Lynnie 
young adult, contemporary fiction
I enjoyed The Carnival at Bray once I really got into it. I had started it once before, but got distracted by other books.
Jessie Ann Foley's novel takes place in 1993 and follows teenager Maggie Lynch from Chicago to Ireland with her family after Maggie's mother falls in love with an Irishman. Once there, Maggie must figure out how to fit into a new environment and to discover who she is and who she wants to be.
The
musical references throughout the book were fun for any of us who grew up
during that time, but more than fun the music is an important part of this story. It
sets the tone and is a backdrop to some of the major events in the
story. Maggie's journey feels realistic and was a pleasure to read.
Amy 
Lynnie 
contemporary fiction, women's fiction
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes tells the stories of Jess Thomas and Ed Nicholls who both find themselves in dire straits. Their stories intersect in a minor way and then a major way and the readers get to go along for the ride. There are several ups and downs. There are emotional roller coasters. It's an adventure, a love story, and a tribute to choices.
Amy's Review
I loved this novel! I really hadn’t been in a hurry to read it because the ratings for this one were not as good as her bestseller, Me Before You, and I had been really disappointed with its sequel, After You. I figured it could wait. Thankfully, due to the need for an audiobook for the car combined with the lack of availability of anything that was higher on my To Read List from the library, I borrowed this audiobook from my library on CDs. Well, the story pulled me in to such a degree that I could hardly wait for opportunities to get back in my car to listen to more of this story.
It started off mildly and, in fact, reminded me of Me Before You in the general sense of the plot and the types of characters involved. I found myself really annoyed, in the beginning, that Jess hadn’t planned her journey better. Seriously, who thinks that they’ll make it to their destination with such a lack of foresight? I later figured I’d give her the benefit of the doubt because she wouldn’t have had many opportunities to take trips previously and, besides her lack of planning, I really liked her as a character and person.
Aside from some minor aggravations with the story and one of the narrators, I couldn’t help but fall in love with all the characters. And the situations, while a bit extreme, seemed feasible. I had never listened to an audiobook before that was narrated by so many (four) people. I liked it. And, while not as good as Me Before You (the average ratings were correct), it was still an excellent story that I loved reading.
Lynnie's Review
Another lovely book by JoJo Moyes. Warning- this one is more chicklit-ish than Me Before You but the characters are still wonderful.
The title gives a lot away- we all know what One Plus One becomes eventually & really in the end, it's even more than that, but this is the story of the journey & how One Plus One becomes the sum of all its parts and pieces.
What I truly loved about this book were the characters, particularly Nicky who sneaks up on you & runs away with every moment he's involved in. My word did that boy steal my heart, just as he was meant to.
Amy
Lynnie
young adult, fantasy, sci-fi
In this Marissa Meyer installment, we meet Cress (aka Rapunzel). She’s a genius hacker who lives vicariously through all she sees on her netscreen. Her netscreen is the only interaction she has, having been locked alone in a satellite for the past ten years, doing the bidding of the evil Thaumaturge Sybil Mira. You know the story—a handsome prince rescues her from her isolation. However, this story takes a turn pretty quickly and fits in with the larger story of Cinder, Kai, and Levana.
Here are our reviews of Book #1 (Cinder) and Book #2 (Scarlet).
Amy's Review
These novels are getting better with each sequel! I really enjoy Meyer’s creativity and how she has woven the fairy tale storylines into a larger, contemporary, new story arc. I hope the trend continues with the next novel.
This story is full of action (although, the desert section does tend to go on a bit too long), adventure, and heart.
Lynnie's Review
My sister Amy is right, this series gets better with each book. I wasn't overly fond of the first book in the series (Cinder), but I felt that the series really found its footing in the second novel (Scarlet). With Cress, we've added a new character to the mix of fairy tale heroines (Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and now, Rapunzel). The story continues to move forward without ever getting stagnant and wasting time, like so many books which fall in the middle of a series do and is full of entertaining action. I enjoy the way the traditional fairy tale characters have been co-opted in this world. I can't wait to see what comes next!
Amy
Lynnie
fantasy, young adult fiction
Glass Sword begins right after the events of Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen. Mare is on the run from her former fiance, King Maven. As she seeks others, Red and Silver, who will help her fight against the system, she discovers that there are others like her--Reds with Silver powers. Mare has to work together with a growing rebellion to fight against the crown.
Amy's Review
I really enjoyed Glass Sword. I listened to the audiobook and it kept me very entertained on a long road trip. The pace was terrific. It kept moving and I continually wanted to find out what came next. Of course, I’m a sucker for action and adventure. In most novels, the process of “gathering the team” can be cumbersome for authors to manage and usually tends to run too long. That was not the case for Glass Sword. I thought all the superpowers were interesting and, while they were not unique superpowers in the realm of fiction, proved effective for this storyline. My main complaint was that Mare’s memories of Maven seemed hyped up in this novel—she seemed to have more regard for the boy he was in the last novel than I remember her having during that novel. It could be that it’s just been too long since I read Red Queen. Alas, as with most young adult novels, the sequel won’t come out for another year which always disappoints me. This is one of those novels for which I’ll have to make notes so that I can remember some of the details of this one before I read the next one.
Lynnie's Review
I enjoyed this sequel to Red Queen quite a bit--there's a lot of action, and the new and old characters remain interesting. Unlike many books who seem to add new characters for the sole purpose of having someone you aren't invested in die off, this book gives the new characters purpose in the continuing story which was a nice change.
What I didn't like about the book was our main character Mare. Unlike the fire & determination I associate with her from Red Queen, in Glass Sword she was doubting, mopey, and generally displeased with herself and everyone around her. Mare's self-pity was on par with Katniss' in Mockingjay. I kept waiting for her to get over herself & do what she needed to do.
That said, the story really held my attention and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Amy
Lynnie
short stories, fiction, fantasy
This book of short stories contains sequential snapshots of a small town, Blackwell, MA, from the time the original settlers first arrived through recent times. The people in the town each have their own stories and histories. The title refers to a large garden in the town where everything that grows is red in color. The stories stand alone but also have the town and ancestral family members in common.
Amy's Review
I'm not a lover of short story compilations but I admire the crafting of this collection around the same small town from settling to present time, often returning to the founding family members and including, sometimes, specific characters from previous stories. Some of the stories were gripping and others less so. It took me a long time to get through them all as I put the book aside when other books arrived from the library or needed to be completed for book club. But, I will say that it was enjoyable overall. I especially liked the change of the meadow's name over time.
Lynnie's Review
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It's really a collection of short stories, but they weave together through the common thread of the town & the families- a few characters overlap as they age through the stories. The writing is really solid & the characters, as varied as you would expect over a century in a town are fascinating. There were a few stories I didn't care for, but for the most part I found them wonderful & charming. A great journey through the history of a town & it's unique inhabitants.
Lynnie 
