Bruiser by Neal Shusterman, first published in 2010, is a young adult novel. It explores the life of Brewster “Bruiser” Rawlins, a high school student who has the ability to take pain away from those he cares about. Through his supernatural ability, the novel explores themes of Finding Emotional Balance, The Complications of Empathy, and The Dangers of Excessive Dependence on Others. Shusterman is the author of dozens of young adult novels, short stories, and works... Read Bruiser Summary

Sophie Lark’s Brutal Prince (2022) is a contemporary mafia romance and the first novel in the Brutal Birthright series. Lark is a USA Today best-selling author of romance, also known for works such as the Sinners Duet. To avert a war between their rival Chicago crime families, the impulsive Aida Gallo and the calculating Callum Griffin are forced into an arranged marriage. Their hostile union evolves into a volatile power struggle and a passionate, dangerous... Read Brutal Prince Summary

Thomas Mann’s novel Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family was first published in 1901 and came to be recognized as a monumental work in the canon of modern literature. Thomas Mann (1875­–1955) was a German novelist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929 for his novels, Buddenbrooks and The Magic Mountain. Mann draws on his own family history to craft Buddenbrooks’ narrative, demonstrating profound understanding of societal and familial dynamics in the... Read Buddenbrooks Summary

Button, Button: Uncanny Stories is a collection of science fiction short stories that Richard Matheson wrote throughout the 20th century. The collection contains 12 science fiction short stories that test the ethical limits of human nature, exploring issues such as Hope in the Wake of Destruction of post-apocalyptic worlds and The Dilemmas of Marriage. Each in their own way, the stories also illustrate the notion of The Devastating Effects of Selfishness.Richard Matheson was a deeply... Read Button, Button Summary

By Her Own Design (2022) by Piper Huguley is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of Ann Lowe, a pioneering African American fashion designer who overcame racial barriers to achieve remarkable success in the mid-20th century. The narrative follows Ann’s journey from the segregated South to the heights of New York’s high-society fashion scene. During her journey, Ann becomes the designer behind Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress.This guide refers to the 2022 Kindle e-book... Read By Her Own Design Summary

Caller Unknown (2026) is a high-stakes thriller by British author Gillian McAllister. A blend of the domestic and legal thriller subgenres, the novel follows Simone Seaborn, a successful London chef who travels to a remote part of Texas to vacation with her 18-year-old daughter, Lucy. The morning after they arrive, Simone discovers that Lucy has been abducted, forcing Simone into a desperate and illicit journey to comply with the kidnappers’ escalating demands. The novel uses... Read Caller Unknown Summary

“Cat in the Rain,” a short story by American author Ernest Hemingway, was first published in the 1925 collection In Our Time. Hemingway’s story, like much of his work, is semi-autobiographical and based on his experience as an expatriate in Europe after World War I. Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley, shared a love of cats, and it’s thought he wrote this story for her while they lived in Italy and France. The short story... Read Cat in the Rain Summary

Cher is a 2024 memoir by the legendary American singer Cher. The book begins with Cher’s family history and her birth in 1946 and ends with her first residency at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas in 1979. This memoir’s sequel will be released in autumn 2025. In her work, Cher opens up about her personal and professional life, reflecting on her tumultuous childhood and family life with her actress mother, Georgia; little sister, Gee; and... Read Cher: The Memoir Summary

“Children of the Corn,” by American horror author Stephen King, is a short story that first appeared in the March 1977 issue of Penthouse magazine and later became a part of his short story collection Night Shift, published in 1978. “Children of the Corn” follows the perspective of Burt and Vicky Robeson, a couple attempting to save their marriage by taking a cross-country road trip together. But their journey takes a frightening turn when a... Read Children of the Corn Summary

Saara El-Arifi’s 2026 novel, Cleopatra, is a work of historical fantasy that reimagines the life of Egypt’s final pharaoh, Cleopatra, as a first-person narrative. The story is set in a world where the Greek-descended Ptolemaic dynasty possesses divine powers granted by Egyptian gods. Eighteen-year-old Cleopatra ascends to the throne bearing the mark of the goddess Isis. Unlike her siblings who have each been gifted with unique powers,  she lacks a magical gift of her own... Read Cleopatra Summary

