Falling Together: A Novel by Marisa de los Santos
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First off, there were many elements I enjoyed about this book.  There were some amazing character descriptions and the personalities depicted were realistic and believable.  However, at the beginning of the novel, I was expecting a little bit of intrigue, I guess hoping for something a tad darker.

I think Marisa de los Santos is a very talented writer, I just wished that the story had held more suspense.  I also think that it verged on being a tad too saccharine at times.


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Why Smart People Do the Same Dumb Things by Rosalie K. Tatsuguchi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought there were a lot of helpful aspects of this book.  I wished there had been a few more real-life examples of how to implement some of the suggestions.  But overall, it was an interesting read because of the reasoning behind why some people self-sabotage.


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Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Truthfully, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this series.  The final book had enough action to keep me interested, and enough resolution to leave me satisfied.  I wish people appreciated young adult books more.  They should be respected for telling interesting stories and creating believable characters (and yeah, I know there were werewolves in this.)

Anyway, I would definitely recommend reading these three books.  Great storytelling for any age.


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Salvage the Bones: A Novel by Jesmyn Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There were a lot of lovely moments in this book.  I loved the allusions to Greek mythology, and the imagery when Hurricane Katrina hits is amazing.  However, the storyline felt a little slow in parts, especially since the reader knows there is a buildup happening to when the hurricane actually comes.  I almost felt like the climax of the book happened too late.  I would have loved for the action to have happened sooner, thus allowing for more resolution time.  Some of the subject matter is also a little hard to get past--I definitely struggled to get through the dog fight sections.  But overall, Ward has a beautiful way with words and her characters are three-dimensional and believable.


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The Red House: A Novel by Mark Haddon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm definitely a fan of this author (I absolutely loved "The Curious Incident...")  However, it was hard for me to get used to the jilted, jumpy storytelling.  I enjoyed the characters--their voices were distinct and descriptive.  I would have been completely enthralled with this if I was able to keep with each character's POV longer.  The premise was interesting though, and I thought the setting was perfect for exploring the individual's underlying personality traits.  Wouldn't recommend for everyone, since it might be a tad confusing for some people.


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Twelve Clean Pages by Nika Maples

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this book to be captivating and inspiring. What makes this memoir fun to read is Maples' humor and insight into what could have been a life-ruining event. Although I am not a religious person, I was not put off by Maples' musings on how her beliefs helped her recover (and I often find myself less than interested in people's spiritual discoveries.) I loved that Maples felt sorry for herself and at times suffered from true hopelessness--these aspects helped the book to stray far from Pollyanna territory. I would definitely recommend this book to others who want to read a true story of courage from someone who used her wit and strength to bring herself back from the brink.

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I Am Forbidden: A Novel by Anouk Markovits

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a completely original story, despite the ubiquity of Holocaust novels. The characters were believable and unique. The style is a little difficult to get used to at first--the sentences are very short and terse. But I loved the setting and the span of time covered during the plot. I'm definitely going to recommend this to others because of the author's gripping storytelling.

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So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Although I wasn't a fan of the alternating POV's, I did love the language in this. The author has a wonderful style that I really connected to. I also really enjoyed the twists in the story--there were a lot of unexpected plot points that made the book even more fun to read. I would definitely be interested in reading more by Hoffman.

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Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book because of the honesty behind every essay. I'm not in the intended age group, but I did find it enjoyable nonetheless. Quindlen's insights on womanhood and daily life in general can be appreciated by women of any generation. Her writing is succinct but still full of detail. Her humor makes the book feel light even when she's discussing more somber topics. Can't wait to recommend this to others!

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In the Face of Evil: Based on the life of Dina Frydman Balbien by Tema N. Merback

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an inspiring story! Like other accounts of the horror of the Holocaust, Dina Frydman Balbien shares her life while showing strength and courage that not many possess. Her story is told by her daughter, lending a closeness that would have been lost if Dina had recounted her story to a different writer. Although there are grammatical mistakes throughout the book, it is easy to pass over them because of the sheer readability of the text. The details in the story are incredibly vivid, allowing the reader to feel as though they are there with her as she survives tragedy after tragedy. The spirit of the book would evoke hope in even the hardest of souls. Dina has certainly lived up to the expectations of a survivor--someone who is brave enough to share the past but smart enough to know it is the terrifying details that make it the most real.

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The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was lovely and touching. I can always tell I'm reading a good book written by a talented author when I'm sad I've reached the last page--I could have read more and more pages about these characters. Umrigar writes about a friendship between 4 Indian women that has evolved over several decades. Each character was original and fully-fleshed so that it was easy for the reader to feel like they knew each woman (and their spouses.) The setting of India is another strength of the novel--it adds an additional character to the feel of the story. The dialogue was realistic and the usage of Indian words added to the authenticity. Can't wait to read more of this woman's work!

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Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I usually don't read books in the fantasy/romance genre, but this story was interesting and it kept my attention (even if it felt a little long.) I probably won't continue to read the series, but I can see why people are drawn to this style of writing. The text is mostly dialogue, so it reads quickly, and there isn't so much digging into the characters that the story gets lost. Overall, it was a nice surprise to find it written so well.

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