The Confession by John Grisham

The Confession by John Grisham made it on the list because it is written by John Grisham.  If you like his books, you'll like this one.  I like his books, and I also liked this one.  It did get me a little riled up at times.  I had to put the book down and breathe a few times. Overall I liked the characters and felt they were realistic. 

I would say that the only downside to this book is that it is so much like many of his other books.  Once you've read one of them, you've read them all and they all start blending together.  It was very entertaining though.

The Confession gets 4 out of 4 stars.

Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Book Thief by Markus Zusak is one that has been recommended to me a few different times.  It took me a while to get into it.  The writing style was definitely a little different than I am used to seeing which I think is the main reason why it took me a while to get into it.

I liked the book a lot.  It takes place in Nazi Germany and those stories always seem to fascinate me.  I liked the main character a lot which also helps quite a bit.

I give Book Thief 4 out of 5 stars.

Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster # 55

Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster is #55 and my final book of this year!  My sister, Michelle, read it for her book club and suggested it to me because it is a quick and easy read and she thought I would enjoy it.  She was right, I did enjoy it.

It is the story about an orphan who is given the opportunity by a rich man to attend college, and he pays for it.  The only condition is that she write him letters to keep him up to date on what she is learning and how she is doing in school.  After the first chapter, the rest of the book is just her letters to this man.

My description probably isn't the best because it sounds like it will be boring, but the main character in the book is funny and charming and entertaining, so it is better than you would think.  The beginning of the book is interesting because she is experiencing so many things for the first time in her life.

Daddy Long-Legs gets 4 out of 5 stars.

I am now done for the year.  Sometime after the beginning of the year I am going to post my list of books that I want to read in 2011.

Room by Emma Donoghue # 54

Room by Emma Donoghue is one that I have started hearing more and more about and had to read.  It is about a girl that is kidnapped and held hostage in a room that is only 11x11.  When the story starts she has been held captive for 7 years, and has a 5 year old son.  The story is told from the point of view of the 5 year old, so it is a little "cleaner" than you would expect when you first hear what the story is about.

I liked the book, the fact that it is told by a 5 year old helps a lot.  I have a 5 year old and at first it bugged me that they 5 year old acted much younger than his age, but then I realized that if he had never been outside of that room, than that is what he would really be like with limited exposure to the outside world.  It was a good and believable story that had my heart pounding at times.

It made me think of a few stories I have heard about people that have been in that situation in real life and how hard it would be to be cut off from the world.  Especially the ones that have given birth while being held captive and how that must effect the children.

I did get a little irritated by the mom at some points of the book.  She acted the way you would expect someone in that situation to act, but I still found myself yelling at her a little bit in my mind.

Overall a really good story and much cleaner than I expected, even knowing it was told from a 5 year old's perspective.

Room gets 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Next up-Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks #53

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks is his latest book, that just came out recently.  I borrowed it from my sister and she told me it was a little different than the "typical" Nicholas Sparks book.  I agree with her, but am happy to say that it was still really good.  The main difference was that it was a little more mysterious and a little bit of a thriller.

I liked all the characters which is always a good start to any book.  I didn't really have a problem with any of them annoying me or making dumb decisions or anything like that.  I was even pleased to say that the ending surprised me.  I didn't see it coming.

Safe Haven gets 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up-Room by Emma Donoghue

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner #50

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner is book #2 in a trilogy.  I read the first book, The Maze Runner earlier this year and liked it a lot.  This one just came out in October and the next one doesn't come out until next year.  I was a little concerned that I would have a hard time remembering the characters and the details of what happened in the first book to be able to follow the second book.  Even though the author did not do much, if any, backtracking explaining the first book, I had no problem remembering.

One thing that I did like about The Scorch Trials is that it picked up right where the first book left off.  I love that, I can't stand it when the second book in a series picks up way later than the first one left off.  I also liked that the characters stayed true to who they were in the first book.

I did not like this one as much as the first one though.  The first one had me thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it and trying to solve the problem.  This one was different in that the characters knew how to solve the problem, they just didn't know what would get in their way to reaching the end.  I liked The Maze Runner partially because of the mystery.

The Scorch Trials gets 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up-Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

Mercy by Jodi Picoult # 46

Mercy by Jodi Picoult was an interesting read. It was written back when Dr. Kevorkian became well-known and centers around the idea of how far people are willing to go for the person they love. Like most of her books, it is one that leaves you thinking about it for a while after you finish it.

There were parts of it that bugged me. There was one character in particular that I really did not like at all. He used his wife and it really irritated me.

Overall it was a "typical" Jodi Picoult book. I liked it, it made me think and I was ready for a "lighter" read for the next book on my list.

Mercy gets 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up-Mrs. Mike by Benedict Freedman and Nancy Freedman

You Can't Stop Me by Max Allan Collins #42

You Can't Stop Me by Max Allan Collins is another book that reminds me of my dad. I can't remember how it got on my list, but I have a feeling that my dad recommended it to me. It is a murder mystery involving a serial killer. The main character of the book is a former police officer who turned into a host of a TV show similar to America's Most Wanted after his wife and son are shot and killed in their own home. He puts a team together to find the killer.

