Amina's Voice

Title: Amina's Voice
Author: Hena Kahn
Publisher: Salaam
ISBN: 9781481492065

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Good story about family, friends, and faith, but a little too many story lines.

Rating: 3/5

Stacking the Shelves: 12/23-12/29

For possible review (on Bookloons):

The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini

The Gauntlet

Title: The Gauntlet
Author: Karuna Riazi
Publisher: Salaam
ISBN: 9781481486965

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Jumanji meets The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, but with a Middle Eastern twist.  The main character was well constructed, but her friends needed a little more fleshing out.

Rating: 3/5

Hello, Universe

Title: Hello, Universe
Author: Erin Entrada Kelly
Publisher: Greenwillow
ISBN: 9780062414151

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Cute, yet not quite realistic story, about fate, friendship, and finding your voice.

Rating: 4/5

El Deafo

Title: El Deafo
Author: Cece Bell
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
ISBN: 9781491710209

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: I don't get the rabbits, but otherwise a great memoir about growing up hearing impaired.

Rating: 4/5

Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen

Title: Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen
Author: Debbi Michiko Florence
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
ISBN: 9780374304102

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Great book for young readers about bending traditional norms.

Rating: 4/5

Matilda

Title: Matilda
Author: Roald Dahl
Publisher: Viking
ISBN: 9780678024397

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Dahl's writing style is a lot of fun, but the book is more than half exposition with a rather rushed ending.

Rating: 3/5

Stacking the Shelves: 12/9-12/22

For possible review (on Bookloons):

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

Remeon's Destiny

Title: Remeon's Destiny
Author: J.W. Garrett
Publisher: BHC
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: Early Review

Thoughts: Historical fiction sci-fi - always an interesting combination.  While there were some intriguing moments, there were also confusing ones.

Rating: 3/5

The Outsider

Title: The Outsider
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 97815082522221

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Intense and action-packed, with so many twists and turns.  But alien lifeforms never need to be even mentioned in a paranormal mystery.

Rating: 5/5

Ghost Gifts

Title: Ghost Gifts
Author: Laura Spinella
Publisher: Montlake
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Very enjoyable paranormal mystery.  The epilogue, though, seemed unnecessary.

Rating: 4/5

Life First

Title: Life First
Author: R.J. Crayton
Publisher: Smashwords
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Interesting dystopian concept, but there was too much confusion over if the doctor was the bad guy or not.

Rating: 2/5

Dracul

Title: Dracul
Author: Dacre Stoker & J. D. Barker
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 9780735219342

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Amazing atmosphere from the start, making this a true gothic horror.  Nods here and there to the original Dracula.

Rating: 5/5

Love & Estrogen

Title: Love & Estrogen
Author: Samantha Allen
Publisher: Amazon Originals
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Very interesting and educational memoir from a trans woman.  A tad slow in parts, though.

Rating: 3/5

Life Is Better Brunette

Title: Life Is Better Brunette
Author: Diane Bator
Publisher: Gemma Halliday
ISBN: 9781943587421

Why Read?: Fresh Fiction

Thoughts: A fun cozy with plenty of twists and where romance doesn't get in the way.

Rating: 4/5

Stacking the Shelves: 11/11-12/8

LibraryThing Early Review:

Force of Chaos by Lin Senchaid

The Moors

Title: The Moors
Author: Jen Silverman
Publisher: Samuel French
ISBN: 9780573705403

Why Read?: Scriptd

Thoughts: A fascinating modern Gothic absurd play.  The Mastiff and Moor Hen scenes, though, could have been left out.

Rating: 4/5

The Ghost in the Garden

Title: The Ghost in the Garden
Author: H.L. Carpenter
Publisher: Mirror World
ISBN: 9781987976441

Why Read?: Early Review

Thoughts: Cute mystery that is a little darker than most MG mysteries, but still fun to read.

Rating: 3/5

Give Me Your Hand

Title: Give Me Your Hand
Author: Megan Abbott
Publisher: Hachette
ISBN: 9781549118357

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: The pacing was too slow for a psychological thriller.  And the epilogue just did not fit correctly.

Rating: 2/5

Somebody I Used to Know

Title: Somebody I Used to Know
Author: Wendy Mitchell
Publisher: Ballantine
ISBN: 9781524797911

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: A raw, witty, and heart-warming look at young-onset Alzheimer's.  Definitely a must for family members of a loved one with dementia.

