What to Read Over Winter Break

Winter Break is almost here!  Whether you are traveling, or spending time at home, we hope that you  have a chance to relax with some good books. Last week I sent a survey to Upper School students asking for reading suggestions, and here's what they recommended. I hope you find something of interest. And remember, there are lots of other new books in the library as well as in the Overdrive e-Book Collection.      Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart.        One of Chinua Achebe's many achievements in his acclaimed first novel, Things Fall Apart, is his relentlessly unsentimental rendering of Nigerian tribal life before and after the coming of colonialism. First published in 1958, just two years before Nigeria declared independence from Great Britain, the book eschews the obvious temptation of depicting pre-colonial life as a kind of Eden. Instead, Achebe sketches a world in which violence, war, and suffering exist, but are balanced by a strong sense of tradition, ritual, and social coherence. (Tiffany)

Barnes, Jennifer  The Naturals. "Seventeen-year-old Cassie, who has a natural ability to read people, joins an elite group of criminal profilers at the FBI in order to help solve cold cases"--Provided by publisher. (Jenna and Julia) Bardugo, Leigh. Six of Crows. "Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction--if they don't kill each other first"--Provided by publisher. (Fudi)

Cline, Emma. The Girls. (ordered) “Spellbinding . . . A seductive and arresting coming-of-age story hinged on Charles Manson, told in sentences at times so finely wrought they could almost be worn as jewelry . . . [Emma] Cline gorgeously maps the topography of one loneliness-ravaged adolescent heart. She gives us the fictional truth of a girl chasing danger beyond her comprehension, in a Summer of Longing and Loss.”—The New York Times Book Review (Sage) Du Maurier, Daphne, Rebeccca  With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten—a past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house's current occupants. (Astri)         Hesse, Monica.  Girl in the Blue Coat."Girl in the Blue Coat is a powerful, compelling coming-of-age story set against the dark and dangerous backdrop of World War II. It's an important and page-turning look at the choices all of us--including young adults--have to make in wartime. A beautiful combination of heartbreak, loss, young love, and hope." -Kristin Hannah (Aeven)

Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders.The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society. (Noran)

King, A. S.  Still Life With Tornado.  "A talented 16-year-old artist slowly discovers the history of domestic violence behind why her brother left the family years earlier, and why she suddenly cannot make art"--Provided by publisher. (Ava) Letts, Billie.  Shoot the Moon. A man's desperate search for his identity drives this riveting offering from the author of best-sellers Where the Heart Is (1995) and The Honk and Holler Opening Soon (1998). No one in sleepy DeClare, Oklahoma, has forgotten the 1972 murder of pretty Cherokee Gaylene Harjo and the abduction of her infant son, Nicky Jack. Hard-nosed deputy sheriff Oliver "O Boy" Daniels pinned the blame on local preacher Joe Dawson, but few in town believed the kindly Joe was capable of such an act. Powerful emotions resurface 30 years later, when Nicky Jack, adopted and raised by a rich couple in Beverly Hills, mysteriously reappears, determined to learn about his mother and the circumstances surrounding her death. Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved (Olivia)

Levithan, David. Every Day. Every morning A wakes in a different person's body, in a different person's life, learning over the years to never get too attached, until he wakes up in the body of Justin and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon. (Jiamin) Mc Lain, Paula.  The Paris Wife . Meeting through mutual friends in Chicago, Hadley is intrigued by brash "beautiful boy" Ernest Hemingway, and after a brief courtship and small wedding, they take off for Paris, where Hadley makes a convincing transformation from an overprotected child to a game and brave young woman who puts up with impoverished living conditions and shattering loneliness to prop up her husband's career. (Fudi) Millet, Lydia. Pills and Starships.  In a future Earth with an ecosystem destroyed by humans, teens Nat and Sam are in Hawaii to go through the 5-day process of their parents ending their long lives. Nat is given a book to write down her thoughts about her parents choosing to die and that is what we are reading. She is ambivalent and goes along with the program at the 'death resort' out of respect for her parents' and their decision. But her younger brother Sam is not sanguine; he's angry and rebellious and isn't following the plan. (Charlotte)

