American War by Omar El Akkad

What can I say about American War by Omar El Akkad?  It's set in the future around 2075.  There is an American civil war going on.  Global warming has submerged a large portion of our country.  The concept intrigued me.  I felt as though the author could have done so much with the story.  However, he didn't really.  It was basically just a story of revenge.  Revenge that begets revenge to be more specific.  The ending was especially disappointing to me.  I just really saw no purpose to the book other than the revenge angle.  It was annoying for me, but if you like a good revenge story, then maybe give this one a try.  For me, it was a 2 out of 5 stars.

The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy

I did not like The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy at all.  I added it to my "to read" list because it was someone's #1 must read for the summer.  I skimmed over the synopsis, and it seemed like it could be decent.  I was mistaken.  It's a true story of the author's life.  I get that life can stink sometimes.  I just didn't like her attitude toward things.  When a gay, married woman gets angry with people because they call her female spouse her wife, that just makes no sense to me.  I get that she sees herself as the wife and not her spouse.  However, getting angry at people about this is just absurd in my opinion.  I say cut people some slack just like you'd wish they'd cut you some slack about certain things.  It just really summed her up as a person it seems.  She did not seem like someone with whom I would be friends.  I feel for her because she went through some very horrible experiences, but to always look on the dark side doesn't help anyone in the end.  I give this book 1 out of 5 stars.

Gone Without A Trace by Mary Torjussen

Gone Without A Trace by Mary Torjussen is a psychological thriller.  I spent the entire book thinking that I knew one particular aspect about it.  I was wrong.  I spent a lot of the time trying to figure something else out, I kind of did but didn't at the same time and was completely off base as to the why of it.    It was definitely a good story.  The main character and her best friend were annoying, but they basically needed to be in order to make the story work.  The ending was a bit of an "oh my gosh, is she really going to do that" moment for me.  I think I could have done without that specific part, but overall I enjoyed it.  I would definitely recommend it if you enjoyed The Girl On The Train and similar books.  I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez

I don't remember how Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez made it onto my "to read" list of books, but it was a mistake.  I think I happened to see it on a high school reading list and was not familiar with it.  I didn't know it to be "one of the classics."  So, I thought I'd check it out.  I just didn't get it.  It's about a guy who gets murdered, and everyone in the town knew he was going to be murdered.  However, no one did anything to stop it for various reasons.  It's not told in a gripping way despite the subject matter.  The characters are not developed in a way for the reader to feel any connection to them.  I was mostly bored reading this book.  I didn't even have any desire to delve into any kind of deeper meaning to the book.  It just felt pointless and boring.  Unless you are given this book as an assignment by someone, I wouldn't recommend it.  Maybe there's someone out there that could enlighten me as to it's purpose, but at this point, I give it 1 out of 5 stars.

How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life by Lilly Singh

How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life by Lilly Sing was a different type of "self-help" book.  I'm not sure if she truly intended it to be a self-help book, but that's the only way I can categorize it.  It's basically advice for life and for being a happier you.  She has a degree in psychology, but this book is not like the typical books written by psychologists.  It's a bit juvenile, and I would have never guessed she has a degree in psychology based on her YouTube channel.  That is not intended to be a complaint or an insult.  She's fun and uplifting in the way she gives advice.  She seems to be a very positive person.  However, there are a few weird parts of the book when she just jumps to down points in her life when she had to deal with depression.  It doesn't really fit, but I felt like she did it to show the readers that even people who seem to be happy all the time and uplifting can deal with the same types of down moments in life.  If you're a fan of her and her YouTube channel, Superwoman, then I think you would enjoy this book.  I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher

The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher is the first book in The Cinder Spires series.  It's a science fiction novel, but there aren't any aliens or anything like that.  There are some weapons that are sci-fi and the space crafts are as well.  Honestly, I did not pick this book for myself and would not have if I had just been browsing and saw it.  My husband picked it for him to read.  The minute he reached the chapter being told from the cat's perspective he had to suggest it to me being the cat lady that I am.  For me, that cat made this book worth the read.  The story wasn't bad either.  It was a little confusing to me in the beginning, but that didn't last long.  The story has some mystery, definite adversaries, a war, even a hint at possible romance and one cool cat.  It wasn't amazing or anything, but if you are a fan of sci-fi, I don't see why you wouldn't enjoy this book.  I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall

The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall wasn't really for me.  I got it because the description made it sound funny and maybe a little whimsical with a mystery thrown in there for good measure.  No, not really... not any of those really.  Sure, there was a bit of a mystery surrounding Polly's past but it wasn't incredibly intriguing.  There was no real humor in it at all.  It's just simply about a girl coming of age with an older-than-normal mother.  That's it.  If you can relate to that, then you might enjoy this book.  It IS well written.  I will give it that.  That was really it's only saving grace, so to speak.  Becuase it was well written, I give it 3 out of 5 stars.  Otherwise, it would have been no more than a 2.