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If you like creepy, spooky, haunted dilapidated mansions high on the mountains, hallucinations and mystery - THIS is the book for you! And BONUS! We have multiple copies in the DHS library!

“Mexican Gothic” is a novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia that blends horror and historical fiction. Set in the 1950s, it follows a young woman named Noemí who goes to check on her cousin after receiving a disturbing letter. Her investigation leads her to a mysterious mansion in the Mexican countryside where she encounters secrets and eerie occurrences. The story delves into themes of family, colonialism, and what lurks beneath the surface of a seemingly charming facade.

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This takes place immediately after WWII and the start of the Cold War. One of the characters may or may not have been brainwashed into a sleeper spy & assassin. There is a copy in the DHS library.

In 1946, Eva leaves behind the rubble of Berlin for the streets of New York City, stepping from the fiery aftermath of one war into another, far colder one, where power is more important than principles, and lies are more plentiful than the truth. Eva holds the key to a deadly secret: Project Bluebird -- a horrific experiment of the concentration camps, capable of tipping the balance of world power. Both the Americans and the Soviets want Bluebird, and it is something that neither should ever be allowed to possess.

But Eva hasn't come to America for secrets or power. She hasn't even come for a new life. She has come to America for one thing: justice. And the Nazi that has escaped its net.

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"Gasp!" -Me while reading this whole book

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"Gasp!" -Me while reading this whole book

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The Secret History by Donna Tart is a SUPERB dark novel. It brought me out of a two year reading funk and I could not recommend it enough.

The only down side is it is very lengthy, but totally worth it.

Essentially, a man is attending college. He wants to join the ancient Greek class, but it is super mysterious and he is suspicious of what they learn. And then evil things happen MWAHAHAHAHAHHA

(TW murder, suicide, brief mentions of sex)

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Just Kids by Patti Smith is a beautiful memoir. It tells about complex relationship with the late Robert Maplethorp. It is beautifully written. The whole story is essentially written with name drops, but not in a bad way :))

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Never before have I read a book that has made me more frustrated and angry than this one. I long ago would have abandoned if not for this was the book I chose for an AP Lit assignment and it was too late to turn back. My family members have been very confused at my exclaims of frustration or confusion.

The beginning is one of the most confusing things I’ve read. I had to search up a summary to piece it together. Much of the book is based on knowledge that is never presented to the reader; knowledge I had to research myself when I inevitably came across something confusing. He was a spy for the queen? Perhaps I’m stupid or perhaps that wasn’t clear at all. There are far too many characters to keep track of and there’s hardly any clues to differentiate which Earl was what or who had beef with Marlowe or anything of the sort.

I could rarely place who was speaking what and while that may be a feature of being in verse, it really detracted from the story. It makes complete sense for the book to be in verse considering it’s a recounting from Marlowe but it is used in a way that is so plainly awful and detracting it might have had a chance at being bearable if it wasn’t.

Then there’s the plot. The book is not written chronologically and while there is an argument that one doesn’t recount events in the exact order they happened, what was already confusing was made so much worse by random events that happen willy nilly. You can barely get a pulse on what otherwise would have been some excellent characters arcs but no.

The premise was really interesting and it was done a disservice but most frustratingly of all was that I bc puke catch glimmers of a really good story. It brought to mind the Count of Monte Cristo, one of my favorite stories, in that it had some of my favorite elements: multiple identities, the struggle for reputation, betrayal, exile, world traveling, faked deaths, murders, and so on. But The Marlowe Papers are to The Count of Monte Cristo as a scribble by a two year old is to Michelangelo works. This. Was. Bad.

Doubly frustrating was the connection I wanted to have with it. Many of the lines about writing I felt very personally, as a writer myself. The need to keep writing, the desire to be recognized by one’s successful works, and the frustration of not being able to find the words you need are all something I have felt myself. But then the book goes and slaughter’s everything I liked.

