I have read Nicholas Sparks books before and have liked them, but I don't seek them out. What attracted me this book was that it wasn't a bring-you-to-tears novel, it was a memoir. It was interesting to see the places they visited and learn about their family, but what stayed with me is the need for siblings to reach out to each other at difficult times in thier lives. It brings clarity to situations. I know that noone has every told me the truth as sincerely as one of my brothers or sisters.

This book has humor and heart. The author, Conor Grennan, inspires but doesn't preach. I would like to see this book on everyone's reading list. It is well worth the time and will stay with you for a long time. Our book club gives it 5 stars and wants Conor to come to our next meeting. (Please?!) We want to shake his hand.

Someone described it as a slow boat to England, and I have to agree. It had some sweetness, a mature romance that I enjoyed watching grow. Comparison between family commitments and between cultures was worth exploring. But overall, for me, it wasn't something I loved just sort of liked.

The book has become our group's favorite pick. There is laughter, romance, adventure and hope all wrapped up in a short and sweet book about a difficult and painful subject. You will fall in love with these children.

We skipped over much of the detailed information about the World's Fair, and thought the chapters about the serial killer are what moved the story on. It was well written and hard to believe that the author missed any detail in his investigation of the subjects, but our interest lagged.

Now we love them, and appreciate them, but really do we want to have to keep cleaning up after them FOREVER?
The book had its fun moments, sweet parts, but too many characters that didn't add much to the mix. I personally would have liked the writing to be tighter. Less wandering around. As an example bringing in 9/11 and New York's reaction to it seemed a stretch to the storyline.

This was a book club choice and I liked the beginning, the characters were interesting given their social standing. I did not like the ending. I was unconvinced. The plot lines of the two main characters took them places that I didn't think followed a logical path. Instead of unexpected twists and turns it felt unnatural, as if the author wanted tension, but for me never achieved it.

Don't look for this book to be a guide through bereavement, because it isn't that. This novel is more of a place to start conversations with your living spouses about what they would do if you should die. Love after death, dating after death, and living again after death are all topics to begin discussions. Our book club talks about the men in our lives often. This book is perfect for us to get a take on how each of our men think. I liked the main character, but at times wanted to shake him and tell him to think with his head. Men are such boys!

What a powerful and wonderful story! It is so easy to look at a description of this book and think it is just another book about cancer.The author has written his first book written in a female voice and he does it very well. He is able to touch us with his understanding of smart, witty and mature beyond their years teenagers who just happen to be living their lives with cancer. This book has made me look at how I approach people with cancer and concentrate on the person first, not the disease. I laughed, I cried and I have recommended it to all my book club members.

Amy and Nick are well drawn characters in Gone Girl. I loved the twists and the turns. The author has created a story with layers of thought provoking moves, deep characterizations and a plot that keeps you guessing. Amy is very complex and gives the reader a lot to reason through to find her motivation and direction. Nick evolves into a character who is less letting life happen to him, to someone pushing buttons, too.

This was a fast paced read. The characters are unlikable and interesting at the same time. I was surprised by events in the book which kept me reading. You really don't know what motivates people and leads them to their life decisions.

The book was intersting because it tries to get behind the feelings of a young man with a facial disformity and help the reader understand his feelings. This is a YA book and just like many of them tries to teach a lesson, but I did find the story interesting but not inspiring. The book switches points of view often and I wish it spoke through one voice.

I have read many of David Levithan's books before and I was expecting his usual snarky humor to emerge. This book was much deeper than that. It is a very creative romance that has great unexpected twists and turns. This book may be about teens and the book stores may put it in the YA area of their stores, but what it offers adults is well worth the time hunting this book up. I finished this book a week ago and I am still thinking about it. When I described the premise to my husband his comment was that he thought it would be intersting to read but it must have been great fun to write. I think he must be right. You can feel David Levithan building each character he introduces to us. Wow! This one is thought provoking.

The author is very talented. I like his deep research of the main character and interest in his subject, but after finishing the book I felt that I had spent way too much time with someone I didn\'t like. Willie Sutton never drew me into his corner. The times were hard but his obsessions and criminal mind never made me see him as a \"Robin Hood\" or avenger of wrongs. I just saw a crook who took money and spent it on himself. I can\'t recommend it to my book club but if your group wants to delve into a discussion about what makes a character likable it might work for you.

Women and their roles in a marriage are dictated by times in which they live. Anne and Charles made choices in their lives based on the strengths and weaknesses of their characters. I found the book interesting and thought provoking. My book club will enjoy discussing the two main characters but also the role the press played in how they lived. They were wealthy and this opened doors for them that others may not have been able to go through.

