September Books

North of Beautiful by Justine Chen (library ebook) - I don't know. This was okay. I kind of thought it was preachy, though. Wonder by R.J. Palacio and The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen touch on similar themes in a much more readable way.  I liked this book, but it was a little too in my face.

Girls Don't Fly by Kristen Chandler (library ebook) -I had a dream about a young adult book with a strong lead character who isn't whiny and annoying. This book isn't it.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (library ebook) - This was a fun read. There were A LOT of characters to keep track of, though, so much so that I made a cheat sheet for myself.  I think it would definitely have appealed to me as a kid and I'm keeping it in mind for when my five year old niece gets just a wee bit older so I can read it to her out loud.

Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson (library book) -This book has been on my library list for over a year. It was never available, so when I found it on the shelves of our local library, I got super excited. Unfortunately, I gave up about two-thirds of the way through because it was killing my soul.  There were moments of truly good writing amid sentence fragments and strange run-on sentences.  Plus, it seemed lazy to me that the author couldn't just tell the story through one POV, but had to keep switching between what seemed like 20 characters. Ugh.

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell (library ebook) - I couldn't put this book down and actually kind of annoyed Dr. BB by staying up late to read it.  There was this part towards the end where the main character has to do something absolutely horrible and I literally threw my Kindle across the room because I couldn't bear to read it. But it was good.

Starcrossed (Awakening) by Josephine Angelini (library ebook) - This was readable. I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon reading it and only kind of wishing it didn't remind me of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series so much.  Not an unqualified hit in my world, but perfectly pleasant.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (library audiobook read by the author) -  I don't know, my friends. This book gets all kinds of raves, but it just didn't do it for me. I thought the best part of the book was the first part, the part set in Afghanistan when things were stable in that country, but it was more interesting than well written. The author repeats so much so often, I didn't even mind when the end of one of the CDs skipped and I had to give up and put in the next CD because I knew I'd be able to figure out what happened. Not my favorite.

Chime by Franny Billingsley (library ebook) - I refuse to feel bad that I didn't finish this book.  It's just not my style.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (library ebook) - I give up. I'm never going to be able to read anything good again.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (library ebook) - Dreadfully uneven.  Part II was pretty good, but I nearly gave up during Part I. I don't know.  I give it two and a half stars out of five.

Partials by Dan Wells (library ebook) -  I know I said I was over dystopian fiction, but this book was on my requested library list for over six months and I really wanted to read it.  It was all right. It had a slow start, but really picked up at the end so it was go, go, go from there.  There were a lot of seemingly giant leaps (only the 16-year old can figure out what's been going wrong for the last decade, she's never had blood drawn before and she's a medic are two of the biggest plot holes), but, you know, it's all fine. I won't read any more of the series, but it was all right.

Only Alien on the Planet (library ebook) by Kristen Randle - But how can you fall in love with someone who only communicates with you about how to do your math homework?  I love brainy men, too, but this seemed so  unrealistic as to strain even my bounds of credulity. I'm a pretty gullible person, you know. This book confused me and the awesome amazon reviews confuse me even more.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick (libray audiobook read by Mark Feuerstein) - This book was weird. The first part was interminable descriptions of a pervy old many who wanted sex and the second part was endless descriptions of imaginary gardens.  I will admit that the ending did surprise me, but it wasn't enough to make up for the rest of the book.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier (library audiobook read by Frank Muller) - I really, really, really dislike books where the teachers are the bad guys. Damn you, NPR list of young adult books I should read. I don't trust you.

As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynee Rae Perkins (library audiobook read by Chris Sorenson) - Weird, weird book. I can't say I disliked it, but the Rube Goldberg-nature of the thing filled with improbable event after improbable event kind of drove me crazy. Meh.  The characters were charming, some of the language was fun, but it was all a little too coincidental.