This sweet and touching story follows Alex, an 11 year old who likely has Asperger's. Alex lives with his absent mother and dog, Carl Sagan, named aftThis sweet and touching story follows Alex, an 11 year old who likely has Asperger's. Alex lives with his absent mother and dog, Carl Sagan, named after his hero. Alex is passionate about Astronomy and the book is framed as Alex speaking into a golden ipod. Alex is speaking to whatever alien life might be out there, and like Carl Sagan sent a golden record of sounds into space, Alex is going to send his ipod into space on a rocket he's built and will launch. I highly recommend listening to the audio over reading the text. The audio adds a lot to the story, with multiple narrators and sound effects.
There's a lot going on in this story. Alex doesn't think it's weird that his mom is so absent, but as an adult reading the book you realize something is wrong. Alex shouldn't be doing the grocery shopping and cooking while his mom has one of her "quiet days" in bed.
I loved listening to this story and highly recommend it to fans of "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio. A great pick for adults as well as older kids (younger kids would miss a lot of the complexity). I recommended this to almost everyone I know who loves to read. It's that good....more
Read this fun novella when you need a breath of fresh air. This is a perpetual re-read for me and it always reinvigorates my reading.
In this fictionalRead this fun novella when you need a breath of fresh air. This is a perpetual re-read for me and it always reinvigorates my reading.
In this fictional story, the queen stumbles into a bookmobile due to circumstances and checks out a book to be polite. She gets addicted to reading and soon wants to do nothing else. Her staff don't approve. Fun and funny. A wonderful quick read.
"'Books are wonderful, aren't they? she said to the vice-chancellor, who concurred. 'At the risk of sounding like a piece of steak,' she said, 'they tenderise one.'"...more
This book hit the spot for me. College students Sydney and Leela spend their summer vacation backpacking around Europe. Leela was supposed to go with This book hit the spot for me. College students Sydney and Leela spend their summer vacation backpacking around Europe. Leela was supposed to go with her boyfriend Matt, until Matt kissed someone else. Matt hasn't cancelled his plans though; he's traveling with his friend Jackson.
Mlynowski's words ring true; every time Sydney and Leela go anywhere they have to stop to take selfies (take 3 more just in case) and post them on social media. This doesn't make Syd less loveable though, it just makes her feel like a real person. This is a wonderful new book from one of my favorite chick lit authors. Light, enjoyable and realistic. This is a perfect summer read....more
Wow. This is an impressive novel. It took me a little bit to get into "Beartown", and I tried to put it down a few times since I knew it revolved arouWow. This is an impressive novel. It took me a little bit to get into "Beartown", and I tried to put it down a few times since I knew it revolved around a trauma, but I discovered that I couldn't stop reading about the characters. They really got into my head. Backman follows many of the residents in a small, hockey loving town in the middle of the forest in Sweden. The town has been in decline for years and they're hoping their recent hockey stars will save them by bringing a hockey school to the town and encouraging people to stay in the area, new companies to come, etc. When one of the hockey players is accused of rape, the town divides. Backman has some great insight into what people think and why. Backman develops the characters into real, complex people. A stunning novel. Highly recommended....more
Fun and compelling, McManus says this is "the Breakfast Club with a criminal twist". Five students go into detention. They say they were framed and thFun and compelling, McManus says this is "the Breakfast Club with a criminal twist". Five students go into detention. They say they were framed and that they didn't leave their cellphones in their backpacks during Mr. Avery's classes; someone must have planted the phones on them. When one of the students suddenly dies of anaphylactic shock, the other four fall under suspicion of the school, the police and eventually the nation as an investigative TV program picks up the case of the Bayview Four.
The four students are widely different and all of them are flawed and realistic. McManus switches off between their viewpoints and their stories made me excited to pick up this book whenever I had a spare moment to read. Also read Stephanie Tromly's "Trouble is a Friend of Mine".
