May 2013

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

When soldiers arrive in his Cambodian hometown, Arn Chorn-Pond is just a little boy. But the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside where he is separated from his family and assigned to a labor camp. Every day he sees children dying. One day, the soldiers ask if anyone can play a musical instrument and although he’s never played a note in his life, he volunteers. Based on the true story. ♥♥

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A glorious mixture of fiction supported by incredible vintage photography! Sixteen-year-old Jacob visits a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. It seems deserted but the longer he explores the more real they become –and they may still be alive!  ♥♥♥♥

April 2013

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

An Alaskan, homestead, in 1920 is wonderfully haunting setting for this adult fairy-tale. Jack and Mabel build a child out of snow but the next morning the snow child is gone. Later, they see a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. The story follows her life and the couple’s desire to take care of the little child of the wilderness.

This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

It seems like short stories but then you realize they are woven together through Yunior, a young Dominican man who seems to love and lose in equal measure. The losing part entirely of his own making. ♥

March 2013

Escape From Camp 14 by Blaine Harden

North Korea’s political prison camps are notorious, and no one born and raised in these camps has ever escaped. That changes as we meet Shin Dong-hyuk and learn about his true story of how he survived the horrible conditions and his amazing escape. ♥♥

 Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

A short battle with Iraqi insurgents transformed the eight surviving men of Bravo Squad into America's most sought-after heroes. During a US media tour to reinvigorate support for the war, Billy deals with flash-backs, questions about the war, his survival and the knowledge that he has to go back to Iraq.  ♥♥