Blah = - (forced myself to finish) Ok = ☺ Good = ☺☺ Great = ☺☺☺ (would love it as part of my permanent collection to re-read; inspiring, beautifully written)

January

• Secrets of My Hollywood Life: Broadway Lights by Jen Calonita (☺☺) - As with all SoMHL books, this being the 5th, life as a Hollywood teen star has its up and downs. I rolled my eyes several times, there were way too many descriptions of clothing and designers, not knowing anything about them, and too much name dropping. I felt myself asking "Does this really happen in Hollywood?" I rather be convinced it is true by the writing. The girls that pick on Kaitlin are all the same it seems. Oh Hollywood teen drama...that I can see happens all the time, just look at all the tabloids. However, I cannot help be hooked to the series - reading about days on the sets and pretending I'm in that position. I just hope Kaitlin does some growing up in the next and final SoMHL.
• Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (☺☺☺) - Made my eyes "kira-kira" with a well of tears toward the end. It's a beautifully written story from the eyes of youngest daughter, Katie. The read is humbling, from imagining the struggles and hard working nature of the Japanese family living in the South post WW2. The relationships are strong and filled with love, especially the one between Katie and Lynn, her older, terminally ill sister who has a way to make anything sound "kira-kira". I was emotionally invested the entire story.

February

• Drawing the Ocean by Carolyn MacCullough (☺) A story about coming to terms with a tragic past incident, moving to a new home, fitting in, and becoming who you are proudly. Sadie's twin brother died, his spirit follows her, she blames herself, her family moves, she slowly makes friends along the way, gets involved with a crowd that is not who she is and finally takes a stand at the end to be a friend to one most shun. It's a nice story but my emotions were not stirred.
• Name Me Nobody by Lois-Ann Yamanaka (-) Could not finish! I grew very irritated with the writing (supposedly "Hawaiian speak" - "You no like them. I take care you." UGH!!) and didn't like the characters.
• Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabbot (☺☺) With several engagements and talk of upcoming weddings around me, I reminisce about my own wedding, so when I saw this novel, I had to read it. Unfortunately, none of the wedding planning stuff that I love so much was in it - instead it was about a failing engagement and a love triangle...or rather not but if I say more, it will spoil the plot. While there were highs and lows, it ends a little too perfectly.
• Stargirl Jerry Spinelli (☺☺☺) I'm in love with this book's eccentric character and poetic phrases that float off your tongue quite lovely. The world is stereotypical, there are norms, and standards to follow, but Stargirl seems strangely naive to it all. This gives her an unreal quality - a shining light, a breath of fresh air. She's a mystery, "weird", yet wonderfully innocent and perhaps closer "to the stuff stars are made of". Stargirl is who she wants to be, whenever she wants to be, and knows how to just BE. This is a beautifully written novel with a depth you can easily sink into, engrossed and enamored by Stargirl. I was sad for the book to end, especially on the note it did, which is why I'm relieved there is a sequel.
• Love, Stargirl Jerry Spinelli (☺☺) - This sequel makes Stargirl less magical. Now written through her eyes, the reader connects more with the character yet gives up the mystery that made her so special. Her quirks are less remarkable - it's as if she paled once she moved, or maybe it really was that Mica High was simply too conformist and saw her alien-like. I also believe that the breakup with Leo hurt her soul so grievously that she no longer has all the universal energy she once ran on. Still, what other teenager would put up with the types of characters in this book or make a calendar with spatulas?

March

• Exodus by Julie Bertagna (☺☺☺) - A riveting story, of a future dystopia. The ice caps have melted and flooded the planet, it's 2100, and a teenage girl's island is drowning. The quest to search for a sky city begins but yet, that is only the beginning. The world is a treacherous, harsh place and the surviving inhabitants have turned primitive or turned away from the outside world. Our technology is "old technology" and more and more people know less and less about the days before the flood. Mara grows as a character throughout the book, facing harsh circumstances, keeping her determination. Her ways of life are literally vanishing and she needs to learn quickly how to survive in a way she never knew existed. Everyone who is still alive in 2100 on Earth is distanced from one another, living in cluster...almost once again primitive, the Internet is different, no cars, no planes, no communication.
• Zenith by Julie Bertagna (☺☺) - I liked this far less than Exodus. It has do to with story telling from three points of view as opposed to one. It's no longer about Mara. I was disappointed with her behavior at times. Perhaps it shows how human she is; what would you do to stay alive when everything around is changing, hope is dying, and stuck in despair? Bertagna does take us on an interesting ride and she is creative when it comes to how the tiny populations left on earth differ from one another, from Pomperoy to Ilaria, back in the Sky City, to the Netherworld ruins. Even the urchin children have evolved physically. What I had a problem with the most was the last three chapters! How many years passed, what happened, who are they talking about?!

