The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (#6, Fiction)

This book was very enjoyable.  Even with the aspects of the mystical and magical it doesn't need to be labeled as a fantasy, I'm not really sure how the author accomplished that feat.  I really liked the characters and she has such amazing descriptions that I can't help but imagine this book becoming a movie.  The only thing I take issue with is the ending, it was a bit convoluted. 

Overall 4 out of 5.

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (#5, Fiction)

Meh.  That's all I really have to say about this one.  It was recommended to me so I had moderate to high expectations, but it fell way short.  The character development sort of came to a halt in the second half of the book and although I like happy endings, I thought the conclusion was way too "clean" and "tidy."  The foreshadowing was totally off and everyone ended up dandy and happy. 

2 out of 5.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (#4, Fiction)

I wanted to really like this book.  But it fell short.  It had so many good pieces, and good ideas.  I love the in-depth and scientific descriptions of flowers and how I learned that having sunflowers at my wedding was a major faux pas according to the narrator (false riches!).  Maybe my opinion of the book stems from my lacking knowledge of the foster system.  I cannot possibly understand what it is like to not have a family, so maybe I just have to take the author at her word and accept that the main character's constant need to ruin anything good going on in her life is a real trait of foster kids.

Three stars out of five.

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas (#3, Fiction)

This is by an Australian author, and was extremely sexually charged (even though the central incident involves a child).  Two recurring themes from this book:
1) men are incapable of monogamy (specifically men living in Australia of Greek descent)
2) Australians hate Americans too....?  

A good read overall.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (#2, Fiction)

Loved this book.  The author not only uses foreshadowing, but flat-out tells you what is going to happen at the end.  But that didn't make it any easier to take.