Clock Dance (2018) is Anne Tyler’s 22nd domestic literary fiction novel that explores the smaller details of the human condition. Clock Dance, which spans time periods from 1967 to 2017, follows Willa, a woman who’s always made herself useful to those around her without any regard for her own needs. Through Willa’s life, Clock Dance explores themes of self-fulfillment, appreciation, passivity, and community to show how people do (or don’t) change throughout time. This novel... Read Clock Dance Summary

Code Name Hélène (2020) is Ariel Lawhon’s fourth work of historical fiction. Lawhon’s previous novel, I Was Anastasia (2018), about the life of a woman named Anna Anderson who lobbied to be recognized as the Russian princess Anastasia Romanov, was a New York Times bestseller. Code Name Hélène presents a fictionalized account of the life of Nancy Wake, an Australian woman who worked as a British intelligence officer supporting the French Resistance during World War... Read Code Name Hélène Summary

Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself (Revised and Updated) is a self-help book written by Melody Beattie, a renowned author and expert on codependency. First published in 1986, this work has become a cornerstone in the field of codependency recovery, selling over eight million copies and being translated into more than a dozen languages. Beattie draws from her personal experiences with alcoholism, addiction, and codependency to provide a... Read Codependent No More Summary

Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski, PhD, presents a new way of thinking about sex and desire that challenges the traditional male-centric narrative. Dr. Nagoski is a writer and lecturer with a background in women’s sexuality and health. Come as You Are presents an understanding of sex that emphasizes the roles of “accelerators” and “brakes” in arousal and desire. When she worked as a... Read Come As You Are Summary

Communion: The Female Search for Love is a 2002 nonfiction feminist philosophy book by author, theorist, educator, and social critic bell hooks (born Gloria Jean Watkins). It is the third book in her Love Trilogy, following her 1999 book All About Love: New Visions, which explores new ways to think about love and self-love, and her 2001 book Salvation: Black People and Love, which examines the role of love in the history and culture of... Read Communion Summary

Confessions on the 7:45 is a psychological thriller by Lisa Unger published in 2020. Unger has written 25 novels since 2002, most of them in the crime or psychological thriller genres. Her four earliest books were published under her maiden name, Lisa Miscione. Many of Unger’s novels have been New York Times and/or international bestsellers, including Confessions on the 7:45. While Unger has written several series that each contain between two and four installments, Confessions... Read Confessions on the 7:45 Summary

Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert was originally published as three novellas: Sacrifice (2020), Heir (2021), and Queen (2021). Court of the Vampire Queen was first published in 2022. Robert is a USA Today and New York Times bestseller. Court of the Vampire Queen is an erotic, or “spicy,” male-male-male-female relationship (MMMF) paranormal romance featuring vampires, demons, and angels. The story traces Mina Tepes’s pursuit of self-determination amid a supernatural world that restricts... Read Court of the Vampire Queen Summary

Crossroads, published in October 2021, is Jonathan Franzen’s sixth novel. Like Franzen’s most famous novel, The Corrections, published in 2001 and recipient of the National Book Award, Crossroads is a family drama. It tells the story of the Hildebrandts, a middle-class family in 1970s New Prospect, a fictional suburb of Chicago. Russ, the father, is an associate minister at First Reformed Presbyterian Church, while Marion is a stay-at-home mother to siblings Clem, Becky, Perry, and... Read Crossroads Summary

Crow Mary is a historical novel by Canadian author Kathleen Grissom that was published in 2023. Grissom traces the life story of Goes First, or Crow Mary, a real-life Indigenous woman of the Crow (Apsáalooke) nation who lived in 19th-century North America. Through her story, Grissom focuses on the Colonial Trauma and Indigenous Survival, The Resilience of Indigenous Women, and Cultural Conflict and Cross-Cultural Understanding. Grissom is a New York Times best-selling author known for... Read Crow Mary Summary

Culpability is a 2025 family drama and techno-mystery written by novelist and academic Bruce Holsinger. After the Cassidy-Shaw family’s self-driving minivan collides with an oncoming car, killing its two occupants, questions swirl about who, or what, is responsible for the crash. Seventeen-year-old Charlie was behind the wheel, parents Lorelei and Noah were distracted by work, and daughters Alice and Izzy both harbor secrets that could implicate them. Interwoven with excerpts from Lorelei’s research on the... Read Culpability Summary