45/50: Gone by Lisa McMann

Gone by Lisa McMann
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

After reading Wake and Fade, this book wasn't good as the last book. This series started out great, but fell flat for me in the end. I'm not sure what else I would have wanted out of it, but I'm left feeling like the series ended with no climax. It just. ended.
While I appreciated learning more about Janie and her father, this book was really missing that paranormal factor. Don't be deceived, there was still some dream catching in the book, it just wasn't the same.
Gone went into the dilemma that Janie faces with her curse/gift. Should she stay with her loved ones, or should she isolate herself. The secrets she finds out from another dream catcher put things in perspective. She has two choices that are equally horrible.
Gone also went into more detail on Janie's mom which I liked. We also learned a little more about Miss Stubin, Henry, and Captain.
I will say however, that the book ended how I thought it should have. I saw the two choices Janie was faced with and hoped throughout this book she would choose one and not the other. McMann chose the same ending I would have.

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Gone counts towards towards my goal of reading books I own or have borrowed.
Check out my list on the Fall Book Challenge Page.
This book also counts towards my online challenge through The Nest for the Summer Book Challenge

44/50: Fade by Lisa McMann

Fade by Lisa McMann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fade was better than Wake for me. Keep in mind I read Wake a long while ago.
Fade dived deeper into Janie's gift of dream catching. Although she didn't do as much of it in this book as she did in the first, it really showed the dark side to to it. We get to see a more in-depth look at what Janie's future will be like. The fear she has about her future is confirmed and you find out exactly what that holds for her.

I love that Cabel is still in her life. He has demons of his own to deal with and he struggles between that and loving Janie. They are both a little screwed up and they seem to fit well together because of that. Both never really having love in their life before, they find it with each other.

Fade goes into a case where Janie must do things she wouldn't normally do. In order to catch a sex-offender, she must put herself in harms way. This doesn't have a lot to do with her dream catching ability and it's a shame, but you do get to know her character and her ability to deal with things life throws at her. Cabel has a tough time dealing with his love putting herself in danger because she is supposed to be his safe thing in life.

The crime fighting part of this book pulled me in. The dream catching was secondary and I think it really worked.

Can't wait to read Gone to conclude this trilogy.

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Fade counts towards towards my goal of reading books I own or have borrowed.
Check out my list on the Fall Book Challenge Page.
This book also counts towards my online challenge through The Nest for the Summer Book Challenge

43/50: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (no spoilers)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

NO SPOILERS
Suzanne Collins did a fabulous job of concluding the Hunger Games series. Mockingjay tied up most of the loose-ends. I couldn't give this book 5 stars though. I wasn't sure if I could even give it 4 stars. I found myself able to actually put the book down and pick it back up. There was no pull from it that made me completely lose myself until there was about 1/3 left. At that point in the book, I had to sit down and read it until the end. Hunger Games and Catching Fire pulled me in right from the beginning and never let my attention go.

I felt like the book was missing something and was a little anti-climatic for me. Don't get me wrong, I shed some tears, gasped and had some nail-biting moments where everything around me stopped existing. It just wasn't as addicting. Collins does a fantastic job during the last 3rd of the book of pulling the reader in. I felt like there were some bits of the story that went on too long, and other parts that I wished were longer. Some parts I felt needed more attention than others.

Mockingjay was a great ending to the series and I'm so glad I got to read this wonderful series from start to finish. Suzanne Collins writes beautifully and makes my imagination pop with the images she creates. The movie that plays in my head while reading these books is so clear and vivid I have no problem picturing everything she describes.

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41/50: Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson

Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A friend of mine sent me Sundays at Tiffany's to read. She thought it was light, and romantic and something to keep me entertained with. She was right.

Michael is the imaginary friend to Jane. At 9 years old, he leaves as is the custom of imaginary friends. It's in the rules. The kicker is that the child doesn't remember. They wake up the next day, and forget they ever had an imaginary friend. Except Jane. She remembers everything about Michael.

Fast forward years down the road. Michael is on a break from his last assignment, in New York where he sees Jane. He has never once seen one of his previous assignments as an adult. He struggles to figure out what it means and eventually decides he can't stop thinking about her and needs to know her.

I liked this book. It was cute, a quick read and something I would read before bed since it didn't take much thought. The chapters were incredibly short, so I was able to read 3 or 4 chapters and then lights out for bed.

I've never actually read a James Patterson book but this is enough to get me to read more of him. I liked the style of writing. I'm not much for romance novels, but Sundays at Tiffany's was great.

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40/50: Shadow Hills - Anastasia Hopcus

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


Shadow Hills is Anastasia Hopcus' debut novel. It was fabulous. I absolutely loved the characters and the story.

Persephone (Phe) is a 16 year old girl who follows the path her sister started by going to Devenish Prep school. There is something different about the townies in Shadow Hills. Zach catches Phe's eye and there is something between them that's more than chemistry. Phe notices that Zach isn't normal, and neither is his sister Corinne, or his cousin Trent.

Phe is a little bit of an impulsive character. She knows she was called to be at the school and delves into a mystery that the towns people have kept a secret for centuries. The mystery in the book unfolds slowly enough that you don't know everything at the beginning, and quickly enough to keep you interested.

There is murder, mystery and a forbidden love that kept me reading to the point where I basically stopped communication with the outside world until I finished this book.

I must say that I was hooked from the beginning, but Hopcus really had me when she described one of the characters as a Chris Pine look-a-like.

Anastasia Hopcus should be proud of her debut novel. I can't wait to read more from this young author.


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39/50 - The Good Man Jesus and The Scoundrel Christ

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I'm not sure what to say about this book. I started out really liking it. It was a dubbed down version of the gospel for adults of the current day. It was a fictional story based on the Gospel.

