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Nora Glass is more Martha Stewart than Martha Stewart.  The 44-year-old loves nothing more than reigning over her clean, orderly universe with precision and pride.  Her domestic supremacy has earned her legions of fans who turn to her syndicated newspaper column not just for household hints, but also for advice on weathering storms like divorce and single motherhood with grace—things at which Nora excels.  So what if her angelic daughter has morphed into a sullen teenager, whose words wound her mother daily?  Ellie's antics make Nora's readers laugh just as much as they did when she was a toddler.  So what if Ellie hates that total strangers know all the intimate details of her life?  Nora's ability to mine their everyday experience for nuggets of publishing gold is what pays the bills. 

When Nora receives a devastating diagnosis of Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease (EOAD), she feels her tidy world start to crumble.  Losing time, words and memories of things she did just moments ago terrifies her.  She can't stand what the disease is doing to her—taking away from her.  Knowing that EOAD is almost guaranteed to kill her within a few years doesn't make things any easier.  Nora can't stand the thought of 16-year-old Ellie, who has already been abandoned by her father, losing her mother as well.  Although Nora's fraternal twin, Mariana, promises to be there for both of them, that doesn't provide much comfort.  Marianna can barely take care of herself.  

As the symptoms of Nora's disease grow progressively worse, she must learn to let go—of control over her life, of grudges long-held, of perceptions that don't ring true, and of emotions she's always bottled up.  With all of it stripped away, Nora will have to put her trust in the very people she's had to care for all her life.  People who might fail.  People who might let her down.  People who will help her see that, sometimes, everything you need is right in front of you—if only you can remember to look.  

Disease novels are always a hard sell for me.  I'm sure they're not easy to write either—somehow you have to make them touching, but not sappy; affecting, but not melodramatic; realistic, but not depressing.  Original, especially surprising, disease novels are tricky to pull off (one of the reasons John Green's The Fault in Our Stars is so popular).  Considering all this, I didn't expect a whole lot out of Splinters of Light by Rachael Herron.  And that's pretty much what I got.  A character-driven story, the novel focuses on the relationships between the three Glass women—Nora, Ellie, and Mariana—and how they evolve in the face of Nora's illness.  Plotwise, there are small conflicts (Ellie's older boyfriend, Mariana's inability to commit to a relationship, Nora's romance with her neighbor, etc.), but mostly it's all about Nora's suffering.  I'm not going to lie: I got tired of Nora's wallowing.  In fact, I didn't find any of the characters that likable.  They depressed me, the lot of them.  Herron writes well, it's true, but, overall, I just didn't find this overly-long novel that enjoyable.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson and a teensy bit of Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord as well as almost every book I've ever read about someone dying of cancer)

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(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for UnSouled by Neal Shusterman, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessors, UnWind and UnWholly.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Now that The Graveyard—the unwinds' sanctuary—has been destroyed, Connor Lassiter and Lev Calder are on the run.  Trying to keep a low profile, they head toward Ohio, where they hope to finally get some answers about Proactive Citizenry.  Their quest does not go smoothly, of course.  There's a kidnapping, a couple of car wrecks, an ostrich, and a band of Native Americans with their own agenda.  While all of these things distract them from their ultimate goal, neither Connor nor Lev will quit until they can stop unwinding forever.

Meanwhile, Camus Comprix, the world's first composite human being, is taxed with convincing the higher-ups that he's a worthy investment.  Risa's betrayal has made him suspect.  He wants to hate her for that, but he can't.  She's all he thinks about, whether he likes it or not.

Between Connor's adventures, Cam's exploits, and the increasing number of clapper attacks happening all over the country, the journey to stop unwinding is going to be one heck of a wild ride.

Although UnSouled, the third installment in Neal Shusterman's popular UnWind series, juggles so many different stories that it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins, it's an exciting read, if an unfocused one.  Lev's back story gets filled in and we get to catch up on the doings of other familiar characters.  UnSouled is more humdrum than the first two books, but Shusterman's characters are compelling all on their own.  This isn't my favorite novel of the bunch, I admit, and yet, I still enjoyed it.  As a whole, I love this clever, thought-provoking series.  If you're not reading it, you should be.

(Readalikes:  UnWind, UnWholly, and UnDivided by Neal Shusterman)

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When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer back in 2009, I heard a lot of people say, "Well, if you have to have cancer, that's the best kind to have."  This is true.  With a survival rate of 97-100%, it's a whole lot more common to survive it than otherwise.  There are, however, exceptions.  Like Ester Earl, a 12-year-old girl from Massachusetts, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2006.  Four years later, it killed her.  

Famous because of her friendship with popular YA author John Green (although The Fault in Our Stars is not based on Ester's life, it is dedicated to her), Ester became known for her bubbly personality, her positive outlook on life, and her courage in the face of a devastating illness.  She was a prolific writer, crafting many journal entries, as well as stories and letters, in her short life.  These pieces, along with some of Ester's sketches, many photos, and essays from family and friends have been collected into a thick, inspiring book titled This Star Won't Go Out.  Published last year, it quickly became a New York Times bestseller.  My 13-year-old daughter begged me to get it for her for Christmas because it's one of her all-time favorite books.

Although This Star Won't Go Out has been touching people's hearts for awhile now, I only read it a few months ago.  For a book about a kid with cancer, it's surprisingly upbeat.  It's also heartfelt, affecting, and deserving of the hype it's received.  Ester's writing emphasizes the fragility of life and the importance of holding on to faith, family, friends, and hope when trials come into your life.  As someone whose world has been changed forever by thyroid cancer, I appreciated these words of wisdom that helped me remember never to take life for granted.  It's an important message delivered by a talented writer who continues to share her experiences for the good of others (see tswgo.org).  

(Readalikes: Hm, nothing comes to mind except The Fault in Our Stars by John Green)

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On a lazy summer afternoon in the English countryside, 16-year-old Laurel Nicolson hides in her backyard treehouse.  High above her seeking sisters she lounges, dreaming of her secret boyfriend and the rendezvous they've planned for the evening.  In that moment, anything—and everything—seems possible.

Laurel has no idea just how much this ordinary afternoon will change her life until she spies a stranger in her yard.  Unseen by him or her mother, Laurel witnesses a shocking crime that throws everything she knows about her family and their seemingly perfect home life into question.  Unable to process what it all means, Laurel flees to London, with no intention of ever going back.

Fifty years later, Laurel's sisters are organizing a birthday party for their mother, who is turning 90.  Reluctantly returning to her childhood home, Laurel vows to finally get the truth about what happened that long ago summer afternoon.  Her mother's frail, with a memory that's fading fast—it's now or never.  As Laurel probes for answers, she learns the incredible story of three people, whose lives intertwine in ways that will change all of them forever.

Considering the fact that I've raved about every book she's ever written, it's not going to surprise you that I loved The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton.  The Australian author just knows how to write the kind of stories that capture not only my attention, but also my heart.  Her family sagas are full of everything I look for in a novel—rich, atmospheric settings; complex, empathetic characters; intriguing, mystery-filled plot lines; and vivid, flowing prose.  I adore all her books, but The Secret Keeper might be my favorite of them all.  Really, the only complaint I have with this author is that she writes too slowly (although she does have a new book coming out in October).   

(Readalikes:  Kate Morton's other books—The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, and The Distant Hours)

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