Four Stars

It occurs to me that four stars are my default. That means that I really liked the book, it held my interest, but it tended not to stick with me. Looking back over this list there are a few that I thought, "Why didn't I give that 5 stars?" and I think the reason I didn't is because I truly can't remember much about it. All of my 5 star books, I remember exactly where I was when I read it and exactly how I felt when I finished. With these, not so much. Although they were all entertaining, they didn't stick to my ribs. And thus, no blurbs...

Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff [YA, January]

If I Lie by Corrine Jackson [YA, January]

Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink [children, February]

Branded by the Pink Triangle by KenSetterington [nonfiction, February]

Roomies by Sarah Zarr and Tara Altebrando [YA, February]

Trafficked by Kim Purcell [YA, February]

Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elson [YA, March]

In Search of Sarah Rector by Tonya Bolden [YA nonfiction, March]

The Bear by Clare Cameron [fiction, April]

The Year We Disappeared by Cylan & John Busby [nonfiction, April]

Unremembered by Jessica Brody [YA, April]

The Sound of Letting Go by Stasia Ward Kehoe [YA, April]

More Than This by Patrick Ness [YA. April]

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaria [YA, May]

Boxers by Gene Luen Yang [graphic novel, May]

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Powell [children's nonfiction, May]

Still Foolin' Em by Billy Crystal [memoir, May]

Cinderella by Charles Perrault & Roberto Innocenti [picture book, June]

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos [children, June]

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi [fiction, June]

Because I Said So by Ken Jennings [nonfiction, June]

Unfriended by Rachel Vail [YA reviewed for VOYA, June]

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow & Jen Wang [ [YA reviewed for VOYA, June]

Lyddie by Katherine Patterson [children, July]

Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews [fiction, July]

Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham [fiction, July]

Worthy Brown's Daughter by Phillip Margolin [fiction, July]

Pioneer Girl by Bich Minh Nguyen [fiction, July]

We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March by Cynthia Levinson [YA nonfiction, July]

Neptune Noir edited by RobThomas [nonfiction, July]

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski [YA, July]

A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman [YA, July]

Murphy's Law by Rhys Bowen [fiction, August]

Boy Snow Bird by Helen Oyeyemi [fiction, August]

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen [fiction, August]

Tina's Mouth by Keshni Kashyap [graphic novel, August]

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher [YA reread, August]

I am a Genius of Unspekable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President by Josh Lieb [YA, August]

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes [fiction, September]

With or Without You by Dominca Ruta [memoir, September]

Young Pioneers by Rose Wilder Lane [fiction, October]

This One Summer byJillian and Mariko Tamaki [graphic novel, October]

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay [essays, November]

Dogs of War by Sheila Keenan & Nathan Fox [graphic novel, December]

Hold Me Closer by David Levithan [YA reviewed for VOYA, December]

Some Boys by Patty Blount [YA, December]