Millard Salter's Last Day by Jacob M. Appel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

Millard Salter has reached his 75th birthday, and he's done all that he wants to do in his life. He's divorced and widowed. His children are grown and most of them are successful. Before his health begins to decline he's decided he's going to kill himself. This is Millard's last day.

Because Millard is 75 I did not understand many of his references. He mentions people who were famous during the prime of his life quite frequently in this story. I understood very few references. I didn't relate to Millard in any way, and I wasn't smitten with him either. He was a character I was quite indifferent about. That, for me, left me wanting quite a bit more from this book.

I did enjoy the writing, so I would seek out other work by Jacob M. Appel. There was a lot of humor and many surprises along the way. That, at least, made this book one I could get through though not one I would reread.

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Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was hysterical! Do yourself a favor and get a copy of the audio book of Furiously Happy.

The subtitle tells readers exactly what this book is - a funny book about horrible things. In this memoir Jenny Lawson holds nothing back about her daily struggles with a myriad of mental health problems. I laughed out loud and would enjoy reading anything else Jenny writes.

There are some scenes in this book that are heartbreaking to read through. Some readers may be sensitive to this story but most will find something to love about it.

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Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What is it to be someone with OCD? What is it to be a friend to someone with OCD? To love someone with OCD? Turtles All The Way Down gives a glimpse of what it's like to be all of these things.

This book is the typical John Green Formula. (Quirky characters, precocious teenagers, BFF who is funny and pushy and has the best lines of dialogue, parents who instill a lot of trust in their kid.) It wasn't my favorite John Green but it wasn't a bad read either.

There's a mystery and an adventure or two along the way but this is mostly character driven.

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Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This is a family drama that is heartbreaking but still filled with love.

Jojo and Kayla are siblings living with their grandparents. Their mother shows up at their home often but these kids are cared for by their elderly grandparents. When their father, Michael, is to be released from prison, their mother, Leonie, takes them on a road trip through contemporary Mississippi to pick him up. Leonie battles drug addiction. Jojo does his best to care for his young sister and himself during the trip while harboring ill-will towards his absent mother.

This is not a long story but a powerful one told in alternating points of view. This family is damaged in several ways. Mostly character driven, this is a book that will really take readers inside the lives of a modern family, for better or worse.

I found that I had to suspend my disbelieve for some of this story. Death and illness are addressed often, but the speaking to or seeing the dead is something that prevents me from falling in love with this book. The prose is strong, and I'm not surprise to find this on the 2017 Nation Book Award finalist list.



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