I waited desperately for the book to become enjoyable and I was stabbed repeatedly. Very. Many. Times. The war I waged against this book in forcing myself to finish it was very, very difficult.

There’s also to mention the so called “romance.” I thought the use of “you” in the text was a cool literary device but with the wild narrative, it wasn’t done in a way that felt real or fleshed out. Then there’s the random side character hook-ups. I may have even liked the character Lucille if I hadn’t had to read her gaining bits of knowledge through explicit sexual acts, dialogue intermingled. My word.

Finally, to our protagonist. The character arc I can piece together after having finished is quite good, but it is shot repeatedly by the way Barber has chosen to write. I originally thought his struggle with religion was quite interesting but throughout the book we just forget about that sometimes and sometimes he’s cool with god and other times he’s a staunch atheist while even more other times he’s so mad that he’s let thoughts slip while he’s drunk (which, when was he ever not drinking in this book, honestly?) and suddenly he’s so entirely worried about his reputation. His internal conflict is about akin to a heap of spaghetti.

I am filled with so much frustration and anger. I’ve wasted my time. The only positive I’ve gleaned from this is the deep desire to write a story that is basically a rewrite. And that’s quite exciting.

I would not recommend.

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This book was very deep and emotional, and it definitely was a great read! If you like exploring mental illness and fairytales, this book is for you.

They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.
Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before.
They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane.
The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.

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I actually really enjoyed this book. It is a book of poetry, and is written beautifully. It is about a deaf girl who is unable to communicate with her family because they won't learn sign language, and the hard things that she goes through. This really is a story of hope through hard times, and I did really like it!

(TW abuse, neglect)

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It felt less like poetry, and more like dramatic journal entries! 

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It felt less like poetry, and more like dramatic journal entries! 

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I was surprised to find that I really liked this book and read it fast! This is the story of a teenage girl who discovers through an DNA test that she's been lied to her whole life, and her father isn't who she thought. The novel focuses on that storyline, but there were also other stories mixed in. These stories focused on finding out who you were and overcoming tragedy. More than anything, I felt like the Truth Project was a story about identity! The majority of the story was told through text messages, emails, and then poetry from the protagonist's perspective. I felt like this was a really cool representation of different challenges that teenagers go through. The feelings that Cordelia experience are, to some extent, relatable to everyone. The Truth Project covers some heavy topics, but I felt like they were handled well and none of them were described graphically or in a lot of depth! I highly recommend this book even if poetry isn't your favorite style of writing!

(TW language, infidelity, teenage pregnancy, and abortion)

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It was a beautiful book full of tragedy and hope. It takes place during WWII and follows two girls who get sent to concentration camps. They find each other in the camp and will do anything to help each other. One risks it all for the other to make her a paper heart birthday gift from all the people in camp who know and love her. This story is based off true events and was a beautiful story of friendship.

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This was a superb book about the jazz owls, mexican american youth who danced with young sailors to sooth their fears before shipping off to fight in world war 2. The story centers Marisela, Lorena, and Ray, who all tell the story from their point of view. Most of the story deals with rampant racism, most vividly seen in the zoot suit riots. The zoot suits were worn by the characters to show their cultural identity and a sign of happiness, but due to their excessive fabric were considered unpatriotic. Throughout the course of the story, Marisela, lorena, ray, and their family prevail through it all, and come out victorious in the end.

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Myth of Persephone + Lessons on Internet Safety + Teenage Rebellion = Bright Red Fruit

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Myth of Persephone + Lessons on Internet Safety + Teenage Rebellion = Bright Red Fruit

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I read this entire book in one sitting at our first semester readathon, and when I say it was taking everything in me to hold in my reactions, I really do mean EVERYTHING.

In "Bright Red Fruit", we view the world through the eyes of Samira, a Sudanese-American girl with a million reasons to be rebellious: her mother, her culture, and most importantly, Horus. Having met the older poet on an online forum, Samira ends up venturing down a path that rips her trust and friends away from her.

