Behind Closed Doors: B.A. Paris

 Holy smokes this was so good. I definitely could not put it down. 

Jack is such an excellent monster; perfectly perfect until you get behind the doors and then he becomes perfectly terrifying. He is written to be so real which makes him even more terrifying. The whole book is completely believable which leaves me feeling very unsettled. 

Grace is a fantastic protagonist. She doesn't dwell on what-could-have-beens, but focuses on what needs to be. I was rooting for her from the very beginning. 

I enjoyed the back in forth of each chapter between past and present- it really kept me reading because I needed to know more from both the past and present. I wanted more of the ending, which is a good sign. I wasn't ready for it to end. 

Esther is a great throw-in character; I didn't know how to feel about her until the last sentence, and that was another motivation to keep reading. So many reasons to finish the book quickly!

This Tender Land: William Kent Krueger

 Wow. This book was a journey. I was moved in many ways throughout the tale, and I was not ready for the story to end, even with the happy ending. I wanted to keep reading of the ride down the river, of the courage amidst incredible challenges, of the amazing way children think and plan and grow. 

The narration was excellent. Fluid and engaging in every page. Krueger has an excellent writing style, and I think I need to read his other book as well. I didn't want to put the book down, not just because of the story but also because of the beautiful way it was written. 

While this book has similar tastes as Mark Twain, I'm happy to report it isn't what you would expect from a Twain tale. There is much more growth, heartbreak, and excitement than you'd get from any of his stories. Plus, I found these four children to be much more interesting than any Tom Sawyer. 

Grab a box of tissues, prepare for some serious heart grabbing and twisting, and get reading!

The Princess Diarist: Carrie Fisher

 I wanted to like this book. I really wanted to like it. But I absolutely could not. 

Fisher was not meant to be a writer. She used this book as a trash can for her emotional vomit. None of it was logical or entertaining. This was purported to be a story of her time on Star Wars, and instead it was a litany of all the awful things she did while on the set of Star Wars (I don't need to go into the details, but Ford was a married man, and apparently that counts for nothing/makes it all the more exciting/gives it all the more reason to be brag-worthy.). 

The insane amount of drinking, drugs, and sex, were all things to brag about. Never once did she express remorse for any of the crap she did. She put it into this book and expected us to be proud of all she did. Sorry, but I'm not at all proud or impressed or empowered. 

Content aside, I wasn't kidding about emotional vomit. This was stream of consciousness in a way that stream of consciousness was never meant to be. This beautiful writing style was just completely ruined in what Fisher did in her book. She used it solely to be seen as "cuter" or "funny" or "witty" or "cool," and all I got from it was how idiotic she sounds when no one tells her to stop talking. Someone needed to cut her off at the end of each thought and teach her how to tie those thoughts together.

I definitely feel pretty bad writing this after her death, but honesty must prevail?

Five Ways to Fall Out of Love: Emily Martin

 I won this book as an uncorrected ARC in a giveaway. 

I really had fun reading this book! It is similar in themes to To All The Boys I've Loved Before, which I also super enjoyed. It's the classic hate to love story and is lighthearted and easy. The writing style is engaging and simple, making it a quick read. 

I liked each of the characters as well, which doesn't always happen. It took me a long time to decide which guy I was rooting for, so I don't think I could have been disappointed either way (the end was what I was rooting for, so yay!). Aubrey is a typical high-school girl: not in the "in" crowd, but content with where she is. She has her solid best friend who is almost unbelievably perfect; it's nice when she has some flaws pop up. Holland is a fun and carefree "other," and Webster is a great counter to each of those. 

The biggest "struggle" I had was the Bayes' theorem lectures. I didn't understand those sections, didn't enjoy those sections, so skimmed those sections. And I didn't miss much from not paying that part any mind. I understand that that is what fully drives the plot onward, so that's why it's important, but you don't have to understand all that Aubrey does to understand the reaction of her actions. 

I also want to mention that this is marketed as a Young Adult fiction, and I disagreed with that. I think YA generally points to teenagers, high schoolers, mainly, and that makes sense to a certain extent. This is written about high schoolers, but the content is much more mature than a high schooler. This is what bumped the book to a four star rating instead of a five. I enjoyed it enough to give it five stars, but I wouldn't want any high schooler reading this book. There is a lot of underage drinking and sexual behavior, written explicitly. 

I also think Aubrey, as a character, isn't one whom high schoolers should be modeling themselves after. She is very negative and cynical and never truly grows from that. It would have been nice to seem some change, or even building a relationship of sorts with a guidance counselor, especially as she's considering schools and dealing with a messy home life. Because this is directed at teenagers, it's important to show that Aubrey is finding help she needs from mature sources. Never does she get that from a parent, a teacher, or any kind of adult. It's important to show high schoolers who they can turn to when they have relationship issues, family life issues, and any other kind of issues. I wish we would have gotten that from this book. 

I'd love to see Netflix make this a movie! Can't wait for it to be published in March! 

The Starless Sea: Erin Morgenstern

This was a phenomenal book. I added it to my list because of how much I enjoyed The Night Circus by Morgenstern, and I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it. When I finished reading, I was not excited to start a new book because I wanted to live in this world for a while. That to me is a huge success.

