Educated is the incredible and inspirational true story of Tara Westover, who survived her Mormon survivalist family and earned a PhD from Cambridge. Growing up in a family with parents who don’t believe in school, birth certificates, seatbelts, or Western medicine, Westover learned to fight for herself from an early age. Her courage, determination, and self-reliance are nothing short of astonishing.
Prepare yourself for one of the most lyrical books you’ll ever read. Nour and Rawiya are on two different journeys, hundreds of years apart, each seeking a place to call home: one as a refugee and one part of a map making expedition. This poignant story is about the power of stories, family, and honor. The Map of Salt and Stars reads like a love letter to Syria, and it was a pleasure to read each and every word.
Journalist Camille Preaker returns to her Missouri hometown on assignment: to cover the mysterious deaths of two local girls, presumed to be the work of a serial killer. While working, Camille is forced to make temporary peace in her childhood home, and make (temporary) peace with her self-centered mother and spoiled half-sister. Camille’s past, present, and future become horribly intertwined in this thriller.
This is a compelling story about girls and women who will go to any lengths to discover the truth. Part ghost story and part murder investigation, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat from page one as you learn about an abandoned boarding school for “troubled” girls and an infamously determined ghost. St. James does a fantastic job of blending truth with legend and the past with the present.
Clear your weekend, pour yourself a cup of Earl Grey, and follow a Canadian homicide detective investigating the shocking death of a beloved local villager. This is a very engrossing read and I loved it so much, in fact, that I had to get the sequel the very next day! I highly recommend this book, especially for fans of Agatha Christie and the television show, Midsomer Murders.
Through her unique blend of research and storytelling, Brené Brown weaves together inspiring recommendations on belonging, connection, and being yourself. Brown writes about how our communities have become so closed off and hostile, and makes suggestions as to how to move forward together. I read this over the course of two days and found nodding vigorously at every page.
If you haven’t read this one yet, do so immediately. Liane Moriarty wrote an astonishing novel focusing on a group of moms doing their best to parent their children, forced to reconcile with the difficult choices in their lives. With the occasional flash forward keeping you on your toes, desperate to learn who dies and why, this page turning thriller will have you canceling your plans to find out what happens next.
When the favorite daughter is found dead in the local lake, one family’s life will fall apart. This book alternately focuses on each member of the central Chinese American family living in Ohio in the 1970s. Celeste Ng writes beautifully about the heartache of fitting in, the weight of familial pressure, and the danger of keeping your mouth shut. This slow burn of a novel will have you crying by the end.
Tessa Dare capitalizes on surprises, charm, and witty banter in this romance. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of intrigue, mayhem, and plots in this story! This book has everything to love from the bodice-ripper genre, including a brooding hero, a feisty independent heroine, and a masked villain! This was a charming read from start to finish. You’ll be grinning and chuckling to yourself the whole way through!