At first I could go along with Jesus and Christ being twins born of Mary. Different take, but I'll go with it. The last few chapters through me for a loop and I really struggled with them. As a Catholic, I believe in a few things Philip Pullman sought to take down through his words. He used Jesus as his pulpit and got a point across that shows how he (as an author) really feels about the Church. I found this offensive only because he used such a wonderful historical figure for his own purpose.

The story itself, which is claims to be right on the back cover of the book, was interesting. It tells about Jesus and his brother Christ and how their lives intertwine. The major miracles are there, but there's a lot of putting words into both characters mouths. I realize this is fiction, it's just strange how some things match with the Gospel and some things don't at all. I would hate to have someone who's never heard of the Gospel read this book and take it as how it really went.

Given said that, I would still recommend this book to those with a strong faith. It made mine stronger, and it wasn't a hard read.

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38/50: Sister's Red - Jackson Pearce

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book because a lot of my Nest Book Club friends read it. I als found a review on YA Book Shelf that made we want to go out and read it right away.




This book was a new take on Little Red Riding Hood. I love all three main characters.

I really identified with Rosie being the youngest sister and being bound to her family. She thought her hopes and dreams would never amount to anything because of this bond and that she owes her life to her sister, Scarlett.

Scarlett has courage but deep down I believed she was scared. She didn't want to lose her sister to anything or anyone. She holds on so tightely to Rosie that it really is holding Rosie back. Scarlett thinks she is unlovable, but she has so muc love in her she doesn't even see it. I enjoyed seeing her develop and learn about herself. Her life becomes her choice instead of her duty. Something she struggles with immensely.

Silas has a good heart. He tries so hard to make both Scarlett and Rosie see there is more to their lives than hunting. His chemistry with each of the girls is dynamic in its own way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was one of those ones I couldn't put down near the end and had to stay up late to finish.

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37/50: Sh*t My Dad Says

Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'd heard a little about this book and after reading an excerpt, decided it was worth buying. I put it on my phone to read while I was bored and found it very entertaining.

If you dislike the word "f@#%", I highly suggest not reading it. However, if profanity doesn't bother you, give this one a read. The stuff his dad says over the years amazes me. I can't imagine growing up with a father like that. Not that he was abusive or mean in any way. He was blunt... VERY blunt. His dad says what he wants, whenever he wants, how he wants. He says what everyone else is thinking.

I had my coworkers laughing pretty good while I read a few of the quotes outloud to them. Sitting at our lunch table giggling is rude if you don't share the funny.

For some fun entertainment, it's a good book.

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36/50: The Bride Collector

The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I got this audiobook in hopes that my fiancé would enjoy listening to it while we were on a road trip. Success!
I can't tell you how many times we sat in our vehicle when we reached various destinations just to hear what happens next.

Brad Raines is an FBI agent searching for a serial killer. He find his investigation leading him to a private psychiatric insitution and enlists the help of Paradise.

The story is amazing and slightly complicated. It gives you chills. The killer is certainly out of his mind, but incredibly put together at the same time. You can see things unravel, and you can guess parts of what will happen, but there are also parts you don't see coming.

This was certainly a great thriller and kept us entertained for a long road trip. I would like to read more of Ted Dekker and see what else he's written. I was thoroughly impressed with this book.

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35/50: The Tension of Opposites

I had intended to read this book for the June Book club over on Forever Young: A YA Lit Blog. I never got around to it, so when my newest buddy read for July came up and we both had it on our list, I jumped at the chance to read it.

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Tension of Opposites goes through the aftermath of Noelle/Elle returning home after being kidnapped for 2 years. Her best friend Tessa is dealing with Elle returning, trying to rekindle their friendship to the way it was, and also live her own life.

Tessa struggles greatly with moving on with her own life after Elle returns home. She feels it's her responsibility to look after Elle and make sure she doesn't get into trouble. Tessa feels she must put her life on hold for Elle in order to protect her. She puts Elle's life before her own in order to try and hold on to Elle and those memories a little while longer, unable to accept the changes she sees in her friend. I was happy that Tessa is able to find happiness and let go of Elle a little in order to live her own life.

Elle is very different after being kidnapped. Certainly aspects of her personality that were present before she was kidnapped are exentuated when she returns. Elle wants to experience a lot of things she missed out on and from Tessa's eyes, goes about it the wrong ways.

I believe Elle was dealing with her problems in her own way. Her innocence was stolen from her and she will never get it back. She had a plan to get her 'normal' teenage experiences back and went through with them. She was able to open up to Tessa after a long while, and came around to being a great friend, just not the same one.

My only wish for this book was to be able to actually see the photographs Tessa and Max took of each other. I can imagine what they look like, but I would love to see them in person.

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34/50: Second Helpings (Jessica Darling #2)

Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Summer and another year of school with Jessica Darling.

I loved that everything continued from the previous book. Jessica goes through a bit of an identity crisis in trying to find out who she really is and what she wants in her life. She spends so much time worrying about what everyone else thinks of her, she forgets about what she wants.
She makes some classic high school mistakes and as one character puts it, she is so focused on seeing people and how they fit into her life, she forgets to see them for who they really are.

I love these books and the parallels that it draws to my own high school days. Jessica dates a guy she kind of likes, but not really. More to get people to stop bugging her and do the normal high school thing. Been there!

Megan McCafferty writes these books so 'matter-of-fact' and bluntly that it's truly believable. The characters are typical to any high school, but shown in their true light. I love that Jessica is a relatable character.  Each book seems to resolve the over-arching plot, leaving little subplots open and a feeder into the next book. It leaves me wanting more!

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