Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Holy crapola, I love this book. In the YA dystopian trilogy genre, not much has measured up to the Hunger Games (with exception to Divergent by Veronica Roth...LOVED). But if Book 2 & 3 of this series are on par with Delirium, then I think it could give HG a run for its money.


Summary: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. 

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

New Guilty Pleasure - Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

I think I found my new guilty pleasure series. This seems like it's along the same lines as my current guilty pleasure, the Blue Bloods series. My guilty pleasure books are usually fast, fun books about snotty, supernaturally gifted teens who are just coming into their powers and all the drama that comes along with it.


I actually read a couple of books from the author's first series, Vampire Academy...they were good. But I didn't love them and fell off the boat. But there's been a lot of love for her new series which follows minor characters from her VA series. So, I think I may have to give this series a try.


TIDBIT: This is the same author that writes an adult paranormal series about a succubus (Succubus Blues, Succubus Heat, etc.) I've only read a few of those books, but they were pretty good. I mean, who doesn't love a good fantasy / paranormal smutty book about a gal who can seduce men to do whatever she wants?


Summary: The first book in Richelle Mead's brand-new teen fiction series - set in the same world as Vampire Academy.When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

I like most Jennifer Crusie books, but I honestly couldn't tell you my absolute favorite one because they haven't stood out that much. But this one changed that for me. This was such a delightful book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I devoured this book on a 7 hour cross country plane trip and was very satisfied once it was over.


Summary: Take one food writer named Cranky Agnes, add a hitman named Shane, mix them together with a Southern mob wedding, a missing necklace, two annoyed flamingos, and a dog named Rhett and you've got a recipe for a sexy, hilarious novel about the disastrous side of true love…


Agnes Crandall's life goes awry when a dognapper invades her kitchen one night, seriously hampering her attempts to put on a wedding that she's staked her entire net worth on.  Then a hero climbs through her bedroom window.  His name is Shane, no last name, just Shane, and he has his own problems:  he's got a big hit scheduled, a rival trying to take him out, and an ex-mobster uncle asking him to protect some little kid named Agnes.  When he finds out that Agnes isn't so little, his uncle has forgotten to mention a missing five million bucks he might have lost in Agnes's house, and his last hit was a miss, Shane's life isn't looking so good, either.  Then a bunch of lowlifes come looking for the money, a string of hit men show up for Agnes, and some wedding guests gather with intent to throw more than rice.  Agnes and Shane have their hands full with greed, florists, treachery, flamingos, mayhem, mothers of the bride, and--most dangerous of all--each other.

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

I went into this book prepared to put it down halfway through because this is a story that has been told before...Friend A gets into a tight situation, goes to a wonderful home in a magical setting to lick her wounds and reunites with an old friend & comes upon a romance along the way.

While this book does follow a certain formula set by other books, the story was somewhatly fresh and I enjoyed the characters and didn't even think about putting the book down halfway through.

Summary: Meredith Martin Delinn just lost everything: her friends, her homes, her social standing - because her husband Freddy cheated rich investors out of billions of dollars.

Desperate and facing homelessness, Meredith receives a call from her old best friend, Constance Flute. Connie's had recent worries of her own, and the two depart for a summer on Nantucket in an attempt to heal. But the island can't offer complete escape, and they're plagued by new and old troubles alike. When Connie's brother Toby - Meredith's high school boyfriend - arrives, Meredith must reconcile the differences between the life she is leading and the life she could have had. 

Set against the backdrop of a Nantucket summer, Elin Hilderbrand delivers a suspenseful story of the power of friendship, the pull of love, and the beauty of forgiveness.

Groundswell by Katie Lee

I was really excited to read this book. And then I finished it and was NOT excited about it. I didn't expect a great literary story...but I was hoping for something with a little more depth.