Morrison, Toni. Sula. Two girls who grow up to become women. Two friends who become something worse than enemies. In this brilliantly imagined novel, Toni Morrison tells the story of Nel Wright and Sula Peace, who meet as children in the small town of Medallion, Ohio. Their devotion is fierce enough to withstand bullies and the burden of a dreadful secret. It endures even after Nel has grown up to be a pillar of the black community and Sula has become a pariah. But their friendship ends in an unforgivable betrayal—or does it end? Terrifying, comic, ribald and tragic, Sula is a work that overflows with life. Amazon Review (Asante)

Orwell, George, 1984. Nineteen Eighty-Four is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell's nightmare vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff's attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell's prescience of modern life--the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language--and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written.  (Leah)

Yancey, Richard. The 5th Wave. "Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother from the enemy with help from a boy who may be one of them"--Provided by publisher. (Leah)(Brianna)

McCandless, Carine. The Wild Truth. The Wild Truth is an important book on two fronts: It sets the record straight about a story that has touched thousands of readers, and it opens up a conversation about hideous domestic violence hidden behind a mask of prosperity and propriety. In the more than twenty years since the body of Chris McCandless was discovered in the wilds of Alaska, his spellbinding story has captivated millions who have either read Jon Krakauer's iconic Into the Wild or seen Sean Penn's acclaimed film of the same name. And yet, only one person has truly understood what motivated Chris's unconventional decision to forsake his belongings, abandon his family, and embrace the harsh wilderness.--Amazon review (Elizabeth)               Ware, Ruth. In a Dark, Dark Wood.  Ruth Ware's In a Dark, Dark Wood has all the hallmarks of a good psychological thriller-- a woman lured back to a past she's spent a decade trying to escape, a few unstable characters, and a shocking death. The impending marriage of Nora's best friend from that long ago time brings her to a glass-walled cabin deep in the woods, for a hen party (the U.K. equivalent of a bachelorette weekend). But why is she there when the two haven't spoken since Nora fled their college town ten years ago? As the party gets underway things start to take a dark turn that builds with each passing moment. In a Dark, Dark Wood is a slow burn, each revelation and obfuscation luring the reader at an ever faster pace towards its ultimate life and death conclusion.--Amazon Review, Seira Wilson (Charlotte)

Gabrielle. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry : A Novel. Fikry, the irascible owner of Island Books, has recently endured some tough years: his wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and his prized possession, a rare edition of Poe poems has been stolen. Over time, he has given up on people, and even the books in his store, instead of offering solace, are yet another reminder of a world that is changing too rapidly. Until a most unexpected occurrence gives him the chance to make his life over and see things anew. Gabrielle Zevin's enchanting novel is a love letter to the world of books—an irresistible affirmation of why we read." (Fudi)

Looking for a Good Book for the Thanksgiving Break?

Here are some suggestions from Upper School students as well as a selection of books added to the Library collection this Fall. Have a wonderful holiday! 

Fiction:

Student Recommendations

Learning Not To Drown by Anna Shionada  I recently read Learning Not To Drown by Anna Shionada and I highly recommend it. It's the story of a young girl coping with the fact that her brother is in prison for crimes she knows deep inside he committed, but can't admit to herself. It's an emotional roller coaster and made me sob and made me laugh more than once while staying up until midnight trying to finish. I think reading it over thanksgiving weekend is appropriate because it deals heavily in learning to be thankful for the things we do have in our lives and also learning to accept the areas that maybe aren't so spectacular. All in all, it's an amazing book. –Elizabeth C.  Overdrive e-Book Collection On order in print.

