inside look at that tragic day that only they could tell. It showcases how the teens have become media savvy by harnessing social media, speaking to the press and writing effective op-eds. Students also share insight into what it has been like being approached by the press and how that has informed the way they interview their own subjects. Reviewed by Rebecca D., Teen Board Member.
WHAT IF IT'S US by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera (Romantic Comedy)
Audiobook available, narrated by Noah Galvin and Froy Gutierrez
Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it. Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things. But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them...? Reviewed by Grace P., Teen Board Member.
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