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READ IT AND REAP
Book Reviews and Recommendations

WHAT I'M READING NOW
Twelve Classic Christmas Stories
Timothy Larsen
The Edge of Normal
Hana Schank
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Book Recommendations for Different Genres (2024 Edition)
I missed the actual anniversary, but it's time for the third biannual post where I give one (or two if I can't choose) book...
Lyra Thompson
Aug 29, 20243 min read


For Letter or Worse by Esther Hatch - Review
Book Synopsis: Every word in his letter spells mortification. There was only one reason young Harrison Chase moved away from his idyllic country upbringing to the long dark hours of working in a London factory—he was bound and determined to make his fortune and deserve a chance to court Christine Stone. But as years passed and his dream of making a fortune came closer into view, he realized there were a lot more important things in life than young, unrequited love. In the mid
Lyra Thompson
1 day ago2 min read


The Burning Bridge (Ranger's Apprentice #2) by John Flanagan - Review
Book Synopsis: Bracing for a final clash with the evil warlord Morgarath, the Rangers rally the kingdom's allies, and Will is chosen, along with his friend Horace, as special envoys to nearby Celtica. But the simple mission soon takes an unsettling turn - the Celticans have disappeared, their town abandoned. The scheming hand of Morgarath, it seems, has been far from idle. He has found a way to bring his legions over the once impassible eastern mountains and is planning to am
Lyra Thompson
5 days ago2 min read


This Light Between Us by Andrew Fukuda - Review
Book Synopsis: A story of World War II about the unlikeliest of pen pals--a Japanese American boy and a French Jewish girl--as they fight to maintain hope in a time of war. In 1935, ten-year-old Alex Maki from Bainbridge Island, Washington is disgusted when he's forced to become pen pals with Charlie Levy of Paris, France--a girl. He thought she was a boy. In spite of Alex's reluctance, their letters continue to fly across the Atlantic--and along with them the shared hopes an
Lyra Thompson
Dec 53 min read


(SPOILERS) The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice #1) by John Flanagan - Review
Book Synopsis: They have always scared him in the past — the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battle
Lyra Thompson
Nov 243 min read


Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West - Review
Book Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Abby Turner's summer isn't going the way she'd planned. She has a not-so-secret but definitely unrequited crush on her best friend, Cooper. She hasn't been able to manage her mother's growing issues with anxiety. And now 4.5/5 stars. It’s been a while since I’ve read a Kasie West book, or a contemporary romance in general. It was nice to get back to a wholesome, quick read with great banter and a fun plot. I don’t really have many negatives t
Lyra Thompson
Oct 282 min read


Ground Zero by Alan Gratz - Review
Book Synopsis: It's September 11, 2001. Brandon, a 9-year-old boy, goes to work for the day with his dad . . . at the World Trade Center in New York City. When two planes hit the towers, Brandon and his father are trapped inside a fiery nightmare as terror and confusion swirl around them. Can they escape -- and what will the world be like when they do? In present-day Afghanistan, Reshmina is an 11-year-old girl who is used to growing up in the shadow of war, but she has dream
Lyra Thompson
Oct 163 min read


Beyond the Pale by Emily Urquhart - Review
Book Synopsis: The story begins on St. Stephen's Day, 2010, in St. John's, Newfoundland, when the author gives birth to a baby girl named...
Lyra Thompson
Sep 254 min read


(SPOILERS) Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate - Review
Book Synopsis: Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s...
Lyra Thompson
Sep 133 min read


Go The Distance by Jen Calonita - Review
Book Synopsis: What if Meg had to become a god? After Hercules proves he's a true hero and regains his godship, all seems right in the...
Lyra Thompson
Aug 253 min read


(SPOILERS) The Shattered Castle (Ascendance #5) by Jennifer A. Nielsen - Review
Book Synopsis: King Jaron has outwitted the Prozarians and returned to his own kingdom with one secret in his pocket that not even his...
Lyra Thompson
Aug 83 min read


Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper — Review
Book Synopsis: Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail...
Lyra Thompson
Aug 43 min read


The Geography of Lost Things by Jessica Brody - Review
Book Synopsis: After Ali’s father passes away, he leaves his one and only prized possession—a 1968 Firebird convertible—to his daughter....
Lyra Thompson
Jul 284 min read


Little Men by Louisa May Alcott - Review
Book Synopsis: With two sons of her own, and twelve rescued orphan boys filling the informal school at Plumfield, Jo March -- now Jo...
Lyra Thompson
Jul 153 min read


The Captive Kingdom (Ascendance #4) by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Book Synopsis: In a peaceful Carthya, Jaron leads as the Ascendant King with Imogen beside him -- but the peace he fought so long for is...
Lyra Thompson
Jun 303 min read


Fate Be Changed by Farrah Rochon - Review
Book Synopsis: What if the witch gave Merida a different spell? If you could change your fate, would you? Merida understands that as...
Lyra Thompson
Jun 173 min read


(SPOILERS) The Shadow Throne (Ascendance #3) by Jennifer A. Nielsen - Review
Book Synopsis: War has come to Carthya. It knocks at every door and window in the land. And when Jaron learns that King Vargan of Avenia...
Lyra Thompson
Jun 132 min read


Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill
Book Synopsis: Evalina Cassano’s life in an Italian-American family in 1941 is everything it “should be” until she falls in love with...
Lyra Thompson
Jun 32 min read
(SPOILERS) The Runaway King (False Prince #2) by Jennifer A. Nielsen - Review
Book Synopsis: A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Just weeks after Jaron has taken...
Lyra Thompson
May 303 min read
Promise Me Tomorrow by Donna Jo Stone - Review
Book Synopsis: For sixteen-year-old Nina, communicating her emotions is ridiculously hard. She expresses those best through art, the one...
Lyra Thompson
May 133 min read
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