April

• Wings by Aprilynne Pike (☺) - It started out promising but was too trite for my tastes with plotholes. The rising action didn't reach that intriguing, adrenaline rush climax I was yearning for. Laurel is a faery, so she's symmetrically pretty and stunning and two very different yet equally attractive and "perfect" boys fall for her. I'm kind of annoyed by this because in reality, teenage boys do NOT act like Prince Charming. But I suppose you needed to have that emotionally torn feeling, where the two are both great, to actually have somewhat of a captivating plot line. Hopefully this book sets up the next installments for something much more magical, wonderful, and engaging since this one fell a little flat. What I did like was her take on what it meant to be a faery, aka a plant, even though many readers didn't like that aspect. Some of my gripes are similar but not as heavy as Katya's from a Good Reads review (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5056084-wings ). I will be reading the next installment, hoping to learn more about Pike's world of Fae. Maybe the next one will win me over and be magical.
• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (☺☺) - Werewolves are not those fierce, terrifying creatures who turn during a full moon in Maggie's world. The cold winter months turn human into wolf if they've been bitten by another. Shiver is foremost a love story, a girl obsessed with a particular wolf in the woods behind her house. She has intuition that he's more than a mere wolf. As a little girl, she was saved by "her wolf", however, she was bitten and never changed, though does possess heighten senses so something rubbed off. Grace and Sam (while human) do get to have a small romance (I find pre-marital sex distasteful in young adult books; not that it went into detail but there was no question it happened - so that brought my like for the romance down.) Questions I asked early on, like "why can they just not move to a warmer climate" were answered. The story brings in surprisingly few characters but enough to tell the story and give particular idiosyncrasies. You start understanding the characters, even the incidentals and zany, hands-off parents of Grace. How the story wraps up, I'm surprised there is more (most authors may have ended it right then and there). It closes on a really nice note. Yet, I do want to know more about Olivia now in particular.
• Zen and Now (S.A.S.S.) by Linda Gerber (☺) - Nori only has herself to blame from the time she's in the plane on her way to the Global Outreach Summit in Tokyo till her stay in Kyoto with family she has never known. I started out being really frustrated with the character; she's exasperating and negative. I knew what the writer was trying to do - have her learn from the experience and thus become a better person from it by showing the differences in character... which kind of made it seem like "here we go, on this familiar ride." Usually I cling onto the main character but I was more drawn to Amberley, Atsushi, and Nori's Jiji and Baba. They were all misjudged, by Nori, at first and became the handful of people who really inspired and broadened Nori's view (fitting for her final presentation). At least Nori didn't totally ruin her amazing experience in Japan, she was able to salvage it all at the end with her "epiphany". Simple, fast read with tiny tidbits of information on Japanese culture.
• Pardon My French (S.A.S.S.) by Cathy Hapkam (☺) - Very similar to Zen and Now, definitely cut from the same cloth, and if I didn't know better, would have thought written by the same author. The main character, Nicole, doesn't want to go to Paris, she rather stay home (there lies the main difference between these two books). She is obsessed with her boyfriend but luckily, Paris ends up giving her a new "artist's eye" on everything around her and in her life and realizes she has so many options in life if she only dares to explore outside her box. Nicole learns how to appreciate other view points, ideas, cultures, and even herself. Everything is more than meets the eye and she even finally sees her boyfriend back in Maryland as he really is...a high school relationship, and that's that.
• Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (☺☺) - A little bummed out that Olivia was never mentioned. The book now reads through the eyes of 4 (Isabel and Cole added). At first I didn't like the addition of Cole but then he grew on me, as more of his character was revealed. Lots of relationships feel very messed up and broken. Almost seems like a commentary on parents detached from their children (which makes me sad). I'm hoping bridges are made in the next book. As for the whole wolf toxin, I'm interested in how that will work out, if it does. I want to get inside their heads as wolves, that is what interests me more. I also want to know who the other wolves are, how many, why are some not part of the "Beck family", or were they? Also...Shelby didn't die in the first book, so where is she? Unfortunately, just as the last, I couldn't finish it quickly enough (felt like it went on too long).
• Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore (☺☺) - Dolamore's world is a pseudo reality; not quite purely fantasy. Nimira, an exotic performing artist, has been working in a run down music hall. When I think of the place Nimira is from, I think of Thailand and a place quite like London is where she ends up. However, there are fairies and other magical creatures in this world. Nimira is hired by wealthy, well to do, Hollin, to accompany an automaton for a performance. The automaton is really a trapped Fairy Prince. It is up to Nimira to save Erris, the long lost heir, by going against the Sorcerer Council, learning of murders and forbidden spells. It has magic, romance, and mystery. The woven world seems more developed than what is shown at a glance in this book. The characters are likable with their secrets. Maybe the reason for two happy faces as opposed to three is because there was nothing that was too gripping. There were clever quotes and the words on page flowed well. The end seemed abrupt but did provide a notion of promise for the main characters' futures.

