13. Neverworld Wake

By Marissa Pessl (323 ebook)

This is another one of those books that I don't know where it came from. Probably a Bookbub deal. (BookBub is a blessing and a curse. SO MANY BOOKS -- but it's a deal do I have to buy it.) It's a thriller about a group of friends--they all have secrets--and they are in a car accident that turns into a groundhog's day thing. It was fun and page turny with great dark atmosphere but the story went off the rails a bit in the middle and the characterization was kind-of flat.

12. Nettle and Bone

By T. Kingfisher (262 ebook)

I have only read 2 books by T. Kingfisher but I put the list of everything she's written into my phone because I don't want to miss one thing. Fantastic stories with interesting, complex characters who have to work through tough situations. This one is set in a land with waring kingdoms and the main character tries to rescue her sister from a cruel king. She has to endure terrible trials and manages to assemble an odd group to help on her quest. Dark, but really good.

11. Crossroads

By Jonathan Franzen (580 pp)

We got this hardcover in one of the free little libraries in our neighborhood. I had it sitting here and I finally read it because it was taking up so much real estate on my shelf. It's set in the 70s and is about this family in the midwest and their relationship with their church. Complex family dynamics and people going through personal crises. It was interesting because it was really easy to read, I zoomed through it but I didn't love the story. The characters were sympathetic but also awful to themselves and each other and kept doing things you didn't want them to do. But the writing is so good and story also felt very real for the time and the subject matter.

10. Twelve Tomorrows (MIT Technology Review Annual 2014)

By Bruce Sterling, ed. (230 pp)

Bob bought me this collection a few years ago and I finally finished it. Like every story collection, out of 10 stories I will love 2, hate 2 and the rest I might like the writing but not connect with the story or thought it started strong but didn't pay off. Of course, I am writing this months after I read it so I can't remember which stories I liked best. Good sci-fi collection.