Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Generally enjoyed both the chatty feminist writing and the empathic story with a little twist. It felt a little unbalanced because there seems quite a lot of the first part and not enough of the third (?) part to fully develop the character.

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The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book even though it was sad because it's fundamentally a very hopeful book: a fantasy about the rules of life after death and a fantasy about the rules of life on earth. There were some insightful lines about grief. Overall, it dragged on beyond the point where it was creating value, and the main character is an underdeveloped everygirl.

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Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday

Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really liked the beginning "Chapter 1," which was the first 50% of the book. Then it got tougher to read though I particularly appreciated Amar's views on God. Some things about the book, some of the Iraqi connections and who Ezra Blazer was based on, I got on my own. Other things I learned from reading multiple reviews. The fact that you even have to "get" it is a bit disappointing to me. I don't love gimmicks in my literary fiction. Frankly, I'm ambivalent about how I feel about the novel.

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Alexander's Bridge by Willa Cather

Alexander's Bridge by Willa Cather
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, it was an interesting little story. The characters were underdeveloped- probably because the book was so short. The story itself was a bit too moralistic.

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Spoils by Brian Van Reet

Spoils by Brian Van Reet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good writing, very well-constructed characters, interesting story... so painful to read.

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Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett

Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Quirky fun book about death and grief. As crazy and wacky as the family in the story is, the grief reads true and real.

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Marlena by Julie Buntin

Marlena by Julie Buntin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A beautiful exploration of young friendship, its betrayals, and its lasting love and effects.

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Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very quick enjoyable read. Even though I knew what would happen, it was beautifully written. A very modern and unique story.

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Dodgers by Bill Beverly

Dodgers by Bill Beverly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was well-written and solid. It dragged a little in places and at times it felt like too much of a guy's book (if that even makes sense?). The character of Ty did not make a lot of sense to me. There were also some plot points that didn't make sense to me. But overall, I was satisfied with it when I finished reading it.

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Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin

Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Decent little sci-fi space opera/fantasy book. Ursula Le Guin invented the word ansible!

Starts with Semley who travels space to get back her family's necklace in a foreign museum. She doesn't realize that her short trip means missing many years on her technologically backward home planet. On her home planet, there are three races: elvish Fiia, the cavern-dwelling Gdemiar, and warrior clan, Liuar. Underground, the cavern-dwelling Gdemiar are technologically advanced -- though the spaceship Semley borrows from them was an alien gift. The rest of the story is pretty much the adventure of Gaverel Rocannon, an ethnologist who previously met Semley at the museum.

I think I might reread this one after I've read other ones in the series because I kept getting distracted while reading the end. The flying cats alone should make it worth another go, right?

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Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mixed feelings. I was not impressed when I read this in high school. When I reread it over 20 years later I appreciated it much more. The writing is of the passionate Jane Austen style, Mr. Rochester is the ultimate in romantic bad boys, and the character of Jane Austen is simultaneously relatable and inspirational— no small trick.

But since I am familiar with Jane Austen now, Jane Eyre feels a little derivative of Pride and Prejudice, especially the awful cousin theme. Is there any meaningful difference in the cold soul of Mr. Collins and St. John Rivers? Also, I found the entire coincidence of Jane Eyre stumbling onto her cousin by coincidence nearly unforgivable.

Final decision: Mr. Rochester, liar though he is, is worth it. Jane and her character development are perhaps unequaled in classic literature.

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The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a little confusing in the beginning, but it ended up being good. I think my favorite things were the diverse and realistic characters and the way the writer made sorrow seem beautiful. That's a hard thing to pull off.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (#1) by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In my heart, this will always be the best one. Everyone was already talking about this series when I first read the first book in 2001. I was 22, and I was really dubious about reading a children's book at first, but a few pages in, I was cheering for the boy under the stairs. The whole book was so aggressively charming and magical. I wish I'd had the pleasure of reading it as a kid when the wall between pretend and reality isn't so clear.

This is the book where we meet: Harry Potter- the loyal outsider!, Ron Weasley- the courageous poor kid!, Hermione Granger- the smartest in the class! We also meet Albus Dumbledore!, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, Professor Severus Snape!, Professor Minerva McGonagall, Neville Longbottom!, and Ron's siblings: Ginny, Fred, George, and Percy. In other words, we meet all our best friends at Hogwarts.

We also meet the less inspiring: Petunia Dursley, Vernon Dursley, Dudley Dursley, groundskeeper Filius Flitwick, Draco Malfoy, Professor Quirinus Quirrell, Professor Pomona Sprout.

And of course, we hear about Lord Voldemort, Lily Potter, and James Potter.

Don't forget to get your wand from Ollivander's! The invisibility cloak is the best ever!

Some potential spoilers up next. (Is there anyone who hasn't read this yet?) I don't know who won at Quidditch. Gryffindor wins 2 of its 3 matches, and we never hear who wins Slytherin-Hufflepuff, Slytherin-Ravenclaw, or Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff. What's to stop these games from being 3-way ties with 3 the teams winning 2 of their 3 games? Or even two-way ties with 2 teams winning 2 games, with no championship game?

The Sorcerer's Stone (or the Philosopher's Stone in the British version I own) lets you live forever. Now that I'm an old-hearted adult, that sounds like a terrible curse to me. Also, in my opinion, the mirror in the story is way more memorable than the stone. The mirror lets you see your heart's desire!

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