May

• The Anatomy of Wings by Karen Foxlee (☺) As the jacket cover states, "we see one girl’s failure to cross the threshold into adulthood as her family slowly falls apart". For some, coming of age is full of growing pains (emotional as well as physical) and not only for the teen but the entire family. It all started on the lake, or maybe her friend's influence, angels...? Everyone seems to have their own theory. In any case, Beth is struggling and becoming beautiful and more wild each day. The story begins with Jennifer (Beth's younger sister) and Jennifer's best friend rummaging through a box of Beth's things - perhaps clues. It is Beth's funeral. We are brought back to the months leading up to Beth's death and the so-called starting point of Beth's change. The author shows heartache, trauma, family struggles, in a very real and vulnerable way. Foxlee even touches upon the other occupants of the street - their own personal battles and secrets. The emotion is raw. You wonder how could things have turned out this way. I'm surprised it was in the young adult section, although maybe some teens need to hear about these issues in the "no beating around the bush" way; how it complicates things, changes people, brings you spiraling down unable to stop. The issues are all the big ones - teenage sex (13!!), drinking, drugs, hanging out with the wrong crowd. But you can also tell that none of these girls, Beth or those she hangs out with are truly "bad apples". They are...in pain. Still, it was upsetting that there seemed to be no reason why this turn of behavior - Beth kept saying "I'm trying" and knew it negatively affected her family but the consequences just never got through to her! Through Jennifer's eyes, she believes Beth is "saving" everyone around her...at the point that she is destroying her own family? What makes Beth so attractive, in the literal sense, the author fails to go into that detail. The Day family falters in talking; keeping it all inside is hurting them. Beth doesn't feel like she can confide in anyone. Her mother takes offense with it and everything just crumbles. Communication is so key to families and this book really makes you open your eyes to that fact.
• Emma by Jane Austen
• Spells by Aprilynne Pike (☺☺) No doubt about it, I preferred this book to the first in the series. This felt a lot more thought out, more character development, actions sequences were slightly better, and the best part, the introduction of Avalon! I think this is what made Spells more desirable, the tidbits of time Laurel had in Avalon. I had fun imagining it and Pike did a better than decent job to convey its essence with sensory details without being highly wordy. Feelers have been placed, as in there is talk or more, of characters saying something, but leaving out another piece, which I hope will entwine nicely with the next edition or perhaps not until the forth. I'm much more enticed to continue reading now. Laurel's torn feelings between David and Tamani have developed from simple teenage angst that I tend to roll my eyes at and say "oh please...they have no idea", but now, it's heavier, tension has built up and is more about her future than simply "a guy". Still, what Laurel thinks of love, it is very much in a young teen's eyes. I suppose that is fine because she IS a teenager, but for someone who knows what true love is...it would make one want to pet her head, again saying "you have no idea." I like how, when reading, my mind wandered to various anime and other books: specifically, "Ah! My Goddess" came to mind, especially with Yggdrasil, I think of "Artemis Fowl" and their depiction of fairies, very different, yet similar elements. The tie in for Shakespeare? Laughable but fabulous at the same time. It was very amusing and I, like Laurel, said "Hey...this story sounds familiar! This is Midsummer Nights Dream!" If I were a fairy, I'd definitely want to be a Summer. One big problem I have is the mention of Eve and her being a faery...umm, changing that significant a figure in history without divulging more?! Very bad on Pike's part and somewhat distasteful actually. There is a certain part of the book where Jamison is about to say something like "not as great as..." Who? That better be explained later full circle. Also, Barnes stated the fairy who he had the blood of was no one important. Will we find out? Is it really not important? The warrior woman, I'm guessing she will show up again...what's up with her eyes? Hmmm. I thought at first she may have been an Unseelie but now I'm doubtful or she would have known what Laural was. The interaction with the trolls, is almost exactly the same as the previous book, only with a little more action *sigh*. Chelsea as a hostage was a good addition, but wow, that girl gets over being almost killed quickly. The book ends on a cliffhanger; Tamani has plans. (By the way, I think Laurel should pick Tamani simply because years down the road, she'll still be young, her family and David will be gone and she'll have to go back to Avalon eventually... at this point it reminds me of the vampire dilemma in "Twilight". Or will she age normally due to living in the human world? Laurel does seem to wither before the other Falls...could living in the human world so long have done that? Maybe she will end up living in the same lifespan as humans.)

