Biblio Reviews

Slow to act, especially when anything is trending super hard, I finally read R.J. Palacio's  Wonder  (2013). I freaking love this story! It is uplifting, if a bit saccharine, and gives me hope in humans' capacity for good. In all, the story's message is simple: Be kind. At this point, many are familiar with the story of August "Auggie" Pullman, a ten year-old whose facial deformities despite numerous operations have lead to his isolation with the rest of the world. That is, until his parents decide that middle school is the ideal time to literally expose Auggie to the world in hopes of jumpstarting his interaction with it. Auggie, of course, is terrified. However, he faces his new world bravely. As expected, Auggie's peers (and a few adults) struggle to see Auggie beyond what's on the surface. With time and perseverance on the part of Auggie, especially, his schoolmates learn to see him for the beautiful and resilient wonder that he is. Narrated by...

Flirting with Felicity  (2015) by Gerri Russell plays out like a Hallmark Channel movie in my mind, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sweet and light with a good-hearted female protagonist, I found the book to be a surprisingly enjoyable read. It is the story of Felicity who inherits Seattle's landmark Bancroft Hotel where she works as the hotel chef. Thing is, her inherence was a surprise: She hadn't known that the elderly hotel resident she had befriended was really the famed billionaire owner of the hotel and founder of Bancroft Industries. Conflict and romance arise when Blake, the elderly man's nephew, swaggers into town to take over the Bancroft. What follows is Blake's attempt at compromising: Spend a day in the other's world and then decide who is more worthy of the hotel. The story develops into what felt like a sweet, romantic stroll in the development of Felicity and Blake's courtship. We learn of the challenges that have shaped them and...

More than a story about football, Carl Deuker's  Payback Time  (2010) is really a story about identity and growing up. It tells the story of Daniel "Mitch" True, a Lincoln High School journalist seeking to make a name for himself during his senior year. Enter Angel Marichal, an enigmatic and NFL-talented transfer who shies away from his much-deserved spotlight. The search to find out Angel's secrets is the mystery that propels Daniel's investigative work. Through the experience, Dan learns that reporting the truth has consequences. In the end, the mystery is really the secondary story, for the true takeaway is in Daniel's transformation from an overweight, unconfident nerd seeking to redefine himself by making a splash as a reporter to being a young, fitter, and confident man coming into his own, satisfied with being a work in progress. Nicknamed "Mitch," short for the Michelin Man during his freshman year because of his weight,  Daniel chooses t...