The words to best describe this novel in verse are: shocking, enraging, and beautiful. Safia Elhillo's poetry manages to sound like prose with half as many words, creating beautiful imagery that easily makes you sympathize with Samira's decisions (even if you won't always agree with them). This is my favorite retelling of the Persephone myth, and I believe "Bright Red Fruit" is a great work to spark an interest in the novel-in-verse genre.

(TW adult/minor relationship, toxic relationship, sexual assault, emotional abuse)

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This book was fun and interesting to read. It is about a boy named Noah who is a junior in high school. He and his best friend, Walt, have always wanted to be on the baseball team, but haven't made it. Walt is pushing for them to try even harder to make it on the team for senior year. On top of this, Noah is trying to figure out how to tell another of his best friends, Sam, that he has a crush on her. Sam's boyfriend is one of the best players on their school's baseball team. This book is told through Noah's thoughts and words to others as he tries to make his dreams a reality. This is a great story of friendship and perseverance.

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It was a fun read! It played well into my desire to learn more about Greek Mythology while also keeping my focus and enjoyment at a high. Overall entertaining, educating, and quick.

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Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill is a must read! It was such an interesting take on the Salem Witch Trials, especially after reading The Crucible. The story follows the main accusers, Mercy Lewis, Margaret Walcott, Ann Putnam Jr, Betty Parris, Abigail Williams, Elizabeth Hubbard, and Susannah Sheldon. Throughout the story, the reader is able to see the firsthand accounts of terror and anxiety that gripped Salem during the dark times. The author does a great job using figurative language to convey deeper meaning to the story. With secret romances, accusations, and hangings, I would 10/10 recommend this!

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This book went by a lot faster than I thought it would! It's the story about Gerda, the first woman photojournalist to be killed in combat during the Spanish Civil War. The writing is a little vague, but I think it just allows you to use your imagination, which is something I enjoyed! I learned a little bit of history, too. The book takes place right before World War II and it discusses what events led up to it. It also talks about the Spanish Civil War, which I previously knew nothing about. Overall, a really good read!

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Proof that absence does in fact make the heart grow fonder

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Proof that absence does in fact make the heart grow fonder

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This book is a cute romance about two teenagers who see each other for one night a year at summer camp. The main girl struggles with going blind and the main guy is dealing with his parent's divorce. They can't communicate for an entire year until they see each other again for the next "Sunrise Night" at camp. You get to read about their inner thoughts, worries, and day dreams while they are together and apart.

I liked this book because it was a pretty chill story idea but had some cute romance in it. I like seeing how the two main characters grew from year to year and dealt with their struggles.

Slight spoilers: one thing that bothered me was that they could recall the previous Sunrise Night with complete clarity. That's just unrealistic. For the reader, it makes sense because its only like 20 pages later. But for the characters, it has been a full year since they saw each other and some of the details would have faded. It's such a minor detail but it kinda bothered me.

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This is a book about fighting for what you love and perseverance.

Veda has a passion for Bharatanatyam dance and has excelled at it. On the way home from a competition, the vehicle she is in gets into a serious accident, resulting in her needing her right leg amputated. The people around her believe she will never dance again, but she refuses to believe this and does all she can to prove them wrong.

I really enjoyed this book and I was able to read it pretty quickly. I also love to dance so that's what drove me in in the first place but it was cool to learn more about a style that I have no experience with at all.

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TW: self-harm

Wow. This book is truly something. I would not recommend reading this unless you are in the correct headspace to do so. This book is about a girl who is sent to a mental hospital because she was found "cutting" at school. This book has many themes including mental health, neglect, broken relationships, grief, and healing. I really thought this book was very good. It brought me to tears multiple times because I could personally relate to some of the lines and struggles that Kenna, (the main character) was going through. However, there are many heavy and depressing topics discussed in the story. The main theme is self-harm, which is discussed in graphic detail and was often very upsetting to read at times. Although I enjoyed it and the writing and message was beautiful, I would make sure to do something happy afterwards to recover from this emotional rollercoaster.

