Book 34: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

I read this book because it is up for a Truman award in my state and my librarian recommended it.  It started off pretty slow, but then it got interesting.

This is the story of a young girl who works for an international agency "tagging and bagging" paranormals such as vampires, werewolves, mermaids, etc. so that the rest of the world is not harmed by these creatures. 

I don't want to tell too much more of the story because I really believe in letting a story unfold for each reader.

I enjoyed it, but I don't think I'll rush out to read the second or third book because I felt like the story ended well enough.

Book 33: Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman

I hesitate to write this entry after reading/listening to this book for fear that I will be targeted by scientologists...

I decided to pick up this book after years of bad-mouthing scientology with little knowledge about the "religion."  I figured that I should learn something about it...  Now I feel like I can talk bad about scientology.  This "religion" is seriously messed up.  Forced abortions, kidnapping, extortion, money laundering, etc...  And because there are a few rich and famous scientologists, they get what they want.  In fact, their method of brainwashing new recruits is being sold to Title One schools as a way to help students pass standardized tests under a non-scientology name.  Crazy. 

If you are at all interested in scientology, I would recommend this book.  It does get bogged down in some details, but with a genuine reporter as the author, I would expect no less.

Book 32: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I read this book after seeing it plastered all over magazines that I trust.  It is a young adult book about terminal cancer.  Sounds uplifting, right?  This book is absolutely amazing.  While the characters are a little too precocious to be believable, the story kept me hooked.  I laughed, I cried, and I can't stop thinking about it.  That's the sign of a good book, right?  Read it so we can talk about it, darn you!!

Book 31 (actually 29): The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

I actually finished this earlier, but forgot that I hadn't blogged about it.  This is the parallel story (or the second book in the trilogy) of what happened when an asteroid hit the moon and forced its orbit closer to Earth.  Instead of following the main character from the first book, this book focuses on the life of a poor Hispanic boy living in New York City.  Life is much grittier in NYC than it was for our heroine in the first book. 

I liked this series because (as I stated in my review of book 30) it seems real.  Really real.  Scary...

Book 30: This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This is the third and final (?) book of this apocalyptic tale of the world post-devastation.  This book brings together the two characters from the first two books a year after the moon was hit by an asteroid and moved closer to Earth. 

I really liked this series, although it was terrifying because the scenario seems so plausible.  As I've probably stated before, my biggest fear is surviving the end of the world.  I think that the author is very realistic and my only critique would be that the writing is a little simplistic...but that makes sense when you realize that the book is supposed to be the journal entries of a 16 year old.  She is definitely not the precocious narrator that many YA authors use to cover their own misunderstanding of what a teenager is really like. 

I would recommend this series for other lovers of YA fiction.  It's a quick read and fascinating, in my opinion.

Book 29: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

I listened to this book after finishing the wonderful Bossypants by Tina Fey.  This book, in comparison, was a little disappointing.  While I find Mindy funny, smart, and beautiful, this book paints her as a stereotypical female airhead.  She worries about her weight, her clothing, boys, etc.  Ugh.  I'm so far past that point in my life that I was just bored by her story.  There were a couple of funny parts, but I can't remember them now, which should say something...

I'm really afraid that, somehow, Mindy Kaling will read this review and think that I'm a horrible person...  I'm sure that's unfounded as this is such a minuscule blog, but stranger things have happened.  So I want to make it perfectly clear that this book did not speak to me as a 33 year old mother of five who only shops for herself once or twice a year.  My colleague loved this book and found it hilarious.  But she's in a different place in her life...  So, would I recommend this book?  Nope.  But I know someone who enthusiastically gives it two thumbs up...

Book 28: Gold by Chris Cleave

This is the 3rd book I've read by Chris Cleave and is probably my second favorite.  I don't know why, but Little Bee just didn't grab me the way it grabbed most people I know.  I loved Incendiary (his first novel) the best because that book made me think about life in a different way. 

This book is completely different, in my opinion.  This is the story of three Olympic-grade cyclists and a little girl who is fighting cancer.  The book explores the price of fame, the price of a happy family, and the price of friendship.  I was sucked in and couldn't put it down for the last 50 pages, something that I haven't felt in quite awhile. 

Has anyone else read any of Cleave's books?  Did you love Little Bee?  If so, why?  Maybe I'm misremembering the book...