Michelle and Leslie's Book Picks

Title: The Boy Most Likely To  Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick Published September 6th 2016 by Penguin Group Goodreads - Amazon _______________________________________ I read Huntley's first book, My Life Next Door, way back when it came out, and I remember loving it so I was excited to finally get around to reading another one of her stories. Now I am sad it took me so long. This is a complicated story. From the start you know a lot of things about Tim's past, and how he's recovering from being a teenage alcoholic. How can you not root for someone who is trying to climb out of the hole they are in? And I certainly couldn't stop myself from falling in love with Tim. I loved, loved that we got to see inside his head and it was honestly heartbreaking. It was so different, the kid he portrayed from who he really was, how he saw himself as basically worthless. I wanted him to be better, to get better, and to hope for something better. He is just a seventeen-year-old boy afte...

Description:  Unlucky in love once again after her possible-marriage-partner-to-be proves a little too close to his parents, Sofia Khan is ready to renounce men for good. Or at least she was, until her boss persuades her to write a tell-all expose about the Muslim dating scene. As her woes become her work, Sofia must lean on the support of her brilliant friends, baffled colleagues and baffling parents as she goes in search of stories for her book. In amongst the marriage-crazy relatives, racist tube passengers and decidedly odd online daters, could there be a a lingering possibility that she might just be falling in love ? Review: Marketed as a "Muslim Bridge Jones Diary", I took a chance on reading Sofia Khan is Not Obliged. While it is a romantic comedy and it is narrated via a blog/diary format, Sofia Khan is far from Bridget Jones and thank goodness for that. Sofia is a wickedly funny and smart first generation Pakistani Muslim hijabi living in London and working in the...

Description:  Kamran Smith has it all. He’s the star of the football team, dates the most popular girl, and can’t wait to enlist in the army like his big brother, Darius. Although Kamran’s mother is from Iran, Kamran has always felt 100% American. Accepted. And then everything implodes. Darius is accused of being a terrorist. Kamran refuses to believe it. But Darius has been filmed making threats against his country, hinting at an upcoming deadly attack. Suddenly, everyone in Kamran’s life turns against him and his family. Kamran knows it’s up to him to clear his brother’s name. In a race against time, Kamran must piece together a series of clues and codes that will lead him to Darius—and the truth. But is it a truth Kamran is ready to face? And is he putting his own life at risk? Review: I was hesitant in picking up Code of Honor due to its cover and the subject of terrorism and featuring a Muslim teen. Thankfully, the book avoids stereotypes and is a fast paced spy thriller. Kamr...

Description:  When Marvin Johnson's twin, Tyler, goes to a party, Marvin decides to tag along to keep an eye on his brother. But what starts as harmless fun turns into a shooting, followed by a police raid. The next day, Tyler has gone missing, and it's up to Marvin to find him. But when Tyler is found dead, a video leaked online tells an even more chilling story: Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer. Terrified as his mother unravels and mourning a brother who is now a hashtag, Marvin must learn what justice and freedom really mean. Review: Tyler Johnson Was Here is another debut novel that tackles the timely topic of police brutality. Marvin and Tyler Johnson are twin high school seniors at a crossroads. Marvin is on the road to attend college while Tyler finds himself involved in gang life. When a police officer shoots Tyler dead after he attends a questionable neighborhood party, Marvin's life is thrown off track. Unfortunately, this is not the first tim...

Description:  Atticus’s apprentice Granuaile is at last a full Druid herself. What’s more, Atticus has defrosted an archdruid long ago frozen in time, a father figure (of sorts) who now goes by the modern equivalent of his old Irish name: Owen Kennedy. And Owen has some catching up to do. Atticus takes pleasure in the role reversal, as the student is now the teacher. Between busting Atticus’s chops and trying to fathom a cell phone, Owen must also learn English. For Atticus, the jury’s still out on whether the wily old coot will be an asset in the epic battle with Norse god Loki—or merely a pain in the arse. But Atticus isn’t the only one with daddy issues. Granuaile faces a great challenge: to exorcise a sorcerer’s spirit that is possessing her father in India. Even with the help of the witch Laksha, Granuaile may be facing a crushing defeat. As the trio of Druids deals with pestilence-spreading demons, bacon-loving yeti, fierce flying foxes, and frenzied Fae, they’re hoping that...

Description:  Matthew Corbin suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. He hasn't been to school in weeks. His hands are cracked and bleeding from cleaning. He refuses to leave his bedroom. To pass the time, he observes his neighbors from his bedroom window, making mundane notes about their habits as they bustle about the cul-de-sac. When a toddler staying next door goes missing, it becomes apparent that Matthew was the last person to see him alive. Suddenly, Matthew finds himself at the center of a high-stakes mystery, and every one of his neighbors is a suspect. Matthew is the key to figuring out what happened and potentially saving a child's life... but is he able to do so if it means exposing his own secrets, and stepping out from the safety of his home? Review: The Goldfish Boy is a multilayered mystery that is suspenseful and an eye-opening look at mental illness. Matthew Corbin has severe obsessive compulsive disorder and his illness has caused him to be agorap...

Description:   For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn’t actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.     Sam’s stuck. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too, on a mattress on the floor of an empty storage room upstairs. He knows that this is the god-awful chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he’s a famous movie director but right this second the seventeen bucks in his checking account and his dying laptop are really testing him.   When Sam and Penny cross paths it’s less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally...

Title: Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) Authors: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Published October 20th 2015 by Knopf Books for Young Readers Goodreads - Amazon __________________________________________ I have a question.  To myself. "Why did it take you so long to pick up this book?!" Honestly, if I'd known what I was getting into, I would have read Illuminae a long time ago. I guess my reasoning was that it is just so massive that I figured I needed a lot of free time when I finally started it... WRONG . It was a breeze !  Once you start you can't stop, and it's so action-packed and written in such an entertaining way that it never feels like a long story. I loved it, if you can't tell by now. I loved Kady and her personality, she is going through the end of her world and you can see her vulnerability bleeding through her words, and yet, so much strength. She doesn't sit around to take a chance to grieve, instead turns to what she knows best: hacking. ...