Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - REVIEW

Goodreads description for Sharp Objects:

WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.

NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.

HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.

With its taut, crafted writing, Sharp Objects is addictive, haunting, and unforgettable.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.

Camille Preaker is a reporter for a small newspaper in Chicago. (How much do I love books with ties to the Midwest, by the way?) Her editor has heard about some strange happenings in her hometown, so he assigns her to the story. Camille hasn't been home in eight years, so she's not too happy about the assignment to say the least. When she finally gets home to Wind Gap, MO, you find out pretty quickly why she's stayed away. Her mother, Adora, is one of the weirdest characters I've ever read. She's cold, cruel, and just plain old unlikable.

Camille's half sister Amma is one of the more disturbing characters in the book. She's only thirteen but the author describes her as being something of a seductress in the town. She's also a pretty big bully but only when she's out of the house. When she's home, she acts quite young and likes to throw tantrums and be babied by Adora.

Camille tries to write the story her editor wants but you find that she's sort of thwarted by the police and has to almost start her own investigation. She also starts a pseudo-romance with the police officer from Kansas City, who is in town to help solve the crime of the girls.

Camille is dealing with quite a lot. Her own demons, her need to cut, her feelings about being back home where she has a lot of bad memories, her mother, and her dead sister, Marion.

As this is Gillian Flynn's first novel and the first one of hers that I've read, I'm going to admit that I was very pleasantly surpirsed. It's extremely dark but I really liked this book. I was creeped out a lot and sufficiently psychologically thrilled. :) I picked up her second novel Dark Places and I plan on reading that quite soon.

I'd recommend Sharp Objects to anyone who likes a slightly disturbing murder mystery. It has a little bit of everything: mystery, horror, family drama, romance, drugs, sex, and suspense. Be aware that you might be a little queasy with some of the descriptions in the book. It's definitely not for one who is faint of heart.

Never Fade by Alexandra Braken

Never Fade is the follow up to The Darkest Minds.

Here's the summary, courtesy of Goodreads:
Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster. When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her. As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

This book is amazing and if you loved The Darkest Minds: run, don't walk to go read this book. It's expected publishing date is October 15, 2013. Get on it! :)

Spooky Fall Reading Picks

What with fall (and October!) rapidly approaching, what are your fall reading picks? I always want to read something creepy until I remember I get too scared and can't handle it. I read The Diviners by Libba Bray recently and I think it will be an excellent October read for anyone who hasn't read it. It's creepy and funny and really really enjoyable, especially for someone who might have a love for the 1920's. Other books that I'd like to read this fall include Bag of Bones by Stephen King, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, and House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. All of those are books that I currently have on my shelf and that I need to finally read. What are you going to be reading this fall?

Top Priority 2013 TBR list

TBR- June 2013

So, yeah. I've sort of got a lot on my bookish plate. I was just going to go ahead and read The Julius House, which is the last of the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries that my local library carries and then I was going to truck on through and read the next couple In Death books but then.... I found a wonderful new (to me) Youtube channel: thereadables. Oh my Lord. This lady is the cutest. Her name is Priscilla and she has such a passion for reading. It's contagious!

So, I picked up Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde and The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, based on come of her videos. I picked up The Biograph Girl by William J. Mann just because the cover caught my eye. The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen because I quite honestly can't say no to a Desson novel. And The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach was in the FREE BOOK bin at the library!! What?! I was so stoked. :)

Also, my drives to work are being spent listening to The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. What an amazing audiobook.

Library Haul!

I decided to take a quick trip to the library today. I'm still in my reading rut but I just thought I'd pop in and see what caught my interest today. I ended up checking out 4 books and renewing the two from my last visit that I haven't finished yet.

Immortal In Death by J.D. Robb: This is the third book in JD Robb's (Nora Roberts) In Death series. It's a mystery series with a romance thrown in there for good measure. It's set in 2058 in New York City. I just started reading these a few weeks ago. The main character is Eve Dallas. Her love interest in a man only known as Roarke. They're pretty good. I mean, at least good enough to make me curious about the third installment. :) From what I can tell, the series is on it's 37th book, so I've got a ways to go before I'm caught up. I'm not if I will get that invested in these characters.

