What's Been on my Kindle? - February 2014
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
I decided to read the rest of Gillian Flynn's novels after I read Gone Girl last year and I was not disappointed. Actually I think I enjoyed Dark Places even more than Gone Girl. Dark Places follows the story of a woman whose family was brutally murdered one night on their Kansas farm. She and her older brother were the lone two surviors, her brother charged and convicted with murdering her mother and two older sisters in some sort of Satanic ritual. But like Gone Girl things are not as they seemed and Gillian Flynn weaves a tale told from the perspectives of multiple characters decades apart. The book is strong from start to finish and leaves you with surprises until the very end.
4.5 snaps for me!
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
At almost 800 pages long, The Goldfinch is told through novellas, with each one another important chapter of narrator Theo Decker's life. The book opens with Theo as an adult, stranded and desperate in Amsterdam wondering if his life could have taken another path. Theo is in trouble and as a result begins to reflect upon his life and the first major event that he believed changed the course of his life, the death of his mother in a terrorist attack on the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The tale is fascinating and keeps you gripping onto the edge of your seat throughout the entire wild ride. This is a serious must read and a modern classic. I am a major fan of Donna Tartt now.
5 very enthusiastic snaps for me!
Grimm's Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm
It was nice to return to childhood and read some of the stories that have inspired so many animated favorites of Walt Disney, like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, the Princess and the Frog, etc. What's amazing is how Disney transformed some of these seemingly short tales into feature films but all the same they are fascinating. Grimm's are also darker than the fairytales we are used to, but that makes them all the more entertaining for an adult audience.
3 snaps for me!
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
The first in chronological order of the Cousin's War series, the Lady of the Rivers is fascinating. In a time where knowledge and scientific exploration were commonly viewed as witchcraft, a young woman must carefully tread through life with her dangerous gift of foresight as she balances court life, powerful marriages, love and children. I love Philippa's novels and this book was a great introduction into the Cousin's War series. It was also nice to explore the story of a woman that history has gone into depth about in the past.
5 snaps for me!
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
I actually consider this to be Gillian Flynn's best book. Gone Girl has gotten all the press but seriously everyone should be reading Sharp Objects. It is the story of Camille who returns to her hometown of Wind Gap, MO after two young girls are brutally murdered 9 months apart. Camille is a writer for a Chicago paper and is asked by her editor to return to a place that has haunted her for years. You quickly learn that there is a reason Camille had to escape Wind Gap and that the police have no leads on a potential murder suspect. Camille is forced to deal with the memories of losing her younger sister when she was just 13, by living with her mother, step father and new younger sister, Amma, over the course of the investigation. More comes to light than just who the murderer is. I couldn't put this book down and read it over 2 days.
5 snaps for me!
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
I am a huge history buff and even more enraptured with WWII history. Maybe it is because my great grandmother was a spy in the French Resistance or because my great grandfather was taken prisoner of war and held on the German/Polish border for almost the entire war only to be captured by the Russians at the end of the war and then escape and be found by the Americans liberating camps or perhaps because my grandparents grew up less than 20 miles apart and only my grandmother was in occupied France or maybe because my grandfather was an American submariner. Either way it is all fascinating and I find myself always drawn to both non-fiction and fiction centered around that time frame.
Reading Unbroken I found myself completely absorbed by the book to the point that I could do little else by read constantly. It's a story so outrageous it's difficult to believe but one that I think everyone should enjoy. I also think that this is the perfect opportunity to read the book before the movie comes out. Angelina Jolie is currently directing the movie version of Unbroken, but the story is so rich I can't imagine how they are going to fit it all in. So my advice, read this book ASAP!
5 huge snaps for this book!
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