The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Title: The Andromeda Strain
Author: Michael Crichton
Genre: Science Fiction

Synopsis: A piece of NASA's equipment returning from space brings along with it a deadly organism the likes of which mankind has never seen. A secret team created for the purpose of dealing with just such emergencies is called into action to figure out how to deal with this threat to humanity.

My Thoughts
This is the fourth novel I am reviewing from my mystery 10 pack from Discover Books! 
The premise of this book is super intriguing and I have enjoyed another book by this author (The Great Train Robbery), but unfortunately what should have been successful and thrilling was boring and overexplained. The reader could read the first two chapters, quickly skim chapters 3-13, and come back in at chapter 14 and still not really feel like anything was missed. The amount of scientific exposition was exhausting (and I'm a science teacher). I have to believe the only reason for such overbearing scientific explanation for the author to parade his scientific knowledge and to convince the reader that this could all really happen. 
This is a science fiction novel, readers of science fiction are willing to suspend disbelief to an extent and many of them understand basic scientific principles. If they came across something they didn't understand and wanted to I can almost certainly guarantee they would take the time to look it up. I understand that at the time it was written the internet wasn't a thing, but encyclopedias, science texts, and libraries were.
 This one was hard for me to get through, and I did not look forward to reading it each night. It is super disappointing because the bones of a good story were all there, the execution was just inadequate. 
Maybe pick up another book you may have heard of by this author, Jurassic Park, instead.

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Author: J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne
Genre: Fiction

Synopsis: 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts we find Harry and Ginny sending their second son, Albus Severus Potter, off to Hogwarts. He is embarrassed by the attention he gets from his famous father and feels that he is being constantly compared and isn't living up to his name. Harry finds it difficult to relate with Albus and says something he instantly regrets. Albus forms a great friendship with an unlikely friend, Scorpius, and the two decide to take on a great task and end up having to save the world.

My Thoughts
I can't believe I have gone this long before reading this book. It has been a long time since I read a play, but once you get back into the rhythm of it, you hardly notice the difference. Getting back into the world of Harry Potter is like greeting an old friend, no matter how long you have been away it still feels like no time has passed (except the 19 years in the story, haha). The old gang still have their characteristic personalities just grown up a bit and getting to know their children is interesting as well. 
Scorpius is such a great character, not popular or well liked he has immense curiosity and is so light and bubbly. I found myself laughing out loud at a few of Scorpious's lines. He provides the comic relief of Ron in the earlier books, but without the 'Debbie Downer' effect that Ron had.
I had a really hard time putting this one down, even when I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open (I read before bed)! 
If you are a Harry Potter fan then I highly recommend reading this play. If you don't know anything at all about Harry Potter it may be hard to follow, since it makes reference to past events. I would love to see it performed and hope that it eventually comes to Cleveland Playhouse Square. 

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

Title: Summer Sisters
Author: Judy Blume
Genre: Fiction

Synopsis: Caitlin and Vix meet at school and the boisterous Caitlin invites Vix to stay at her father's home on Martha's Vineyard for the summer. Vix's family is struggling financially and her mother is uncertain if she should let her go until Vix's soft-spoken father convinces her it will be fine. The girls become close friends and they go to the vineyard for the summer year after year, calling themselves summer sisters.
This is the coming of age story of two girls from two different worlds. Though they have contrasting personalities, they stay friends for life through tough times, fights, boyfriends, breakups, distance, and laughter. 

My Thoughts
This is the third novel I am reviewing from my mystery 10 pack from Discover Books! When I hear Judy Blume I think of children's books, so when I saw this novel in the mystery pack I wasn't sure what to expect. It is definitely a book that is good for reading on the beach, or on the porch, or in your yard on a lounge chair in the summer. 
I liked that most of the book was third person omniscient focusing on Vix's perspective, but when the reader needed more information short 1-2 page excerpts would be third person omniscient from another character that had participated in a particularly important scene. The reader gets a fuller picture and the characters are better developed because of this addition.
I also liked that the novel began with an excerpt from "the present" and then went back to the time Caitlin and Vix met and continued through that excerpt. 
The novel really explores the intricacies and difficulties of building maintaining friendships into adulthood. I have to admit, even when it was a bit cheesy at times I enjoyed reading this book and I may have even cried at the end.

If you are looking for a good summer read, then I recommend you pick up a copy of this novel.

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory

Title: The Other Queen
Author: Philippa Gregory
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis: Mary Queen of Scots is held in England by Queen Elizabeth I after seeking asylum from her cousin when the people of Scotland rebelled against her. The Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury are asked by Willam Cecil, Queen Elizabeth's advisor, to house Queen Mary until it is seen fit by Elizabeth to help restore her to the Scottish throne. Multiple attempts to free Mary complicate the lives of all involved and what was once an honor to host a queen becomes the Shrewsburys' burden of keeping her prisoner.

My Thoughts
I bought this book to take with me on my trip to London in June. I thought what could be better than reading a Tudor novel by Philippa Gregory while in London? Once again, I was not disappointed. I have read other novels about Mary Queen of Scots and this one portrayed Mary in a different light. I felt in this novel that she was more developed, that she was not just portrayed as a helpless woman betrayed by her cousin, waiting for someone to come save her. Mary in this novel was fighting for her freedom in the best way she knew how, by acting like a Queen. 
I was also enthused to find that Gregory has added the perspective of not only Queen Mary and Countess Bess Shrewsbury, but also that of the George Talbot,  Earl of Shrewsbury. I cannot remember any of her novels including writing from a male perspective. I really liked the way she portrayed Shrewsbury as a man obsessed with honor torn between his duty to Queen Elizabeth and helping the charming Queen Mary whom he was forced to house. 
The evolution of the marriage of Bess and George Shrewsbury as the newlyweds endure the expenses of hosting a queen is an interesting one to follow, especially when the reader gets to hear from the perspective of both spouses. The reader can sympathize with both of them but it also has the reader wishing they would just talk to one another honestly and work together to prevent Queen Mary from pulling them apart.

I really enjoyed reading this novel!

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above