Lightning (Stone Braide Chronicles #2) by Bonnie S. Calhoun

Lightning (Stone Braide Chronicles #2) by Bonnie S. Calhoun-411 pages

I started reading this for last month's one word title challenge but did not finish it in time. I read the first book in this trilogy a few months ago and bought the next two when they came out. I enjoyed this book, just like the first, though it is not as good as the Divergent series or the Hunger Games series. The depth of character and story isn't quite as good in my opinion, but it is still enjoyable, overall (especially the second half of this book). I will read the last in between short story and the last novel in the trilogy at some point, but next it's on to historical fiction. 

Malicious by James Patterson with James O. Born

Malicious by James Patterson with James O. Born, 125 pages

Malicious is another one of James Patterson Bookshots. Labeled as a lightening fast read, that is exactly what this book is.  In this latest Mitchum story, he finds himself caught in the middle of a huge drug ring invlving the arrest of his brother in Newburgh, New York.  I found this story rather bland and too predictable.

Book by Karen Brookfield

Book by Karen Brookfield, 64 pages

How fascinating and fun it was to read a book called Book about books!!  Although this was a juvenile book, it was quite interesting. Beginning with the history of the written language, Book takes us through the history of how civilzations kept records of history through writings in different forms on different media. It is interesting to think that before there were printers, books were hand copied.  Book also gives a brief history off when and how children's book were created about 250 years ago.  And, what Book about books would be complete without a brief history of the library.  And, how interesting before public libraries, there were only private libraries.  Imagine that!!  Book also contains some fantastic photographs.

The Shack by William P. Young

The Shack by William P. Young, 252 pages

I listened to this book as a playaway, but I also read along in parts.  I had been planning on reading this book for years, and I finally got around to it.  With the movie coming out a few months ago, I thought this would be the perfect time to do it.  I did not want to know anything about this book before I started it and to that I held true.  I had no idea what this book was about before I began it.  I was surprised by the plot.  However, I did know the major plot revolved around a very young girl turning up missing in the woods while camping with her Dad and siblings.  What I did not know or expect was what happened next. This book is about the father Mackenzie and his faith and relationship with Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit.  It is also about his relationship with his own father and accepting the fate of his young daughter.

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins, 666 pages

I had been searching for this book for a while when I found it while searching our catalog in our new Evergreen library system.  I enjoyed reading this book, even though it dealt with many taboo subjects.  But, I really felt like I connected with the three main characters in the book. Vanessa feels flawed as a person and only feels good when she is cutting herself.  Tony is a young, homosexual drug user who is living on the streets, trying to recover from the lose of his partner and from being abandoned by his father.   Conner is a teen who feels he cannot live up to the high standards his parents have set for him and recovering from having a sexual relationship with a teacher.  Each of the three find themselves locked up together in a psychiatric hospital called Aspen Springs.  The three each tried to commit suicide in their own way: Vanessa by cutting, Tony by pills, and Conner by shooting himself in the chest.  They are each sent to Aspen Springs to recover.  The three connect in a very special way.  The ending was shocking.

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen by Lauren Kate - 480 pages
Book 1 in the Fallen series

Luce Price is immediately drawn to brooding bad boy Daniel Grigori on her first day at her new boarding school in Georgia.  He wants to have nothing to do with her and she will stop at nothing to find out why.  Soon the connection between them becomes a danger to them both as Luce finds out the true nature of her destiny and her role in the continuing war between Heaven and Hell.

This is gothic romance teen paranormal fiction with heavy emphasis on the romance.  I found Luce to be a little too much of a damsel in distress without true agency for me and I won't be continuing with the series.

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins - 368 pages
Book 2 in the Hex Hall series

Sophie found out that everything she thought was true about herself was a lie.  She isn't a witch, she is instead something much more unique.  Her crush, Archer Cross,  turned out to be working for the enemy and her absent father is now very much back in her life to make things even more crazy.  Sophie decides to go to London to the seat of the supernatural Council to see if her powers can be removed so that she can at last be safe and no longer a threat to others.  But new truths discovered soon turn everything Sophie thought she knew on it's head again.  

Thrawn by Timothy Zahn

Thrawn by Timothy Zahn - 448 pages

The character of Thrawn is unique in that he originated in the book world and made the crossover into Star Wars television and films.  This book delves into the back story of the mysterious Grand Admiral Thrawn and his rise to power in the Galactic Empire.

I sometimes lose interest in the Star Wars books that don't have the major canon characters in there at least tangentially but this one kept me intrigued all the way through.  In the best SciFi tradition there are plenty of parallels to political issues facing society today framed through the lens of intrigue long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Rumble by Ellen Hopkins

Rumble by Ellen Hopkins, 546 pages

I think I have read most of Ellen Hopkins books, and I must say this is probably one of my least favorites.  Matthew Turner is a teen in high school dealing not only with everyday issues but also dealing with the suicide of his homosexual brother, Luke. Luke was driven to suicide by the bullying he faced at school after he came out.  All this has made Matthew question his religion, his faith and his relationship with his girlfriend. All of Ellen Hopkins books are a little depressing, but this one was hard to get into.

Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

Smoke by Ellen Hopkins, 543 pages

Smoke is the sequel to the teen book Burned.  It continues right where it left off.  Pattyn is a teen on the run after taking the blame for killing her father. She and her mother and sisters had been abused for years by the man they called Dad.  She killed him to save her sisters from the years of abuse she suffered.  What she takes is the blame for killing her Dad when really it was her sister Jackie who killed him. While on the run, Pattyn finds a friend, a new job and a new love by the name of Angel.  But after losing her true love, Ethan and their unborn baby, Pattyn fears she will never be able to love again.

Thrawn (Star Wars Disney Canon Novel) by Timothy Zahn

Thrawn (Star Wars Disney Canon Novel) by Timothy Zahn-427 pages

I read the Thrawn Trilogy by Zahn in 2015 in anticipation of The Force Awakens, so when I heard this was being written and released as an "official" Disney canon novel (the original Thrawn Trilogy is a "Legends" or not official Disney canon now) I immediately pre-ordered it. I really enjoyed reading this and Zahn does Thrawn well in his imagining of his rise to Grand Admiral. I especially liked that he included Thrawn's studying the adversary's cultural art as a means to glean patterns of expected behavior, just as Thrawn did in the original trilogy. Thrawn is depicted as a master tactician (although not great at politics) in this novel just as he was in the original trilogy. The fact that Zahn wrote both the original trilogy and this standalone novel helps with continuity and effectiveness. I enjoyed the secondary stories of Eli Vanto and Arihnda Pryce woven throughout this novel as companions to Thrawn's rise. Overall, this was as good, maybe better, than I expected and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Star Wars (especially anyone who read the original Thrawn trilogy). 

Sidekicked by John David Anderson

Sidekicked by John David Anderson-373 pages

I started reading this for last month's challenge, which was superheroes, but didn't finish it. It also happens to be a one word title, so it counts for this month's challenge. I enjoyed reading this book and it is a clever story about superheroes and sidekicks in a fictitious town called Justicia. Plot twists abound and it is fun to read. Overall, I enjoyed Sidekicked.