Ignite Me - Tahereh Mafi

The final novel in the Shatter Me trilogy is just as addicting and hard to put down as the preceding two novels in the series.

At the beginning of the novel, Juliette is unsure of what has happened to Adam, her friends and fellow rebels. She finds herself drawn to and trusting Warner, someone she never thought would have the capacity to do good.

My mind continually wondered when the ball was going to drop and when Warner would reveal his real plan of deceit and horror. But, as he has proven in the past, Warner is constantly full of surprises.

Juliette and some unexpected allies go against The Reestablishment in a final battle that will leave you wanting for another sequel.

One of my favorite things about this series is it’s lack of predictability. Once you think you know what will happen, Tahereh Mafi takes you for another unexpected turn.

This series has EVERYTHING: a dystopian society in desperate need of a heroin, a romance plot worthy of a movie, and a dash of paranormal.

Unravel Me - Tahereh Mafi

The second novel in the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi picks up right where Shatter Me left off.

The second installment in this addicting series dives further into the backgrounds and “talents” of the other rebels, people who, like Juliette, have abnormal abilities. 

Juliette continues to explore her killer touch, as well as why Adam, the boy she loves, and Warner, the boy she wants to hate, can both touch her. Through this, the romance side of the series really heats up in an almost Twilight Team Jacob vs. Team Edward kind of way that leaves you pulling for both guys, but for different reasons than you would predict at the beginning of the novel.

Make sure you have time to finish this novel, because you will not be able to put it down until you do.

Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me, the first in the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi is what I would call a modern day dystopian thriller. The style in which Tahereh Mafi writes instantly brings her readers into the mind of the main character, Juliette, which is both scattered and at the same time beautiful.

Once I picked up this novel, I couldn’t put it down, and downloaded the sequels the moment I finished reading Shatter me.

Juliette is an individual who has a fatal touch and is thus, feared by society and imprisoned by The Reestablishment. Little does she know, her imprisonment is all part of a bigger scheme to use her as a weapon. During her imprisonment, she is temporarily given a cell-mate, Adam, who slowly brings her out of her quiet shell. While I don’t want to spoil who Adam works for or what his role becomes, it definitely causes a few excited page-turning moments. Not only does this novel have twists in turns that have the makings of a classing page turner, but it also delivers a touch of romance. 

One of my favorite things about this novel, was Tahereh’s way of making you attach to the antagonist, Warner. While Warner seems the most terrible of people, there is something about the way she writes that also gives him just enough redemption to make you want to cheer for the “bad guy.”

As Juliette discovers more about her power and the secrets of The Reestablishment, she takes an interesting adventure of self discovery and taking down The Reestablishment.

World War Z--Max Brooks

I picked this up at a Flea Market.  Yes, some people go to flea markets for antiques and crafts, I go to dig through the dollar book bins. . . I have a problem.   I will freely admit that this is probably the worst possible time to be reading this book.  With Ebola and the enterovirus all the rage on the news, the last thing my overactive imagination needs at night is a zombie apocalypse book, but I'm reading it nonetheless, because it is good.

If you've seen the movie, do not let that stop you from picking up the book.  This books reads more like a collection of short stories, than a novel.  There are threads throughout the book that I recognize from the movie, but most are not.   This is the whole picture of the end of the world, the hope, the greed, the carnage, and the bad decisions that make for a good zombie read.  If you find it in your used book store, or you need another little something to put your amazon order total on the free shipping side, pick it up.  You won't sleep for a while, but it is in the best possible way!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - We Couldn't Put it Down

This has to be the best novel I have read in years. And I read A LOT of books. I started reading it late one Friday evening, and about half way through I thought to myself, “just one more chapter.” I then turned the page, and was instantly awakened to a shocking twist and was unable to sleep until I finished the book.

At first, I found myself thinking the main character Amy was quite the lovesick bore. While I love a good romantic plot, swooning weak female characters really do annoy me. As the novel takes a series of twists and turns, Amy is anything but a bore. 

When I finished the novel, I almost felt a bit psychotic myself because it was just so easy to empathize with Amy’s thoughts. That is what I love about Gillian Flynn as an author. She can make you empathize with a genuinely psychotic character, making her reader find a character like Amy’s thoughts and actions not only brilliant but logical. Not that I am crazy, but I do understand having a strong compulsion to make sure everyone understands that I am right, and not only that I am right, but WHY I am right. I am not by any means a know-it-all, but if I am right . . . well, I’m right. While I do not take things to extremes as the characters in this book, I can’t help but understand where they are coming from.

In the end, I had a hard time deciding whether or not it was a happy ending. What makes a happy ending? They walk happily ever after into the sunset? Or run through meadows holding hands? Because that is not how this book ends. But on the other hand, not exactly how it doesn’t end.

The Apprentice-Jacques Pepin

A light, entertaining read that will inspire you to travel to France,  make a divine meal, or work your tail off to achieve your goals. . . maybe all three.  The book flows with the breezy cadence that anyone familiar with Pepin from TV (which is my sole exposure) will recognize, even crisis and injury are seemingly acknowledged with a shrug of the shoulders and a “say la vie!.”  One should not be deceived by the tone however, this is a brief snapshot of a life lived in pursuit of one’s love, an example of an artist doggedly pursuing, and working his craft, to achieve his goals.  Read it because you love food, read it because you want to know more about one of the most singularly influential characters in the food entertainment culture that has sprung up over the last two decade, read it because it is a lesson in living your life to the fullest. 

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren - Read it!

Do you ever read a book simply because of it’s title? I do. I am one of those horrible people who, on occasion, judge a book by it’s cover . . . or title. Have I been burned by this practice? Absolutely. Especially considering I have this compulsion that once I start a book, I must finish it, at least eventually (and probably the reason I am reading approximately four books at any given time).

I love the Author(s) Christina Lauren. They are a pair of best friends who write novels together and make quite the team. Besties: take note, this is my dream.

The main character, Chloe is a super brilliant mid-twenties, girl. She is working at a top tier company while attending a top tier business school. She also sleeps with her boss. She does not sleep her way to the top but rather goes quite far out of her way to prove that she deserves her position. 

What I like about her character is that she is very confident. She dresses to make herself feel powerful and feminine, as opposed to dressing to impress her male colleagues. This is not the story about a supposedly strong, independent, cinderella-esque woman who is somehow rescued by a billionaire (which can be fun at times). She is a strong women who embraces her feminine side and works hard to make her way through the business world. In other words, a character I can relate to . . . minus the whole sleeping with the boss thing.