book reviews
Reviews of books that explore the complexities of family throughout history and across cultures.
Mom's First Book Suggestion
It was somewhere around 1998. I was interested in sports and playing outside or watching superhero cartoons and playing games. Reading was always a requirement in school, and we had a decent library at school and at home. My mom was trying to get me to read a book that had recently come out in paperback. It was something about a Sorcerer’s Stone, but near teenage boys are hardly concerned with what their mother thinks, especially about books. Eventually I needed some “reading points” for reading class at school. So, I went back to that paperback sitting in my headboard bookcase. I was engrossed immediately, and luckily enough, a second book in the series had recently come out as well. My life has benefited greatly from that one book suggestion.
By Noah Glenn5 years ago in Families
The Bone Snatcher by Charlotte Salter
Themes Death, Trauma, Abandonment Gaining a confident sense of self, inner strength, embracing individuality Overcoming external obstacles, conquering fear Toxic environments, psychological illness Sea, monsters, storytellers
By Kayleigh Harrier5 years ago in Families
The Best Audible Children’s Books for Bedtime
How many times have you come home from a busy day at the office, prepared dinner for the night, cleaned the house, helped get the kids ready for bed, and then been asked to read a bedtime story or two to help the kids fall asleep? Too many times to count, I’m sure. We have a simple and free solution - audiobooks for kids on Youtube! It’s as easy as pulling up the app on your phone, finding a story, clicking play, and then closing your eyes for a little me time while trying not to fall asleep yourself.
By Jennifer Barnes5 years ago in Families
Ghost Medicine
This book was like a slow boil. At first, I felt myself contemplating whether or not I would have to put it back on my shelf, but suddenly I found myself invested in the characters and truly engaged in their adventures. Over time, I found myself hanging on every word, desperately turning the pages to see how it would all end. Although it is different from some of Andrew Smith’s previous work, I once again found myself surrounded by tremendously written characters and a dramatic plot that left me reeling.
By Kurt Mason5 years ago in Families
Book Review: "Playing Nice" by J.P Delaney
I stayed up a long time to read this book and honestly, I was glad I did. When it comes to thrillers, if you keep choosing similar ones, eventually you will get bored of them. But, with thrillers like these, you will not be able to find a way that they are similar to another thriller you have read before. It is a brilliant addition to the modern world of crime, mystery and thriller. The structure is again one of those very tense narratives that goes back and forth between people and, in the midst of these back and forth narratives, we get court documents. We get phone conversations, interview transcripts, we get vital pieces of the court's exhibition of evidence that eventually we have to consider ideas that, at first, would not have been entirely present.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Families
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri – Book Review: The Intimacy of Political and Personal
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri is an ambitious book. It is a story of brotherly bonds intermingling with a vicious political environment. The two brothers – Subhash and Udayan are just 15 months apart. Subhash is the elder one but he hardly remembers a time that Udayan wasn’t in his life. The two brothers, although similar in age, are poles apart in their personalities.
By Rochi Zalani5 years ago in Families
