Top Ten Tuesday: 2/3

Top Ten CRIME/MYSTERY/THRILLER Books WE Can’t Believe WE Haven’t READ/Want To Read

1. The Rizzoli & Isles Series by Tess Gerritsen – I’ve heard great things, have loved the episodes I’ve seen…I just haven’t had the time to really get into them.

2. The rest of the Bones/Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs – I’ve read the first six or seven books, but keep getting distracted. I love them and definitely want to read the rest.

3. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown – I loved The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons. Loved them. I haven’t picked up the latest, though. Might need to reread the first two.

4. State of Fear by Michael Crichton – I am a huge Crichton fan, and I have yet to pick this one up. I try to read a Crichton book a year, so maybe this is The One.

5. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson – I watched the movie, which completely turned me off from ever wanting to read the book. That being said, it tops nearly every Thriller list on Goodreads’ Listopia, so perhaps I should give a second chance.

6. The Shining by Stephen King – when I was younger (like middle school aged which is horrible, I know), I LOVED Stephen King. I read Pet Sematary, Carrie, Salem’s Lot and a bunch more but never got around to The Shining. It’s very intriguing to me, so it’s probably about time.

7. Room by Emma Donoghue – when Room first came out 5 (!) years ago, it was pretty popular and I always meant to read it but have yet to do so.

8. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield – this came out almost 10 years ago, and I keep seeing it everywhere recently. I’m taking it as a sign that I need to read it!

9. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris – I used to watch this movie over and over when I was younger, and I’ve read Red Dragon which is the first in the Hannibal Lecter series, so this is next on the list!

10. The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith – JK Rowling wrote this under a pseudonym. That’s reason enough for me to read it, and I’m very surprised I haven’t yet.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the Broke & the Bookish. Check out more Top Ten features on their site.

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

Love Letters so the Dead by Ava Dellaira is about a high school student named Laurel. On her first day of school, she receives an assignment to write a letter to someone that is dead and the entire book is just letters she continues to write to Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Amelia Earhart, and way more. The entire story is written through those letters.

Laurel’s sister May died right in front of Laurel, so there is definitely a tragedy there. Their parents had been split up for awhile and their mom constantly questioned Laurel about what exactly happened before “running away” to California. The entire story, you can tell there is something bigger that happened between May and Laurel, and Laurel knows why May died but refuses to talk about it. There is a lot, A LOT, of crying and a lot of juvenile naivete from Laurel as well as from her friends.

To me it felt like Laurel was desperate for someone to love her. She felt abandoned by everyone around her – her sister died, her mom fled to California because she couldn’t deal, her dad is a hollow shell because of everything that’s happened, etc. and she grasps at any attention she receives. She’s obviously dealing with a lot and not thinking clearly. There is an abundance of under-age drinking and skipping school, parties and drugs as well.

About 3/4 of the way through the book, you finally find out exactly what happened leading up to May’s death and it completely broke my heart. I was literally sitting in bed with snot and tears running down my face, my husband looking at me like I was crazy (he just doesn’t understand book-love). After that, I completely understood all of Laurel’s behavior, her lashing out, the sneaking out, the drinking, everything. If you put yourself back into a teenager’s shoes, and imagine a teenager going through everything she went through, then the book is absolutely amazing. If you go into it thinking that the topic will be dealt with on a mature level, then you shouldn’t read this book. Laurel is a TEENAGER and she deals with trauma the way only teenagers do – by rebelling. She’s trying to find herself and figure out how to keep living.

I rated Love Letters to the Dead 4/5 on Goodreads. It’s not my favorite, but I did really like it and I really related to Laurel.

Luckiest Girl Alive: A Novel by Jessica Knoll

As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.

But Ani has a secret.

There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.

I. Can’t. Even.

I just finished Luckiest Girl Alive, and my mind is spinning. Those 304 pages took me on an insanely confusing, jarring, and emotional roller coaster.

It’s going to be difficult to say much without ruining the plot twists, but I will do my best.

Ani (pronounced Ah-nee, not Annie) has constructed the image of a perfect life. Expensive wardrobe, rich fiance, glamorous magazine job, a one-bedroom apartment by the Brooklyn Bridge—she has it all.

Her perfectly crafted facade is her way to cope with the horrific events that occurred in her childhood. In a desperate attempt to join the popular crowd at her new school when she’s fourteen, she ends up at a party with a group of the popular guys. After too many drinks, Ani is raped by the group of them, which sends her life into a spiral. Another major incident occurs later in the school year, but I won’t reveal that plot twist—it’s what the first two-thirds of the book work up to.

Net Galley boasts that it’s Prep meets Gone Girl. I can kind of see that, though I would argue that it has more of a twisted Devil Meets Prada feel to it. It was a thrilling and dark read, to say the least. Rape, bullying, and murder are major components to the book.