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This book was an amazing read!!! The story focuses on Ava and her boyfriend who died named Jackson. As Ava was mourning, she finds out that he’s still with her. As a ghost!! Things lead to their relationship to be more complicated and sad, but I won’t spoil it! I highly recommend this book! I’m a hard person to please when it comes to reading, but I LOVED IT!! I laughed and sobbed!!

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This book is about a girl named Callie who is always moving from place to place because of her mom's consistent breakups. Because of this and her Tourette's, she never makes friends until she moves to St. George and meets a boy named Jinsong. The story follows Callie and Jinsong as they each struggle to be authentic due to the bullying at their school.

I really enjoyed this book as it was surprisingly sweet and heartwarming for such a quick read. The themes remind me a lot of the book Wonder but in poetry form and much more concise. A great part of it is how you see the struggles of characters (like Callie's mom and Beatriz) who were seen as rude or inconsiderate but turn out to be going through really hard things as well.

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Young girls try to wade through pain that engulfs like sand falling through an hourglass.

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Living where life and death blur together, finding hope in defiance of monstrosities

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Living where life and death blur together, finding hope in defiance of monstrosities

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This book is based on the real story of a group of young Jewish girls forced into concentration camps. The true story this book is based on is beautiful, intense, and inspiring. The book, in some detail, explores the suffering of these girls - which included hunger, starvation, illness, isolation, despair, and witnessing death. Reading through this book, you get a small taste for the overwhelming length of this pain.

The poetic nature, along with the decision to put all dialogue in italics, made the book feel like living through a memory. However, despite how well the story was told in this poetic format, I believe that the intensity of their experience (and the story as a whole) could have been conveyed much better through a structure closer to prose, as there were many details that could have been explored with much more nuance and in greater depth.

Overall, I think this book handles the original story very well and still manages to communicate intense despair and hope in a beautiful way.

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Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam made me feel a whole whirlwind of emotions. They ranged from hopeful to wanting to bang my head against the wall from mere frustration. The novel is about a teenage boy named Amal who was falsely convicted because of an altercation between two neighborhoods. This fight ended up with one boy in the hospital, clinging to life. Amal was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and unfortunately took the blame for the fight. Right now, it’s the world against Amal. White against black.

He’s got his whole future ahead of him. He is passionate about art and poetry, and was looking forward to being accepted to a program geared toward the arts. Now, it seems like all of that is gone.

Until the boy wakes up, Amal is stuck. Or so he thinks. Once he finds out that the juvenile institution has art classes, he finds some sort of purpose, even though he’s been forced into this jail cell.

This story shows Amal’s growth and tug-of-war with emotion and reality. Anything could happen. He’ll go nowhere just punching the air, expecting it to fix things.

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Imagine being in a situationship as a teen then connecting ten years later and falling absolutely in love

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Imagine being in a situationship as a teen then connecting ten years later and falling absolutely in love

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This was a fun little read. The novel being in verse helped it be able to do a lot of fun line work, including a page of just "please" written over and over again and the narrator's omniscient voice adding things off to the far right of the page. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read a (mostly) fun romance where the girl doesn't give up her entire life for a man and instead the man has to beg for a chance.

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Amazon.com: In Paris with You: A Novel: 9781250299161: Beauvais, Clémentine: Books

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A whimsical fairytale metaphor for mental illness & grief - and finding your way back.

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A whimsical fairytale metaphor for mental illness & grief - and finding your way back.

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We Are All So Good At Smiling was much different than I originally thought it would go. I did not expect it to fully go fairytale mode but nonetheless I enjoyed it. There were some parts when I completely forgot that the whole fairytale world was just a metaphor for depression and mental health problems.

