Something Borrowed by: Emily Giffin

Review: Currently, I am the maid of honor in a wedding and could not resist reading this book.  I couldn't put it down; it is a quick and easy read so I wasn't holding onto it for too long.  When you read the synopsis you think, how could any MOH do that to her best friend! I was appalled, but then at the end of the book you really feel for the main character.  This book really shows the reader that there are two sides to every story and not everything is as cut and dry as you want to believe. 

Synopsis:  On the night of her 30th birthday, Rachel suddenly finds herself in bed with a man who is not only engaged, but she is the maid of honor in the wedding.  Rachel has always followed the rules, went to a good college, never had one night stands, and was a solid friend.  She doesn't know how to process what she did to her best friend, Darcy and soon she finds herself falling in love with Dex, the fiance.  The feelings are mutual and Rachel becomes torn between the most powerful love she has ever experienced and a lifetime love for her best friend. 

Rating: 8

The Alchemy of Stone by: Katerina Sedia

Review: A weird, uninteresting book.  I should have stopped reading it but I persisted.  At one point a machine and a man have intercourse; I thought to myself "Why am I still reading this?"  The book made no sense either.  The main character is a very advanced automaton, yet they live in a town where carriages are pulled by giant lizards and orphans are molded into deformed creatures to work in the mines.  They don't have machines to do this, but they have robots that can mimic human intelligence? Really? The didn't invent automated vehicles first?!

Synopsis: Maddie is a free automaton and an alchemist.  Her master is a mechanic and also holds the key to her 'heart' which needs to be wound for her to continue to function.  There is civil discourse in the city between the Gargoyles, Mechanics, and Alchemists.  Maddie finds herself in the middle of all this. 

Review: 0

The Nanny Diaries by: Emma McLaughlin & Nichola Kraus

Review:  When I picked up this book I had very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised when I couldn't put it down.  The Nanny Diaries is a hysterical and emotionally captivating read. McLaughlin and Kraus have a different writing style, and I personally loved it.  They write out there thoughts in the way I imagine I would if I were to ever write something bigger than a blog.  Its that style of writing that makes the reader laugh out loud.

Synopsis (Spoiler Alert):  A broke college student living in NYC takes a nanny position with a rich family on Park Ave.  Nanny quickly learns that Mrs. X takes no real part in her childs upbringing despite the fact that Mrs. X does not work, cook, or clean.  Nanny is at her constant beck and call.  Nanny and the child, Grayer, have a rocky start but soon form a tight loving bond.  As the marriage of the Xe's begins to crumble Nanny is pulled in.  The ending is horribly depressing.

Review: 9

For One More Day by: Mitch Albom

Review:  A quick, easy, touching read. This book really make the reader contemplate their relationship with their mothers.  It puts a perspective on life and how the ones you love can really make all the difference. It only takes a few hours to read and it will make you think about your loved ones and the effects they have on your life.

Synopsis: Chick Benetto was a washed up sports player with an alcohol problem. His wife leaves him and his daughter doesn't even invite him to her wedding. Chick's failed attempt at suicide results in him spending one more day with his deceased mother.  She takes him to several appointments with people from the past.  She shows Chick just how much she loved him and everything she did out of love.  Her story becomes his story and when he survives he treats life like the wonderful gift that it is.

Review: 7

The Lucky One by: Nicholas Sparks

Review: A much more upbeat and unusual love story for Spark's, and the ending isn't as tragic as many of his works.  Besides the more positive ending, Spark's deviates from his usual writing.  Instead of the two characters falling madly in love in two weeks, Thibault and Elizabeth actually take the time to get to know each other.  These two differences are what made me really appreciate the story, more than almost all of Spark's novels. The concept was a bit too far fetched, but it is still fiction.

Synopsis: Thibault is a marine fighting abroad in the war, when he comes across a photograph in the desert.  He picks it up and tries to find the owner, after no one claims it for some reason he holds onto this picture of a woman he has never met.  Thibault begins to beat the odds and miraculously survive in numerous fatal scenarios. One of his comrades tells him that this picture is what is saving his life.  After his time in the Marines is up, Thibault returns to the states and begins to search for this girl.

     After walking across most the of country he finds Elizabeth, sister to a deceased Marine.  He begins working right next door for her grandmother's kennel.  Slowly he gets to know Elizabeth and her son, and all too soon, her insane ex husband who is also a police officer.  Elizabeth's exhusband is not ready to give her up to this stranger, and seeks to rid the town of Thibault.

Review: 9

Lucky by: Alice Sebold

Review: This book is based upon a life changing traumatic experience, but after you get past the horrible incident it becomes quite dull.  I feel awful for what this woman experienced, no one should have to go through that.  The true story of a rape that took place near the Syracuse University campus was what prompted me to pick up the book.  It did make me realize how long and strenuous the after math of a rape can be, especially for the rare few who want to convict their attacker. But the long drawn out way it was written was hard to get through.  I felt that there was a lot of unnecessary parts about the detailed legal aspects, which caused me to lose interest. Kind of like reading the dull parts to Law & Order: SVU.  It was still a decent real look into how someone copes when something life changing and horrible happens.  I will always remember this book.

Synopsis:  A young college girl is raped on her walk back home one night.  She eventually sees her rapist on street near the school and he is finally apprehended.  The book then details the legal process. Also the horrible ordeal this girl was put through as well as her healing process. As it may be expected, she has issues with men after;  she also has an issue with drugs. She appears overcomes them and write this memoir of her experience.

Rating: 6

The Neighbor by: Lisa Gardner

Review:  In the beginning I found this book to be a bit mellow compared to Gardner's other works. However near the middle I started making connections to another book by Gardner, one of my favorites of hers.  That idea drew me right in.  Being a huge fan of Gardner's I have read everything she has written, but not realizing most of them had an order I read whatever one I could get my hands on at the library. The Neighbor is one of her newer books and I had read everything else prior to picking up this book, thank God! It was amazing when the light went on in my head and I made that connection.  That made me appreciate the book on a whole new level. 

   For those of you interested, read Say Goodbye first.  Say Goodbye was terrifying and one of my favorites (that review will come another time though). I highly recommend reading these books, although honestly, I recommend everything by Lisa Gardner. 

Synopsis:  A wife suddenly goes missing from her home, and the only person who was there is her 4 year old daughter.  The husband becomes a prime suspect as he begins to hide evidence and doesn't seem to want to help police officers find his wife.  On the outside they look like the perfect couple, but Detective DD Warren begins to pull at the threads unraveling more than she ever dreamed possible.

Rating: 9