spring & summer reading
I’m back again (was away for a few days- drove to Michigan with the boys to see our friends) and back to editing, so there will be more shoots up on the blog coming soon. In the meantime (read: the 23 hours I spent driving the car back and forth on said vacation- there is a lot of time to think!) I realized I hadn’t posted a reading list in a long time and I’ve been reading a lot. So here goes my list from the last few months worth of reading.
Conversion- a story about the Salem Witch Trials and a current day epidemic of teen girls with a “mystery illness” at a private Massachusetts school. Really liked it but the ending was a little too “loose” for me. I need shit tied up with no loose ends and definitive answers. Still recommend.
Never Knowing- I loved Chevy Steven’s Still Missing. This was a different kind of story but a really good read, watching the main character unravel was interesting.
Bird Box- was a post apocalyptic thriller. If you like that kinda thing, you should like this. There is never really an explanation as to why the apocalypse type thing happened, but just the after effects. 
if i stay- its in the movies and its a young adult story, but I liked it anyway. I am immature at heart, what can i tell you? If you liked Fault in Our Stars, you’ll like this one.
It Ain’t Me Babe- for whatever reason, this one i really liked. A story about a guy from a motorcycle club (like the baaaaad kind of an MC club- outlaws) and a girl who escapes from a totally backwards-ass, crazy Waco type religious sect to be taken under the wing of the main guy in the MC. Two things that totally do not go together, but she made them work. Some p*rn, lots of cursing, not a typical love story and not always 100% believable when it comes to her blending into a new life, but such a good read anyway. I am hoping for a sequel!!
Lineage- Joe Hart may be a new favorite author. Hints of Stephen King (he grew up reading SK books), lots of supernatural, and great character development. At first the two storylines don’t tie together at all, but then they do. The concentration camp parts were even hard for me to read (and you know gore doesn’t bother me) at times, but if you can deal with it for a little while, you’ll enjoy the rest. 
we were liars- another YA book but i still really enjoyed it. Told you, I’m still like 15-17 years old at heart. The twist at the end is very twisty! I didn’t figure it out till right before it was revealed but was still kinda surprised when they did finally say it.
China Dolls- if you liked the other Lisa See books, you’ll like this one. About 3 chinese girls leaving home to peruse an entertainment career in San Francisco right before and during WW2. Not too political (you know I don’t like that!) but interesting getting a taste of history from sorta inside. Interwoven lives and all that. 
The Neighbor- a good short story harkening back to the old Dean Koontz I used to love reading. But you have to read The City first.
The City- Dean Koontz is readable again. I was not a fan of most of his recent books, but this one was good. 
The Colorado Kid- short story by the Master himself. No supernatural really in this one, more of a mystery. Definitely quick and enjoyable.
The Dinner- I don’t know what to say about this one. I liked it and didn’t like it at the same time. But it surely made an impression. Its one of those books where its hard (like, really, really hard) to like and root for any of the morally bereft characters. And the tension in the book filled me with tension too. I was kinda glad it was over. But it was interesting and unforgettable too. Read at your own risk.
Mr. Mercedes- loved it. Absolutely no supernatural anything in it anywhere, but a giant, fast paced, heart racing mystery with amazingly developed characters. Sounds like there will be a sequel too. Yay!!
The Three- another one with a strong start but with an ending that didn’t explain shit, didn’t tie anything up and left me annoyed cause the beginning was so good with so much potential. A story about 3 plane crashes (yeah, yeah i know…) on the same day with only 1 child from each flight surviving and what happens after. 
The Submissive, The Dominant and the Training- all pretty much 50 Shades rehashed, but MUCH better writing and editing. So lots of p*rn, a rich guy and a young, quirky girl. If you liked the other series, read these too. 
The Ruins- a bunch of friends on vacation in Mexico end up somewhere they shouldn’t and bad things happen. It was really, really good but I think it could’ve been a little shorter. There’s a movie too and I watched part of it- book is much better.
And then She Was Gone- a Jaycee Duggard/Elizabeth Smart type of story where a kidnapped girl is eventually found and brought home- and the repercussions for everyone involved. If you like that kind of story, this was a good one.
Redeployment- a bunch of short stories from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Very, very disturbing but very, very eye opening. How any soldiers come home (with or without PTSD) and function in life after war is still amazing to me. It was written by a Regis graduate. I can’t say that I enjoyed it per se, and its not light reading, but I would still recommend it. Its kinda heartbreaking. Because of this book, I am hoping to go volunteer at the VA this year.
House of Glass- fiction based on the Petit Family murders in Cheshire CT. If you can deal with that, its a really well written book. Edge of your seat.
The Troop- I may have mentioned this one before, but I loved it. Stephen King meets Lord of the Flies. A boy scout troop goes to a remote, isolated place for a campout and bad shit happens. Like really bad shit.
Camp- a must read for anyone who has gone and survived sleep away camp. A family secret and teenage girls= a sure gigantic, bullying, heartbreaking mess. Loved it. 
Hush Little Baby- a woman with a seemingly perfect life, kids & husband (the husband is pretty fucking far from perfect) and what she has to do to survive/escape. A fast and exciting read.
And I just downloaded a bunch of new books for the rest of summer and start of fall, so reviews on those when I’m done with a good chunk of them. Happy reading and let me know what you think of any of them if you pick them up.