The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

I am buckling down on the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2015 Reading Challenge as I have five more books to go and the year is quickly coming to a close! Yikes!

The Phantom Tollbooth falls under the category of "a book from your childhood." As a child, I remember this book being psychedelic. And....as an adult, it's still psychedelic.

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Ani is a successful professional and about to marry into a wealthy New York family. It seems like her life is going along swimmingly. However, Ani has a secret in her past that still haunts her.

I appreciated the character development of Ani. She is nuanced, complicated, and human.

A very fast read, perfect for one of those El Nino rainstorms that should be coming starting in December, right?

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Pack Up the Moon by Rachael Herron

Kate is slowly making her way through the grief of her son's death and her subsequent divorce when the daughter she gave up for adoption 22 years ago shows up in her life.

I think there are enough plot lines and twists in this book for two books - high school love, break-up, teen pregnancy, adoption, gay parents, divorce, death of a child, surprise pregnancy, saving a life via CPR.....this book has it all which keeps it interesting, but kinda busy and packed.

Entertaining and easy to read.

Thanks to my neighbor, Rebecca, for the recommendation!

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

I read To All the Boys I've Loved Before and liked it, so I was eagerly waiting for its sequel at the library.

Sigh.

I wish I hadn't read this sequel. There have only been a few times in my life that I've wanted to throw a book across the room, and this was one of those times. The ending was horrible!! She ends up with the wrong guy!

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Lara Jean has written five love letters, one each to each boy that she has loved. She didn’t send them. They were more for her own closure, so she kept them in a hatbox in her closet. But one day, she discovers that the letters have been mailed and now these boys know exactly how she felt about them.

You know how much I like Young Adult books. I read To All the Boys I’ve Loved in a day or so. It’s sweet and heartfelt, and delves into family stuff, young love, and what to do with heartbreak.

There’s a sequel called P.S. I Still Love You. I’m on the waiting list.

A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

I can tell how much I like a book by whether or not I need to renew it. My library allows three-week check-outs, and if the book isn’t on hold, you can renew it for two more three-week periods. It’s rare that I renew a book twice. By that time, I’ve usually just given up on it. However, I kept this one around the house as I slowly read it over the period of n-i-n-e weeks.

A Fatal Grace revolves around the murder of the disliked CC Poitiers in the little village of Three Pines. No one likes CC but who would actually kill her? 

A Fatal Grace is the second in a series, and I really liked this first one. I like the village feel and some of the quirky characters. However, I didn’t like this second one as much as the first. Hence, the nine weeks of slowly reading through it.

Should I try the third? I’m not sure yet.

We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride

There are three stories that intersect in this book. A wife whose marriage falls apart, a soldier recovering at Walter Reed Hospital, and a young boy whose family owns an ice cream truck.

This was a so-so book for me. I usually really enjoy books in which strangers’ stories intersect, but this story seemed to drag in some places. I read it in a weekend, but I wasn’t glued to it.

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer

Into Thin Air is one of my favorite books, one that I can read again and again. Into Thin Air made me a Jon Krakauer fan and I’ve read all of his books now. 

Missoula is his latest, and he researches the rapes and aftermath of several women in Missoula, Montana. He delves into the circumstances around the rapes, the responses of police, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the public who were on the sides of the accused rapists (the men were also football stars at the local university).

Fascinating and disturbing. I feel like I have a better understanding of what some of the emotional aftermath for a rape victim looks like afterwards and the toll it takes in the weeks and years afterwards.

This is a heavy read, but I would recommend that these groups read this book:

1. All young women heading off to college.
2. All young men heading off to college.
3. Their parents.
4. All campus and residential staff.

Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home by Jessica Fechtor

Fechtor was 28 years old and a Harvard PhD candidate when she suffered a brain aneurysm while running. She lost sight in her left eye and her sense of smell (which eventually returns). As she slowly recovers, she finds great comfort in being able to cook again.

Yes, there are recipes included and I have the Sesame Noodles in my refrigerator right now cooling down.