To Catch a Pirate

By:  Jade Parker

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Pages: 230

Published: 2007

Told In: Third Person

 “Movie” Rating: PG

Compare to:

Anna and the Duke, Kate Locke

Victoria and the Rogue, Meg Cabot

A Countess Below Stairs, Eva Ibbotson

In a nutshell:

A year after the pirate, James Sterling, steals a kiss from Annalisa, she captains a ship to hunt him down. With his help she is determined to reclaim her father’s stolen treasure, even at the risk of Sterling stealing her heart.

What you may enjoy:

Short and fun little story. It has a Pirates of the Caribbean kind of feel. A casual, entertaining read when you want something quick.

What you may NOT enjoy:

Because it’s a short read, the characters and story lack depth. It’s a predictable story with many classic romantic tropes.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Knife held to a girl’s throat; dead bodies lay onboard a ship; man whipped; man punched; knife held to a man’s throat; man stabbed; two men shot.

Romance and Nudity:

Man kisses girl forcefully; man kisses woman (6 times); woman kisses man; man and woman kiss

Language and Profanity:

Hell (3xs), bastard, damn

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Echo

By:  Pam Munoz Ryan

Genre: Children’s Historical Fiction

Pages: 587

Published: 2015

Told In: Third Person

 “Movie” Rating: G

Compare to:

Dash, Kirby Larson

Number the Stars, Lois Lowry

Wonder, RJ Palacio

In a nutshell:

The stories of 3 children in different parts of the world during WWII, bound together by a harmonica with mystical properties.

What you may enjoy:

This book is both moving and informative. The characters are well developed, relatable, and likable. The writing is well done. The story is enjoyable for all ages, although it’s a young target audience.

What you may NOT enjoy:

There are a few slow moving parts through the book. If you don’t like stories of 10-12 year old children, then you may not like this.

Warnings:

Violence and Graphic Images:

Boy is injured from being bullied; boy falls from a high ledge; man loses fingers in war; man shot in the leg and chest.

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Blackmoore

By:  Julianne Donaldson

Genre: Proper Regency Romance

Pages: 286

Published: 2013

Told In: First Person

 “Movie” Rating: G

Compare to:

Becoming Lady Lockwood, Jennifer Moore

My Fair Gentleman, Nancy Allen

Frederica, Georgette Heyer

In a nutshell:

Kate dreams of going to India so she strikes a deal with her mother. Now she must receive and reject 3 proposals in one month. Her best friend, Henry, agrees to help but it changes their relationship.

What you may enjoy:

This is an enjoyable, lazy day read. If you want a clean romance and like Jane Austen era, look no further. This book is for you. The setting is quaint and the writing is a good fit for the genre.

What you may NOT enjoy:

The story is predictable. There are weak components in the book, such as the unbelievable characterization of Kate’s family, and Kate herself is often unbearably annoying.

Warnings:

Romance and Nudity:

Describes a man wearing nothing but wet pants; man and woman kiss (descriptive but not graphic, 3 times)

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The Gender Game

By:  Bella Forrest

Genre: Teen Dystopian

Pages: 418

Published: 2016

Told In: First Person

 “Movie” Rating: PG-13

Compare to:

Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

Divergent, Veronica Roth

The Maze Runner, James Dashner

In a nutshell:

Violet has been sentenced to death for crimes committed in her female run society, but she is given a 2^nd chance if she will spy in the neighboring male run land. However, Patrus life is more difficult and dangerous than Violet expected.

What you may enjoy:

Engaging story and plot. If you like dystopian books, you’ll most likely enjoy this. There is a lot of fighting and action. Not as much romance as most dystopians.

What you may NOT enjoy:

The main character is difficult to connect with and enjoy. She’s your typical cliché dystopian character. Some of the details just don’t make sense and seem a little forced to keep the plot moving.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Girl hit with tranquilizer dart; girl stabbed in the neck with a fork; girl beaten up; two girls fist fight; girl’s throat cut open; two men cage fight; woman punched in the face; woman punched in the stomach; woman slapped; woman’s face cut; woman stabbed in the thigh; man knees woman in the face; man’s throat cut open; woman hit in the back of the head; man and woman stabbed to death; man falls to his death; dead bodies fall to the ground.

