The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Bill Bryson

Average Rating: 5.25
Menu: Steak, corn on the cob and Sangria

Tina: The guy is a douche bag. He was trying to hard to be funny. It got better though over time or just got used to him. Very cliché of times and nothing new

Rebecca: Currently on page 69. Good stories if one of his good friends or grew up with him during those times, or location. Good if you really knew him, but being an outsider it was hard to connect.

Angie: Gave up on page 86. It was somewhat more interesting than a history book.

Anne: 4.5

Becky: 6.5 1st time laughing out loud on the bus. Reminded her of stories that her Aunt use to tell her, and the things that she learned along the way. It was not written well

Jennifer: 6 Not quite funny, not quite interesting. He was trying too hard to be funny but was not able to be funny

The Innocent Man, John Grisham

Average Rating: 5.85
Menu: Pizza Luce, cookies, and cupcakes

Dana: 6.0. - Read like facts, good learning about death row, could tell what was going to happen. Mental problems poorly dealt with given how recent it took place.

Anne: n/a - Didn't open book... but agrees with Dana! Was distracted by Twilight series (New Moon)

Angie: 6.0. - More than halfway through. Read very fact like. Very frustrating to read, with justice system and poor treatment of mental health.

Becky: 8.0 - Sean read in 3 days. Wanted to read a Grisham. Pictures too distracting. Changed a lot since HS picture. Coming out of prison- smelling air, etc. parallel with coming back from Iraq, adjusting back to life outside. Shared w/soldiers.

Jennifer: 5.0 - Book on tape- boring at times. Could've been 30 page story. Frustrated- too slow, too much detail.

Rebecca: 4.0 - Basis of story disheartening. Wanted to read a Grisham. Rambled. Skipped around too much- lose concentration. Random tidbits not relevant/interesting. Could've been told better.

Tina: 5.0 (p. 122) - Couldn't get into, repetitive- maybe because of knowing what happens. Poor representation of Grisham vs. fiction. Tried to stay true to facts but too many uninteresting facts.

Rachel: 7.0 (100 pages left) - Very disappointed in justice system- eye opening. Psychology very interesting.

A Prayer for the Dying, by Stewart O'Nan

Average Rating: 5.0
Menu: Chow Mein, Potstickers, Apple Pie

Anne: 5.5 Intriqued at the beginning; enjoyed the small-town living references during the Civil War--but then the story turned disturbing and made her gag.

Rebecca: 4.5 Found the book very unsettling--not very eloquent. Kept her interested--wanted to know what happened, but didn't enjoy it. It was written very well in 2nd person. Thinks Jacob was very confused and in denial.

Jennifer E: 5.0 She was confused and in denial as to whether Jacob's wife was truly dead. Read a portion of the book in the hospital and received weird glances from others. The book raises the issue of whether or not you would stay or flee in the instance of a plague.

Angie: 5.0 Lost alot of respect for Jacob--he was a coward not to quarantine the town sooner, how he burned the woman in the house alive, and how he handled the impending fire. There were gaps in the story as to what we as the reader knew.

Tina: 5.0 A decent book about a horrible topic. Liked the 2nd person aspect--made it more apparent you didn't feel as Jacob did. The book gave a different aspect to undertaking--they are the last person to care for the dead.

Becky: 4.0 Felt like Jacob was in denial--liked in the very end where he talks about how life is easier alone--but that's not what life is about. Overall, the book was a downer.

Dana: 5.0 It begins with a dead soldier (the source of the plague) and ends with the dead hermit (Jacob's realization he was the person who spread the disease). The story could have been told with dignity--but it wasn't. Not a very good example of a dignified funeral director/sheriff/pastor.

The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai

Average Rating: 5.5

Tina: 5.0 (pg. 70) - Thought story had a lot of potential but language made it hard to read. Storyline very choppy, jumped around too much. (Quit smoking almost a month ago and getting 10" haircut tomorrow.)

Sara: 9.0 - Fascinating to read while traveling through the third world. Found a lot in the book very real with trip and people/experiences. Interesting tie to colonization and the impact of the wester world on the east. (Graduated from med school today and got back from 70 day trip around the world.)

Rebecca: 4.0 (1/3 way through) - Didn't enjoy, mainly due to writing style. Too difficult to relate to characters in short stints. Story seemed very current based on experiences on trip. (Got back from 4 month trip to SE Asia.)

Anne: 4.0 (read through 20s) - Wanted to read it, very hard to connect to characters due to choppiness. Sentences too ornate. Thinks it had great potential, but couldn't get into it. (Planning 5 year anniversary trip to San Fran, w/o Will.)

Erika: N/A (Moved into her own big girl apartment 1.5 weeks ago.)

Dana: N/A (Vito is walking, he can say Mama and Dada.)

Rachel: N/A (got to page 10) - Would like to read to see what I think (vs. reviews), but writing style very tough to get through.

Monster, by Kody Scott

Average Rating: 2.7
Menu: Dessert of individ pudding pies with red/blue fruit toppings

Becky: 6 - different perspective, learned from it but not great writing
Anne: 6 - did not take responsibility, did not change, was very defensive
Molly: 5 - everything was someone else's fault
Dana: 4 - didn't like character, bragged a lot
Rebecca: 5 - he didn't learn anything at end of story, rating is reflective of him
Tina: 6 - agree w/Becky
Jess: 5 - wasn't a great writer, did not have natural gift for writing. Got off on tangents, but had good story to tell. Was not an empathetic character.