It's written in very much the same style as The Night Circus; the word that keeps coming to mind is psychedelic, but maybe that's not a good word for books. However, it is the word I will use: it's twisty and confusing and colorful and spinning.

I had to take many pauses to stop and think about what I just read. There were a lot of twisty and confusing details, and I'm sure I missed a lot of those that I'll have to catch on a reread. 

I've heard some people complain that it takes too long to get into the book, but I found that to be untrue. Zachary is a compelling narrator who keeps the story moving even when he isn't doing much. He definitely grabbed me right away. 

I also enjoyed the structure of the book: Morgenstern told the larger story in between the second story. The alternating chapters were different "books" which helped the reader understand The Starless Sea slowly as they read.

The House of Kennedy: James Patterson

 This was a pretty good read! Patterson continues to write well, even in the nonfiction sector. 

I was pretty skeptical throughout the beginning of the book because Patterson didn't seem to have anything to add to the sources he was quoting. He had no first hand quotes or research; he compiled information from already written books. However, I found that got better as the book went on. Although Patterson hadn't interviewed any Kennedy, he added more thought or insight into later portions of the book.

The premise of this book is not just one Kennedy character or even the Kennedy dynasty. Rather, Patterson focuses on "The Kennedy Curse," so this book is solely about the tragedies and misfortunes in the Kennedy clan. Thus, it is a rather depressing book. There are no happy endings, and there is no joy. Granted, this is truly what the Kennedy family experienced. 

Anyway, this helped this Kennedy biography feel different from other books that focus on the success and legacy of the family on a positive note. This takes all the bad. Patterson doesn't try to explain it, he just lays it out for his readers in a succinct and logical way. 

I enjoyed reading this. It took me a while, 10 days, I think, because I needed to take breaks to read happier books. 

The 2020 Book Hoarders Reading Challenge

The only reading challenge I set for myself at the beginning of the year was to read some Pulitzer prize winning novels. I didn't do that at all. Not even a single one... Oops.

I was browsing around for a reading challenge to do in 2021, and I found a group on Facebook called The 2020 Book Hoarder Reading Challenge. I joined the group and while the 2021 challenge hadn't been posted yet, the 2020 was still up and available to do. I looked through the different prompts and realized that I had a few books I could use for this challenge. I went through my Goodreads, looking at books I'd read this year and when I was done, I only had five empty prompts. This was the week of Thanksgiving. I challenged myself to finish the challenge, and by the next week, I had. 

My two favorite books from this challenge were Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah and Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale Jr. The first was an emotional roller coaster and the second was fun and had been on my list to read since watching the movie many, many years ago. It felt really great to finally check that off my list, and it made me want to watch the movie again.

My least favorite was Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo: it just went on and on and on. The writing was dull and the story was not engaging. I struggled to finish that one. 

One of the last prompts I needed was number 12, Rainy day. I stumbled upon The Children Act by Ian McEwan and was so glad I did. It was a very interesting read and this occurrence reminded me why I participate in reading challenge. Those random finds are often pretty good. 

Here is the list of prompts along with the book:

1. Star on the cover or in the title: Secret Star by Nora Roberts

2. You Liar! Word Liar or Lies in Title: Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott

3. Flower on the cover or in the title: The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton

4. Read in October: Plain Jane Wanted by Rose Amberly

5. State name in the title: New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb

6. Read in April: The Bridges of Madison County by James Robert Waller

7. Five star read: Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks

8. Over 350 pages: The Prince of Wales by Jonathan Dimbleby

9. Finally! On TBR forever: Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale Jr.

10. Red-Cover or title: Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

11. Make it a movie: The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

12. Rainy Day-umbrella or rain on cover: The Children Act by Ian McEwan

13: House on the cover or in the title: Captive Star by Nora Roberts

14. Just a girl (Only a girl on the cover): The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin

15. I've lost my head (head chopped off at nose): Brazen Virtue by Nora Roberts

16. Just walk away (person walking away on cover): The Suicide Killer by Zach Lamb

17. Read in a day: Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks

18. Love or Hate in the title: Speaking the Truth in Love by Kenneth C. Haugk

19. Random Read: The Au Pair by Emma Rous

20. Clouds on the cover or in the title: Murder at the Village Fete by Catherine Coles

21. Number in the title: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

22. Freebie: Try Easy by Jill Brashear

23. Food or drink on the cover or in the title: The Bake Shop by Amy Clipston

24: Two female authors: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings)

25. Not Your Norm Genre: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

26. New to you author: Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead

27. Trees on cover: Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin

28. Time of day in title: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

29. Over 1000 ratings on Goodreads: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

30. Seasonal: Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

31. By an author you'd love to meet: Hidden Star by Nora Roberts

32. I can relate (relate to main character): You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Bonus:

1. Won in a giveaway: One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty

2. ARC: Trade Secrets by V.K. Tritschler

3. Over 475 pages: Pieces of Her by Karen Slaughter

4. Non Fiction: Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedell Smith

5. Never Ending Story: Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

I didn't write reviews for all of them because sometimes I forgot, and sometimes I just didn't have much to say. I did give them all a rating on Goodreads, so check them out there!