Novels for adults and teenagers

We have been reading a few books (for adults and youth) that you can add to your list of books to read. Read below to read a synopsis and our thoughts for Grown-Up Pose, Indelicacy, My Summer of Love and Misfortune, Don't Ask Me Where I'm From, The Complete Sherlock Holmes, and Solving Sherlock Holmes Puzzle Your Way Through the Cases. 

Grown-Up Pose by Sonya Lalli similar to her first book The Matchmaker's List is an interesting read that I recommend. This women's fiction is about a delightfully modern look at what happens to a thirty-year-old woman when tradition, dating, and independence collide. She is pressured by her tight-knit community to get married at a young age to her first serious boyfriend. After a few years of marriage and a young daughter, Anu Desai separates from her husband and is on her own again and feels like she is starting from the beginning, but doesn't have time to start over. Telling her parents that she was separating from her husband was the hardest thing she has ever done, and had to deal with the fallout. With a lot on her plate, like supporting her daughter, trying to date, travel, investing her savings into running her own yoga studio, she feels overwhelmed  and is forced to look inside herself to learn what she truly wants. 

Indelicacy by Amina Cain is a psychological fiction for adults, which I found to be an okay read. The short chapters are written in a perspective of a woman who worked as a cleaning woman at a museum of art that aspires to do more than simply dusting painting. She dreams of having the freedom to explore writing, and finds a way to do this when she marries a rich man that supports her to write and relax. She gains a husband, a house, high society and a maid. She takes up different forms of time consuming things to do, but doesn't feel satisfied and wants to find something that she feels pleasure in. I continued reading this book, as I wanted to know what happens to this maid and what she will do when she gets opportunities to come out of the type of life she didn't want to live in.   

My Summer of Love and Misfortune by Lindsay Wong is a hilarious, quirky novel about a Chinese-American teen who is thrust into the decadent world of Beijing high society when she is sent away to spend the summer in China. Iris Wang is having a bit of a rough start to her summer: Her boyfriend cheated on her, she didn't get into any colleges, and she has no idea who she is or what she wants to do with her life. She's always felt torn about being Chinese-American, feeling neither Chinese nor American enough to claim either identity. In an attempt to snap her out of her funk, Iris's parents send her away to visit family in Beijing, with the hopes that Iris would "reconnect with her culture" and "find herself". Iris resents the condescension, but admits this might be a good opportunity to hit the reset button on her life. With this trip, Iris expects to eat a few dumplings, meet some family, and visit a tourist hotspot or two. Instead, she gets swept up in the ridiculous, opulent world of Beijing's wealthy elite, leading her to unexpected and extraordinary discoveries about her family, her future, and herself. 

Overall, I would recommend this book for young adults as this book is exciting. Every chapter was about Iris' journey to become a better well-rounded person. Her life seems like a not-so perfect movie life. The main character Iris is interesting which made the book captivating. 

Don't Ask Me Where I'm From by Jennifer De Leon is about a first generation American LatinX Liliana Cruz. She does what it takes to fit in at her new nearly all-white school, until her family secrets spill out and racism at school ramps up. She must decide what she believes in and take a stand. There are a few walls in Liliana Cruz way such as her what her mom has put up ever since Liliana' dad left again, the suburban wealthy and white high school in Westburg she got accepted to is different from her diverse inner-city Boston neighbourhood, and the barrier she creates within herself to survive at Westburg. Liliana changes her name, the way she talks, and sees her neighbourhood in a different way. When she gets to know some hard truths such as why her father can't come home even if he wants to and racial tensions at school. A wall isn't always a barrier, but a foundation for something better so Liliana has to make a choice to use this foundation as a platform to speak her truth or risk crumbling under its weight. 

This is another interesting book for young adults that my teenage daughter enjoyed. Liliana Cruz has a very strong character because she displays confidence even when she doesn't feel that way, and sets an example for others when she stands up for other kids in her school. This book highlights the topic of racism and teaches people that everyone is equal and that everyone has a different story whether it is good or bad.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has four full length novels and fifty six short stories. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859 and started writing since he was six years old. Although, he trained to become a physician, he continued to write, and published his first Sherlock Holmes tale "A Study in Scarlet" in 1887. Sherlock Holmes used his mastery of deductive reasoning and expert sleuthing to solve an array of complex and harrowing cases. Holmes with this loyal companion and chronicler, Dr. Watson, baffled policemen and became famous worldwide for his remarkable observations and eccentric habits. This gift edition contains every known Sherlock Holmes tale. 

Solving Sherlock Holmes Puzzle Your Way Through the Cases by Pierre Berloquin is not a traditional book. We have to skip around and have fun following Holmes' trail using clues, events, and puzzles hidden in the pages. There are three challenges, every chapter contains twenty three puzzles to solve inspired by six classic Sherlock Holmes stories. The plots have been slightly reimagined to add further mystery and purposely create more hurdles than Holmes and Watson had to overcome in the original stories. Each chapter contains a map which we can tear out and keep next to us as we work through the puzzles. After solving the puzzle, we will be able to read part of the answer or hint within a box at the bottom of the page. This answer leads us to the next puzzle. In each chapter, there is one intentional letter mistake to keep us on our toes. At first glance it will appear as a typo or misspelling, but it is not. Each letter a total of six will spell out a final word when all the puzzles have been completed. 

Disclosure: We received these books as advance copies as a gift from publishers, Penguin Random House Canada and Simon and Schuster. Sherlock Holmes tales and the activity book are complementary from Quatro Knows. Please note that all opinions and thoughts expressed are my own. All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2010 - 2020. Please Ask First