March 2014: Someone

Amanda:  Meh

Rebecca:  It has been a while since I read it, but even if I finished it yesterday, I don't think it would have made much of an impression. A bit long winded and pointless in my opinion.

Aday:  Too bored to finish.

January 2014: Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Jill:  Engaging and funny - I really enjoyed this book.  The style was a nice break from the norm. 

Holly:  First non-sad book I've loved in a long time.

Aday:  Interesting, but a little far-fetched for me.   Comme ci comme ça.

Barb:  A somewhat entertaining read (I mostly enjoyed the brilliantly rendered "volunteer mom" stereotypes) but in the end I could not suspend my disbelief long enough to really enjoy the book.

Chari:  I loved it!  Thought very fun, interesting characters and I liked the unique writing style.

Rebecca:  Mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the writing style and witty banter, but the entire story became so implausible that I lost interest. So so for me.

Amanda:  This was a very different kind of present-day fiction.  I really disliked a lot of the characters, but was that the intent? I am having trouble deciding if I liked it or not. 

November 2013: Half Broke Horses

Rebecca:  I enjoyed this book even more than I expected. I loved reading about the family dynamics and relationships that led to 3 generations of fascinating women. Thumbs up!

Mary:  I loved this book--so cool to read about the places we know now 100 years ago.  Also just blew my mind how much life has changed.  Not to mention the story was just a good one.


Chari:  I really enjoyed the book and liked the colorful depiction of the heroine.  Thought the novel was as interesting as the glass castle!


Linsy:  Jeannette Walls draws you into the lives of the characters in this book with ease and interest, just as she did in The Glass Castle.  The characters and the story are not extraordinary, but she tells their story beautifully.  Great book!

October 2013: The Light Between Oceans

Kerry:  I really enjoyed this book, maybe because it was about such a different life than my own.  I enjoyed learning about lighthouse living, Australia living, and the choices that this family made.

Amanda:  Enjoyable read and clever story.  I ran the gambit with Isabel--I loved her, then I hated her.  Complex characters written well.

Sowders: Character development was lacking for me... or rather, I just didn't like any of the characters.

Chari:  Thought setting was interesting but could not empathize with the main characters. The adoptive mother's personality was completely annoying.

Shannon:  It was interesting in the beginning, but I became bored as it went on.

Aday:  It was an interesting story, but the kind of book where you can't wait for it to end.

September 2013: The Fault in Our Stars

Amanda:  Very poignant novel about cancer through the eyes of a teenager.

Rebecca:  It was a very touching book about a heart-breaking topic.  I enjoyed it, but felt that the dialogue between the teenagers was often unrealistic.  Overall, good book and would recommend it to others.

Stephanie:  Sweet, entertaining read.

Aday:  "I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."

August 2013: Roots

June 2013: Killing Kennedy

Stephanie:  I really liked this book.  Kennedy's life is laid out in detail, both the good and the bad, in what I thought was an evenhanded approach.  Very well done!


Becca:  I enjoyed this book more than I expected. Interesting read.


Jill:  Almost a guilty pleasure given all the salacious details about JFK's life, but found this book very readable - recommend!  (Also recommend Killing Lincoln, which I accidentally read first, thinking it was the book club book!)

May 2013: On the Island

Barb:  Easy breezy beach-ready read.  Self-pub, so high on invoking any latent pool boy fantasies but low on literary merit.

Chari:  Thought it was a fun beach read and yes, I liked it a lot. I read it during vacation last summer and ignored my family the whole day. Could not put it down and was thoroughly entertained!

Holly:  Fluffy fluff.

Steph:  Fun, summery read.  I liked the characters and, even if everything was a bit too convenient and easily wrapped up, it was still an entertaining read.

Ashley:  A light fun book to be read on a beach with a fruity drink - The Blue Lagoon meets Sex in the City.

Amanda:  This book started out good and I really loved the adventure of it all. But the ending was so predictable and unworthy of the preceding storyline. I did enjoy the book, just wished it was a little less insipid.

Becca:  I liked this fun, light, "beach read".   I think it was a nice break from the heavier books we have been reading.

Aday:  Fast read, but lacked substance.  

Kerry:  I loved this book, it was sappy and corny and I cried.  There is not much that I will take away with me from this book, but I really enjoyed it!

Kasey:  This is definitely not in my top 5 or even 100 books.  I found both characters to be annoying.  I was actually rooting for the shark when they were on the island.  It was an easy read, but I was very bored throughout.

Mary:  This book wasn't anything special.  An easy summery read for sure, but it was so wrapped up that it annoyed me.  I guess I like just a bit of conflict!!!

Jenn K:  Easy, breezy, fun. Perfect for the beach. I predict a Lifetime movie starring Jennie Garth and Justin Bieber in its future.

April 2013: Nothing to Envy

Barb:  A very timely, gritty, and informative (though somehow not riveting) tale of North Korean defectors and their lives under their dictators' thumbs.

Jill:  It seems wrong to say that I loved this book, given the subject matter and the senseless suffering it detailed, but I am so glad I read it.  It educated me on North Korea while also telling the stories of the characters so beautifully that it read like a novel.

Holly:  A bit tough to get through, but definitely educational.

Becca:  I thought the book was interesting, informative, and incredibly disturbing all at the same time. I'm embarrassed that I didn't know more about N. Korea.  It got a little tedious at times, but overall I really liked the book.

Kerry:  Nothing to Envy enthralled me.  It was hard to imagine what life is like in North Korea, but the memorable stories have stuck with me.  I recommend this book to anyone who wants to expand their understanding of the world.

Steph:  Very interesting and informative.  Made me highly sympathetic to the plight of those currently living in North Korea - I am thankful for the raised awareness the book gave me.

March 2013: Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Aday:  "There are dark black buttons tattooed on my heart. I'll carry them for the rest of my days." Brilliantly beautiful book, I fell in love with it all.

Stephanie:  This book was beautiful, sincere & heartfelt. Loved it!

Jill:  I felt like this book was trying too hard.  It was ok, but didn't love it.

Mary:  I felt like I was 14 again--the 80s, the confusion, the naivete, the experimenting with who I was, how to feel, how to just be.  I thought it was perfectly written and I loved it all.