Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert

Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Perfectly cute plot to pass the time. Nothing terrible or amazing here. Skippable, but if you want a relaxing read on your New England vacation, this might be good.

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Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This isn’t a novel. This is a short story collection. While many of the stories revolve around Olive, some of them have no real link to her or the important people in Olive’s life.

There are beautiful sentences, and a little bit of light humor, but there’s a lot of desperation threaded through the stories that make this collection difficult to enjoy. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more when I was sadder myself, but now it feels like an undertow trying to drag me back.

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Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout

Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing work of art. Elizabeth Strout understands so much about this world. I'm just overawed by this book. Everything- the characters, the plot, the little details, just perfect. (This coming from me, a person who almost always wants to change something about a book.)

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Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another one that makes me think of a modern Anthem. The message is less political than some of these dystopian tomes. It's basic message is pro-love. Religion plays a strange role in the novel though. It's both used to oppress the population, and explored by the narrator, Lena, as intimately tied to love. Lena connects romantic love, platonic love, familial love to religious love. She connects the crucification of Jesus directly to the general importance love.

But it's pretty sad. This isn't exactly a feel-good/beach-read young adult book.

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The Ironwood Tree by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

The Ironwood Tree by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Guess it's getting a little repetitive now without delightful twists or turns to make it more entertaining for an adult. Aspects of Snow White in this one, but not a lot of fairy fun.

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Lucinda's Secret by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

Lucinda's Secret by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This filled in a little background information about the childrens' aunt Lucinda and her father who made the Field Guide. While it progressed the narrative, nothing was really resolved in this one and the ending left a little still in the air. Definitely not a stand-alone book.

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The Seeing Stone by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

The Seeing Stone by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one is more exciting than the first one. Lots of action and adventure, and many magical creatures! More than a cat goes missing!

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The Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

The Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I like that the characters are not the typical children's book characters. I like that the older sister Mallory is a tough girl without being the one that gets in trouble. It would be nice if she had interests besides fencing, but at least fencing is interesting. I like that the typically "nerdy" sibling Simon isn't actually nerdy but a vaguely obsessive animal-lover. Interested to see how Jared develops. Sounds like he might be interested in art.

The story itself is pretty cute though still maybe a little scary for little ones. This one is a little unresolved- it's more of an introduction to the characters and their situation in a house filled with magic.

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