4/5
This is the story about three friends since childhood, Kate, Vanessa and Dani, who are now in their late twenties realizing that none of their lives went the way they wanted them to. Kate is dumped by her fiance right after she discovers she's pregnant. She's a successful lawyer but always wanted to be loved. Vanessa was more practical. She wanted to be an art studio owner. She ended up a stay-at-home mom. Dani also wanted the creative field. She wanted to be an author. She ended up unemployed, using drugs, drinking, and never finishing a story. These friends have drifted apart but they plan on reuniting for a summer on the beach where their most traumatic childhood event happened. Kate had a twin brother who died on the beach. All of the girls blamed themselves. They all find themselves needing to face their past in order to deal with their future.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Motor City Shakedown by D.E. Johnson
3/5
Will Anderson is plotting his revenge against Vito Adamo when he is swept into the middle of a gang war between Adamo and the Gianolla brothers. As much as he tries to escape, his family and the woman he loves, Elizabeth Hume, are threatened by the Gianolla brothers. He must put aside his hatred of Adamo and his distrust of the police force in order to try and keep everyone he cares about alive. The plot is fast-paced and action packed. However, this book is a sequel and the author doesn't explain what happened in the first book very well. I wouldn't advise this book unless you already read "The Detroit Electric Scheme." My favorite parts of the book were when the author described like in 1911. It was very detailed and (I'm assuming) accurate.
Will Anderson is plotting his revenge against Vito Adamo when he is swept into the middle of a gang war between Adamo and the Gianolla brothers. As much as he tries to escape, his family and the woman he loves, Elizabeth Hume, are threatened by the Gianolla brothers. He must put aside his hatred of Adamo and his distrust of the police force in order to try and keep everyone he cares about alive. The plot is fast-paced and action packed. However, this book is a sequel and the author doesn't explain what happened in the first book very well. I wouldn't advise this book unless you already read "The Detroit Electric Scheme." My favorite parts of the book were when the author described like in 1911. It was very detailed and (I'm assuming) accurate.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Alex by Pierre Lemaitre
3/5
An unknown woman is kidnapped and the French police must race to save her with very little clues. Before they can save her, Alex manages to save herself. It becomes clear to the police that Alex is no ordinary victim. The police are led by Camille, an officer with a personal stake in the case. His own wife was killed years before while she was eight months pregnant by a kidnapping turned into murder. The story is gripping and filled with enough twists and turns to keep the reader on the edge. My only complaint with the book is that it gets extremely graphic at times. I had trouble reading certain points because of the violence.
An unknown woman is kidnapped and the French police must race to save her with very little clues. Before they can save her, Alex manages to save herself. It becomes clear to the police that Alex is no ordinary victim. The police are led by Camille, an officer with a personal stake in the case. His own wife was killed years before while she was eight months pregnant by a kidnapping turned into murder. The story is gripping and filled with enough twists and turns to keep the reader on the edge. My only complaint with the book is that it gets extremely graphic at times. I had trouble reading certain points because of the violence.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
4/5
On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne returns home to find the front door ajar, furniture overturned, and his wife, Amy, missing. The police are trying to find her but they seem determined that Nick was the one who killed her despite his repeated pleas of innocence. There isn't much else I can say about this book without giving away some of the major plot twists. The book is divided into three parts. Part one, we learn all the evidence against Nick. Part two, we learn the truth. Part three is the resolution. Part one and two are as amazing as Amy herself! They are full of unbelievable, gasping out loud plot twists. It is certainly an amazing read. The only reason I gave this book a 4 instead of a 5 is the ending. It is certainly not what I wanted for the characters. I'm afraid I side with Margo, Nick's sister on this one: "I love you even if..." The "if" here being the choices the characters made in the end.
On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne returns home to find the front door ajar, furniture overturned, and his wife, Amy, missing. The police are trying to find her but they seem determined that Nick was the one who killed her despite his repeated pleas of innocence. There isn't much else I can say about this book without giving away some of the major plot twists. The book is divided into three parts. Part one, we learn all the evidence against Nick. Part two, we learn the truth. Part three is the resolution. Part one and two are as amazing as Amy herself! They are full of unbelievable, gasping out loud plot twists. It is certainly an amazing read. The only reason I gave this book a 4 instead of a 5 is the ending. It is certainly not what I wanted for the characters. I'm afraid I side with Margo, Nick's sister on this one: "I love you even if..." The "if" here being the choices the characters made in the end.
