Just a wonderful story that I hope to share with my kids someday. I loved how it was told from the perspective of each of the children in the story and, although Auggie is the main character who is unfairly judged by his deformities, each of them has something going on in their lives that can't be known by appearances. Whether we are 'normal' looking or not, we can never know what it is like to walk in someone else's shoes and should treat everyone with kindness and respect. The book is a bit heavy handed with this message, but it doesn't make it any less worthwhile. I also have little faith that kids exist like those that befriended Auggie, but I can hope, and hope this book might make a difference.

I just really didn't like the main character, so I was always frustrated with her actions and just didn't care much what happened to her. I thought the premise was intriguing: woman decided to just up and leave her family one day while on their beach vacation and assumes a new life. It just fell flat for me, and I've tried a few Tyler books since The Accidental Tourist and none of them live up to that one.

Oh, I just keep waiting for another Prep from Sittenfeld and this had a great deal of promise for about the first two thirds of the book. There were the usual complex characters I've come to expect from her novels: real, quirky, self centered and relatable (especially since the main character is the mother of two small children). I also thought the whole paranormal/ESP storyline, and the impending earthquake, definitely kept me engaged - it was a page turner, for the most part. But the last third of the book veered off in a direction that just made me feel horrible. I suppose that's how she wanted us to feel, and that's one of the reasons I liked Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - it incites strong emotions. But this ending almost seemed slap dashed together for shock value when it could have ended in a million different but equally compelling ways.

Delightful. Absolutely the best word to describe this book. Reminiscent of a Dan Brown novel and an Indiana Jones adventure, with a younger and more modern feel. There are lots of really great laugh aloud moments as well. "The thinnest tendrils of dawn are creeping in from the East. People from New York are softly starting to Tweet." HA! As a West coast Twitter-er, this really cracked me up. It did get a little hokey in parts, but still overall: delightful.

Ohmygod. It's been years since I read a book in one day. This book tore me to pieces. I feel ravaged, but I loved every minute of it. This is competing with Me Before You as my favorite love story of the year, and maybe EVER.

This book was a very different read than Eleanor and Park, but just as lovable and a lot more uplifting. Great characters who I wish I could hang out with in real life; Rowell's just writes them so very REAL. This book was a little on the fluffy side; it reminded me a bit of Sophie Kinsella, but with way more emotional heft. I cannot WAIT for Fangirl to come out!

Oh, the Luxe books are still fun, but this one was a little dry. You would think that these love stories would be resolved by the third book in the series, but ohhh no. Godbersen throws up every barrier between her fated lovers and it's getting a bit too drawn out. However, it did end with a rather unexpected surprise so that, of course, I have to read the next one. Luckily they are the book equivalent of candy and I consume them rather quickly.

I've kept away from the YA dystopian stuff for awhile, but just had to see what all the hype was about for the 5th Wave. It did not disappoint. I suppose it's a bit more pre-dystopian, as it's set during the time of a War of the Worlds situation. Normally, I cannot deal with those kinds of books (like The Road) or movies (War of the Worlds - the Tom Cruise version). But this book balanced the bleak and hopeful really well; Yancey gives a quirky and unique perspective through Cassie, our heroine, and a believable romantic narrative. It reminds me a great deal of Stephanie Meyer's The Host, with a little Enders Game thrown in. I furiously turned the pages and I'm really excited for the next book, even though bits of the story were a bit predictable.

As a mother, this was a really tough book to read. From the Amazon.com description:

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

So, you can assume where the story goes from there. I was surprised at how things unfolded and could see how this would be a FABULOUS book club pick. Lots to debate; I still don't know who I sympathized with more and who might have been morally right. Very thought provoking and beautiful imagery to boot.

I really enjoy novels that weave together seemingly unrelated plots, that eventually come together. (Beautiful Ruins is a favorite) Yet the 'reveal' in The Engagements of how each main character's story related to the others took WAY too long for me to care. And I really only empathized with one story line (Evelyn's) and the very real story Mary Frances Gerety who coined the tag line "A Diamond is Forever" during her years at Ayer advertising. The other main characters were either pissing away their lives or annoyingly self-righteous.