The Project by Courtney Summers

My latest read is The Project by Courtney Summers.  As I have stated before, I am a sucker for cult books.  Summers never disappoints, and The Project is no different.  While I call it a cult book, this really is a story about love and the connections between sisters.  It is a story about how far we will go for those we care most about.  It is beautiful and haunting and a story that is going to stick with me for a long time to come.  

The Project is the story of Lo Denham.  When she was just thirteen, she was in a car accident that took the lives of her parents, but spared her own.  Her older sister, Bea, was not with them, but was lost to Lo all the same.  It was at this time that Bea became fully immersed in The Unity Project and its leader, Lev Warren.  Years later, Lo is still yearning for the lost connection to her sister, but all attempts to contact her are shot down by The Project. When the opportunity arises for this aspiring journalist to get an in depth look at Lev and his group, she goes for it in the hopes of finding her sister. But can Lo resist the manipulation of Lev long enough to discover the truth about Bea, or will she lose sight of her purpose? Courtney Summers has once again given us an enthralling story that will keep you turning the pages as you follow Lo's journey to find the truth about the person she loves the most in this world.  

 

From Amazon: 

The #1 Spring 2021 Kids’ Indie Next Pick

An Amazon Best Young Adult Book of the Month for February Selection

A Rolling Stone Top Pop Culture for March Pick

A Book Riot Most Anticipated Books of 2021 Selection

Three starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Booklist!

Featured in over 20 “Most Anticipated” lists, including BuzzFeed, Den of Geek, Book Riot, Bustle, Publishers Weekly, PopSugar, Entertainment Weekly, Frolic, and B&N Reads!

"In this compelling and absorbing YA novel, two sisters make the most painful of choices based on their love for one another." ―Shelf Awareness

From Courtney Summers, the New York Times bestselling author of the 2019 Edgar Award Winner and breakout hit Sadie, comes her electrifying follow-up―a suspenseful, pulls-no-punches story about an aspiring young journalist determined to save her sister no matter the cost.

Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died in a tragic car accident, her sister Bea joined the elusive community called The Unity Project, leaving Lo to fend for herself. Desperate not to lose the only family she has left, Lo has spent the last six years trying to reconnect with Bea, only to be met with radio silence.

When Lo’s given the perfect opportunity to gain access to Bea’s reclusive life, she thinks they’re finally going to be reunited. But it’s difficult to find someone who doesn’t want to be found, and as Lo delves deeper into The Project and its charismatic leader, she begins to realize that there’s more at risk than just her relationship with Bea: her very life might be in danger.

As she uncovers more questions than answers at each turn, everything Lo thought she knew about herself, her sister, and the world is upended. One thing doesn’t change, though, and that’s what keeps her going: Bea needs her, and Lo will do anything to save her.

"This book is brave and raw and exciting and wise―wise about girls and women, weakness and strength, and the bittersweet beauty of being human." ―Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood Series

"This is a beautifully-written, compelling book about the lengths to which someone will go in order not to lose their sense of belonging. It’s full of twists and turns, keeping its readers guessing until the very end. The characterization is masterfully done and so empathetic that the reader will find it almost impossible not to sympathize with the characters even if they are seemingly going down the wrong path. It’s a tour de force, unflinchingly posing uncomfortable questions and forcing its readers to dig deep into themselves in order to find the answers." ―The Nerd Daily

 

Those Who Prey by Jennifer Moffett

I am a sucker for cult books, and Those Who Prey by Jennifer Moffett fits the bill perfectly.  This story is a slow burn that builds to a great ending.  Emily is a lonely college student, far from home.  As she is approached one day, she quickly finds a group of friends that accept her and welcome her.  As a reader, you can see the slow build as these friends draw her into The Kingdom.  And as Emily becomes more enamored with them, she becomes blind to the manipulation and control The Kingdom is starting to assert over her.  And when someone close to her dies, her eyes finally start to open to the true ways of The Kingdom.  Can she find a way out before it's too late? 

 

From Amazon: 

Sadie meets The Girls in this riveting debut psychological thriller about a lonely college freshman seduced into joining a cult—and her desperate attempt to escape before it’s too late.

College life isn’t what Emily expected.

She expected to spend freshman year strolling through the ivy-covered campus with new friends, finally feeling like she belonged. Instead, she walks the campus alone, still not having found her place or her people so far away from home.

But then the Kingdom finds her.

