Mrs. Caliban

This book.....  is odd. Not in a bad way. Just. Odd. Satirical, weird, and unique; this story of an unhappy housewife who encounters a seven foot tall lizard man is compelling in a weird way. Mrs. Caliban starts falling for the creature practically instantly. She is so starved for affection that this curious, avocado loving, green, reptilian man practically falls into her bed and starts to take center stage in her life. Her husband doesn't notice, her best friend doesn't notice. It doesn't even seem to matter. She knows she can't keep this up forever though; he wants to go home and everyone in the area is on the lookout for him as he killed his captors when he escaped captivity. Bizarre and intriguing; it's quite short and I read it in an hour. I don't know what to make of it, so let me know if you ever read this one!

Go With the Flow

I wish I had this graphic novel when I was younger! It's not just about periods; it's about activism, friendship, and bullying. Three teenagers take a new kid under their wing after she gets her period at school and all her classmates start taunting her and calling her Bloody Mary because it went through her pants. The four of them quickly become close and realize how unfair it is that the pad machine is never stocked AND it costs money. They decide they want to try and change that but they don't know how. A beautiful graphic novel that is a must read for teenagers, teachers, parents; and women of all ages. It's never to early to make a difference!

Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger

Each short story was masterfully told with the characters leaping off the pages and into the readers mind. All stories centered on women: some teenagers, some seniors, some widowed, divorced, or mothers. All of them overcame some adversity or weathered some storm and got to a place where they could take it in stride and start the next chapter of their lives. Some are meek, some are vivacious, some are spunky; all are courageous in their own way. Each story was unique, wonderful, and hard to put down. A wonderful short story collection that I will definitely return to again!

How to Win Friends and Influence People

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this. Was a self-help book written over 80 years ago really going to have an impact on my career and life? The answer is yes. Absolutely. While a lot of the advice and tips make are no brainers; the accompanying stories and logic behind each action really cement the importance of it and you begin to visualize how it could have an impact on your life. Broken up in short, easy to read sections; it's easy to see why this leadership book has remained timeless. This is one I'll actually purchase and go back to consult again and again. I couldn't be more surprised by how much I enjoyed it!

Midnight in Chernobyl

This book has all the info you never knew you needed on Chernobyl - down to the last technical detail. I listened to this rather than reading it and was soon bogged down by the sheer amount of physics detailed; at times I found myself struggling to pay attention. That being said, this was still a fascinating detailed look on the events that caused the accidents and the actions taken afterward. It was a perfect storm of horrible events and it really will get your heart racing as the author gives you a near minute by minute account. Unsettling at moments, and overly technical; this insanely well researched guide is not for the casual reader. This book is heavy; but will change the way you think about Chernobyl forever!

The Forbidden Harbor

Based on the cover alone, I thought this was going to be a graphic novel for younger readers; but I was pleasantly surprised that this had some adult content (nudity and murder). This is a "salty adventure" set in 1807 that follows a young man washed up on the shores of Siam. He has no recollection of anything other than his first name, but a kindly naval crew and they take him on as a cabin boy. He picks up sea life with frightening ease and familiarity; but he struggles to make sense of who he is and how he ended up there. As the graphic novel progresses lots of kind people take young Abel under their wing and soon along with the help of a madame and three wonderful sisters; he finds he might actually have a purpose. Gorgeously illustrated and full of prose and poetry; this sea faring graphic novel is one of a kind!

Aftermath

This was perfectly alright Star Wars fiction. It didn't rock my world and at least kept me nominally entertained. Aftermath picks up right after the original trilogy and deals with the messy situation that the New Republic (aka the rebel alliance) has inherited from the Empire. The hammer has fallen but that doesn't mean that the fighting has stopped or everything is back to normal. Remnants of the Empire are still hiding out in the outer rim and whole planets need assistance. There's orphans, foot shortages, mass destruction and chaos. Aftermath follows Wedge Antilles as he scouts around the outer rim planets looking for any presence of the Empire. Lo and behold he stumbles upon the hornets nest and he's going to need a lot of help to squash this before it gets any better. Action packed, filled with characters that were... ok. Not bad, but I'm going to take a break before I continue the trilogy. Only recommended for hardcore fans of Star Wars that have seen the original trilogy.