Alex

Author:  Pierre Lemaitre

Series:  Verhoeven Trilogy, Book 2

Year:  2011

Publisher:  Albin Michel

Pages:  400

Amazon Summary:

Upon winning the prestigious 2013 Crime Writers Association International Dagger Award, the judges praised Alex by saying, "An original and absorbing ability to leash incredulity in the name of the fictional contract between author and reader... A police procedural, a thriller against time, a race between hunted and hunter, and a whydunnit, written from multiple points of view that explore several apparently parallel stories which finally meet."

Alex Prevost--kidnapped, savagely beaten, suspended from the ceiling of an abandoned warehouse in a tiny wooden cage--is running out of time. Her abductor appears to want only to watch her die. Will hunger, thirst, or the rats get her first?

Apart from a shaky eyewitness report of the abduction, Police Commandant Camille Verhoeven has nothing to go on: no suspect, no leads, and no family or friends anxious to find a missing loved one. The diminutive and brilliant detective knows from bitter experience the urgency of finding the missing woman as quickly as possible--but first he must understand more about her.

 

So this was one heck of a mystery/thriller. I found it impossible to put down even when it got really creepy and crawly in places. I had to know what was going to happen to Alex, who the kidnapper was, what was with all the killing and murders. And then with the other story. What was with that? I definitely did not expect this to go there when I started it. I really hope to reach more of this author's work. 

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Author:  Jenny Han

Series:  To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Book 1

Year: 2014

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster

Pages: 288

Goodreads Summary:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

This book is absolutely adorable. Laura Jean was an adorable protagonist. I loved following her relationship with Peter and with her previous loves. Watching Laura Jean deal with taking care of her family, adjusting to her older sister's move, and falling in love was a joy. To All the Boys I've Loved Before was my first experience with Jenny Han but I am definitely interested in reading more of her stories.

Flat-Out Celeste

Author:  Jessica Park

Year:  2014

Publisher:  CreateSpace

Pages:  336

Goodreads Summary:

For high-school senior Celeste Watkins, every day is a brutal test of bravery. And Celeste is scared. Alienated because she’s too smart, her speech too affected, her social skills too far outside the norm, she seems to have no choice but to retreat into isolation.

But college could set her free, right? If she can make it through this grueling senior year, then maybe. If she can just find that one person to throw her a lifeline, then maybe, just maybe.

Justin Milano, a college sophomore with his own set of quirks, could be that person to pull her from a world of solitude. To rescue her—that is, if she’ll let him.

Together, they may work. Together, they may save each other. And together they may also save another couple—two people Celeste knows are absolutely, positively flat-out in love.

Whether you were charmed by Celeste in Flat-Out Love or are meeting her for the first time, this book is a joyous celebration of differences, about battling private wars that rage in our heads and in our hearts, and—very much so— this is a story about first love.

I was so excited to see this book available. I absolutely loved Flat-Out Love and Flat-Out Matt. I thought these were terrific books and was so excited to get to Celeste's story. And it did not disappoint. This story had so many feelings attached to it and I just could not believe how connected I became to Celeste. I highly recommend this series to any one that loves a good romantic story.

Sleep Donation

Author:  Karen Russell

Year: 2014

Publisher:  Atavist Books

Pages: 110

Goodreads Summary:

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Swamplandia!, and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, an imaginative and haunting novella about an insomnia epidemic set in the near future.

A crisis has swept America. Hundreds of thousands have lost the ability to sleep. Enter the Slumber Corps, an organization that urges healthy dreamers to donate sleep to an insomniac. Under the wealthy and enigmatic Storch brothers the Corps' reach has grown, with outposts in every major US city. Trish Edgewater, whose sister Dori was one of the first victims of the lethal insomnia, has spent the past seven years recruiting for the Corps. But Trish’s faith in the organization and in her own motives begins to falter when she is confronted by “Baby A,” the first universal sleep donor, and the mysterious "Donor Y."

Sleep Donation explores a world facing the end of sleep as we know it, where “Night Worlds” offer black market remedies to the desperate and sleep deprived, and where even the act of making a gift is not as simple as it appears.

This was a very interesting and enjoyable novella. I find it intriguing that there's a possibility of people dying from insomnia especially since I am a sufferer of insomnia. I loved the idea of donating sleep and found myself wishing that there was a way for me to get a sleep donation.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

Author: Matthew Quick

Year: 2013

Publisher:  Hachette Audio

Narrator: Noah Galvin

Goodreads Summary:

How would you spend your birthday if you knew it would be your last?

Eighteen-year-old Leonard Peacock knows exactly what he'll do. He'll say goodbye.

Not to his mum - who he calls Linda because it annoys her - who's moved out and left him to fend for himself. Nor to his former best friend, whose torments have driven him to consider committing the unthinkable. But to his four friends: a Humphrey-Bogart-obsessed neighbour, a teenage violin virtuoso, a pastor's daughter and a teacher.

Most of the time, Leonard believes he's weird and sad but these friends have made him think that maybe he's not. He wants to thank them, and say goodbye.

Wow! That's the one word I'd use to describe this book. It was intensely emotional. I think I cried for half the book and not because it was sad and bad things were happening but because Quick was tugging at every single heartstring I have. I felt for Leonard and was dying to know what it was that drove him to make the decisions that he had made. Noah Galvin's narration was spot on. I absolutely loved this book. 

All Our Yesterdays

Author:  Cristin Terrill

Series: All Our Yesterdays, Book 1

Year: 2014

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

Narrator:  Meredith Mitchell

Goodreads Summary:

What would you change?

Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend, James, since they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it... at least, not as the girl she once was. Em and Marina are in a race against time that only one of them can win.

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

I had no clue what to expect going into this book. I didn't know it was a time travel novel or exactly what was going to happen. I did figure a couple of things out pretty fast but I was pleasantly surprised at this story. I came to care about the characters and wanted Em to succeed in her task. I thought the book was very well crafted. It was fast paced and well plotted (is that the same as well crafted?) I especially liked the audiobook version and thought the narrator did an excellent job. I thought it ended well and am quite surprised that there will be a sequel coming up.

The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains: A Tale of Travel and Darkness With Pictures of All Kinds

Author:  Neil Gaiman

Illustrator:  Eddie Campbell

Year: 2014

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Pages:  73

Goodreads Summary:

You ask me if I can forgive myself?

I can forgive myself . . .

And so begins The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains, a haunting story of family, the otherworld, and a search for hidden treasure. This gorgeous full-color illustrated book version was born of a unique collaboration between New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman and renowned artist Eddie Campbell, who brought to vivid life the characters and landscape of Gaiman's award-winning story. In this volume, the talents and vision of two great creative geniuses come together in a glorious explosion of color and shadow, memory and regret, vengeance and, ultimately, love.

. . . for many things. For where I left him.

For what I did.

If there's one thing I absolutely love about Neil Gaiman, it's his versatility. He can write these dense fantasy novels and then follow it up with a childrens book and then follow that with something like The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains. I would best describe this book as a flushed out parable. I loved the way he takes a story that seems simple on the surface and then  makes it all complicated and difficult and dense. The artwork was superb. In truth, I just wish I had also bought the audiobook and let Gaiman himself read it to me.