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley: Another mystery series but this one is quite different from the In Death series. The protagonist in THIS series is an 11 year old girl named Flavia de Luce. It's set in England in the 1940's. Flavia is the best part of the series. She loves chemistry and solving crimes. I've recommended the series to a few people. It's worth checking out. This is the 4th installment in the series out of 6 so far. This one is set during the Christmas season, so I wish I would have gotten it then. It's May and I just don't know if I'll be able to get in the mood for the winter season again.

Jane by April Lindner: I don't think I'd ever heard of this one, to be honest. The cover just got me. It seems to be a modern take on Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is one of those books I've always wanted to read but I just don't know if I ever will. A modern re-telling might be kind of interesting to check out.

And finally, Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson: This will be the third book I've read by Anderson. The Goodreads description is as follows:

Meet Kate Malone-straight-A science and math geek, minister's daughter, ace long-distance runner, new girlfriend (to Mitchell "Early Decision Harvard" Pangborn III), unwilling family caretaker, and emotional avoidance champion. Kate manages her life by organizing it as logically as the periodic table. She can handle it all-or so she thinks. Then, things change as suddenly as a string of chemical reactions; first, the Malones' neighbors get burned out of their own home and move in. Kate has to share her room with her nemesis, Teri Litch, and Teri's little brother. The days are ticking down and she's still waiting to hear from the only college she applied to: MIT. Kate feels that her life is spinning out of her control-and then, something happens that truly blows it all apart. Set in the same community as the remarkable Speak, Catalyst is a novel that will change the way you look at the world.

I don't know if I'll get to all of these within the next two weeks but it could definitely happen.

What did YOU guys get this week at the library? Let me know in the comments. :)

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Book review: The After Girls by Leah Konen

Goodreads.com description: Ella, Astrid, and Sydney were planning the perfect summer after high school graduation. But when Astrid commits suicide in a lonely cabin, the other girls' worlds are shattered. How could their best friend have done this--to herself and to them? They knew everything about Astrid. Shouldn't they have seen this coming? Couldn't they have saved her? As Ella hunts for the truth, and Sydney tries to dull the pain, a chilling message from Astrid leaves them wondering whether their beloved friend is communicating from the after life. The girls embark on a journey to uncover Astrid's dark secrets. The answers to those questions--questions they never dreamed of asking--will change their lives forever.


This book. I read After Girls in the span of two nights. It was a little creepier than the books I usually pick up, so the night that I finished it, despite it being 3:00 in the morning, I had to get up out of bed and watch some lighthearted t.v. to get out of my own head. It was a story of love, friendship, depression, suicide, and secrets. I never quite knew how Konen was going to wrap it up, which is a good thing. I loved the friendships but at the same time, I really wish that I could have gotten to know Astrid a little better. Why did these girls love her so much. I never quite got it but it didn't make me enjoy the book any less. I just let Leah Konen take me on this creepy ride.

I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads.com.

Long time, no talk!

It's been awhile since I've made any blog posts. No real reason. Life just kind of got away from me for a second but have no fear. I've been reading some great things. (And buying some amazing beauty products, if you're interested. :) ) I have some posts in mind, so stay tuned!

Book Review: Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

Confessions of an Angry Girl (Confessions #1) by Louise Rozett

CoaAG is about Rose, a fourteen year old girl, who is starting high school. Her father, a contractor, has recently been killed in Iraq. Her brother just left for college. Her best friend wants to be a cheerleader. Rose isn't having an easy time of any of it.

She meets Jamie in study hall. She recognized him from her brother Peter's soccer games. She develops a crush on him all the while knowing that he's dating Regina, head cheerleader, popular girl, and crazy person.

Now, all of this happens and the whole time, you're not quite sure why Rose is so infatuated with Jamie. I never really got it. He was kind of a flat and bland character. I never really liked him. Or Rose's best friend, Tracey either.

The whole time I'm just thinking to myself, "Why?"

This is the first of a series and it ends pretty abruptly, with Tracy and Rose scheming up a plan to get revenge on Regina. I liked this book enough to want to find out what happens to Rose and everyone. I'd like to see some more character development.

I will say that I think I would have liked this book much more if I was reading it as a teen. As a twenty-something, maybe I just don't relate the way an actual teenager might to the situations that Rose finds herself in. I would also like to point out that young Rose has EXCELLENT taste in music. :) You'll find that out during the party scene after homecoming. :)