December's End

This year I read 61 books. I didn't read any during this month.....Well technically I tried to read two books but I couldn't get into them at all. I tried to read The Headmaster's Wife by Christopher Thomas Greene and A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice. They didn't pull me in at the start so I couldn't finish them have had some bad news delivered to me about my dad, and that has pretty much taken up my mind. I am trying to be positive and not borrow trouble until we know for sure what is going on but that's hard for me to do.
I got two new books for Christmas that I am excited to start....The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-old  Serial Killer Mystery by Bill James and The Harbor by Carla Neggers.
I am going to partake in the 2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge..it has 52 prompts in the challenge. It took me awhile to get a book for each prompt.
Some of these books are definitely outside my regular reading box but maybe it will open me up to reading other things. I also have two columns on the list that say date started/date finished. I would like to surpass my reading goal from this year and read more than 61 books, this challenge has 52 so just ten more shouldn't be hard, I mean I have a ton on my TBR pile I am sure I can squeeze them in somewhere.
Here's to a great new year!

2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge
Prompt	Title	Author
A book made into a movie that you have seen	The Virgin Sucides	Jeffrey Eugenides
True Crime	Too Late to say Goodbye	Ann Rule
The next book in the series you started	City of Heavenly Fire	Cassandra Calre
A book involving a heist	Camino Island	John Grisham
Nordic Noir	The Snowman	Jo Nesbo
A novel based on a real person	Stalking Jack the Ripper	kari Mansicalco
A book set in a country that fascinates you	A Week in Winter	Maeve Binchy
A book with a time of day in the title	The Night Circus	Erin Morganstern
A book about a villian or anithero	You	Caroline Kepnes
A book about death or grief	This Is Where It Ends	Marieke Nijkamp
A book with your favorite color in the title	Blue Bloods	Melissa de la Cruz
A book with alliteration in the title	Magpie Murders	Anthony Harbach
A book about time travel	The Time Travler's Wife	Audrey Niffenegger
A book with a weather element in the title	The Hurricane Sisters	Dorothea Benton Frank
A book set at sea	Before the Fall	Noah Hawley
Abook with an animal in the title	Turtles All the Way Down	John Green
A book set on a different planet	Artemis	Andy Weir
A book with song lyrics in the title	Helter Skelter	Vincent Bugliosi
A book about or set on Halloween	Hallowe'en Party	Agatha Christie
A book with the Characters who are twins	Two Little Girls in Blue	Mary Higgins Clark
A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym	Naked in Death	J.D Robb
A book with an LGBTQ protagonist	At the Edge of the Universe	Shaun David hutchinson
Abook that is also a stage play or musical	And then there were none	Agatha Christie
A book by an author of a different ethinticity than you	Everything I never Told You	Celeste Ng
A book about feminism	The Bell Jar	Slyvia Plath
A book about mental health	Girl, Interrupted	Susanna Kaysen
A book you borrowed or was given as a gift to you	Good Me Bad Me	Ali Land
A book by two authors	Sleeping Beauties	Stephen King and Owen King
A book by about or involving a sport	The Art of Fielding	Chad Harbach
A book by a local author
A book mentioned in another book	Murder on the Orient Express	Agatha Christie
A book from a celebrity bookclub	The Rules of Magic	Alice Hoffman
A childhood classic you've never read	Are You There God? Its Me Margret	Judy Blume
A book that’s published in 2018
A pastGoodreads Choice Awards winner	Columbine	Dave Cullen
A book set in the decade you were born	Eleanor and Park	Rainbow Rowell
A book  you meant to read in 2017	The Good Daughter	Karin Slaughter
A book with an ugly cover	The Secret History	Donna Tartt
A book that involves a bookstore or library	Farenhieit 451	Ray Bradbury
Your favorite prompt from a previous challenge	13 Little Blue Envelopes	Maureen Johnson
~Advanced List~
A bestseller from the year you graduated H.S	School Days	Robert Parker
A cyperpunk book	Cinder	Marissa Meyer
A book that was being read by a stranger in public	ACOTAR	Sarah J. Mass
A book tied to your ancestry	Cirlce of Friends	Maeve Binchy
A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title	Orange is the New Black	Piper Kermen
An Allegory	1984	George Orwell
A book by an author with your first or last name	Downfall of a Good Girl	Kimberly Lang
A microhistory	The Devil in White City	Erik Larson
A book about a problem facing society today	Nineteen Minutes	Jodi Picoult
A book reccomended by someone else doing the challenge	Little Fires Everywhere	Celeste Ng

