The Magicians by Lev Grossman

What if magic was real?  Follow Quentin as he gets invited to join an elite magical college.  Mature readers who loved Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia will enjoy this new series where magic abounds both in our world and the land of Fillory.  The end of this first novel caught me by surprise, and I look forward to reading the next installment, The Magician King, which was released this August. 

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help was a great summer novel.  I've never been to "the south" and I felt like this book gave me a good idea of what it might have been like.  The characters were endearing and the "good wins over evil" theme made this book so lovely to read.  If you read The Help and want more, I recommend reading Cane River by Lalita Tademy.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

To be honest, I didn't think I was going to like a book about a dog.  First of all I have cats not dogs, and secondly, race-car driving has never interested me in the slightest. However, I liked this book so much more than I thought I would. From the very first chapter I fell in love with Enzo and his way of looking at the world.  His ideas on how to be happy and what it means to live with morals were wise beyond his (dog) years. He even said some things that made me stop and think about how I live my life. Definitely worth reading. 

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

Is this story for real?
The book felt more like a magazine article than a novel. The story is written from memory of the father, Pastor Todd. I don't doubt that his son Colton had an out of body, heaven experience. What makes me turn my head in question is how closely his answers match the bible. Did his 4 year old really say those things? Although Burpo tries to assert that he never taught his son many of the things he mentions about heaven, simply the fact that he was raised on bible stories and living in and around the church makes me question. Did I enjoy this book? Yes, I read it in two sittings. Did I believe every word? I'm not sure.