Book Club Friday

I know, I've been way behind on my book reviews for 2014. I decided to link up with Book Club Friday (it's been a LONG time since I'm participated in it). I know I'm probably only supposed to review one book for that link up, but I decided to get totally caught up on my reviews (since I'm actually making time to sit and update my blog). I'll keep them short so you won't be too overwhelmed. And, as always, you can follow me on GoodReads here. 

The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen

(3.5 out of 5 stars)

Summary: Ten months after dropping out of all-girl Tarble College, Ruby Rousseau is still haunted by the memories of her senior year, a time marred by an affair with her English professor and a deep depression that caused her to question her sanity.

When a mysterious suitcase arrives bearing Ruby's name and address, she tries to return it to its rightful owner Beth, a dorm-mate at Tarble, only to learn that Beth disappeared two days earlier.

With clues found in the luggage, including a tattered copy of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, which Ruby believes instigated her madness, she sets out to uncover the truth. 

After the first few chapters, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, BUT, I'm so glad I kept reading. I guess the story wasn't what I thought it was going to be, so it took me a while to get into it, but after I did, I really enjoyed it. There were parts of the book that I didn't see coming (and I'm usually good at figuring out stuff like that). And I thought the ending was really good! This was the author's debut novel, I plan to check out her next one. 

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

(4 out of 5 stars)

Summary: Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in "The Satan Sacrifice" of Kinnakee, Kansas. She survived-and famously testified that her 15 year-old brother Ben was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club, a secret, secret society obsessed with notorious crimes-locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history. She'll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club- for a fee. As Libby's search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started-on the run from a killer. 

I found a list of 16 books to read before their movies came out this year (see list here) and this book was listed. I decided to give it a try. Hence the name, it was pretty "dark". If you like books about puppies and happy thoughts, I don't recommend this for you. It's kind of a mystery, but can get pretty graphic, especially recalling the murder scene. I wasn't sure what I thought of the Libby character at first. I assumed you were supposed to sympathize with her because she went through something so tragic as a child, but she seems to want to profit from it, even 25 years later. Honestly none of the characters are very likable (it doesn't take away from the novel though). The character Lyle kinda grew on me after a while. BUT, it's still a good read. I plan to check out some more Gillian Flynn books soon. I also plan to see the movie when it comes out later this year.

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

(4 out of 5 stars)

Summary: Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her "happily ever after" begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill, but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in the trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone's owner, businessman Sam Raxton, doesn't agree. He wants his phone back and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other's lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents, she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

After reading such a dark and gory book like Dark Places, I needed something "light" to read, so I turned to a Sophie Kinsella's book. Sophie rarely disappoints with her novels, this was a cute story. As someone who lives through text messages, it was fun to read the correspondence of Poppy and Sam's texts going back and forth. I could so relate to having a relationship through texts. Was it a realistic story? Not really. What is predictable? Absolutely (well, for the most part). But like most chick-lit, it was a fun read. I read it in less than a day.

The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver

(4 out of 5 stars)

Summary: When Special Agent Kathryn Dance, a brilliant interrogator and kinesics expert is sent to question the convicted killer Daniel "Son of Mason" Pell, as a suspect in a newly unearthed crime, she feels both trepidation and electrifying intrigue. Pell is serving a life sentence for the brutal murders of a wealthy Croyton family years earlier. Pell and his cult members were sloppy. Not only were they caught, they even left behind a survivor, the youngest of the Croyton daughters, who, because she was in bed hidden behind her toys that night, was dubbed the Sleeping Doll.

But when Dance's party goes terribly wrong and Pell escapes, leaving behind a trail of dead and injured, she finds herself in charge of her first-ever manhunt. Dance turns to the part to find the truth out what Daniel Pell is really up to. She tracks down the now teenage Sleeping Doll to learn what really happened that night, and she arranges a reunion of three women who were in Pell's cult at the time of the killings. The lies of the past and the evasions of the present boil up under the relentless probing of Kathryn Dance, but will the truth about Daniel Pell emerge in time to stop him from killing again?

This is the first book by Jeffery Deaver that I have read. I'll be honest, halfway through the book I was expecting to only give it three stars (it was good, but was kind of dragging), but during the second half of the book, the pace picked up, earning it an additional star from me. I like the character Kathryn Dance and look forward to reading more books in her series. This isn't nearly as dark as Dark Places, but there is some mystery and murder throughout the book (you have been warned). The one thing I found kinda funny (I guess I should put spoiler alert, although it's not really and it won't ruin the book), is that the book is called The Sleeping Doll, but that character is only in the book for a very brief time. Regardless, I thought it was a good read.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!
XOXO! 

