Books I read in August 2017

The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty G Birney ***

Sometimes a good children's book is just what you need.  This was a short and sweet book about a kid who lives in Sassafras Springs, MO.  He wants to see the world and feels like he's stuck in a boring place.  His dad challenges him to find seven wonders of Sassafras Springs.  If he can, he can go on a trip to visit his cousins.  What followed were his adventures talking to people in the town.

Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson ***

We read this book for book club.  It is written by the best friend of the person who suggested it.  That may feel like a red flag, but it was a great book.  It is YA fiction about a girl with a hard life who meets a mermaid.  The author came to our book club and it was fascinating hearing about the process of writing and having Scholastic accept the book.  She got no say in the title or cover which we thought was interesting.

Today Will be Different by Maria Semple ***

I picked up this book because it was by the same author who wrote Where'd You Go, Bernadette, which I love.  I didn't love it as much as that book, but it was good.  I love that it's set in Seattle and I knew exactly what she was talking about.  It basically takes place on one day with a woman struggling to function despite family troubles and being a sort of floundering mother.

Goodbye for Now by Lauren Frankel ***

This book is a great contender for book club!  There is a lot to think about and a lot to discuss.  It's about a young man who falls in love with a woman whose grandmother passes away.  He is a programmer and comes up with a way for her to still email her grandma based on the past emails the grandma used to send.  They sound just like her.  It was also set in Seattle.

 Fablehaven by Brandon Mull ***

We (and by we I mean not me because I can't read in the car) read half of this book out loud on our trip to Seattle.  Our kids and Adam had all read it (Adam read the series to Mark when he was younger) but I had not.  So it was their introduction of it to me.  I liked it.