I Kissed Alice BY Anna Birch

Genre: YA 

So, I am a big YA fan, so I’ll start with a YA Book here. 

In I Kissed Alice, we see two girls who are rivals, competing to win a scholarship and ultimately falling in love with each other. Doesn’t that sound like a plot worth exploring some more? Yes, the book is interesting, but it also deals with some deeper issues that need to be talked about today. The girls team up, just for kicks, to take part in a fanfiction website and create a webcomic, by taking up aliases. And that’s when they really start learning more about each other. 

I wouldn’t want to give out any spoilers but this is a great book that offers an entertaining read to anyone who wants to know about the two girls working on their dreams and aspirations for the future. There are also healthy doses of romance and a sprinkle of existentialist crisis added for good measure.

The Golden Cage BY Camilla Lackberg

Genre: Psychological thriller

At the start of the book, we see a girl – Matilda – with a difficult childhood in Fjallbacka. As soon as she gets a chance, she buries all her secrets there and moves to Stockholm where she enrolls in a college and embarks on a fresh life and identity as Faye.  If you are a fan of Lackberg’s previous works, you will enjoy reading about Faye, who is a rich homemaker who gets wronged by her husband. What follows is the story of how she seeks revenge. 

This book is a real page-turner and I can guarantee you wouldn’t want to stop reading till you’ve finished with the last page in the book.The book has some graphic adult scenes, so it might not be suited for a younger audience. 

Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir BY Natasha Trethewey

Genre: Non-Fiction (By a Black Author)

Memorial Drive offers us a moving look into domestic violence. This is Natasha Trethewey’s memoir. The writing is awe-inducing and talks about the author’s childhood,the events that caused her step-father to shoot her mother, and the impact that the effects of bringing out a long-buried past has on her. The book shows how Natasha tries to rework on her identity after a difficult past and the things she takes upon herself to heal from trauma. 

All too familiar and dreadful are the conversations recorded in the book. You would want to consider reading this book if you would like to see the author talk about how she grew up in the deep South, in a location where the Confederate Memorial Day is celebrated.

Must I Go BY Yiyun Li

Genre: Fiction (Unconventional)

Must I Go is a very engaging read with a concept that is truly intriguing: the reflections of an 81-year-old lady (Lilia) as she goes through a previous lover’s diary and critiques its entries and talks about the father of her eldest daughter. Born to her parents as the eldest of six children, Lilia raises five of her siblings all by herself. A fascinating character, Lilia is self-confident  and sure about her opinions.

The book features Lilia’s lover’s (Roland) diary to a great extent and is peppered with her annotations as she tries to fill in the missing pieces of the story, which  she believes was badly downsized. 

Waiting for an Echo: The Madness of American Incarceration BY Christine Montross

Genre: Non-Fiction  

This book opens our eyes to the existing Prison systems of America and presents the case for urgent reformation. Montross proves to us that the prison system is in shambles and that it adds to the suffering of many people requiring  therapeutic care by leaving them to the attention of prison employees that have no training in how to assist them. 

If you are someone who holds an interest  in knowing more about prison systems and want to explore other possible methods to manage criminals, you are sure to enjoy this book.