The Summer Book

This book embodies hot summer nights, warm sea breezes, and the bond of family. Young Sophia, her grandmother, and father live in a small house on a small Finnish island. On this island both everything and nothing happens. Told in a series of short stories (some accompanied by precious illustrations) this little book is a true joy. I tried to rush through reading this book, but this is one I will definitely re-read and savor in the future. This is a good camping or vacation book. Read a little at a time and savor it. It's somehow timeless. 

Atmosphere

Stunning. I was already sold that is was a Taylor Jenkins Reid book. Add in Julia Whelan as the audiobook narrator and I knew that this would be killer. It was. Amazing. Wonderful love story, I loved characters, hated others (looking at you Barb!), I would even give up an organ to have an epilogue. Soo good. Soo freaking good. This romance hits all the right notes. I also love that it is set during the 80s and is about Nasa's astronaut program. Phenomenal audiobook. Would recommend to everyone! 

The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall

A charming, albeit slow, retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses that will appeal to middle grade students. While this is set in the 1960s, it could have honestly been set in modern times. There wasn't much that made you think this was set six decades prior. Young girls are at a sleepaway birding camp and newcomer Bee (short for Phoebe) teams up with social pariah, Zippy, to discover what the older girls are up to. There is a mystery with the Hawks (the 15 year olds), every morning their batteries are completely drained. Are they sneaking out? Where are they going? Bee and Zippy make a great pair; Bee has ultra sensitive hearing and Zippy is really good at seeing in the dark. Together they will be unstoppable, when their little duo gets busted by popular and bossy Felicity, things take an interesting turn. A fun adventurous read. The length may deter some younger readers though. 

Twenty Four Seconds from Now

Is there anything Jason Reynolds can't write?! I love how this book was formatted and kept going back in time. It's a beautiful love story of two teenagers deciding to consummate their relationship. It sounds racy, but it is really well done, beautifully stated, and respectful. A wonderful love story for teens that shows real depth and understanding!

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls

This took me a little bit to get into, but man I really did love this young adult novel about love and loss. Set in Toronto, Canada, and featuring a sixteen year old teenager who lives in a cemetery with her father, readers will fall in love with Winnifred. Her mother died in childbirth, her father grows more distant by the day, and her only friend Jack has turned into a real jerk. Just when Win thinks she is all alone she is visited by a real ghost. At first she is just terrified but soon the two start conversing and Phil starts telling her about her life and eventually her death. Haunting, heartbreaking and beautifully written. It's definitely worth sticking it out (the beginning is slow) to get to the end!

The Skull

Short, sweet, and charming. This reimagining of a folktale is both creepy and wholesome. A girl named Otilla runs away and gets lost in the woods. Deep in the woods she finds a beautiful old house inhabited by a skull. The two hit it off but the skull is harboring a secret. Can Otilla help him out with it? Beautifully illustrated and short and sweet. A Beautiful little story for young readers who like things a little more on the macabre side. 

Vixen 03

Another installment in the Dirk Pitt series. Vixen 03 had a lot of moving components and was compelling, but honestly the rampant racism and sexism is too much to warrant a higher rating. When Dirk Pitt finds an oxygen tank and nose gear in his lovebird's cabin he desperately wants to know how they got there. He discovers a sunken plane at the bottom of the lake not far from the cabin. It's a military plane with no real records. Why? And what is up with the mysterious cargo? I will still probably continue with this series. It's exciting enough.