The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)

This was a fairly decent read.  I had this image of a 1950's crime drama even though it took place in the present day.  I just always pictured Cormoran in a trench coat and fedora.  There were so many details about the case and so many clues that by the time you get to the end of the book when all is revealed there are many "aha" moments.  Even though I pretty much knew who the killer was I was still surprised at the end by the motive and the means in which he did it and all the other details that were mentioned. 

It's not an intellectually stimulating read but very entertaining and engrossing.  This was my first of Rowling's books that wasn't Harry Potter and I was glad that I didn't read it in Harry Potter's theme at all.  It felt completely original and detached from that series. 

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

I don't really have very much to say about this book.  It was just OK.  It was tough to get through because it just dragged on at times.  I ended up skipping paragraphs.  I think it's bad when you can skip paragraphs and not miss anything in the story, that shows me the author is too wordy and could probably have shorten the book. 

The format of the story was very interesting though and I enjoyed the twist at the end as well.   I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars which is my "meh, it was okay" rating.  Not exceptional but had a good ending. 

100 Books to read in a lifetime

Amazon put together a list of 100 Books to read in a lifetime.  Seems like a pretty good list.

http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=8192263011

I have only read 20 of them.  That's not too bad.  Looks like I have some reading to do.  ;)

Currently I am reading Sister: A Novel by Rosamund Lupton which is NOT on the list, haha.

Garbiel's Rapture by Sylvain Reynard

This book was the second installment of the Gabriel's Inferno trilogy by Sylvain Reynard.  I have to say I was quite disappointed in this one.

SPOILER ALERT

I had hoped this book would be more about their relationship and would dive deeper into their issues but I felt that if any issues were brought up it fizzled out too quickly.  It got a little intense when the two of them were going through the "trial" at the University but I have to say even that was a tad too dull.  I wanted him to stand up and fight for her.  After finishing the book I see now why he didn't but still there was just something missing in that entire exchange.  It seemed highly unlikely that she would have missed the cues he was giving her that he wasn't leaving her.   She was too smart to not pick up on that.  And the fact that nothing happened to Christa was a disappointment.  Also, the thing with Paulina seemed to fizzle out too quickly.  I thought for sure Paulina was going to wreak more havoc on their relationship but she just seemed to disappear.  I feel like Juliette forgave Gabriel too quickly, was hoping her and Paul would have developed more of a relationship and then have Gabriel come back and fight for her.  That would have made for a more interesting story.  The proposal and marriage of the two main characters was lackluster and boring. 

This series fizzled out a bit with this one.  I will probably read the third installment just to see how their story ends but probably won't read it for some time.  Need a break from the cheese factor.

Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard

I'm sure we are all well aware of the 50 Shades of Grey Trilogy and the craze it created.  I read the books and they were....okay.   I thought the sex was too gratuitous and fantastical to be believable and I ended up caring more about their relationship than anything and so I by-passed the sex scenes. 

Garbiel's Inferno is the first in a series by Sylvain Reynard and I have to say is WAY better that the 50 Shades books.  Slightly more believable and has more realistic events in them.  However, the issue I have with these types of books is that so many of them involve some rich guy and a lowly girl who supposedly needs "rescuing".   Where are the books about a blue collar guy and hardworking woman who fall in love?   I would fall in love with a blue collar man far sooner than I would a guy with a ton of money. 

That being said, I loved this book.  I loved their relationship.  I love that it wasn't ALL about sex (SPOILER ALERT: they don't have sex until the last chapters of the book).  As their tension builds you build with it and I loved that about this.  It can be cheesy at times but for the most part it is an endearing book. 

I recommend it over the 50 Shades trilogy. 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This is a Young Adult book that is getting rave reviews and I can see why.   At first I was a little "eh" about the book as it read like a young adult novel, very young, but progressively got more "adult".   If you read the cover of the book you might think "kids with cancer? who wants to read that?! how depressing".  I'm not going to lie to you, you will cry, most likely.  It will be very touching and moving.   This is one of those books I would love to read again because I feel that I missed a lot of the deeper meaning that is in this book.   I was so caught up in the relationship that I think I missed out on the message that is being portrayed.  These kids are old souls and I loved each and every one of them.   And I definitely want to go to Amsterdam now!  

Favorite line from the book "You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you."

A beautiful book that I will recommend to everyone.  5 out of 5 stars. 