Rating: 5/5

Fresh Ink

Title: Fresh Ink: An Anthology
Author: Lamar Giles, Ed.
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 9781524766283

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Nice mix of YA short stories featuring minorities.  I would have enjoyed it more if the genres were not such a wide range.

Rating: 3/5

The Man Who Came Uptown

Title: The Man Who Came Uptown
Author: George Pelecanos
Publisher: Mulholland
ISBN: 9780316479820

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Story was interesting and moved, but seemed a bit lacking for the genre.

Rating: 3/5

Florida

Title: Florida
Author: Lauren Groff
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Very Chekhovian stories with a connection to Florida.

Rating: 2/5

Rubbish with Names

Title: Rubbish with Names
Author: F. R. Savage
Publisher: self
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts:  Fun, funny space opera, but the title could have fit better.

Rating: 3/5

There Are No Grown-Ups

Title: There Are No Grown-Ups: A Midlife Coming-of-Age Story
Author: Pamela Druckerman
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781594206375

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: An honest yet refreshing look at being a fortysomething.

Rating: 4/5

Everybody Loves Kamau!

Title: Everybody Love Kamau!
Author: W. Kamau Bell
Publisher: Amazon Originals
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: Fresh Fiction

Thoughts: Bell's writing is very engaging and fun, even when dealing with a tough subject.

Rating: 4/5

The Coelho Medallion

Title: The Coelho Medallion
Author: Kevin Tumlinson
Publisher: Happy Pants
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Intriguing adventure, but would have like a little more mystery versus terror attacks.

Rating: 3/5

Whistle in the Dark

Title: Whistle in the Dark
Author: Emma Healy
Publisher: Harper
ISBN: 9780062309716

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: This had the feel of a magical realism novel throughout most of it, and I feel it would have been better if it actually was.

Rating: 3/5

Stacking the Shelves: 10/7-11/10

For possible review (on Bookloons):

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

LibraryThing Early Review:

Gods and Demons by Melissa Sercia

Good Girl

Title: Good Girl
Author:Lauren Layne
Publisher: Loveswept
ISBN: 9780399593994

Why Read?: Fresh Fiction

Thoughts: Would have given a higher rating if it was a clean romance, which it really could have been.

Rating: 3/5

Running with the Wolves

Title: Running with the Wolves
Author: J.E. Reed
Publisher: Indigo
ISBN: 9781947727311

Why Read?: Early Review

Thoughts: Leaves a lot unanswered, but I am assuming it will have a sequel based on where (physically, not emotionally) it left off.  Since that is probably the case, I would have even broke this in two and there are two very distinct halves to the story.

Rating: 3/5

Us Against You

Title: Us Against You
Author: Fredrik Backman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Way too many characters, and some that occur often do not even get names.  This made it hard to really connect with any.

Rating: 3/5

Motion for Madness

Title: Motion for Madness
Author: Kelly Rey
Publisher: Gemma Halliday
ISBN: 9781943587339

Why Read?: Fresh Fiction

Thoughts: A tad too screwball-y, but a fun mystery, still.

Rating: 3/5

The Disappearing

Title: The Disappearing
Author: Lori Roy
Publisher: Dutton
ISBN: 9781524741938

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: This has potential to be a great Southern gothic, but it went in a different direction and moved too slow in parts. 

Rating: 2/5

The Last Time I Lied

Title: The Last Time I Lied
Author: Riley Sager
Publisher: Penguin Audio
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: I enjoyed Final Girls, but Sager's sophomore effort is even better.  Kind of creepy, definitely mysterious, and full of suspence.

Rating: 5/5

Puddin'

Title: Puddin'
Author: Julie Murphy
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
ISBN: 9780062418388

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: I liked that this had a main character who was a mean girl, and a lot of the times acted like it.  Of course, she grows during the story and redeems herself, but it was refreshing.

Rating: 4/5

Boyfriends of Dorothy

Title: Boyfriends of Dorothy
Author: Wednesday Martin
Publisher: Amazon Original
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: Early Review

Thoughts: Short, fun memoir about Martin's coming-of-age as her boyfriends came out.

Rating: 4/5

Under a Veil of Gods

Title: Under a Veil of Gods
Author: R. Anthony Giamusso
Publisher: Indigo
ISBN: 9781947727151

Why Read?: Early Review

Thoughts: Too many characters, too many leaps, too many genres, and a rather distasteful ending.

Rating: 1/5

When Katie Met Cassidy

Title: When Katie Met Cassidy
Author: Camille Perri
Publisher: Books on Tape
ISBN: 9780525590767

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Fun coming-of-age and coming out story, but not very deep.

Rating: 4/5