The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill 388 pages

Oh, my goodness!  This was a gorgeous book in every way.  It totally deserved to win the Newbery Award.  I loved that the world, though different from ours, was still accessible and believable... it was just born of magic.  Every year, a baby is left in a clearing for the witch.  The parents have no idea what happens to that baby, but one year, the witch accidentally enmagics the child by feeding her moonlight.  There's too much to tell, but I guarantee you will fall in love with Glerk, Xan, Fyrian and Luna.  This book had an extraordinary story to tell with a simply enormous amount of heart.  If you love fantasy, you will adore this one, no matter how old you are.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling 870 pages

Where Goblet of Fire was my favorite, this is easily my least favorite of the HP series.  Harry is riddled with so much teen angst, I just want to slap him most of the time.  Also, knowing what's coming makes it hard to get through.  On top of that, Delores Umbridge is such an overwhelmingly terrible person that the whole book feels like an attack on my psyche.  When I started listening to the series again, I was dreading getting to this book, and now that I'm on the other side of it, I can still say the overall effect is unpleasant enough to still call it my least favorite.  AND my biggest issue with the audiobook is that for some unfathomable reason, Jim Dale started pronouncing Voldemort with the t at the end.  The first four books, he pronounced it with the intended French pronunciation and this was an awkward and unwelcome change.  Sadly, it carries on through the last two books in the same way.  All that being said, my least favorite HP is still way up on my favorite books of all.  Totally worth the teen angst, torture and doom and gloom to experience the whole series. 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling 734 pages

People argue with me on this a lot, but this is my favorite of the HP series.  I really loved the overall mystery of who had gotten Harry into the Tri-Wizard Tournament, the hints at the return of Voldemort and I thought that Harry was possibly at his most vulnerable in this one.  There was enough realistic friction between characters to be believable that this was a bunch of teenagers we were dealing with.  The end makes me cry like a baby every time, but I still think the ride is worth it. 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling 435 pages

This is the first book in the series that really starts hinting at just how dark things can get.  Harry is the focus of everyone's concern, because a dangerous criminal has broken out of the wizard prison of Azkaban.  It is assumed that he is coming to finish off Harry, since Voldemort was unable to before.  Of course, things are never quite what they seem.  It's a rough year for Harry, but surprises are in store.  This is one of my favorites of the series, partly because you get to meet Sirius, who is seriously cool and because I love Remus Lupin, also introduced in this book. 

I listened to this read by Jim Dale. 

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman, 369 pages

I listened to "The Rules of Magic" by checking it out through one of our download services, Axis360. It is the prequel to "Practical Magic" and tells the story of Franny, Bridget and Vincent Owens.  They are raised in New York City by a mother who has rejected her magical background and their logical psychiatrist father.

Franny is called to the family home in Massachusetts the summer she turns 17 and her siblings come along.  During the summer with their Aunt Isabelle, they begin to understand how and why they are different.

The story follows them into adulthood and is an engaging and fun read.  I never read "Practical Magic, " or saw the movie, for that matter.  I will be remedying that tout suite.

The Rooster Bar by John Grisham, 352 pages

John Grisham's latest tells the story of three students in their last semester at law school.  They are at a for-profit school that is not preparing them for the difficult bar exam and are deeply in debt.  A fellow law student and friend starts them on the trail of possible fraud related to the school. 

They drop out, begin practicing law without licenses and run into big problems. The protagonists are not very sympathetic, though that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. 

There is an interesting subplot involving illegal immigrants and that plays well with the story and gave the characters an opportunity to not be jerks.  Bottom line: I enjoyed it.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, 320 pages

In the 1920's the Osage Indians of Oklahoma were quite wealthy.  Their land was oil-rich and they owned the mineral rights.  All was not rosy however.  Dozens of Osage Indians were murdered and somehow those cases couldn't be solved locally.

Finally, the Bureau of Investigation stepped in and found out who was behind at least some of the murders.  The why was easy - greed. 

In the first part of the book, author David Grann explores the story of one of the families whose members were murdered.   The second part details the investigation into the murders by the Bureau of Investigation, which became the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The third part details the authors own investigation into this story, the additional information he found and the closure he was able to provide to some of the families whose relatives were murdered. 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling 259 pages

This, the second book in the series, begins to let the reader in on some of Lord Voldemort's history.  Harry returns to Hogwarts in spite of warnings from a mysterious visitor, who claims that danger awaits him.  The alternative is staying with his horrible aunt and uncle, so Harry ignores the warnings.  New professors, new students and new dangers do indeed await the students at Hogwarts.  The Chamber of Secrets, rumored to hold an unspeakable monster, is opened by an unknown person and attacks begin occurring in the halls of Hogwarts.  Harry is suspected of being in league with the monster or responsible for the attacks and he will have to rely on his friends and his wits to solve the mystery, clear his name and hopefully (ha) survive to be the hero once again.  Read by Jim Dale.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 309 pages

It was time to revisit the Potter-verse.  I always have so much fun going back and listening to these books.  I get new connections to the later books every time.

Harry discovers he's a wizard after living with his non-magical aunt and uncle who treated him quite unkindly for about 10 years.  He's accepted at Hogwarts, a school that educates and trains young witches and wizards, but he begins to suspect all is not well.  This is the first book in the Harry Potter series and is a very fun and engaging start to one of my most beloved series of all time.  I am listening to the whole series on audio read by Jim Dale, who is one of my favorite readers.

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz, 294 pages

The book begins with Tanya Dubois on the run because her husband has just died and she can't afford to be around if any difficult questions are asked. 

Through this fast paced story, the true story of Tanya Dubois is revealed, along with the reasons why she ran (it turns out) for the second time.

This is one of the fast, suspenseful books best read in one quick sitting so you don't think too much about the story.  It was a fun, suspenseful romp, with plenty of twists and turns.