The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I'd heard a lot about the Book Thief but just barely read it. Narrated by Death itself, it tells the story of a young German girl during WWII and how she deals with losing her family, finding a foster family, and coming of age in such a difficult time. With the help of her sweet foster father (my favorite character in the book) she deals with her grief through learning and books. The humanity and sadness in this book was almost too much at times but I am so glad I read it (and glad to be me!)

Favorite quotes:
"It's much easier, she realized, to be on the verge of something that to actually be it." Wise insights for a little girl!

"A human doesn't have a heart like mine. The human heart is a line, whereas my own is a circle, and I have the endless ability to be in the right place at the right time. The consequences of this is that I'm always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both. Still, they have thing I envy. Humans, if nothing else, have the food sense to die."

The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

Of all the Lord John books, this is the one I was dying to read! When I first met Diana Gabaldon she was getting ready to tour for this book so I heard a lot about it then. Of course, I hadn't read any Outlander yet so I didn't know what a can of worms I'd just opened! But this book did not disappoint. Lord John is forced to put personal conflicts aside and work with Jamie to help a friend and prevent some serious political problems. Because the Lord John books take place during the 3rd Outlander book, I 'knew' how Jamie and Lord John would end up eventually but seeing the process was fascinating. There were some really great discussions in this book that left a big impression on me. Although I never agree with the morality of all the characters in these books, they always leave me searching and thinking, grateful for my life and my family and hoping to be and do better each day.

Favorite quotes from the Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon:

"He could feel the child's imagined weight on his shoulders, warm and heavy, smelling faintly of wee and strawberry jam. There were some chains you worse because you wanted to."

" 'No matter how much a man may try to do what is right, the outcome may not be the one that he either foresees or desires. And that's grounds for regret- sometimes verra great regret,' he added more softly, 'but not for everlasting guilt. For it is there we must throw ourselves on God's mercy and hope to receive it.' " So so true!

Poison Study by Maria Snyder

I heard about this book on a blog and put it on hold a while back. Once I started reading it I finished the same day because I couldn't put it down! Poison Study is about a young woman named Yelena who is condemned to die but spared in return for becoming the food tester for the 'king'. With recent political unrest, varying factions, no family and no friends to call her own, Yelena struggles and grows as she learns to survive. I couldn't wait to see how the story would resolve and to solve the big mystery- why did Yelena kill someone in the first place and how is she going to come to terms with her life? Between the setting of the story, the relationships, the elements of her past, the food, the physical and mental growth she experiences, I was really entertained and impressed. I loved this book and would recommend it as a coming of age and growing up despite hard times story over the silly Hunger Games any day.