Update: By part way through book 2 this became one of my favorite series. The characters feel like real people and it was a treat to follow them throuUpdate: By part way through book 2 this became one of my favorite series. The characters feel like real people and it was a treat to follow them through the years before, during and after WWII. This series is up there with Harry Potter as one of the best I've read.
I thoroughly enjoyed book 1 of this series about a close knit, well-off family at their summer home in England just before WWII. It follows three generations of the family: the Duchy and the Brig, their four adult children and all of their grandchildren.
Highly recommended for fans of epic sagas, British literature and historic fiction. I can't wait to read book 2. It was difficult to stop reading about the family....more
This charming book is a delight to read. A young, single dad decides to live his dream and buys a bookshop. 30 something years later he's dying and hiThis charming book is a delight to read. A young, single dad decides to live his dream and buys a bookshop. 30 something years later he's dying and his daughter moves home to a small town in the Cotswolds to take over the shop. Emilia finds out the shop is deeply in debt and with the help of local townspeople (several of whom Henry follows) tries to revive it. This book has the same spirit as "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry". It would be a great book club pick. Highly recommended....more
Upon opening this book, I immediately became obsessed with it. I flew through this story about high school student Eliza. Eliza is the anonymous creatUpon opening this book, I immediately became obsessed with it. I flew through this story about high school student Eliza. Eliza is the anonymous creator of the popular web comic Monstrous Sea. She's part of a loving family that doesn't get her at all; her mom is constantly trying to get her to join sports teams or play board games with the family. She's pretty reclusive and doesn't have any friends at school, although she has two good friends online. When a new boy and popular Monstrous Sea fanfiction writer befriends her, things start to look up. This is a sweet story that felt real and had me staying up late into the night to keep reading....more
Well written, compelling nonfiction about a doctor choosing to go to medical school in Galveston, Texas a year after Galveston was devastated by floodWell written, compelling nonfiction about a doctor choosing to go to medical school in Galveston, Texas a year after Galveston was devastated by flooding in 2008. Pearson focuses mostly on her time volunteering as a student at a free clinic: St. Vincent's. While the university's hospital used to focus on care for people who could not afford it, they stopped providing this in large part in the years leading up to and after the flood, so many of the people who go to St. Vincent's cannot follow up with the care they need at the hospital. I especially appreciated that Pearson looks at how race and socioeconomic status affect access to and quality of care.
Very readable. Recommended for anyone who enjoyed "Being Mortal" by Atul Gawande....more
Wonderfully diverse YA book about Molly and her family (moms Patty & Nadine, twin sister Cassie and baby brother Xavier). Molly's sister has always haWonderfully diverse YA book about Molly and her family (moms Patty & Nadine, twin sister Cassie and baby brother Xavier). Molly's sister has always had a way with girls, while Molly is left on the sidelines silently crushing on boys. She's overweight and insecure but has a supportive family and friends.
I loved this super cute, realistic book. Molly's voice rings true and once she meets Reid, the geeky boy who works at her new job, you'll be rooting for her to embrace her self worth and tell Reid how she really feels. I appreciated the diverse cast of characters (race, ethnicity & sexual orientation). At one point Molly is downtown and casually mentions all the dads pushing strollers around. The majority of authors would have defaulted to moms pushing strollers around, and as someone whose husband stays at home and does the bulk of the childcare, I really appreciate this getting more representation in fiction.
Dimple and Rishi have just graduated high school and are headed off to Stanford and MIT respectively in the fall. Their parents arrange for them to meDimple and Rishi have just graduated high school and are headed off to Stanford and MIT respectively in the fall. Their parents arrange for them to meet at a month long app development program/competition in San Francisco. Dimple's mom wants her to find the I.I.H. (Ideal Indian Husband), but independent Dimple just wants to pursue her passion for computer science unhindered by their expectations and a boyfriend.