As a main character, I actually kind of liked Ani. Though I don’t have a personal understanding of what she’s gone through, I could clinically look at her emotions and the way she handled things in the wake of her past. That being said, her raging bitchiness to everyone around her and her obsession with dieting was obnoxious.

Her fiance, Luke, was totally one-dimensional and boring. He was also kind of a jerk, though after putting up with Ani’s bitchiness for three years, maybe that’s why.

I loved Knoll’s writing style. It was snappy, descriptive, and unique. She’s very, very good at showing and not telling.

At the end of the book, Ani goes into detail about psychopathy and how one of the other characters was an off-the-charts psychopath. She went on to explain the characteristics of psychopaths. Ani is the definition of a psychopath, so I found this slightly humorous—perhaps it was intentional on the author’s part? I’m not sure.

This was a fantastic, dark read. Perfect for the end of winter. I gave it a 5/5 on Goodreads, and would definitely recommend it to those who aren’t squeamish 🙂

I was given a free ARC of Luckiest Girl Alive by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Luckiest Girl Alive will be released on May 12, 2015 by Simon & Schuster.

Listened To: Game of Thrones: The Song of Ice & Fire

My husband and I are huge fans of books-on-tape…also known as audiobooks to those who weren’t around for cassette tapes. Back in the day, I would have to go to the library, rent a huge binder-sized contraption full of cassettes, bring it home, curse at the people before me who hadn’t rewinded the tape, and hope that the narrator was good.

It was a process for sure.

Now you can actually listen to a sample of the narrator’s voice before buying or renting—oh, or get a book on demand. That’s pretty cool, too. I digress.

My husband has an hour-long commute every day—thirty minutes there, thirty minutes back. For Christmas, I figured an audiobook—of our favorite book-turned-show, Game of Thrones—would be perfect.

Of course, until I started listening and insisted he wait for me to listen to it. So, that backfired.

However, this book-on-tape was freaking awesome. Narrator Roy Dotrice is a badass. His voice is amazing, his character voices are even better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wElBz8uQLJc

The book itself was fantastic, too, and I was pleased to see how close the series followed the episodes. Definitely a 5/5 in my book.

Top Ten Tuesday: 1/27

Ten Books I’d Love To Read With My Book Club (if I had one)

1. Pointe by Brandy Colbert – this book was amazing and creepy, and it would have been amazing to be able to discuss it with someone else that was reading it at the same time.

2. The Silver Witch by Paula Brackston – this doesn’t come out until April and I am desperate to read it. It’s about a woman named Tilda who escapes to a secluded cottage to overcome the grief she’s stricken with after her husband’s death, and it awakens some sort of power within her. Sounds like it’s right up my alley!

3. The Way We Bared Our Souls by Willa Strayhorn – this is the ultimate book to read with a group or even just another friend.

4. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – I’ve read all of her books, but I’ve never really bonded with anyone over them like I did Firefly Lane. This sounds pretty different, but if it’s written by Hannah, it’s definitely got some ‘bonding’ potential – perfect for a book club!

5. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys – this book! I read it last year and it was absolutely amazing. I would have loved to have read it with someone else.

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of book clubs – but if I had to choose, I would choose these. I’ve read a couple of them already, but it would have been even better to be able to discuss them while reading.

6. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner – I am a big Weiner fan, and I can’t believe I missed this one! It’s a tale of two friends who grow up together, move apart, and have to weather love, loss, and life together.

7. Lumiere by Jacqueline Garlick – This looks like a thrilling, original read, and I think it would be a lot of fun to discuss with other people!

8. The Year of Taking Chances by Lucy Diamond – Alright, alright. I have friends theme going on here, apparently. This book is about friends, new developments, and taking chances.

9. Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain – I’m an introvert. This is a book about introverts. Not all introverts are silent, anti-social people, and I would imagine my book club would be full of introverts…what better book to discuss than a book about introverts?!

10. Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton – Set in ancient Egypt, this is a historical novel about Hatshepsut, who takes over at Egypt’s de facto ruler when her husband dies. It has received wonderful reviews and looks fantastic. It would be fun to discuss as a group.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the Broke & the Bookish. Check out more Top Ten features on their site.

How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donahue

Ever since binge watching TLC’s DC Cupcakes, I’ve always wanted to own my own bakery. Never mind that I’m a terrible baker and have zero concept of what would taste good besides chocolate and vanilla—the romantic notion of baking tiny cakes that could make someone’s day has always been appealing.

That’s why I snagged this book. It’s about polar-opposite childhood friends Annie and Julia, who have a long, complicated history. Ultimately, they open a bakery together, using Annie’s prowess as a baker and Julia’s business smarts and money.

