The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha

Goodreads synopsis: Based on the award-winning 10-million-plus-hit blog 1000awesomethings.com, The Book of Awesome is a high five for humanity and a big celebration of life's little moments:

• Popping Bubble Wrap
• Wearing underwear just out of the dryer
• Fixing electronics by smacking them
• Getting called up to the dinner buffet first at a wedding
• Watching The Price Is Right when you're home sick
• Hitting a bunch of green lights in a row
• Waking up and realizing it's Saturday

Sometimes it's easy to forget the things that make us smile. With a 24/7 news cycle reporting that the polar ice caps are melting, hurricanes are swirling in the seas, wars are heating up around the world, and the job market is in a deep freeze, it's tempting to feel that the world is falling apart. But awesome things are all around us-sometimes we just need someone to point them out.

The Book of Awesome reminds us that the best things in life are free (yes, your grandma was right). With laugh-out-loud observations from award- winning comedy writer Neil Pasricha, The Book of Awesome is filled with smile-inducing moments on every page that make you feel like a kid looking at the world for the first time. Read it and you'll remember all the things there are to feel good about.

The Book of Awesome reminds us of all the little things that we often overlook but that make us smile. With touching, warm, and funny observations, each entry ends with the big booming feeling you'll get when you read through them: AWESOME!

My rating: 5 stars.

Content warnings: PG. Some crass language.

Thoughts: It's good to be reminded of what's good in life, especially of the little things. They're so easy to forget and pass by, but if we can become more aware of them, and grateful for them in the moments, I think we could all be a little bit happier.

Even in terrible circumstances. Pasricha himself wasn't in a fantastic place when he wrote this book, or began the blog that started it all. And yet, here we are.

His writing is bubbling with enthusiasm, and his excitement for life is infectious. It may even challenge readers to start their own "book of awesome." But even if not, it's well worth the read.

Or the reread. 

The Six by Mark Alpert

Goodreads synopsis: To save humanity, they must give up their own.

Adam's muscular dystrophy has stolen his mobility, his friends, and in a few short years, it will take his life. Virtual reality games are Adam's only escape from his wheelchair. In his alternate world, he can defeat anyone. Running, jumping, scoring touchdowns: Adam is always the hero.

Then an artificial intelligence program, Sigma, hacks into Adam's game. Created by Adam's computer-genius father, Sigma has gone rogue, threatening Adam's life-and world domination. Their one chance to stop Sigma is using technology Adam's dad developed to digitally preserve the mind of his dying son.

Along with a select group of other terminally ill teens, Adam becomes one of the Six who have forfeited their bodies to inhabit weaponized robots. But with time running short, the Six must learn to manipulate their new mechanical forms and work together to train for epic combat...before Sigma destroys humanity.

My rating: 3 stars.

Content warnings: PG. Threats of violence against robots and a robot/dream kiss thing. (It's hard to explain.)

(spoilers below)

Thoughts: I'm just really relieved it wasn't terrible.

The story felt like it happened really fast, a little too fast for my preferences, and there wasn't a whole lot of time to really be able to get to know the characters or have much emotional depth from them. Even when characters died, it was a little hard to really feel anything for them, or the friends they left behind.

That being said, the story was pretty enjoyable. The plot was thought out, even if it did feel a little short, and the ideas were interesting. I did get lost somewhat in the technical jargon, but that's honestly to be expected with me. And it did bring up some interesting thoughts, mostly in Adam's mother's reaction to what was going on.

If the library has the next two books, it'd probably be something I'd pick up later, when I'm in the mood for something like this again. It was fun to read, and maybe that's all it needed to be.