It is a pretty typical murder mystery story, but it did a good job of scaring me at times, I knew this because there were a couple of nights that I became scared of the dark a little bit. When I am reading a thriller I know it is doing its job when I develop a fear of the dark. It is a good book, nothing super spectacular, but good and I got through it pretty quickly even if it is a good size.

You Can't Stop Me gets 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up-Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult # 35

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult was another true-to-form Jodi Picoult book. The topic(s) covered in this book are definitely heavy ones, and also controversial. It makes you put it down and think "Would I do the same thing if I was in that person's shoes?"

This book was a little more disturbing to me than some of her others. It has a lot of controversy in it and every time you think it has gotten as bad as it could something surprising happens and it gets worse.

I had a hard time putting it down though because I had to see how the train wreck was going to end. It ended differently than I thought it would, and that is probably a bad thing.

Overall it was an okay book, it made me think a lot and hope that I never find myself in a similar situation to the characters in the book.

Perfect Match gets 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up-Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty #34

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty was another random pick for me. I picked it up off of the shelf in the library. As I have mentioned earlier, I usually am really bad at doing this. Especially when my kids are with me (which they were) because I am trying to pick a book or two faster than they can take every book off of the shelf, which isn't long.

The "surprise" for me about Three Wishes is that it is written by an Australian author, and therefore takes place in Australia with Australian characters. They talk a little bit differently than Americans so it took a little getting used to some of their phrases.

The book is about triplets and the mess they make of their lives, and the relationships they have with each other. It was a good book. It was one of those light-hearted books that make for a good vacation book. Each of the sisters has a different problem in her life and some of them are heavier problems than others, but overall it has that light-hearted feel to it, if you know what I mean.

I liked Three Wishes, it was a good, easy, fun read. I had a harder time putting it down than I thought I would.

I give Three Wishes 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up- Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale #32

The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale is another book that I found at my mom and dad's house. This will probably be a common theme in the next little while because I found a whole stack that I will probably end up reading. I have already read Goose Girl by Shannon Hale this year and loved it so I had a good idea that I would like this one as well, and I did. I read the whole thing in less than one day. It is just over 300 pages, but they are short pages and it is an easy read.

It does not follow any of the same characters or places that Goose Girl does, it is an entirely different story. I liked this one because I liked the main character. I thought she was believable and likable.

Overall it was a good, entertaining story. I had a hard time putting it down and when I finished it, I found myself wishing I had more to read, even though the story was wrapped up nicely. The ending was great because it was different than I had predicted, which is always nice.

Princess Academy gets 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up-Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Circle of Grace by Penelope J. Stokes #30

Circle of Grace was a random choice for me. I took my kids to the library and wanted something for myself but didn't have my list of books that I want to read with me. So I did something I am usually not very successful at and just browsed the shelves until I found something I thought looked like it could possibly be good. Circle of Grace was the first one to stand out to me so I got it.

It is a story about 4 college roommates and the things they go through while going to college. It then goes on to follow the different paths each of their lives take and how it changes their friendship over the 30 years after graduating from college.

It was a good story and I really enjoyed reading it. It (again) wasn't the type of book that I couldn't put down, but I always enjoyed reading it and did not struggle to get through it at all. It was a pretty successful book for one that I just picked up off the shelf. I did think about the characters a little bit after I finished reading it, which is a positive sign.

Circle of Grace gets 4 out of 5 stars from me.

Next up-The Mother in Me Edited by Kathryn Lynard Soper

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult #26!!!

Well, I finished The Tenth Circle (in less than 24 hours including breaks) and am now halfway to my goal! The Tenth Circle is a newer (2006) Jodi Picoult so I did enjoy it quite a bit. It did have some controversy in it although not to the extent that My Sister's Keeper or Handle with Care had. Jodi Picoult did not disappoint in this book.

Basically the story is about a young girl that is raped by someone she knows and how everyone must deal with the aftermath of what happened. Overall I liked it a lot. There were parts of it that I found myself wanting to skip but just as I would start to think that it would get back to the better parts.

The Tenth Circle gets 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up-The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale #22

Goose Girl was recommended to me by my mom who (I think) read it for her book club. She didn't rave about it a whole lot so I wasn't sure what to expect. One thing this year has taught me is to be a little more skeptical about books when I pick them up, which is probably a good thing. It also has taught me how to predict what is going to happen next, and if the author actually manages to surprise me, it is a good thing.

It didn't take me very long to get into Goose Girl, but the end of the first or second chapter I was pretty much hooked. Throughout the book I kept guessing what I thought would happen next, and most of the time I was wrong. A few times I was right, but before I found out I was right I would start thinking I was wrong again. So needless to say, this book kept me on my toes.

The book is part of a series called the Books of Bayern. I don't think the stories are all tied in together, but I could be wrong about that. I will probably read some of the other books, but it won't be for a little while, but list of books I want to read seems to be getting longer and longer.

