Vanishing Acts

Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult

My Rating - 3 out of 5 stars

Interesting book. I always enjoy Jodi Picoult's books but this definitely wasn't my favorite of hers. For some reason I didn't really like Delia, the main female character. I don't really have a good reason, I just didn't care for her. I much preferred the chapters that were in Eric's perspective. However I did enjoy reading this and was curious in how it all was going to end. I felt like the book was a little too wordy and long at times, and I didn't care for the ending. I wanted a little more closure I guess...

Anyways, Jodi Picoult writes this book in five different perspectives. Delia, her fiance Eric, her best friend, her father and her mother. Delia was raised in New Hampshire by her father. Her whole life she has thought her mother died in a car accident when she was four. Now 28 years later the police show up and arrest her father for kidnapping. She is enraged thinking they got the wrong guy until he tells her that they are charging him for kidnapping her. Now her life is upended and she is struggling to remember important details from her childhood.

Happy Reading!

Eden Close

 Eden Close by Anita Shreve

My Rating - 2 out of 5 stars

I have to say this book was a little on the boring side. It was just so wordy and I really didn't get into it until it was about half over and the secrets were finally coming out. I pretty much skimmed the first half of the book. So all in all, not the best read ever but here is what it is about:

Andrew comes back to his home town for his mother's funeral. While he is home memories start flooding back about his neighbors. Eden is a couple years younger than him and one night when he was seventeen a tragedy struck. Eden was left blind and her father was murdered. There was a lot of speculation of what happened but no one knew for sure. Now Andrew is sucked back in to figure it all out and to get close to Eden once again.

Still Missing

 Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

My Rating - 3 out of 5 stars

What a disturbing book! Overall it was a good read, but definitely a little dark and depressing. We follow Annie, a thirty something realtor who experiences most women's worst nightmare. We meet Annie as she is consulting with her therapist and recounting the last years horrific experience. Annie is kidnapped at the end of her open house. She is then held captive for over a year in a cabin somewhere in the mountains. She refers to the man who kidnapped her as "the freak", which I think is very appropriate. The things that Annie experienced while in this cabin with "the freak" are horrible.

I have to say that I did have a few issues with the book. To begin with I had a hard time understanding and liking Annie at first. You don't really understand what happened to her until you get into the book a little bit but she is just so bitter and angry right off the bat. I know, who wouldn't be, but it just took me awhile to understand her. My other issue is how she got away from "the freak". I won't go into detail but it is just odd to me because he was always so careful with everything. And lastly, the ending was pretty much awful. So not realistic at all. Other than that I did enjoy this book and was so anxious to find out what happened to Annie and how she was dealing with everything.

Happy Reading!

Love the One You're With

Love the One You're With by Emily Griffin

My rating - 3 out of 5 stars

Meh.... This was just a okay book. I definitely have liked other Emily Griffin books more than this one. I was just kind of annoyed with the main character Ellen. She was just so quick to doubt her marriage just because an ex waltzed back into her life. Anyways, not the worst book but I just don't have much to say about it.

Happy Reading!

The Winters in Bloom

The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker

My Rating - 4.5 out of 5 stars

What a page turner! I seriously could not put this down. It was just so mysterious. I just had to know, why are Kyra and David so protective? What are these secrets they have been holding from each other? Who did actually take Micheal? What is going to happen next? The author did such a great job keeping the reader's interest and only sharing a little bit of information at a time. It was amazing how she put this book together in a mysterious but not too confusing way.

We are introduced to Micheal, a five year old boy who is extremely sheltered. His parents are way too over-protective and are always worried something is going to happen to him. Well, today something does. Someone kidnaps Micheal from his front yard. Now his parents, Kyra and David, delve into their pasts, both so sure that someone they know took Micheal. Both Kyra and David have extremely painful pasts that they don't really like to talk about. Now they have no choice but to go back and relive those moments so that they can hopefully find their son.

Happy Reading!

If I Stay Series

If I Stay (If I Stay #1) by Gayle Forman

My Rating - 4 out of 5 stars

Wow! I just can't stop thinking about this book. Even though this is not a true story (as far as I know), I just feel so bad for Mia. I can't even imagine. This is like my worst nightmare. My whole family gone in one moment. Or worse, my kids left parent-less. Ahhhh, so horrible!

Anyways, If I Stay follows Mia on a average winter day. It is set in Oregon so when they had a snow storm (a pretty small one I must stay), the schools close and Mia, her younger brother, and her parents decide to hang out and go see Mia's grandparents. Unfortunately they never make it. They are in a horrible car accident. Mia is caught between life and death and is able to witness everything that is going on around her. Now she has to decide whether she can fight enough to stay or if she is just too tired.....

I can't wait to read the next book in this series Where She Went, and I already put it on hold at the library so hopefully I will get it soon! 

Happy Reading!

7/1 - Just finished Where She Went, the sequel to If I Stay.  It is pretty good but not as good as the first one.  This book was in Adam's voice (Mia's boyfriend) so that was interesting.  Adam is clearly extremely depressed which just made the tone of the book kind of a downer but it was still pretty good.  

City of Lost Souls

 City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare

My Rating - 4 out of 5 stars

Finally! The 5th book in the Mortal Instrument's series is out. I read this book in about 2 days, but that is how it is with this series. Super fast and easy reads that are definitely entertaining.

I really liked this book. It had a little bit of a different feel to it than the rest of the series which was a nice change. I liked how you got a glimpse into the other character's lives this time. Of course the main story was with Clary and Jace. Is anyone else getting sick of the fact that there is always something standing between them? When are they ever going to be able to be together? Anyways.... we also get to understand Isabelle a little more. Lovable Simon again has a main part. And we also get to see Alec and Magnus's relationship any Maia and Jordan's relationship. I feel like I understand these character's a little more and really enjoyed reading more about them. Clary and Jace's relationship is as complicated as ever. And of course, there is evil Sebastian.

Definitely a great read but a little bummed that the next and last one won't be out till 2014. But did you know that there is going to be a sequel series called the Dark Artifices Trilogy? Unfortunately the first one won't be out till 2015 so who knows if I will still be interested then. At least the third Infernal Devices book (the prequel series) will be out in March!