Definitely enjoyed this book. It was great, right up to the last page! Highly recommend.

5 stars “And no one, nobody on this earth, would list her daughter’s characteristics on the animal side of the paper…She felt she had to convince, that what she had done was right because it came from true love.” pg. 296 Though in the beginning might seem to be a slower read, once you really get into the book, you’ll find collective trauma and love of each and every character. Trauma creates fear, which in turn creates love. The trauma of slavery: being seen as an animal and the set monitary value placed on not only yourself, but other Black people; the fear of slave hunters and klan members coming after you to lynch, burn or kill in other horrific ways; And if not to kill—to dirty your soul and mind. The fear of: Being haunted by the ghosts (both living and dead) from your past; The child that roams the halls in rage of death, but the love of: doing anything for your children, even if it means taking matters into your own hands; slowly opening the tin box that conceals your heart; finally stepping off those porch steps to ask for help, to feel the embrace of another being. For my second Toni Morrison book, this was a great read. I agree wholeheartedly with the statement that Morrison’s books are all about love, especially for Black people and our community.

4 stars (originally 3.5 stars, but I changed my mind) As I said in my initial review, the author paints out scenes like laying paint on a canvas. I made sure to update my goodreads notes as I went along for this journey to know what to say. I originally rated this book 5 stars, it then went down to 3.5 for a few reasons: - Too many characters to keep track of, I felt it could’ve been slimed down a bit or instead make note of characters. (For example, not saying to take Morgana out, but mention her as Alex’s ex-wife and note some differences and reasons they divorced.) - The interrogations felt a bit like casual conversations, not so much as a police officer hard on getting information. Even at that it felt like Alex got too much credit at times even though it felt like surrounding characters did more work. - It felt that sometimes things were drawn out a bit or just slow, I felt that way with part 1. Other than those reasons I really did enjoy the book. The killer’s POV and life story really grabbed me. Honestly I felt that the story could’ve been from their POV the entire time or took up most of the book. At times I felt that there were things added for shock value, but the end (specifically part 4) tied it together for me and really made me like how this killer was written. This book as a whole is definitely differe from other thrillers. The characters are interesting and the motives are intriguing. I do plan on reading “The Rocks” by this author soon. Thank you to Celadon Books and Bookish First for an ARC of this book!

The book Aliens in Disguise is about two kids named David and Amy. The grandmother owns a bed and breakfast called the Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast. It's a place where aliens can go for vacation on Earth. Their grandmother has to go away and they are in charge of the bed & breakfast. They have to make sure that nobody finds out that there are aliens staying there. I rate this book as five stars. It was a great read and definitely recommend.

Jen Dixon has a son who is born while her two older daughters are in college. She now has start over navigating elementary school and all the mommy groups that come with it. She reluctantly becomes the class parent, but unlike her fellow parents, Jen has a quick wit about her and it shows in email exchanges between her and the parents throughout the school year. The teacher is no help and kind about doing her own thing and oh yeah, a blast from past comes to make her life difficult.

Dear Child is a harrowing story about a father's search for his daughter and the disturbing truth behind her disappearance. There were moments where the father got on my nerves, but due to his tenacity, he helped get to the bottom of the mystery. I never would have guessed the ending on my own.

3.5 stars. This was a beautiful story about intergenerational friendship that reflected the goodness (and evil) in our world. It touched on the themes of racism, sexuality, and how we form our chosen families. Just when I thought I knew what this story was about, it revealed another dimension. Simple prose but a powerful message.

A good read of blending history from centuries ago to today. I enjoyed reading this story and learned a little Italian along the way!

Very easy read, but a fun one too. It takes place at the Jersey shore in the 60s, so locations are familiar. Can you catch the Bruce Springsteen egg? I’d recommend for a light summer read.

The book Guts is a true story about the author Raina Telgemeier. The book is about anxiety and stomach issues. She had gotten the stomach bug and is scared to throw up. It shows the journey of the author's mental and physical health issues. I really enjoyed reading this book and would rate it five stars.