Navigating Early...

I picked up this book to read because my niece was reading it at her school in Topeka. I also wanted to read something by a Wichita author. I think the math teachers would enjoy it since it deals so much with Pi. The book was just an okay read for me. Nothing spectacular. I did a lot of browsing the last 50-100 pages because I received an order of new books yesterday that I truly wanted to get my hands on.

From goodreads.com:
At the end of World War II, Jack Baker, a landlocked Kansas boy, is suddenly uprooted after his mother’s death and placed in a boy’s boarding school in Maine. There, Jack encounters Early Auden, the strangest of boys, who reads the number pi as a story and collects clippings about the sightings of a great black bear in the nearby mountains.

Newcomer Jack feels lost yet can’t help being drawn to Early, who won’t believe what everyone accepts to be the truth about the Great Appalachian Bear, Timber Rattlesnakes, and the legendary school hero known as The Fish, who never returned from the war. When the boys find themselves unexpectedly alone at school, they embark on a quest on the Appalachian Trail in search of the great black bear.

But what they are searching for is sometimes different from what they find. They will meet truly strange characters, each of whom figures into the pi story Early weaves as they travel, while discovering things they never realized about themselves and others in their lives.

Personal Effects...

This book was a long, slow read for me! I've been trying to finish this book since January. The story does pick up a little at the end and involves a little bit of a twist that you don't see coming. Guys will probably like this book more than girls. It was just an okay read to me. It won't be one that I pick up and push into the hands of readers if they ask for a recommendation.

From goodreads.com:
Ever since his brother, T.J., was killed in Iraq, Matt feels like he’s been sleepwalking through life — failing classes, getting into fights, and avoiding his dad’s lectures about following in his brother’s footsteps. T.J.’s gone, but Matt can’t shake the feeling that if only he could get his hands on his brother’s stuff from Iraq, he’d be able to make sense of his death. But as Matt searches for answers about T.J.’s death, he faces a shocking revelation about T.J.’s life that suggests he may not have known T.J. as well as he thought. What he learns challenges him to stand up to his father, honor his brother’s memory, and take charge of his own life. With compassion, humor, and a compelling narrative voice, E. M. Kokie explores grief, social mores, and self-discovery in a provocative first novel.

Out of the Easy...

I'm not much for Historical Fiction. However, I did enjoy Ruta Sepetys first novel Between Shades of Gray and was hoping Out of the Easy would be just as good. I think I liked OOTE better than BSOG. The plot line and characters appealed more to me in her newest novel. The characters were easy to follow. I did want a little more at the end of the novel. You'll definitely know we can't pick our parents by the time you reach the end of the novel.

From goodreads.com:
It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer.

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

Period .8...

I was a little disappointed in this book! It started really slow for me. I was expecting a great followup book to Deadline. I'm hoping some of the students see this one differently than I did and actually enjoy the book. It picked up a little during the last 100 pages for me and had a good ending.

From goodreads.com:
In this full-length novel from Chris Crutcher, his first since the best-selling Deadline, the ultimate bully and the ultimate good guy tangle during Period 8.

Paul "the Bomb" Baum tells the truth. No matter what. It was something he learned at Sunday School. But telling the truth can cause problems, and not minor ones. And as Paulie discovers, finding the truth can be even more problematic. Period 8 is supposed to be that one period in high school where the truth can shine, a safe haven. Only what Paulie and Hannah (his ex-girlfriend, unfortunately) and his other classmates don't know is that the ultimate bully, the ultimate liar, is in their midst.

Terrifying, thought-provoking, and original, this novel combines all the qualities of a great thriller with the controversy, ethics, and raw emotion of a classic Crutcher story.

Walking Disaster...

The much anticipated follow-up to Beautiful Disaster was released on Tuesday. This book is written from Travis' point of view. There is also a nice addition at the beginning of the book that gives some background into his life as well as a nice chapter at the end that wraps everything up. It is a quick, easy read that will be completed in a day's time. Make sure you read Beautiful Disaster first!

Let the interlibrary loan wait list begin!

From goodreads.com:
Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster. Can you love someone too much?
Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

Reckless...

One of the first books I've been afraid to finish. I was at such a happy place in the book that I didn't want to continue. I was afraid my heart was going to be ripped out and torn to shreds. The book wraps up nicely. Unfortunately, it will be a series that does not make its way to the library shelves.

From goodreads.com:
Can love survive when life gets Reckless?

When the band hits it big, Kiera and Kellan must ask themselves: Can their love for each other survive the constant pressures of superstardom? The friendships they've formed, the new family they've found, and the history they've forged will all play a part in helping them navigate the turbulent waters of the band's exploding popularity. A greedy executive hell-bent on success, a declining pop star looking for an edge, and a media circus that twists lies into truths are just some of the obstacles the lovers will have to overcome if they are going to remain together. Fame comes with a price-but will it cost Kiera and Kellan everything?