June

• Singer in the Snow by Louise Marley (☺☺☺) Each character's voice was distinct and appealing. Emle, Mreen, and Luke were characters I fell for, their pasts defining them, overcoming their personal struggles, and working together to carry the characters' development further. It is a book very much about finding out where you belong using as much of your own strengths and talents to see you through. This is not our world, it is Nevya, the ice-planet, where winter rules for 5 years before a warm summer is felt. Few people have a Gift - a gift that is needed for those in Nevya. They are called Singers and many of them grow up to be Cantors and Cantrixes. They play enchanting music, the music is healing and brings light and warmth. Using their voices and two instruments, one like a lute, the other a flute, these Singers learn to use their Gift at Conservatory and either become itinerant singers (accompany travelers, proving their Gift so they won't freeze) or Cantors/Cantrixes (members of a house with a duty to heal and keep the house warm). They use their energy (psi) to warm the houses, bath-water, heal the sick and injured, all while playing or singing beautiful music. The story is lyrical and poetic.
• Lament by Maggie Stiefvater (☺☺) The darker side of Fay. Think of fairytales from the Grimm Brothers. This one has that tone of danger. This is another book I was drawn to that had a musical aspect to it. Hmm, fantasy and musical gifts, my cup of tea :). Deirdre is a talented harpest, it is a gift that attracts the Fey. They want to steal her away, as they try to do with all famous artists. Here's a snipet: "Deirdre, a gifted musician, finds herself infatuated with Luke, a mysterious boy who enters her life, at the same time she discovers she's a Cloverhand; one who can see faeries. Trouble is, Luke is a faerie assassin, and Deirdre is meant to be his next mark." The Queen wants Deirdre dead as she holds the power to dismantle her thrown. Although, Deirdre would have never known of her own powers if the Fey would have left her alone. However, add in a seemingly crazy holistic grandma and a mysteriously malicious aunt... you'll find out that this family has been watched for generations. There is some language but nothing you don't hear on a daily basis, and the words when said, have meaningful effect and not placed just for the sake of it. I liked Deirdre as a character as well as James (probably my favorite). Luke is that "perfect" boyfriend type except, well, he's an assassin controlled by the Queen. I love his dialog, "You wanted saving, didn't you?" At that I'd be goo. He's a tormented character who falls in love with someone he can never be with. Tragic. The various faeries had different voices, which I admired since Maggie was trying to denote not all Fey are alike. At first, Deirdre's aunt only seemed to be a thorn at everyone's side but then I really started disliking her the more I found out. The end never really explains more about her or what is to happen. Maybe in Ballad? The sequel is focused on James, so I'll be interested in reading that one.

