I’m joining in with Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy to share short reviews of the books I’ve been reading lately.

Running for my Life
This is an incredibly powerful autobiography of one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, the Olympic athlete Lopez Lamong.  I have a soft spot in my heart for these boys and have read many accounts of their trials.  This is my favorite by far. (Bonus: It also includes positive, loving foster parents.  Hooray!)

Cinder
Excellent dystopian version of the Cinderella story.  Very unique.  It definitely leaves you hanging at the end, which I didn’t love.  I’m not going to say more, except that I really, really liked it!

Astonish Me
I know nothing about dancing, and especially not ballet.  Even though this book is very much full of ballet references and the dancing world, I didn’t feel like my lack of knowledge was a hindrance to enjoying the story.  I loved the characters and was enthralled by the behind-the-scenes look at the professional ballet scene. (Includes some strong language, and light drug use.)

Flight Behavior
I have loved every Barbara Kingsolver book I’ve read (which is many of them).  But this one just fell flat for me.  The opening scenes caught my interest and I identified with the main character but halfway through the book I realized I was very apathetic toward both the plot and the characters. I ended up setting it aside, rather than forcing myself to finish it.