Finished several books this last few weeks

I finished several books this last few weeks, and I also apparently spent WAY too much time in my car the last few also, since 4 of the books were on audio.  That does not make for a very nice carbon footprint. Yikes!

I wanted to talk about these in order of how much I liked them, but the problem is, there's one favorite, one I really didn't like too much, and all the others are basically tied at really excellent books.

And now, after 45 minutes of writing about these books, Blogger wigged out, and all is lost.  Argh. Save, save, save, people.  How many times do I have to tell you???

OK, well,  I do not have 45 more minutes to re-do these entries, so let's go with the one sentence reviews.  If you want more info, let me know. Dang it!


Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan - LOVED this book about the intersection of the past and future and the intersection of people and technology.  LOVED. this book was an Alex Award winner for adult/teen crossover.

Death Cloud, Andrew Lane - Really liked how Andrew Lane brought in some of the grown up Holmes to this MG novel of the young Sherlock Holmes.  So much action.  No way could any regular human have made it through all that!

Notorious Nineteen, Janet Evanovich - Well, I am sad to say, I think this is my last Stephanie Plum because I'm kind of over her.  There's not any real character growth, and if I'm going to stick with a character, I need that.

The Birth House, Ami McKay - This book was OK.  I read a bunch of it a while ago and just returned to finish it this week for my adult book club.  Obviously it was not that compelling, since I didn't bother to finish it earlier. Not bad, just not great.  Other friends have loved it.

Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys - An Oregon Battle of the Books grades 6-8 FABULOUS story of Stalin's overthrow of the Baltics, particularly Lithuania.  So much interesting history I didn't know, and really well done characters.  Holocaust genre readers will definitely want to read this one. Get out your box of tissues.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson, David Levithan and John Green - Also required tissues, although in several parts I was laughing out loud. Written in alternating chapters, which I like and hate at the same time, these two master storytellers weave the lives of two HS boys, one gay and one straight, and both named Will Grayson, together beautifully.