Book #18 of my challenge--book #2 of a series

Crossed by Ally Condie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this one much better than book #1.  Condie did a really good job of having Cassia mature with her books. I especially liked the description of the Carving. Being from Utah I can see envision the slot canyons, the red rock, the hidden caves, the rural ghost towns, and Kamas.

I enjoyed the addition of new characters and new setting. This book puts Cassia in charge rather than the Society. She is forced to make adult choices and she does so realistically.

I hope book #3 does not disappoint.





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Book 17. Spoiler in this review--although you'd probably figure out the ending in the first chapter anyway.

Radiant Angel by Nelson DeMille
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Maybe 2.75 starts. This is exactly what you think it will be. A John Corey police detective novel but this time he's up against Russian terrorists. This gets a wee bit too long in the middle and SPOILER ALERT it ends exactly as you'd predict--he saves the world, he gets the bad guy, AND his personal life is in shambles.





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Book 16

Matched by Ally Condie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

YA dystopian romance. I'm intrigued enough to read the sequel but I simply did not love the main characters, Cassia and Ky. I'm like Leisy, I liked the official match for Cassia. I think Hunger Games spoiled us and we expect young female dystopian teens to be more physical and aggressive--which I prefer to Cassia although she eventually got there after 200+ pages.

I also felt like there were too many loose ends and too many main plot lines that didn't have enough background and thus felt "coincidental" and forced. Maybe more of the back story will be explained in book 2.

This story is slow paced and sweet. I would recommend this read to a younger YA audience.


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Every Working Mom story

A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyable read. Working mom, publishing world, role swapping spouses, sandwich generation---yep, that's my world and it's a theme been done before but I liked how Alice navigated it all. Alice was real and contemporary. she had her misgivings, her inadequacies, she yelled at her kids, she yelled at her husband, and she is today's "everyman."

Yes, I recommend this to working moms trying to figure it out.


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#14 on the book challenge--only 10 more to go!

The Last September by Nina de Gramont
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Almost 4 stars. This is a beautifully written book and the main character, Brett (f), is well developed, the other characters less so. The writing is beautiful but the development of the plot took so long. I struggle with women who make tragic choices when the rest of the world can see the train wreck coming. Maybe that makes this an even better book because I wanted to shake Brett, I wanted her to make the smart choice not the romantic choice.

This is a tragic love story woven into a murder mystery which she doesn't really solve--it solves itself.

I did love all the literary references and certainly the insights into the Poet.

The book ties up the mystery but leaves the reader hanging on her future.


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“When I was your age, television was called books.” ― William Goldman, The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride by William Goldman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this even more than the movie. The movie was two dimensional whereas this book is three dimensional. This was so much fun to read. I can't believe that it took me this long. I'm going to rewatch the movie to see what I missed the first time. And so many great quotes!



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2015 Challenge---Book #12

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So totally agree with Cousin Amy. In fact, I almost quit reading this book because I was so frustrated with the main character. But the further into the book you get, the better choices Rachel makes. And then finally the book started picking up speed. In fact, the whole book felt like a train ride that starts in the city--stop and go, stop and go. And then you get into the journey and it really starts moving along.

I will admit I did figure out whodunnit before the end of the book. Part of the reason I stuck with the book was to make sure I was right.



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