Recent(ish) Reads #2

 

Dear Readers,

Welcome back! A minor title change: Recent(ish) Reads. I love the ish. Plus, "recent" is a relative term, especially the way time moves.

Remember, here on this page, we (me) give stars with grace and compassion because we (I) know how hard it is to write a book.

Rating System*

*I know how hard it is to write a book. We start at three.

⭐⭐⭐ Eh, at best. Proceed with caution.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good, especially if it’s your genre.  Admittedly, a WIDE range.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ FANTASTIC. Read it. For real.

Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo (mid-grade) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

FANTASTIC! I love DiCamillo, and she weaves a magnificent modern fairy tale in a touching middle-grade novel of a young girl on her journey to discover life and herself. An MFA for a fairy tales class.  

We Were Liars (YA)* by E. Lockhart ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I read this after hearing good things about it from classmates. And I got it read before it blew up on Hulu. It’s got a fantastic point of view. It’s also twisty and tragic to the nth degree. I will read the next one. 

*Update: I initially rated it four stars because the reader in me hated the ending, but the writer in me knows the ending is brilliant, it’s just tragic, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve since updated the rating to five stars. AND, met E. Lockhart at a Teen Book Fest, had her sign my books, and lost my fangirl mind. 

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I watched a brilliant TED talk with Vonnegut and wondered why I’d never read any of his books, so I grabbed a few on sale and started with this one. Um, an interesting read, but the part that sticks with me is the detailed descriptions of penises. I’ve never read a book where the male characters are introduced with the length and girth of their penis. Meet Character B, he’s 3 inches long with a girth of 7 inches. Interesting. And that’s what sticks with me, the poor man with a small, wide penis (hahaha). An interesting story.

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Good! Psychological thriller with dual POVs. You love them. You hate them. Who is the hero? Who is he villain? A twisted tale. Am I happy with the ending? Yep. Have you recommended it to friends? You betcha. 

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (YA) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Excellent. Barnes takes the mystery and intrigue of  the first one, ups the stakes and then fills in some of the backstory blanks. Almost as good as the first. Barnes is wicked talented. I already have the third one in the series. Can’t wait to see where she takes it next.

Crave by Tracy Wolff (YA) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Twilight, 20 years later, but better. Pretty, fish-out-of-water gal finds herself in the crosshairs on the warpath, or is it in a love triangle, with a few of the hotties and important people at her new school (psst, a school for supernaturals, with our protagonist not, or is she?). My teenage niece recommended it (and it was free on Prime 🙂).

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow (YA) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tragic and traumatic. And an important read for young adults or parents of young adults. Our teens struggle with real shit. It’s a shame we don’t help them (and all of us) develop better ways to deal with our pain and traumas (we all have them) without self-harm or harming others. Great read. 

What are you reading? What do you recommend? Have you read these? I’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts in the comments. 

Until next time, find your creative, embrace your wild side, stay sane(ish), and happy reading!

Best, Aspen Hite