These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf***

Who wants another book review? I do, I do!

I just finished this book, like, 5 mins ago, & I can't wait to review it!

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

Publisher: Mira

Release Date: Jan 31, 2011

Pages: 337 in the U.S. Paperback Edition

Ages: 18+

Genre: Mystery

Series: none

Allison Glenn tried to hide what happened that night... and failed. The consequence? A prison sentence. Now she's free. But secrets have a way of keeping you locked up.

When teenager Allison Glenn is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls' golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult in her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces whispered rumors everyday in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It's Brynn-shy, quiet Brynn-who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her.

But then Allison is released to a halfway house, and is more determined then ever to speak with her estranger sister.

Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden.

This book was really great. I thought that it was well-written and the character development is amazing!

My favorite character is Claire, who is the owner of the bookstore where Allison gets a job while she's in the halfway house. The number one reason I love Claire is because of the fact that she owns her own small bookstore because, c'mon, who doesn't love small, independant bookstores? I also love the way that she is with her son, Joshua and her husband Jonathan. They just have such a cute perfect family that I just loved reading about. And she was just such a damaged character that still tried to keep a positive outlook on life.

My second favorite character was Allison, even though at first, I wasn't a huge fan. But that's what makes this book so great, it has the ability to change your opinion. When I first started reading about her character, I thought she was a little selfish and stuck up, so I didn't really care for her as a character, but throughout the book, you really see her develop as a woman and she really grows up.

The plot of this story was very original and well-written. It really drew me in from page 1. Right before I started These Things Hidden, I was reading Eden Close by Anita Shreve, and I found it to be a little boring, but as soon as I picked up this paperback, I could NOT put it down.

So, overall, I definetly recommend this to anyone over 18.

Needful Things by Stephen King***

Book review time!!!!

I read this book last year sometime so I'm not too sure about all the tiny details but I'll do my best.

Needful Things by Stephen King

Publisher: Signet

Release Date: July 8, 1992

Pages: 690 in the U.S. Hardcover Edition

Ages: 18+

Genre: Horror, Mystery

Series: none

Leland Gaunt is a stranger-and he calls his shop Needful Things. Eleven-year-old Brian Rusk is his first customer, and Brian finds just what he wants most in all the world: a Sandy Koufax baseball card. By the end of the week, Mr. Gaunt's business is fairly booming, and why not? At Needful Things, there's something for everyone.

And, of course, there is always a price. For Leland Gaunt, the pleasure of doing business lies chiefly in seeing how much people will pay for their most secret dreams and desires. And as Leland Gaunt always points out, at Needful Things, the prices are high indeed. Does that stop people from buying? Has ever?

For Allan and Polly, this one week in autumn will be an awful test-a test of will , desire and pain. Above all, it will be a test of their ability to grasp the true nature of their enemy. They may have a chance...but maybe not, because, as Mr. Gaunt knows, almost everything is for sale: love, hope, even the human soul.

Such a long synopsis! Well I definetly loved this book. I had never heard of it before, even though I've heard of most of King's books, so it caught my interest, because, well, it IS Mr. King, and I LOVE pretty much everything I've read from him, besides Cell.

Hmm, where to start? If you've ever read anything by King, you'll find this is a pretty typical King novel. It has the creepiness element like always, not too much gore, which is great because I don't really like gory type novels. The characters were very well written as well. My favorite was Sheriff Pangborn, although, I can't really say why since I don't wanna give any spoilers. My least favorite were definetly Ace Merrill and Leland Gaunt himself.

I'm not really sure if there was anything in this book I didn't enjoy. I mean it wasn't one of my all-time favorites or anything, but it's definetly one of my favorite by Stephen King.

Overall, I recommend this for anyone over 18. Happy Reading!

This or That book tag

This is a book tag started on youtube, I'll be doing a vlog on my youtube account sometime later, but I wanted to do it on here as well.

This Or That?
1. Audio or Book in Hand?
I've only listened to one audio book & that was Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, so I'd definetly choose book in hand.

