This Is Where I Leave You By Jonathan Tropper

4/5

This novel pulled me in from page one and wouldn’t let go. Imagine NBC’s Parenthood if it was on HBO or Showtime. Sure there’s a lot of profanity as well as some sex, but at its core the story is just...real...and so much about it rings terribly (and sometimes tragically) true. I cannot wait to dive into Jonathan Tropper’s back catalog.

Middlesex By Jeffrey Eugenides

5/5

I have put off a proper review of this book because I just loved it so so much that nothing will do it justice. I loved the story (don't be close-minded) and the richness of how it's told. The history...the span of everything and the style is just simply amazing. If you haven't read it, it should be the very next thing you read.

Think Of A Number By John Verndon

4/5

Pleasantly surprised! I can’t say I’ve ever really been compelled to read a crime/mystery novel, but if there are more like this out there, I’ll be reading more. Hard to believe this is the author’s first novel. The writing is great and while it did take a while to get going, once it did, I had a hard time putting it down.

If I Stay By Gayle Forman

4/5

What a refreshingly real take on a heart-wrenching tale of life, love and family. Rarely do I so easily identify with a character, but I felt like my younger self could have been Mia.

I love that she’s not written all full of angst and sarcasm, but darkly humorous and real all the same. This should be on your to-read shelf if it isn’t already.

The Art Of Racing In The Rain By Garth Stein

5/5

I rarely give a book 5 stars, but this had it all for me...quick to grab you...quick to move you and had just enough humor to make you smile often enough to fall in love with the book.

Were there tears? Yes...but in only the best possible way.

A Thousand Splendid Suns By Khaled Hosseini

4/5

What a gloriously heart-wrenching tale. As someone only familiar with the Afghanistan presented through US media, this was truly eye-opening.

To describe the injustice and cruelty that two extraordinary women endure (yes, the word "endure" could describe this book succinctly) was a huge task and one that Hosseini approaches with much grace and compassion.

Also good is the fact that empathy and camaraderie with these women is so easily felt by an average American woman like myself. I never once felt like an outsider even though that is exactly who I was.

I did love how I had exactly no idea where the story was taking me, but I was a very willing passenger and couldn't have been happier with the destination.

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich

1/5

It's hard to get by in America on minimum wage blah blah blah...I get it...but I don't recall ANY possible solutions being proposed. I could only take so much of this.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

4/5

It's not like this book is life-changing or that the story is all that great, but the MANNER in which it is told is spellbinding. I dare you to read the first chapter and not continue on and finish the book.