Title/Author: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson Publisher: Spiegel & Grau In a nutshell (Publisher): SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING MICHAEL B. JORDAN AND JAMIE FOXX Named one of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Times • The Washington Post • The Boston Globe • The Seattle Times • Esquire…

Title/Author: Where Reasons End: A Novel by Yiyun Li Publisher: Random House In a nutshell (Publisher): The narrator of Where Reasons End writes, “I had but one delusion, which I held on to with all my willpower: We once gave Nikolai a life of flesh and blood; and I’m doing it over again, this time by words.”…

Title/Author: The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton with Lara Love Hardin Publisher: St Martin’s Press In a nutshell (Amazon): In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. Stunned, confused, and only twenty-nine years old, Hinton…

Title/Author/Illustrator: Book Love by Debbie Tung Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing Verdict: Must Read & Have for ALL BOOK LOVERS! In a nutshell: Bookworms rejoice! These charming comics capture exactly what it feels like to be head-over-heels for hardcovers. And paperbacks! And ebooks! And bookstores! And libraries! Book Love is a gift book of comics tailor-made for…

Title/Author: Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing In a nutshell (Amazon): In 2014, award-winning journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote about her frustration with the way that discussions of race and racism in Britain were being led by those who weren’t affected by it. She posted a…

Title/Author: The Chronicles of Alice: ‘Alice’ and ‘Red Queen’ by Christina Henry Publisher: Ace Verdict: 4/5, 4/5 (Respectively) In a nutshell: Alice: In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls which echo the screams of the poor souls inside. In the hospital, there…

Title: To Kill a Kingdom Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Verdict: 4/5 In a nutshell (Amazon):  Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish…

A compelling, captivating and powerful book. By the end of it, it’ll have us questioning, how far have we come from the primitive minds of our ancestors?

Title: The Paragon: A Novel by Lyndsay Faye Publisher: Putnam Books Verdict: 4/5 Publication Day: Jan 8, 2019 In a nutshell (Publisher): The year is 1921, and “Nobody” Alice James is on a cross-country train, carrying a bullet wound and fleeing for her life following an illicit drug and liquor deal gone horribly wrong. Desperate to get…

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (3.5) I enjoy and appreciate dark humor. I liken it to eating dark chocolate – bitter-sweet, yet enjoyable. But I’m on the fence on this one. Calypso I liked, this, I’m not so sure. There are twelve stories in this collection – some I enjoyed as they got me…