This was great. Jo is a Chinese-American girl living in the South. Her and her adoptive father, Old Gin, face rampant discrimination, especially considering the fact that they are treated as "in-between" - they are not colored, but they are not white, either. They are treated poorly, while also facing the realization that many segregation rules do not seem to specifically apply to them. When Jo is fired from her job, she takes up her previously position as lady's maid for a girl she grew up being mistreated by. At the same time, the newspaper shop they live under is at risk of going out of business if they don't come up with some great new idea to get a whole lot of subscribers. Enter Jo, who under the anonymous name of Miss Sweetie decides to start writing an advice column that challenges many of the racist and sexist ideas her society is filled with. Of course, this brings with it a whole host of problems - Jo's writing is a crime in and of itself, and she will be chased out of town if anyone finds out that she is Miss Sweetie. She also has to balance staying hidden underneath the printshop, bite her tongue when it comes to the cruel things her mistress says, and ignore the fact that Old Gin seems to be doing something sneaky that she worries may have to do with marrying her off to a stranger. And, of course, she's still curious about where she came from - who were her parents, and why did they abandon her with Old Gin to begin with? Jo is a great role model for young girls to look up to - she is spunky and has her own thoughts and opinions that she is not afraid to share with others. She is a big risk taker, and an absolute delight to read about.

A love story that began in the most dire of circumstances- at the concentration camp of Auschwitz. The story also highlights how an underground economy emerged with jewels, chocolate, and extra rations used as currency. Amidst the horrors, the couple not only survives but finds life long love.

Zachary flips through an old library book and is shocked to find that he is inexplicably one of the characters in it. The ensuing search to unravel this mystery takes him through ancient underground libraries, lost cities, magical seas, in stories that transcend Time and Fate. The author writes in a hauntingly poetic style that immediately draws you into this magical world.

I've read many Lisa Jewell books and consider myself a fan. She does a great job of creating a realistic and vivid picture of her characters and their lives, and I usually enjoy following along as she tells their stories and gradually puts pieces together to solve a mystery or a puzzle of some kind. This book felt like Lisa Jewell "light," and read more like a romance novel. The book alternates between the lives of two young women making their way in London 70 years apart - Betty in the 1990s and Betty's step-grandmother Arlette in the 1920s. Both of them are extraordinarily beautiful, and other characters comment on this so often that it starts to seem ridiculous. I liked the story of Betty more than that of Arlette, but overall the characters in both time periods were flat, their problems were predictable and the book dragged on way too long. I had to force myself to finish it.

Amazing book, parts are a little hard to understand when they are not given a backstory such as kanji, ochimusha, and moonfolk.

Ms. Bixby's Last Day was a different kind of book than what I usually gravitate towards (sci-fi). But I really loved this book anyway. It's about three boys who were in Ms. Bixby's class. When Ms. Bixby resigns during the school year because of terminal illness, the three boys band together to help make Ms. Bixby's dreams come true, to acknowledge how she changed their lives forever. I loved this feel-good realistic fiction that bounced between flashbacks and present day, told in turn by the three boys. I strongly encourage this book to basically everyone.

The Push is a quick and intense read. I gave it 5 stars because it's a unique and fantastically written novel. It's dark, and also very sad and depressing. But Ashley Audrain makes narrator Blythe so real that I felt completely immersed in her struggles with motherhood and her relationships. I found the flashback sections a little confusing at first, but as the book went on it became clear that there was a purpose for including the unusual and disturbing stories of Blythe's mother and grandmother.

This was a fun, fast-paced read. I enjoyed the theme and time period of piracy in the Caribbean. Charles Hunter gathers a crew of interesting personalities with the goal of securing treasure from a Spanish galleon that is docked in a nearby harbor. He comes up with a challenging way of attacking the harbor and taking control of the galleon. If you enjoy fast paced, action, and humor, then pick up this book!

This book was very confusing. It sounded good and interesting but it was too confusing. They had a before the accident, after the accident, when she was younger. I couldn't always figure out who was the one speaking. Clare, Amber, Taylor... I wasn't a fan.

(This is Part 2 since you can only submit 1000 points a day.) This was a very good book, and I would recommend it.