November Wrap up

Well its been a hectic few months for and its just going to get worse I feel for some reason. I read 5 books this month and that's less than I would have liked but I glad I got those in. Let's start with
The Sixes by Kate White. When new teacher Phoebe Hall undertakes the dangerous quest of uncovering the truth behind the ghastly recent happenings, her investigation will send her into the clutches of a deadly secret society—the Sixes—and unearth the dark relics of her own long-buried past. I really enjoyed this book, I wasn't sure how it was all going to tie in and wrap things up but White did an amazing job. I have recently gotten on a kick with books set at school or universities. I am not sure why, but I love them. I liked the main character from the beginning and felt bad for her at some parts just because she was having to relive things in her past.
The Pocket Wife by Susan Crawford
Dana Catrell is shocked when her neighbor Celia is brutally murdered. To Dana’s horror, she was the last person to see Celia alive. Suffering from mania, the result of her bipolar disorder, she has troubling holes in her memory, including what happened on the afternoon of Celia’s death.
Her husband’s odd behavior and the probing of Detective Jack Moss create further complications as she searches for answers. The closer she comes to piecing together the shards of her broken memory, the more Dana falls apart. Is there a murderer lurking inside her . . . or is there one out there in the shadows of reality, waiting to strike again? This was a book that I bought on a whim at the Dollar Tree for a dollar.It was a little bit hard for me to get into but once I did I really just wanted to finish it just to get my questions answered. It's definitely a book about marriage, murder and madness. I was mad trying to figure out was going on, and I didn't really care for her husband. I had it in my mind what had happened but when I finished it I was like well I could see that ending as well. I might try to read another book by this author. It wasn't a bad book , glad I only spent the dollar on it, and I donated it to the little free library in town. Hopefully someone will enjoy it too.
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—"Cupid Day"—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is…until she dies in a terrible accident that night.
However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined. This book was given to me. I liked it okay. Nothing to boast about. I mean I get that if you make the right choices in your life it will be easier but still you have to make mistakes or you will never learn. I didn't care for the fact that we never find out what happens to everyone else in the story. I mean they should have had to learn from their mistakes as well. The author takes you through everything that they are all going through but you only see the resolution in Sam's life. I had questions about her friends too. I was left with questions so I didn't care for that.
The Parts I Remember by A.K Mills
Welcome to Kelly Rockport’s existence at Haysville University, where responsibility is just an elective. After all, fake IDs, alter egos, and one-night stands are all part of the college experience, right? So what if she blacks out from time to time? Memory is overrated.
When freshman year lasts about as long as a one-night stand and is quickly followed by the Year of the Blackout, Kelly projects junior year to be nothing shy of amazing. But as shots, beer, cocaine and men mesh together in an intoxicating haze, Kelly’s reckless ways get her into serious trouble. The only problem is, she can't remember what happened. I had, had this book on my tablet for three years and I finally decided to read it and I am only mad at myself for not reading it sooner. OMG this book hit a nerve with me. I really liked it and would recommend it to anyone starting college. It reminded me of my time in college and before you say wow she must have been an alcoholic no I wasn't but the premise of the story hit me. I know there were things that I shouldn't have done and I know that the consequences that could have happened to me would have been bad. I had to keep reading just to see what was happening and why her parents were telling her everything. I really didn't like her sisters boyfriend he just pissed me off every time I had to read about him. I think that things escalated fast and then just came to an abrupt stop. I also really liked the author style of writing. I will be looking for more from them.
The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner
A string of high-profile murder-suicides has San Francisco more rattled than the string of recent earthquakes. Hired by the SFPD to shed light on the victims' lives, forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett makes a shocking discovery: all the suicides belonged to a group of A-listers with lots of money and plenty to hide. And soon Jo finds herself trapped in a nightmare from her past when she gets invited to join the club. This book took me a few chapters for me to be pulled completely in; but once it did I was trying to figure out who was in the club and what they did to get in the club. I really liked Jo, I even liked Tang the officer working with Jo. I liked the concept of the book and I think it would be one that I would tell someone that they needed to read. I thought that I had the end figured out but it had a twist and then it made sense.
The Woods by Harlan Coben
Paul Copeland, a New Jersey county prosecutor, is still grieving the loss of his sister twenty years ago—the night she walked into the woods, never to be seen again. But now, a homicide victim is found with evidence linking him to the disappearance. The victim could be the boy who vanished along with Paul's sister. And, as hope rises that his sister could still be alive, dangerous secrets from his family's past threaten to tear apart everything Paul has been trying to hold together...
I really liked this book and will definitely be reading more from him. I liked the main character for sure and felt that he made the book, I liked the fact that he made amends with his past. I also liked Lucy I felt that something was off with her and by the end of the book it made sense. I really liked how he ended it; and usually I don't like open ended endings but I feel that this was the best way that he could have. I mean I don't want to give it away but I think that the ending was perfect. Let her decide how things are she is the one that has to answer for things in the end.

