Monday, October 20, 2014

Never Look Away

Never Look AwayNever Look Away by Linwood Barclay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Solid thriller. Lots of rough language. The storyline reminded me a little bit of Gone Girl.

The Secret Garden

The Secret GardenThe Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved listening to this with my kids on a road trip. I had never read it before and was surprised by how it appealed to all ages. We were all anxious to keep listening and see how things ended up.

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar (Oxford School Shakespeare)Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed reading this aloud with my kids for homeschool. I hadn't read it before and I was surprised, once again, by how much Shakespeare influences our modern day idioms and literature, e.g. The Fault in Our Stars. Also, despite the fact that it's a tragedy, parts of it are downright funny.

The Girl With All the Gifts

The Girl with All the GiftsThe Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Very different from what I normally read, but pretty good, especially for this time of year. Parts of it really reminded me of Plants vs. Zombies.

The Rent Collector

The Rent CollectorThe Rent Collector by Camron Wright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Touching novel about second chances and seeing the beauty in life. Everyone in my book club really liked it. (And it's infinitely better than Wright's Letters for Emily.)

Candy Bomber

Candy BomberCandy Bomber by Michael O. Tunnell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great true story of a real hero, Gail Halvorsen, who is currently featured in Meet the Mormons. Loved the pictures and letters included.