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Unless you live in the sun-blazing heat and humidity of Houston or anywhere close to the Earth's equator, summer rolls around only once a year. Nonetheless, summer in the United States is a time of change: the weather itself turns warmer as the sun works overtime, tropical storms and hurricanes become more occurrent as beach attendance rises, another academic year ends and readies for the subsequent classes to come later, and the awaited summer vacation and family traveling finally arrives.  Whether I went to my local park or partook in a family road trip to Florida, each vacation was the most anticipated part of my summer. Moreover, partaking in exciting adventures only gave me more brownie points when I inevitably returned to school and expressed all the amusement to my classmates and friends. Nonetheless, I still left energy to read imaginary stories as well as listen to my classmates' summer stories.  Meanwhile, to distract myself from the never-ending wait to reach a dest...

When her mom inherits an old, crumbling mansion, Seda’s almost excited to spend the summer there. The grounds are beautiful and it’s fun to explore the sprawling house with its creepy rooms and secret passages. Except now her mom wants to renovate, rather than sell the estate—which means they're not going back to the city…or Seda's friends and school. As the days grow shorter, Seda is filled with dread. They’re about to be cut off from the outside world, and she’s not sure she can handle the solitude or the darkness it brings out in her. Then a group of teens get stranded near the mansion during a blizzard. Seda has no choice but to offer them shelter, even though she knows danger lurks in the dilapidated mansion—and in herself. And as the snow continues to fall, what Seda fears most is about to become her reality… Discussion:                                        ...

Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep. He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep. Who are the Sawkill Girls? Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find. Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is. Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies. Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires. Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now. Discussion:                   ...

Albertalli and Silvera's  What If It's Us  showcases the love story of two boys Arthur and Ben and their many dates and adventures located in New York. An enthusiastic and nerdy Georgia-native, Arthur is head over heels over the bustle of the city and its many attractions, particularly Broadway's musicals and this new guy Ben. Although Yale-bound Arthur was initially focused on gaining experience from his internship at his mother's law firm, he cannot help but become entranced by the Ben from the post office.  Cutest boy ever. Maybe it's the hair or the freckles or the pinkness of his cheeks. And I say this as someone who's never noticed another person's cheeks in my life. But his cheeks are worth noticing. So, that's our first description of Ben, a boy from Puerto-Rican descent who is grieving his recent break up with his ex Hudson. Left with a box of gifts and previous stuff from this relationship, Ben visits the post office to deliver and finally remo...

When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family's grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend. Suddenly, Evan isn't invisible anymore--even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy's parents, with their beautiful home on the other side of town, have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his closest friend. As Evan gets pulled deeper into their swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, he knows that what he's doing can't be right, but if he's helping people, how wrong can it be? No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose. And a website. He's confident. He's a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. Until everything is in danger of unraveling and ...

Between schoolwork and glitzy fashion shows, Clementine launches a blog, Bonjour Girl , and her wit, originality, and flair quickly catapult the site to cult status. Unfortunately, this comes with a price: Clementine is faced with online abuse and public humiliation. In the midst of all the drama, she finds out that a classmate is not what she seems, and Clementine has to find a way to save both her reputation and Jake’s fashion collection. When Clementine Liu arrives in New York City to study at the Parsons School of Design, she knows that she’s found her place. It isn’t long before she meets her fashionista soulmate, the loud and charismatic Jake, and Jonathan, a dreamy fashion photographer that turns her world upside down. Between schoolwork and glitzy fashion shows, Clementine launches a blog, Bonjour Girl , and her wit, originality, and flair quickly catapult the site to cult status. Unfortunately, this comes with a price: Clementine is faced with online abuse and public humil...

For two years, I have unofficially been participating in BookTube-A-Thon. Throughout the seven days, I have always completed seven books. I have always been dedicated; plus, I have never been busy as summer vacation occurs during this time. Sadly, I decided to complete some summer classes since I want to graduate earlier. Therefore, there is less time to read sometimes and there are more responsibilities rather than getting up before noon. Usually, I have just read any unread books on my shelves; however, since I am traveling to Michigan while competing in  joining this readathon, I need to keep light. Sadly, this means I can't travel with the usual fifty books I stuff into my suitcase just the night before. Before I start packing my bookshelf, let's look at the challenges to see what I can accomplish during the week. 1. Let a coin toss decide your first read.   VS.                              ...