Don't underestimate the importance of body language*

January = 4

February = 1

March = 1

April = 7

May = 5

June =  5 

Total = 23

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

I REALLY enjoyed this book. The main character has been expected all her life to marry the Kind Lord because of a bargain her father made with so he would have children.  When she is seventeen she is made to marry the Lord through a ritual (without seeing him) and then is taken to his castle.  While she is destined to marry him, she has also been trained from a young age to kill him.

I thought it was well written and I liked the characters.  I loved how Hodge pulled in the gods of mythology and how she made me love the bad guy.I would easily recommend this to anyone.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafia

I hate this book.  I think TheBookGeek said it best, "This is not a dystopia, it is a romance. This is not a novel, it is a collection of similes and metaphors, most of which do not make sense. I originally gave Shatter Me two stars because that's my sort of kneejerk reaction to books I don't like, but after thinking it over for a while, I can't recall anything positive about it that would justify a rating of more than one star."  

Here are some lines I found particularly worthy of the eye roll:

"I want to lick every beautiful beat of his heart." (I also gagged at the imagery here)

"Imagining the birds soaring across his skin."

I don't even remember what it was about....OH yeah - her touch kills people, but there's one person who can touch her and she desires him nonstop.  It was a real struggle to get through.  Simile after simile that didn't make sense and a main character in serious need of some self control in the hormones department.  I get it, they rage in teens, but I've never met someone so...harlequin romancy.  I concur, I can't recall anything positive about this book. 

How to Love by Katie Cotugno

This was pretty good, there was a bit of language, and it's about a girl who gets pregnant at 16 or 17 - so you know something went down.  The father of the baby has been gone for several years and one day he shows back up and the main character battles her old feelings for him.  I liked how the main character develops over time to learn "how to love" - even though a lot of the time I was like, "No, you idiot!" when all was said and done - I liked it.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
This was a very good read.  I think I might read it again soon.  It is interesting to note that this is actually a collection of broadcast that C.S. Lewis gave over the air.  A broadcast about true Christianity and where we need to be as a society? I can't imagine that happening now a days, even though I really do think we need a reminder of how far off the path we've strayed as a society.  For the most part, I agreed with what he said and it lined up with my beliefs - there were a few things where we differ (i.e. the trinity)

Witch & Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Meh - not a huge James Patterson fan (especially after Maximum Ride).  I've had this book on my literal "to-read" shelf (the bookshelf I have in my room dedicated to books I've purchased or borrowed that I will some day get around to reading) for years.  Probably since it first came out.  The chapters are short so it reads quickly.  The story is about a boy and girl who find themselves arrested and accused of being a witch and a wizard.  They of course have no idea where these accusations come from and throughout the entire book I wondered myself where they came from.  If no one had ever told them they were a witch and wizard and they'd never done magic - who ratted them out?  VERY interesting story idea, I'll give them that - but I feel like too much was left out.