How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky by Lydia Netzer

From the hardcover:
   Like a jewel shimmering in a Midwest skyline, the Toledo Institute of Astronomy is the nation's premier center of astronomical discovery and a beacon of scientific learning for astronomers far and wide. Here, dreamy cosmologist George Dermont mines the stars to prove the existence of God. Here, Irene Sparks, an unsentimental scientist, creates black holes in captivity.
   George and Irene are on a collision course with love, destiny, and fate. They have everything in common: both are ambitious, and yearning for connection. The air seems to hum when they're together. But George and Irene's attraction was not written in the stars. In fact, their mothers, friends since childhood, raised them separately to become each other's soul mates.
   When that long-secret plan triggers unintended consequences, the two astronomers must discover the truth about their destinies and unravel the mystery of what Toledo holds for them-together or, perhaps, apart.
   Lydia Netzer combines a gift for character and bighearted storytelling with a sure hand for science and a vision of a city transformed by its unique celestial position, exploring the conflicts of fate and determinism and asking how much of life is under out control and what is preordained in the heavens.

   This is my second book by Lydia Netzer. I fell in love with Shine Shine Shine a couple years ago so, when I noticed How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky I had to pick it up. This took a little more effort to get into than Shine Shine Shine but was still brilliant. I told a co-worker, "it's strange but has so much potential, I can't give up," that was about three chapters in and I am glad I didn't quit.
   I find the idea that their mothers had to create twin souls fascinating. To make a soul mate by design, to create love using science. I think that's the main reason I liked this book so much. I mean, that isn't all this book has to offer, but that is what I was most taken with.
   It's told going back and forth between two times, visiting George and Irene's mothers as they grew up together and 'now' with George and Irene meeting. I admit I was a little lost on some of the science talk, but I got the gist of it. This book may not be as universally loved as many are, but if you like an intelligently written love story give this a chance.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

From the Hardcover:
Sometimes it's the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal...

A murder...a tragic accident...or just parents behaving badly?
What's indisputable is that someone is dead.
But who did what?

Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads:
   Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She's funny, biting, and passionate; she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beach-side community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline's youngest. (How is this possible?) And to top it all off, Madeline's teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline's ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?)
   Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn't be, with those rambunctious twins? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.
   New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.
   Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.

   This book is fantastic! It was a little slow to begin for me, but once I sat down with it and was able to become immersed, I didn't want to put it down. You know someone is dead, but WHO? That was the question that teased me the entire time I was reading this. Speckled with answers, from other parents, to unasked questions piqued my curiosity even more. 

  I liked that this book addressed many current hot topics, bullying, "helicopter-moms," domestic abuse, and new family structure, just to name a few. I was amused by the "kindy moms" and their drama. 

   As with any book worth recommending, I felt for these characters. Madeline is tough and doesn't take any crap, she may be stubborn to a fault, but she is also loyal. Celeste is lost in daydreams and has a private social anxiety, she questions almost everything she says along with her actions. When most parents snub Jane and her sweet son these two women stand firm next to her, Madeline going into battle and Celeste's more quiet support. 

   This is a good mystery, what adds to that is the fact that you don't even know who's dead! And I believe this would be a good book club choice. There are so many issues brought up that are worth discussing.

A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro

From the Paperback:
   The highly acclaimed first novel by the author of The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, A Pale View of Hills is the story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living along in England, dwelling on the recent suicide of her eldest daughter. In a story where the past and present confuse in a haunting and sometimes macabre way, she relives the scenes of Japan's devastation in the wake of World War II, even as she recounts the weirdness and calamities of her own life.

"Memory, I realize, can be an unreliable thing; often it is heavily coloured by the circumstances in which one remembers, and no doubt this applies to certain of the     recollections I have gathered here."

