Starter for Ten by David Nicholls- Book Review

Starter for Ten by David Nicholls- Book Review

Title: Starter for Ten (also A Question of Attraction)

Author: David Nicholls

Publisher: Villard Books

Publish Date: 2003

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary(blurb): The year is 1985. Brian Jackson, a working-class kid on full scholarship, has started his first term at university. He has a dark secret--a long-held, burning ambition (stoked by his late father) to appear on the wildly popular TV quiz show University Challenge--and now, finally, it seems the dream is about to become reality. He's made the school team, and they've completed the qualifying rounds and are limbering up for their first televised match. (And, what's more, he's fallen head over heels for one of his teammates, the beautiful, brainy, and intimidatingly posh Alice Harbinson.) Life seems perfect and triumph inevitable--but as his world opens up, Brian learns that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. 

**This book review may contain spoilers**

Anthem by Ayn Rand- Book Review

Anthem by Ayn Rand- Book Review

Title: Anthem

Author: Ayn Rand

Publisher: Signet

Publish Date: 1938

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary(blurb): They existed only to serve the state. They were conceived in controlled Palaces of Mating. They died in the Home of the Useless. From cradle to grave, the crowd was one—the great WE. In all that was left of humanity there was only one man who dared to think, seek, and love. He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world, he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization, he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: He had stood forth from the mindless human herd. He was a man alone. He had rediscovered the lost and holy word—I.

**This book review may contain spoilers**

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides- Book Review

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides- Book Review

Title: The Silent Patient

Author: Alex Michaelides

Publisher: Orion Books

Publish Date: 2019

Rating: 4/5

Summary(blurb): Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. Until one night, when her husband, Gabriel, returns home late from work, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face and then never speaks another word. Alicia's refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into a mystery that captures the public imagination. And she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids at the Grove, a secure psychiatric unit in North London. Criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber is captivated by Alicia's story and jumps at the opportunity to work with her. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband will take him down a path more unexpected and more terrifying than he ever imagined.

**This book review may contain spoilers**

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin - Book Review

Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by Grace Lin- Book Review

Title: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Author: Grace Lin

Publisher: Little Brown

Publish Date: 2009

Rating: 5/5

Summary(blurb): A Newbery Honor Book. Young Minli lives in the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, where she and her parents spend their days working hard in the fields.  At night, Minli listens to her father's tales about the Old Man of the Moon, who knows the answers to everything. Minli sets out on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon-- he will know how she can bring good fortune to her family. Along the way, she meets many magical friends, including a talking fish, a powerful king, and a dragon who can't fly.

**This book review may contain spoilers**

Dune by Frank Herbert- Book Review

Dune by Frank Herbert- Book Review

Title: Dune

Author: Frank Herbert

Publisher: Ace Books

Publish Date: August 1965 (original publishing)

Rating: 4/5

Summary(blurb): "Whoever controls Arrakis controls the spice. And whoever controls the spice controls the universe."

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for... When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

**This book review may contain spoilers**

Thrawn by Timothy Zahn - Book Review

Thrawn by Timothy Zahn- Book Review

Title: Thrawn

Author: Timothy Zahn

Publisher: Del Rey

Publish Date: April 11, 2017

Rating: 5/5

Summary(Blurb): After Thrawn is rescued from exile by Imperial soldiers, his deadly ingenuity and keen tactical abilities swiftly capture the attention of Emperor Palpatine. And just as quickly, Thrawn proves to be as indispensable to the Empire as he is ambitious; as devoted as its most loyal servant, Darth Vader; and a brilliant warrior never to be underestimated. On missions to rout smugglers, snare spies, and defeat pirates, he triumphs time and again—even as his renegade methods infuriate superiors while inspiring ever greater admiration from the Empire. As one promotion follows another in his rapid ascension to greater power, he schools his trusted aide, Ensign Eli Vanto, in the arts of combat and leadership, and the secrets of claiming victory. But even though Thrawn dominates the battlefield, he has much to learn in the arena of politics, where ruthless administrator Arihnda Pryce holds the power to be a potent ally or a brutal enemy.

**This book review may contain spoilers**

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary - Book Review

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary- Book Review

Title: Dear Mr. Henshaw

Author: Beverly Cleary

Publisher: Harper

Publish Date: 1983

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary(blurb): Beverly Cleary’s timeless Newbery Medal-winning book explores difficult topics like divorce, insecurity, and bullying through the thoughts and emotions of a sixth-grade boy as he writes to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw. After his parents separate, Leigh Botts moves to a new town with his mother. Struggling to make friends and deal with his anger toward his absent father, Leigh loses himself in a class assignment in which he must write to his favorite author. When Mr. Henshaw responds, the two form an unexpected friendship that will change Leigh’s life forever. From the beloved author of the Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby, and Ralph S. Mouse series comes an epistolary novel about how to navigate and heal from life’s growing pains.

**This book review may contain spoilers**

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson - Book Review

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson- Book Review

Title: Jacob Have I Loved

Author: Katherine Paterson

Publisher: Harper

Publish Date: 1980

Rating: 5/5

Summary(blurb): Sara Louise Bradshaw is sick and tired of her beautiful twin, Caroline. Ever since they were born, Caroline has been the pretty one, the talented one, and the better sister. For once in her life, Louise wants to be the special one. But in order to do that, she must figure out who she is... and find a way to make a place for herself outside her sister's shadow. The remarkable Newbery Medal-winning classic about a painful sibling rivalry and one sister's struggle to make her own way, Jacob Have I Loved is an honest and daring portrayal of adolescence and coming of age.

**This book review may contain spoilers**

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli- Book Review

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli- Book Review

Title: Maniac Magee

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Publisher: Little Brown

Publish Date: 1990

Rating: 5/5

Summary(blurb): A Newbery Medal winning modern classic about a racially divided small town and a boy who runs. Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and not just run away, but run. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats.

**This book review may contain spoilers**