Almost Famous Women

These are short stories based on women in history. While it had such potential, the stories really didn't captivate me at all. A disappointment. Too many other good books to read to keep reading.

Frog

Supposedly this book is about the one child policy in China. However, I got to page 113 and the book still hadn't really developed a plot or gotten to any kind of a conflict to be solved. So, I stopped because it's not compelling enough to finish.

This book is a translation from Mandarin and is set in China, so it's to be understood that all the names are so similar its hard to remember who is who.

The plot is slow, assuming there actually turns out to be one.

I will say that while I never thought about the book during the day, when I picked it up at night, it wasn't unpleasant. Just not good enough to think about and want to finish. Maybe if you really love the Chinese culture and are studious and smart enough, you can get through the book.

Station Eleven

This is a post civilization collapse world that the author created. A pandemic occurs and there are few who survive. This book follows the lives of a group who do.

This is a mixed review.

Character development and plot - 2.5 or 3 stars. There is no real plot or thrust to the end of a conflict. There is just enough mystery to keep you reading though. The book tries to be deep but just comes across short and inconsequential. I enjoyed the world St. John Mandel was setting up. However, I felt like she could have taken her time and turned the book into a series in order to set up her characters better and develop an actual plot.

Creativity - 4.5 stars. There was such potential and it was an interesting idea.

It's one of the books that I think will actually make a better movie than book, so just wait and watch it when it comes out, as I'm sure it will.

Nowhere But Here

Good girl meets bad boy and they fall for each other, when they shouldn't. Stupid.

YA maybe at its worst? Interesting story, but almost zero character development. I didn't see that it is categorized as teen harlequin until too late. Don't read and don't let your kids read.

Alive

It was okay, not great. A quick read, and an easy one. It was a little redundant in places, but overall fine.

A girl wakes up from a box not knowing where she is. She quickly realizes she's a 12 year old in a 20 year old's body.

The less you know about the plot, the better.

The writing was pretty bad. It was maybe supposed to be fast paced, but came across choppy. Characters were boring and predictable.

This is book 1 in trilogy, with the second book coming out in April 2016. I won't be reading it.

Unlikely Hero of Room 13 B

Boy with issues falls for girl with issues. Almost the same storyline as The Fault in Our Stars except with OCD almost as its own characters and not as good. Unless you want to read about OCD, skip this one and just read The Fault in Our Stars.

13 Reasons Why

This is one of those books that is actually unique. Very good story, story telling, characters, and writing.

Clay is a teenage boy who receives a set of tapes in the mail. They are from his classmate who committed suicide a few weeks ago. These tapes lay out 13 reasons why she killed herself.

It's YA, but definitely only appropriate for older high schoolers.