I was so excited to read Fredrick Bachman’s newest, Beartown. I had trouble getting into it and struggled to keep up my interest through the first third. The jumping between characters were too confusing and in-depth descriptions about the underpinnings of hockey team structure just were not interesting to me. It then picked up a bit, but around the 50% mark, I felt slogged down again. While the story twist was compelling and I felt more engaged with the characters, the pace was too slow to keep me enjoying the book. However, the last quarter moved along at a good clip and, in the end, I enjoyed the resolutions to each story. On the whole, though, I would say this was not a favorite of mine.

I have read a good deal of positive press about American War by Omar El Akkad. And, there are other futuristic books I have enjoyed, so it seemed like a good one to pick up. It’s a story of a woman who lives through another American Civil War, which, of course, is not so difficult to believe. And, while the first half hummed along at a good clip, I got mired in the middle and at the three-quarter mark, I just wanted to be done with it already. I didn’t really like any of the characters and the war itself was somewhat dense and hard to follow. I wouldn’t grab this one if I were you.

I grabbed Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham after reading multiple good reviews. I didn’t realize it was YA. YA is generally not my favorite, but this book stood above others. When Rowan Chase finds a skeleton in her family’s guesthouse, she is led on a 100-year old mystery. She learns about her own history, as well as the history of Tulsa. In alternating chapters, we learn the backstory of the mystery. The stories, past and present, weave together beautifully and led to an ending I didn’t predict until right before it happened. The story is one I didn’t know and found both interesting and disturbing. It was a well-written book and one that I recommend, even if you don’t enjoy YA.

After swearing off WWII books, I read two in quick succession (since they came from the library at the same time). The Fortunate Ones by Ellen Umansky jumps back and forth from 1936 Vienna to present-day LA. It centers on the lives of two families and a painting they both possessed for a short time.  I enjoyed this story, but it fell a little flat in comparison to the one I just finished, We Were the Lucky Ones. On its own, though, this one is absolutely worth a read. And, the story is much less focused on the war itself, so a bit less depressing.

The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon grabs you from the first page. It’s the story of two women who are thrown together because they are both living in Jordan with their husbands who work for the US Embassy. When Margaret asks Cassie to watch her son one day while she goes to the police station to file a report about her car accident, we spend the day with Cassie. Cassie reminisces about her time with her unlikely friend, and also reads through her journal to learn the motivations behind Margaret’s marriage and behaviors. I lost interest in these characters and the story (other than figuring out the resolution) about mid-way through and struggled to finish it. Perhaps it was the way the story was told (alternating chapters with Margaret alone in the apartment, dissecting the past and Cassie’s journal) or perhaps it was just the characters themselves. In either event, this was a skip-worthy choice, unfortunately.

I read about allegedly by tiffany d. jackson on Bustle’s “List of Books that Deserve Way More Buzz.” It’s the story of a 16-year-old girl who has been incarcerated and accused of killing a baby who was in her mother’s care. Did she do it? This is a fast-paced story, and definitely deserves more buzz than it received. It’s a tough tale to read, yet the pages keep turning because you want to know what’s going to happen to Mary, and, also, did she do it?

The Girl Before by JP Delaney is a thriller told in alternating chapters by two women who both occupied a house years apart. As the story unfolds, you learn about each woman’s life and why they found the house and how they are connected. The house is a character in the story, as is the strange architect who built it and stipulated hundreds of rules for those who rent it. This story was somewhat reminiscent of Fifty Shades of Gray and wasn’t too tough to figure out. While it was a quick and OK summer read, I wouldn’t go out of my way on this one.

All That’s Left to Tell by Daniel Lowe, is another from Bustle’s “Books That Deserve More Buzz.” This is the story of Marc, an executive, working in Pakistan, who is taken hostage, blindfolded, and visited mostly by Josephine. Weeks earlier, Marc’s daughter had been killed in the States and he had not gone home for the funeral. Josephine weaves a story that she tells Marc, of his daughter and what might have happened. The fictitious story and the real story come together so that you can’t tell what’s real and what’s fiction. It’s disarming. While I found the story somewhat interesting, I have to say that it didn’t strike me as that fascinating. And, I’d give it a miss over better books to choose this summer.

Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone by Phaedra Patrick (who also wrote The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, reviewed here) is the story of Benedict, who has just been left by his wife because they are unable to have a baby. He is overweight, down in the dumps, and estranged from his only relative, the brother he helped to raise when their parents died. Then along comes his brother’s daughter, escaping her own troubles, and things begin to turn around. Like Arthur Pepper, this charming book is a gem (no pun intended) and a light, enjoyable read (though a bit slow to start – stick with it).

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter, was the suggestion of my former colleague with all the good recommendations. While I said I would swear off WWII books this summer, I have to say, this was an amazing one – best book I have read in a long time. I dove right in and had a hard time not reading when there were other things to accomplish. This is the story of a Polish family and how they all fared throughout the war. Each story is interesting, they are easy to follow, and they weave together back and forth in a fascinating way. I thought about reading this book when I wasn’t reading it and was eager to find out what happened to each character. While the historical facts were hard to read (as they always are in WWII books), it was a surprise at the end to learn that the book was based on the author’s ancestor’s real history.