#74 - When It Happens To You by Molly Ringwald

What an adorable book this is!  I would have never thought of Molly Ringwald as an author but I thoroughly enjoyed this "novel in stories".  I'm a big fan of short stories - especially in audio versions since I can generally go through one story in a single back and forth commute.  The structure of this novel is really unique, each story could be completely self contained but each one also provides insight into other characters that revolve around this one instance in the life of this one couple.  It's hard to describe but it's simply symphonic when you figure out how the pieces fit together.

All in all this was a truly easy to fall in love with book that is equally easy to read in pieces.  A great one to keep in your car or your handbag to read in the waiting room or while your kids are at a practice.

Quick sidenote: if you can catch it on audio book (available on Overdrive) its well worth it, Molly reads her own writing in her unmistakably brat pack voice. I just took a vacation to Nostalgia Island!

Goodreads rating: 4 stars (4.5 really)

In Progress: (paper) Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
ibooks Insurgent by Veronica Roth

#73 - Townie: A Memoir by Andre Dubus III

I have had this on my "to read" list for awhile and was browsing the non-fiction audio offerings from my library when this one popped up.  So I thought I would give it a try.

The good: It was read by the author which is really the only way a memoir should be presented in audio format. The bad: Mr. Dubus III has a very montone Jersey voice which made this a very long listen.

This is very much a "coming of age" type of story - coming from a rough, violent path and into adulthood where peace means more than punches.  The first half feels very disjointed - as if the author is trying to put as many rough stories into the book as possible with very little thought toward chronology but, as he grows, it becomes much more enjoyable and I am glad I knew the back stories for maximum impact.

All in all i'm split down the middle on this book but rounded my rating up for the lovely ending.

Goodreads rating: 3 stars

On deck(audio): When It Happens To You by Molly Ringwald
In Progress (paper): Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin and (ibooks) Insurgent by Veronica Roth.

#72 - Divergent by Veronica Roth

I resisted getting involved with the Divergent series for a long time dismissing it as a formulaic "Dystopian YA novel with a kick ass female lead" But I gotta say, after having a bad taste in my mouth after the first book of Matched and my own skeptical mind; I am glad I took the leap and gave Roth and her version of post-America Chicago a chance.

What's different between this and say The Hunger Games? (which I liked but didn't love and had totally lost interest in by the end of the series) In concept - not much...but in execution there was a world of difference.  The writing and character development in this book was really smooth and kept the action moving while not murking up the flow with too many superfluous fight scenes and violence.  I really enjoyed how the different factions are represented and how their different personality traits shine through in intense circumstances.

All of the actions and reactions felt very genuine (even though some of the love stories and face-offs remind you that you are reading a YA target market book) The last 10 chapters are not to be missed!!!

Goodreads rating: 4 stars
On Deck: Insurgent by Veronica Roth (gotta get it read before book 3 comes out in October)
In Progress: Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin.

#71 - Dan Gets A Minivan by Dan Zevin

Oh man did I ever need that belly laugh! Yeah I'll admit it, I giggled the whole way through this book...as I was driving...wait for it...my minivan.

How I related to each story about how hard it is to transition from being freewheeling singles with full control of the choice of dinner, footwear and even automobiles to being parents first and people second.  The description on Goodreads compares Dan to Dave Berry and, in a way, I can see that.  Although the satirical tone to this book feels more like a male, slightly less frenetic version of Jenny Lawson.

To anyone who have stood at that intersection between Dude and Dad or Hot Momma to just being a Momma...you will love and appreciate this book! Available on Overdrive Audio for those who are in the Iowa Library system.

Goodreads rating: 4.5 stars

In Progress: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Golden Boy by Abigail Tartellin

#70 - Astray by Emma Donoghue

I just love those moments when you stumble upon something special.  I was just browsing through the catalog of offerings from my library's audio book lending when I recognized Emma Donoghue's name from reading Room last year.  I was looking for non fiction but I got the best of both worlds with this well thought out collection of stories.

As the title suggests, each story in this collection deals with that moment, that one decision, that pulls everything off the tracks. Each story took about 30-40 minutes of audio which made it the perfect commuter book.  Some of the anecdotes were better than others (thus the 4 star rating) but, on the whole, it was easy to  insert yourself into the thoughts and feelings of these people who were on a journey but took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up on a different course than they thought they would.

The delicious surprise at the end of the book was an extra 20 minutes of audio in which Ms Donogue herself described her thoughts as she came across these bizarre little stories and fleshed them out into the writings she shares with us here.

Goodreads rating: 4 stars

In Progress: Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

Nothing else on deck right now - weird.

#69 - The Girl You Left Behind By Jojo Moyes

I can't thank Netgalley, Penguin Publishing and Jojo Moyes enough for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adored these two stories.  This was one of those "reading under the covers after my husband falls asleep" kinds of novels.  The threads were so gorgeously woven together and both stories were absolutely complete in their own right.  There was only one teeny tiny little thing that bugged me and the ironic thing that the tiny thing had nothing to do with this book itself - it was about the prequel novella "Honeymoon in Paris" so that has no bearing on how much I loved this book.  If you read them both - then we'll talk.

The story ran between the World War I story of Sophie Lefevre during the German occupation of France and the modern day story of Liv Halston.  Although nearly a century elapses between the lives of these two women, the raw, human emotion that they share is timeless and their connection is real.

Whereas I usually have to suppress a deep eye roll when there is a plot twist at the very end of a book, I didn't mind the surprises the last chapters revealed.  Both Sophie and Liv have complete endings and I turned the last page (at 1:00 a.m.) with a smile on my face.

Goodreads Rating: 4.5 rounded up to a 5!
In progress: Astray by Emma Donoghue
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin