Sharp indeed

Just finished Gillian Flynn's "Sharp Objects". Wow. I need some time to digest it. Just like her previous book "Gone Girl" this is a twisting thrill ride that sometimes makes you sick. I had trouble with some of the content from the get-go, but I couldn't put it down. Can't say much without giving it away...if you want a mind blow, check this one out. 

Page turner

As soon as I finished my first Liane Moriarty book I put as many of her other ones on hold at the library as I could. This one does not disappoint! Told from three different points of view, the premise of this story is that Cecelia finds a letter in her attic that her husband who is still alive has written. She is to open it after his death. He is away on a business trip and she mentions the letter to him and is begged not to open it... Will she open it? What will it say? 

Incredibly addictive, this book is impossible to put down. It is magical how Moriarty weaves several stories together and ties in every last detail. Get this one ASAP! 

So much potential

This book had so much potential! Set in the 1930s in depression era Florida, Thea is sent to an exclusive riding camp for girls for a year as a consequence for bringing shame to her family. 

I was hoping this story would engage me with tales of horses and girls bonding at camp. What this story does in reality is dangle the reason for why Thea was sent away in front of you for hundreds of pages so that you can't put it down just because you need to know! Thea is not a very likeable character and instead of fun stories of camp bonding there is promiscuity and whining. Promiscuity has its place but I didn't like it in this story! Give this one a miss. 

Rip Roaring Bio

After hearing Martin Short being interviewed on Q ( the last Q podcast I would ever listen to after the whole J.G. scandal), I added his biography to my holiday wish list. I was pretty happy to find it under the tree!

Short shares tales of his childhood and family and recounts how some tragedies shaped him at a young age. He discusses his relationship with Gilda Radner and give some great inside stories into the 70s theatre and comedy lifestyle in Canada. I really enjoyed his annecdotes about the celebrities that he is friends with like Tom Hanks and Steve Martin. I felt like I got to know all of them as people.

The stories of Martin's family are what really stick with you after reading this book, and I dare you to get to the last page without getting a lump in your throat!! This book is also full of laughs and inspired me to look up many old SNL and SCTV skits on youtube so that I could appreciate the back story behind them. Two thumbs up! 

End of year reads

My second Liane Moriarty book did not disappoint! Huge page turner yet again and this book got me through a long flight in a jiffy! This is the story of Alice who gets a form of amnesia and thinks that she is ten years in the past, still in love with the husband she is now divorcing. This story throws you for several loops and you are not sure exactly which ending to hope for. Read this one! 

I got this book in a discount bin at Chapter's to bring on a flight. It took me more than a few chapters to get into and had I been able to access another book, I would have! This is a spy thriller type story with a man trying to uncover the mysterious death of a former girlfriend. The narrator's quirky personality and narrative did eventually hook me in, but I would pass on this book unless you are stuck on a plane!

Got this one in the same discount bin at Chapters. I don't usually read Sparks' books but thought this one sounded good. This is a story where different characters are woven together through flashbacks and it works quite well. I really enjoyed the cowboy, rodeo and ranching setting as it is not something that I am familiar with. A cute little love story. I am looking forward to the upcoming movie version of the book. 

I picked up this paperback at the airport on the return. I had heard that the movie was really good so I thought this could be a good pre-movie read. The story is fast paced and set on Earth in the bleak future. The Earth is a dusty place where corn is the only viable crop. Scientists are searching for ways to save the human race, and space may be an option. Great adventure story, but with some heavy scientific themes. Can't wait for someone else to read it so that they can explain some of the technical stuff to me! Two thumbs up!

To the lighthouse!

Set in Australia after the first world war, this story takes place mostly on a lonely island where a light house keeper and his wife have been living a lie. When their story unravels, there are many suspenseful moments! I don't want to give too much away! Story worth reading.

Absolutely Great Read

My latest YA foray. Saw this in the Scholastic catalogue and it sounded good. Peppered with cartoons throughout, this book tells the story of Junior who lives on a reservation in Spokane. The author loosely based the story on his own experience as being the only non-white student at his high school. This book somehow makes you laugh through some tough subject matter such as poverty and alcoholism. Read this book!