Pigeon-Blood Red takes readers into the world of heists, adultery, and double-crossers.  Written as a high-intensity crime thriller, this was totally unfamiliar territory for my reading tastes.  I was excited to see where hitman “Rico” Sanders would take me-and what he would do to whoever got in his way.  Filled with quick-tempers, each character finds themselves in the middle of a con gone wrong.  Ed Duncan writes a story that could easily be set in the early 1900’s rather than the early 2000’s, showing that some stories can stand the test of time.  This would be a good read for anyone who is a fan of the Bourne trilogy. There's action, adventure, shootouts, and crime-everything a thriller could ask for! You can see what I thought of the characters and the plot with the full review!

Love, Hate, and Other Filters is a recent release by Samira Ahmed that I absolutely devoured.  This coming of age story of a Muslim girl who just wants to experience the world through her own lens rather than the filter of her parents’ Indian heritage is poignant, clever, and just plain wonderful. It starts off as a tale of forbidden love but quickly shifts into a discussion of Islamophobia.  Ahmed creates a strong female protagonist, Maya Aziz, to handle all of the topics from the romance to the real-world issues we face today.  In her struggle to figure out where she’s headed in life after high school, she learns to rely on her own strength and to trust in herself.  All of my reads so far in 2018 have been heavy, but this is the kind of breath-of-fresh-air writing my reading slump needed.  I highly recommend you check it out (along with my full five star review below)!

I have to admit, I was more than hesitant to pick up Celeste Ng’s sophomore novel, Little Fires Everywhere.  Her first novel, Everything I Never Told You, left a bad taste in my mouth with the narrative style, the characters without redeeming qualities, and just the plot as a whole.  When my in-person book club chose it as the November pick, I begrudgingly picked up a copy to read.  I even put off reading it until the day of the book club, but by the time I was through the first chapter I was kicking myself for waiting so long.  Little Fires Everywhere shines everywhere I felt Ng’s first novel fell flat.  I’m not usually a fan of complicated family novels, but this is one I truly enjoyed.  There’s at least one character in here for everyone, and the plot was built for discussions.  It only took me 24 hours to read this book, and it’s going to be in my top ten of 2017 at least.  I’m going to spoil my review and tell you that I’m giving it 4.5 stars, but you can check out the full review to see why.

Suspect Red takes readers back in time to experience life in America 1953 during the height of the Red Scare.  L. M. Elliott uses historical fiction to explain to young readers the impact political events had on everyday kids like them.  Each chapter begins with a few pages of history to immerse readers in the events of the time, which in turn is expertly weaved into the plot.  Photographs, headlines, and quotes from the era help put you in the frame of mind of our characters as they traverse the uncertainty that was the Red Scare.  ​

Nine-year-old Jorie is your typical girl with a typical childhood who has gone to live with her Great Aunt Letty at Mortimer Manor.  She likes to explore and play, especially with her new friend, Rufus.  Rufus and Jorie travel to an magical land called Cabrynthius, a location that is not in their imaginations.  Guided by a talking cat through the local lake (yes, through), Jorie and Rufus discover that Jorie isn’t so “typical” at all.  She is the Child with Hair of Fire foretold by legends as the savior of Cabrynthius.  Jorie must find the missing Stones of Maalog before an evil sorcerer so that he cannot gain their power and wreak havoc in Cabrynthius.  Along Jorie’s dangerous journey she and Rufus encounter dragons, a greedy tutor, caves of fire, and shape-shifting creatures.  It’s an adventure straight out of a storybook that you have to read to believe.