Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

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Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

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Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

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Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

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Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

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Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

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Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

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Start date

August 8, 2015

Finish date

August 8, 2015

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Start date

August 7, 2015

Finish date

August 8, 2015

Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

Why we're reading this

Even though I jumped in to the middle of this series, I had no difficulty understanding what was happening. Who killed the elderly man who was already dying from cancer and why?

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Start date

August 8, 2015

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August 8, 2015

Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

Why we're reading this

Two murders to solve: one cold case from who knows when and one this week. Are they connected and how? What is to become of this old fabric mill?

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Start date

August 6, 2015

Finish date

August 7, 2015

Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

Why we're reading this

This is the 4th in the series and in this case I should have started with the first in the series. It took quite a while to understand the back story in this series. Interesting concepts for a series. Magic/ witchcraft/ legends

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Finish date

August 7, 2015

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Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

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Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

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Start date

July 29, 2015

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August 6, 2015

Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

Why we're reading this

This just did not live up to my expectations. I absolutely loved Tina Fey's "Bossypants" and Mindy Kaling's "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?" and was expecting something along those lines, but this one fell short. I love Amy Poehler, but maybe writing memoirs just isn't her thing. For starters, it jumped around like crazy - I definitely prefer memoirs to be in chronological order, not skipping around from childhood to adulthood to college back to her birth story, etc. I also felt that she never went into depth with anything - she provided very few anecdotes about SNL and Parks & Rec and those have taken up most of her lifetime! Also she barely mentioned Tina Fey and everyone knows they're BFFs! Things I did enjoy, though, included her guest speakers - especially her parents, and Seth Meyers. I did laugh out loud a few times, but there wasn't enough of that either. I do believe I'd recommend the audiobook over reading it - especially the last chapter, which she read to a live audience, so it was fun to hear their laughter and general response to the content (although it was a little jarring to go from a typical reading of the rest of the book, to a live reading of just the last chapter).

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Start date

July 26, 2015

Finish date

August 4, 2015

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July 27, 2015

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July 29, 2015

Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

Why we're reading this

They just keep getting better! This is definitely my favorite one so far. As per the usual, Hiccup and Fishlegs find themselves in a spot of trouble after their pirate lessons go horrible awry. Here, they accidentally attack a Roman war ship, and Toothless gets kidnapped! Naturally, Hiccup will go to any lengths to get Toothless back (thus constantly reminding me of that Hagrid quote from PoA: "Well, people can be a bit stupid about their pets..." :) ). I absolutely loved Ziggerastica (whose name always made me think of "The Neverending Story" - although now that I've looked it up, I realize that it's close to the location name of Fantastica and not a character's name as I had thought :) ). Small but mighty, Ziggerastica is the true hero of this story! I also loved Camicazi, because she's just plain crazy and fun. I hope she sticks around for future installments.

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Start date

July 24, 2015

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July 24, 2015

Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

Why we're reading this

I think I liked this one better than the first - perhaps just because I was no longer trying to compare it to the movie :) Also, I just felt like so much happened in this plot! It begins with Hiccup and the boys in a sword-fighting lesson which of course goes awry. Washed ashore, the Hooligans find a coffin, which surprisingly does not have a dead body inside. Next follows an adventure of chasing clues to find treasure (with lots of twists and turns!) and of course plucky little Hiccup is the hero once again! Also, let me just take a moment to reiterate my love for David Tennant as narrator :)

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Start date

July 14, 2015

Finish date

July 23, 2015

Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

Why we're reading this

Reading the first page, I thought Serafina was a cat. I was delightfully surprised to learn on page 2 that she was, in fact, human, although there is something mysterious about her. I loved her from the beginning, and cheered her on as she made new friends, fought evil, and [reunited with her long-lost mother (hide spoiler)] While I have never visited, I've always been fascinated with the Biltmore and have spent much time poring over pictures of the Estate. I was glad that the author picked such a huge setting as it made everything that much more believable: that Serafina could be living in the basement undetected for a decade, that the first child to go missing was just believed to be in the house somewhere, that Serafina and Braeden could sneak from room to room, etc. The villain here was so creative that even though I suspected the correct person, I still couldn't figure out his back story or motive. The basic plot was quite predictable, but in my younger years I would've been more gullible and surprised by the outcomes. The end was so thrilling, I just couldn't put it down!

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Start date

July 15, 2015

Finish date

July 23, 2015

Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

Why we're reading this

Anyone who was a fan of Ron Swanson and especially Nick Offerman should read this book. The audio version is read by the man himself, which definitely adds to the experience - especially his cute little giggles. This memoir starts with his childhood on a farm in a tiny Illinois town (he often equates his tales to "Little House on the Prairie") and goes right up to his Parks & Rec days. He's extremely down-to-earth, and definitely a Midwesterner at heart, so I really related. Most surprising to me, he's also extremely intelligent and well read: he quoted things from Siddhartha to John Lennon (“When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy�. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.�) and correctly and nonchalantly used such words as bailiwick, Schadenfreude, zeitgeist, ilk, and eschew. Also, he once mentioned that he loves Wallace & Gromit. Anyone who loves W&G is my BFF.

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Start date

July 19, 2015

Finish date

July 19, 2015

Discussion

2015 Summer Reading

Why we're reading this

This is adorable. The author masterfully broke down the movie into 12 iconic scenes each represented by a single word. The illustrations are amazingly detailed with all of the characters as cute little felt dolls. A wonderful book for all Star Wars fans to share with their littlest ones.

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