Gaiman does not disappoint as he “once again probes the dark recesses of the” human soul in this novel of fantasy. The Anansi Boys has been described as thrilling, spooky, wondrous, funny and inventive. For those who loved American Gods, here is the sequel. In the novel, Fat Charlie has what he considers a normal life. But normalcy ends when his father, Mr. Nancy drops dead on a Florida karaoke stage. As the story unfolds we learn that Mr Nancy is an incarnation of the West African trickster god Anansi. In addition to discovering his father was a god, Charlie is surprised that he has a brother named Spider. After Spider turns up on Charlie’s doorstep life becomes both interesting and dangerous. Spider steals Charlie’s girlfriend and gets him terminated from his job. Through their adventures the boys explore their common heritage while traveling between Florida, London, and the Caribbean.

NPR Interview: Neil Gaiman Takes Questions on Anansi Boys

Neil Gaiman: Master Class advice to writers

Gansworth, a college professor and writer of adult and young adult literature, as well as a visual artist, offers a memoir written in verse. Accompanied by photographs and drawings, Gansworth strings together a personal story in search of his identity, intertwining references from the Beatles (the band). Gansworth explores his identity as a citizen of Onondaga Nation growing up on the Tuscarora Reservation in New York. Gansworth’s story emerges through his grandparents who were students of the Carlisle Indian Boarding School. Gansworth also includes a history that influenced Indigenous People as a whole and directly to himself. Events such as the Osage Nation murders, government limitations to food and land, and historical efforts to assimilate Native children are part of Gansworth’s search for identity. Readers learn about the term "Apple," which is a slur in Native communities across the country. It's for someone supposedly "red on the outside, white on the inside." Often vulnerable, Gansworth’s descriptions shatter the slur and reclaim his identity as the story begins with a boy watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to a young man fighting to be an artist who balances multiple worlds. (Adapted from Amazon)

Gansworth Interview about Apple Skin to the Core (4:41)

Gansworth on Goodreads

In this young-adult thriller, Karen M. McManus tells the story of three cousins that barely know each other. When all receive an invitation from their rich and reclusive grandmother, they learn about their parent’s disinheritance. The letter invites the cousins to work at the grandmother’s Martha’s Vineyard resort for the summer. Encouraged by their parents and filled with curiosity, the cousins head to the Vineyard. Once at the resort, the cousins realize their grandmother is shocked by their arrival. As summer plans change, the cousins soon unearth a mysterious and dark family past. The story is filled with secrets and “whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over--and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.”

(Modified from Amazon’s Review)

McManus Interview about The Cousins (29:13)

McManus Official Website

McManus writing tutorial: How to write a killer thriller 3:09min

McManus on Goodreads

Westover’s memoir chronicles a young woman’s childhood raised in a survivalist home. Isolated from society while brought up in the mountains of Idaho, her strict Mormon parents believed in homeschooling and denial of Western medical care. Family hardship, loss, undiagnosed mental illness, and violence caused Westover to constantly question her upbringing. She describes near-fatal injuries while working with her father, scrapping and being kept from a formal classroom until the age of seventeen. Westover’s determination for something better began a journey to seek education and entry into Brigham Young University. From Brigham Young University, Westover attended Harvard and Cambridge Universities, eventually earning a Ph.D. Most compelling is Westover’s quest for how knowledge transformed her view of herself and the world. Only after experiencing, “would she wonder if she’d traveled too far if there was still a way home.”

(Modified from Amazon)

Tara Westover: Commencement Speaker 2019 Northeastern University The Un-instagramable self.

Flying demons feeding on human energy, a secret society, and southern magic mixed with Arthurian mythology brings the story of the Legendborn to life. Deonn’s YA fantasy fiction begins the story with Bree Matthews escaping the sadness of her mother’s death. Bree chooses to leave home to attend UNC-Chapel Hill’s residential program for bright high school students. After viewing a magical attack on her first night, Bree’s world is forever changed. Realizing what she saw relates to her mother’ s accidental death, Bree is determined to investigate. She infiltrates the Legendborn to uncover the truth. Bree becomes friends with Nick who is a self-exiled Legendborn, while conflicting with “a Merlin '' who attempts but fails at wiping Bree’s memories. When the Merlin fails, Bree’s magic is unleashed. Deonn’s contemporary YA fantasy brings historical points together with current attitudes and allows students to make their own connections with the cultural references.

Tracy Deonn: 5 Reasons to be Riveted by Legendborn

Tracy Deonn: How to approach feedback, Magic & World Building