Legend

Quick, fun, teen dystopian novel. It has all the classic hallmarks of the genre. Set in the future of the United States, where war and disease are rampant and the divide between the wealthy and the poor is great. The Republic wages war against the Colonies although no one really knows whats being fought after anymore. Two young teens from vastly different parts of society soon realize that they aren't each other's enemy; they have to learn to trust each other to uncover what the republic has really been hiding all this time. Fast paced, full of teen angst, romance, betrayal, and more.

Side Jobs

This is really a 4.5 star book, I enjoyed the variety of  stories that Jim Butcher included and they all tie in very well with the established timeline. It was nice to see some characters get some extra TLC in this collection because it's hard to give that many the same amount of love. It was also a pleasure getting to see some more bad guys, Harry Dresden sure knows how to piss off some creepies! There were also two stories included that weren't told from Harry's perspective and that was pretty cool. James Marsters did a good job narrating them and giving them a different "feel." Overall a solid collection varying in length, theme, characters, and hilarity. Now I need another full installment of the Dresden Files. I can't wait anymore!

The Library of Lost and Found

Ugh, this was overwrought and over the top. I despised pretty much every character, the main protagonist was unbelievably .... pathetic. Martha Storm has bent over backwards for years taking care of everyone but herself, sacrificing her happiness, her fiance, and slowly her sanity. She cared for her ailing parents for fifteen years, she does odds and ends for everyone all over town, and she is so agreeable to helping with whatever that none ever feels bad for taking advantage of her (which is often). When a mysterious book shows up on the library's steps she realize her past and future are about to get more complicated. It's an old book with a dedication to her from her grandma Zelda, but the humdinger is that it's dated a few years after Zelda apparently died. As Martha starts to try and unravel this mystery she starts to realize that maybe she needs to start caring for herself before running herself dry catering everyone else's needs. Along the way she starts to reconnect with family, get more assertive at work, and squeeze in time for romance. UUUGHHH. I hated Martha. Read and make your own judgement.

Obsidio

The Illuminae Files has officially gone down as my all time favorite young adult trilogy. Seriously. This series was good from start to finish. The action never let up, it's full of twists I didn't see coming, twisted artificial intelligence, teenage angst, young love, and more. It had everything I wanted in a book. Oh and it's set in space... so yeah, it's pretty amazing. It's really hard for trilogies to live up to the hype or to even compete with book one, but each installment of this series brought the heat. I loved it. I loved the characters, the sarcasm, the wit, the foul language, and the seriousness. Seriously, this series is the bomb. I won't stop raving about it, just read it already!!

To Obama

I gobbled this book up! The act of letter writing is so powerful and this book does an amazing job highlighting the importance of everyday Americans who sat down to write or type a letter to Barack Obama while he was in office. While president, Obama averaged 10,000 letters a day, and employees in the correspondence office would select ten letters for Obama to read at the end of every day. The letters weren't all positive; some were critical, some had suggestions, some were from from kids, some wanted to see something to get done, but they were all powerful. Some of the letters moved me to tears or made me laugh out loud. Some were even so elegant it made me jealous of the author's writing prowess. Author, Laskas includes a sampling of letters and in between, her chapters highlight how the correspondence office operated, the back story/interviews conducted with some of the letter writers, and some wonderful insight on how and why the letters that Obama received helped him shape policy and speeches and how they were truly representative of the American people. It's a wonderful book.

Becoming

I really really enjoyed this book. It was candid, heartwarming, intriguing, and overall quite inspiring. Michelle Obama seems like one of the people that you would like to sit down with over a cup of coffee and just chat about anything with. She's real and down to earth and reading her memoir made me respect and admire her even more. From her wonderful childhood, early adversity, and romance with Barack, I enjoyed every aspect of her story. She has managed to stay humble and honest; even while being one of the most "visible" women in the past decade. Every aspect of her life has been criticized, analyzed, and knit picked yet she believed in her husband and her family so she toughed it all out and has an amazing story to tell. Wonderful!

The Buried

Guys... this might make my Christmas card top 5 this year. The Buried was THAT good, I'm still thinking about it! Peter Hessler combines archaeology, cultural and religious customs, politics, language, family relations, and the Egyptian Revolution and writes a compelling narrative of his family's time in Cairo through the lens of the Arab Spring. Peter, his Chinese wife, Leslie, and their two newborn twins settle in Cairo for several years and experience it all. I learned SO MUCH. And it wasn't dry or overwhelming; it was fascinating stuff! Sprinkled throughout would be tidbits about Chinese immigrants selling lingerie, the oppression of women, and anecdotes about the world's friendliest trash man, I can't get over how well this book read. This is definitely one I will come back to again. I've loved Egyptian history since I was a child and getting to read about it's modern day archaeology and it's political climate was so intriguing. It makes me want to go on an Egyptian reading binge. Wonderful, wonderful political/cultural/memoir. A must read!