from my bookshelf

I've been reading a few good books lately, so I thought I'd share them in case your bookshelf is lacking.

I'm not very discriminating on types of books I will read, but if a book doesn't capture me in the first few pages, I'm very easily persuaded to put it down. Hello, Hunger Games. Thank goodness I ran out of things to read on vacation and picked it back up.

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But just like I love a good crime show, I also love a good crime novel. I picked this one up randomly a wild back. I think it was a good price on Barnes and Noble for my Nook or something.

212 by Alafair Burke

"When New York University sophomore Megan Gunther finds personal threats posted to a Web site specializing in campus gossip, she's taken aback by their menacing tone. Someone knows her daily routine down to the minute and is watching her — but thanks to the anonymity provided by the Internet, the police tell her there's nothing they can do. Her friends are sure it's someone's idea of a joke, but when Megan is murdered in a vicious attack, NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher is convinced that the online threats are more than just empty words. With smooth, straight-talking partner J. J. Rogan at her side, Ellie tries to identify Megan's enemies, but she begins to wonder if the coed's murder was more than just the culmination of a cyber obsession. Phone records reveal a link between Megan and a murdered real estate agent who was living a dangerous double life. The detectives also learn that the dead real estate agent shared a secret connection to a celebrity mogul whose bodyguard was mysteriously killed a few months earlier. And when Megan's roommate suddenly disappears, they know they have to find her before another young woman dies."




I just finished it this past weekend and thought it to be very good. I think it's the third in the "Ellie Hatcher series," and I'll be reading the others.

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I heard my friends Shannon and Nicole discussing this one just before my trip to DC in September, but just got around to starting it today. And though I wasn't sold on the plot line at first, I read 100 pages at lunch today, so it's safe to say I'm convinced now!


Matched by Ally Condie

  

"In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.
Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one… until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow — between perfection and passion."

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I'm also in the middle of an audio book right now - yes, I know, I am a nerd. I've only been listening to it when I drive long distances or occasionally while I work out so I haven't gotten too far, but I've heard enough to be intrigued.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynne

"On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick Dunne’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick Dunne isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but hearing from Amy through flashbacks in her diary reveal the perky 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 left in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?"

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What are you reading? I'm always looking for new books to add to my list!

a few things

1. Bob and I had to cancel a planned vacation to Savannah this weekend, because, unfortunately, my grandmother passed away and we had to travel to New York instead. I will miss Grandma Tess so, so much, but are so thankful that I had her for 28 years and that she is no longer in pain.

I could do a whole post on her life with my Grandpa. What an amazing life they led. It's such a testament to her character the people that showed up for her funeral...her hairdresser, their real estate agent, Grandpa's flying buddies, my dad's childhood friends, etc.

Isn't she beautiful? She met my Grandpa when she was 14 and they had been married for 69 years. 69! I can't even imagine knowing someone for 69 years, let alone be married that long.

2. As a result, we are exhausted and emotional. Dreaming of a vacation to someone warm and relaxing. Like maybe...

Cabo San Lucas? Courtesy

or...

Saint Lucia? Courtesy

3. On the flights, I finished this book on my Nook - "Too Good to be True" by Kristan Higgins. It was surprisingly cute for a random book I picked from the library and I'll probably read more by the same author. Next up..."Saving Gracie," on recommendation from my friend Leigh, who has similar reading tastes as I. By the cover, I'm already hooked. :)

4. Did you see the new Bachelorette? Or maybe I'm the only one who still watches that show. Love. It. Wow, drunk guy. Glad she sent him packing. Not seeing the attraction to Bentley but, hey, whatever floats your boat. Glad she kept him around for the drama factor. I'm sorry if she gets hurt, but, hey, she was warned!

I'm liking JP so far. He was so cute when he got out of the limo - so nervous! I love when attractive, seemingly confident guys get nervous.

book mark: black heels to tractor wheels

Simple: I loved it. What an easy, entertaining read. And even better that Black Heels to Tractor Wheels is based on one woman's (and man's) real-life Cinderella story. And one who is arguably the most talked about blogger out there. Seriously, almost everyone I know reads Pioneer Woman's blog. And if they don't read it regularly, they've read it on occasion. Or cooked one of her recipes. Or have at least heard of her.

But back to the book. It's a riveting account of Ree's journey to marriage and beyond with Marlboro Man. It's refreshingly honest and surprising, filled with the ups and downs that accompany falling in love.

Borrowed

I'd love to hear Marlboro Man's side of the story - as always, he seems so perfect, so charming, while Ree is portrayed as a fool in love...I wonder what he remembers. Her account of the disastrous dates that led up to him falling madly in love with her are hilarious and endearing.

The critics say you could read much of the story on PW's blog - but if you're like me and haven't, it's all fresh material. Buy it, download it, borrow it, whatever. It's a quick read that you won't want to put down.

book mark: water for elephants

It took me a chapter or two to get into this one, but by the end I couldn't put it down. I read it on my Nook and I was actually disappointed when it ended - that's the problem with the Nook, sometimes I don't know when it's about to end b/c I don't pay attention to the page numbers or they are deceiving.

I read so many books where the lead character is a female, so it was different to be so focused on a male character and his wants, needs and thoughts. Jacob was both intriguing and lovable, yet human. He made mistakes of a gargantuan proportion, but his remorse was genuine and heart-felt. I found myself wanting to warn him when he was about to mess up.

And you kind of just wanted to pluck Marlena up and hug her, give Rosie the elephant a pat on the back and laugh alongside Bobo the monkey's antics.

The only downside to this book is the obvious: the cruel treatment of the animals. It was hard to read those parts, but it really shows a story of compassion in the end. I'll warn you that there are some graphic parts.

Great story. Great book. Hopefully great movie, but that's too be determined. I am not enamored by the casting of Jacob, but for all you Twilight lovers, I'll give him a chance to prove me wrong!

book mark: the help

Amazing. You can't tell by how long it's been since I started reading this book, but I literally could. not. put. it. down.

As the Washington Post says in it's review, "In a page-turner that brings new resonance to the moral issues involved, she [Stockett] spins a story of social awakening as seen from both sides of the American racial divide."

I loved it. I loved Skeeter and her passion (and naiveté ) to change Jackson - and the world. I loved Aibileen's sweet, Southern way and her "prayer list." I loved Minny's ball-busting (I tried hard to find another term for this, word anyone know one?) humor that masked a life of pain. I even tried to like Elizabeth. Every time I started to think she had come around, she disappointed me. Oh, and sweet Mae Mobley. Nothing like the innocence of a two-year old.

If you haven't read it yet, stop right now and head to your nearest library or Barnes and Noble, or log on to Amazon, or download it to your Nook, or borrow it from your sweet friend Shannon (who didn't realize it would take you forever and a day to finally read it) and get started now! You won't be disappointed.

P.S. - Did you know that The Help was adapted into a screenplay? It's actually post-production and should be in theaters in August 2011. Emma Stone (Skeeter), Viola Davis (Aibileen) and Sissy Spacek (Miss Walters) are some big names on the cast.