Joe College by Tom Perrotta (mini-review)

In Joe College, Perrotta writes about a ivy league college student living the college life with other high society students, while at the same time working in the cafeteria and spending school breaks working his dad's "roach coach".

This book was interesting… I enjoy Perrotta’s writing style, and his main character gave me a good glimpse at college life from a guy’s point of view. The book was sort of a social commentary which was interesting. But other than that, it seemed like there was really no plot or climaxes or anything. There was a reader guide at the end and I could see how this book would be good to use for discussions, but other than that it was just okay. 3/5

The Last Juror by John Grisham (mini-review)

In the Last Juror, 23-year-old Willie Traynor moves to small town Clanton, Mississippi in the early 70's. He takes over the town newspaper and in the process manages to make friends and enemies. He also reports on the biggest murder the town has ever had. Years later, the jury members who convicted him start being murdered

Grisham did a great job creating enjoyable characters in this small town. I enjoyed reading about the activities of the newspaper and what he did to report on the town's current events. However, I do think there should be a small disclaimer before reading this book in that it is not really a myster or legal thriller. I was under that impression so I kept expecting more to happen. It's more the story of the small town and how they are affected by certain events. It should not be called The Last Juror, lol! But otherwise, it was a good read.

My First Tuesday Teaser!

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share two teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• Share the title of the book that the “teaser” comes from, so people can find the book if they like the teaser.
• And again remember – avoid spoilers.

Malcolm swung his left leg over his right knee and scratched his chin for a few seconds. "Well, sir, it's like this. We stopped havin' sex about two years ago. That's why we're gettin' a divorce, you know."

From The Last Juror by John Grisham

While My Sister Sleeps

Barbara Delinsky's latest book tells the story of a family that is devastated when their star athlete daughter and sister suffers a heart attack and is hospitalized. They are caught off guard and come to odds when they are trying to decide what medical decisions to make. In the process, they learn about their relationships and learn some things they didn't know.

This was another great book by Delinsky. It truly goes into the feelings of the family and is a story about how they've affected each other and how this situation leads them to learn more about each other. Recommended!

Oxygen (mini-review)

From bn.com:

With the compassion of Jodi Picoult and the medical realism of Atul Gawande, Oxygen is a riveting new novel by a real-life anesthesiologist, an intimate story of relationships and family that collides with a high-stakes medical drama.

Dr. Marie Heaton is an anesthesiologist at the height of her profession. She has worked, lived and breathed her career since medical school, and she now practices at a top Seattle hospital. Marie has carefully constructed and constricted her life according to empirical truths, to the science and art of medicine. But when her tried-and-true formula suddenly deserts her during a routine surgery, she must explain the nightmarish operating room disaster and face the resulting malpractice suit. Marie's best friend, colleague and former lover, Dr. Joe Hillary, becomes her closest confidante as she twists through depositions, accusations and a remorseful preoccupation with the mother of the patient in question. As she struggles to salvage her career and reputation, Marie must face hard truths about the path she's chosen, the bridges she's burned and the colleagues and superiors she's mistaken for friends.

A quieter crisis is simultaneously unfolding within Marie's family. Her aging father is losing his sight and approaching an awkward dependency on Marie and her sister, Lori. But Lori has taken a more traditional path than Marie and is busy raising a family. Although Marie has been estranged from her Texas roots for decades, the ultimate responsibility for their father's care is falling on her.

As her carefully structured life begins to collapse, Marie confronts questions of love and betrayal, family bonds and the price of her own choices. Setagainst the natural splendor of Seattle, and inside the closed vaults of hospital operating rooms, Oxygen climaxes in a final twist that is as heartrending as it is redeeming.


This is Cassella’s first novel but you would never be able to tell! The author is a real life anesthesiologist as well as a writer and both are obvious. The story was well-written and well-plotted and was an interesting look into this part of the medical arena. It made me think more about the anesthesiologists and I felt like I could understand the main character, Marie, who had depth and was likeable. There were even some surprises in the plot. I would highly recommend this and I look forward to reading more of her books!

Pointe and Shoot (Jenny T. Partridge Dance Mystery #3) (mini-review)

This was another great addition to the dance mystery series. There were lots of laugh out loud moments whether it was Jenny’s actions or something she thought in her head. I loved the continued storyline between Jenny and Tate, though for a minute there I wanted to slap Jenny! Can’t wait for the next in the series!