"Uprooted" by Naomi Novik

I'm a fan of the books I've read in Novik's Temeraire series, so I was particularly excited for her new standalone novel with a female protagonist. Even more so when Sword & Laser chose it for their August book pick.

Agnieszka lives on the edge of the Wood, protected by the Dragon. In exchange for this protection, the Dragon chooses one young woman from her village to live with him for ten years, at which point he chooses a new woman. Agnieszka assumes, with the rest of her village, that her best friend Kasha will be chosen. Surprise, surprise, Agnieszka is the Dragon's choice. Truthfully, this information, all covered in the blurb on the back of this book doesn't even make a dent in the true plot.

"Uprooted" is the story of Agnieszka's growth as a wood witch and a young woman. She learns of and develops her powers, and must uncover the secrets of the Wood to prevent it from corrupting and harming those she loves. Her journey of personal growth is also a tale of adventure, court intrigue, and friendship.

Grounded in Slavic myths with which I was completely unfamiliar, this story felt fresh. Kasha and Agnieszka's friendship was wonderful to explore, and I appreciated that it took center stage over the somewhat stinted romance between Agnieszka and the Dragon. Agnieszka and Kasha have complementing strengths, and Novik explores their differences in such a way that respects both.

Side note, the accent in the audio narration is a bit irritating if you prefer to listen at higher speeds, though the accent does add authenticity and helps with name pronunciations. Overall, it's a solid audio book of an excellent standalone fantasy novel.

Verdict: Affirmed. With standalone fantasy novels getting harder and harder to find among new releases, this is a must-read for any fan of current fantasy.

"Uprooted" by Naomi Novik, published May 19, 2015 by Del Ray, Audio narration by Julia Emelin, published May 19, 2015 by Random House Audio.

"All the Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven

I almost put this book down, despite the overwhelming love for it on #bookstagram. The opening felt cliched - boy and girl save each other from suicide, work on a school project together, fall in love and help each other tackle their respective challenges. I thought I'd read this story line before, and wasn't particularly interested in reading it again.

Luckily, I stuck with it. Finch is a troubled bad boy, known for his emotional outbursts and odd behavior. His home life is in shambles - his dad left for another family, and his mom isn't so great at taking care of him and his two sisters. Violet is a popular girl, new to Indiana, and still coming to terms with her older sister's death in a car accident. She's lost her interest in writing, and much of anything as her struggles to cope with her loss. As they work on their project to explore Indiana, they grow closer and come to understand each other.

I started to come around because of Violet's initial behavior toward Finch, avoiding him and hiding their relationship. It's sad but realistic for a high school girl still figuring out who she is and where she belongs. This book goes on to go places other YA books stray away from, tackling suicide, mental health, and death in a more honest and real way than other YA I've read on these themes. Things aren't neatly tied up in a bow, resolved through the incredible power of adolescent love. The protagonists struggle, and the adults around them struggle, under the weight of their personal histories and mental health challenges.  This is an important book for teens, and I hope it makes it onto many required reading lists.

Verdict: Affirmed. I was surprised by how much I like it, and hope this finds its way into many, many teens' hands. Side note, the dual audio narration was also great, particularly by Ariadne Meyers who also did "We Were Liars."

"All the Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven, published January 6, 2015 by Knopf. Audio narration by Kirby Heyborne and Ariadne Meyers, published January 6, 2015 by Listening Library.

"Disclaimer" by Renee Knight

I wish I remembered what list suggested this novel. It was one that included "Unbecoming" and "The Girl on the Train," both of which I think far surpass "Gone Girl" as crossover thrillers. I looked a little closer at everything else on the list as a result. After reading "Disclaimer," I'd add every other title on that list to my TBR if I could only find it!

The book opens on Catherine, shocked to discover that a novel portrays a thinly-veiled version of herself, recounting events that only she should recall. Anyone else who would have known should be dead. Someone is tormenting her with this information, and its wrecking havoc on her life. Catherine must figure out who and why before her secret is revealed.

The novel alternates between Catherine's perspective and that of her tormentor, and the audiobook uses a different narrator for each perspective. Most importantly, and most brilliantly, the characters have motives for their actions in this book, and the motives actually work. These motives might not be clear initially, but by the end you as the reader can figure out why each character does what they do throughout the novel. This doesn't mean you'll like everyone - far from it. But the book rings far more true as a result. There are no actions that seem to be taken simply to move the plot forward, an impressive feat for a thriller.