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone- Ava S. Overdrive e-Book Collection On order in print

Franny and  Zooey by J.D. Salinger. is ultimately a story of siblings and their relationship during the 1950s in New York City. The writing style and musings about the intricacies of life can be compared to Salinger’s writing in  Catcher in the Rye. I recommend this book because “You’re lucky if you get time to sneeze in this  phenomenal world” (Salinger, page  28) so you should spend it reading great literature. -Anonymous  Available in the Library

Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes-or any other books by this author- Me Before You is a great, although heartwrenching, novel about love, pain, and the connection between the two.  When 26 year old Louisa Clarke gets a job working for a quadriplegic man in his home, she is rather overwhelmed and slightly annoyed by his attitude.  However, the two are such opposites that they teach each other important life lessons and remind each other that people can't only live in the past and dwell on their sorrows, but that they should embrace what they do have because life might change at any moment.

Jenna R.  Available in the Library

To Live by Yu Hua. In the background of the Chinese Revolution, the son of a wealthy land-owner, Fugui lost all his property. However, it is just the start of his tragic life. All of his family members died because of the cruelty of fate and reality, but he still needed to keep moving forward. The causes of his family members’ death are variable and ridiculous including dying for choking on beans. I highly recommend this book because while we are consumed by this fickle world and become greedy, we need to keep in mind  the message Yu tries to deliver: we live just because we live, but not because all the other things in life. There is no such thing more beautiful than life, and there is no such thing more difficult than life. By the way, Yu Hua wrote in his introduction that the novel was inspired by the American folk song “Old Black Joe”. Overdrive e-Book Collection  On order in print - Yuting S.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty- What Alice Forgot explores a successful mother's life after suddenly experiencing a traumatic head injury which caused her to lose 10 years of her memory.  No longer does she recognize her kids or understand that she is divorced, but she must get back on her feet and go back to her "normal" lifestyle, which is now foreign to her.  After finishing the story and throughout, you are reminded to really stop and think, to look back on your past days with joy and nostalgia, and to realize how much we as humans take for granted. Jenna R. Available in the Library

The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rotkowski You win some, you lose some but, what happens when you get engaged to the one you wanted (score!) and you discover that there are shocking hidden secrets about him. Read and find out. -Mekele C.  Available in the Library

What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles I recommend this book because as a sleuth in training myself I love to read about mysteries and piece clues together to find out Who Dunnit? -Mekele C. Available in the Library

Nonfiction:

Student Recommendations:

A Wreath for Emmett Till  by Marylin Nelson. I recommend reading this book and take a deeper look into the murder of Emmett Till. Why was a young black boy brutally murdered for whistling at a white woman? Why wasn’t it otherwise? Reading this booked developed my knowledge on the murder of Emmett Till and I highly suggest reading this book.- Mekele C. Available in the Library

The Autobiography of Malcolm X  by Malcolm X. The Autobiography of Malcolm X details the life of civil rights activist Malcolm X from his time as a child in Michigan to his entrance into the Nation of Islam. I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about an aspect of history not emphasized in textbooks. -Sefa S. Available in the Library

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman. The story of Piper Kerman, in book form! If you like the show then you’ll also like the book. Piper Kerman tells her story about spending a year in Federal Correctional Institution (FCI), Danbury, an all womens prison. The basis of the show comes from the book. -Mekele C. Available in the Library

Race: A History Beyond Black & White by Marc Aronson I highly recommend this book because it helps you develop an understanding and respect for the races that aren’t just black and white.  -Mekele C. Available in the Library

How to Be Black by  Baratunde Thurston For those of us black students who have a hard time understanding our culture and heritage and constantly question our “blackness” this book is for us to read. It doesn’t tell you how to be black but more or less of the stereotypical connotations that come with being a black person. -Mekele C. Available in the Library

Movies:

Student Recommendations

The Blind Side.  Taken away from your mother at a young age, placed in the system, and never knowing what could happen next is scary, especially for Michael Oher. When adopted by a white family and attending a predominately white school, you learn a lot about your identity. Michael learns his through sports, academics and by having a loving and nurturing family help finish raising him.  -Mekele C.

Boyhood Coming of Age. We all know the struggle. But, watching one person’s coming of age over a 12-year span with the same cast being his family, the boy learns a lot as he grows up from his acting life to his real life.  -Mekele C.