I went to the library book store the other day and came out with Girl, Interrupted by Susana Kaysen, Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie, Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter, The Survivors Club by Lisa Gardner and Pure Murder by Corey Mitchell all for $3.25 so I thought that was definitely a score.

Percy has made his appearance at the house for the month of Christmas and he is already having fun and making messes. I can't wait to see what he has up his sleeves for the rest of the month.

As of right now I have read 60 books this year I hope to make it to my goal of 75 by the new year. I am only 15 books behind I think I can do it. I am going to try and do the 2018 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge ( advanced as well) I mean that's only 50 books. My thing is I am afraid I wont be able to read books about things I don't like. I don't like being told what to read and when to read it. So I guess we will see. I will post the challenge at the end of this page.

September Wrap up and October Beginnings

      Well September was a little slow in the reading department for me, only because my dad gave us a scare and had a major heart attack out of no where and ended up having open heart surgery to have a quadruple bypass. He is doing much better now, though. He is in rehab and will get to come home towards the end of this month. It was scary for me, I was here by myself when it happened, but my brother came down to be with me. I was scared that I was going to lose him, and if that happened I don't know what I would have done. I am a daddy's girl through and through. But thank God he is doing better and is on the mend.
      While in September I did finally get to read The Lying Game by Ruth Ware.
On a cool June morning, a woman is walking her dog in the idyllic coastal village of Salten along a tidal estuary known as the Reach. Before she can stop him, the dog charges into the water to retrieve what first appears to be a wayward stick, but to her horror, turns out to be something much more sinister...The next morning, three women in and around London—Fatima, Thea, and Isabel—receive the text they had always hoped would NEVER come, from the fourth in their formerly inseparable clique, Kate, that says only, “I need you.”The four girls were best friends at Salten, a second rate boarding school set near the cliffs of the English Channel. Each different in their own way, the four became inseparable and were notorious for playing the Lying Game, telling lies at every turn to both fellow boarders and faculty, with varying states of serious and flippant nature that were disturbing enough to ensure that everyone steered clear of them. The myriad and complicated rules of the game are strict: no lying to each other—ever. Bail on the lie when it becomes clear it is about to be found out. But their little game had consequences, and the girls were all expelled in their final year of school under mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the school’s eccentric art teacher, Ambrose (who also happens to be Kate’s father). I was super excited to read this book as I loved The Woman in Cabin 10  and despite some of the reviews that I read I think that she did just as well on this book as the last. The thing that I loved the most is that is told from multiple POV's; which I know that some people hate and some people get confused but I like it because you get to see everyone's side and get clues from everyone in the story. This story is also told in past and present times. I feel that I Ware tied up all the ends and left me with no questions with this book. This book was one that I don't feel as if I could guess out who did it and why they did it. I could put this book down. I mean you knew that something bad happened in the past but its not given to you until the last few chapters and then it just gushes out and you are like WOW! I definitely recommend this book! It will keep you up reading late just to finish it.
      I also read The Best Friend by Shalini Boland. 
Toxic school mums, money worries, paranoia, and murder . . . They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer . . . Wrong.
Louisa's new best friend has it all - the house, the status, the money. But she's also hiding a dark secret. And as Louisa is drawn deeper into her friend's life, events take a chilling turn.
After Louisa's son begins going to a new school, she befriends one of the other mom's, Darcy. They soon become fast friends but something seems off. Its not obvious at first but then Louisa begins to feel uncomfortable. When she states these worries to her sister and husband they don't quite think its as bad as she makes things to be. To them there is probably a very good explanation. But Louisa doesn't trust Darcy anymore so she begins to try to unravel the shambles her life has become. What's real and what isn't? Is Louisa just imagining things or can Darcy not be trusted? This book gave me anxiety while reading it because I knew that I didn't like Darcy from the beginning. I also didn't care for her husband while he thought she was obsessing over Darcy. By the time the conclusion happens you feel as if you know both women and all things were tied up in the end, it left you with no unanswered questions. I will definitely read more from her in the future.
      I also read The Game You Played by Anni Taylor
Little Boy Blue, where did you go? Who led you away? Only I know . . . .
Two-year-old Tommy Basko goes missing from a popular inner-city playground. Six months later, his parents begin receiving cryptic messages in rhyme about Tommy. The police don't believe the messages are from the abductor, but Tommy's mother Phoebe is certain they're a game meant for her.
Against the advice of the police, Phoebe decides to play the game.
She begins a frantic search for the writer of the rhymes, at the cost of causing her marriage to shatter.
