Read Your Way Homewood

The Color of Earth (Color Trilogy, #1)   by   Kim Dong Hwa ,  Lauren Na Artwork - beautiful. Writing - soft, gentle, cautious, beautiful. Characters - full, varied, nuanced Story - historical snapshot of life, engaging, interesting, addictive Coming of Age - for girls, but also for boys, is handled with humor and realism. The way the main young lady learns about her body in a piecemeal way, is so indicative of the way some girls learn, and really funny, too. Love - believable love triangle for the youth. So slow and sweet. Love - EXTRA slow and just as sweet - the mom and the traveling salesman. The shoes at the door? Leaving a brush behind? I loved it. Review by Kelly

Violet is on the run. After the Duchess of the Lake catches Violet with Ash, the hired companion at the Palace of the Lake, Violet has no choice but to escape the Jewel or face certain death. So along with Ash and her best friend, Raven, Violet runs away from her unbearable life of servitude. But no one said leaving the Jewel would be easy. As they make their way through the circles of the Lone City, Regimentals track their every move, and the trio barely manages to make it out unscathed and into the safe haven they were promised—a mysterious house in the Farm. But there’s a rebellion brewing, and Violet has found herself in the middle of it. Alongside a new ally, Violet discovers her Auguries are much more powerful than she ever imagined. But is she strong enough to rise up against the Jewel and everything she has ever known? The White Rose is a raw, captivating sequel to The Jewel that fans won’t be able to put down until the final shocking moments.

Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History by   Joel Christian Gill I was flipping through this book at work one day, rather flippantly, (Hee Hee) when I stumbled on that story, and I started reading it. I immediately passed it to my coworker. She read it and immediately passed it to another coworker, who read it, and passed it to a library patron. A group of restless teens passed by, and I gave it to them. They turned into focused teens. THAT my friends is the power of this book and the stories it tells. Insanely amazing. The "Two Letters" tale is achingly, heartwrenchingly beautiful. In a "you mess with my child I will kill you" sort of beauty. Review by Kelly 

PAWN...CAPTIVE...QUEEN? Kitty Doe is a Blackcoat rebel and a former captive with a deadly connection to the most powerful and dangerous man in the country, Prime Minister Daxton Hart. Forced to masquerade as Daxton's niece, Lila Hart, Kitty has helped the Blackcoats take back the prison known as Elsewhere. But Daxton has no intention of ceding his position of privilege—or letting Kitty expose his own masquerade. Not in these United States, where each person's rank means the difference between luxury and poverty, freedom and fear...and ultimately, between life and death. To defeat the corrupt government, Kitty must expose Daxton's secret. Securing evidence will put others in jeopardy, including the boy she's loved forever and an ally she barely trusts. For months, Kitty's survival has hinged on playing a part. Now she must discover who she truly wants to be, and whether the new world she and the rebels are striving to create has a place in it for her after a...

The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) by Lev Grossman Oh. My. Goodness. On someone else's recommendation, I have wasted HOURS of my life listening to some rich privileged kid whine and wallow in ennui... Ugh... Don't waste your time... It is talked about as if it is "Harry Potter for grown ups" but it isn't. At least, not any group of grown ups I want any part of. There is now a show based on these books on SyFy channel. If you see those previews, where there are a bunch of late teens doing magic to get high and throw people across a room and graffiti a wall... yeah. I prefer not to. I did read the whole thing. And I wish I hadn't. Gouging my eyes out with a meat cleaver would be less painful. -Miss Kelly

Weetzie Bat (Weetzie Bat, #1)   by   Francesca Lia Block I was quite confused by this little book. I downloaded it on my iPad via Overdrive. It came out in the 90's and has an intro on Goodreads that reads (in part) : Fifteen years ago Francesca Lia Block made a dazzling entrance into the literary scene with what would become one of the most talked-about books of the decade; Weetzie Bat. ... Rediscover the magic of Weetzie Bat, Ms. Block's sophisticated, slinkster-cool love song to L.A., the book that shattered the standard, captivated readers of all generations, and made Francesca Lia Block one of the most heralded authors of the last decade. Umm.... I didn't get it. The language was simple and poetic, but it was also just weird and thin. No real depth. The storyline was odd. I wanted to like it, it was short, but when I finished, I was staring at the screen - ambivalent. Review by Kelly

Title: The Inventor's Secret by Andrea Cremer Pages: 416 Summary: What would life be like if the Patriots did not win the Revolutionary War? This is the premise of this book, after France and Spain did not come to aid after being given a better offer not to by the British, America is ruled by Britannia and Boston is where the worst prison system can be found.  Charlotte and her brother live in the Catacombs were they do what they can to aid the Revolution until they can join the fight above ground. Of course the best laid plans and all happen and now Charlotte, her brother Ash, Jack, Meg, and Grave are forced topside to uncover the mystery that is Grave.  Friendships change, relationships are developed, and loss occurs. This is a great story that is very believable, has something for everyone, and has the reader dying to read the next one.