   Past and present twist together seamlessly in this book. Etsuko's youngest daughter is visiting after the suicide of her older daughter. The suicide brings back memories of an earlier time in Etsuko's life. She reminisces about her friend Sachiko and her daughter Mariko. The tale has an eerie feel to it, like something is just out of reach. I felt this the whole time I was reading about the past.
   This book was written with precision, the tone is almost formal. It was a little strange. I wouldn't recommend this book to the casual reader. If you like a book that piques your curiosity that isn't necessarily a simple read, this book could be for you.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

From the Paperback:
   Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no way or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community.
   When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now it's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

"...Jonas had experienced real sadness. He had felt grief. He knew there was no quick comfort for emotions like those." 

    The Giver is a dystopian novel focusing on a world made perfect. Every child belongs to a age group, every December each group gains a year. Each year a child gains a milestone, a bike at age nine, free time (to volunteer) at age eight, and their place in society, their jobs, at age 12.
   Life is very organized, peaceful, each family unit talks about their dreams every morning, they speak of feelings at dinner, they talk about everything, no secrets. Life is a closely followed routine. Jonas is happy in this life, then in his twelfth December he is chosen to be The Receiver. There is only one Receiver and it is very seldom is a receiver chosen. Jonas is the the Receiver of memories. Memories of a time before sameness.
  This is a book that made me ponder the things that are taken for granted. To have almost every minute of your life planned out takes away most decisions. What kind of life would it be to not feel pain? What kind of life would it be to not feel anything? No decisions, no pain, no love, no choice. When Jonas learns the truth of the past he finally has a choice to make.

6 Pages for Free and Bargain Kindle Books

   In my unending quest to find free or inexpensive Kindle books I've discovered a few websites that make my goal that much simpler. I receive multiple daily emails, two weekly emails and the occasional surprise! I prefer the sites that send me an email, that way I don't have to visit each site daily to find deals.

     1. Amazon

         Of course everything Kindle starts with Amazon. They offer a multitude of free and inexpensive Kindle books.
         By adjusting your email subscriptions (here) you can receive daily emails (Kindle Daily Deals) of books that generally range from $.99 to $2.99. You can also decide to get a monthly email (Amazon Kindle Delivers) that keeps you posted on monthly Kindle deals, which are normally $3.99 and lower.
         Another monthly email you may want to subscribe to is Kindle First. Prime members can choose one of four pre-release books for free (I just recently discovered this and feel ill about all the missed months behind me.) If you are not a Prime member you can still subscribe to this email and purchase one of these books at a reduced price.
         Last but not least, Prime members can borrow one book a month from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library with no due date, but you can only borrow one book at a time. Amazon will prompt you to return your current book before allowing you to borrow the next. Your borrowed book can only be read on an Amazon device, not with a Kindle reading app.

     2. eReaderIQ

         Though it is one of the first sites I discovered to help me find Kindle books, eReaderIQ has remained one of my favorites. This site will track the pricing of Kindle books on your Amazon wishlist and email you when a book hits the price you've selected. I've gotten so many great deals from this feature. It's fantastic if you don't mind waiting for the price to drop. I tend to borrow books from my library before making the decision to purchase them, so waiting for the right price doesn't bother me at all. This is the only website I've found that will actively check the books on your wishlist.

         There are numerous other ways to find deals on this super website. You can subscribe to a daily email, browse recent price drops, books under $1, and freebies. Each of these categories can be filtered by genre and length so you only see what you're interested in. You can also filter it to only see what's been added since your last visit to the site, so you don't have to sort through books you've already viewed. 

     3. OverDrive

         This is an app used with your local library (if your library has a membership.) As with traditional library books the lending is for a limited time, usually a couple weeks. I have practically forced all my Kindle loving friends to download this app! 

         Other than getting to read books for free without having to leave the comfort of my home, my favorite feature is the highlighting. Since you typically download the book directly from Amazon, you get the book in full Kindle format. Any highlights or notes you make are saved so that if you decide to purchase the book in the future you don't lose your marks from your first read. 

         This differs from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library. The book selection is more broad, you can get more than one book at a time, and most importantly, you can sync your progress to any device you read on with a Kindle app.

     4. BookBub

         BookBub is another that I receive daily emails from. I simply selected my favorite genres and my e-reader preference and each day they send me a list of books $2.99 and under. While the previous two sites focus on Kindle books, BookBub offers books in other formats including Google, Apple, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. This site often has the date the deal will expire.