When the shocking identity of the message-writer is discovered, Phoebe's desperate race for the truth has only just begun.Who took Tommy? And why? This book also gave me some anxiety only because I was worried about the missing child. I really enjoyed this book and will read more from this author. I really liked Phoebe and her character. I didn't really care for Luke her husband only because he went about things the wrong way while his son was missing, he started to blame his wife, and then got distant and then when things started to happen he started to think she was crazy and was behind the things. He got tired of everyone feeling sorry for his wife and not him. I liked how when Phoebe started to figure things out and I liked how the one person you thought wouldn't be of help helped out the most. I didn't really see the ending coming until the end of the book and then I was like OMG that just happened. The ending closed everything up just right. I liked it a lot.
      Homecoming by Rob Aspinall
Mayflower, Kansas is famous for two things. Corn syrup and murdered high school girls.
Every few years, the Homecoming Killer snatches another. He keeps her. Toys with her. Murders her in the most shocking way. And when he leaves her remains, he leaves no clues behind. It always happens around homecoming and always to the most popular girl in school.
Now, he’s kidnapped Brooke Tanner, beautiful, innocent, smart. The small rural town is gripped by fear. Police detectives are no closer to a breakthrough. And time is running out fast.
With only a week left to find her, Brooke’s wealthy uncle hires struggling private investigator, Alice Parks. Facing an impossible case and battling her own dark demons, Alice will go to almost any length to save Brooke. But even streetwise sleuth Alice isn't ready for the dangers that await.I had tried to read this book twice now and I finally finished it. I was quite surprised at the ending. It was not one that I was expecting at all. I really liked  Alice. I wont give away any spoilers but I knew that something had happened in her past for her not to want to come back home to Mayflower and the way that her dad acted towards her. I liked how it went back and forth between the POVs and like I said if I say much more I will give it away, just know that the ending is not what you expect.
      A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
Karen and Tom Krupp are happy—they’ve got a lovely home in upstate New York, they’re practically newlyweds, and they have no kids to interrupt their comfortable life together. But one day, Tom returns home to find Karen has vanished—her car’s gone and it seems she left in a rush. She even left her purse—complete with phone and ID—behind.
There's a knock on the door—the police are there to take Tom to the hospital where his wife has been admitted. She had a car accident, and lost control as she sped through the worst part of town.
The accident has left Karen with a concussion and a few scrapes.  Still, she’s mostly okay—except that she can’t remember what she was doing or where she was when she crashed. The cops think her memory loss is highly convenient, and they suspect she was up to no good.
Karen returns home with Tom, determined to heal and move on with her life. Then she realizes something’s been moved. Something’s not quite right. Someone’s been in her house. And the police won't stop asking questions. Because in this house, everyone’s a stranger. Everyone has something they’d rather keep hidden. Something they might even kill to keep quiet. It took me a while for me to get my hands on this book, but it finally came in at the library, and I devoured it in two sittings. I had to know what was going on. I had to keep reading to find out more not about Karen or Tom but the creepy neighbor next door that kept staring at them through her windows. Again with this book I didn't care for Tom, because he started to think that she was behind it all and was crazy and a little bit obsessed with the things that were happening. The police didn't put enough faith in Karen at the beginning and didn't trust her in the slightest. I liked how the twists came and you never saw them coming. I definitely recommend this book as well. I cant wait for her next book.
    Bird Box
Something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.
Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now, that the boy and girl are four, it is time to go. But the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them. But is it man, animal, or monster?
Engulfed in darkness, surrounded by sounds both familiar and frightening, Malorie embarks on a harrowing odyssey—a trip that takes her into an unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her. Under the guidance of the stalwart Tom, a motely group of strangers banded together against the unseen terror, creating order from the chaos. But when supplies ran low, they were forced to venture outside—and confront the ultimate question: in a world gone mad, who can really be trusted? Okay so I had heard so much about this book and it was supposed to be the greatest book ever and it was supposed to be so scary and blah blah blah.....well sorry to disappoint..it didn't do any of that for me. Maybe it was because there was so much hype for me to read it. I got this book in a book exchange on Facebook. I read it in two sittings hoping that it would get better and it never did. When I finished it, I was like what did I just read?? I felt the story was a little rushed. I mean I have questions that weren't answered at all? What happened to Gary? How did she make it four years and not die of starvation? How did the birds at the door not die? I mean what was out there, they never said what it was? And if the trek down the river was so easy as the writer let on why did she wait four freaking years to do it. And the ending, it just ended! I would not recommend this book, I mean if you are looking for a book with something hidden coming after every one read The Stand by Stephen King
I hope maybe that you will find a book here that you want to read I know that I enjoyed them ( well all but Bird Box)!
 

