Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a historical fiction novel set in France during WWII. I love historical fiction and Hannah does an amazing job with creating a strong female protagonist. Vianne Mauriac's husband must leave to fight in the war. Vianne's sister, Isabelle, is a rebel. Combine the two, plus how a German Captain takes over Vianne's home and you have an interesting plot. The story has great hardship, strength, resistance, relationships, and love. If you enjoy historical fiction don't pass up this wonderful story.

The Girl in The Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

I really didn't think that this series would continue to be as good as the original books, but I was surprised to see that I was as engaged in this book as I was in the first books. Lisbeth's character continued to grab my attention. I highly recommend The Girl in the Spider's Web if you want to continue the series.

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

Eric Lindstrom's Not If I See You First is a beautiful story about a teenage girl who is blind. She is coping with the death of her father and her aunt and family moving into her house to take care of her. Like any teenager, high school has its own issues and this book does not fall short on that. It's a great story about friendship, love, grieving, and healing. I highly recommend this one!

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

So we all love The Wizard of Oz, this is a follow up story line much different then the original. Dorothy takes over Oz, but she isn't the sweet, innocent girl who originally landed in Oz. There are a lot of magical forces in Oz, but they are not all good, or working together. I enjoyed the story, but would have liked more closure at the end. All the original characters are in this story, but with way different personality traits.

Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance

Not sure if you are into stretching your brain, but people like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs make me want to think outside the box all the time. I am not sure I want to emulate their personalities, but I would really like to create wonderful things.

I didn't realize Elon Musk was involved in so many endeavours. What really appealed to me is the he gets involved in things that could help the world or humanity. I don't really want to go live on Mars, but the general ideas behind making things more green friendly is appealing. I definitely think this was a worthwhile read.

The Martian by Andy Weir

I had not even heard about the hype of this book when I picked it up. I was consumed by the story. An astronaut left for dead on Mars and having to try to survive. Sounds incredible! Mark Watney, the stranded astronaut, was funny. I totally enjoyed his sense of humor. It's hard to imagine that one could be funny after being left on Mars, but Watney captures your attention. I loved the book so much, I couldn't wait to see the movie. I totally recommend it.

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Are you interested in history? This is a great story that is associated with the Chicago World's Fair. Plus, you'll find out about a serial killer. A bizarre story, but quite intriguing. I have wanted to read this for some time. Glad I did, it was definitely worth the read.