Monday, September 16, 2013
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
3/5
This is a haunting book about just how difficult it is to escape the past. Ralph Truitt takes out a personal ad in the paper, seeking a reliable wife. He is getting lonely as he ages and he wants someone to be with. Catherine answers his ad and agrees to marry him. Right from the start, we realize that the characters are not who they appear to be. Truitt is not simply a lonely aging man and Catherine is not as sweet and innocent as she appears. Truitt's ulterior motive for marriage is to send his new wife to find Antonio, the son he raised albeit in a cruel way. When Catherine goes to meet Antonio to convince him to return to his father's house, the story takes another turn. They already know each other. In fact, they are lovers already united in a mission to kill Truitt so they can claim all of his riches. Page after page, more dark secrets are revealed all the way up to the stunning climax.
This is a haunting book about just how difficult it is to escape the past. Ralph Truitt takes out a personal ad in the paper, seeking a reliable wife. He is getting lonely as he ages and he wants someone to be with. Catherine answers his ad and agrees to marry him. Right from the start, we realize that the characters are not who they appear to be. Truitt is not simply a lonely aging man and Catherine is not as sweet and innocent as she appears. Truitt's ulterior motive for marriage is to send his new wife to find Antonio, the son he raised albeit in a cruel way. When Catherine goes to meet Antonio to convince him to return to his father's house, the story takes another turn. They already know each other. In fact, they are lovers already united in a mission to kill Truitt so they can claim all of his riches. Page after page, more dark secrets are revealed all the way up to the stunning climax.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Fall of the Berlin Wall by iMinds
1/5
I wanted to read a nonfiction book that would give me some insight into historical events, in the case the fall of the Berlin Wall. Instead what I got was a six page general summary of the event. This book would make a useful Spark Notes for a history class but other than that it is pretty useless.
I wanted to read a nonfiction book that would give me some insight into historical events, in the case the fall of the Berlin Wall. Instead what I got was a six page general summary of the event. This book would make a useful Spark Notes for a history class but other than that it is pretty useless.
Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott
4/5
This book is about a square that lives in a two dimensional world known as Flatland. The first part of the book describes Flatland and its inhabitants. It talks about the different shapes that live there (lines, isosceles triangles, equilateral triangles, squares, polygons of all number of sizes, and circles) and their social rules. Flatland has a very strict caste system based on what shape someone is. The more sides one has, the higher one's caste is. Abbott goes into great detail along this tangent and it is absolutely fascinating to read about it. He also talks about the challenges of recognizing someone in a two dimensional world. Inhabitants must be careful when navigating the social rules that go along with recognizing shapes. The other part of the book is about the square's adventures into other lands. He goes to a one dimensional world to meet with the monarch who happens to be a line. He tries to convince this king that the square's land has an additional dimension, it's a plane rather than a line. The king doesn't believe him. Later, the square is visited by a cube who tries to convince him of a third dimension. The square refuses to believe it until the cube takes him with. They talk about the fourth dimension and even visit the zero dimension. (The zero dimension is a single being that makes up the entire universe.) This is a fascinating book that really forces the reader to thing. The reader needs at least a basic understanding of geometry in order to follow along.
This book is about a square that lives in a two dimensional world known as Flatland. The first part of the book describes Flatland and its inhabitants. It talks about the different shapes that live there (lines, isosceles triangles, equilateral triangles, squares, polygons of all number of sizes, and circles) and their social rules. Flatland has a very strict caste system based on what shape someone is. The more sides one has, the higher one's caste is. Abbott goes into great detail along this tangent and it is absolutely fascinating to read about it. He also talks about the challenges of recognizing someone in a two dimensional world. Inhabitants must be careful when navigating the social rules that go along with recognizing shapes. The other part of the book is about the square's adventures into other lands. He goes to a one dimensional world to meet with the monarch who happens to be a line. He tries to convince this king that the square's land has an additional dimension, it's a plane rather than a line. The king doesn't believe him. Later, the square is visited by a cube who tries to convince him of a third dimension. The square refuses to believe it until the cube takes him with. They talk about the fourth dimension and even visit the zero dimension. (The zero dimension is a single being that makes up the entire universe.) This is a fascinating book that really forces the reader to thing. The reader needs at least a basic understanding of geometry in order to follow along.
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