Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Malibu Rising-Wow! This will go down as a top 10 book for me. Taylor Jenkins Reid is quickly becoming a superstar author. She knows how to develop characters and tell a story that is meaningful and real. This is the story of 4 siblings, that seem to have it all: money, fame and a closeness that runs deep. While this story goes back to the siblings youth at times, the story focuses on a 24 hour period before, during and after one of their epic yearly parties. This new classic gave me all the feels!

369 pages

- Robin

The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R. Sloan

One of my favorite reads this year! Cassy Holmes, or Sassy Gloss as she’s known to her millions of fans, is a member of the hottest girl group around. This story switches between current time and back to the 90s when the group was formed. What is Cassy’s past or present would lead her to take her own life? The book always switches between Cassy and other band members Merry, Yumi and Rose as we get a raw peek into the lives of young pop stars and how those experiences impact their lives 15 years later.

448 pages

- Robin

A Burning by Megha Majumdar

While this was a well-written book and the three intertwining stories were interesting, I just couldn’t get into it. Jivan, a poor Muslim girl who gets accused of a terrorist attack she didn’t commit and the two people in her life who make conscience decisions to stop fighting for her in order to advance their own power and success are at the center of this story. I didn’t hate it, but I felt like an accomplishment to finish it.

320 pages

- Robin

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

I wish I could unread this disturbing book about a 15 year old student and the predator-teacher that destroyed her life. You don’t need the details here, but this was one of the most disturbing, sad, frustrating books I’ve ever read. This has a lot of positive reviews and I understand that it is an important story that needs to be told, but it’s probably 75 pages too long and the ending was a letdown. I read it, because I thought it was important and I didn’t want to betray the subject matter.

373 Pages

Read by Robin Westphal

The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

I typically don’t read middle grade books, but this audiobook came as a recommendation from my daughter, who’s also not a middle grader anymore! This is a mix of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and little Series of Unfortunate Events thrown in. In other words, GREAT fun and characters that you can really become attached to. Looking forward to listening to the others in this series.

465 Pages

Read by Robin Westphal

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Crosby

Pure adrenaline from start to finish!  This book is as face paced as getaway driver, Beauregard "Bug" Montage, the main character. I loved the action and characters, but had to suspend believe due to some simplified plot fillers.  It is a great audiobook and I’d listen to anything narrator Adam Lazarre-White read. 

304 Pages

She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

Harriet Tubman was my favorite historical figure growing up. My go-to research paper topic was the Underground Railroad and I felt like I knew everything about her until I read this book. I learned more about Harriet’s childhood and her family life in this one book than I had learned in the countless number of titles I read growing up. This book uses modern language and style to tell Harriet’s story. It’s a book that we grownups can feel engaged in and appreciate both the writing style and the fascinating, brave woman it depicts. I wish my daughters still needed to write research papers, because this is a great subject and a wonderful accessible title.

 176 pages 

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman

A little Snow White, a little Sleeping Beauty wrapped up with some fantastic illustrations make this a great and quick read. At less than 80 pages and many of those illustrations, this is at two-cups-of-tea length. The Sleeper and the Spindle strays enough away from the classic fairytales it is based on to make it a fresh, interesting read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and see why it was on a YouTuber’s list of best things she read in 2020, even though it was written in 2014. 

72 Pages