Portrait of a Thief (2022) is a heist novel written by Grace D. Li. It pairs action and suspense with literary examinations of Art Colonization and Repatriation, Diaspora and Belonging, and The Weight of the American Dream on the Children of Immigrants. Li was inspired to write Portrait of a Thief by news stories about Chinese artifacts stolen from Western museums and her own experiences as a Chinese American, seeking belonging but not feeling fully... Read Portrait of a Thief Summary

Posted by John David Anderson follows a group of middle-school children as they navigate changing friendships, bullying, and the effect of words on themselves and others. Anderson is the multi-genre author of numerous books for young readers, and he was honored as a 2017 Genre Excellence Winner in Middle-Grade Fiction (Indiana Authors Awards). He is most known for the titles Granted (2018), One Last Shot (2020), Stowaway (2021), and the New York Times Notable Book... Read Posted Summary

Postmortem (1990) by Patricia Cornwell is the first book in the Kay Scarpetta crime series. Dr. Kay Scarpetta, chief medical examiner in Richmond, Virginia, is on the hunt for a serial killer brutally murdering women in the city. Accompanied by her reluctant investigative partner Detective Marino, Scarpetta uses cutting-edge forensic techniques to unmask the killer while facing intense public and professional scrutiny as the first woman to hold the job as chief medical examiner. Postmortem... Read Postmortem Summary

Published in 1971, Post Office is the semi-autobiographical debut novel by American writer and poet Charles Bukowski. It chronicles his life from the early 1950s to 1969 through his fictional alter ego, Henry “Hank” Chinaski. Bukowski, already established as an underground poet known for his raw, unflinching depictions of working-class life, uses this first novel to turn his 12 years of employment with the US Postal Service into literature. Post Office belongs to the genre... Read Post Office Summary

Powerless is the third book in Elsie Silver’s Chestnut Springs series, which focuses on the Eaton family and is set in the rugged Canadian wilderness on Wishing Well Ranch. With a focus on small-town settings, emotionally layered characters, and narratives that explore healing and the complexities of human connection, Powerless engages with themes of Healing Old Wounds with Love and Support, The Struggle to Reclaim Self-Worth, and The Stabilizing Influence of Found Family. Powerless precedes... Read Powerless Summary

Practical Magic is a 1995 magical realism novel by American writer Alice Hoffman. The narrative follows two sisters who are raised in a family of witches and must come to terms with their family’s heritage, their place in the community, and the trials of love and loss, all while growing up and raising the next generation. Following the novel’s success, Hoffman wrote two prequels, The Rules of Magic (2017) and Magic Lessons (2020), and a... Read Practical Magic Summary

Linda Sue Park’s Prairie Lotus is a historical middle grade novel that takes place in 1880 in the United States’ Dakota Territory. Fourteen-year-old Hanna Edmunds arrives in the town of LaForge, where her widowed white father wants to establish a dress goods shop. Hanna’s mother was an immigrant from China who died when Hanna was 11. Hanna tries to attend school and establish herself as a dressmaker in LaForge but faces racism and intolerance because... Read Prairie Lotus Summary

Praise (2022) is the first installment in the Salacious Players’ Club series by American author Sara Cate. Cate is known for her taboo romances with kink elements. She has written numerous taboo contemporary romance series and several standalone novels, including the Black Heart duet, which was co-authored with American author Rachel Leigh.This guide refers to the 2022 Amazon/KDP e-book edition.Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of transgender discrimination, emotional abuse, physical abuse... Read Praise Summary

Presumed Innocent (1987) is Scott Turow’s first novel, originally published by Farrar Straus & Giroux. The hit novel stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 44 weeks and is often credited as an early example of the modern legal thriller, helping to shape the genre’s conventions. Turow went on to publish 12 additional novels and three nonfiction works. He also continued to practice law, specializing in criminal defense, contrasting with Presumed Innocent’s protagonist... Read Presumed Innocent Summary

Karin Slaughter’s thriller novel Pretty Girls (2015) chronicles a family haunted by the sudden disappearance and presumed murder of their eldest daughter, Julia. Almost 20 years later, the Carroll family remains fractured by the lasting emotional fallout, each member using different strategies to cope with their grief. Upon the death of Claire Scott’s (née Carroll) husband Paul, the family is dragged back into the spotlight, but with new information that situates Paul at the center... Read Pretty Girls Summary

