ARMADA (Ernest Cline) - August 28/15

I basically enjoyed this book, although I did find myself glazing over the excessively descriptive battle scenes towards the end. But I liked the main character and the almost insane amount of pop-culture references. It could've been shorter, but that seems to be true of most books these days. *** out of ****

DARK PLACES (Gillian Flynn) - August 20/15

This decent mystery is, first and foremost, way too long, as Flynn describes the hell out of anything and everything that crosses the main character's path. Her penchant for long flashbacks doesn't help either, and it's clear that the book easily could've been half its length. But still, the main character is quite compelling and I enjoyed the mystery at the heart of the story, and the final stretch is quite exciting. *** out of ****

OCTOBER SKY (Homer H. Hickam, Jr.) - August 14/15

Read Sayward's copy of this and generally enjoyed it, as it's a good-natured coming of age story that boasts a number of memorable characters and an engaging father-son undercurrent. But the problem is that the book feels twice as long as it needs to be, with Hickam's penchant for describe every single scientific aspect of his endeavors causing my eyes to glaze over on a recurring basis. The ending is sweet, though. **1/2 out of ****

ARRANGED (Catherine McKenzie) - August 4/15

Decided to read this because of a very charming short I saw on TMN and the book didn't disappoint. The writing can be a little simplistic at times but McKenzie does a nice job of establishing the protagonist and throwing her into a compelling situation. I did enjoy the twist that Jack was only in the program to write about it, and I was impressed that William didn't turn out to be Anne's true love. (They're truly just friends!) A fast, engaging read. ***1/2 out of ****