Moreover, this novel digs into themes of family and the truth - what makes us believe certain people over others, and how can these layers of trust and shades of truth affect our relationships? How should we, and do we, react when we learn new information about those we love? Do we squeeze it into the picture we already have, or do we amend our image of them to fit this new information? It's a deeper read than many thrillers, and one I'll continue to ponder, despite having listened to the entire thing in a single day.

Verdict: Affirmed. If your book club liked "Gone Girl" but found your discussion fell a bit flat, try this out. It has the same compulsive readability, with some deeper themes tossed in to sustain a lengthier discussion.

"Disclaimer" by Renee Knight, published May 19, 2015 by Harper. Audio narration by Laura Paton and Michael Pennington, published by HarperAudio.

"Born with Teeth" by Kate Mulgrew

I downloaded Kate Mulgrew's "Born with Teeth" from Overdrive, expecting a typical celebrity's memoir - a romp through her exciting career. And let me be clear, Mulgrew's career is fascinating. She left NYU after only one year to pursue a role on the soap opera "Ryan's Hope," had a "Columbo" spin-off created especially for her, starred as the first female captain on "Star Trek: Voyager" and continues to act as Red on "Orange is the New Black." Amid her TV success, she has also acted in many stage productions.

Yet, what I got was something much, much more. Mulgrew lays bare her personal life in her memoir, allowing a level of access that I haven't before seen in a celebrity's memoir. For example, Felicia Day was incredibly honest when describing her personal mental health struggles, but throughout the novel she refers to her boyfriend, without name, only a handful of time. She kept the lens tightly on herself, as is entirely her right. In contrast, Mulgrew throws open the curtains on her personal life, naming several of her past lovers (to be fair, these were likely already public knowledge), and describing in intense detail, her feelings and passions surrounding her relationships. She admits to being a passionate woman and is unashamed of this aspect of her personality and the relationships it has forged and shaped.

As a result of the depth of emotion Mulgrew reveals, her memoir reads like a novel. We're given a first-person perspective of her journey through life, love, and career. Readers share in her joy and heartbreak because of the access we are given to her innermost thoughts and feelings. Mulgrew made headlines with the revelation that she gave up a daughter for adoption at the beginning of her career, and we see their reunion. We see her sons' difficulties with their parents' divorce, and Mulgrew struggle to balance her own romantic relationships with her responsibilities to her children. She even discusses, albeit briefly, the unique difficulties faced by female actors who also have responsibilities to their families, often unshared or underappreciated by their male colleagues.

Mulgrew's honesty and passion may be too much for some readers, especially those of more traditional sensibilities. Yet, I was enthralled by her memoir and greatly appreciated the access she has permitted readers into her personal life. She narrates the audiobook herself, adding to the intimacy of the reading experience.

Verdict: Affirmed, for fans of Mulgrew, or those looking for a memoir of a strong, trailblazing woman who is in touch with her passions and unafraid to share them. A quick note though, the memoir ends many years before "Orange is the New Black," so if you're looking for a discussion of her work there, this isn't for you.

"Born with Teeth," written and narrated by Kate Mulgrew, published April 14, 2015 by Little, Brown and Company.

"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Confession: I somehow made it to age 25 without ever reading "Pride and Prejudice." My high school was swapping around English curricula when I was a Sophomore/Junior, which meant I missed the staples of English fiction - no Austen, no Dickens. The more remarkable fact is that I also made it to age 25 without being even remotely spoiled for what the book was about. All I knew was that there was a character named Lizzie Bennet (thanks to press on The Lizzie Bennet Diaries), another character named Darcy, and I guessed they probably ended up together. That was it.

When two dear, book-loving friends discovered this, they were appropriately shocked. And promised that if I read the book this summer, they would reward me with a book chat over tea. I was in. I dug my copy and dug in.

It's a good thing I waited on this book. High-school-Nicole was super into fantasy, science fiction, and current literary fiction. Not so much into 19th-century prose. Even when I sat down to read this a few weeks ago, I was frustrated by how long it took me to get through a page. Plus, the character names are confusing - you can call the same person by his first name, last name, or the land he owns. Headaches ensued.

