#9: The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells

I finished The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer last night.  In this story, Greta has something tragic happen to her and she can't deal with it.  She goes to counseling and a variety of doctors and eventually the only thing the doctor thinks will work is electroconvulsive (electric shock therapy).  These therapies make her travel through time.  She is now Greta Wells in 1918, 1941, and 1985.  In each world the Greta has experienced something tragic to make her do the shock therapy.  She has the same people in her life in these world. her twin brother Felix, boyfriend Nathan, aunt Ruth, and the doctor, but in each world they are different.  It's an interesting idea for a book, that something impossible will happen to each of us.  Greta thought she had the time travel pattern figured out, but then the other Gretas would skip a session or something would happen to make them not travel to the world they thought they should be in.  I was surprised at the ending of the book, but don't want to give too much away.

Up Next:  I am the Messenger but Marcus Zusak

#8: Where'd You Go, Bernadette

I just finished Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.  I really liked the humor and emotions in this book.  Here is my review from Goodreads:  This book was really unique.  I loved the different letters, e-mails, faxes, etc that made up the book.  It was a fun way to follow the storyline while meeting all the different characters.  It's really interesting to see how much you can learn about a character just through their writing.  While I liked Bernadette's humor, I think what I enjoyed most was the correspondence between Audrey and Soo-Lin.  It just always had me laughing.

Up Next:  The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer

#7: The Girl Who Fell From the Sky

I finished The Girl Who Fell From the Sky last night.  This was the story of Rachel, a bi-racial girl. She was the only survivor of a family accident when the family "fell" off of their apartment building.  We learn about Rachel's parents, grandmother, aunt, and some friends.  This story was sad.  It's hard to talk too much about it without giving out any spoilers.  I think this book deals a lot with repressed memories and how no matter how hard you try to block out memories, you still can't change your past.  I really liked the story and the main character in the book.

Up Next:  Where'd You Go, Bernadette

#6: Okay for Now

I just finished Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt.  Wow.  This book was amazing.  I didn't really know what to expect when I first started the book.  I thought it was about boys who were mouthy because of abuse from their father, but it was so much more.  The main character, Doug, was creative, intelligent, kind, and hardworking.  He turned all the negatives in his life into many positives, even though it took a long time to do so.

While reading the book, I couldn't tell whether I hated the dad or gym teacher more.  They both were so mean to Doug and he couldn't seem to catch a break from either of them.  Without giving away spoilers, I just loved how we were eventually able to see some good in both of these characters. 

I'm not a fan of birds, but I can see why they were significant in this story.  Doug was able to "take flight" in his life just like the birds did in the pictures.

This book was full of emotions for me.  I cried several times from happy and sad parts.  I felt sick to my stomach during some parts. And I was laughing during other parts.

Up Next:  The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow

#5: Double Dexter

I just finished Double Dexter (#6 in the series) by Jeff Lindsay.  It's been awhile since I read the other Dexter books, so I couldn't remember what was last happening.  I remembered that Dexter had a baby, but couldn't really remember the other stuff.  This book was okay, but I didn't like how sloppy Dexter was getting in his "hobby".  While I like him being a father, I just feel he's turning too much into a normal guy.

I'm really excited to finally watch the whole series now since it's back on Netflix. 

Up Next:  Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt