I've done a lot of reading this summer, so I thought I'd share my second round of books in a little review with you. I love reading, and now that the boys are a little older and more independent, I've been able to do more reading this summer than I have since Cooper was born. Anyways, here's a little review of my latest reads. Oh, I'm not including my "Kindle Free" books I've read, you can look at the cover of those and pretty much predict the whole outcome, but I do enjoy reading those for a quick, mindless read. The book descriptions below are from Amazon.
As war surges in the factions of dystopian Chicago all around her, Tris attempts to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
This was book #2 of the Divergent series. I flew through this book too (before school was even out), but it wasn't quite as good as Divergent. The love story wasn't all nice and neat through this one, so I read in a panic, desperate to see what was going to happen to Tris and Four. I also rushed through to figure out what was going to happen in book three. This book definitely developed the characters more, which was great.
What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
This was the third and final book of the Divergent series, so I couldn't put it down because I was so desperate to find out of the fate of Tris and Four, but mainly just Four. Lots of things happen in this book, several of which are a bit shocking, and I liked it until the end. The most shocking thing that happened was the ending though (which I won't spoil), but let me tell ya, it almost ruined the whole series for me. I had been warned, but I'd hoped it wouldn't be that bad... it was worse than bad. I was furious when I read it, and hoped that it was all a bad dream and that everything would be wrapped up nice and neatly. Well, that didn't happen. If you haven't read the series, don't let the ending stop you, just be mentally prepared for the worst. It's probably my least favorite ending of a book that I've ever read.
When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night—dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows her. Margo’s always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she’s always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they’re for Q.
I had read The Fault in our Stars by John Green last summer and really liked it, so I thought I'd like this one too. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, and read it rather quickly, but it was just one of those books I was fine not picking up until I read before falling asleep at night. Most of the time, if I really like a book, I can't put it down throughout the day. I liked the main character, Quentin, a lot. Based on the description above, I thought the book was going to be more of a serious mystery, but it wasn't, which kind of disappointed me. Anyways, through the majority of the book Q and his friends are trying to find this girl, and it builds you up so much to her being found. The ending is what really disappointed me the most. It was very anticlimactic in my opinion, and kind of just let you hanging. I don't regret reading it, but it definitely wasn't one of my favorites.
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 fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club—a 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 had read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn last summer, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. Reading that book last year also prepared for the horrible language in this book. Her language isn't for the faint of heart, and had me almost stopping both books several times. Anyways, this book definitely kept me wondering, but it was SO dark and depressing... like probably the most depressing book I've ever read. The title is a great fit. I would read for a little while, then I'd have to sit it down because I felt like I needed to take an antidepressant. Anyways, by the end of it I was dying to find out who did it, and I never figured it out until it came out and said it. It was a good book, but if you read it, definitely don't expect something light and happy- I don't know that there was one happy part in it. There's one book left of hers that I haven't read, Sharp Objects, and it's on my list.
It begins with an early morning phone call to Myron Bolitar. His old flame Terese Collins is in Paris, and she needs his help. In her debt, Myron makes the trip, and learns of a decade-long secret: Terese once had a daughter who died in a car accident. Now it seems as though that daughter may be alive-and tied to a sinister plot with shocking global implications.
I've read several Harlan Coben's novels, and I always really like them. This one was no exception. It turned out to be a very political book, which can cause me to lose interest fast, but this wasn't too heavy that I couldn't follow. The only thing I didn't like that it left a couple of bigger book issues unanswered and unresolved, which really bothered me. If you introduce a major life event, go on to explain it!
*Let me come back and say that after a little research, I just realized that this character has a series of books, so that's probably why I had some questions left unanswered. I didn't know that, so I didn't start with book #1. Oops!
From a distance, Felix Fitzwilliam, the son of an old English family, is a good husband and father. But, obsessed with order and routine, he’s a prisoner to perfection. Disengaged from the emotional life of his North Carolina family, Felix has let his wife, Ella, deal with their special-needs son by herself.
A talented jewelry designer turned full-time mother, Ella is the family rock…until her heart attack shatters their carefully structured existence. Now Harry, a gifted teen grappling with the chaos of Tourette’s, confronts a world outside his parents’ control, one that tests his desire for independence.
As Harry searches for his future, and Ella adapts to the limits of her failing health, Felix struggles with his past and present roles. To prevent the family from being ripped apart, they must each bend with the inevitability of change and reinforce the ties that bind.
I knew from the first page that this book was either going to have a really sad ending or a really happy ending - I won't tell you which it was though. This was a touching story of a man trying to learn how to love and care for his special needs son while dealing with his wife's heart attack, and while working through his own issues. At times I felt like it "lost" the story a little bit while getting caught up in stuff that wasn't really important, but those parts did add to the father/son relationship. It was a good book, but nothing incredible.
One night, Mia Dennett enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn't show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. At first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life.
When Colin decides to hide Mia in a secluded cabin in rural Minnesota instead of delivering her to his employers, Mia's mother, Eve, and detective Gabe Hoffman will stop at nothing to find them. But no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family's world to shatter.
I read this book slowly. It was one of those I didn't want to fly through because I really enjoyed it. It goes back and forth between the perspectives of Colin, the kidnapper, Gabe, the detective, and Eve, Mia's mom. Right at the beginning you find out whether Mia lives or dies/is rescued or isn't rescued, so that part doesn't leave you hanging and isn't the mystery of the book. Part of it I figured out about halfway through (which wasn't that hard to predict), but the ending left me shocked and rereading to make sure I caught it right. The language was a bit rough in spots, but it was a really good book that kept me guessing until the last word of the book - I love that!