I enjoyed this book for a number of reasons, first the author captured the true feelings of a teacher and a school. Second the descriptions of the other imaginary friends he encounters are brilliant. I wondered if the author had children draw what they would want their imaginary friends to look like. Each new friend had a fresh childlike purpose to their looks, their personalities and their abilities. Budo was lucky to be fully developed and a more worldly outlook. It made his adventures more interesting. I will recommend this to my book club, I think they will enjoy the plot told from a different point of view.

Okay, no surprise here, some of the characters die. The author tells us as much on the first page. But the summer is so much more than who dies and how. The family members and how they manage through the roller coaster of that summer is really what the book is about. The author does a wonderful job of bringing you back to a simpler time. I enjoyed it and will recommend it as a monthly book choice. My book club members will like this one.

I really liked this book and felt that the author used his journalistic talents in adding the details. At times it was disjointed but still engaging. Atimes it was like a thought written on a bar napkin finding a chapter to fill in the space, but not smoothly. These are broken folks, no doubt, but their demons are just under the surface and not turned into tabloid news.

As usual Nicholas Sparks writes a good story about love, relationships and family. If you are looking for epic or fast moving this isn\'t it, but if you want a nice love story with good characters you might like this one.

I am not a big SciFi reader, in fact I rarely choose this genre, but this is more adventure with a main character who is like Survivor Man on Mars. You want to learn while he is learning. Yes it has technical stuff and usually this puts me to sleep but there are enough twists and troubles that you keep reading just to find out how he will get out of this one. It may be of more interest to guys and I will recommend it to the guys in my life, but honestly even a historic fiction romantic reader like myself enjoyed it. It won't appeal to everyone but it will teach you something and keep you reading for more.

I really loved this book. The story was inspirational and informative. These young men showed their strength of body to the world but the author shared their strength of spirit as well. Well worth your time. Very good!

I liked it but didn\'t love it. Main character\'s life was interesting but not exciting,

This is just a lovely story. Read it for you, for your kids and for a story that makes you feel good.

I can’t stop thinking about this book, the characters and the story will stay with you.

This story needs to be heard and the author did an outstanding job of keeping the reader feeling the journey of these two sisters. Please read this book and share the message that war leaves a path of destruction far beyond the battlefield and if we don't tell these stories these things will continue to happen.

This was a meandering story that for most of the book I wasn't sure I even liked it. But the last 1/4 of the book made it worth the read. I listened to this as an audio book and probably would have put the book down and not finished it. I don't know if I would recommend it .

This was an interesting read and the author gives you enough twists in Sam's life story that you are surprised by his life journey. My only comment that made me give it less than 5 stars is that the author felt the need to tie up all the lose ends. I wasn't left wondering or contemplating where Sam's life would go from here.

This book gives you a front row seat as to what it takes to participate in the Iditarod. It is a non fiction and allows you to feel the dangers and craziness of the most famous dog sled race. Well written. Everyone will have something to share about this amazing ride!

We needed a book that was a fast read. The story is predictable and at times slow. Characters can be annoying but then on the next page sweet. I kept going to the end and overall was happy I finished the book. Great book. not really but it would be a good beach read.

Everyone can learn something from this memoir. You may find yourself in the pages of the author's story. This is a book that is perfect for a book club choice because it begs to be discussed. Stephanie Land shares her struggles but also her dreams. Read it and recommend the book to others. It is a book that is meant to be shared. I listened to the audio book read by the author.

This book flows like a river should. At times it is slow and meandering, then you hit the rapids and the pace propels the reader quickly thorough the pages. Ended too abruptly for me but they reached the final destination.

Mitch Albom and his wife Janine became a family of three after bringing Chika. I listened to the audio book read by the author and would recommend that version of the book because you will get to hear Chika's voice. The strength of Chika, the unbending love of Mitch and Janine for this special little girl and the story of their journey together will stay with you for a very long time. Wow, just read it and share it with others. It is inspiring.

Read it but found it lacking in characters that kept me interested or even really cared about their lives. Read it and forgot about it.

Historical fiction with very well developed characters. You will know where it is going long before you get there but the ride is worth it.

If drug use, unapologetic casual sex and the crazy money and access around the music business offends you, skip this book. But if you want a wild ride with insights into a life most of us will never experience it was a crazy ride. I listened to the audio version which was very well done. This audiobook used multiple readers that brought their characters to life. Reading it versus listening to the book may have added to the experience of the book.