Amy 
Lynnie 
mystery, contemporary fiction
Watch Me Disappear is about the family of a missing wife/mother who, a year after her disappearance, are wondering if she is actually dead from a hiking accident or might still be alive.
Amy's Review
If
this novel had not been handed to me by a friend, I probably never
would have read it. It is a very compelling story. It is told from the perspectives of both the daughter and husband and
caused me to do a few flips in opinion about whether or not
Billie is alive, all the way up until the end. Taking the story evidence
and the title of the novel into consideration, I formed several
different theories about what had transpired. And, by the end, I was
fairly surprised. I mean, it was one of the possible scenarios in my
head. But I wasn’t sure which scenario was the true one.
The
story made me think about personalities—how most people are really
mainstream with similar basic goals while others have such strong,
unique outlooks on life that they seem to function on a different plane.
My mother was more on the rebellious, unique side but would likely
never have been as skewed as Billie. I can’t say more without giving
something away but suffice it to say that I found these characters and
situations engaging and interesting. I enjoyed the novel.
Lynnie's Review
Let's
get this out of the way first- Watch Me Disappear is in many ways a mystery
and anyone who knows my taste in books knows that I am rarely satisfied
by mysteries. I find them predictable and rarely like the characters.
Janelle Brown however created several characters that I really enjoyed, which
is good because at its heart, this book is a character study on grief-
almost to the distraction of the story itself. Brown goes into such
detail about the characters, their feelings, their motivations that
sometimes I often found myself skimming these passages;
these characters are super self-aware. Because of all this detail the
book felt slow and heavy to me at times, but then would pick up for a
little while before settling back into the morass of grief.
Worst
of all though perhaps, was that I didn't care what happened to Billie
(the title character who has disappeared). What we saw of Billie usually
made me angry & I decided fairly early that I was glad she was
gone. However, I enjoyed getting to know Jonathan and Olive and watching as their relationship evolved over time.
Watch Me Disappear is really well written & often
engaging, but it only gets 3 stars from me. I think people who love a
good mystery though will really enjoy it
Lynnie
young adult, contemporary fiction
So
look, this is kind of a silly book but it was exactly the kind of silly
escapism I needed in my life this week. #Prettyboy Must Die was short, quick, & fun
to read despite the implausible story. Honestly, it was just good
fun. It would be a GREAT book for middle schoolers- the "romance" is
pretty chaste & while there's lots of action, none of it is
outrageously gory (you'll read more graphic scenes in Harry Potter
books), & they will fall for the story hook,
line, & sinker. If I read this in middle school I would have had a huge crush
on the main character Peter/Jake- Kimberly Reid has written a character that is just so likable.
So,
it's a strong recommendation for younger readers & adults who are
willing to suspend disbelief & just enjoy a few hours of action.
Lynnie 
memoir
John Elder Robison grew up the son of an alcoholic father, a mentally unstable mother, and different from his peers. Not diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome until he was 40, this is the story of Robison trying to make sense of and find a place for himself in a society in which his quirks made him feel "defective."
Robison clearly
has a gift with story-telling and, in Look Me In the Eye, hearing his story of what it
was like to grow up understanding that you were different, but not
understanding why, is both fascinating and heartbreaking. And yet, he did
grow up into a clearly well-functioning, fascinating man who
understands himself, his world, and his place in that world. I really
enjoyed reading about how he made his strengths work for him,
particularly when those strengths sent him down unconventional paths.
His is a story about resilience and self-awareness and was a joy to
read.
Amy
fiction, women's fiction
In an expensive, private Nashville high school, a compromising photo of one student is posted by another student. As a result, the lives of several families get pulled into difficult situations due to the fallout and likely consequences.
I enjoyed all we ever wanted (which is, apparently, not capitalized). The situation was so believable, relevant, and hit home for me on a few levels. I was able to step right into the story due to the fact that I spent my college years in Nashville where I experienced the private school entitled mentality coming from a less privileged background.
The characters were interesting and made me want to keep reading to find out what happened to them. I questioned some of Tom's and Nina's parenting choices in the story but, as I read more of the novel, I mostly let them slide. Both of them were in difficult situations and had to make decisions they felt were right. Lila also made a couple stupid choices but, as a teenager, it was more understandable.
The topics of sexual assault, boys behaving badly in high school/college, and privileged people thinking they can buy their way out of troubles are all timely and current, as is the posting of inappropriate photos. This novel made me think deeply about these issues and consider how I might handle similar situations. I really appreciated this novel and will read more by Emily Giffin.
I listened to the audio book and the narrators were all pretty good. I do not feel that the voice of Tom was cast properly because Milton Bagby's voice is more fit for an adventure novel and also for an older person than a down-to-Earth 47-yo father. But, his voice acting was good. I'll give him a B for this novel mostly for the poor casting which, I recognize, isn't his fault. I give As to Dorothy Dillingham Blue and Catherine Taber (who I've heard before in Before We Were Yours and I recognized her voice immediately). They didn't have much of a challenge with this novel in the way of different voices and accents but their voice acting was good.
Amy
Eldest
Another exciting installment of the Eragon series. I continue to enjoy the story. I am unhappy about what the cover picture gives away but it is another pretty cover. I was happy that the reason for the title was finally provided near the end--THAT was a good revelation. There isn't much more to say. The story continues to be engaging, the characters are engaging, and the adventures are engaging. Therefore, I'm in!
Again, I listened to the audio book and Gerard Doyle did an A+ job at narration.
Brisingr
The saga continues but this installment could have been shorter! The first half of this novel really dragged. I never thought I’d get through the section that takes place in Farthen Dur. Christopher Paolini chose to tell us all the dwarves’ individual names and characteristics which were completely irrelevant to the story arc. What a slog it was to get through it! And, before that, we had to be stuck in Helgrind while Eragon delayed and internally debated about what to do with Sloan. And then Eragon’s decision seemed cruel to me. It’s moments like this when I can see the young age of the author and his lack of life experience. I sure hope Sloan plays an important part in the story later or I’ll be furious about all the effort wasted on him in the story.
The book finally made some forward motion and the ending was exciting. I’m still not sure what happened at the Menoa Tree but I guess we’ll find out in the next book. There were some cool discoveries and adventures in the second half and I’m anxious to read more and find out what happens to "my friends".
I mostly listened to the audio book. Like the first two novels, it was narrated by Gerard Doyle and he continues to do a good job. In fact, when I was reading the novel myself (my audio book loan at the library timed out), I thought some of it was a bit hokey until I imagined Gerard voicing the characters. I do believe he adds to my enjoyment of Eragon’s story. And his voicing of Nar Garzhvog, Leader of the Urgals, was difficult to do, I’m sure. But, he did a great job. I’ll give him an A+.
Amy 