Reading Rut Busted

Well I have been neglectful when it comes to reading and then even more so when it comes to keeping track of the books that I have read. I was in a rut for awhile and then I bounced back. I have recently found on my library account that I can keep record of all the books that I have read, with that being said I just now turned on that feature so I am missing a lot of the books that I have read. I wonder if I call the library I can get a print out?? I would really like to know.
I recently read a two books for the reading teacher at the school, she wanted me to scan them for profanity and anything that the kids shouldn't be reading about. I read Life after Eli by Rebecca Rupp and The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud. Life after Eli  Some people die heroically, others accidentally. When Daniel Anderson’s older brother dies, he wonders which category Eli’s death falls into. In an attempt to understand, Danny creates a Book of the Dead — an old binder that he fills with details about dead people, how they died, and, most important, for what purpose. Time passes, and eventually Daniel is prompted to look up from his notebook of death and questions to make new friends and be swept into their imaginings. With gentle humor and genuine emotion, Rebecca Rupp examines the questions that arise following a profound loss and the moments that start life rolling again. This book had a ton of profanity, along with sex, drinking and popping pills. It had a good story plot but I think the author could have wrote the plot without all the language that they used. I mean kids can enjoy the book without all the cuss words. The Screaming Staircase A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren''t exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see—and eradicate—these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business. In The Screaming Staircase, the plucky and talented Lucy Carlyle teams up with Anthony Lockwood, the charismatic leader of Lockwood & Co, a small agency that runs independent of any adult supervision. After an assignment leads to both a grisly discovery and a disastrous end, Lucy, Anthony, and their sarcastic colleague, George, are forced to take part in the perilous investigation of Combe Carey Hall, one of the most haunted houses in England. Will Lockwood & Co. survive the Hall''s legendary Screaming Staircase and Red Room to see another day? Readers who enjoyed the action, suspense, and humor in Jonathan Stroud''s internationally best-selling Bartimaeus books will be delighted to find the same ingredients, combined with deliciously creepy scares, in his thrilling and chilling Lockwood & Co. series. While this book didn't have any profanity this was a good book too. When I first started it I was a little apprehensive, its not what I usually read ( neither of the books were) and I really hate reading books that I didn't pick out myself. It was a good book and I kinda want to read the second one in the series just because when I start a series I like to finish it. I may have to find it and read it. Just to keep up with Lucy, I really liked her character.
The Winter People  by Jennifer MaMahon
West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who, in 1908, was found dead in the field behind her house just months after the tragic death of her daughter, Gertie. Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara's farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister, Fawn. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that suddenly proves perilous when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished without a trace. Searching for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother's bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked deeper into the mystery of Sara's fate, she discovers that she's not the only person who's desperately looking for someone that they've lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself. This was a good book and I would recommend it. I followed along and had to know what was going on. it is told from many different perspectives and you have to read to see how they all intertwine. I didn't really see the ending coming and it was on me before I had a chance to even think in that direction.
Almost Missed You by Jessica Strawser
Violet and Finn were “meant to be,” said everyone, always. They ended up together by the hands of fate aligning things just so. Three years into their marriage, they have a wonderful little boy, and as the three of them embark on their first vacation as a family, Violet can’t help thinking that she can’t believe her luck. Life is good.
So no one is more surprised than she when Finn leaves her at the beach—just packs up the hotel room and disappears. And takes their son with him. Violet is suddenly in her own worst nightmare, and faced with the knowledge that the man she’s shared her life with, she never really knew at all.
Caitlin and Finn have been best friends since way back when, but when Finn shows up on Caitlin’s doorstep with the son he’s wanted for kidnapping, demands that she hide them from the authorities, and threatens to reveal a secret that could destroy her own family if she doesn’t, Caitlin faces an impossible choice.
As the suspenseful events unfold through alternating viewpoints of Violet, Finn and Caitlin, Jessica Strawser's Almost Missed You is a page turning story of a mother’s love, a husband’s betrayal, connections that maybe should have been missed, secrets that perhaps shouldn’t have been kept, and spaces between what’s meant to be and what might have been.
Its been a while since I read this book but I remember I liked it okay, not one that I will rave about. I will read more from this author in the future.
Joyland by Stephen King
Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever. This was a quick read for me. I really liked the way it flowed and loved the characters. I cant imagine working as a carny. I really liked the way that the King through in the murder mystery of the girl who was killed in the haunted house ride. When it got closer to the end, and the plot twisted you knew that there was only one person that could have done it but I like how he kept you pulled in with the extra pieces that he threw in. Definitely recommend this one!
Final Girls by Riley Sager
Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media's attempts, they never meet.Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past. That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. Blowing through Quincy's life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa's death come to light, Quincy's life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.
OMG this book! I took me forever to get my hands on this book and when I finally did I devoured it in two sittings. I loved the whole concept of the book! I mean I love horror movies so being a final girl is mind blowing. I really like Quincy even though at some points in the book I just wanted to smack her and shake her. I had some questions about Sam and I didn't really care for her. I had my money on the wrong person for doing it and when the end came into sight I was like what the crap??? I cant say anymore or I will give it away but yall must read this book! I can not wait to hear more from this author!!
The Breakdown by B.A Paris
Cass Anderson didn’t stop to help the woman in the car, and now she’s dead.
Ever since, silent calls have been plaguing Cass and she’s sure someone is watching her.
Consumed by guilt, she’s also starting to forget things. Whether she took her pills, what her house alarm code is – and if the knife in the kitchen really had blood on it.
Omg this book gave me a lot of anxiety while reading it. I mean the ending was a little predictable about who the main antagonist was and the reasoning behind what they were doing it. But the way that the author lead up to that point was great. I had it figured out by the time I was halfway through the book. I really liked the way that the author included the text messages for the concrete proof. I think that was my favorite part. Also how when she started to figure things out she when and backtracked her steps.
The Girls by Emma Cline
Northern California, during the violent end of the 1960s. At the start of summer, a lonely and thoughtful teenager, Evie Boyd, sees a group of girls in the park, and is immediately caught by their freedom, their careless dress, their dangerous aura of abandon. Soon, Evie is in thrall to Suzanne, a mesmerizing older girl, and is drawn into the circle of a soon-to-be infamous cult and the man who is its charismatic leader. Hidden in the hills, their sprawling ranch is eerie and run down, but to Evie, it is exotic, thrilling, charged—a place where she feels desperate to be accepted. As she spends more time away from her mother and the rhythms of her daily life, and as her obsession with Suzanne intensifies, Evie does not realize she is coming closer and closer to unthinkable violence.
This book was a little different and as I started it I knew that I didn't like Suzanne and she was bad for Evie. I really think that Evie needed to be smacked a few times and also that her mother should have been smacked too. If her mother had been a mother she wouldn't have gotten drawn into this world. I really liked the relationship between Evie and her fathers girlfriend think that they needed each other. This book flips back and forth between past and present. It was slow to start and took a while to tell the story. I didn't care for the ending I mean I liked how "the Past" part of the book ended but not the way that "the Present " part of the book ended. It was like a big let down. Also ***SPOILER ALERT*** I could have done with out the murder of the little boy, I mean that was a huge problem with me, they could have taken the little boy with them and raised him with their children.
I am getting ready to start The Circle by Dave Eggers