Marvel’s the Avengers  -Mekele C.

Minority Report -Mekele C.

Fiction:

New additions to the Library

Abdel-Fattah, Randa. Does my head look big in this? New York : Scholastic, 2007, c2005. Year Eleven at an exclusive prep school in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, would be tough enough, but it is further complicated for Amal when she decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full-time as a badge of her faith--without losing her identity or sense of style.- CAFE

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Ashes. 1st ed. New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, [2016]."As the Revolutionary War rages on, Isabel and Curzon are reported as runaways, and the awful Bellingham is determined to track them down.

Asher, Jay, 1975-. What light. [New York, N.Y.] : Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House, [2016]. "Sierra's family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon--it's a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other. Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other."--Provided by publisher.

Atwood, Margaret, 1939- author. Hag-seed : The Tempest retold.

Crucet, Jennine Capó, author. Make your home among strangers. First Picador editon. "When Lizet - the daughter of Cuban immigrants and the first in her family to graduate from high school - secretly applies and is accepted to an ultra-elite college, her parents are furious at her decision to leave Miami. Just weeks before she's set to start school, her parents' divorce and her father sells her childhood home, leaving Lizet, her mother, and Leidy - Lizet's older sister, a brand-new single mom-without a steady income and scrambling for a place to live ... Pulled between life at college and the needs of those she loves, Lizet is faced with difficult decisions that will change her life." --.CAFE

Gyasi, Yaa. Homegoing : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2016. "Two half sisters, Effia and Esi, unknown to each other, are born into two different tribal villages in 18th century Ghana. Effia will be married off to an English colonial, and will live in comfort in the sprawling, palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle, raising half-caste children who will be sent abroad to be educated in England before returning to the Gold Coast to serve as administrators of the Empire. Her sister, Esi, will be imprisoned beneath Effia in the Castle's women's dungeon, and then shipped off on a boat bound for America, where she will be sold into slavery"--Provided by publisher. CAFE

Kephart, Beth. Undercover. 1st pbk. ed. New York : Laura Geringer books, 2009, c2007.High school sophomore Elisa is used to observing and going unnoticed except when classmates ask her to write love notes for them, but a teacher's recognition of her talent, a "client's" desire for her friendship, a love of ice skating, and her parents' marital problems draw her out of herself.

Lord, Emery. The start of me and you. Pbk. ed. New York : Bloomsbury, 2016. Paige Hancock starts junior year with a list of ways to take back her life, rather than spending another year as "The Girl Whose Boyfriend Drowned," and finding out that Ryan Chase, her long-term crush, is available again might be the key.

Lu, Marie, 1984-. The midnight star. New York, NY : G. P. Putnam's Sons, [2016]. "Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She's turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows. The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all she's gained. When a new danger appears, Adelina's forced to revisit old wounds, putting not only herself at risk, but every Elite. In order to preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest--though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger"--Dust jacket.

Lu, Marie, 1984-. The Rose Society. New York, NY : Speak, 2016. Known and feared as the White Wolf, Adelina Amouteru and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. But as Adelina's powers (fed only by fear and hate) start to grow beyond her control, she also distrusts her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?.

McKeon, Belinda, 1979-. Solace : a novel. 1st Scribner hardcover ed. New York : Scribner, 2011.Tom Casey, a farmer in the Irish midlands in the early 2000s, struggles to understand his son Mark, a doctoral student in Dublin, and the gap between the two men widens when Mark becomes involved with Joanne Lynch, the daughter of Tom's sworn enemy, but when tragedy strikes, they find Mark's young daughter Aoife may prove to be the link that helps them find peace with each other.

Patchett, Ann. Commonwealth. 1st ed. New York : Harper, [2016]. "The acclaimed, bestselling author--winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize--tells the enthralling story of how an unexpected romantic encounter irrevocably changes two families' lives.

Picoult, Jodi, 1966-. Small great things : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Ballantine Books, [2016]."A woman and her husband admitted to a hospital to have a baby request that their nurse be reassigned - they are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is black, to touch their baby. The hospital complies, but the baby later goes into cardiac distress when Ruth is on duty.

