Reading List

Fangtastic Fiction. Content Warning.
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Certain Dark Things combines elements of Latin American mythology with a literary voice that leads readers on an exhilarating and fast-paced journey. Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Here in the city, heavily policed to keep the creatures of the night at bay, Domingo is another trash-picking street kid, just hoping to make enough to survive. Then he meets Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood drinkers. Domingo is smitten. He clings to her like a barnacle until Atl relents and decides to let him stick around. But Atl's problems, Nick and Rodrigo, have come to find her. When they start to raise the body count in the city, it attracts the attention of police officers, local crime bosses, and the vampire community. Atl has to get out before Mexico City is upended, and her with it.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Historical Fiction Novels Set During WWII. Content Warning.
Night Flight to Paris by Cara Black October 1942: it's been two years since Kate Rees was sent to Paris on a British Secret Service mission to assassinate Hitler. Since then, she has left spycraft behind to take a training job as a sharpshooting instructor in the Scottish Highlands. But her quiet life is violently disrupted when Colonel Stepney, her former handler, drags her back into the fray for a dangerous three-pronged mission in Paris. Each task is more dangerous than the next: Deliver a package of penicillin to sick children. Assassinate a high-ranking German operative whose knowledge of secret invasion plans could turn the tide of the war against the Allies. Rescue a British agent who once saved Kate's life, and get out. Kate will encounter sheiks and spies, poets and partisans, as she races to keep up with the constantly shifting nature of her assignment, showing every ounce of her Oregonian grit in the process. New York Times bestselling author Cara Black has crafted another heart-stopping thrill ride that reveals a portrait of Paris at the height of the Nazi occupation.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Holocaust Nonfiction. Content Warning.
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman The true story of how the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands. When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw--and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Żabiński began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Żabińskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the Polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its animal inhabitants--otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes--and keeping alive an atmosphere of play and innocence even as Europe crumbled around her.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
WWII Nonfiction Books
The Long Night by Steve Wick When William L. Shirer agreed to start up the Berlin bureau of Edward R. Murrow's CBS News in the 1930s, he quickly became both the most trusted and most determined reporter in all of Europe. He did not fall for the Nazi propaganda, as some of his esteemed colleagues did, and fought against both Nazi censorship and American disdain for his relentless tactics. He warned of the consequences if the Nazis were not stopped, all the while developing close ties to the party's elite and maintaining contacts whose allegiances could not be won by other reporters, thus obtaining a unique perspective of the party's rise to power. From the Night of the Long Knives to his removal at bayonet-point from the broadcast center in Vienna during Anschluss, and from the front lines of Germany's invasion of France to his coverage of the Nuremberg trials and the Nazis' demise, Shirer redefined the importance of journalism.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Books to Match Your Favorite Harry Styles CD: Harry's House (2022)
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls A tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that, despite its profound flaws, gave the author the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Books to Match Your Favorite Harry Styles CD: Fine Line (2019)
Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman The story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents' cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. Each is unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, when, during the restless summer weeks, unrelenting currents of obsession, fascination, and desire intensify their passion and test the charged ground between them. Recklessly, the two verge toward the one thing both fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Books to Match Your Favorite Harry Styles CD: Harry Styles (2017)
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Meet Eleanor Oliphant: she struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she's thinking. That, combined with her unusual appearance (scarred cheek, tendency to wear the same clothes year in, year out), means that Eleanor has become a creature of habit (to say the least) and a bit of a loner. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kind of friends who rescue each other from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond's big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Books to Match Your Favorite Harry Styles CD: One Direction Throwbacks
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes. As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next. The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she's the best no matter the cost The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide Where Dreams Descend is the startling and romantic first book in Janella Angeles' debut Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology where magic is both celebrated and feared, and no heart is left unscathed.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
8 Inspiring Books If You Feel Like Giving Up. AI-Generated.
Whether you're battling burnout, heartbreak, failure, or simply the heavy weight of existence, these books will stir your soul, motivate action, and reignite a sense of purpose. Below is a list of 8 inspiring books to read when you're on the verge of giving up.
By Diana Meresc9 months ago in BookClub
8 Books to Lift Your Spirit Up When Going Through Tough Times. AI-Generated.
When life feels overwhelming, finding solace in the pages of a powerful book can offer the guidance, comfort, and inspiration we so deeply need. Below you find a list of 8 books to lift your spirit up when going through tough times.
By Diana Meresc9 months ago in BookClub
8 Books You Must Check Out As a Beginner in 2025. AI-Generated.
For beginners, choosing the right book is essential to ignite a lifelong love for reading. Below is a list of 8 essential books across genres that will ease you into the world of literature while expanding your worldview, sparking curiosity, and refining your tastes.
By Diana Meresc9 months ago in BookClub
8 Heavy But Enlightening Books. AI-Generated.
Reading isn’t merely a pastime—it is an immersion into complex ideologies, powerful narratives, and intellectual introspection. For readers who crave depth, philosophical rigor, and psychological excavation, heavy but enlightening books offer more than just entertainment—they are transformative journeys. Below is a list of 8 extraordinary books that demand attention, patience, and reflection, but reward the reader with a broadened consciousness and profound insight.
By Diana Meresc9 months ago in BookClub