The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold

This is the story of Susie Salmon, like the fish - as Susie would say. She was murdered at the age of 14, by a neighbor. Susie tells this story, following her family and her killer from her own kind of heaven. Susie tells us about her family, their grief, and how everything falls apart in the days, weeks, and years after her death.

The title "The Lovely Bones" actually means something, and it's meaning is what Susie discovers in the years after her death.

Dear John, by Nicholas Sparks

Anything with Channing Tatum will automatically get an A++ from me. I saw the previews and didn't want to wait until the release date to find out what this story was all about.

"Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever.

This book is an incredible journey of love and of heartbreak. A heartbreak you could never possibly imagine. If you want to laugh, cry, or just feel, I reccommend this book.

Fallen, by Lauren Kate

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

This book is full of intrigue, friendships, and a little romance. Each character is incredible and believable. This is part of a series, can't wait for Torment, Fall 2010.

The Maze Runner, James Dashner

Kudos to Mr. Dashner for writing the start of a compelling series.

He arrives in The Glade, his only memory of himself and his past is that his name is Thomas. And he isn't the only one, the other boys in the Glade arrived the same way he did, in a metal lift, with their memories wiped clean.

The Glade is the center of a massive maze, 2 years have passed since the arrival of the first Glader, and no one has been able to find an exit, boys are being killed by monsters in the maze, and it seems hopeless to figure out the maze and get back to what they hope is their happily ever after.

Thomas is about to change all that...

Splendor, by Anna Godbersen

Final book in The Luxe Series, I was on tenterhooks the entire time, waiting for the end, hoping for what it should be.

This was, hands-down, the most disappointing end to a series/book I have ever read. The book ends and it leaves you empty, wishing the author would have thought through her characters more, I don't feel like the ending was something (had they been real people) would have ever, ever in a million years, ever let happen.

I will be extremely hesitant to purchase another book from this author again.

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until dawn.
Irresistible boys with mischievous smiles and dangerous intentions.
White lies, dark secrets, and scandalous hookups.
This is Manhattan, 1899.


Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan's social scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York City's elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone — from the backstabbing socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the spiteful maid Lina Broud — threatens Elizabeth's and Diana's golden future.

This is now a 4 part series, I am re-reading this series, I had stopped after book 2. The 3rd book wasn't out yet and the ending of the 2nd devastated me. It took me a little bit to get into the book, but, once you get hooked, you cannot put it down. The storyline is riveting, the characters pull you in, and when they are happy so are you, when their heart is broken so is yours. Godbersen delivers in this entire series.

The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum

Abby's senior year of high school is going according to plan: good friends, cute boyfriend, and college applications in the mail. But when Dante Alexander, foreign-exchange student from Italy, steps into her life, he turns it upside down. He's mysterious, and interesting, and unlike anyone she's ever met before. Abby can't deny the growing attraction she feels for him. Nor can she deny the unusual things that seem to happen when Dante is around. Soon Abby finds herself drawn into a mystery whose roots reach into sixteenth-century Florence, and she uncovers a dangerous truth that threatens not only her future but the lives of those she loves.

From start to finish, I loved this book, can't wait for the sequel in 2010. This book is definitely a cliff-hanger, but well worth it. I love the mystery of Dante, the uncertainty of Abby, their characters mesh so well and they are believeable. The only hang-up I had was the Truth conversation they had. You'll know what I'm talking about when you read it.