July

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (☺☺☺) One of those novels that became popular very quickly. Whenever someone described the Hunger Games to me, my mind immediately raced to Battle Royale. Teenagers forced by the government to fight to the death until a victor. Yep, sounds exactly the same to me! I've never read Battle Royale but have seen clips of the movie and knew the plot. Once reading Hunger Games, it made me believe it was influenced, not exactly a novel tag-line, however, the plot is very different and seems to have more depth. Three of my friends all had raving reviews for Collins' series. One of those friends let me borrow the series after I only was able to read a few chapters before returning a copy to the library. The story was so gripping right from the beginning that as I made my way to the car, I was still reading. Once I had my friend's copy, I read late into the nights. It was difficult to stop reading. Each chapter made me hungry for more and when finished...had to start the second book right away. I don't like gruesome nor violence but I love this book. It is a great commentary on authoritarian control. It's a future dystopia, taking place in what used to be the US. Now there are 12 districts, originally 13, and the Capitol places a tight hold on these districts, especially after the rebellion that ended with district 13 obliterated. Since then, for 74 years, the Capitol leaders show their control with the sadistic Hunger Games. Children 12-18 are randomly chosen, one boy and one girl from each district, placed in an area made by the Game Makers, and forced to kill each other, or outlast the others, until one, a victor is left. At that point, the torture continues as the victor must be mentors for sub-sequent Hunger Game tributes. Just how much does the Capitol president, Snow, know? What is bugged, how much is being watched? Prim and Peeta are chosen from Disctrict 12. Prim is only 12, younger sister to Katniss. A 12 year old has less papers than the others, the odds were so low, but it happened. A desperate Katniss runs and shields her sister, volunteering to go in her place. The story revolves around Katniss. During the novel, you empathize with her, you see her struggling, not only with the Games, but with her feelings. She's 16 and never had time to worry about frivolous things like a potential boyfriend... she was instead keeping her mom and Prim alive after her father was killed in the mines. Other characters, some zany, like the stylists and designers that are part of Katniss' entourage for the Games, and some of the other district tributes, give small gateways to how people in the capitol vs different districts live. The Capitol inhabitents are frivolous, care-free, naive, they aren't subject to the games. For them, the games is what the name implies, fun and games. Districts are forced to watch their children killing and being killed. The Capitol watched intently as if they were the Olympics, betting on who the winner will be. It's ghastly. There are a few other characters that you get to delve into their personalities - Rue, a tribute that reminds Katniss of Prim, Peeta, Gale (Katniss' best friend), Cinna, Ceasar, and a couple other tributes. You really get a notion of who they are, even briefly. What I really liked is that this book gets right into the meat of things, no pointless descriptions, everything written has a reason it is there. When things need to be explained, it is woven nicely into the book, throughout, not as a prelude.