The story focuses around Whimsy (a conjurer), and Faerry ( a fae/witch). The story starts out with more of a realistic setting, in the real world, in a mental hospital. But then, in a metaphor of facing grief and sorrow, the setting shifts into more of a magical world filled to the brim with fairytale creatures in a haunted forest. The haunted forest is haunted by the ghost "Sorrow" and represents Whimsy's sorrow.

Throughout the book, both Whimsy and Faerry get trapped in the haunted forest (their sorrow and depression) and must work together to escape and make it past all tests and challenges the forest throws at them (find their way out of the sorrow and begin to be happier again).

I honestly really enjoyed this book. Some of the metaphors I wished were a little clearer, (though that might have just been things going over my head). The author, Amber McBride, did a good job of making the story feel magical while also keeping some of the really dark aspects that we have in real life mental illness.

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Loving vs Virginia is about the court case that allowed mixed race marriage in America. We see this story through the alternating perspectives of Mildred and Richard Loving as they fall in love and fight for the right to live happily together. It is a beautifully told story that made me very emotional at times because of the bigoted opinions of the people they fight against. The story goes surprisingly quickly even though it is a very big book; I was almost able to finish it in one day. You instantly fall in love with Mildred and Richard and their relationship and feel suddenly immersed in their world and their battle. The story is sometimes interrupted with news reports of what was happening during that time and it is so gut wrenching to think of how close this happened to the present. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone, it was so elegantly written that I would have forgotten it was poetry if not for the lyrical way the words are placed on the pages.

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This was a great story! The writing is very emotional and beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. In the story, we follow Moth, whose family died in a car accident about a year ago :(. She meets a boy named Sani who is trying to reconnect with his Navajo roots. They drive across the country together and grow together. Moth is a dancer who doesn't dance and Sani is a musician who doesn't sing, both because of their complicated histories.

Beyond the fact that they're both sad, there is something different about these kids... Major epic twist at the end! :0 Well-foreshadowed, but I didn't see it coming. While a lot of the writing can be kind of average, certain sections are very potent and can really make you connect with the characters and their feelings. Since it's a novel in verse it's also a nice quick read you can knock out in a couple evenings if you want.

4/5 stars idk how to add the rating thing that y'all did

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This book follows the story of Anke, a young girl who grows up with an abusive father. It describes her complex feelings towards his attention (or lack of) on her.

I really enjoyed the structure of the poetry, as well as the flow of the story. As far as the plot, it made me sad and nauseous at times, but that is what it is supposed to make you feel.

It deals with themes of domestic violence, verbal abuse, and sexual violence.

Overall, I would rate it a 4/5 stars. Would read again.

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This book was about two conjoined sisters, Grace and Tippi. The story is about their home-lives, school-lives, love-lives. It also shows the reader some of their therapy sessions and hospital visits.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! Their unique family situation was something that I found really interesting. Their dad is a jobless alcoholic, and their little sister is obsessed with ballet. They survive solely off of their mom's paycheck (somehow..) and we get to see their experience going to a public high school for the first time ever, befriending two new people, and seeing them (mainly Grace) fall in love for the first time as well.

I will say, I think this book could've benefitted from seeing the perspectives of each family member, instead of just hearing Grace's perspective. But even so, I still really enjoyed Grace's narrative!

Lastly, one thing I found to be a bit problematic was how the author was speaking on the experience of that of a conjoined twin, despite never having been one herself. I found this problematic because throughout the book, she describes how Grace feels being perceived as "abnormal" or even in some cases "a monster" in the eyes of someone "regular/normal" despite the fact that she (the author) is someone "regular/normal" and therefore would never truly know how it feels.

But if I'm just talking about the contents of the book, I liked it! There were enough plot twists to keep me turning the pages, but not too many that I felt overwhelmed. Definitely more of a cozy read (in my opinion), but the ending WAS SO SAD, although I do think it was necessary.