It was a total guilty pleasure read, and while I do have some gripes with the book, I will definitely be reaching for another Donahue book soon. I enjoyed her writing style and the way she illustrated scenes, emotions, and tiny details that pulled the scenery together.

That being said, everything felt like a cliche. Julia is the rich, gorgeous, blonde friend, who is part of a wealthy family. Annie is eccentric, curvy, bohemian, and poor. Her mother was Julia’s nanny growing up, the hired help. That’s how Julia and Annie became friends. Julia is marrying a hot, rich dude, and Annie is single.

The story went in a lot of different directions, and I never really felt like issues were realistically addressed, mostly because it was on to the next twist or emotional turn.

That aside, it was great light read. I gave it a 3.5/5 on Goodreads.

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

The night Quin Kincaid takes her Oath, she will become what she has trained to be her entire life. She will become a Seeker. This is her legacy, and it is an honor.
As a Seeker, Quin will fight beside her two closest companions, Shinobu and John, to protect the weak and the wronged. Together they will stand for light in a shadowy world.
And she’ll be with the boy she loves–who’s also her best friend.
But the night Quin takes her Oath, everything changes.
Being a Seeker is not what she thought. Her family is not what she thought. Even the boy she loves is not who she thought.
And now it’s too late to walk away. – Random House

I desperately wanted to like this book. I waited for weeks to be approved on NetGalley, and actually left off in the middle of another book to start it.

I tried for four days. DNF at 52%. Hear me out, because I actually really enjoyed Dayton’s writing style—her word choice and flow was fantastic, and it was the primary thing that kept me reading after 15%. Columbia even picked up the rights to make it into a movie. I think it will be a fantastic movie, actually—but I could not get into the book.

For starters, I could not figure out the timeline. I had no idea if it was fantasy staged in the past, present, or future. At one point, a character finds a World War II relic (and an old Rolls Royce), but nothing was definitive.

At the beginning, I found the abundance of nationalities—Scottish, Japanese, etc.—fascinating and awesome and different. Until I couldn’t keep my characters straight in my head. Who had red hair? Who was the cousin of the woman who was half-Japanese? Whose dad was Scottish again? I am a visual person, and I like being able to picture my characters’ voices and appearances, but this (combined with a lot of characters) made it a little confusing. This is something that will be awesome in movie-format.

Lastly, Seekers weren’t explained in the first half, which I found confusing rather than thrilling or suspenseful. Their purpose is hinted at, but it’s never actually laid out. This was a turn-off for me.

The tipping point in my decision to put the book down was mid-story, when shit pretty much hits the fan (I won’t ruin it for you, but there is loss of memory, drugs, prostitution…what happened?!) and isn’t explained. I believe this, like not explaining what a Seeker does, is to create suspense and intrigue. I was just confused, and though I don’t like to give up on books, especially well-written ones, I wasn’t enjoying the story.

I rated this a 2/5 on Goodreads. The story wasn’t for me, but I did enjoy Dayton’s writing style, and would potentially read something from her in the future.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley. Seeker will be released on February 10th, 2015.

Top Ten Tuesday: 1/20

Our Top Ten Bookish Necessities

1. A fuzzy blanket.

16250488 — Target Threshold Microplush Blanket

2. A {big} mug.

BlueFoxGifts Please Go Away I'm Introverting Mug — BlueFoxGifts Please Go Away I’m Introverting Mug

3. Tea.

4. Or coffee, if you prefer.

5. Fuzzy socks (cold feet are distracting!).

6. A bookmark.

7. Sweet, sweet silence.
……….. ahhhh.

8. A good scent.

Frostbeard Book Lover's Sample Back Wax Scents — Frostbeard Book Lover’s Sample Back Wax Scents

9. A sweet book bag.

ExLibrisJournals I Like Big Books & I Cannot Lie book bag

10. A puppy.

Kiesha's dog Ruger is wonderful for cuddles! — Kiesha’s dog Ruger is wonderful for cuddles!

– Lauren & Kiesha

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the Broke & the Bookish. Check out more Top Ten features on their site.

The Girl With A Clock For A Heart by Peter Swanson

On an ordinary Friday evening at his favorite Boston tavern, George Foss’s comfortable, predictable life is shattered when a beautiful woman sits down at the bar, a woman who vanished without a trace twenty years ago.

Liana Dector isn’t just an ex-girlfriend, the first love George couldn’t quite forget. She’s also a dangerous enigma and quite possibly a cold-blooded killer wanted by the police. Suddenly, she’s back—and she needs George’s help. Ruthless men believe she stole some money . . . and they will do whatever it takes to get it back.

George knows Liana is trouble. But he can’t say no—he never could—so he makes a choice that will plunge him into a terrifying whirlpool of lies, secrets, betrayal, and murder from which there is no sure escape. – Amazon

George and Liana meet during their freshman year at a small college. They fall in young love, which completely sweeps George (who is incredibly naive and blindly in love with this terrible girl, so we will call him Nice George) off of his feet.

After spending a week in bed together, they go their separate ways–and then George finds out that Liana is dead. He is devastated. He goes to her hometown, only to learn that someone died…but it wasn’t Liana. Their young love had painted a picture that was very different from Liana’s violent reality. Then comes the whole suspicion of murder and Liana skips town.

Fast-forward twenty years.

Nice George is living a normal life as a single business manager who is still in love with Liana. I guess a week in bed does that to a person? I have no idea. Out of nowhere, she appears, asking for George’s help. She’s stolen a chunk of money and has several people who are trying to kill her on her tail. She claims she wants to return the money, but she’s so scared. So Nice George does it, and then it all hits the fan.

I liked the characters, but didn’t love them. Liana was terrible, in the best way that Peter Swanson could have written her. Every nasty, cruel thing she did made me cringe—from framing Nice George for multiple crimes to lying to virgin George about it being her first time, too. She is a habitual liar and generally terrible woman. She was very good at manipulating Nice George and using his weaknesses to get what she wanted. Nice George’s naivety and lovestruck blindness grated on my nerves, but only because I don’t have the patience for that type of behavior.

I really enjoyed Swanson’s writing style; descriptive, insightful, beautiful. This occasionally slipped into some flowery writing, but that was far and few between, and not enough to be a turnoff.

Overall, it was a suspenseful, chilling read. There were some Gone Girl echoes, but really I think that was just the “chill” factor. If you’re into suspenseful books, this one is for you!

Learn more about Peter Swanson on his website or Twitter. You can buy The Girl With A Clock For A Heart on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I received a free copy of this book through TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Lord of the Fading Lands (Tairen Soul Book 1) by CL Wilson

Remember how much I loved The Winter King by CL Wilson? Well, I went out (introvert code for online) and bought the first book in her first series, Tairen Soul.

So, now I’m sucked into a five book series…my blog appearances over the next week will be spotty. Rather than review each book, I’ll lump them into a series review when I finish all of them.

But I’ll review the first now, because I can’t wait to rave about it.

Lord of the Fading Lands is the first book in the Tairen Soul series. What the heck is a Tairen? A magnificent, fire-breath cat with wings. Some tairens are actually Fey who are Tairen Soul and can transform into tairen. The tairen is depicted on the cover of the book, so basically I’ve been picturing a panther with wings. You can also Google ‘tairen soul’ and find a bunch of awesome fanart.

I digress.

The story focuses on Ellysetta (I will refer to her by her nickname, Ellie, here on out because I dislike the name Ellysetta), who is the woodcarver’s ginger-haired daughter, and King Rain, who is the king of the Fey (he is also depicted in the cover art, but I pictured him as a black-haired Legolas). The tairen are dying, which means the Fey will die with them. In a vision, Rain sees he must visit Celeiria to find the key to helping the tairen.

Oh boy, does he. Ellie’s soul calls out to him and he realizes she’s his truemate—the mate of his soul. The rest of the book focuses on Ellie’s adoptive background, their courtship, and a bunch of crazy political stuff involving soul stealing Mages, bossy lords, and catty ladies. There is plenty of magic and fantasy to go around.

I absolutely loved this book. Wilson’s storytelling is fantastic, and I think I enjoyed this one even more than The Winter King.

The worldbuilding is phenomenal. The history and background between the Fey, Celeiria, and Eld (the land of the Mages) is incredibly rich and full of detail—but not so much detail all at once that the reader is overwhelmed. I found myself clearly picturing Ellie’s house, the castle, the Fading Lands, Eld, and the bordering cities. The magic platform was fantastic, too. There are six different forms of magic—Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Spirit, and Azrahn (dark magic). Some Fey are better at certain elements, and some have mastered all five. Azrahn is forbidden.

The character building was even better. As it did in The Winter King, the perspective shifts from character to character. Though it primarily focuses on Ellie’s point of view, it frequently switches to Rain’s, too. It even gave a peek at Bel (Ellie’s bloodsworn guard), Lauriana (Ellie’s mom), Den (her terrible ex-fiance), and several more characters, giving the story a rounded approach. Even though I knew what the other side was planning or thinking, there were plenty of plot twists to keep me engaged and staying up wayyy past my bedtime.

There were several sex scenes, but not nearly as many and as descriptive as in The Winter King. Their courtship is less about the sex and more about establishing a relationship.

The odd thing was that the book took place over the series of two or three days. I’m used to books that cover months, so it was different to cover such a short period of time.

I highly recommend this book—I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. Definitely a 5/5 on Goodreads.