Into the Water: Paula Hawkins

This was a great read! I enjoy Hawkins' writing style immensely. She's a captivating writer. and she weaves thrilling tales. Her characters invoke so much emotions, both hatred and love. She is quite talented.

I appreciated many things about this book. First, I enjoyed the way Hawkins broke up the story by using several different narrators, several different time periods, and even different narration types. In this way, I was never tired of a narrator, and I ended each chapter wanting more from that person, causing me to read on.

Hawkins makes a fantastic villain, and even better, she makes several villains. There are many horrid, hateful characters; as I read, I kept longing for their downfalls, and even by the end, I'm uncertain as to who is truly the villains of the book.

As is the case with many thrillers, I was kept guessing through the book. This was even better because at the end, I was left with three guesses, and it wasn't until the very last paragraph that I had my answer, and it wasn't who I thought it would be. That was surprising, and I always like a surprise!

You Are Not Alone: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Another great thrill by Hendricks and Pekkanen. This was a page turner that I had to finish in one sitting because I could not stop reading.

These two are just a great team that can weave stories of such intrigue.

It sucks, but I think we can all imagine falling for the same things the main character here did. Shay was a pretty every-day character. She was like me, and I'm guessing she was kinda like you. She wants desperately to have good friends, so it doesn't take much to create deep friendships (on her part). It's easy to pick out reasons why they shouldn't be your friend, but you can't help falling for it regardless.

I expect this from Hendricks and Pekkanen by now, but that twist at the end still got me. I know that things are never as they appear with these two, and yet I was still thrown. I had to reread a few chapters to catch up/figure out exactly what was happening.

I'm ashamed to say that I totally fell for the false ending, but I love that in book. Fool me as many times as you can!

I can't wait to see what these two come up with next.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Stieg Larsson

I've been meaning to read this book for years, and finally, I put all other books away and made myself focus on this book. I'm glad I did, I think.

24 hours after finishing, and I'm still not sure how to feel about this book. Larsson is a fantastic writer, I think we can all agree. This was thrilling and riveting. I had to keep reading even though there were several points where I wanted to stop.

There was suspense, sure. I didn't know who was the "bad guy," and I wasn't sure what happened to Harriet. I had my suspicions, some of which turned out correct, but I was mostly left in the dark. That definitely kept me going, but the suspense wasn't the driving force for me. I kept reading because I enjoyed the writing, and I enjoyed the characters. I wanted more of the characters, more of their background, more of their dialogue, more of their action. The suspense was just a bonus.

Another reason I kept reading was because Larsson kept the two main characters separate for so long. They had minor crossovers, but it wasn't until about halfway through when they started working together. I knew they would make a good team, so I had to continue to see when they would become a team.

I also wanted to know (and still want to know) why Larsson chose to name the book after Salander. It doesn't seem like she's the main theme in the book, so it confused me a bit, and I kept reading to see if she would play a larger role in the book. I'm still curious, and I'm wondering if it's about the next books in the series.

This book handled some seriously dark topics, and that was rather difficult for me. This was why I wanted to stop. It was hard to read about the violence and the sexual abuse several characters faced. Larsson almost seemed to write about it lightly. Like it wasn't a big deal. I didn't want to keep going after some of those revelations or plot points. I still don't fully understand why Salander's character went through what she did. I'm guessing there's something in future books?

I'm usually excited when a book I read has a movie adaptation, and I can't wait to watch after reading. In this case, I really don't think I want to watch. There's too much horror that I do not want to see on screen. I think I'll leave this one just as a book and forget about the movie. I still haven't decided if I'll read the next two books. It was fantastic writing, but it gave me nightmares, left a pit in my stomach, made me afraid to leave the house, and made me horrible sad to know that while this is fiction, these things really occur in this sinful world.

The Light Between Oceans: M.L. Stedman

This beautifully woven tale left me really questioning the differences of right and wrong. Sometimes the lines are really blurred, making it hard to tell the difference. Even though many times I knew what the right thing was, I understood exactly why the characters made the decisions they made.