The Kingdom, an exclusive on-campus group, offers everything Emily expected out of college and more: acceptance, friends, a potential boyfriend, and a chance to spend the summer on a mission trip to Italy. But the trip is not what she thought it would be. Emily and the others are stripped of their passports and money. They’re cut off from their families back home. The Kingdom’s practices become increasingly manipulative and dangerous…

And someone ends up dead.

This Was Always About Basketball by Craig Leener

This Was Always About Basketball by Craig Leener is the third and final installment in the Zeke Archer Basketball Trilogy.  And if you are like me and highly enjoyed the adventures of the first two books, you will love this one just as much.   Leener's newest novel takes us back into the lives of Ezekiel Archer and Sherman "Lawrence" Tuckerman.  As Zeke is preparing to leave L.A. and head to Lawrence, Kansas to attend the University of Kansas, his life takes a sudden and unexpected turn.  The truck he is supposed to be driving to school the next day is in pieces and his best friend is involved.  His dad is in the VA hospital and not doing well.  And maybe worst of all, his arch nemesis, Brock seems to have altered the history of basketball.  

 With Lawrence's help (who is partially responsible for basketball's altered history), Zeke must once again dive into the world of the 7th Dimension and figure out how to fix the game he loves.  Along their journey through time and space, Zeke will not only try and save basketball, but also figure out a future that seems to always be up in the air.  With his best friend by his side, Zeke carves out a path for his life that clearly points to a future that will continue to preserve this game that has meant so much to him.

 Leener has once again given us a fun and exciting story that dives into the history of basketball and takes us back to that moment when Dr. James Naismith first established his 13 original rules of the game.  If you are basketball fan then this book, and this trilogy, is for you!

 

From Amazon: 

In this thrilling conclusion to the bestselling trilogy, teen hoops star Zeke Archer is ready to fulfill a lifelong dream: running point for the best college basketball team in the country! But on what should be the best day of his life, things take a horrible turn. Zeke’s truck has been completely dismantled, leaving him with no way to drive to a university 1,600 miles away. His on-again, off-again girlfriend has written him a letter that can only be heart-crushing. And Zeke’s father is in critical condition, hanging on by thread in the VA hospital . . .But to make matters absolutely worse, Zeke’s nemesis and archrival Brock Decker is suddenly rich and famous--and appears responsible for a most insidious plan to alter the future of basketball’s history. With barely any time to fix things, Zeke, together with his best friend Lawrence, will somehow have to break interdimensional barriers of time and space to return to the very spot where the game he loves was invented, all in an attempt to undo everything. But if the clock runs out, Zeke Archer and everything he loves will be gone!

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas is the prequel to her best-selling debut, The Hate U Give.  This story takes us back and tells the story of Maverick Carter, Starr's dad, and a pillar in the Garden Heights' community.  In the first book, we got a glimpse at the man he is.  But in Concrete Rose, we get the chance to see how he got there.  From the struggles of trying to live up to his dad's reputation to helping out a mom who is doing the best she can, Maverick has to learn what it takes to take care of those he loves.  And when he suddenly finds out he is a father and then quickly has another on the way, he must decide what path he must take to create a future for himself and his family.  This is such a wonderfully told story about how we don't have to succumb to the environment we are surrounded by.  How we can find a way to thrive when the world around us expects us to fall.  It shows us how we can be that rose that grows out of the concrete. 

 

From Amazon:

International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood.

If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.

Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.

Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.

Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.

When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain

I've been a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain for a long time now.  Watching him first on No Reservations and then on Parts Unknown, I became fascinated by the places he visited, the food he ate, and the people he met.  But more than anything, I loved the stories he told.  He let the viewer in to the history of each place, the forgotten stories that truly make the land and the people special.  He didn't hold anything back when telling these stories and you could tell in his words that he wasn't there to exploit the people, but rather to educate the viewers about so many things we didn't know.  He did this by speaking to the people in each country or city he visited, but more so did it through eating the food native to each land.  You can learn so much about the people by the food they eat.  And Bourdain was a master at learning and teaching the most important things.

 Kitchen Confidential is the story of how he got there.  It is his personal history of how he came to love food and his time in the restaurant industry.  He struggled with his demons, but worked hard to accomplish all that he did.  He didn't always do it right, but he gave it everything he had.  This book lays it all on the line and gives the reader an intimate look at the business of food.  Even though he left us way too soon, he left us the gift of his storytelling in books like Kitchen Confidential. 