Sex and Nudity:

Man kisses woman’s neck; man kisses woman’s cheek; man and woman kiss passionately (graphic); man touches woman’s breasts

Language and Profanity:

Ass (2xs); hell (10xs); God 7xs); dammit (7xs); damn (6xs); bitch (2xs); bastard (2xs)

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My Maasai Experience: Reflections

By:  Tracy Sillato

Genre: Travel Journal

Published: 2017

Told In: First Person

 “Movie” Rating: G

Compare to:

Bill Bryson’s African Diary, Bill Bryson

My Maasai Life, Robin Wiszowaty

Facing the Lion, Joseph Lekuton

In a nutshell:

The author relays what she has learned and experienced while spending several weeks in a small Kenyan village.

What you may enjoy:

If you’ve considered doing volunteer work, especially in Africa, this book would be very enlightening for you. Sillato touches on some of the basic struggles and challenges people in small Kenyan villages face, giving the reader a better perspective on the issues.

What you may NOT enjoy:

This book needs heavy editing. There are many grammatical errors and typos. In some instances the text is difficult to understand because of the errors. Tenses frequently change and some jargon goes unexplained. 

Warnings:

None

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And Then There Were None

By:  Agatha Christie

Genre: Murder Mystery

Pages: 264

Published: 1939

Told In: Third Person

 “Movie” Rating: PG-13

Compare to:

The Mystery of the Yellow Room, 

        Gaston Leroux

The Sign of Four, 

        Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

A Stranger is Watching, 

        Mary Higgins Clark

In a nutshell:

10 strangers are trapped alone on an island, accused of murder by an unknown host. One by one they are killed, following the lines of a nursery rhyme.

What you may enjoy:

This book keeps you guessing. Christie set up the perfect mystery without revealing the secret of it all until the very end. If you want a classic with a surprising ending, you’ll love this!

What you may NOT enjoy:

It is difficult to keep track of all of the characters in the beginning and the story starts off a little slow. By the time the mystery really starts to build, some of the specifics get confusing.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Man chokes and dies; man killed with an axe (mentioned); man slaps woman; dead woman’s face described; man bleeds from gun wound in the head; man’s head crushed; drowned bloated body found; woman hangs herself.

Language and Profanity:

Damned (29xs); damn (9xs); damnable (3xs); God (15xs); hell; ass

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The Night Circus

By:  Erin Morgenstern

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Pages: 400

Published: 2011

Told In: Third Person

 “Movie” Rating: Hazy zone between PG and PG-13

Compare to:

The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke

The Last Dragonslayer, Jasper Fforde

In a nutshell:

Forced to compete to prove who the stronger magician is, Marco and Celia never expected to fall in love. But their competition is putting all of those who are part of the circus as risk, and their teachers won’t let them stop until only one magician is left standing.

What you may enjoy:

This is an easy book to get swept into the atmosphere. The writing is beautiful and the imagery is elaborately vivid. The plot clearly illustrates how interconnected people’s stories are. The romance is a simple part of the book, not what carries the story.

What you may NOT enjoy:

It is easy to get lost in this book because of the constant jumps in points of view and time periods. The plot itself is not enough to put 400 pages into. At its core, this book is primarily just depictions of a circus and the people who keep it going.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Man cuts open girl’s fingertips; man breaks girl’s wrist; woman stabs her hand; man stabbed in the chest

Sex and Nudity:

Boy and girl kiss; man kisses woman’s neck; man kisses woman; girl kisses boy; man and woman kiss (2xs); woman kisses man (2xs); man takes off woman’s dress; man and woman are naked together; indicates that man and woman have sex

Language and Profanity:

 Hell, damned (4xs)

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