Sarah's Choice by Rebecca St. James

I received this book free to review from Netgalley. The beginning of the book was very hard to get into and I was going to quit reading it because I just did not like or care about the main character at all, but I looked at the reviews and they were good ones and one of them mentioned that the book is hard to get into, but gets better, so I kept on reading. The book really does get better after a rather uninteresting beginning. Basically, Sarah is pregnant and it was unplanned and she deals with the issue of deciding whether to keep it or have an abortion and deals with her anger with God that she has held onto since her father's death several years before. It is a very Christian book with the Christian viewpoint on those issues.

Reckless Magic (Star-Crossed #1) by Rachel Higginson

Intriguing story, but needs editing. I received this book free to review from Netgalley. It was published in 2011 which means that it has been out for awhile, so I do not understand why, since there are many other reviews that refer to the same problem, that it has not been edited. It is full of grammatical errors that distract from the story. I find that rather sad. It is a YA paranormal romance whose main character is a 16 year old girl who is a witch but had been raised as a human so she did not understand her "powers". There is an evil king, a handsome prince, political unrest, and a teenage girl with superpowers who has not been told what is going on. I hope that the author got an editor after this book because I would like to read the other books in the series.

The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm

This is a cute book for kids ages 9 to 14. Twelve year old Ellie is rather surprised when her mother brings her grandfather Melvin home - because he has created a youth potion and is now thirteen years old. As Ellie navigates middle school, her grandfather does too. Together they try to find a way back into his lab so he can get the ingredients for his youth potion. Melvin gets Ellie interested in science and the book is filled with facts about science and famous scientists. But, is it really a good thing to have a youth potion? I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

This is a totally lovely book about art and how art teachers can affect children's views of themselves as artists. I picked it up at the library and my husband told me that he had loved reading it to our children and my kids said their art teacher had also read it to them when they were in elementary school. For some reason, I did not remember it at all, but it really is quite wonderful and has an empowering message for children that their creativity is beautiful and wonderful.

The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth

This story is told by three women who are all midwives - grandmother, mother and daughter. All three women are hiding secrets although Floss, the grandmother, and Neva, the granddaughter have the more intriguing ones. The story is captivating and I liked Floss and Neva although parts of Neva's story are rather unbelievable. The parts about the midwives and giving birth were quite interesting, but Grace, Neva's mother was not very likable. This book is a quick and interesting read. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

I totally loved, loved, loved this book! John Green's writing is fabulous and funny and the story is awesome. When Colin Singleton's girlfriend, Katherine XIX dumps him, he is devastated and so, he and his best friend, Hassan, go on a road trip - which ends in Gutshot, TN where they are invited to stay and work. As they record stories from townspeople, Colin works on a mathematical formula that should predict which relationships will work and which ones will not by categorizing people as dumpers or dumpees. Fun, quirky and fabulous, this is a book that I highly recommend.

Keep the Ends Loose by Molly D. Campbell

This is a nice novel for an author's first book. Fifteen year old Mandy tells the story of how, in the summer before her sophomore year of high school, her mom reveals family secrets that nearly destroy the family. Together with her best friend, Mandy tries to plan a way to fix her family's troubles. In a coming of age way, she learns that you can't plan everything, no one is perfect and sometimes life just has to work itself out but it does work better with love. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

Think Eat Move Thrive: The Practice for an Awesome Life by James Rouse, Debra Rouse

This book is inspiring and useful as the author shares examples from his life and his wife's life and their plan for changing lives through positive thinking, diet and exercise. It is not a diet, but a "complete life wellness program." I will admit that I found some of the bits about exercise to be rather intimidating, but I enjoyed that they list different "fitness personalities" and that one of them is "The Tree Hugger" who prefers a naturally active lifestyle over exercising just for the sake of exercise. The dietary suggestions and recipes are healthy and tasty. I like that "Thriving is not a destination, but a journey." So, it is not an unattainable goal. That is good for me. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

It Started at Sunset Cottage by Bella Osborne

Romance, comedy, and mystery abound in this delightful British novel. Kate and Sarah have both been unlucky in love as Kate's fiance died two years ago and the father of Sarah's 5 year old daughter, Shaun, is a total jerk. We follow both women and the drama, mystery and romance in their lives as Kate's novel is being made into a movie with a very handsome leading man. I received this book free to review from Netgalley and I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it.

Beneath by Roland Smith

Mystery, intrigue, hair raising action and a bit of paranormalish romance abound in this easy to read, hard to put down book. As Pat searches underneath NYC for his brother Coop, he runs into more mysteries than he expected. Can he overcome his claustrophobia and search the tunnels under the city? As he listens to his brother's recorded journal, the mystery unfolds. Now, with help, he needs to find his brother before it is too late. Ending with a bit of a cliffhanger, this book promises more in the future. I look forward to reading the next book.

