Seminole County Public Library discussion

From today through July 31st, 2015, you can submit up to 5 reviews here in order to be entered into the Goodreads Reviews Mega Book Buck Drawing. Simply type your original review into the comment field below and hit the "post" button.

The winner will receive 10 book bucks, redeemable at the Friends of the Library Bookstore at the Central Branch in Casselberry or the Friends of the Library book carts at the East, North, Northwest and West Branches.

The drawing will be held August 6, 2015.

Fascinating, brutal, and informative.
"Infidel"/Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Everything I Never Told You/Celeste Ng
A dysfunctional family with sad tones of racism and unrealized dreams.

The War that Saved My Life Kimberley Brubaker Bradley
Written for 4th graders and above, this is a straight-forward story about a crippled girl during World War 2 in London and how she and her brother being sent to live with a stranger in the country released her from a life of abuse and poverty.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The author did a great job making me feel as though I knew the characters as well as the ability to visualize the scenarios. I loved reading about Homer's life and endeavors. Homer's Odyssey

The Shock Doctrine - Naomi Klein
A horror story about economics, written for the lay-person.
This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about money or what is happening in the world today. It explains so much about poverty, the way money and money markets function, and the role of the World Bank. Even if those are topics you are not interested in, once you read this book you will never hear broadcast news in the same way, because you will have a new understanding of the way economies function. Although the topic sounds dry, the book is not one bit boring (it bogs down a little in the middle, but it picks back up). If you read nothing else this year, you should read this book!

The Truth According to Us - Annie Barrows
Another implausible story told in letters by the author of the Guernsey Literary Society. Barrows is great at creating a detailed and enticing small town environment. However, for me her books are missing any meaning or theme. Probably this book should be classified as a great beach read; just plain enjoyable reading.

The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart
Gifted children are invited to a special opportunity by a newspaper ad, then are tested with intriguing riddles and puzzles to solve. The four kids who pass initial testing are then tasked with a typical good vs. evil battle. The set-up of the book is fun and intriguing, but the execution is a little boring/disappointing.

The Strange Library Haruki Murakami
I had never read anything by this author, so I thought this would be a good way to try him out, because it is short (the whole book can be read in a hour or so). This is the story of a kid who goes to the library to research a topic and gets trapped for three days. Although the book is easy to read, it is hard to understand the meaning. There is the kid, a mysterious girl, a mean old man, and a man who wears sheepskin. It must be an allegorical story, and there is sort of a struggle of good versus evil, but the meaning escapes me. The book is creatively designed, and beautiful to handle, but the story is disappointing.

Unfair - Adam Benforado
Nonfiction book about the inequities in the criminal justice system primarily due to unconscious bias. For instance, research shows white men judge overweight women more harshly than other groups. A lot of the book cites research that calls into question the fairness of our whole criminal justice system, and makes suggestions as to how it could be made more fair. It provides a good alternate understanding of criminals, arrests, interrogation, trials, judges, and sentencing. It's an easy read, and gives insight to much of what we hear on the news about crime.

The Invention of Wings
I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction, but this book turned out better than I expected. The alternating chapters made the book more interesting, but I thought the "Sarah Grimke" chapters were lacking. At the beginning of the book, Sarah seemed as if she was going to be this strong person making waves in the anti-slavery movement-however, she loses her drive/spark for a majority of the book. Handful proves to be the real pioneer. Her bravery and strong-will gained my liking from the onset. The plight of Sarah Grimke and her sister, Angelina, seems to be an after thought. If the book was supposed to educate me on the role they played in abolishing slavery, it didn't. After finishing the book, I didn't want to know more about Sarah and Angelina; I wanted to find out more about Handful and her family.

Me Before You
This was a great book! The only reason I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 is because of the ending. Don't get me wrong, the ending was beautifully written and definitely evoked strong emotions, but I want a happy ending!! On the surface, the book is about love-the love developing between two individuals, the lack of love between two individuals, and the many facets of love found within a family. However, the true lesson is one found in a self help book-are you happy with yourself? This book subconsciously forces you to acknowledge your life choices-are you truly living or merely surviving?! It forces you to ask yourself, who am I?! What have I done with my life?! I'm looking forward to seeing this as a movie when it finally comes out!

Paper Towns
Let me preface my review with: I am a sucker for young adult fiction. I want to be back in high school "Breakfast Clubbing" it with some friends, and YA fiction allows me to travel back in my life!

This book was witty and proved to be a quick read. However, I had a hard time believing or buying into some of the storyline. Furthermore, it tended to lose some momentum in the middle. It was easy to identify with some aspect of each of the characters, but the storyline was just not believable enough. I couldn't picture high school me going on that adventure.