 

From Amazon: 

A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute cuisine—now with all-new, never-before-published material.
 

My Favorite Reads of 2020

Here we go again.  This is such a difficult task.  During this past year I read so many good books and trying to narrow that list down to my 10 favorites (plus a few extras) is nearly impossible.  I love to take some time to look back on what I read and remember books that I didn't realize were still part of the past year.  But putting together my favorite 10 is always hard because I know I am going to have to leave out some books that I love.  These books were not all new in 2020, but most of them are. Clicking on each title will take you to my full review for that particular novel.  I would love for any of you to comment and tell me what you think of my list, thoughts on any of these you may have read, or anything else you may have to say.  Enjoy and hopefully you will find something to add to your TBR pile.  

 

1. We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez

    -This is such a powerful and important book.  Sanchez has given us the unbelievable journey of       three young people who are trying to escape their lives in Central America and find a new beginning in the United States.  A really incredible novel!

2. Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson  

    -Jackson is a pre-order, must read for me.  Grown is another breathtaking story from Jackson.  Ripped straight from the headlines, this novel will pull you in from the first pages.

3. Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation by Michael Powell

    -This one is nonfiction and tells the story of a high school basketball team in Arizona.  But this one is about so much more than basketball.  This really is the story of the Navajo Nation as told through an extraordinary group of young men and their dedicated coach.

4. Dear Child by Romy Hausmann

    -Full of twists and turns and shout out loud moments, Dear Child will keep you on the edge of your seat as you read this terrifying story.  

5. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

    -Told in verse, this is the story of two sisters who never knew the other existed until tragedy strikes their family.  As usual, Acevedo's beautiful words tell an incredible story.

6. Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang 

    -Dragon Hoops is a nonfiction graphic novel.  Yang tells us the story of the boys basketball team at the high school where he teaches while at the same time learning so much about himself in the process.  A really wonderful book.

7. Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis

    -I love everything from Mindy McGinnis, and this one is no exception.  This story of survival and self-reliance will keep you turning the pages.  On another day, this one could be very near the top of this list.  

8. I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick

     -I enjoy a good mystery and I Killed Zoe Spanos definitely fits the bill.  This one was so much fun and will keep you guessing as you try to figure out what really happened.

9. Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

    -This is the powerful sequel to Stone's debut novel, Dear Martin.  The story is in large part about the problems in the juvenile justice system.  Dear Justyce is an important read.

10. Running with the Buffaloes: A Season with Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher, and The University of Colorado Men's Cross Country Team by Chris Lear

    -Just an incredible story about the Colorado men's cross country team's 1998 season.  There are so many fascinating stories about the phenomenal athletes that were a part of this team and the difficulty of this memorable season.

 Honorable Mention (Listed alphabetically by author)

Thoughts & Prayers by Bryan Bliss  

The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson 

Seven Clues to Home by Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin 

Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby 

Bye-Bye, Blue Creek by Andrew Smith

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

Karen M. McManus is a must read for me.  Since reading her debut novel, One of Us Is Lying, I was hooked.  I have been highly anticipating her latest novel, The Cousins, since it was first announced, seemingly forever ago.  And I have to say, it didn't disappoint.  McManus is such a great story teller.  She is a master of the mystery and will keep you guessing throughout.  As with her previous novels, this one will keep you on the edge of your seat as you discover all the twists and turns that this story provides.  If you like a good mystery novel, you can't go wrong with The Cousins.

This novel is the story of three cousins, Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah, who barely know each other.  Their parents come from the ultra-rich Story family, but were cutoff and disinherited by their mother many years ago, when they were all young adults.  Mysteriously, these three cousins all get a letter from their grandmother, whom they have never met, inviting them to come to Gull Cove Island and work at the Story family resort for the summer.  While the kids are all a bit hesitant, their parents insist they go.  This could, after all, get them back in the good graces (and of course the will) of Mildred Story.  But when these cousins arrive on the island, they quickly discover that they were most likely brought there on false pretenses.  Their grandmother takes no real interest in them, the family lawyer is more interested in getting them off the island, and there are more questions than answers when it comes to why their parents were disinherited all those years ago.  As the mystery unravels, the reader will be hanging on to every twist this story can throw at them.   

 

From Amazon: 

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying comes your next obsession. You'll never feel the same about family again.

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they're surprised . . . and curious.

Their parents are all clear on one point--not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother's good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it's immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious--and dark--their family's past is.

The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over--and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.