Songs of Willow Frost (Jamie Ford)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.

I really liked the author's first book (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, reviewed earlier), so I definitely wanted to read this, his second novel.

This book was just heavy and depressing all the way through. The ending could have pulled it up a bit, but it left me wondering if things actually worked out. It would have been nice to have an epilogue with some good news... because the way life had been for the characters up to that point, I was really doubtful that things were going to go well. ;)

One of the main characters is a 12-year-old boy who doesn't think or talk or act like any 12-year-old boy I've ever known. Maybe if he was seventeen, I would have found his personality and decisions believable.

I also thought there were too many unanswered questions.

I wouldn't tell anyone NOT to read it, but I also wouldn't recommend it. I'm disappointed to say that, because I think the author is a good writer and I like his style.

Non-graphic incidents of suicide, rape, molestation, and the implication of incestuous molestation. Two uses of what is often considered a swear word, but in this case is used to describe a child born out of wedlock.

The Zook Sisters of Lancaster County (June Belfie)

Don't judge.  :)

Ruth's Dilemma
Emma's Choice
Katie's Discovery

Why I have these books: The first one was a free borrow from Amazon Prime, and I ended up buying the second two because they were pretty inexpensive.

My aunt actually read the first one and said it was "so-so," but then gave it four stars on GoodReads. It was free to borrow, and I wanted a light read during this hectic Christmas month, so I gave it a try.

You'd think that since I ended up buying the next two, that the first one was an amazing story. Not really, but they were all nice, easy reading stories. The second and third one had a line or two that made me cringe/laugh because the wording was more fitting for a more "sexy" book than an Amish book.

Anyway, they were a nice way to spend the week leading up to Christmas. Nothing spectacular, but just what I needed to relax in my reading.

I wonder what the Amish think of all these Amish books.  Haha.

Clean. 

Divergent (Veronica Roth)

Why I have this book: I have thought about reading it off and on ever since it became popular... and it went on sale one day for pretty cheap, so I bought it.

I haven't quite decided if I like it or not. The writing is good, the story is definitely engaging. The characters are well-developed. I guess the problem I have is that when I was at about 88% of the book (reading on my Kindle), I just didn't feel like I wanted to deal with the violence. At that point, I wondered if I would want to finish the series.

I pressed on and the book grabbed my interest again. Now I know I want to read the next book, but I'm not sure I want to pay the $6.99 the Kindle version costs on Amazon. I put it on hold on the e-book library. The thing is, I already have the third book because it was also on sale for under $4. I would probably buy the second one if the price dropped a bit. Seems silly to have Books One and Three, but not Book Two. Who knows? Maybe I'll buy it at $6.99 after I finish the series because I want the whole set.

So... if you like dystopian stories, this is definitely a good book. The violence isn't descriptive, really. I just got this hopeless feeling when that part started. I wasn't sure I wanted to immerse myself in it for three books. But if I had the second book right now, I would be starting it, for sure. :)

There are sad and scary things that happen in this book, including non-descriptive violence and suicide. The name of God is used as an exclamation a couple of times, but I don't recall any other swearing. There are a couple of sexual comments and "scenarios," which seem unnecessary to the story. (Nothing happens and none of it is really descriptive.)

Just Ella (Annette K. Larsen)

Why I have this book: I saw that a couple of my real-life friends were reading it when I was browsing Goodreads, so I decided to read it, too. I needed a light read since my kids are sick and the weather is yucky!

This fit the bill. It was a nice, light, enjoyable book with an unpredictable (for the most part) storyline. What I mean is that for a good part of the book, I wondered how it would all work out. The bad guy was so badly bad... that part was a little hokey to me, but I could easily overlook it because I liked Ella and Gavin so much. This book felt a little "young" for me, but that's because the main characters are only in their teens when they meet and a couple years older when the book ends. Even so, I liked it. I think my young adult girls would like it, too.

I enjoyed it enough to recommend to others. Nothing to strain your brain, and just a good escape when you need one.

Clean.

Spontaneous Happiness: A New Path to Emotional Well-Being (Andrew Weil, MD)

Why I have this book: It popped up in recommendations, and since I've read other books by Dr. Weil that I found interesting, I decided to read it.

I'm not quite finished with the book yet, since the last part of it is an 8 week program of making changes in one's life that will help with mental well-being. But I think I can review the book at this point.

There are a lot of studies mentioned in the book... I like that and dislike it at the same time. I like that it validates the author's theories, but I found that I skimmed some of that. I just wanted to get to a simple explanation of what one should do with that information. I don't agree with everything he says (I sense that he doesn't put a lot of stock into believing in God... at least not the Christian God), but there are a lot of good and simple suggestions that I think would be helpful to anyone who feels like they can improve their mental well-being. (Some examples: Limit the amount of time reading/listening to the news, have more social interaction, do more service, go on walks, enjoy nature...)

I'm going to look through the 8 week program and write down the suggestions that ring true to me. There are definitely some things he talked about that I know would be an improvement in my life.

So all-in-all, good book.

Clean.