Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! It’s a beautiful Friday here in the Boston area, and I’m looking forward to a weekend of seeing friends, playing games, and walks with Bodo the dog. Let’s start the weekend off with a few micro-book reviews.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Sepetys knows how to craft a stunning gut-punch of a historical novel. Just my type!

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
I feel like a bad fantasy fan but…it was fine? The story/characters felt ‘meh.’

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Thoughtful look at police brutality. Loved Rashad, but wanted more from Quinn’s part.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! It’s been brutally hot here, but I used the indoor time to finish a revision I’d been working on and am excited about starting a new draft. I’m also excited about seeing friends at a wedding this weekend, which feels like a summer activity. In the meantime, let’s get the weekend started with some book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking
I might secretly be Danish because I am fully into the hygge life.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
A great look at OCD/anxiety, but maybe my least favorite Green book.

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Wasn’t quite as into the insta-love but fantastic look at immigration; loved the multi-POV.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! I’m starting off the weekend with a sick day (ugh, feels so unfair to have a sore throat when it’s like 90 degrees out), but hopefully this will be a mostly restful and relaxing weekend. Let’s start things off with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Winter by Marissa Meyer
A satisfying end to the Lunar Chronicles, but not my favorite of the series.

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown
A great look at managing the difficult times, when don’t know what path we’re on.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
Great contemp YA with strong voices and cultural background; wish they’d had more coding though!

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! No long no blog, but it’s officially summer, which means summer reading season is on. Which means I should probably catch up on my mini-book reviews. Let’s get the weekend (and summer) started with some book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Cress by Marissa Meyer
Great continuation of the Lunar Chronicles and a fun adaptation of Rapunzel.

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
Loved getting to see early Granny Weatherwax. Eskarina is a proto-Hermione in the best way.

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Hell yes we should! Required reading for all genders.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! It’s been a while since my last Friday Fifteen, but I’ve been busy with the work life and the writing life, and the throwing the squeaky toy for Bodo the Dog life. Fortunately, this is the Friday before Marathon Monday, aka the best day of the year, so I’m super excited to head into the weekend. Let’s get things started with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
A fantastic look at disability, friendly, struggle, and strength. As a runner, I’m a fan.

Summerlost by Ally Condie
A sweet and sad and real middle grade about loss and family. Loved the setting.

Paperweight by Meg Haston
A sensitive, real portrayal of a girl battling an eating disorder. Recovery is complex here.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! I feel like every time I write one of these, I want to start with “it’s been a week” but that’s fully the truth. Good things from this week: getting a haircut, chocolate caramel oreo pie, Olympics figure skating, and nice weather for walks. Let’s get the weekend going with some book reviews in fifteen words or fewer!

I’m Just a Person by Tig Notaro
Frank, funny, and touching discussion of sexuality, family history, and how we cope with illness.

An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
Ishiguro’s perfect combination of a restrained narrator and emotional anguish, set against post-WWII Japan.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
A great sequel to Cinder; Scarlet’s voice captured me and I fully ship Scarlet/Wolf.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! I’ve been having a very exciting week and am hoping to share some good writer news soon. In the meantime, let’s start the weekend off with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Jane by April Lindner
A lot to like here, but never quite felt the Jane/Nico connection.

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed
It’s hard to image getting emotional over an advice column, but Strayed delivers the goods.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
Not convinced that running cures all, but a fascinating look at long-distance running.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! Even though it’s a short week, it’s felt really long, and I’m already kind of done with winter. (New England, I love you, but can we not with winter this year?) Fortunately, we’ve still got weekends, and we’ve still got book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
Love the series overall, but this was the weakest link for me. Not enough tension?

The FitzOsbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper
Set at the edge of WWII, feels so important now. Make this a Masterpiece series!

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Kept nodding along with this. Now can we get rid of phone calls please?

Friday Fifteen – Favorites from 2017

Happy Friday, guys! It’s also the last Friday of 2017, which feels like a great time to share fifteen of my favorite books from this year and why you should read them in fifteen words or fewer. I’ve done a lot of great reading, in large part thanks to audiobooks, and will spend 2018 recommending these books to pretty much everyone. (Most of these are not books published in 2017 because I’m way behind the times.) In no particular order:

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
A gut-punch of a book, and a necessary read about Soviet work camps in WWII.

George by Alex Gino
A sensitive, hopeful story about a transgender girl who proves she’s the perfect Charlotte.

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
A powerful and deep dive into the history of cancer, cancer research, and healing.

The Countdown Conspiracy by Katie Slivensky
I’m kinda biased but SO MANY FEELS! I love this STEM adventure. Also, RUBY LIVES!

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
I devoured this tale of family, courage, and how storytelling makes us who we are.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
This stands in for all the Tiffany Aching books; funny, fierce and so friggin’ good.

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
I. Loved. This. Book. Shetterly’s writing is fantastic, and these stories are so powerful.

The Light Fantastic by Sarah Combs
Sarah’s writing is so good, it made me tear up in a Panera. Beautiful, arresting.

Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
My kind of middle grade–sensitive and sad and joyous and true.

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
The whole series is great, but PS is my favorite. I’m still ship Lara Jean/John.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
The book I want to shove into people’s hands. Gorgeous writing, so many feels.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
My new fav contemporary YA romance–funny and sweet and sad and fun.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey
This Jane Eyre adaptation has stuck with me in ways I didn’t expect. Love Livesey.

The FitzOsbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper
Finally read and LOVED it. On the edge of WWII, feels very relevant right now.

Ana of California by Andi Teran
Stays true to the spirit of the original Anne of Green Gables, with contemporary spins.

What were your favorite books from 2017? (Bonus points if they’re available via library audibook borrowing services, just saying, it’s a great way to read.) Share them in the comments! And sending you all happy reading wishes for 2018.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, guys! It’s been a while, but I’ve been working on site updates and I’m happy with how things are starting to shape up. I’m still tweaking (and trying to adjust things based on stuff I’ve been learning in my web design class), so let me know your thoughts on how things look so far.

Also, it seems like a great time to share some thoughts about what I’ve been reading, so let’s start the weekend with some book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes
Rhimes is a refreshing combination of confident and honest about her fears in this memoir.

Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake
Very A Summer Place. Love how Hadley and Sam respond to their respected flawed parents.

Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey
Engaging take on why we’re haunted by ghost stories. More cultural study than horror.