But once I got past all that - or, more accurately, gave up and checked out the audiobook - the charm and wit of the novel carried me pleasantly through. Austen is a master of capturing the dozens of little ways people snipe and snark at, gossip about, and generally interact with each other. The behavior of her characters rings true and even feels familiar over 200 years later. Circumstances may have changed, but as social beings, we still relate to each other in many of the same basic ways as her characters in this novel.

I'm excited to read the rest of Austen's cannon, and super excited to finally read/watch all of the adaptations. I marathoned "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries," and am waiting for Kyle to finish reading "Pride and Prejudice" himself so we can start comparing adaptations. If you have a favorite, definitely let me know!

Verdict: Affirmed, it's a classic for a reason.

"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. Originally published January 28, 1813. Audio narration by Carolyn Seymour, published March 10, 2005 by Blackstone Audio.

"Where She Went" By Gayle Forman

I checked this out on Overdrive almost immediately after finishing "If I Stay." Somewhat surprisingly, I enjoyed this sequel to  even more than the original.

The novel picks up about three and a half years after the car crash and subsequent events in "If I Stay," and is told from Adam's point of view, which I wasn't expecting.

Adam is now a rock star with Shooting Star, his same band that was on the verge of breaking out in "If I Stay." But the group's dynamics have completely shifted from the close-knit, supportive group we glimpsed in "If I Stay." Isolated and shut out from the group, hunted by paparazzi hoping to get a shot of him and his movie star girlfriend, it's no wonder Adam is on the verge of a breakdown, even as Shooting Star is currently the biggest act in music.

Adam is dreading the start of a 67-day tour with his band, to whom he no longer speakers, nor even stays in the same hotel. As he checks off his to-do list in New York City before the show starts, he encounters something that makes him recall Mia. He now has new plans for how he will spend his dwindling time before the tour starts. I don't want to say more on the plot, to avoid spoilers for both this and "If I Stay."

Forman uses the same narrative structure that I found so intriguing in "If I Stay." She sets the story in just a brief day or two, but tells the tale of all that came before through flashbacks, grouped thematically, rather than chronologically. She packs big emotional punches through those flashbacks, both happy and sad. The story and the structure still feel fresh, and this title was every bit as engaging in the first, without the coma-ghost weirdness lurking around.

Verdict: Affirmed, though you'll need to read "If I Stay" to fully grasp this sequel.

"Where She Went" by Gayle Forman, published on April 5, 2011 by Dutton Juvenile. Audio narration by Dan Bittner, published on April 5, 2011 by Penguin Audio.

"You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)" by Felicia Day

I'm not sure exactly when I became a fan of Felicia Day. When I started watching "The Guild," I already knew Day as one of the Potentials on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." She then went on to star in "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" and to create the YouTube channel Geek & Sundry (which introduced me to Sword & Laser, my first & favorite online book club/podcast!)

If that blurb wasn't clear, Felicia Day is enormously accomplished. A pioneering web creator, she also graduated from UT Austin with dual degrees in math and music at only 19. She's also smart, funny, and charming in her many, many, many YouTube videos. So I was excited to read her memoir about how this home-schooled violin prodigy became an actress & general internet superstar.

The book starts about as I expected. Quirky stories told with Day's self-deprecating humor. It bounces from topic to topic a bit. Day's career has happened all at once. She seems to have her hands in a bunch of really cool projects at once, and the book is separated into chapters by project, rather than time. It makes it easier to follow, but a does make it a bit difficult to figure out just how much she was actually doing all at once (which was a lot!). If I'm nit-picking, I could've used fewer ALL-CAPS SENTENCES, and would have liked to see a paragraph or two on her time on Buffy, but on the whole I enjoyed it.

The last three chapters, though, really pushed this book from a solid three-star that I'd recommend to Day's fans, to an incredible memoir that I'll recommend widely. Day talks honestly about her struggles with depression, anxiety, and physical health problems at the height of her success. She admits to several bouts of crippling mental health struggles, and how difficult it was to overcome them. Her last chapter on GamerGate describes the frustration, anger, and even danger that comes with being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated corner of the Internet. The raw honesty with which she describes her struggles is inspiring and empowering.

Verdict: Affirmed. Prior to reading this memoir, I knew only of Day's immense success as a creator and actress. In "Never Weird" she lets her fans see her failures, and her success shines all the more brightly for it.

"You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)" by Felicia Day, published August 11, 2015 by Touchstone