Stay by Deb Caletti
Stay is an emotional and linguistic masterpiece. Readers experience teen Clara's obsessive and dangerous relationship with Christian, and the aftermath of this turmoil in alternating chapters. The climax occurs when Clara's scary past and happier present collide. You'll be on the edge of your seat for this one. Caletti figuratively explains the most difficult of emotions with precision, ease, and delicacy.
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
Alice used to have a different name. She lived in a nice house with her parents. Then her life came to a crashing halt when Ray kidnapped her during a school field trip. She's been held captive and abused constantly for five years now, and one false move could lead to the harm of "Alice's" long lost family. Does she remain the "living dead girl," escape and reclaim her life, or pray that this torture will end her death?
After by Amy Efaw
This is the type of book that I would instruct for you to not read the back cover. It's a much more exhilarating and horrifying read if you merely jump into "After." Teenage Devon: honor student, soccer player, ends up in jail. Why? Read and you'll find out.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Asher's first novel is one of those books that all teens must read; along with Speak, The Giver, Looking for Alaska, Nineteen Minutes, etc. Thirteen people receive tapes of their dead classmate's story, which detail the events leading up to her suicide. Shows how our actions always affect another- an important read.
The Red Thread by Ann Hood
This novel follows several couples as they adopt daughters from China through Maya Lange, the owner of the Red Thread Adoption Agency. Emotional and heart-wrenching, this story details the rigid confines of love and how we can blur those lines.
The Irrationalist by Suzanne Buffam
This book of poems slams opposite events, objects, and ideas together in a beautiful mess of contradictions. The section, "Little Commentaries" manages to be humorous and thought-provoking. It's a book worth reading more than once.
The Wild Iris by Louise Gluck
Gluck voices tales of heaven and earth from a God-like narrator and his woeful yet dutiful creation, humankind. While the garden imagery became a bit repetitive, the unique perspectives made the poems refreshing.
I still have to go back and review the books I read in the beginning of the summer, but these were still swirling around in my mind. Time to teach my first ever writing workshop at the Agawam Library. Wish me luck!
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