Goose Girl gets 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up-Letters for Emily by Camron Steve Wright

Fire by Kristin Cashore #20

Fire is a "companion" to Kristin Cashore's other book, Graceling, that I also read this year. It is not a sequel or prequel, it takes place in the same world, but a whole different part. There is one character that makes a crossover appearance and although he deeply impacts both stories he is not seen or heard of a whole lot, other than the very beginning of Fire. I would love to read a book based on this character though, it could be very interesting.

I loved Fire. I think I like Graceling a little more, but I would be interested to hear what people think if they have read Fire first and then Graceling if they felt different about which was their favorite. I like the main character in Fire more which is probably why I like the book more. I would definitely recommend either of these books if you are looking for a good read.

I give Fire 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up-The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins #18

Suzanne Collins is the author that wrote the Hunger Games series, and I was told that her Gregor the Overlander series was good as well. The second I opened the book I could tell it was a kids book not really adult. I flipped it to the back cover and sure enough there was a "RL5" written on it. It kind of turned me off but I decided to give it a try anyway.

It was actually good. Suzanne Collins is a good author that does a good job of getting you interested in the characters so it wasn't that surprising to me that I liked it. I thought it was a book that boys would like more than girls, but if you are looking for a book for your kids and they are at or near a reading level of 5 it might be worth giving it a shot. It is very clean, no swearing or anything like that. It is about a boy that falls into an underground world that had huge cockroaches and rats that talk and things like that so it might be a little scary or strange for young kids.

Overall I liked it and if I had kids that could read on that level I would let them read it, and I think it does a great job of keeping the interest of the reader. There are 3 or 4 more books in the series, I am not running out to read them, but I would consider it if there weren't any other books on my list.

I give Gregor the Overlander 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up-Sweet Little Lies by Lauren Conrad

Graceling by Kristin Cashore # 16

Graceling was recommended to me by someone I don't even know. I was in the church library one night making copies and started up a conversation with librarian that was there. She had just finished reading it and told me how much she enjoyed it. She also shared with me her tip to finding good books to read. She goes to amazon.com and looks up a book that she liked and then looks at the "Customers who bought this item also bought" list. Then she will only consider it if it has 4 or more stars for the rating with a lot of reviews. I will be using this tip in the near future. So I got Graceling at the library not really knowing what to expect. I don't even know this girl that recommended it to me but thought I would trust her after she gave me that good amazon tip.

I really liked Graceling. It is another one of those books about someone who lives in a time/place that is not like where we live today and who is trying to revolt from the ways of their world. It was harder for me to put down this book than it was for some of the other books I had read before it, which is a good sign. All in all I was impressed with how well I liked it considering I didn't even know the person who suggested it to me.

I give Graceling 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Next up-Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows #14

I'm going to call this book The Potato Peel Society just because it is a little shorter. I actually heard about this book from Stephenie Meyer's website (the author of the Twilight series). She recommended it so I thought I would give it a try.

It was a little strange for me at first because the whole book is written in letters to and from the different characters in the book. It took me a little while to get used to that and to figure out who they were talking about in the letters, but once I got into it a little more I grew used to it and kind of enjoyed it. It is a different way of reading a book and I ended up liking it that way, especially as I figured out everyone's relationship to each other and how they tend to interact with each other.

Overall I would say it is a good book, but you have to make sure to give it a honest effort in the beginning. I thought it was a little predictable but a good fun read. I read some of it while on vacation with my sisters and mom and think it is a good "vacation book" if that makes sense to you. A vacation book is something light and fun and a good easy read.

I give The Potato Peel Pie Society 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up-Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult

Extras by Scott Westerfeld #13

Extras is a spin-off from the Uglies series. It takes place in the same world, but in a different city, and different main characters although we do hear and see from Tally Youngblood again. They also answer one of the main questions I had when the triology ended although I had to wait until the very end to get the full answer.

I still liked this one a lot although not as much as the original triology. The story itself was good, but I didn't like the characters as much. I found them annoying at times and likeable at others, which really made it just seem like I wasn't connecting to them like I did in the triology. I found myself wishing that I was reading the same story but from Tally's point of view.

So overall it was a good story, the characters were so-so, but if I could have made some changes, I would have.

Extras gets 4 out of 5 stars.

Next up-The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Camp Rules by Jordan Rotter #8

Camp Rules was another one of the free books that I got at the mall. It is geared more toward teenagers, but those types of books are fun for adults to read sometimes too. It's just nice to read a book and not have to think about it at all, just enjoy the simple plot.

Camp Rules is about a 16 year old girl that is going to summer camp for the first time ever and doesn't want to be going either. She has to find a way to either be sent home or to fit in with the other girls who have all been going to camp together for years.

There is nothing bad to say about this book. It is a good easy read. It didn't take me very long at all to read it, and I enjoyed it.

Camp Rules gets 4 out of 5 stars from me.

Next up-The Uglies, Pretties and Specials Triology