The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

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Publication date: 2015
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 491
My rating: 4 stars
Ages:13+
Series: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

Magnus Chase has been living on his own on the streets of Boston since his mother died two years ago. But on his sixteenth birthday, everything changes. He dies. Waking up in Valhalla, Magnus starts to learn that the truth about the mysteries of his family, his mother's death, and his uncle's obsession. Now, he needs to go against the odds to find the mythical Sword of Summer, to prevent the world from ending.

This review may be a little biased, because I think that I am going to like nearly everything that Riordan writes, and I have been waiting for this book for over a year. Coming off of his last series, The Heroes of Olympus, Riordan introduces a new hero and a new set of gods. With the attention turned to the Norse gods, there is so much more to learn and love.

Unlike Greek myths, I don't know much about Norse mythology, though lately I have been more interested in it. I mean, mostly what I know comes from the Thor movies, and I don't think they are very accurate. So that was fun, reading and learning more about the Norse gods and the Nine Worlds, etc. I think that's something that I really like about Riordan, is that he's introducing younger readers to things that they probably don't know a lot about and probably won't learn about in school. Magnus is a funny and sympathetic protagonist, along with his friends. And the writing is quick and witty. There are some little references that readers won't understand unless they have read the Percy Jackson and Olympus books, but nothing completely integral to the story.

No swearing or sexual situations.

*I do not receive compensation from Amazon.

The Martian by Andy Weir (Movie tie-in)

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Publication date: 2011, 2014
Publisher: Broadway Books
Pages: 369
My rating: 4.5 stars
Ages:18+

Six days into his Mars mission, Mark Watney ends up alone and injured following a storm that forced the rest of his crew off the planet. Struggling to survive, Watney uses his education and ingenuity in order to try to survive until the next Mars mission . . . 4 years down the road. With no contact with NASA, Mark has to hope that they discover he is still alive. It's a race against the elements and the clock.

I think I was in danger of getting an ulcer from reading this book--I was so tense! It seriously stressed me out, as one thing or another went wrong for Mark.

Most of the book was told through logs in Mark's POV, which makes it fun and understandable. Even with all the math and science jargon (dang the metric system!), I felt that I could easily understand to the extent I needed to what was going on and what he was doing. There have been very few science fiction novels that I felt this is the case. I read it quickly, and near the end I was basically skimming it as I tried to "save" Mark from certain death on Mars.

Considering this is a debut novel, the writing is probably as near perfect as it can get. It might seem long, but it's fast paced and exciting.

There is a lot of language throughout the book, which is why I have the recommended age as high as I do.

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway

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Publication date: 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 340
My rating: 3 stars
Ages:16+

Ten years ago, Emmy was the last one to see Oliver before his father kidnapped him. Throughout those ten years, Emmy's parents have kept her close while Emmy has found ways to have freedom. Then, suddenly, Oliver is found and returns home. Emmy feels thrown as she tries to reconcile the Oliver that has come home with the Oliver that left.

This was an interesting look into how people in a small community deal with tragedy. Everyone reacts differently, but it all affects them for the rest of their lives. It is also interesting to see how it affects people when someone who as lost is returned to them. It's so much more complicated than being happy, because no one seems to consider the feelings of the person who has been uprooted twice.

I really liked that there wasn't some big upset in Emmy and Oliver's relationship--even though I kept waiting for it, as it's so common in teen novels. And movies. And TV shows. The "big upset" came in another form, with other forces that seems like they would tear them apart, but only helped them to become closer. Emmy's relationship with her parents is nice too, though they have let their fear govern how they raised Emmy.

There is some language, including the F-word, and some mild sexual situations.

*I receive no compensation from Amazon.

Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond

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Publication date: 2015
Publisher: Switch Press
Pages: 303
My rating: 3.5 stars
Ages:13+

Army brat Lois Lane and her family have finally settled down in Metropolis. Lois is determined to make friends and not make any trouble, but her plan changes her first day at her new school when she has a run in with the Warheads--a scary gamer group that acts as one. With her new job as a teen journalist, Lois is determined to discover the truth behind the Warheads. She enlists the help of her only friend, a person she only knows as SmallvilleGuy.

