Title Recommendations based on Susie Carmichael
Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions. Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously-and at great risk-documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.
A teen navigates the complexities of high school, family and her sexuality while dealing with new superpowers. Based on Charles Forsman's graphic novel.
Spotlight is the true story of how The Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese—shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy through the horrific rule of the Taliban, The Kite Runner is the heartbreaking story of the unlikely and inseparable friendship between a wealthy Afghan boy and the son of his father's servant, both of whom are caught in the tragic sweep of history. Published in the aftermath of America's invasion of Afghanistan, Khaled Hosseini's haunting writing brought a part of the world to vivid life that was previously unknown.
Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time, Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world's great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous firebombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we fear most.
A private eye investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and uncovers a conspiracy.
Pleasantly plump teenager, Tracy Turnblad and her best friend, Penny Pingleton audition to be on The Corny Collins Show. Tracy wins, but scheming Amber Von Tussle and her mother plot to destroy her. Chaos ensues.
Slaking a thirst for dangerous games, Kathryn challenges her stepbrother, Sebastian, to deflower their headmaster's daughter before the summer ends. If he succeeds, the prize is the chance to bed Kathryn. But if he loses, Kathryn will claim his most prized possession.
Violet, Klaus and Sonny on her own after their parents' mysterious death. If that's not hard enough, they also face man-eating leeches, friendly vipers, and carnivorous circuses. And the biggest challenge of all is outsmarting the dastardly Count Olaf, who's determined to acquire their family's fortune.
Nick Birch and Andrew Glouberman are middle school students who spend their days thinking about girls. Yet all they have experienced of it so far is anxiety and fear of their own inadequacies. Nick and Andrew are trying their best to make it through puberty with their sanity intact.
Charlie is not the biggest geek in high school, but he's by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie is attempting to navigate through the uncharted territory of high school. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and music—when all one requires to feel infinite is that perfect song on that perfect drive. Standing on the fringes of life Charlie has a unique perspective of the world around him, but there comes a time to stop being a wallflower and see what it looks like from the dance floor.
Intergalactic warrior Star Butterfly arrives on Earth to live with the Diaz family. She continues to battle villains throughout the universe and high school, mainly to protect her extremely powerful wand, an object that still confuses her.
Laugh to hide your tears. He's rude. He's crass. He's unbelievably obnoxious, and he's the star of this train wreck. From superhero sell-outs, hotties and half-tards to bunny abuse and dirty old men, Shin chan's packed with sweet dead piggy goodness.
The '70s are a great time for Michael Kelso, Steven Hyde, Fez, Eric Forman and their other high school friends. Lots of chicks, lots of weed and lots of Led Zepplin. They're having to grow up quickly, so thankfully they have the Eric's parents helping them when they get in trouble.
Gritty, suspenseful, and hardboiled, True Detective emerged in 2014 as a great contribution to the crime genre and another instant HBO classic. With engrossing dialogue and stark conflict of personalities, True Detective is thrilling, moving, and worthy of its high critical acclaim—with meditations on mortality and what it means to be a true detective and a good human being.