Fun, quick read. I flew through this and didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed the refreshing perspective of a girl interested in the male dominated field of computer science. A great summer read: light and also realistic....more
Slow paced but powerful story of a prominent black family living in Washington D.C. and dealing with the father's early-onset Alzheimer's. Gregory wasSlow paced but powerful story of a prominent black family living in Washington D.C. and dealing with the father's early-onset Alzheimer's. Gregory was one of the first black architects to land large contract jobs in downtown D.C. and he worked hard to build his company's reputation. His wife Diane is a family court judge who has to deadbolt her bedroom door at night against her husband who due to the disease once attacked her out of anger and frustration. Their two children are adults, one an architect, one a contractor. Golden draws you into each family member's life, moving back and forth from Diane and Gregory's pasts before children to Gregory starting to realize his memory is slipping to the present day where Diane has made the difficult choice to have Gregory live in a memory care facility. This book is a slow burn that I couldn't put down. I recommend reading along with "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova, another powerful portrait of early-onset Alzheimer's.
2nd reading: great discussion at the library's book club....more
When Elvira's controlling mother has a stroke and must enter a nursing home, Elvira is left living at home alone. She has a Condition (she's somewhereWhen Elvira's controlling mother has a stroke and must enter a nursing home, Elvira is left living at home alone. She has a Condition (she's somewhere on the Autism spectrum) but despite often having trouble navigating societal rules, once she no longer has her mother's limitations placed on her, she blossoms. Elvira keeps the house clean, gets the groceries, visits her mother every day and starts volunteering once a week at Animal Arcadia, an animal rescue sanctuary. She writes out the seven rules of interacting with NormalTypicals and with the help of her very British neighbor Sylvia (think Bridget Jones but with adult age children) tries to figure out the reasoning behind them. She doesn't like change, but soon she can't avoid it as she learns there was a lot more to her father (now dead) than she realized.
Maynard hooked me from the start with Elvira's illuminating perspective. A very enjoyable story. Highly recommended. This would make a good book club pick....more
I flew through this fun story of Cat/Katie, a Somerset farm girl determined to make it in London. Her commute is over an hour long, her bedroom is so I flew through this fun story of Cat/Katie, a Somerset farm girl determined to make it in London. Her commute is over an hour long, her bedroom is so tiny she stores her clothes in a hammock above her bed and she's assigned intern level work at her advertising company job but she tries to portray the perfect life on Instagram, relying on taking photos of food she hasn't purchased (too broke), clothes other people are wearing, etc. When things start to go wrong with her job, she temporarily retreats to the family farm to help her dad and stepmother start and brand a glamping business.
Funny and a joy to read. This kept me up past my bedtime....more
I devoured this book set in a Britain somewhat similar to ours, except a handful of people are skilled. These are the Equals. Skill is inherited so thI devoured this book set in a Britain somewhat similar to ours, except a handful of people are skilled. These are the Equals. Skill is inherited so the skilled have become the aristocracy, marrying each other and hoarding their power. 300 years ago they made a law that all unskilled must serve 10 slave years. The general population accepts this as how life is in Britain (other countries have different laws).
James follows a family of 4 as they start serving their slave years and run into trouble brewing with both the Equals and unskilled. Book 1 of a planned trilogy, this ends in a cliffhanger. You'll want it to continue.
I was engrossed, following Luke as he meets the underground in the slave town Millmoor and his sister Abi as she starts to question the way of life on the Equal estate of Kyneston....more
A quiet, believable story about two couples and the intermingling of their lives. They meet in 1938 fresh out of graduate school at the Unive4.5 stars
A quiet, believable story about two couples and the intermingling of their lives. They meet in 1938 fresh out of graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Larry has a 1 year position which he is grateful for during the hard depression times. His wife Sally is pregnant and taking time away from her studies to follow her husband's job. They soon meet fellow English professor Sid and his charismatic wife Charity and are swept into Sid and Charity's world. Like her mother before her, Charity creates a compound in Vermont where friends and family can summer together. She has high expectations for Sid, who she wants to turn out just like her father.
Stegner follows these wonderful couples through the 1970s, skipping around in time, through Larry's perspective. Larry is a novelist and ruminates on writing, life and just how well you can know someone.
A satisfying read by a new favorite author of mine. I look forward with pleasure to reading more of Stegner's novels....more