My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
384 pages / 11 hrs., 2 min.

A quirky, charming story about almost-eight-year-old Elsa and her grandmother.  Elsa is curious about everything and uses Wikipedia frequently to find answers.  She is bullied at school for being "different," but is content to be "different" just the same.

Grandmother is Elsa's constant defender, partner-in-crime, and personal teller of fairy tales.  She is also "different" and is a great keeper of secrets.

When Grandmother passes away, she leaves a fantastical treasure hunt for Elsa that involves all the people in their apartment building.  Long-hidden danger, heartache, sadness, grief and brokenness begin healing as only happens when an almost-eight-year-old decides to get involved.

I found the story excellent in parts, very good in parts, and average in parts.  It is well worth reading for the absolutely perfect sentences it contains, like this one: "Nothing is ever really lost until your mother can't find it."  (smile)

Poison by Chris Wooding

Poison by Chris Wooding, 273 pages

"The world is a library, young Poison, and you'll never get to read the same book twice." Truer words were never spoken by Fleet, a character you'll meet along Poison's journey.
When Poison's sister is kidnapped by faeries, she is sent on an adventure where she discovers the world is not at all what she thought it and she's more than just a girl searching for her sister. She will face many dangers that will shape who she will become. I enjoyed the twist and turns of this book. It had a "The Neverending Story" feel almost to the very end.