When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A student gave me this book to read and I loved the rich description of the southern town, river,and the many wonderful people who would do anything for little seven year old Annie. Told by Reese, the reader knows he has suffered and shut himself off from almost everyone due to losing his wife, Emma. Emma and Annie both have bad hearts and it is the story of the loss of Emma and meeting Annie that leads Reese to confront his painful past in order to move forward with his future. Martin weaves a story full of deep characters; Charlie who is blind, Georgia, his dog who looks after Charlie and Reese, CeCe is Annie's aunt, and Termite will creep into your heart and have you enjoying their friendship.

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Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At age 22, Cheryl Strayed’s mother is diagnosed with cancer and very quickly dies; Cheryl is devastated. Her mother loved all of her children very much and Cheryl couldn’t deal with her illness and all too quickly her death and departure from Cheryl’s life. In the four years after; her family disintegrates and her marriage ends. An idea forms and Cheryl works and saves money to hike to Pacific Crest Trail. She reads guide books and consults with REI about her clothes, boots, and all the essential gear she will need to accompany her on the 2,663 mile long trail. She mails money and supply boxes to lodges along the way. The 1200 miles that she traverses takes her from California, through Oregon, Nevada and Washington. She meets people along the way, battles all kinds of problems on her way to rediscovering herself. Readers will be thoroughly engaged in Cheryl’s story, each step she took, each monumental moment she encountered along the trail. I laughed with her, I cried with her but most of all I cheered with her.

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Stev Jobs; The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Blumenthal has crafted an exciting, can’t put it down biography revealing Steve Jobs as a complicated man compassionate about computers but searing in his dealings with family, friends, and employees. Beginning with his commencement speech to Stanford University, the reader will be hooked while reading about Jobs’ life from adoption to dropping out of college after one semester, from his inventions to his freakish eating habits and from his vision of technology to his being fired by Apple and how each of these life lessons framed him as the legend of ipads, iphones and ipods. Side bars, B&W illustrations, Notes, Bibliography, Glossary and Index provided.

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Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This follow-up to Delirium has Lena struggling in the Wilds with little food, stamina, and the only way she survived is by keeping her memories of Alex alive. In The Now chapters, Lena is a resistance fighter spying on Julian and later imprisoned with him. Lena survives the lies, the torture, and falls into forbidden love with Julian (who has not received the cure). Oliver’s writing was lush, fast paced, and totally suspenseful; I already have the third book, Reqiuem, on order!

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