Pretty Ugly is a 2011 young adult book by Karyn Langhorne Folan. It is the 18th book set in Bluford High, which is described on the series’ website as a “tough but nurturing school” ("Home." The Bluford Series, 2026). The books are written by an array of authors, including Ben Alirez, Devan Blackwell, Paul Langan, and Anne Schaff. Langhorne Folan is a Harvard Law School graduate who stopped teaching and practicing law to pursue her... Read Pretty Ugly Summary

Introduction Prey is a 2002 science-fiction novel by Michael Crichton. Like his more popular novels in the Jurassic Park series, Prey employs the misuse of technology—and the hubris of opportunistic scientists—to pit his characters against a threat. In this case, the danger comes in the form of nanobots, microscopic agents that are rapidly evolving to destroy the people in a Nevada molecular fabrication lab. This guide uses the 2009 HarperCollins eBook edition of Prey. Content... Read Prey Summary

Pride: A Pride and Prejudice Remix is a young adult novel from author Ibi Zoboi. First published in 2018, it follows a teenage girl, Zuri, as she grapples with the gentrification of her Bushwick, Brooklyn, neighborhood. The gentrification is epitomized by Darius, a boy who moves into a renovated “mini-mansion” across street from Zuri’s home. Zuri, who takes great pride in her diverse neighborhood and her Dominican-Haitian heritage, sees Darius—who used to live in Manhattan... Read Pride Summary

First published in 1986, The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy is an epic novel set in the American South and New York. Part-Bildungsroman, part family saga, and part dramatic tragedy, the novel spans 40 years in the tumultuous lives of the Wingo family of Melrose Island, South Carolina. Conroy uses flashbacks, stories-within-stories, and narrative digressions to explore complex themes such as domestic abuse, sexual violence, childhood trauma, and environmental degradation. Written in Conroy’s lush... Read Prince of Tides Summary

Private Peaceful (2003) is a historical fiction novel by English author Michael Morpurgo. The story revolves around the reminiscences of Thomas “Tommo” Peaceful, a young World War I soldier who reflects on his upbringing in rural England. Thomas bridges the past and present while awaiting the execution of his older brother, Charlie, who faces charges of cowardice.Other works by this author include War Horse, The Butterfly Lion, and An Elephant in the Garden.This guide refers to... Read Private Peaceful Summary

Project Mulberry, by Linda Sue Park, is a middle grade realistic fiction novel about a young Korean American girl coming to terms with her identity in a small, mostly white Midwestern town. It was nominated for and received many awards, including the 2005 Chicago Tribune Young Adult Fiction Prize, the 2005 Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Books, and an Honorable Mention for the 2006 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature. It featured in... Read Project Mulberry Summary

Promise Boys (2023) is a young adult mystery novel by Nick Brooks. On the day of an important basketball game at Urban Promise Prep School in Washington, DC, the school’s principal, Kenneth Moore, is murdered in his office. Three students, J.B., Ramón, and Trey, are taken in for questioning as a flurry of rumors spreads throughout the school and the community. Although each of the boys has their own secrets about the day, they maintain... Read Promise Boys Summary

Promise Me Sunshine is a 2025 novel by American novelist Cara Bastone. A contemporary romance about grief, change, and finding joy, Promise Me Sunshine centers on the story of Lenny Bellamy as she copes with the death of her best friend. By employing many classic tropes of contemporary romance, Bastone explores themes of Learning to Live With Grief, The Importance of Seeking and Accepting Help, and Caring for Oneself to Care for Others.This guide refers... Read Promise Me Sunshine Summary

Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America (2004) is a sports biography for young readers written by Sharon Robinson. As Jackie’s daughter and a Major League Baseball (MLB) employee, Sharon has a personal and professional connection to the first Black player in professional baseball. Sharon examines his story against the backdrop of US history, addressing themes relating to persistence, race, and activism. Though Promises to Keep wasn’t adapted for the screen, several movies document... Read Promises to Keep Summary

Dr. Eben Alexander’s 2012 memoir, Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife, documents his near-death experience (NDE) while in a coma resulting from a rare bacterial infection. As an academic neurosurgeon with a materialist worldview, Alexander did not believe in an afterlife. The book details how his NDE forced him to reconcile his scientific training with what he now considered proof of a reality beyond the physical world. The memoir explores several themes:... Read Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into the Afterlife Summary