Beth's Staff Picks
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This book is definitely one of my favorite young adult fantasy novels I’ve read recently! Based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, These Violent Delights follows Juliette of the Scarlet Gang and Roma of the White Flowers as they navigate 1920s Shanghai and a rogue monster on the loose. With the plot loosely based on historical events during this time period, author Chloe Gong expertly weaves history and fantasy together for a fabulous story that will leave you wanting more.
With similarities to The Handmaid’s Tale and The Crucible, Outlawed takes place in an alternate 1800s U.S. history in which women are born to be mothers and those who can’t bear children are labeled as witches. The story follows Ada, a young 17-year-old girl, as she flees her small town to find the Hole in the Wall Gang, led by the infamous the Kid. Taking inspiration from the real Hole in the Wall Gang of the 1800s, author Anna North utilizes the survivalist theme of Westerns to illustrate the bond between women for a fast-paced read.
I’ll admit I know next to nothing about John Cena's career as a pro wrestler. However, I follow him on Instagram and Twitter as coincidentally we are big fans of the same music group: BTS. As a pro wrestler, I know that John Cena is an intimidating force. Contrastingly, his Twitter feed is light-hearted and inspirational in the same vein as Be A Work in Progress. This book filled with short quotes and thoughts reminds us that we all could use a little self-reflection from time to time.
Written by the author of Orphan Train, The Exiles is a historical fiction that takes place in 1800s England and fledgling penal colony Australia. With the colonization of Aboriginal land by the English, Aboriginal woman Mathinna is taken from her home to be “educated” by the governor of Van Diemen's Land. In England, Evangeline, a young governess, is accused of stealing and sentenced to the infamous Newgate Prison and then transferred to Australia by boat. A narrative that comes full circle in the end, The Exiles is a fictional story told through the hardships faced by the female convicts and Aboriginal characters, often ignored subjects in the history of Australia’s colonization.
![Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes [A Cookbook] Cover Image](https://images.booksense.com/images/books/878/748/FC9781607748878.JPG)
Cook Korean! intrigued me as each recipe is told exclusively through comic book format. Author Robin Ha, a Korean-American, intersperses her own memories of her mother’s cooking with various cultural elements such as the various different kinds of rice served at Korean meals. I have yet to head to the nearest H-Mart to pick up ingredients, but I can’t wait to try some of these delicious sounding recipes!
Arsenic and Adobo is a quirky mystery filled with yummy recipes of various Filipino dishes. Starting off more as a romantic comedy, the story follows Lila Macapagal as she returns to Chicago to work in her aunt Rosie’s restaurant. Things go south when an ex-lover of Lila’s turned food critic falls ill and dies after eating at Tita Rosie’s restaurant. Heartwarming and mysterious, Arsenic and Adobo has all the trappings of a cozy mystery that will have you falling in love with the characters.
