Size 12 Is Not Fat

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot is about a woman named Heather Wells.  Wells used to be a teenage pop star but after leaving her record label, splitting up with her boyfriend and her mom running off with her money, she starts working as an assistant dorm director at a New York college.  Things seem to be finally settling into a rhythm for Heather until students start dying and she thinks there is more to the deaths than it seems.

This novel is a really easy fun read, chick lit to the core.  The plot is entertaining and Heather is a likable main character.  There were a few things in the writing I could have done with out (such as the correction made way too many times of residence hall instead of dorm!) and Heather's inner dialogue is a bit repetitive at times.  Otherwise though, it’s a fun read.  The plot keeps you interested and the characters keep you invested.  Would recommend for any ladies looking for a light and quick read.  There are four more books in the "Heather Wells Mystery" series and I plan to read at least one more.

Grimm: The Icy Touch

Grimm: The Icy Touch by John Shirley is a media-tie in novel based on the tv show Grimm.  It follows Grimm Nick Burkhardt as he tackles a new case involving The Icy Touch gang, whose members happen to all be aggressive wesen.  Nick is unaware that this particular gang is led by a wesen who has a history with Grimm's that goes back to the times when Grimm's fought to the death.

I've been a fan of Grimm since the show started back in 2011.  While perusing the book store, I stumbled upon this book and put it on my Christmas wish list.  It is definitely written for fans of the show, since the author doesn't give a ton of back story about the main characters. However, anyone can pick this book up and read it and enjoy it like they are watching a single episode of the show.

I had a few issues while reading when some things the characters did or said didn't really seem "in character" but it wasn't so off putting that it took away from the overall story or the feel of the book.  Since it reads like you are watching an episode of the show, fans can picture how the characters sound and such while reading which is fun.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Grimm!

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand is the true story of Louis Zamperini, a man from California who is thrust into the turbulence of World War II and somehow lives to tell the tale.

Several people recommended this book to me since it came out and I finally gave it a read. I'm so glad I did. Louis Zamperini's life/story is nothing short of extraordinary. It begins with his childhood in California before moving on to his time in the war where he was a POW in Japan. Zamperini endures so much during and after the war, it is mind boggling.

There is so much history, knowledge and information in this book, it is truly impressive. It is a very involved read, but worth it. Read it and prepare to be amazed by this man's true story of survival.

Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is the story of Clay Jensen, a high school student who returns home from school to find a box of cassette tapes on his front porch.  He plays the tapes and discovers they were made by Hannah Baker, a fellow classmate who had committed suicide two weeks earlier.  On the tapes, Hannah shares the thirteen reasons why she killed herself and Clay learns more about Hannah and some of his other classmates than he ever could have imagined.

This novel was pretty good.  It is written from Clay and Hannah's point of view, so you get to hear Hannah's side of the story as well as Clay's reactions to them.  I got to certain sections where I wish they would have just let Hannah share her side instead of going back and forth to Clay, but for the most part the writing style was enjoyable.

I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone younger than twelve or thirteen since it talks about some intense stuff such as suicide, underage drinking, sexual situations, bullying, etc.  However, I do think it is a great read for teens to address those topics and perhaps even start a dialogue about them.  I felt like the novel was able to do a good job of capturing how young people treat each other and how the effects of that treatment have the potential to be so damaging.

Countdown City

After a (too long!) reading hiatus, I just finished Countdown City: The Last Policeman Book II by Ben H. Winters.  This is book two in The Last Policeman Series, you might recall I reviewed the first book in this series last year (http://wannabebookworms.blogspot.com/2012/07/last-policeman.html). 

I was really looking forward to Countdown City, as I quite enjoyed The Last Policeman.  It picks up not long after the first book leaves off and we continue to follow the story of Detective Hank Palace as he makes his way in a world that is counting down to doomsday.  In this book, "detective" Palace is on a new case, which leads him to meet some very interesting characters and shows us how people react as the end of the world looms closer.

While I enjoyed the first book more, this one was pretty good.  It's still written in the clear and concise manner I enjoyed in the first installment of this series and I think he moves the story along fairly well.  Knowing this was book two of a trilogy, I didn't expect a ton of action/excitement to be in this book and that turned out to be true.  It's not as much of a page turner (or kindle button clicker) as the first book but it does end well and leaves you looking forward to book three.  I look forward to seeing what happens to Detective Palace in the series' final installment.

First, Break All The Rules: What The Worlds Greatest Managers Do Differently

Yes, this is another one of those 'how to be an effective manager' books.  No, this one is not the same as the rest.  I often find management books to come from the perspective of 'me, the author'.  They preach and like to talk about what's worked for them, and why they are great managers. 

This book is different from the rest.  This book spends the first chapters explaining the RESEARCH behind the opinion.  Not once does the author says 'in my experience' or 'this worked for me, I'm great'.  What the author does do is refer to the research that was done in many different organizations, sizes, industries, countries, etc.  The author used an independent research firm to ask thousands of questions, and conduct hundreds of interviews.  Then they analyzed the data.  They found 12 questions that were accurate indicators of effective managers.  Effective managers have the most engaged employees, lowest turnover, and highest output.  This is not only a good read for current and aspiring mangers, but anyone who works on corporate culture and HR, or anyone who is curios about how some organizations thrive and others don't.

~Kelly

Wonder

Wonder by R. J. Palacio is the story of August Pullman's fifth grade year.  August is different from the other students for a couple of reasons:  he's never been to a real school before and he has a genetic mutation that caused him to be born with a facial deformity. 

This is a wonderful children's book.  I'd actually recommend it for kids and adults alike.  Auggie is a character you really care about and can relate to; since everyone has felt like they didn't belong at some point or another.

The book is written from the perspective of many characters (Auggie, some of his friends, his sister, etc.), so you see how Auggie's struggles affect the lives of everyone he knows.  It is a wonderful story about kindness, cruelty, acceptance, friendship and love.  With the amount of bullying that goes on with kids today, I highly recommend kids and their parents read this book.