I decided I need to start tracking what books I read. I have read about 30 books so far this year, and I know I couldn't name all of them off the top of my head. Some have been good, some great, and some are just awful. Here are some of the books I know I've read this year and a very brief review. Most are just my opinion of why I liked it or didn't. I'll divulge more when I'm reading a new book in a blog post. Enjoy!
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. I really enjoyed this series, it was engaging, and I'll probably re-read it.
The Romantics. They have turned this book into a movie starring Katie Holmes, Josh Duhamel (Fergie's Husband), and Anna Pacquin. I haven't seen the movie, and based off how dull the book was, I'm not planning on it.
The Murderer's Daughters. This book was okay. The girls father kills their mother and tries to kill one of the sisters. This is the story of what happens to the girls and how this travesty affects them throughout their lives.
The Harry Potter Series. I love this series and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I re-read it almost every year, and I am excited for the final movie to come out in July.
The Twilight Series. I ran out of books to read so I am currently re-reading this series.
Water for Elephants. I REALLY liked this book! Again, I haven't seen the movie but I might after reading this book. It was engaging and really interesting. I would definitely recommend this book.
The Ape House. This is written by the same lady who wrote Water for Elephants. It wasn't as good of a book but it was still decent. I like that the book didn't go completely where you think it's going to. A lot of books are predictable. Some parts were, but there was one twist that I didn't expect at the very end.
Something Borrowed. This is a re-read for me. I bought the book when it first came out on paperback several years ago and enjoyed it. I was curious about it again since they made it into a movie, too.
Something Blue. Another re-read. I like Something Borrowed better because I like Rachel's character more. This book is from Darcy's perspective and the first one is from Rachel's perspective.
High Crimes. This book just made me angry. I felt the author just wrote it because he wanted to make money off a book. I enjoy reading books about climbing mountains, which is strange (I know) because I don't climb, but I find them fascinating. I LOVED Into Thin Air and was hoping this book would be more like that. Instead this book talks about the raping of Everest.
No Way Down: Life and Death on K2. This book was a bit hard to get into... They keep changing time periods every other chapter, and I had difficulty keeping all the names straight until close to the end. It was interesting, but I think it could have been written better.
These Hidden Things: An "eh" book. This is one that I'm selling back now. It is about a smart girl who gets pregnant, then gets sent to prison after being charged for killing her baby. I'm not going to give you all the details because it would ruin the end. But, "eh" all around.
Never Let me Go is again, another movie now, one that I haven't seen. This book has an interesting premise. It's a story set in the future where people are cloned for their organs. The clones don't realize they aren't going to get to live a full life, and they are harvested for their organs. Interesting premise, and an okay book. It reminded me of the movie "The Island" from several years ago. But at the same time it isn't an action sci-fi flick, it focuses more on the feelings of the clones.
Men and Dogs. Not a good book. It had NOTHING to do with dogs, or really men for that matter... It's a story of a girl who's father goes missing/is killed/is missing and how it affects the daughter. Nothing about dogs except the dad had his dog with him when he went missing. And at the end of the book it doesn't give you a definitive end. I am not a fan.
Heaven is for Real. I liked this book, it was a short, easy read that was enjoyable. It's a true story about a 4-year old boy who goes to heaven when his appendix ruptures and he goes into surgery.
The Crying Tree. This book is based in a small town in Oregon. It's about a family who re-locates to Oregon from the Midwest, after moving the son is murdered. The mother forms a bond with the murderer to find out what happened (via letters as the murderer is on death row). It's a sad book, with nothing much redeeming about it. Again, another just okay book.
A History of the World in 6 Glasses. I thought this would be an entertaining book. I was SORELY mistaken. This book is written by an editor of the economist and is so incredibly boring to read! I had to force myself to finish the book! It was not good. At all. I would not recommend this to anybody.
