Lucky Us

Fiction by Amy Bloom.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Lucky Us is a story about a pair of sisters that begins in 1939. Despite the title, these girls are not particularly lucky. I like character novels, and this is a good character novel.

It also has an awesome first line: 

“My father’s wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for us.”

The Silkworm

Fiction by Robert Galbraith.
(Who is also J.K. Rowling.)


http://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is the sequel to The Cuckoo's Calling, and it's another "hard-boiled detective" type novel. In this story, the private dick Cormoran Strike looks for a missing novelist, who we all know is going to end up being dead.

It was good, but I don't think it's quite as good as the first book. This may just be due to my slight bias against serial detective novels.

It's still definitely worth reading.



I also read by this author:  The Casual Vacancy, The Cuckoo's Calling

Big Little Lies

Fiction by Liane Moriarty.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Okay. This book was AWESOME!!

I'm not even telling you what it was about.

Well... here's a little bit: A little girl is being bullied in kindergarten, and her mother is sure it's being done by a particular boy, whose mother is single and new in town. The little girl's mom goes so far as to circulate a petition to get the little boy expelled, although the teacher can see no evidence of who is actually doing the bullying. The lines of the parents quickly divide into friends of one mom and friends of the other mom. And SOMEONE ends up murdered...

See? Doesn't that sound like a good book? READ IT.



I also read by this author: The Last Anniversary,What Alice Forgot, The Husband's Secret

Close My Eyes

Fiction by Sophie McKenzie.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com

This was an interesting story, but it was also a fabulous example of the annoying Hell-Bent Syndrome. (For a full explanation of that, click here.)

The main character also tended to make such bad choices that she began to annoy me into hating her.

All Fall Down

Fiction by Jennifer Weiner.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com

A novel about a woman struggling with prescription painkiller addiction, this was a good read. I've enjoyed all of Jennifer Weiner's books that I have read.




I've also read recently by this author: The Next Best Thing.

Allegiant

Fiction by Veronica Roth.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is the last book in the Divergent series.  The one before this one was Insurgent.

It was a good ending to the series, although not quite as good as the first book. If you've read the others, it is worth reading.

The Floating World

Fiction by Cynthia Kadohata.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com

I got this book because I read one of the author's young adult novels and really enjoyed it, so I looked to see if she had written anything for grown-ups.

This story was not at all as good as Weedflower (the youth novel). Although I liked the characters, the plot didn't go anywhere.

Sorry.

Say What You Will

Fiction by Cammie McGovern.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

This novel is about a pair of misfit teens who become friends, and possibly more than friends. The characters were really good, believable and likable.

It was actually as good as The Fault in Our Stars, with the added bonus of no one dying at the end. (Was that a spoiler? Sorry.)

Still, it's definitely for older teens or grown-ups, in my opinion. As was, to be honest, The Fault in Our Stars...

Beyond the Myth: The Story of Joan of Arc

Juvenile Fiction by Polly Schoyer Brooks.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Here's the book my daughter read for her "historical character" book report. I decided to read it too, since I'm always interested in historical characters.

I was disappointed in this one. I mean, Joan of Arc is COOL. But this book made her kind of boring.

This is Where I Leave you

Fiction by Jonathan Tropper.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com

There is a move based on this book coming out soon, which will likely be hilarious. And definitely rated R.

This novel was really good, both funny and touching. You'll need a thick skin for the cuss words and sex scenes though.

The Lincoln Myth

Fiction by Steve Berry.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com

For a thriller, this book was not very thrilling. It took me over a week to get though it, which is ridiculous.

The history was interesting, and the idea was good, so I think the trouble was the characters. I'm not really sure, but it just wasn't any fun to read at all.

Stranger With My Face

Fiction by Lois Duncan.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is a cool story about a teenage girl who seems to have a doppelganger. People keep saying they saw her in places where she wasn't. Does she have a secret twin? And is that twin evil?

Really fun and exciting read.