Category: Books

Since I am really behind in updating the books I have read, this one will have two of them in it. The first one is Murder At Spirit Falls. Here’s a little about the book.

A No Ordinary Women Mystery. Robin Bentley’s cabin, perched above Spirit Falls in the lush Wisconsin woodland, is remote enough for her and her book club friends to shed the restraints of city living, hike in the woods, take moonlight walks and go skinny dipping under the waterfall. But when they discover a battered body below the falls, the No Ordinary Women find themselves up to their bifocals in a real mystery, and one of them could be the next victim.

We picked this for our “Local Author/Debut Novel” genre. It happened to be both. It sounds like this was the first in what is intended to be many books featuring these characters. It was ok. There wasn’t much character development and they weren’t very exciting to read about. There were some funny parts, but mostly I found myself skimming at the end. There were a lot of references to local areas. It felt like too many and they were overdoing that part a bit. The name of the newspaper and local mall isn’t something readers care about. But a friend pointed out that this probably happens in other books for other areas, we just don’t notice it as much because we aren’t from there.

Overall, the book was just OK. I won’t be shouting its praises from the hills or anything. But it wasn’t horrible. It had potential there were just some loose ends I didn’t care for at the end. There are lots of good books out there and unless you really want to read something by local authors, you can probably skip this one.

Speaking of books to skip….

This was another book club book….Stop Dressing Your Six Year Old Like A Skank. It was for our “Comedy” genre. I didn’t think it was funny at all. I’ll admit I didn’t even finish it, but that was because it was awful and I had no desire to even try to tough it out. Some of my friends loved it, but I didn’t like the way it was written at all. It was a bunch of small “stories”. Like the author was sitting across from you ranting and whining about every random thing she could think about.

Celia Rivenbark is an intrepid explorer and acid commentator on the land south of the Mason-Dixon Line. In this collection of screamingly funny essays, you’ll discover:

*How to get your kid into a character breakfast at Disney World (or run the risk of eating chicken out of a bucket with Sneezy)

*Secrets of Celebrity Moms (don’t hate them because they’re beautiful when there are so many other reasons)

*ebay addiction and why “It ain’t worth having if it ain’t on ebay”

*Why today’s children’s clothes make six-year-olds look like Vegas showgirls with an abundance of anger issues

*And so much more!

Celia Rivenbark’s essays about life in today’s South are like caramel popcorn—sweet, salty, and utterly irresistible.

So that’s that. If you think you might like it, go for it. But I already checked to see if I could return it because it just wasn’t for me. Oh well. I like that I don’t love every book we pick. I think that’s the fun of book club. If it were up to me, I’d probably continually read the same type of book all the time. I love that I am forced to branch out and read something out of my comfort zone.

Happy reading!

For July, my book club read The Maze Runner. It is a young adult book, similar to The Hunger Games.

Here’s a description of the book:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

The writing was a little choppy. This was the author’s first book. But it wasn’t too bad. You just needed to remember that it was a young adult book and it wasn’t so bothersome. I liked the story and idea. I love Sci-Fi and loved The Hunger Games, so I was sure I would like this book as well.

I finished this book a while back and I am currently reading the sequel. Something about reading book one, means I have to read the subsequent books. I’ll be writing about the sequel when I finish.

So if you liked The Hunger Games, I highly recommend you give this book a try. It’s a fun and creative read.

Happy reading.

For June, my book club read Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer. I’m a bit behind writing about the books I have read. Anyway, it was a very interesting book. Here’s a summary:

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter….

I think the most interesting part of the book was that it was written about a dead person by someone else. Jon Krakauer did a bunch of research and interviews to write this book and try to get a good picture of what happened to Chris McCandless. It was fascinating how it was written. There was even a section about the author’s similar experience and how his story could have ended the same way McCandless’s did.

It was a good read. I found it a little slow because there was a lot of information, but when I looked back at the book as a whole, I was very glad I read it all. I think everyone that I have talked to that read it, loved it.

Happy reading!

For May, my book club read The Boy in the Suitcase. It was a really interesting book. It was written from different character’s perspectives and was a good suspense book. It reminded me of the writing for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Here’s a summery of the book.

Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse, wife, and mother of two, is a compulsive do-gooder who can’t say no when someone asks for help—even when she knows better. When her estranged friend Karin leaves her a key to a public locker in the Copenhagen train station, Nina gets suckered into her most dangerous project yet. Inside the locker is a suitcase, and inside the suitcase is a three-year-old boy: naked and drugged, but alive.

Is the boy a victim of child trafficking? Can he be turned over to authorities, or will they only return him to whoever sold him? When Karin is discovered brutally murdered, Nina realizes that her life and the boy’s are in jeopardy, too. In an increasingly desperate trek across Denmark, Nina tries to figure out who the boy is, where he belongs, and who exactly is trying to hunt him down.

Now, I’ll admit, most of us were a bit skeptical to read a book about a boy in a suitcase who was drugged and naked….in a suitcase. But it was a really good book. I believe there is a sequel to it as well.

The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the ending. They didn’t leave you hanging too much, there were just some details that made me say, “but what happened to ____” or “how did they explain _____.” But maybe some of those questions are answered in the sequel. I am not sure.

I do recommend this book. It was a little confusing at first because of all the character introductions, but I think everyone in book club liked the book….even those who were very skeptical of the title.

Happy reading!

I can’t believe I did it, but I read Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1). I’m a little disappointed in myself for reading this at all and I’m kicking myself for reading it after the movie came out. Why? Because I can’t stand Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. I think I would have liked the book more had I not been seeing their faces the whole time I read the book. Before I get into more of my thoughts on the book, here’s a summary:

Isabella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife-between desire and danger.Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

I didn’t have huge expectations for the book. I knew it was a teen love saga (barf), but I had heard from so many people that it was a good book. Since I was between books, I thought I would give it a go since there wasn’t a wait at the library for it. My heaven’s Bella is whiny and annoying. And Edward, just ish. “Wah wah wah,” “I love you,” “why are you mad at me,” “turn me into a vampire,” “stay away from me – I’m dangerous,” “wah wah wah,” “my dad gave me rules and a curfew”…..Ugh, I wanted to slap them both!

I was really hoping the story would have a little more oompf to it. I love movies, shows and books about vampires and werewolves. But this was just a little disappointing.

Also, I should mention that when a book comes out that is a huge hit, I usually stay away from them. Which was one of the reasons I stayed away from this one for so long. I haven’t read the Harry Potter books, Shades of Grey….I’m just not interested in them when people are talking about them all the time. I like to wait until they are forgotten enough where there isn’t a waiting list for them at the library. (I did read The Hunger Games books, though. Some friends were passing around the books.)

Want to know the really sad part? Even though I really disliked the book, I will probably read the other books in the series. Because I just can’t help myself knowing there are more books in a series and not read them. I am the same way with moves.

So, if you haven’t read it, don’t bother. Because if you are like me, you’ll probably end of reading all the books and then feel dumb for doing so.

A friend in book club bought Gone Girl so we could pass it around. A number of people I knew had read it and had great reviews. Here’s what it’s about:

Marriage can be a real killer.

One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

I loved it. Most people I talked to about it said they couldn’t put it down. This was the case with me, too.The only problem was that I wanted to read it more often, but being a hard cover instead of my kindle, it was hard to read with two very handsy little kids.

I won’t say too much about it, because you should go get a copy and read it yourself. I will say that the ending was not what I expected. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear what your thoughts were on the ending.

This is a fast read and worth the time and money. Very creatively written and a great story!

Happy reading!

I flew through the book The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom. I had just finished another book and thought I would give this a try. My dad really likes this author. His books are Christian based and have a lesson or message. I couldn’t have read this book at a more perfect time.

After talking about how burnt out I have been, I needed this book and message. Here’s a summary:

For Albom fans, this adult fairytale will inspire and satisfy readers in search of a more meditative approach to life in a fast-paced yet wonderful world Irish Independent The theme of the book is not so much that we should gain more time, but that we should spend the time we have more wisely. And in that there is certainly a message for us all. This is an unforgettable story, poignant, inspirational and beautifully written.

