Read Me!

Here are some great ( and not so great!) books I’ve read lately for you to enjoy.

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Everyone in America should read this book. Honestly. I had no idea what it was about but I love Jodi so I figured it would be awesome. It was. An African-American nurse is accused of murdering a white supremacist’s baby. Right?!?!? Jodi writes in her usual style of alternating between points of view from the nurse, the white supremacist and the nurse’s lawyer, who is a white woman. Jodi accomplished, with me anyway, what she set out to do with this book: open our eyes to racism in America. Not blatant racism shown by the white supremacist but everyday racism that we don’t even realize exists and happens all the time. It really explains and identifies exactly what “white privilege” means. Plus the story itself is very, very intriguing and interesting. Please go read this book!

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

I was really excited for this book because I got the title off of a list of suspenseful thrillers. It was not that great. I skimmed a lot of it because it was one of those books that would have been much better had it been about 200 pages shorter. The story itself wasn’t the problem; it was that it was buried under way too many details. The main character, Lo, has managed to get herself a job reporting on a deluxe cruise ship for her magazine. She sees a girl disappear on the ship and won’t let it go ever when someone is trying to make her stop. There are twists and turns that are a bit ridiculous but interesting nonetheless. But it will take you a L-O-N-G boring time to get to the good stuff. The author also made the main character quite an idiot. She drinks too much, takes too many pills and doesn’t act very professional. If you decide to give it a go, skim until the last third of the book where it gets good.

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

This was another off of that thriller list. I really enjoyed this one. The main couple has just had their baby stolen. They went over to their neighbor’s house for dinner and left the baby at home but checked on her every half hour. When they come home around one in the morning, the baby is gone. The investigation heats up and you find out what really happened quite early in the book. The rest of the book explores the fallout from the tragedy. It’s really good but it was a little disappointing to find out the big piece of information so early!

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

This one was very good and kept me guessing until the very end. Nick and Dara are sisters and best friends. Dara goes missing and Nick is on a mission to do whatever it takes to find her. A little girl in their town has also gone missing and Nick wonders if they’re connected. It’s a quick read and will provide you with twists and intrigue until the very end. Highly recommend this one!

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

This is a funny story. My BFF texts me and says “you have to read this!” So, of course, I get it from the library right away and start reading it. It seems really familiar. I text my BFF “Did I read this already?” and she doesn’t think so because she kind of keeps track of my books on my blog. But I swear, as I’m reading it, I can see the scenes in my mind and I know what’s going to happen. So I look it up on Amazon and it’s a movie and I’ve seen it!!! It was hilarious because I couldn’t figure it out! Anyway, the story is very good and super exciting but only if you haven’t seen the movie! If you’ve seen the movie, don’t bother because you already know all of the plot twists which make the story amazing!

And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman

This was one of my favorites. Helen is the main character; she’s a suburban mom who also happens to be a madame in D.C. She has a terribly tragic past that she’s bound and determined to keep a secret. She will do anything to protect her son from the truth. But will she be able to? It’s very suspenseful, with many different plot layers and an exciting ending that you won’t see coming. It’s awesome!

Books I started but couldn’t finish:

I’ve decided life is just too short to keep reading a book that doesn’t hold my interest. Here are a few I started but just couldn’t finish. And amazon.com reviewers agreed with me! (When a book is really long, and I’m not sure I want to keep reading, I head to Amazon and read the reviews!)

Night School by Lee Child —so sad because I love Jack Reacher books but I just couldn’t get into it. Bummer. Hopefully, his next one is better.

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult —one of my favorite authors but the story was too far-fetched and I felt like I already knew what was going to happen.

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy — started out good (teenage girl gets cancer and then is in remission) but then took a turn that I didn’t like. Said teenage girl goes on a revenge binge when she thinks she’s going to die and then has to face the music when she doesn’t. She’s not likeable either.

The End of Alice by A.M. Homes — way too creepy for me. And that’s saying something because I love creepy. It’s about pedophilia and told from the perspective of two pedophiles and I just couldn’t stomach it.

If you’ve read anything great lately, or not so great, please share!