Category Archives: johnsonk

12.21 by Dustin Thomason

Posted on September 20, 2012 by johnsonk

12.21 is Dustin Thomason’s second book after his well received debut novel Rule of Four that he co-wrote with his friend Ian Caldwell. 12.21 is a quite timely thriller as the premise is based on a 2012 apocalypse phenomenon. The … Continue reading →

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The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

Posted on August 30, 2012 by johnsonk

The Chaperone is Laura Moriarty’s fourth novel and her first historical fiction. As the title suggests, Moriarty created an unforgettable heroine in an ordinary and conservative chaperone, Cora Carlisle. Cora is a respectable and sensible mother and wife of a … Continue reading →

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When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

Posted on August 22, 2012 by johnsonk

When She Woke is the second novel by Hillary Jordan. Unlike her prize-winning historical fiction Mudbound, When She Woke is a dystopian novel inspired by The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The novel opens as Hannah Payne awakes in prison … Continue reading →

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Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle

Posted on June 23, 2012 by johnsonk

On June 16, Burmese opposition leader and newly elected lawmaker Aung San Suu Kyi finally got a chance to deliver her acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize. Suu Kyi was awarded the prize back in 1991, when she was … Continue reading →

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Divergent by Veronica Roth

Posted on May 31, 2012 by johnsonk

In Veronica Roth’s debut dystopian novel, Divergent, the society is not divided by religion, race or class, but by five factions, each corresponding to a different virtue that they value and foster above all. The Abnegation are the selfless, the … Continue reading →

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The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot

Posted on May 11, 2012 by johnsonk

The Tale of One Bad Rat is a very special story. In this graphic novel, Bryan Talbot tackles the serious subject of child sexual abuse and its after-effects. “Once upon a time, there was a very bad rat …” thus … Continue reading →

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Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Posted on March 16, 2012 by johnsonk

Wither is Lauren DeStefano’s promising debut novel and is the first book in The Chemical Gardner Trilogy.  In this compelling dystopian novel, DeStefano portrays our world as one that got seriously altered by human genetic engineering. After the first sturdy … Continue reading →

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Private Life by Jane Smiley

Posted on March 15, 2012 by johnsonk

Private Life is the latest book by the Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Jane Smiley. In this brilliant, character driven novel, Smiley created an unforgettable heroine in a quiet devoted wife, Margaret Mayfield Early. Private life chronicles several decades of Margaret’s life, … Continue reading →

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Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu

Posted on February 3, 2012 by johnsonk

“Everyone has secrets. Some are just bigger and dirtier than others. At least that’s what I told myself whenever I stood in a crowd of normal-looking people and felt like I was the only one.” Lucy has been living with … Continue reading →

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Crossed by Ally Condi

Posted on January 18, 2012 by johnsonk

Crossed is the much anticipated second book in the young adult dystopian Matched trilogy. Crossed picks up where Matched left off. Ky has been relocated by the Society to an unspecified location in Outer Provinces to fight the enemy and Cassia … Continue reading →

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