Cailyn and Chloe Learn about Conjunctions by Megan Atwood

For a class assignment, Cailyn and Chloe are writing an article for the school paper about their neighborhood block party using as many conjunctions as possible.  They hope to win a prize for having the best newspaper article.  They discuss the three types of conjunctions and how to use them and incorporate them into their story for the  newspaper as they enjoy the block party.  This book is written for children ages 7 to 10, but I think that it could be helpful to middle school students as well.  It is informative and cute.  I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This story is beautifully written. Set in WWII in France, the story is told alternately by the two main characters and goes back and forth from their childhoods to the war. Marie-Laure has been blind since age six and her father is a locksmith for the Museum of Natural History in Paris. She tells part of the story. Werner, is a German orphan who has taught himself how to build and repair radios and is accepted into one of Hitler's youth schools. Other important characters include Marie-Laure's great uncle who has stayed inside his house after suffering PTSD during WWI and his housekeeper, who joins the French Resistance and gets Marie-Laure and her great uncle Etienne involved as well. There is also a rare diamond and a German soldier who is seeking it. We follow their stories and see the brief crossing of paths between Marie-Laure and Werner. Marie likes to read Jules Verne in braille to "feel the sentences hoist her up and carry her somewhere else." The story is sad and moving and just beautiful. I received this book free to review from Netgalley and I highly recommend it.

Place Hacking: Venturing Off Limits by Michael J Rosen

This book is an interesting introduction to "place hacking" which is defined as "recreational activities that explore an adventure in off-limits spaces". With lovely photos, the book explains and gives examples of three different types of place hacking; urban exploration where the hacker simply investigates and documents and enjoys ruined or restricted places like bridges, tunnels and buildings, urban adventure where the hacker performs some sort of activity, and infiltration where the hacker goes into a "live" site that is still in use. There is a glossary and timeline and a list of the dangers of place hacking. The book would be good for middle and high school ages and above. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

The Raven, the Elf, and Rachel by L. Jagi Lamplighter

I think this book could have had more action and less introspection. Rachel and her friends learn that they are correct in their assumption that some people are from other worlds, or as Siggy calls them - metaplutons. More background information is introduced and Rachel spends a lot of time thinking about how all the pieces fit together in order to save the world. We learn that the Raven has another identity and saints and demons are one of the topics that has been erased from their history. Rachel's amazing memory and incredible broom riding skills help her to help others in this second book in the series. I look forward to reading the next book! I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin by L. Jagi Lamplighter

This fun "Harry Potter" knockoff features 13 year old Rachel Griffen, who is Wise, or magical,not mundane, as she begins her freshman year at Roanoke Academy - a Hogwarts like high school and college for the Wise. Due to her eidetic memory, Rachel is beginning school a year early. She soon makes a few friends and some enemies as well. In this world, where everyone is polytheistic and monotheism has almost been written out of history, Rachel is determined to learn all of the secrets. Why does one of the teachers hate her father? What is up with the red-eyed raven? This humorous book includes references to many other fictional characters and stories including Peter Pan and a mysterious weeping angel statue. In her first five days at school Rachel has a host of adventures, a little romance and she and her friends must save the school from evil. The book ends with a cliffhanger and I look forward to reading the next book. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

How I Stopped Being a Jew by Shlomo Sand, David Fernbach

I am not impressed with this book. The writing is highly academic, and seems to attempt to use big words to try to make the author's opinions seem like they are more important and factual than they actually are. The author posits that there is no such thing as a secular Jew and no such thing as a Jewish culture. He, an Israeli, bashes Israel and it's politics while still claiming to love his country. I found the writing to be verbose and boring and the author's opinions, no matter how they are worded, are simply his own opinions. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

The Wicked Awakening of Anne Merchant (The V Trilogy, #2) by Joanna Wiebe

Well, THAT was certainly a surprise!  I liked this book even better than the first one.  It is full of plot twists.  Anne has been brought back to Cania Christy and is thrust into the midst of things.  She will do anything to help Ben, but does he want her help?  This book is definitely darker than the first one and a bit gross and gory in parts, but the plot twists and mystery make the book worth reading.  I look forward to the last book!  I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

Eyewitness to Titanic by Terri Dougherty, Sean Price, Sean McCollum

Wow. This book is beautifully formatted with photos, drawings and diagrams and interesting facts about the Titanic and how it was built, how it sank, the passengers and the survivors. There is also a chapter about how the wreckage was found along with more photos. I learned many interesting things about the Titanic from this book that I did not know before. I think the book is great for school libraries, and I think that adults as well as children will find the book to be interesting and informative. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

Ignite (Defy #2) by Sara B. Larson

This second book in the series continues the action and romance and brings in new bad guys. Damian is now king and has declared his love to Alexa but she feels that she is not qualified to be queen so she rejects him. Rylan still is in love with Alexa as well and now they have new enemies to fight. The book ends on a cliffhanger so I have to wait for the next book to see how it will all pan out.