Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher 🔖🔖

I love Carrie Fisher. I enjoyed her story telling, peppered with colorful language. I was a bit disappointed this was not as moving, I guess I'd say, as I expected. Lots of telling, but lacking depth or meaning.

The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen 🔖🔖🔖

This was quite slow - until it wasn't. Stayed up til midnight finishing it. It's a thriller, after all. Yet as with many thrillers, it was predictable. By the time "the event" happened, I already knew who was behind it. Good enough to keep me reading even though I had work the next morning.

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware 🔖🔖

I read this as someone close to me gifted it to me twice. I honestly couldn't wait to finish it so I could move on. The main character was too often hysterical and kept self-sabotaging with way too much alcohol. It was just too much and too unbelievable.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 🔖🔖🔖

 This is a classic I've always enjoyed. I don't love it, but sure didn't feel I wasted my time. I like how Hester transitioned in the story and I love her focus on what is important and meaningful to her to help her get through. I'm never a fan of tragedies and I really, really dislike puritanism and any ideology that makes people hate themselves so much. Thankfully, it appears Hawthorne does, too.

The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman 🔖

Slow. Characters were ridiculous. The abuse the main character endured is way too similar to Sybil. Doesn't fly with me.

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut 🔖🔖🔖🔖

I went into this one blind. Had no idea what was coming, and had never heard of Bokononism. I found it actually more delightful than expected. I enjoyed the not-so-subtle satire and found myself sometimes chuckling at Vonnegut's points, sometimes nodding in agreement. Is it weird I thought this was kind of a fun read?

Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel 🔖🔖🔖🔖

This would have been one of my favorites when I was a kid! It was thrilling, kept me reading, and I didn't feel like it was a waste of time. I'm putting this on a shelf for my grandkids to read one day.

Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds 🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖

Loved this book. Read it as it's assigned to my 8th grader for English class. So glad I did! Such a cute premise, such a grand message, so well done. Did I mention I loved this book? I'm hoping my 8th grader doesn't miss the point.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albrertalli 🔖🔖🔖🔖

This was enjoyable for me and I could relate quite well to what the main character. The story flowed and was believable, especially thoughts and feelings as Simon moved along in this experience. Well done.