Back at the Library

   Okay so I tried my hardest to read Big Little Lies and I just couldn't do it. I think that my expectations were way to high for it after having read all the glowing reviews. It just didn't pull me in like the other books. I asked on Facebook if it was just me and maybe I should try it again and it was 60-40 with them telling me to try again. Some told me that the series was better and they didn't like the book, or loved the book but couldn't read any of her other ones. So I just decided that maybe it wasn't for me. I guess that just goes to shoe you that no two people can read and love the same book.  
   I finished up 13 Reasons Why and it was just as good if not better than the series. The only thing I found different between the two was Tony's role. In the book he doesn't show up until its Clay's turn to listen to HIS tape, he said he was been following people around to see when it would get to him waiting to be there for him while he listened. In the series Tony is there in almost every scene. I really liked this book and would recommend that every teenager read it, and then watch the series. With their parents or not, with their teachers in school or not. This shed light on things that are happening every where in every school. Yes some parents are very pissed that they "GLAMORIZED" suicide. That is not what they did. I think the only reason they are saying this is because it brought it out in the open; I mean if we don't talk about it, it doesn't exist right? WRONG very wrong, it exist even if they don't want to believe it. They don't want to think that their child could be suicidal or a bully to some one that could potentially kill themselves because of the things that they are going through. But again that is just my opinion, and everyone is entitled to their own.
   I also went back to the library after paying to renew my library card $10 later because I live outside city limits! I just finished The River at Night by Erica Ferencik. Winifred Allen needs a vacation.
Stifled by a soul-crushing job, devastated by the death of her beloved brother, and lonely after the end of a fifteen-year marriage, Wini is feeling vulnerable. So when her three best friends insist on a high-octane getaway for their annual girls’ trip, she signs on, despite her misgivings.
What starts out as an invigorating hiking and rafting excursion in the remote Allagash Wilderness soon becomes an all-too-real nightmare: A freak accident leaves the women stranded, separating them from their raft and everything they need to survive. When night descends, a fire on the mountainside lures them to a ramshackle camp that appears to be their lifeline. But as Wini and her friends grasp the true intent of their supposed saviors, long buried secrets emerge and lifelong allegiances are put to the test. To survive, Wini must reach beyond the world she knows to harness an inner strength she never knew she possessed. Going into this book I had expectations and when I finished this book, it had totally smashed all of them. It wasn't anything like I had thought it was going to be. I really liked Wini from the beginning and was hoping for the best outcome. I mean going in to the wilderness with some young guide and hoping that you don't die. I liked how the author incorporated the use of ASL in the book. I think that is why I liked Wini so much, she was able to communicate to some one that was being mistreated in and lied to about his life. I liked the ending it made me happy to see her be able to help. If I told you any more I would give away the ending. I liked this book because it made me think about my best friends, I have had the same to girlfriends for almost 27 years. I would be lost without them and know that they feel the same. We have been through so much and continue to have each others back.
   I am starting The Couple Next Door By Shari Lapena, I am about 8 chapters in so I am hooked.
Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco  soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years. What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family—a chilling tale of  deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist. It all starts at the dinner party. This was a really good book and I really enjoyed it. I read it in one day. I really liked the main character Anne but didn't really care for Marco. I had my suspicions on what was going on in the beginning. I didn't see the twist coming until the end. I still not sure how you could leave your child at home while you go to a dinner party even if it is next door, I would tell the hostess if she didn't want my baby then I wasn't coming. I didn't care for the neighbors either. I liked the style that the author had going on in the book, I liked that she told it from everyone's point of view but didn't confuse the story with the characters. I will be reading more from her, this was my first book by her.

