Here are three books recommended to me by other people. Maybe someone suggested one of these to you? They are very different. I recommend all three.
Fourth grade sisters now in sixth grade were very excited for everyone they knew to read this one. It’s taken me some time to get to it, but I enjoyed it. Good character development, interesting premise, with the workings of the world and use of the magic there. I still can’t quite decide how I feel about the beauty/ugliness vs good/evil thing. I think the author was trying to stand traditional perspectives on end. It was an enjoyable read, in spite of this bit of confusion, and perhaps I’ll discover more when I read book 2.
The School of Good and Evil, by Osman Chainani
Some of my Twitter connections recommended reading work by this Pakistani author, and I was not disappointed. Each work in this collection of short stories opened a window to daily life in Pakistan in ways I’d never considered before. The writing is beautiful, sometimes heartbreaking, and often put me firmly in the characters’ skin. Highly recommended.
Brick Walls: Tales of Hope & Courage from Pakistan, by Saadia Faruqi
Long time friends (he served in the US diplomatic corps, and she works with students who are immigrants) recommended this book to me and my husband because it shares a side of America we have not experienced. I learned much from this look into a culture that has very deep roots in a good portion of our country, and I think helped me to examine once again the privilege I live with each day.
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, by J. D. Vance
The Best of It 