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Blood Paint Water - My jaw was literally on the floor 

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Blood Paint Water - My jaw was literally on the floor 

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WOW. I am rendered speechless after finishing this book, although i have to admit i had to set it down a few times BECAUSE OH MY GOODNESS 🤢😱

It’s a traumatic story of a talented female artist in Rome, where she’s used and objectified by every man in her life, and later r*ped in her own sanctuary.

Her father who is the owner of the studio claims all of Artemisia’s work by signing it himself. And belittles her everyday through criticism of her work when his skill cannot even compare to hers.

Her useless brothers who somehow have more rights and freedom than she ever will but do 0.01 % of the work she does.

And worst of all, Her art teacher, who at first was a playful flirt but shows his true colors after artemisia rejects him.

Artemisia has to fight against the patriarchal society of men in order to get justice after her teacher r*pes her.

Somehow this book makes me so disgusted yet it’s such a good representation of woman suffrage ESPECIALLY as an artist.

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This book was so good! I read it in about 30 minutes. It may seem simple, but there was a lot of hidden meaning. It is about a 12 year old girl named Annie who loves to run barefoot with her friend Max. A lot of things are changing in her life. Her mom is pregnant, her grandpa is forgetting things, but she just keeps running.

I would highly recommend this book, especially for a younger audience. It was cute and still had a lot of symbolism.

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If you like inspiring WWII stories, then this is a good book for you.

"White Rose" tells the true story of a young college student, Sophie, and her brother Hans, secretly distributing anti-war and anti-Hitler leaflets in Nazi Germany. The story is not written chronologically, which can be confusing, but also provides relief from heavy parts of the plot. I enjoyed hearing what went into making these leaflets and what they made the main character and others think. One thing I thought was unique is almost every poem is either written in the perspective of Sophie or the Gestapo officer that catches her. It was good read, not lighthearted, but inspiring.

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This novel in verse follows two young girls, Camino and Yahaira Rios. They share the same father but live in very different places. Camino lives in the Dominican Republic and Yahaira in New York City. The two girls learn of each others existence after their father dies in a plane crash. This book is about loss, grief, love, belonging, and forgiveness. This book was different than what I usually read but I enjoyed it a lot. It was well written and kept me engaged. I would definitely recommend this book!

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I enjoyed this book very much. The story follows a refugee from Vietnam whose family was forced to flee because of war. They moved to Alabama where she had to learn how to adapt to a new culture and way of life. This book humbled me and made me grateful for the easy and stable life I am lucky to enjoy. It gave me lots of respect for migrants and refugees who find themselves far from home. Overall very sad but good one. Also a quick read I finished it in a day. I would recommend this book. I feel that I learned a lot from it and it is definitely worth reading. 5/5! Go read it.

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This was an amazing book! It is the story of 2 Bribri brothers with an abusive father. When they see Luca (a classmate) getting aggressive with their cousin Nicole, they rush in and separate them and beat up Luca. They must then ask themselves the question did we go to far? Do we carry some of our dad's abusive tendencies? This book is about their journey of brotherhood as well. Max is an artist preparing for college. Jay is figuring out who he is while making protecting his mother a top priority. They must figure out who they are going to be while dealing with their father and friend situation. The story is split into two perspectives. The chapters told by Jay's perspective are written just as a book would be, and the ones written by max's perspective are written through poetry and stanzas. I love the symbolism in this. The author may be suggesting that Jay thinks things through thoroughly and possibly overthinks, while Max sees everything simply and doesn't overthink. Very good book would recommend!

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Though I was really reluctant to actually sit down and read this book (as you can see) I enjoyed it a lot. The book covers what lead to the protests, the shooting itself, and reflects on it and other instances of similar injustice. The use of formatting, and way the reader is referred to made it unlike any other book that I've read. Though I had previously learned about the events that took place on the campus the book made me take up a new perspective. It led me to better understand the tragedy, and see how it affects me. This was a great read.