Winter Reading Challenge : Book Reviews

A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden

Wow. I read this in one sitting. It was amazing. It had all of my favorite tropes, "who did this to you?", enemies to lovers, "touch her and you die", forced proximity and the banter was TOP NOTCH! 5 out of 5 stars! -- Abby Finafrock

Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R. F. Kuang

Very good, lots of different cultures involved. Very interesting comparisons of words in different languages. -- Rebecca Weir

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Best book I've read this year. -- Shelby Aguilar

Knowledge, Reality, and Value by Michael Huemer

Great intro book for many of the pertinent questions and areas of contemporary philosophy, such as intellectual virtues, logic, epistemology, skepticism, knowledge, theism, atheism, free will, detrminsim, grounding of personal identity over time, meta-ethics, animal ethics, and many more. The book is surprisingly in-depth for how many topics it covers and the relative brevity of the novel. Great read and I highly recommend it for anyone even remotely interested in philosophy. -- Thomas Annulis

Philosophical Perspectives on Infinity by Graham Oppy

Great read for those interested in philosophy of mathematics. Covers topics like Cantorian Set Theory, cardinal infinities and various other forms of infinities, applied mathematics, principles of sufficient reason,  and thought experiments/paradoxes involving infinities like Thompson's Lamp, Craig's Library, Grim Reaper Paradox, Hilbert's Hotel, Tristram Shandy Paradox, Dark Night Sky Paradox, and many more. Bit of a more advanced book and can be pretty confusing, especially in sections involving mathematical symbols and symbols of logic.. -- Thomas Annulis

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

I ultimately found it to be anticlimactic, though it was an interesting concept. 3/5 stars -- Erin Duncan

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Such a good plot twist. you know something will happen but don't imagine it to be what actually happened. -- Nichol Alvarado

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

Super cute romance that also touches on mental health and finding happiness in tough situations -- Emily Streett

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The best book I've read all year. -- Shelby Aguilar

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

This was a really good book i took my time of break to look into. I learned a lot of information which was hard for me to digest at first glance about how the rich get rich. It was a very interesting book and I enjoyed it much. It is now my favorite book. I could go more in depth, but I opine everyone should read this on their own and watch the author's videos on YouTube. -- Jonathan Wade

Verity by Colleen Hoover

An insane twist to a romance/suspense novel. A psychological thriller where you are forced to question what is the truth and what is a lie in the main character’s life. Takes place in Manhattan and Vermont. You won’t want to put this book down once you start reading it. Highly recommend getting the collector’s edition with the added chapter. -- Abbey Bartenstein

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

This book is so incredibly weird and uncanny. The level of detail throughout the novel reaches points where it is droning on. I appreciated the social commentary and how it inspires you to question your motives for how you live your life and the actions you take. What sorts of actions are acceptable in what sorts of situations? How do our animal and divine aspects interact? It's definitely a thought-provoking book. -- Selia Bizzarro

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

Awesome book! It started slow but the ending had so many twists!

Family of Liars by E. Lockhart

This book is a prequel to We Were Liars. Both were a great and fun read! -- Jillian Stankiewicz

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Mere Christianity is a well written book and a good reminder that we ultimately need to give our entire selves to Christ in order to become who we are meant to be. It certainly is a good read and worthy of the honor of a ‘classic.’ -- Anthony Zaccaria

The Awkward Path to Getting Lucky by Summer Heacock

Truly a book you stay up until 5 a.m. reading. -- Gabrielle Harrigan

Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid

this book hits your heart a different way. going into the past & back to the present throughout the book was a great way to get their entire story -- Nichol Alvarado

I’m a Therapist And My Patient Is Going To Be The Next School Shooter by Dr. Harper

This book has SO many twist and turns that you never know what’s going on until the very end- and even then you are still wrong. Love it. -- Nichol Alvarado