Book #52 Read in 2016
Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen
This book is a family saga book....Millers have owned property for generations and the state wants to buy it but the Millers want to keep farming. Mimi is the youngest child of three. Her brother Eddie was an academic success and moved away from his home town quickly. Tommy served in Vietnam and came home and fell into bad behavior and ways. Mimi wants more out of life....but will she be able to get it or will the family drama tie her down. This book was well written and the characters were interesting and complex. This was a good read. I borrowed this book from the public library.
Book #51 Read in 2016
Another Brookyn by Jacqueline Woodson
I love Woodson's young adult books. This is an adult book and it does not disappoint. Told in poignant style, this book details a brother and sister growing up in Brooklyn, with their father, in a mostly black neighborhood and the trials of puberty, poverty and longing for their mother. This was a good, quick read. Woodson's writing is magically powerful. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.
Book #50 Read in 2016
Happy People Read and Drink Coffee by Agnes Martin-Lugand
How could I not read a book with this title? But what looks on the outside as being a light fluffy read is way more than that. Diane is mourning the deaths of her husband and daughter who died together in a car accident. She is not doing well at all. She decides she needs a change of scenery and leaves Paris for a small town in Ireland. There she meets her landlord's moody nephew, who is her neighbor. Slowly, Diane begins to pull herself together...but will she ever let herself be happy again? This is a great, one-sitting read and there is a sequel coming out in 2017. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.
Book #49 Read in 2016
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows
Lady Jane Grey was the Queen of England for nine days before she was imprisoned and eventually beheaded. This book tells an alternate history....what if Edward, King of England, did not really die? What if Lady Jane escape from the Tower of London? What if the pair decided to take back the throne from Mary?
This book was interesting with the historical bent, romance and humor. It was a good, quick read which I recommend. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.
Book #48 Read in 2016
Tombquest: The Stone Warriors by Michael Northrop
This is the fourth book in a middle school/young adult series that has elements of mythology, history, adventure and mystery. Alex is still trying to find his mom before the bad guys do, while the bad guys are also trying to find him. This book spans Egypt to Vienna and back again. It is a quick action-packed read that middle school boy and girl readers will love.
Book #47 Read in 2016
A Mother's Reckoning by Sue Klebold
Sue Klebold is the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the shooters in the horrific Columbine school shooting. She is trying to make sense of what her son did as well as to figure out how to live without him. While she does make it out that the other shooter, Eric Harris, was more of the leader in the plot, she does not shy away from admitting that her son did horrible, horrible things and that she and her husband (now ex-husband) most likely missed signs that her son was suffering from mental illness. A raw and emotional read that should be read. I borrowed this book from the town library.
May Reads:
1. Little Free Library Book (4/5) library book
2. Dirk Daring Secret Agent (YA) 3/5 1st in series library book
3. And I Darken (YA) 4/5
4. The Memory Book (YA) 5/5
5. Julia Vanishes (YA) 4/5 1st in series
6. The Map in the Attic (4/5) 4th in series library book
7. Isle of the Lost (YA) 4/5 1st in series
8. The Loose Ends List (YA) 5/5
9. City of the Lost 5/5 1st in series
10. A School for Unusual Girls (YA) 4/5 1st in series
11. Highly Illogical Behavior (YA) 4.5/5
12. Cinder (YA) 4.5/5 1st in series Kindle book
13. With Malice (YA) 5/5
46 books read in 2016
