Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

The stories of Aomame and Tengo alternate in this book and gradually intertwine.  It is 1984 in Japan when Aomame starts to notice subtle differences in her world that no one else notices.  Tengo is hired to rewrite a fantasy story written by a 17 year old girl.  The story is wonderful but the writing is a mess.  When he meets the author he realizes that something isn’t quite right with her either.

I don’t like reviews where people say that they like the book but they can’t really say what it is about.  Well, I can’t really say what this about.  It is hard to explain the overall story but it was quite interesting to read and try to figure out how it was all going to come together.  I thought the ending was a bit rushed and superficial but I enjoyed the journey.

Ballroom on Magnolia Street by Sharon Owens

The Ballroom is a dance club in Belfast opened in the 1960s.  By the 80s, the owner is still in love with his ex-girlfriend from those times even though she has been married for 20 years.  He is going to try to get her to run away with him to America.

This is the story of the people surrounding the club. It was a cute story about love and loss and loyalty.

Crossed by Ally Condie

This is the sequel to Matched, a YA dystopian novel.  In this book Cassia is leaving the relative safety of the Society to search for her love Ky in the Outer Provinces.

I was disappointed in this book.  It is definitely the second book of a trilogy where they wander around for hundreds of pages in order to set up book three.  I thought the last few chapters were interesting so maybe the next book will be good too.

Prophet’s Prey: My Seven-Year Investigation into Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints by Sam Brower

The author has been investigating the Fundamentalist Morgan sect led by the Jeffs family for years.  It started when he heard a story about a man being ordered to leave his house and give his wife and children to another man.  He offered to help him.  This led to involvement investigating the “marriages” of teen and pre-teen girls to older men. 

This is a good companion book to Under The Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer which looked at the violent history of the sect. This updates the story to 2010.

Yankee Doodle Dixie by Lisa Patton

This is a sequel to a previous book of hers but you don’t need to have read it to understand the story. LeeLee moved her family to Vermont 14 months ago to follow her husband’s dream of owning an inn. Now he has left her for another woman, she’s sold the inn, and she’s moving back to Memphis to start over.

This was a nice, light chick-lit story.

Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell (audio)

The history of Hawaii is explored in this book especially the time after the coming of the first missionaries. It explores the conflict between native Hawaiians and all the foreign people who now live on the islands.

The story is told sort of stream of consciousness style. It jumps back and forth from Hawaii to New England (the home base for the missionaries) and sometimes incorporates parallel treatment of the Cherokee. The writing is funny and sarcastic at times as it points out the absurdity of the white planters who decided to take over Hawaii for its own good.