I have not encountered a novel as close to perfect as Madeline Miller's Circe.
Both epic and intimate, brutal and gentle, Miller crafts a spellbinding tale of a god who wishes to be mortal. Her illusions to the myths and use of the classic characters are purposeful and enrich this story so much. The prose is beautiful and precisely poetic. Every sentence is purposeful, meaningful, and contributes to the story. Miller's epic is ultimately about naivety, foolishness, and wisdom. None can exist in isolation.
At every turn and with every choice, Circe's naivety leads to heartbreak and occasionally destruction. Her foolishness leads her to be taken advantage of by Gods and mortals. But she learns from her millennia of mistakes. Miller argues that it takes much foolishness for someone to become wise.
In the novel, Miller depicts the Greek gods and titans as brutal, cowardly, egotistical, curious, and sadistic. They are not something to envy or aspire to. Circe learns this and this leads to a brilliant and completely satisfying ending.
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is a strange child - not powerful and terrible, like her father, nor gorgeous and mercenary like her mother. Scorned and rejected, Circe grows up in the shadows, at home in neither the world of gods or mortals. But Circe has a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When her gift threatens…
Michelle Zauner's intimate memoir about her mother's battle with cancer is moving, complex, and entirely honest.
Zauner, born in Seoul but raised in Oregon, struggles with her Korean identity, especially as her Korean mother succumbs to her terrible disease. Zauner opens up about how a part of her Korean identity will pass with her mother. She begins learning Korean recipes and revisiting Korean relatives in the hope of finding ways to hold on to her heritage.
Zauner talks a lot about Korean food and how much her identity is wrapped up in her cultural food. This hit home for me as I felt a part of my identity passed on with my grandma. Food—the preparation of it, traditions surrounding it, and superstition embedded in it—defines the culture of my family in so many ways.
Zauner so beautifully described this and articulated feelings I've had about the fear of losing my family heritage. I felt great emotion throughout this memoir.
The New York Times bestseller from the Grammy-nominated indie rockstar Japanese Breakfast, an unflinching, deeply moving memoir about growing up mixed-race, Korean food, losing her Korean mother, and forging her own identity in the wake of her loss.
'As good as everyone says it is and, yes, it will have you in tears. An essential read for anybody who has lost a loved one, as well as those who haven't' - Marie-Claire
In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer,…
The Night Library of Sternendach is a beautiful and clever melodramatic tale of a truce between a vampire and a family of hunters that falls apart.
Written in rhyming verse, Levai is able to craft emotionally complex characters, elicit empathy, and craft a believable and enigmatic world. However enjoyable the story is, it is the writing in verse that is the triumph here. Levai is so clever and emotive and perfectly rhythmic. I reread many passages full of wonder at how she was able to craft such clever and perfect rhymes. This was such a fun read to sink your teeth into and complete in a few hours.
Levai elevates poetic storytelling and will have me thinking about and reciting her crafty lines for days to come.
Aoife is cursed. Everyone says so, except for her father who knows such things are nonsense. Born under mysterious circumstances after the Irish Civil War, Aoife is willing to do whatever it takes to rid herself of the malediction. She encounters saints and witches while she navigates the superstitions and folklore that permeate her homeland and guide her toward adulthood.
Full of Irish and Catholic folklore, Intercession weaves through the history and myths of Ireland to its thrilling and mysterious conclusion. In a place steeped in legend, Aoife must decide for herself what stories are worth believing and suffer the consequences of those beliefs, for better or worse.
My daughter has been losing a lot of her baby teeth and her adult teeth are coming in…less than perfectly.
Raina Telgemeier’s book is not just about a kid getting braces, but a young girl grappling with anxiety and social pressures. My daughter and I latched onto this as one of the most intimate and accurate descriptions of anxiety in children.
Telgemeier treats the subject matter with humor, grace, and empathy. Reading it helped us both to better manage anxiety.
3
authors picked
Smile
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
9,
10,
11, and
12.
What is this book about?
Raina just wanted to be a normal girl, but one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls severely injuring her two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion and friends who turn out to not be so friendly.
My daughter loved this book for its humor and recognizable characters.
Colfer takes characters familiar to many kids and gives them motivation and backstory in a new fantasy world. The plot is fast-paced and the humor is perfect for 8 year olds.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer comes a graphic novel in the Land of Stories series featuring Goldilocks - as you've never seen her before!
When we first meet her in The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, Goldilocks is a beautiful and tough-as-nails outlaw. Discover her origin story and more in this brand new, lushly illustrated full-color graphic novel, as she takes you on adventures where she may or may not break a few laws along the way.
Once upon a time, the kingdoms of the fairy-tale world lived in perfect harmony under the guidance of…
My daughter loved this book because of its humor and relatability.
A group of kids end up in Cinderella’s world and shenanigans ensue. The voice of the book is funny, sarcastic, and full of empathy. My daughter loved making connections to other fairy tales she read.
This second book in Sarah Mlynowski's charming series puts a fresh spin on the Cinderella story!
Tonight the mirror swept us into Cinderella's fairy tale. Now, we are NOT messing this story up. No way. Cinderella is going to marry her prince just like she's supposed to. Uh-oh. Cinderella broke her foot and there's massive swelling. The glass slipper won't fit, the prince won't know she's the one for him, and they won't live happily ever after. And it's all our fault!To save the day we'll need to:- Learn how to use a dustpan- Stay out of jail- Find Cinderella…