At the beginning of the book I felt bad for Margo and wanted to shake her parents, but by the end, I was fed up with the spoiled brat. She wasn't just a teenager misunderstood by her parents; she truly wasn't a nice person. Along the same lines, I felt sorry for Quentin at the start of the book, but by the end I wanted to shake him and say, "Stand up for yourself!"

With all of that being said, I did give it a 4 out of 5 because I was able to escape my mom life and live vicariously through John Green's high school characters!

Grey
This book was disappointing. I knew what I was getting into because I read the original books. I mistakenly thought this book was going to give more insight into Grey's psychological background. It reads as if the author took 50 Shades of Grey and rewrote it using the opposite-gendered pronouns! Furthermore, her use of "big" words doesn't help to turn this into a written masterpiece; it just makes it more of a joke. I gave it a 2 and not a 1 because I did finish the whole book, but not without a grimace on my face!

Dark Places
I did not have high expectations for Dark Places. I tried reading Gone Girl on two separate occasions and couldn't get through the slow beginning. I did, however, think the movie was great!

When one of my book clubs picked Dark Places, I was thinking, "Oh, no, not again," but I was surprised. The way the story was pieced together from different points of view helped to hook me and keep me entertained. It was like starting at the edge of a spiral and making my way into the middle all while gaining momentum. I don't usually enjoy long descriptions or drawn out character development (get on with the action), but the pictures Flynn's words painted, evoked overwhelming emotion. I read with a furrowed brow, feeling troubled and depressed because Libby was so down, I was enraged and full of hate because Ben was worked up, I was saddened and at my wit's end because Patty saw no other choice and was at her rope's end. The only reason I gave it a 4 and not a 5 was because of the actual events that occurred on the day of the murders...I didn't think the explanation was believable and feel as if there was pressure for Flynn to wrap up the book.

I will be interested to see this if it is turned into a movie.

So You've Been Publicly Shamed

Fascinating look at how shame is used in social media, and the repercussions of it for the individuals shamed (and shaming). A thought-provoking read for anyone who interacts with others online.

Midnight Riot

The first in the Rivers of London series, it follows Peter Grant as he learns about the "uncanny" world that coexists with the "mundane." It successfully combines the crime thriller/fantasy genres; the author's humor will delight fans of BBC's Sherlock. Grown-up fans of Harry Potter will absolutely devour this series.

Moon Over Soho

The second in the Rivers of London series. Geek references galore and its continued adult-Harry-Potter feel kept up the momentum for this well-written sequel.

Go Set a Watchman

An early draft for what is, arguably, one of the greatest American novels of all time. Unlike To Kill A Mockingbird, the dialogue is sometimes clunky and overwrought; one finishes the book feeling abiding gratefulness to the editor who encouraged Harper Lee to re-write this story into what is now a beloved classic.

Whispers Under Ground

Continuing Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series is another excellent sequel that combines the familiar feel of a detective novel with magic. Taking place largely in and around London's Underground, it delves further into the "uncanny" world Aaronovitch has created. The nail-biting and laugh-out-loud moments continue to satisfy in this sequel.

Recipe for Disaster
This book was a perfect mix of a home repair show on HGTV and a cooking show on Food Network. The main character, Annake, loses her job and fiance at the beginning of the book. From there on out, she has to pick herself back up and somehow start over. There are a lot of laughs and fun characters. I found some of the home repair parts a little slow, but it was fun to see her new house come to life.

Garden Spells
Sarah Addison Allen is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. In this quirky novel, Claire Waverly's life gets a lot more interesting when her sister Sydney comes back to town after being gone for many years. As with all of Allen's book, there's a touch of the magical. I loved following each of the characters through their struggles and triumphs. And who wouldn't love a book with a magic apple tree?

First Frost
In this sequel to Garden Spells, we pick up with the Waverlys ten years later. All the lovable characters are back for more fun. I enjoyed this book as much, if not more, than Garden Spells. I think the time jump was a good choice as it allowed the characters to grow and be at a new places in their lives. Sydney's daughter, Bay, is now in high school and facing her own problems with boys and Waverly magic.

I Was Here
I Was Here is the sad story about a girl left behind after her best friend commits suicide. At first Cody is blindsided and doesn't want to believe the truth. The more she searches for answers, the more she realizes there was a lot she didn't know.

The Program
Imagine living in a world with a teenage suicide epidemic. In this book that is the reality and the only solution is the Program. Infected teens go in, against their will, and return with their minds wiped clean of their memories. Sloane and James enter the Program but can't accept the lost memories when they emerge back into the real world. This book was fast paced and leaves you rooting for the characters the whole way through.

Congratulations to Michelle for winning the Seminole County Library Mega Book Bucks drawing for this summer! Happy spending at the Friends of the Library book store or cart in your local library!

Thank you, everyone who posted reviews for the 2015 Summer drawing! We hope to see you continue to follow and post on the library Goodreads site.