Today I am joining Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Quick Lit for a super short run down of the books I have read since last month.

The Fall: A Father’s Memoir in 424 Steps by Diogo Mainardi. This was going to be my next review for Great New Books until something else jumped ahead of it in line. That is not to say thought that this book is any less great just that something else caught my attention. The Fall tells the story of a father’s journey toward acceptance of his son’s cerebal palsy. The book is part memoir but also a lesson on art history, architecture, Abbot and Costello and Alfred Hitchcock. I know this sounds a bit strange but I promise it is a book worth reading.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. I have been reading a lot of middle grade fiction lately in preparation for the Read Like a Writer Book Club that I will be teaching this summer. I am planning on picking books in various genres and allowing my students to chose which books they are going to read. So far, this title is at the top of my historical fiction list.

The Night Gardner by Jonathan Auxier. I am not a big fan of fantasy. In fact, until last week, I had’t really loved a middle grade fantasy novel since Harry Potter. I now have a new favorite. The Night Gardner is definitely the best fantasy that I have read since Harry and quite frankly one of my favorite reads of the year so far. This is a great book for tweens who aren’t afraid of getting a bit scared and also a perfect read for grown ups looking to get back in the reading groove.