Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchman

So this was very engaging, very suspenseful, but then the resolution was kind of lame.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Still Life with Breadcrumbs by Anna Quindlen

Enormously satisfying.

I Will Lead You Along: The Life of Henry B. Eyring by Henry J. Eyring

Things I liked:

1. More frank than your average LDS-leader-bio hagiography (but this isn't Rough Stone Rolling).

2. Lots of excerpts from President Eyring's journal, which provided lots of in-the-moment color.

3. Most church members know the leaders just as conference speakers which, of course, plays to the strengths of some but not to others. President Eyring's speaking style is not one of my favorites (I think it is that second person address thing), so it was good to see a different side of him.

4. His sketches. Wow.

Things I didn't:

1. I've said this about other bios, but it is disturbing to see how much time they spend away from their families, both in their professions and in their church callings.

2. There is something . . . vaguely unfortunate/unsettling . . . about the insularity of church leaders as portrayed in this book. It makes me feel like a Bad Person to say that, but you really get the feeling that they and their multi-generational LDS families and their overlapping educations/career/calling paths exist within a bubble that is largely separate from the rest of the church.

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Decent, but the characters were flat and it seemed too-obviously set up for a sequel.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much. I was just completely charmed by this one.

Letters to a Young Mormon by Adam Miller

I did a sort of joint review of this book at Times & Seasons.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Mapmaker's Daughter by Laurel Corona

It really irks me when historical fiction forgets or ignores the fact that people in times past did not have the same mind-set (supporting feminism, individualism, self-determination, etc.) that we have today. But I can almost forgive this book for committing that most common of sins because the setting was so interesting. But the plotting and writing were pretty mediocre, and the setting wasn't enough to overcome all of those weaknesses.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Sycamore Row by John Grisham

I actually kind of liked this.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

meh

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

I can't figure out why this book has won so many awards and why everyone seems to love it. There were a few bright spots here, but it really did nothing for me.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Growing Up Duggar by Jill, Jinger, Jessa, and Jana Duggar

So I'm not exactly the target audience for this book--that would be teen evangelical girls who don't find it odd to get advice from people barely older than they are. Instead, I read this with my anthropologist hat on; I am somewhat embarrassed to admit to my fascination with the Duggars, but I find their approach to Christianity/parenting/homeschooling/lifestyle to be lovely, compelling, and horrifying. 

Review copy provided by publisher.

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty

I'm normally a huge Liane Moriarty fangirl, but there were way too many subplots here and this just didn't work.

Mr. Revere and I by Robert Lawson

I read this to the boys. Maybe my expectations were too high because Ben and Me was so good, but I didn't love this.

The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes

Decent.

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

Lots of great wisps of material here, but it just didn't come together for me.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Bread and Butter by Michelle Wildgen

I liked this.  You don't normally get emotional drama between three male characters.  And the food was great--the book kept making me hungry.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

The Winter People: A Novel

This started out so strongly--good characters, suspense, nice plot--but then kind of fell apart at the end.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty

I'm a total sucker for Liane Moriarty. I love Australian chick lit!

The Book of Jonah by Joshua Feldman

Great premise, muddled execution.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

I really liked this.