Mr. Dickens and His Carol

 

Title: Mr. Dickens and His Carol

Author: Samantha Silva

Publisher: Flatiron Books

 
ISBN: 9781250154040

 

Thoughts: Rather fan-fiction-y account of the writing of A Christmas Carol.

Rating: 3/5

The Mystery of Charles Dickens

 

Title: The Mystery of Charles Dickens

Author: A. N. Wilson

Publisher: Harper

 
ISBN: 9780062954947

 

Thoughts: Wilson sheds unflattering light on Dickens, mainly focusing on the time leading up to his death.

Rating: 3/5

Stamped

 

Title: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

Author: Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

 
ISBN: 9781549184253

 

Thoughts: Reynolds takes Kendi's seminal work and makes it easily approachable for younger readers

Rating: 5/5

The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams

 

Title: The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams

Author: Mindy Thompson

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers

 
ISBN: 9780593110379

 

Thoughts: Very innovative middle grade historical fantasy with deep topics which left me wanting more.

Rating: 4/5

The Do-Over

 

Title: The Do-Over

Author: Suzanne Parks

Publisher: HarperAudio

 
ISBN: 9798212212762

 

Thoughts: Very fun rom-com, but the swim test portion of the story really felt like an afterthought to add more pages.

Rating: 3/5

The Age of Vice

 

Title: The Age of Vice

Author: Deepti Kapoor

Publisher: Penguin Audio

 
ISBN: n/a

 

Thoughts: These deeply flawed characters capture your interest and will have you rooting for them, despite their many crimes.

Rating: 4/5

Women and Children First

 

Title: Women and Children First

Author: Alina Grabowski

Publisher: SJP Lit

 
ISBN: 9781638930785

 

Thoughts: Grabowski explores grief and coming-of-age (at any stage of life) through the eyes of eight females affected by a devastating loss in their community.

Rating: 4/5

Lilac Girls

 

Title: Lilac Girls

Author: Martha Hall Kelly

Publisher: Ballantine Books

 
ISBN: 9781101883075

 

Thoughts: Immersive story not just about WWII but about the relief efforts afterward and the strong women involved.

Rating: 4/5

Falls the Shadow

 

Title: Falls the Shadow

Author: Skip Horak

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

 
ISBN: 9781542041416

 

Thoughts: Well-written short story about climate change and the whims of those with excess.

Rating: 4/5

The Fall of Gods and Kings

 

Title: Dawning of Darkness: The Fall of Gods and Kings

Author: James G. Robertson

Publisher: Next Life Publishing

 
ISBN: 9781954638150

 

Thoughts: Very cinematic audio book about a war between characters from myth and history, but nothing groundbreaking in the world of fantasy.

Rating: 3/5

Wish You Were Mine

 

Title: Wish You Were Mine

Author: Tara Sivec

Publisher: Forever

 
ISBN: 9781478920168

 

Thoughts: At times touching and at times infuriating (just like love can be) romance about childhood friends, but there were some timeline issues which often took me out of the story.

Rating: 3/5