Getting ready to start The Girl Befiore by JP Delaney. Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.The request seems odd, even intrusive—and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating
EMMA Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant—and it does.
JANE After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street she is instantly drawn to the space—and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror, as the girl before.
This book drew me in from the beginning, I could not put it down. When I first started it I didn't really care for Emma, I didn't know why I didn't like her but towards the end I realized why. I also didn't care for The architect that built the house he came across as kinda pervy and domineering. I really liked how the author went back and forth telling the story about what had happened. I read it in about two sittings. Its a pretty straight forward plot until you get to the last fifty or so pages then its like WHAM this is what is really going on.  I will definitely be reading more books by them. I am excited to hear that Ron Howard is adapting this book into a movie!


I also finished up That Night by Chevy Stevens
As a teenager, Toni Murphy had a life full of typical adolescent complications: a boyfriend she adored, a younger sister she couldn't relate to, a strained relationship with her parents, and classmates who seemed hell-bent on making her life miserable. Things weren't easy, but Toni could never have predicted how horrific they would become until her younger sister was brutally murdered one summer night.
Toni and her boyfriend, Ryan, were convicted of the murder and sent to prison.
Now thirty-four, Toni, is out on parole and back in her hometown, struggling to adjust to a new life on the outside. Prison changed her, hardened her, and she's doing everything in her power to avoid violating her parole and going back. This means having absolutely no contact with Ryan, avoiding fellow parolees looking to pick fights, and steering clear of trouble in all its forms. But nothing is making that easy—not Ryan, who is convinced he can figure out the truth; not her mother, who doubts Toni's innocence; and certainly not the group of women who made Toni's life hell in high school and may have darker secrets than anyone realizes. No matter how hard she tries, ignoring her old life to start a new one is impossible. Before Toni can truly move on, she must risk everything to find out what really happened that night.But in That Night by Chevy Stevens, the truth might be the most terrifying thing of all.
This book also was amazing, it was the second book by Stevens that I have read, I will continue to read more of her books too! I liked Toni in the book. I liked how the author told her side of the story by taking us back in time to when everything started and then up to present day about what she is doing. I really hated her mother in the beginning and then I hated her even more in the end. I can see where she was upset but come on that's ridiculous to hold it against her even after she was let out and then when she goes on to prove her innocence. I didn't really see the killer as who they pinned it on, I had my guess but after realizing what was going on it all made sense. I would definitely recommend this book!
And lastly I just finished The Perfect Girl by GIlly Macmillan.
Zoe Maisey is a seventeen-year-old musical prodigy with a genius IQ. Three years ago, she was involved in a tragic incident that left three classmates dead. She served her time, and now her mother, Maria, is resolved to keep that devastating fact tucked far away from their new beginning, hiding the past even from her new husband and demanding Zoe do the same. 
Tonight Zoe is giving a recital that Maria has been planning for months. It needs to be the performance of her life. But instead, by the end of the evening, Maria is dead.
In the aftermath, everyone—police, family, Zoe’s former solicitor, and Zoe herself—tries to piece together what happened. But as Zoe knows all too well, the truth is rarely straightforward, and the closer we are to someone, the less we may see.
I was kinda hesitant to start this one, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but I am glad that I read it. I really liked it. I liked Zoe from the start. I can see why she was the way she was. I mean at the beginning she started out as the defendant and towards the end she becomes the judge. All this takes place in a little over 48 hours. Zoe comes to learn that the past is never really forgotten and cant be erased when people know what happened. I really liked her aunt but I didn't like that she was cheating on her husband. I know that's is not a regal part of the story but it bothered me. After reading some of the reviews I can see where some of the people that read it wouldn't like it, but I actually did. So I would say go ahead a take a chance on a book even if no one else liked it, it may become your favorite.

