The bodies of the Pine family, mother, father, sister and little brother are found dead in their vacation home. Two sons have survived one, a college student, who couldn’t attend the trip because he had classes, and one a prisoner for the murder of his girlfriend. What happened here, and why. An intriguing story. Very suspenseful.

Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors. Although I prefer some of his other books over this one, I still rank this one as 5 stars. This book focuses on Ted and his relationships at 14 to 15 years old and at 39 years old. One of his friends is a famous artist, who became famous because his 14 year old friends forced him to enter a painting into a competition. As an adult, the artist meets an 18 year old who he sees as a kindred spirit, and introduces her to Ted. Their initially contentious relationship changes as the book progresses. As with all of Backman's books, much of the book focuses on relationships and the psychology of the various characters.

An amazing short story by a great author. Ravi unexpectedly looses his father. His mother falls apart which forces Ravi to enter adulthood all too soon. Ravi with the help of a neighbor and a friend begins to realize that grief is missing a person in many different ways. He develops an understanding of himself and the others around him. A very emotional read which gave me goosebumps. Wish it were longer.

Mallory Quinn, fresh out of rehab and recovery from a recent tragedy, has taken a job as a nanny for an affluent couple living in the upscale suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey, when a series of strange events start to make her ( and her employer) question her own sanity. Teddy, the precocious and shy 5-year old she's charged with watching, seems to be haunted by a ghost who channels his body to draw pictures that are far too complex and well-formed for such a young child. At first these drawings are rather typical, but then the illustrations take a dark turn, showcasing the details of a gruesome murder.

This book was a great book to read if you want to be in a fantastical town that is very much like your own town. Vivian and Daniel find themselves in a new town but not any town. It is a town full of magical people. When their daughter was “accidentally” turned into a werewolf by the wayward son of the richest and most powerful werewolf family in the area,Vivian and Daniel most learn how to fit into the mages world wild trying to figure out how to handle their daughter, Aria’s, ability to turn into a wolf. With a pushy PTA, a missing money scandal and the coming of The Reckoning, can Vivian survive her new life and still make friends in her community? This was a fun read that you can really compare to your days of volunteering in the PTA.

This book was very disappointing to me. It was entirely too long and drawn out. The characters (especially the main one Olivia) was annoying and held no accountability to her own faults. The plot got more and more ridiculous and should have been solved easily if people just communicated. Lastly the agenda pushing was over the top, it made the book even harder to get through.

What happened to Eszter? That is what Abby, her fiancé, would like to find out. Abby travels to Isla Colel to try to piece together the last days of her fiancé’s life. Although Eszter had such life threatening food allergies she was always careful and always had her epi pen. What Abby unravels are secrets. Secrets kept by the inhabitants of Isla Colel and Eszter’s group of friends and Eszter herself. This was an exciting page turner with an ending that you would never expect. I recommend this book as your next read.

This novel was definitely one of my favorite recently read books. it is very well written. I was not expecting the ending at all. I actually thought I had the plot figured out but at the very end was surprised. I highly recommend this book.

This was strange in the best way — atmospheric, a little eerie, and hard to put down. Some parts dragged, but overall it was good.

This book made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me think and it made me feel. What a beautiful, wonderful, amazing book. It is also a great choice for the 'book about art' space on the tic tac toe board!