2. Soft Cover or Hardback?
I'm not really sure. I know I usually pick up paperback because it's so much cheaper, but as far as a collection, I definetly want hardcover.

3. Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Fiction for sure. I love getting lost in a good story.

4. Fantasy World or Real Life Issues?
It really depends. I really like paranormal, but I don't like Star Wars or Star Trek type fantasy.

5. Harry Potter or Twilight?
I haven't really read Harry Potter, so I'm not sure.

6. Kindle, iPad, or Other?
I love my Kindle!

7. Borrow or Buy?
I love going to the library, but I prefer buying when I have the money, just so that there's no time limit & I can display it on my shelf.

8. Bookstore or Online?
I usually get books online because there's really good deals, but I love bookstores.

9. Tell Me One Time or Total Trilogy?
Trilogy.

10. Monster Read or Short and Sweet?
Depends on the story.

11. Starry-Eyed Romance or Full of Action?
Both?
12. Curl Up in Your Snuggie or Bathe in the Sun?
Snuggie! I love love love the cold.

13. Hot Chocolate or Latte?
Cocoa!

14. Read the Review or Decide for Yourself?
Decide for myself.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver*

Hey everyone, got another review.

This is another book that has been getting a lot of hype lately, and I decided to review it because I don't really agree with all the attention it has been recieving.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: August 2, 2011

Pages: 480

Ages: 14+

Genre: Dystopian, Romance

Series: Delirium Trilogy

Followed by: Pandemonium (out in February 2012)

                  Requiem (out in February 2013)

Edition: U.S. Hardcover

Ninety Five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

This book was very disappointing. I guess, due to the hype, I had very high expectations for it, and it just fell flat.

The things I did enjoy were the ending & Lena's character. I thought the ending was great because maybe 3/4's of the way through was really boring to me, but after that, it really picked up and got interesting. I'm not sure if the author needed to drag it out for the other two books in the trilogy, but either way, I really didn't enjoy most of the novel. I did like Lena's character. She was probably the only character throughout the whole book that I felt was even halfway believeable.

Everything besides the ending and Lena's character, I absolutely hated. I don't understand the hype. Maybe dystopian novels just aren't my cup of tea. I'm not sure. I understand that this is supposed to be a different society then ours so it isn't exactly like ours is now. But at the same time, I didn't see the plot or characters believable in any society... I don't know.

Overall, I don't recommend this to anyone really. Maybe ages 14-16. I hate telling people to not read a book, I believe people should read whatever it is they want, as long as theyre READING, so pick it up if you want. Happy Reading!

Stray by Mark Matthews***

Hey everyone, sorry for the million reviews, I just want to get to these before I forget.

This one is another ebook I recieved on my Kindle.

Stray by Mark Matthews

Publisher: Unknown

Release Date: December 2, 2010

Pages: Unknown

Ages: 18+

Genre: Drug Addiction

Series: none

Therapist Tomas Cleaves is many years sober from his addiction but is now losing his mind. He is sure that the addicts he treats must have infected the womb of his wife. Add to that the occasional seizure and voices in his head, he may be more unstable than any of his clients. And with clients like Jason Boston Senior, the Ancient Heroin Wizard, who moves about the city's underground like the Merlin of smack. Tom is in desperate need of a client who can give him some hope. James White is one such client-a newly orphaned alcoholic bent on drinking again until he finds himself rescuing lost strays at the next door animal shelter. It is here that he meets the mystical nurse and animal control worker Rachel. Rachel cleans cages, rescues strays, but then has the unfortunate duty of putting some to sleep with a lethal injection. Can James escape his despondent life by helping her rescue the throw-away pets of the city? Follow the cast of characters through dog fighting dens, crack houses, abandoned farms, and experience the minds and hearts of addicts and those who would help them through a world where stray dogs and heroin addicts are killed by needles everyday. Stray illustrates the universal longing in all of us as we wander through the aid stations of society looking for a place that feels like home.

