What I read in January 2016

So I'm more than a little behind on blogging (if being behind on something voluntary is possible), but here is my January reading post, posted in March...eesh.

1.  Water from My Heart by Charles Martin--this one may make my top 10 of 2016--I know it is early to be thinking about that, but as always, Charles Martin didn't disappoint.  I might pick it up and read it again.  There is, as always, a love story, a crisis, a twist...it was a good, good, book.  I highly recommend it!
2.  Along the Way by Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez--This one might also make the top 10--I know I might be getting ahead of myself, picking so many in January.  I've read a lot of "celebrity" autobiographies and often they are hard to follow.  This one was good--Martin and Emilio told the story of Martin's life so far, with insight from Emilio as Martin's son.  They discussed family, faith, mistakes, forgiveness. It was a good read as well.
3.  Thirteen of the Worst Break Ups in History by Jennifer Wright--picked it up at the library off their featured books table.  It was entertaining, some good history tidbits.  Probably about half of the stories were "just ok", a  couple were really sad/compelling and a couple really entertaining (in a sad way?).
4.  Captive by Aimee Carter-I really wanted this to be better--this is the 2nd book of the Blackcoat series.  It was good, but not my favorite ever. Worth the read to find out what happened,
5.  The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan--Interesting idea.  Picks up in the middle of a story, with the main character telling about the aftermath of a shipwreck.  It was a good book, worth the read, probably not a top ten-er.
6. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline--I liked this a lot more than I thought I would.  It is another dystopian society book, set about 40 years from now.  Has tons of 80's pop culture and video game references.  It was a fun book, although the irony of calling a dystopian book "fun" is not lost on me...
7.  Queen by Aimee Carter--and (see #4) the final book....same review :)
8.  Superior Secrets by Tom Hilpert-- I re-read this book to get ready for the new one (see #10)--Tom Hilpert's books are very entertaining...this one could make my top 10--unless he publishes a better one before the end of the year.  There is a mystery solving Lutheran Pastor in a small town in Northern Wisconsin...can you get more entertaining than that?  Kind of like Garrison Keiller meets Murder She Wrote....
9.  Odd is on Our Side by Dean Koonz and Fred Van Lente--This is a graphic novel, but if you enjoyed the "Odd Thomas" books by Dean Koonz, this is a good short read.  I had ignored the graphic novels for years, but started reading this while waiting for The Boy in the graphic novel section of the library.  It is a "fill in", covers part of the story not told in the regular novels--I enjoyed it, despite it being essentially a comic book for grown ups..
10.Six Months Later by Natalie Richards The Girl saw this book at school and we had the local library order it.  She hasn't read it yet, but now the library owns it, so she can read it later. It was good--I enjoyed it.  It was about a girl who falls asleep in study hall and "loses" six months. Good mystery, interesting idea/story.
11.  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah--People kept telling me I should read this and I'm glad I did.  It is flips between "now" and World War 2, and for most of the book it isn't clear who is in the "now".  It was good, sad, as many war books are...
12.  The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian As with many Chris Bohjalian books, the title has multiple meanings.  This book is about choices and consequences and about modern day slavery.  The story felt a little contrived (as did #13) as the author tried to fit the story to an issue.  It was good, I like how Chris Bohjalian develops characters, so it was worth the read.
13.  Superior Getaway by Tom Hilpert   So I still liked the story, and Hilpert is still one of my favorite authors...but this story tried too hard to connect to the "hot" story of modern day slavery.  I agree it is an issue that needs to be addressed, but in a novel about a small town minister it didn't flow as well as it might have in other plots.