I really liked this book. I thought it was written very creatively. It was from the view of three different people, in different times. And their stories all tie together in the end. I have been struggling to prioritize my time and use it more wisely, so this book really resonated with me.

One of the characters is a high school girl who is struggling with things in her life. As I was reading her story, I felt like this would be a great book for any young adult to read. With the new technology era and Facebook at our fingertips, bullying and high school is very different from the days when technology wasn’t as prevalent as it is today. If you have a young adult, I highly recommend they read this book. I think it will put a lot of things into perspective without it coming directly from mom and dad.

Happy reading!

For April, my book club read Wild (From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail). I have mixed feelings about this and I think my friends in book club do, too (from the few tidbits I have heard from them, at least). First, here’s the summary:

At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and she would do it alone. Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. My one issue was with the way she would go off on tangents about her previous life. At times, I didn’t think it added much to the story. After reading the whole book, though, I can see how these tangents work. But it was more distracting to me.

It was a good story about a woman growing into herself and becoming who she wanted to be. And that she needed to have nothing to realize she had something. It was empowering and showed how much strength a person who feels they don’t have anything actually has….how strong we can be when we need to be. Also, how vulnerable we can be (especially when you are alone), but how that vulnerability can be a good thing. Cheryl grows so much during this book and becomes a better person and truly finds herself.

We read this as our “action/adventure” book and I am not sure it was a great fit for that. I think it was more memoir than action, but live and learn. I thought it was a good book even though I struggled to get through it at times and even read another book while I was in the middle of this one!

If you’re looking for a book that will make you feel many varying emotions, read about some interesting characters and would like to read a good book about a woman figuring out who she is, this may be a good fit for you.

Happy reading!

I was browsing the books on the library’s website and I came across this book…Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I couldn’t help myself and had to download it. Who cares that I am in the middle of 5 other books at the moment including one for book club. I wouldn’t consider myself a very fast reader and I finished this in less than 3 days! I couldn’t put it down! I may have read it so quickly because it is a young adult book, but still….I really liked it. Here’s a little summary:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

It was a fun story and a quick read. I highly recommend this if you are looking for a fun book with a little mystery and some twists and turns. And if you like it, there will be a sequel coming out in 2014.

Oh, and if you have an e-reader, you should check out the books you can get from the library. When I first got my Kindle, there weren’t too many books you could download. There are boatloads now and I can’t wait to read more of them! So I am glad I took a peek to see what they had to offer.

Happy reading!

My book club read Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill for our March book. This book was interesting to say the least. There were times I was horrified, aggravated, relieved, hopeful, disappointed….so many feelings went through me during this book. If you have ever been curious about Scientology, this is a fascinating book to read. Here is a summary of the book:

Jenna Miscavige Hill, niece of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige, was raised as a Scientologist but left the controversial religion in 2005. In Beyond Belief, she shares her true story of life inside the upper ranks of the sect, details her experiences as a member Sea Org—the church’s highest ministry, speaks of her “disconnection” from family outside of the organization, and tells the story of her ultimate escape.

In this tell-all memoir, complete with family photographs from her time in the Church, Jenna Miscavige Hill, a prominent critic of Scientology who now helps others leave the organization, offers an insider’s profile of the beliefs, rituals, and secrets of the religion that has captured the fascination of millions, including some of Hollywood’s brightest stars such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

One big complaint I had about the book is that there seemed to be too much detail from a single day or event for my liking. There were times I wanted to skip ahead and times when I just skimmed because it was the same “story” again. But overall, she did a good job giving her best recollection of the events from her childhood. And I know that she was trying to document all of the events, but I found myself a little bored at times.

Also there were A LOT of acronyms in the book and it was quite difficult to keep track of them all. I read this on my Kindle and when I got to the end, I found out there was a list of all the terms she used. That would have been useful while I was reading it. So if you don’t have a Kindle, you might benefit from reading a paper copy to reference this list.

Nonetheless, this was a captivating book and makes me so sad for the children in Scientology and I hope more Scientologists are able to make their way out like Jenna did.