Whooo, sorry for the super long synopsis, I always write down the synopsis from either Amazon or the back of the book, this was from Amazon.

Anyways, I really enjoyed this book. It's been a few months since I've read it so I'm not crystal clear on all the details.

I did quite enjoy the characters though and how the author took the reader on this journey that not many get to go on. I was drawn to the cover when I first saw it. Not the cover I have shown you, the original one. The one I first saw on Amazon was of a young man, he looked to be maybe 20-25 and he had a needle in his hand. I thought that was very interesting. I don't have much experience with drugs or drug addicts, and I always enjoy reading about subjects I know nothing about so that I may learn and hear other people's aspects of certain events.

My favorite character in this book was Rachel. I'm a huge huge huge animal lover (I have 2 chihuahuas and 1 retriever mix myself) and I just loved the scenes that were set in the animal shelter. And I really felt her pain when she had to euthanize these poor poor creatures that did nothing wrong other then be around these horrible people that use and abuse these animals. I really don't know how people can handle euthanizing them, they must be so strong.

Overall, I highly recommend this story, although I don't recommend it for kids under 18 due to the graphic nature of the drug use and slight sex scenes from what I remember.

*Sidenote: I spoke with the author and he has just released a new book. It isn't a sequel to this one, but it sounds interesting none the less. It is called The Jade Rabbit. It is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

**Side Sidenote lol I found the original cover on Google images... enjoy! Also, there will be a new version of Stray that is "re-edited and polished a bit" and should be uploaded by Sept 15, 2011. Definetly go and check it out if you have a chance!

Isn't that such an interesting cover that just draws you in??

My Sister's Keeper by Edna Curry **

Hey everyone, got another review for you!

I went to Bookrooster.com a few months back and signed up to recieve complimentary copies of ebooks in exchange for my honest review. This is the first one I recieved.

My Sister's Keeper by Edna Curry

Publisher: Unknown

Release Date: April 24, 2011

Pages: Unknown

Edition: Kindle E-Book

Age Group: 16+

Genre: Romance, Mystery

Series: none

Mystery novelist Candi finds herself in trouble way over her head when her sister, Jolene, drops off her baby asking Candi to keep it safe from it's father and disappears. She needs to meet her deadline and doesn't have time to bail Jolene out of trouble for the umpteenth time. She's sick of responsibility. But FBI agent Luke shows up, saying Jolene is part of a jewelry thief gang. Worse, Luke suspets Candi of being one of the thieves herself. Assigned to watch her, he finds himself falling for her and the cute baby, wanting her, but never gets involved with a suspect. Then they find that secrets from the past threaten Candi's whole family.

I found this book to be quite an easy, beach-type read. It didn't take a whole lot of effort to keep me interested. It was a little bit predictable, I saw what the outcome would be maybe halfway through.

Some of the things I didn't really enjoy were the love scenes that seemed to kind of drag on when there wasn't any real reason for them to and some of the scenes weren't very believable to me, they seem seemed a little farfetched.

The characters were well written though. I did feel I could relate to Candi and her issues with everything she had to go through. I also fell in love with Jolene, even though at the beginning she was kind of a pain and seemed very selfish.

Another thing, the relationship between Luke and Candi was a little unnecessary. It seems like the story would've been just fine without their romance thrown in for filler.

Overall, I recommend this for a quick easy read. Happy Reading!

Lesser known titles... why no love?

Hey everyone.

I was noticing that alot of bloggers have been reviewing alot of popular titles such as The Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare, but not many bloggers have been introducing lesser known titles, so I thought I'd go through my books and start doing a few reviews on lesser known titles to get the word out there. I'll also be doing some reviews on popular books that have gotte either good or bad reviews all across the board. I'll be reviewing the ones i don't agree with. For example, I reviews Eat Pray Love, because it seems to have been getting more and more negative reviews, and I wanted to give my opinion, since I don't agree with those negative reviews. 

So stay tuned for some reviews!