A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

I finished this book on Saturday.  I believe it is similar to the other two books he has written.  Very detailed.  I didn't enjoy this book as much as I remember enjoying the first but that could be for a couple reasons.  Number one, I didn't want to read this book.  I was waiting for three books to come into the library and needed something to read while I waited.  And number two, I may just not like this style of book anymore.  Flavia is cute, and I love her interest in chemistry and crime, but I didn't love the book.  It follows another mystery of course and Flavia is right on the trail of figuring out what happened and gets into some trouble, etc.  I'm not sure if I will read the next book or not.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

I started this book Saturday and finished it today.  Ok.  I'd like to say, that I already loved John.  I found him on YouTube when my all time favorite YouTube star and major crush, Julia Nunes mentioned the Vlogbrothers on her YouTube channel.  I hadn't read any of John's books until ...2010 or 2009, I'd been watching his videos faithfully before that.  But now this is the third book I've read by him and I think it might be my favorite.  I'm already waiting for another of his novels to arrive at the library, and plan to read all of his books eventually.  They go by very quickly.  They are great books to read in between my required reading --book club books. 

Ok so this story is about a genius named Colin, although he doesn't think he is a genius, just a child prodigy.  He has dated nineteen Katherines.  It starts out with him being heartbroken because Katherine XIX just broke up with him.  His best friend takes him on a road trip, or rather decides they need to go on a road trip and Colin takes them because it is his car.  They end up in some town, score a job, meet new people, and have an adventure.  Anyway, Colin is very loveable, obsessed with anagrams, and trying to determine a formula for relationships.  The only thing I dislike about the book is the ending snuck up on me.  There was a slew of pages left, and I was ready for more story...but that isn't what they contained.  Anyway, needless to say my love for John grows.  And the best part is, I've listened to all of his vlogs, so when I was reading the book, it was like he was reading it to me.  I could hear him perfectly.  And I love that too.  DFTBA.  <3

The Birth House by Ami McKay

I had trouble really getting into this book.  When I read the summary about what it was about, I thought, this isn't a book I'm really going to like.  It isn't a book I would have picked on my own.  It's this month's book club book.  I finished it this past Saturday.  I didn't find it exciting or wanting to pick it up to see what was going to happen.  I was disappointed with the life the main character chose for herself, and even more disappointed with the end of the book.  Her husband treated her like crap and she didn't experience love with him.  All she ever wanted was a baby of her own and she doesn't even end up having birth to her own.  Just helps out with the babies being born in the village.  So I didn't really like this book at all. 

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

Ok back to promising books by Jodi.  This one didn't disappoint like the last one did.  It is about this teenage girl who gets raped by her ex boyfriend.  Her father has a past that catches up with him after he spent so long reinventing himself as a picture perfect dad and husband.  There is a side storyline of her mom in there too, which brings it altogether.  There are several twists in the book, and the ending doesn't disappoint.  It stops rather abruptly, but all in all I was very happy with this book and the ending. 

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

I just finished this book at lunch.  I loved it!  It's about this boy, Jacob.  It goes between his life when he is 23 and his present life when he is 93.  It is set up so you can know what is going on now, he is in a nursing home, and he is funny!  Anyway, then he will drift off and be back at the circus when he is 23.  It tells how he comes across and joins the circus, his daily work, and the inner workings of the circus.  There is a small love story on the side; the book is full of adventure and it's a vivid tale.  I wanted to pick up the book any time I could to see where the story was going.  I highly recommend this book!  It will take no time to read.  And now I can watch the movie and compare the two.  Books are always better.

Mercy by Jodi Picoult

I finished this book this week.  As far as this book goes, I must say it has been my least favorite by Jodi.  I didn't like it much at all, but I want to read all of her books.  It took a while to get into, and even then it just wasn't great.  It's about this man who kills his wife, but he did it because she asked him to.  So it goes through his trial.  And there really wasn't a twist...unusual I think.  I don't have much else to say about it.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

So I read this book yesterday.  All of it.  Not that it is a long book.  It did take quite a bit of my day to read it, but I didn't want to put it down.  Once I started I had to keep going.  It was a very good book, an easy read.  It's about this sixteen year old girl who has cancer, and she is in a support group where she meets this very cute boy.  It goes on to tell their story, they have a small adventure, and there is a slight twist in the book that you can tell is coming.  It's very sad in places, but the writing is spectacular.  It's funny too, made me laugh out loud.  I also read Papertowns by John, but I like this book a lot more.  Obviously, I read it in a day.  It made me smile a lot too.