The Enchanted April is one of my favorites, so I was curious to see how a modern retelling would be. I enjoyed it, but I think some of that was to due to how much I like the original.

Just breaks your heart all over the dang place. I listened to the audio to get an ear for the poetry, now I'm going to read the print version to see how it's laid out on the page.

So good I had to grab the sequel right away. Be warned though: the sex scenes are adult-level graphic. (And then the sequel kicks it up even more. Definitely not books that make me think, "Which teenagers can I hand this to?")

2016: Wish I'd heard this one on audio to better appreciate the poetry & voice.

2017: listening on audio for book group and YES.

I got to listen to this on audio and could hear the author's voice. This was heartbreaking to listen to at times, but I'm so glad I did. I want to give this to anyone who is mystified by "Black Lives Matters."

Narration by Lin-Manuel Miranda earns this one a 4th star. Thought-provoking, sweet, and sometimes heart-breaking story of best friends Dante and Ari, both Mexican-American teenagers in 1980s Texas. Ari is gay and clearly in love with Dante, but Dante as the narrator doesn't really disclose to us (or to himself) how he feels. I really liked that Ari and Dante's parents (including Dante's Vietnam veteran father) were complex, sympathetic characters as well.

This book didn't end up being what I thought it would, but that's ok. It almost felt like a couple of different books in one, since some seasons of her family's life were so thematically different. Norway and France (closer to the beginning) were my favorite. I also didn't realize I was going to have my heart broken once she started recounting her son's accident--I read this part holed up in the bathroom way past my bed time, crying. Gave me lots to think about travel, language, culture, family, friends, home, and moving forward after loss.

Fascinating. Didn't always agree with the author's biases, but it was SO very interesting. The title doesn't just refer to women who never marry, but to the large number of women who are single during significant chunks of their adult lives, particularly their 20s and into their 30s. This shift has created ramifications for education, work, housing, healthcare, marriage, and parenting.