Stedman has a beautiful writing technique. This book was captivating and reading through it was easy and smooth. I could put it down and take breaks, but I definitely did not want to. His characters are real and human. Their feelings are relatable. Their pain hurt me.

I enjoyed that this book had no real enemy. Just when you think an enemy has appeared, that character does something to throw them back in your good graces. You might think that a book without a villain is not worth reading, but trust me. It's as if each character is his/her own villain and no true villain is needed. Or is the villain truth?

The Clockmaker's Daughter: Kate Morton

The premise of this book is gripping, which is why I wanted to read this book. Unfortunately, the premise ended up being way more interesting than the story itself.

I was frequently bored throughout the book; it just took so long to get to the meat of the story. I enjoyed that Morton slowly added more depth and more twists to the plot, but it just took too long for those various points to come together. I was frustrated that so many new characters were popping up and I had no reason to care about them, which lead me to skim through their sections, making me lose a bit of the story (my fault, surely). I just didn't care about them because I had no reason to, and I was already overwhelmed by the different times, places, and people Morton dumped on me. I'm sure that was the point, but it was so jumbled and disoriented, as if she dumped scraps of paper with ideas onto a plate and wrote in the order they fell.

Because of all the jumping around, I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. There was not much for me to grasp for any of the characters. Just when I thought I was getting somewhere with someone, Morton jumped to someone new. It was hard for me to appreciate her characters when I didn't get enough time with any of them.

I did appreciate the ending of the story when all the points finally joined to one place. It is a testament to Morton's writing that she can bring so many different plots into one woven tale. I just didn't appreciate the way she went about it.

I'm pretty disappointed that I didn't enjoy reading this book because I do enjoy Morton's other books. This one just wasn't up to par with the rest, I think.

The Other Woman: Sandie Jones

Excellent writing. This was captivating and thrilling, as promised. I knew something was up as I read, but I couldn't quite figure it out, which helped me enjoy the process of reading. 

I really didn't like Adam in the beginning; I thought he was kind of a jerk. That being said, I didn't see the end coming until I was too late. That's the mark of excellent writing! I'm really impressed with Jones' writing style and greatly enjoyed the pace at which the story ran. It was riveting. The characters were nicely written although since we were supposed to like Adam, I think he could have used a little work.

This book was easy to read, and the speed of took made it difficult to put down, so I finished reading it the same day I started, while I made dinner.

I would recommend this for anyone who enjoyed Gone Girl, The Woman in the Window, The Couple Next Door, etc., as these all have the same, quick pace.

Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch: Sally Bedell Smith

This was a fascinating glimpse into the life of a woman who seems so far beyond anything I can reach. Smith makes Queen Elizabeth human; I won't go so far as to say she brings the Queen to our level, but she makes it easier to see that yeah, underneath all the reality, Elizabeth is a person beyond just a monarch.

Biographies are often thought to be dry, scholarly writing, a true bore to get through. Smith does a great job making this more than just a recounting of facts. This is a story, a tale, of a life. It was fun to read! Sure, there were dull moments; paragraphs about politics that I didn't fully understand or enjoy, but even those were written for enjoyment rather than strictly learning.

One aspect of biographies, especially when it comes to the royal family, is that I have to pay attention to who is writing the book and what his/her goal is. I only recently learned how much that can taint the glasses the book is being written through. For example, I love Lady Di. I'm inspired by her story. I'm angered by her death. I'm awed by her life. There was always a part of me that was angered by the royal family for their actions or lack thereof. It was easy to find a villain in Charles. After reading this book (and watching documentaries done by members of the royal family's press), I had to accept that there are two sides to the story of Lady Di and Prince Charles. How much of either side is true? We probably will never know. I just have to be more open that maybe Charles isn't the monster I'd concluded him to be. Thanks, Smith, for helping me realize this.

I've always been interested in royalty, and I've made it a goal to read more about the royal family. This was a great jump into the family, and I can't wait to keep reading.

Personally, I'd love more pictures...