      5. Reading Deals

         Reading Deals doesn't have the ability to browse books but they will email you daily. Like BookBub they offer books from multiple retailers, you simply select the genres and retailers you're interested in.

     6. The eReader Cafe

         This is a site I recently discovered that emails me daily. On their site you can browse books by category. I'm still pretty new to this one but so far have found a couple books through their emails. 

   You would think getting so many daily emails would result in seeing a lot of the same book, but that doesn't happen too often. Of course it does happen on occasion but there are so many free books and I select a wide range of genres to be emailed about. 

   I also found this article that lists 25 Places to Get Free Kindle Books, some of the sites are new to me and I'm looking forward to checking out more great free books.

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

From Goodreads.com:
   He was tall, at least six feet, with dirty blond hair that hung over his eyes. His T-shirt read Nietzsche Is My Homeboy.
   So, that was Matt. Who Julie Seagle likes. A lot. But there is also Finn. Who she flat out loves.
   Complicated? Awkward? Completely.
   But really, how was this freshly-minted Boston transplant and newbie college freshman supposed to know that she would end up living with the family of an old friend of her mother's? This was all supposed to be temporary. Julie wasn't supposed to be important to the Watkins family, or to fall in love with one of the brothers. Especially the one she's never quite met. But what does that really matter? Finn gets her, like no one ever has before.
They have connection.
   But here's the thing about love, in all its twisty, bumpy permutations - it always throws you a few curves. And no one ever escapes unscathed.

Please notice, while I found this quote in Flat-out Love it is credited to Victor Hugo in the next paragraph.

     When I first started this book I wasn't very impressed, kind of your typical young adult book. I've been on a YA binge lately, but this book stood out from the rest.
   The book description barely mentions the beefiest part of the book. There's something seriously wrong in the Watkins' house. Thirteen-year-old Celeste carries around a life-size cardboard cut out of her brother Finn, who is travelling the world, and has no friends. Julie thinks something is up, but Matt won't tell her about it and advises against asking his parents. Both parents work a lot, leaving Matt to take care of Celeste. After they see how she cares about Celeste they ask Julie to stay for the school year. In exchange, she's to pick up Celeste from school and hang out with her, allowing Matt to concentrate more on his year at MIT. When no one will tell her what is going on she seeks Finn on Facebook hoping he will shed some light on the strange happenings. So starts their relationship.
   Was the book magnificently written with beautiful language? No. Could I put it down? No way. The love story got a little sappy I will admit (I rolled my eyes a couple times) but the mystery of what the heck was going on kept me hooked. I looked forward to the progress Julie was making with Celeste, and I liked the dialogue between Julie and Matt. I plan to read the next book, Flat-Out Matt, just as soon as I can.
 

Man's Seach for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

From the paperback:
   Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Based on his own experience and the stories of his patients, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward. At the heart of his theory, known as logotherapy, is a conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure but the pursuit of what we find meaningful. Man's Search for Meaning has become one of the most influential books in America; it continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living.

"Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. You cannot control what happens to you in life, but you can always control what you will feel and do about what happens to you."

    I found this book on Instagram while browsing through quotes and I was grabbed by the quote along with the title. I've read The Diary of Anne Frank in school, and on my own I've read a bit of Holocaust fiction. Since I also have an interest in books of spiritual nature, I knew I had to read this book.
      In the first part Frankl tells us about his experiences in Nazi camps. He does so in a detached sort of way. While the experiences are heart wrenching the manner in which he tells them is simply matter of fact. It's difficult to explain, but I was not terribly emotionally stressed reading them (which surprised me.)
   The second half was a basic description of Frankl's theory called logotherapy. It was a little technical at first but after the first few sections it started making more sense.  This is a branch of phychology that I haven't heard much about, but since reading this I want to find out more.
   I know it seems obvious, but I recommend this to people who may be looking for meaning in their life. The title sells itself. It's more than meaning in life though. There are valuable lessons about controlling what you can and trying to accept those things you cannot.