Very disgusting and disturbing stories about the creation and use of napalm in WWII. Historically informative. Gladwell's style is a bit repetitive, but thankfully, also evaluative of the morality used in war.

I loved the book, excellent read!

This is the final book from Pulitzer-Prize winning author and journalist, Tony Horwitz, who died suddenly and tragically during his tour for this book. Horwitz achieves what he does best with this account: filling us in on a fascinating chapter of history (this time, the younger years of Frederick Law Olmstead when Olmstead traveled through the South) while immersing himself in an epic journey through a changing landscape.

It was cute, but felt very empty a lot of the time. The scenes that held promise were always cut too short and I don’t think we got to see Evie and Jake’s relationship develop as much as the book would like us to believe we did.

This is the fourth book in the Bromance Book Club series, and The Russian finally got his own love story! This is a really unique story and concept, told with humor (who says there's no place for a fart joke in a romance?!) and a challenge to traditional notions of masculinity. I loved this book!

This was the story of Ernst Hemingway's first wife, Elizabeth. It was sort of a melancholy tale of how they met, fell in love and how that ended. This book gave the reader a glimpse into the writers life in the 1920s in Paris, and how he found inspiration for his novels.

Emily Giffin's latest book transported me back to 2001, an era when we were still rocking our Steve Madden slides and weren't obsessed with our phones. The book, which takes place in New York City, also brings back the feelings before and after 9/11, including the shared bonds you felt with absolute strangers as you witnessed the unthinkable, whether in person or on TV. The main character, Cecily, is rebounding from a breakup when she meets the mysterious Grant, who sweeps her off her feet. It turns out Grant has a lot of baggage, much of which Cecily learns about post-9/11. The ending contains a last-minute twist I wasn't expecting, and I'm not sure I 100% liked said twist. I've read all of Giffin's books and enjoyed this one, reading it just over a day. Giffin seems to take some hits in reviews of this book for the way in which she incorporated 9/11, but I think that criticism is unfair and we're just getting to the point where this event is more commonly incorporated into fiction. It's uncomfortable to us as New Yorkers, but we have to get used to it. All told, this wasn't Emily Giffin's finest book (the end feels a bit rushed), but it's a worthy summer read.

I had a thoughtful review written out before my computer crashed, so here is my abbreviated review. Every Breath is yet another Nicholas Sparks novel, his 21st. You can always count on Sparks for a North Carolina-based sappy romance, usually with some heartache woven in. I've always enjoyed his books but which he would venture outside the box with his writing. In this book, Zimbabwean Tru Walls meets American Hope Anderson on a beach in North Carolina. True love happens, almost instantly. Unfortunately, circumstances prevent them from being together, and both move on with their lives, for better or for worse. Fast forward a few decades and the two reunite. This is supposedly based loosely on a true story. The book was good enough that I completed it, but I feel there wasn't a whole lot of character development going on here, especially with Hope's character. Readers learn more about Tru. This was an easy read, perfect for summer, but it feels as if Sparks has become formulaic with his books. I liked that this was inspired by a true (no pun intended) story, but it still fit into the usual Nicholas Sparks writing style.

I really enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it. The protagonist was such a strong character and my vision of life on Mars has certainly changed.

This is a very fast paced and funny book about a single mom, struggling financially, who needs to finish writing her murder mystery novel before her life crashes down around her. Then her novel becomes her real life, and vice-versa. An uplifting book where the underdog wins! I recommend this book.