FDL Reads: Shatter Me
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey, Library Volunteer
Genre: Dystopian Fiction
Suggested Age: Young Adult, Adult
What is This Book About?: “I’ve been locked up for 264 days.” This is the intriguing beginning of Shatter Me. Kept in a cell 144 square feet in size, teenage prisoner Juliette Ferrars has no idea of her location and has had no human contact since her incarceration began. Juliette believes that she is being held in an asylum due to a unique ability she has been cursed with from birth. But her situation is quickly going to change when her tiny cell gains an additional occupant – a surly teen boy. Is he friend or foe? And what do they both have to do with the new Reestablishment government that is responsible for their incarceration?
My Review: This book is rather terrifying. Juliette is afraid of herself, afraid of her special ability. This fear increases exponentially with the introduction of her new cellmate. Juliette is certain that she deserves her fate but yet longs for human kindness. Mafi expertly describes Juliette’s self-loathing and longing through the text, descriptions, and “visual representations” in the text. The author equally adeptly draws us in as Juliette begins to understand what is going on in the outside world and comes to terms with her ability. The reader walks side-by-side with Juliette as she learns about the harsh, oppressive Reestablishment government and solves the mystery of her friend-or-foe cellmate. Highly recommended!
Three Words That Describe This Book: Shocking, empowering, exciting
Give This a Try if You Like… Veronica Roth’s Divergent series or The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 5/5
My 
I can’t choose a book, but I can choose a series. My current favorite series is the 
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… and it’s all small stuff is one of my favorite little books to read. We live in a very fast pace world and sometimes we just need to slow down and breathe. When we are going through chaotic times in life, I like that it keeps it simple and reminds me everything will be okay. Don’t sweat the small stuff!
To Kill A Mockingbird
I have an absurd number of plants in my house, and this book is like my horticulture Bible. It’s a 1979 edition of Success with Houseplants from Reader’s Digest that belonged to a cousin who was like a grandmother to me. Its information and advice is more reliable than most articles on the Internet, and her newspaper clippings, bookmarks, and notes are still pressed between the pages. I still discover something new every time I open it.
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Birthday Celebration – “This week we had a birthday at our house. There was lemon cake, 
Homemade Enchiladas – “I had a craving for enchiladas this week, but I’d never made them before. I love cooking, so I decided I’d try to make them homemade, sauce included! You can use flour tortillas instead of corn if you’d like (I also microwaved the tortillas for 10 seconds per corn tortilla, because they can be fragile when wrapping otherwise). I also used GoVeggie shreds instead of dairy cheese shreds — they taste just as good! You can definitely switch some things around to make it work if you have dietary restrictions. This recipe serves two, but you can easily double it or even triple it. ”
Books from Childhood – “I’ve been going through my memories in time and had came across some of my book collection. How fun it is to read stories like Lassie and bring back all the memories I read from when l was little.”
Making Ear Savers – “I have been making crocheted ear savers to donate to local healthcare workers. They are very comfortable and look like headbands when attached to your masks.”
ICC Botanical Gardens – “I took an early morning walk through ICC’s botanical gardens. The flowers are starting to bloom and it’s a great place to get some fresh air and clear my mind. I spotted two cardinals and listened to a lot of birds singing.”