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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...

All foundations of great relationships rely on two things: partners with shared interests and specially made mix-tapes presented on anniversaries or all-nighter parties. Meanwhile, if you were in a relationship that resembled the great 80's and 90's classic movies, then the above statement is nothing but an obvious necessity for the relationship to continue. Although I cannot relate to burning songs to CDs or creating playlists for a significant other, my high school years were spent scouring Spotify and YouTube for the next "it" song. Thus, my time spent on these platforms were in the top 1% as a musical theater nerd and overall shy, hoodie-wearing hermit crab. Consequently, after engulfing Holly Black's Folk of the Air trilogy within three days and while surviving the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, I immediately began to soak my sorrows with both tissues and sad break-up songs. These sorrows were eventually subdued after re-reading the stories again, leading me t...

In the Society, officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die. Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one…until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion. Matched  is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic. Discussion:                                                                                  ...

Stevie is experiencing a  My Lottery Dream Home  moment; however, instead of a multi-million dollar prize leading to a new house and bonding time with the show's host David Bromstad, Stevie is enrolling in Ellingham Academy, a school known for teaching the brightest teenagers as well as the site of the near-century-old murder of previous student Dottie Epstein and the kidnappings of the school founder Albert Ellingham's wife and daughter. Both the murders and kidnappings are known to be done by the anonymous Truly Devious -- evidenced by a ransom poem crafted and sent nights before the terrible night in April 1936.  Inclined to solving the school's cold-case with her passion for forensics and with the aid of modern-day technology, Stevie becomes engrossed in a group video project staring the school's Hollywood star Hayes Major. Their focus is to recreate the series as a film showing the unfortunate events after Albert became aware of his wife and daughter's kidnapp...

You try magic once and it sticks to you like glitter glue . . . When Johnny and his best friend, Alison, pass their summer holidays dabbling in magic, they never expect it to have consequences. Sure, it’d be great if they could banish bullies or change their lives for the better, and what harm could come from lighting a few candles and chanting a few spells? When they cause an earthquake that shakes Chicago to its core, they draw the attention of the Marduk Institute, an age-old organization dedicated to fostering the talents of young wizards. Once there, Johnny and Alison are told they can never return to their previous lives, and must quickly adapt to a new world shimmering with monsters, fraternities, and cute boys like Hunter and Blake. But when they’re pulled into an epic, supernatural fight that could cost them both their lives, Johnny and Alison find strength they never knew they had as they battle for love, acceptance, and their own happy ending—all with the help of a little ma...

Every Tuesday, Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl hosts Top Ten Tuesday, a series of posts created to appreciate lists of books and reading-related culture. The theme changes every week and is chosen by Jana. Come join our fangirl/boy craziness by naming your top ten favorite short reads in the comments or in your very own blog/social media post! Books and their stories, no matter the length, are extremely attractive. After a long day of work or school, it's only necessary to curl up on the couch and read a fraction of a story before sleeping the night away. However, some nights, the energy to finish a whole book readily flows in your veins and is fueled from the adrenaline of the right story. It's the nail-biting adventure novel with the cliffhanger chapters or the horrific fantasy giving goosebumps or the short king novellas. Whichever book floats your metaphorical boat, I have curated a list to cater to the interests of most readers. Ten genres is definitely not enough to cover...