Book Club Friday: One Tuesday Morning

I've been so bad about writing my book reviews. I've read SO MANY good books so far this year. We will see if I can be better about posting reviews. Anyways, I mentioned that last weekend I visited my "honorary" grandparents, Meem and Pop. Meem is also a big reader and she sent me home with a TON of books. The first one I read was Book 1 of this series by an author named Karen Kingsbury. Okay, I'm gonna be honest, I had never heard of her before, BUT, after reading this book I'm on a mission to find other books by her. I've already read Book 2 of this series and am on Book 3. BUT, this review is about Book 1, One Tuesday Morning.

I actually didn't read a full description of the book before I started reading it. Meem told me it was fiction, but based on the events of 9/11. The only thing I read was the cover that said "Strangers with the same face. Only one will leave the Twin Towers alive." I knew ahead of time that this would be an emotional book (I was right). 

Here is the description from the author's website: 

"Karen Kingsbury wrote this novel as a way of grieving the events of September 11, 2001. It's an emotionally gripping story of a devoted firefighter, and a driven businessman, strangers from opposite sides of the country with the same face. They meet in the stairwell of the South Tower that fateful Tuesday morning, but only one of them will leave the building alive. Battling amnesia, the survivor must learn how to be the husband and father he never was, by living in the shoes of the man who no longer is. Ultimately he will only find his way home because of the love and faith of one very special woman."

First of all, Karen did such a good job of taking you back to September 11. I found myself remembering where I was and what I was doing when all of this happened. Granted, the characters are names Karen made up, but you know there were real people just like them. There were many firefighters who took the call to go to the towers that day who never made it out. There were businessmen who had traveled across the country for a Tuesday morning meeting in New York who never made it home. You knew as she was describing the horrific events taking place that day, that it wasn't just something in the imagination of an author, that really happened. I'll admit I cried more than once during this book. I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone who might read it. Some of the story is a little predictable, but it's not a distraction and it doesn't take away from the book. I can't recommend this book enough!

Happy weekend everyone!

XOXO!!

Book Club Friday

If you know me, you know I have a bad habit of reading more than one book at a time (I may or may not be currently reading about four books). BUT, I did start and finish the following book this past week. 

When 28-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she is in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident- in a Mercedes no less- Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she's about to find out just how much things have changed. Somehow Lexi went from a 25-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband-who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she...well, seems to be. That is, until an adorable disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all. Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?

This was the first book by Sophie Kinsella that I've read and I LOVED it. I read a review on one of her other books (actually found it on a Book Club Friday blog hop), so when I saw this one at Half Price Books, I thought I'd give her a try. First of all- I like her writing style. It was very easy to read, I probably read about half of the book in one sitting. The author is from England, so there were some British terms I had to look up (like a quid- which is a slang term for their currency). But that wasn't a distraction (and I learned something new!)

I actually have another book by Sophie that I plan to read soon. If the writing is anything like this novel, I won't be disappointed.

Has anyone else ever read Sophie Kinsella? What do you think of her?

Happy weekend!!

XOXO!

Book Club Friday

I found this blog hop and decided to link up today! If you want to check out other book reviews, hop on over to Blonde...Undercover Blonde.

As you know, I love to read. I recently starting reading a trilogy so I thought I would review book one of that series. 

First of all, NO, not Heather Graham the actress. The author and actress are two totally different people. I discovered this author thanks to my friend Martha, who let me borrow one of her books a few years ago. Her style is a range of mystery/suspense to supernatural/paranormal to romance (and sometimes a mixture of all of those).

Ghost Shadow is the first book in The Bone Island trilogy series. Heather's books are usually a fast, fun read, and if you have a whole day to do nothing, you can easily read one in less than a day. This book was no exception. I think I read it in two days (I started it late one night and finished it the next day).

Here is the synopsis:

There are those who walk among us who are no longer alive, but not yet crossed over. They seek retribution...vengeance...to warn. Among the living, few intuit their presence. 

Katie O'Hara is one who can.

As she's drawn deeper and deeper into a gruesome years-old murder, whispered warnings from a spectral friend become more and more insistent. But Katie must uncover the truth: could David Beckett really be guilty of his fiancee's murder?

Worse- the body count's rising on the Island of Bones, and the dead seem to be reenacting some macabre tableaux from history. The danger is increasing by the moment- especially as Katie finds herself drawn to David, who may be responsible for more than one killing.

- via

My Thoughts:

Ever since I was little, I've enjoy stories about ghosts. And I love murder mysteries (this explains my crime show addiction). This is a mixture of both and I think Heather Graham did a good job with it. I really liked the main character in this book- Katie is a very strong-willed person. I liked her immediately. I also liked Bartholomew (if you read the book, you'll know who he is). There were a few subplots, but I feel that it was written in such a way that it didn't distract from the main plot of the story. The ending surprised me a little (when I read mysteries I tend to try and solve it myself, sometimes I succeed, but not this time) but it was a good ending. I would recommend it to anyone who likes paranormal mystery books. It's a fun read.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! XOXO!