I thought this book was so fun. The Lois in this book is so different from the Lois Lane that I grew up with. She's intelligent, troublesome, determined, and kind; instead of just the "damsel in distress" type that are found in many comic books. The references to Superman and other DC comics is fun to pick up on.

I think this is a great book for anyone who likes comic books, mysteries, or comic book based TV/movies. Lois is spunky and reminds me a bit of Veronica Mars.

No swearing or sexual situations.

*I do not receive compensation from Amazon.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

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Publication date: 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 452
My rating: 2.5 stars
Ages:16+
Series: The Mara Dyer Trilogy

After recovering from the terrible accident that killed her friends, Mara and her family move to Florida to get away from it all. But the ghosts of those who died seem to have followed her. With strange things happening around her, Mara is starting to think that maybe she's as crazy as everyone thinks.

This was an interesting concept and I think I would have liked it more if it hadn't been part of a trilogy. I didn't feel like I gained any answers; instead it was just a long set up for the rest of the trilogy. I have no problems with series/trilogies, but the first book has to really grab me and make me want to stay with the characters. Mara just didn't do that for me.

But, as I said, the concept was interesting, the characters were fine, and the writing was good. It just wasn't a reach out and grab me kind of book.

Use of swear words, including the F-bomb.

*I receive no compensation from Amazon.

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

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Publication date: 2015
Publisher: Crown Archetype
Pages: 226
My rating: 4 stars
Ages: 16+

Mindy Kaling does it again in a new book of personal essays. Divulging on everything from boyfriends to sororities, the writer/comedian/actor uses her trademark style and humor to entertain and connect with the reader.

I love Mindy Kaling. She's like the "every girl" of Hollywood. I think a lot of actors get called that, but I really think that Kaling is more so than anyone else I've heard of. She's not afraid to talk about eating all the rolls because no one else is (which is ridiculous, rolls are the best part of a meal sometime), or how she has issues with her body, anxieties about work, and disappointments in life. And I can relate to her, not because I'm a first generation child of immigrants, or a woman of color, but because I'm an American woman who is constantly told that I'm supposed to be this thing that seems impossible to achieve.

In Kaling, I see myself. I daydream about how my life would have been if I did something else. I have woken up in the middle of the night worried about life. I love romantic comedies (probably why I love her TV show so much that I've watched the entire thing twice in two months). And I try to find humor in life. Maybe not like Kaling does--because I don't think I have her wit or her charm--but humor as I can.

I've completely gone off on a tangent. Why Not Me? is fun to read. I started it before I went to bed and found myself actually "LOLing" to just one sentence. A sentence that kept setting me off as I read the rest of the page and my eyes kept flitting back to it. Kaling's style and perfect timing make her writing easily consumed, with enough lightness to make it seem like she's not actually saying anything, when actually she's saying just about everything.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, but mostly to teen and twenty-something women.

Some language spattered throughout and comments about sex.

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Mrs. Sinclair's Suitcase by Louise Walters

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Publication date: 2015
Publisher: Putnam
Pages: 271
My rating: 3 stars
Ages: 18+

When Roberta finds an old letter in a book belonging her to grandmother, it starts her on a road to discovering the secrets of her family. In 1940, Dorothy was housing land girls in her cottage, glad to be away from her husband and their childless, loveless marriage. But when a young Polish pilot stops by the house one day, Dorothy begins to think that her life isn't over yet. Both Roberta and Dorothy take turns telling a story that has been 70 years in the making.

This debut novel deals with interesting issues, including love, family, friendship, loss, and secrets. Roberta is faced with the decision on whether or not she should ask her father and grandmother about the truth of their family, or whether she should just accept what she's been told.

Then the reader gets to know Dorothy's story, the complete story that no one will know except her. The story of her lost son, her lost love, her hidden life. There is a parallelism between the lives of Dorothy and Roberta, though their stories end very differently.

There is some hard language and sexual situations, including a rape.

*I do not receive compensation from Amazon.