"The Fragile World" by Paula Treick DeBoard

The Fragile World by Paul Treick DeBoard is about how a family deals with the tragic accident and death of their son and brother.  It is told by the dad, mom and sister.  Not to give too much away, but they all have their own ways of dealing.  I enjoyed this one.  It kept me interested through the whole book and the ending was really good too!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Choice" by Suzanne Woods Fisher is Very Good Christian Romance

The Choice, the first in the “Secrets in Lancaster” series by Suzanne Woods Fisher is about romance in an Amish community along with Englishers.  This is an enjoyable read with a love triangle and some hard times that work out for good.  It is a story of faith,  mercy and forgiveness with several interesting characters and a bit of humor.  As an Amish girl, Carry must choose to run off with Sol as he pursues a professional baseball career as a pitcher, an Amish boy who has not yet been baptized that she is in love with or stay and take care of her brother when her father dies, remaining faithful to the Amish ways.  She wants him to stay but he does not want to miss his opportunity for more.

I particularly liked the way the author followed the lives of several different people and didn’t just focus all on the main character and her relationships.  This book touches on many different aspects of Amish life and I look forward to reading others by this author.  This would be a good Book Club read and has discussion questions in the back.    I recommend this to anyone who enjoys  clean romances or  Amish stories.  (I read this on my Kindle so no cat pictured, sorry!)

(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Spark" by John Twelve Hawks -- Gripping and Strange!

Spark, by John Twelve Hawks is about a Jacob Underwood who suffers from Cotard's Syndrome - an actual condition that makes you believe you are dead even though you aren't.   He is a hired assassin who does his job very well since he has no feelings or concept of right or wrong.  Things do change though, and when that happens, this good book becomes great!  The good writing made me want to keep turning pages which led to a very good ending!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We Both Liked "Belzhar" by Meg Wolitzer

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer tells the story of five young teens who take a class called "Special Topics in English."  They all seem very different but have two things in common:  they are all good in English composition and they have all had a recent trauma in their life.  They all have been sent to The Wooden Barn, a boarding school in Vermont for fragile teens.  The English class will be like none they ever had before.

Wow, oh wow!  this is so good!  I really liked all the kids and wanted only good for them.  To me, this was a real page turner.  LOVED IT!  I think it would make for a good movie!  I was shocked by the ending--really good!
(Gerard's review) 

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer is teen fiction about love, loss, trauma, friendship and a bit of fantasy.  When five teens are chosen for the “Special Topics in English” class at The Wooden Barn school in Vermont, they experience true friendship and bizarre journal writing that helps them move past their individual traumas and deal with real life.  This is a very interesting read that drew me in right away.  I liked all the main characters in the book and enjoyed seeing how the class “jelled” as the book progressed.  This is a fun read that I recommend to anyone who wants something a little different and unusual.  

(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Double Cross" by James Patterson is a Page Turner

Double Cross by James Patterson is a fast-moving, action-packed detective novel about two extremely clever but cruel, psychopaths on a killing spree who both want former FBI agent turned psychiatrist, Alex Cross dead.  The whole novel pretty much consists of DC Audience Killer (“DCAK”) trying to top his previous killing and outperform Kyle Craig, his serial killer role model.  He likes to perform the murders in front of crowds and doesn’t even get caught!  Kyle Craig, former FBI agent who Alex Cross turned in, is also a serial killer who seeks revenge on all who had a part in sending him to prison. 

The killers in this book make the detectives look foolish throughout—it seems as though the killers are always calling the shots and manipulating the detectives.  These guys have no conscience and are despicable, which makes the reader pull for the detectives all the more.  It is certainly a page-turner that kept my interest all through starting with the first page.  The ending had lots of excitement and suspense, but left me unsatisfied. 

(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!