BIG LITTLE LIES!!

So I just finished Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen. This book took me longer to start but once I did I read it in two days. I really liked the concept of the book. I guess I was hoping for a more sinister outcome. I mean Hannah the main character comes home from a business trip and her boyfriend of four years is gone, and when I say gone I mean he has taken everything of his and left. Made it look like he was never there. He replaced his things with hers. Deleted messages, photos, numbers and emails from him to her from her phone and computer. Like he never existed. As the days go on she begins an obsessive search for him that soon begins to take a toll on her and her work. Her friends start to think that she is crazy. As she digs for answers she begins to see answers about herself and her friends and family. I didn't really care for the ending. I liked that it was an ending I wouldn't have thought of. I had who I thought had helped and did it from the start only because I didn't care for her friendship, she was always putting her down and making her second guess herself. It was an okay book definitely not one of my favorites to say the least, but I would like to see what else the author has in store for us in the future.
I am getting ready to start Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. A murder...A tragic accident...Or just parents behaving badly? What’s indisputable is that someone is dead.Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny, biting, and passionate; she remembers everything and forgives no one. Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare but she is paying a price for the illusion of perfection. New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for a nanny. She comes with a mysterious past and a sadness beyond her years. These three women are at different crossroads, but they will all wind up in the same shocking place.Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the little lies that can turn lethal.
I am excited to start this I have heard so many things about it. We Shall See!

Baskets and Books

Well I have to say that the baskets that I made for my senior graduates were a hit! I bought a laundry basket and then filled it up with stuff:

                                                     pop tarts                                                     

chap stick

laundry detergent

pens, pencils, highlighters

gum

candy

air freshener

dish soap

notebooks, notepads, notecards

pringles

tide pen

lint roller

hand sanitizer

mini stapler

planner

first aid kit

ramen noodles

Clorox wipes

sleep mask

 

   I recently finished The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda. Confronted by a restraining order and the threat of a lawsuit, failed journalist Leah Stevens needs to get out of Boston when she runs into an old friend, Emmy Grey, who has just left a troubled relationship. Emmy proposes they move to rural Pennsylvania, where Leah can get a teaching position and both women can start again. But their new start is threatened when a woman with an eerie resemblance to Leah is assaulted by the lake, and Emmy disappears days later.Determined to find Emmy, Leah cooperates with Kyle Donovan, a handsome young police officer on the case. As they investigate her friend’s life for clues, Leah begins to wonder: did she ever really know Emmy at all? With no friends, family, or a digital footprint, the police begin to suspect that there is no Emmy Grey. Soon Leah’s credibility is at stake, and she is forced to revisit her past: the article that ruined her career. To save herself, Leah must uncover the truth about Emmy Grey—and along the way, confront her old demons, find out who she can really trust, and clear her own name.
   When I started this I was kind of concerned because I had read the reviews and some of them were not so nice and they hated the book, because it was implausible and the plot didn't make sense to them. I on the other hand really liked the plot and think that the author wrote it in a way that if it were to happen it could. I really liked Leah from the start and had questions about Emmy for sure. Even though there was a lot of backtracking in the story; it made the story that more interesting like you had to pay attention to what was going on. I like that it had a plot that I could guess and in the end I would be wrong. I had it right with who I thought was behind everything but I couldn't put a finger on why this was happening. I overall liked the book very much and cant wait for the next thing that she comes out with.
   I also finished Into the Water by Paula Hawkins. A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she'd never return.
With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying read that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present..
   It took me a little bit to get into this one only because the author used multiple characters to tell the story; once I got them straight I was able to read straight through and ended up loving the book. It wasn't really anything like The Girl on the Train but I liked it none the less. I really liked the main character but it took a lot for me to not want to ring her neck every now and then. I liked the back story from the characters too, I mean it added more to the story. I do have to say that my favorite character was the crazy lady that knew more than she could let on. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery.
   I am getting ready to start reading Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen. Hannah Monroe's boyfriend, Matt, is gone. His belongings have disappeared from their house. Every call she ever made to him, every text she ever sent, every photo of him and any sign of him on social media have vanished. It's as though their last four years together never happened.As Hannah struggles to get through the next few days, with humiliation and recriminations whirring through her head, she knows that she'll do whatever it takes to find him again and get answers. But as soon as her search starts, she realizes she is being led into a maze of madness and obsession. Step by suspenseful step, Hannah discovers her only way out is to come face to face with the shocking truth...