I really liked this book. The characters felt so real and I grew to care about them a lot. It was interesting and sad and powerful all at the same time. I also learned so much about Iranian people’s history and how they stood up against the regime. It opened my eyes to stuff I didn’t know before. If you like stories about strong women and real-life struggles, this one’s totally worth reading.

This historical fiction takes place during JFK's campaign for president. An ex-cop reporter involving the CIA, the cold war, the mob as well as politics

It was a funny book and I read it myself

Predictable, but a fun read. I didn't really love the way the point of view was done in the book, but I still enjoyed the characters.

This book is really good and really exciting

This was a dual-timeline historical novel set in present day and WWII, but a little different from most in that the primary character is the same throughout. Present day Colette is in her 80s, but still an active jewel thief. 1940s Colette was a child, but a jewel thief even then. But she's a jewel thief with a twist--she only still from the evil, and uses the proceeds to fund positive things. An engaging story with twists and turns, centering around a two-piece bracelet.

This book was really good and really fascinating. I like that it was about goblins because I really like fantasy books.

Fences is a beautifully written yet heart wrenching story of a black man and father being so affected by the past that he can’t move forward, causing him to lose control of those he loved over time. Troy, the main character of the play, is in many ways scarred from his past. He works with his hands because his father did and he knows that a skill if the only thing the harsh world can’t take away from you. Growing up in the post-civil war time period and seeing the ways in which his father and black people struggled, he refuses to believe society will ever treat black people justly and allow them a chance to pursue what they love most. This is reflected in his refusal to sign a paper and let Cory, his son, play football and gain an opportunity for college. Troy can not fathom a world which allows black people to play mainstream sports and tries to prevent the pain before it starts by stopping Cory from playing. Resentment grows in Cory and with added issues of society’s treatment of his disabled veteran brother, Gabe, Troy begins to feel stuck and out of control with his life’s path. In doing so, he cheats on his wife, Rose, with a woman named Alberta and becomes the father to a girl who he asks Rose to take in. Miserable, and pushing away all who cared about him in his life, he becomes a stranger in his own home and begins his “fight” with death until he passes 8 years later. His impact on those around him (both good and bad) lingers on. I liked the story, even with us heartfelt sad ending. It is an overall great book!

I adored this book! The protagonist's "voice" comes through so strongly and distinctively in the first-person narration, and I love the contemporary take on the more traditional epistolary genre. The story is well paced and makes for quite a page-turner. I appreciate the inclusion of supportive educators. The subject matter also remains extremely timely and pertinent in the context of current sociopolitical events. I highly recommend it - and would love to know whether Rachel Maddow herself has read it!

I’m biased to any story set in Scotland, but this was such an interesting and unexpected one. I did not anticipate how much the lore of the region would play, and it was a great surprise.