Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

I thought I never read this book before, and maybe I didn't, maybe I saw a movie of it, so the book was not surprising. I knew what was going to happen before I read it. It was OK. Sad. It was about a girl who was raped by a popular guy in school. No one believed her. At the ending of the book everyone did believe her. The book chronicles her day-to-day challenges in dealing with the effects of the rape. I would give this book a 71/2 out of ten.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

What a touching ending.  I read the last seven or so pages at work in the break room and I couldn't cry, otherwise I might have. My throat was all tight. I didn't like some of the thoughts and ideas about life and how to live, but I could understand it and I enjoyed the book overall.

Here's a bit of the story: A seventeen-year-old girl named Mia who gets in a car accident with her father driving and her mom in the passenger seat. Mia's brother Teddy is beside her in the car. Mia is seriously injured and in a comma, but she can see and hear everyone and walk around and view her body and all the people trying to save her life. Mia recounts episodes in her life and ends up having to make a decision of if she should die or stay on earth with her body. She gets to see everyone talking about her and hear what they think.

Mia's boyfriend Adam is one of the most important people in her life along with her mother, father, brother and friend Kim. I didn't like some of the language and ideas.

I would give this book an 8 1/2/10.

Paper Towns by John Green

This was a well-written book. I get a little bit irritated when people use classical literature or mythology in their writing and John Green used the former. I just feel like it's cheating. You're not actually using your story-telling skills, your trying to show how well-read you are, or you're using someone else to leverage your writing because you can't do it on your own. I guess society is so pervasive that it may be difficult to avoid doing this, but then I guess it will usually bother me then. I also don't really enjoy Walt Witman.

This boy called Quentin who is around seventeen and in his last year of school before he goes to university has a crush on a girl named Margo who goes missing and throughout the book he tries to find her. I think there's self-actualization going on as well.

What I really enjoy about John Green's writing are the witty little comments and banter between characters. It makes me really enjoy whatever is going on in the story he's writing about. I would give this book a 9/10.

Northanger Alibi by Jenni James

I found this book very predictable and unexciting. I read it because my daughter read it. She's seventeen. I'm 46, so perhaps that is why I found it very boring. I can't even describe it without making it sound stupid.  My daughter really enjoyed it though. I think, to make a long story short, the squealing about being kissed thing was portrayed too many times in the same story to be exciting. It was also not written in a way that engaged me nor was the story line captivating to me. My daughter enjoyed it though, as I mentioned. I'm pretty sure it is an age thing.

A seventeen-year-old rock star who is undercover as a normal person, falls in love instantly with a sixteen-year-old girl who has no idea who he is and treats him as if he's slightly weird and doesn't just find him gorgeous as does every other girl. The Sixteen-year-old girl, Claire, loves the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer and she thinks the rock star is actually a vampire.

Anyway, I wasn't into it at all. I'm sure though, this novel has it's place among teens. I would give it a 4/10.

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

This book was sort of interesting. At times it was verging on boring, but the basis story was good, but at times frustrating. Two young teens fell in love and a sister was the best friend of the girl. There was a drunk driving accident that changed everything. One of the teens underwent a large struggle which would ruin the lives of most people. I can't say much without ruining the story. One of the teens was very poor and her mother was a drug addict. The other two teens were twins of exceptionally wealthy parents. I would give this book a 7/10. It was too bland to be that enticing despite the good story line (for me anyway).

Son by Lois Lowry

Excellent book. I enjoyed the way this book tied in with The Giver by the same author. I also enjoyed the way the book was so unique and I also like dystopia books. I don't know why, and I'm not sure it's healthy to like society not working out, but I do!! The touching relationship between a mother and her son makes me happy to read. I would give this book a 9.5/10.

Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander. M.D.

Really boring. I believe in life after death and I believe there is a God, and I didn't really notice any glaring opposites of truth in this book, however, I thought it was really boring to read. Maybe it was written in a way that explained too much detail of the scientific background of what was happening to himself, but the neurosurgeon who wrote this book isn't into description of details regarding emotions well enough for me to become engaged in the book. The surgeon was in a comma for a week and survived what should have killed him or left him a vegetable. During his comma he experienced situations which he shouldn't have been able to medically experience therefore proving that there's life after death. He comes to terms with his adoption as well in this book. I would give this book a 2/10.