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

This is the second book I have read by Gillian Flynn and I still am unsure if she is a brilliant writer or just plain crazy.   Gone Girl was the first book I read by her and man what a story!  Those people are completely nuts!  Same thing with Sharp Objects.   It's like this weird Wes Craven-Stephen King-Twilight Zone thing meets Janet Evanovich-Mary Higgins Clark-Sue Crafton type of psychological murder mystery story, if that helps sum it up for you at all.  Had a definite Children of the Corn feel to it.

Flynn has a real knack for writing about people with various psychosis and there are usually several characters in her book that have a psychological disorder in some form or other.  Is this a comment on society?  Do we all have psychotic tendencies and some people just are more outgoing about them than others?  It's likely.  It's hard to know who is truly "normal" in this day and age. 

This book was a bit predictable to me.  Perhaps I have read enough mysteries to know who the bad guy is in these books but if you read Gone Girl first then this one would keep you guessing and wondering what will happen to Camille in the end.  I kept wondering if she was going to stay with her mom and not turn her in.  ;)  It was still an entertaining read and definitely not as crazy as Gone Girl. I did feel a bit more normal after reading it so thank you Gillian Flynn for making me feel less crazy.   :)

Goodreads Reading Challenge

At the beginning of each year, members of Goodreads can participate in a Reading Challenge for the year.  Last year I said I would read 12 books and I read 18.  This year I said I would read 20 books and I have only read 15.  That means I am 5 books behind.  Yikes!

I am a member of a book club where we read a book a month and then meet and talk about the book.  So each year I know I will at least read 12 books in a year.  Since I exceeded my goal last year I thought "what's two more books this year?"  Now I have to figure out what my five remaining books will be....

The December book for my book club is Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (author of Gone Girl).  So that leaves 4 more that are not Book club books.  I could get a jump start on book club books for next year and read my January book which is Main Street by Sinclair Lewis.  So that leaves 3 more books to read to meet my goal.  So what should I read?  They would need to be easy or quick reads since I have a month and a half to reach my goal.  How about the Twilight Series?  Or maybe a Janet Evanovich book my mom gave me years ago that I have yet to read.  So many choices and so little time.  AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!  I welcome any suggestions you might have.  :)

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1888370-lesley-smith

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Everyone knows the saying "Actions speak louder than words" and for the most part that is very true.  However, as this book (I feel) illustrates, words can have more meaning and more power than the action.  Without the words, there is no action.  What Hitler did was obviously deplorable.  The calculated killing of millions of people will forever be a stain on human existence.  But would it have had the same impact if Hitler had said nothing but nice things about the Jews and all the others he had killed?  Would people have listened to him if he said "The Jews are such nice, kind and loving people.  Let's kill them"?  Or would they have all laughed in his face and there would never have been a Holocaust?  Without his words, his conviction, I highly doubt he would have had as many followers.  

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.  The ending of course is very powerful and moving.  I feel that the approach the author took to this book was different and fascinating. I thought at first I would hate that he would "give away" the ending throughout the story but never felt cheated of what I knew was inevitably going to happen because when the end finally came it was explained further and had much more poignancy.  A great book and one that should be read by all.  I hope the movie does this book justice and isn't another book-to-movie disappointment.  Not holding my breath for that though.

Books

Books have always been my love for as long as I can remember. I remember participating in a March of Dimes Reading contest in elementary school and won just about every medal I could. 

During the summer times my sister and I would go to our dads and spent a good portion of our time at the library and reading.  He lived in Lake Berryessa, CA across from a lake which was pretty cool except for the fact that the next neighbor was miles away and there weren't any kids around to play with other than my sister.  So reading became a way of entertaining ourselves.  We would leave the library with literally STACKS of books. 

In fourth or fifth grade I got into the Babysitters Club books and read pretty much every single one.  Then I got into mysteries like The Dollhouse in the Attic and RL Stine books.  I loved them so much I started writing my own ghost/mysteries.  

In high school I got braver and read a few Stephen King books and Dean Koontz too.  In fact, I did my senior research paper on Stephen King, it was pretty fascinating. 

I'm currently in a book club where we read one book a month and then meet to discuss it.  I love my book club and I am so glad I found it.  I highly recommend book clubs for anyone who loves to read, you just have to find the right one.  If I finish my monthly book on time before the meeting I will usually start reading another book on my own personal "to read" shelf.  That way I'm not just reading books I'm "supposed" to read, I'm reading books I want to read too. 

I love using Goodreads to keep track of my books.  If you would like to follow my books on Goodreads you can find me here: https://www.goodreads.com/LesleyKS

On this blog I will post reviews of books I have read as well as on Goodreads.

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
― Charles William Eliot