Quindlen, Anna. Miller's Valley : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Random House, [2016]. "For generations the Millers have lived in Miller's Valley. Mimi Miller tells about her life with intimacy and honesty. As Mimi eavesdrops on her parents and quietly observes the people around her, she discovers more and more about the toxicity of family secrets, the dangers of gossip, the flaws of marriage, the inequalities of friendship and the risks of passion, loyalty, and love.

Talley, Robin. As I descended. 1st ed. New York, NY : HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2016].A feud between three girls over an elite prize turns to fatalities and madness, and blurs the distinction between what's real and what's imagined. CAFE

Vonnegut, Kurt. Breakfast of champions. Dial Press trade paperback ed. New York : Dial Press, 2006, c1973.

Woodson, Jacqueline. Another Brooklyn : a novel. 1st ed. New York, NY : Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2016] Three friends experience the all-too-real perils of growing up in Brooklyn in the 70s.

Nonfiction

New additions to the library

Vance, J. D. Hillbilly elegy : a memoir of a family and culture in crisis. 1st ed. New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2016].

Rubin, Susan Goldman. Brown v. Board of Education : a fight for simple justice. 1st ed. New York : Holiday House, [2016].

Baker, Emerson W., author. A storm of witchcraft : the Salem trials and the American experience. Bronstein, Paula.. Afghanistan : between hope and fear.

Carmon, Irin. Notorious RBG : the life and times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 1st ed. New York, NY : Dey St., an imprint of William Morrow Publishers, [2015]. Freedman, Russell. Vietnam : a history of a war. 1st ed. New York : Holiday House, [2016].

Ginsburg, Ruth Bader. My own words. 1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed. October 2016. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2016.

Lee Shetterly, Margot, author. Hidden figures : the American dream and the untold story of the Black women mathematicians who helped win the space race. First edition.

Epstein, David J., 1983-. The sports gene : inside the science of extraordinary athletic performance. This pbk. ed. New York, N.Y. : Current, 2014. The argument of whether some athletes are born with their skills is discussed and analyzed.

Burnett, William. Designing your life : how to build a well-lived, joyful life. 1st ed. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2016.

Dreaming in Indian : contemporary Native American voices. Toronto : Annick Press, [2016]. Looks at more than fifty emerging and established contemporary Native American artists. CAFE

Lewis, John, 1940 February 21-. March. Marietta, GA : Top Shelf Productions, [2013]. Presents in graphic novel format events from the life of Georgia congressman John Lewis, focusing on his youth in rural Alabama, his meeting with Martin Luther King Jr., and the birth of the Nashville Student Movement.

Lewis, John, 1940 February 21-. March. Marietta, GA : Top Shelf Productions, [2015]. A graphic novel account of some pivotal moments in the Civil Rights Movement.

Lewis, John, 1940 February 21-. March. Marietta, GA : Top Shelf Productions, [2015]. A graphic novel account of some pivotal moments in the Civil Rights Movement.

Wilson, Brian, 1942-. I am Brian Wilson : a memoir. Boston, MA : Da Capo Press, [2016].

Cohen, Bryan. 1,000 creative writing prompts for seasons : ideas for blogs, scripts, stories and more. [United States] : [publisher not identified], ©2012.

Toorpakai, Maria, 1990-. A different kind of daughter : the girl who hid from the Taliban in plain sight. 1st ed.: May 2016. New York : Twelve, 2016.Maria Toorpakai recalls her childhood in Pakistan, and her harrowing journey to play sports, from living as a boy in public to becoming the number one female squash player in the country.

Movies: New Additions to the Library

He named me Malala.

Gandhi. 2-disc collector's ed. Culver City, Calif. : Sony Pictures Home

Genius.

Race.

Star trek beyond.

Windtalkers.

Wolf Hall.

The Nazi games : Berlin 1936.

Twelfth night.

The American president.

The way West : how the West was lost and won.