THE TROOP (Nick Cutter) - July 20/21

 I think the best way to describe this is Lord of the Flies meets The Ruins, and on that level it works. I was concerned that the emphasis on five teenagers would be tedious but Cutter does a good job of turning them into relatively compelling characters. (And Shelley is certainly as evil a figure as one could imagine.) I was surprised by the fat kid's death, and some of the horror-related interludes were quite gripping. I don't understand why there was an ongoing emphasis on animal-related cruelty, though. I skipped over all those parts. This Cutter guy seems to really hate animals. **1/2 out of ****

THE LIES THAT BIND (Emily Giffin) - July 16/21

 I had started reading the Poisonwood Bible for the Lexis book club but man it felt so much like work and then I got to a chapter from the perspective of a mentally-handicapped character and I threw in the towel, so I wanted something breezy and easy to read. This book definitely delivered in that department. It's super trashy but I liked the characters and a bunch of the twists actually surprised me. Good stuff. *** out of ****

BROKEN (IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY) - July 12/21

 Oh, Jenny Lawson. Half of this book is pointless, rambling, stream-of-consciousness bouts of silliness that inspire nothing in me aside from the desire to skim over such chapters. But Lawson packs the other half of the book with relatable and touching stories that make this thing worth reading, with this especially true of her struggles with depression. A mixed bag, to say the least. **1/2 out of ****

THE RUINS (Scott Smith) - July 8/21

 I wanted something super grim and bleak after Barry's death and this certainly fit the bill. It's a little too long but man Smith ratchets up the hopelessness chapter after chapter. ***1/2 out of ****