August

• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (☺☺☺) Katniss is not the typical heroine. Her reasoning is off, doesn't make the best decisions, she's full of flaws, dangerous, manipulative. In other words, she's relate-able in that damaged way. She's a kid, she's not rash...how can she be? With all that she has been through. Rebellion is scary to her, it means to change everything and undoubtedly will cause many deaths. She doesn't want to be the "face". Understandable. Katniss is now a pawn in yet another game. Can she play on her terms? Are her terms a better cause? She doesn't trust anyone, no one tells her the full truth. Haymitch makes Katniss realize, her whole life she will be watched, always to play the Games. What kind of life is that? No wonder Haymitch is the way he is (I'm starting to like him more!). Continue with this Peeta rouse...is it a rouse...does Katniss really feel for him? What about Gale? Gale vs Peeta vying for Katniss' affection. Not your typical angsy teen romance (thank goodness - I hate that stuff). This is more about survival. They are really thinking about life down the road. No time for teenage puppy dog love. Emotions are real and raw, in everything. Let the Quarter Quell begin as it will be a new beginning. A Revolution is coming. I feel I cannot say more without giving spoilers. I must say though that I love with Peeta and Katniss do in training. Such a warranted Capitol slap in the face! Many new characters in this one, keep your eye out for all the names mentioned as some continue to be key players :). Anyone notice that watch a certain someone had...yeah, I knew it was foreshadowing his alliance. The handholding of the tributes, awww that got me, but it couldn't last could it? Okay okay, really I'll stop now.
• Mockingjay by by Suzanne Collins (☺☺☺) Way too much to process. What I say may spoil everything! It was intense. So many sad deaths, one in particular that shakes Katniss the most. Prim gets a larger role in this one, providing very sound sense and comfort to Katniss (she and Peeta seem to be the inherently good ones). The ending...I felt a little deflated. I don't know what I expected. I think Katniss' final shot was warranted. Nothing ends perfectly after a Revolution. Thank goodness the whole Capitol Hunger Games didn't go through! I mean...how can Katniss condone that?! I cannot imagine how the movie is going to play out this last book. This is a rare book series that the main character continued to lose grace with me, yet, I still was hooked.
• Illusions by Aprilynne Pike (☺☺) Hmm, I'm still "so-so" about this series. It's good for the times you want a light and fluffy read that isn't full of depth. It continues the series nicely, despite the lack of action. I feel the addition of current technology, while it makes sense, it's like Pike is stuffing it down our throats. So what, the fairy has an iPhone, why bring it up 20 times! Writing is a bit juvenile for me...as if a 9th grader wrote it. The flow of writing is ok though, easy to follow. I like the addition of Yuki, it made for a good plot twist. Yuki made this book, without her it would have only been more "Oh, Tam or David, Tam or David...woes me and my fickle heart." Just pick Tam already and give David to Chelsey. It's what going to happen anyway. Dances and flirtations, accusations, a tiff between the boys, a slight car accident, and pondering made up the entire content. I cannot remember anything else exciting or note worthy from Illusions.
• Missing in Tokyo by Graham Marks (☺) I always pick up books taking place in Japan, hoping for glimpses and insight into the culture. However, everyone has their own experiences in different countries and take only bits and pieces to create a story. This one focused on the neon lights, materialism, bars, and Yakuza scene, upbeat, fast, and an assault to ears and eyes. The main character, Adam, a British college student, takes off for Roppongi, where his sister, Charlie, was last seen. She and her friend, Alice, toured Asia, has money stolen, and Steve (Alice's boyfriend) suggested they work in a bar in Roppongi talking to men. Adam periodically gets updates via email from his sister. They stop, and a phone call from Alice tells the family Charlie has gone missing. Once Adam decides to leave to Tokyo, only telling his current girlfriend in England, his parents now believe both children are missing and also dealing with a grandparent's demise (which is why they cannot go to Japan themselves). All the while, Adam gets sidetracked with drinks and a girl, Aiko. Aiko manages to help Adam but then gets kidnapped by Yakuza, one of which Alice is now involved in. Apparently, Alice went on a nosedive with drugs (suggested) and absolutely hates Charlie and hope she is dead because she stole her boyfriend and acused her of leaving with him. The parents finally get in touch with Adam, the embassy sending him home the next day. Lo and behold, a postcard from Charlie comes in the mail...it was sent to the wrong address, but she's fine, traveling the coast. Talk about miss-communication! At least Adam got something out of it, a new girlfriend, but what is he going to tell his British one? Yikes. This book is frustrating and the more I read the more I thought I wasted my time, because I expected something else. Still, not a terribly bad read. I picked up on some British slang that transferred to Australian, saying my husband would say. The conversations were real, how people would actually really talk, which I appreciated.
• Small Change: The Secret Life of Penny Burford by J. Belinda Yandell (☺☺) Read in one short sitting. This would be classified as one of those "feel good", inspirational books, if it wasn't so darn sad. I read reviews on Goodreads and saw how some people had a problem with this book, that it made them angry and frustrated with the situation and why didn't Penny speak up while she could. I think the author was trying to make a point, which they, these negative reviewers, were unable to grasp. I do agree Penny lived in an emotionally abusive relationship...but did Penny see it that way, not really. She wasn't pleased with everything her husband did, but are any of us? You have to take the whole package, bad and good. I for one couldn't be in a relationship where I felt I couldn't say "you are wrong" or feel like I was stealing my husband's money simply by pocketing his change...but everyone is different, can tolerate different things, and, Penny grew up in a different time. Penny grows up as a minister's daughter, lives in a small town, a time when a nickel meant so much to a little girl. She helped her dad with charity, loving Christmas time. She ends up marrying the little boy who never wanted to accept charity, who was too proud for it. Now, with a comfortable earning, he is miserly yet buys to impress others. Penny dislikes one of his idiosyncrasies in particular, the way he drops loose change around the house. She begins collecting a few coins here and there. She hides them in her house, it becomes too much and drives out of town to open her own bank account. After she passes away, her family finds out her secrets...of her large stash of money, the charitable projects she has done, and the simple pleasures she granted herself. I kept frowning as I found more and more out about Penny, how sad it was for her to have to hide everything from her husband because she thought it would hurt him. We see how many people truly were effected for the better by Penny. At the end, the husband changes his ways and I think that is what Penny wanted more than anything. It is always the small things that count most..."it's what you do with it, that counts".

September

• Entwined by Heather Dixon (☺☺) Slow start, yet sentimental and dear. Speaks volumes about family relationships. Reminded me of a mini-series. It's a revision of the 12 Dancing Princesses, a story I loved as a girl. This one caught my heart because not only is it a love for dancing that the girls tread to this magical word but also to keep their mom's spirit alive, as she passes away in the beginning of the book. My Mom passed away six years ago and my relationship was distant with my dad, so, in a way, I could relate with Azalea's relationship. This story has numerous characters. Dixon does a good job in giving most of the girls a distinct voice. The alphabetical naming convention helped keep them straight. There are love interests for the three eldest girls and each fall in different ways. It is a sweet fairy tale with sprinklings of magic, evil powers, a touch of romance, and family relationships.
• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (☺☺☺) Well told story with true origins.

October Secrets of My Hollywood Life: There's No Place Like Home by Jen Calonita

November

December