Summary: Sometimes the biggest ripples come from the smallest events. Like the day that Emma Guthrie walks into world-famous movie star Garrett Walker’s trailer. When she steps through the door, she’s a novice PA who’s just dropped out of college after losing her scholarship. When she walks out, she’s on her way to becoming Mrs. Emma Walker—wife of an A-list actor. Soon, Emma has made the transition from nobody to red-carpet royalty, trading jeans and flip-flops for closets full of Chanel and Birkin bags, swishing past velvet ropes to attend every lavish party and charity gala on both coasts. With her husband’s encouragement, Emma pens a screenplay based on her life, Fame Tax, which becomes a blockbuster sensation. Through it all, Garrett is her ally and her mentor . . . until their relationship is thrown into question by an incriminating text message that Emma discovers on Garrett’s phone the night of the Met Costume Institute Gala. 

Devastated by her husband’s infidelity and hounded mercilessly by the paparazzi, Emma must flee New York City to get away from it all and clear her head. Her destination? A sleepy coastal town in Mexico where no one recognizes her and there is nothing but unspoiled beaches for miles. Here, she meets Ben, a gorgeous, California-born surf instructor, who teaches her about the healing powers of surfing, shows her the joys of the simple life, and ultimately opens her up to the possibility of love. 

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

I knew what I was getting myself into by reading this book...but at the same time, I did NOT know what I was getting myself into. There were graphic parts of this book that I wasn't ready for, but at the same time I was really blown away by the mindset / psychological part of this story. After finishing this book, the first thing I wanted to do was give Jaycee a big hug and tell her that she is moving in the right direction and is a very strong person.

Summary: In the summer of 1991 I was a normal kid. I did normal things. I had friends and a mother who loved me. I was just like you. Until the day my life was stolen.
For eighteen years I was a prisoner. I was an object for someone to use and abuse.

For eighteen years I was not allowed to speak my own name. I became a mother and was forced to be a sister. For eighteen years I survived an impossible situation.

On August 26, 2009, I took my name back. My name is Jaycee Lee Dugard. I don’t think of myself as a victim. I survived.

A Stolen Life is my story—in my own words, in my own way, exactly as I remember it.

Cell by Stephen King

This was a fun, quick read for me. I certainly wouldn't chalk it up to the best book I've ever read by King, but I didn't hate it and I was actually interested in finding out the resolution of the book (I have been reading some real duds lately, so this is really refreshing for me). Also, this book was written when King was in "retirement" and as a result, the plot is very straightforward and to the point. It's very much a WHAM, BAM, THANK YOU MA'AM kind of book. 


Summary: What if a pulse sent out through cell phones turned every person using one of them into a zombie-like killing machine? That's what happens on page six of King's latest, a glib, technophobic but compelling look at the end of civilization—or at what may turn into a new, extreme, telepathically enforced fascism. Those who are not on a call at the time of the pulse (and who don't reach for their phones to find out what is going on) remain "normies." 


One such is Clayton Riddell, an illustrator from Kent Pond, Maine, who has just sold some work in Boston when the pulse hits. Clay's single-minded attempt to get back to Maine, where his estranged wife, Sharon, and young son, Johnny-Gee, may or may not have been turned into "phoners" (as those who have had their brains wiped by the pulse come to be called) comprises the rest of the plot. King's imagining of what is more or less post-Armageddon Boston is rich, and the sociological asides made by his characters along the way—Clay travels at first with two other refugees—are jaunty and witty.

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

This book 100% affirmed that I am OBSESSED with this series. While I really enjoyed Book 1, I didn't know if it was because of the TV show's influence over me (bc I really like the TV version). But now that I'm reading the 2nd book without the TV show mirroring what I'm reading, I know that I am going to tear through the next 3 books.


Reading the first book,A Game of Thrones, with the TV show was good because it helped me keep track of who was who and get used to the pace of the story. But A Clash of Kings was soooo much better for me. I really liked the depth of the character stories and the new drama that's going on with each one. My favorite characters are definitely Arya, Theon, and Tyrion. At first I wasn't a fan of Jon, but towards the end of the book he started to grow on me. I'm still not a fan of Catelynn. For whatever reason, her part in the story does not interest me and I don't feel like she's bringing anything to the book. Maybe her story will get better as the series goes on.


I don't want to get too much into what the book was about because I'm a big "No Spoiler" fan. But I will tell you that this book is even more bananas than the first. Lots of death, sex, sorcery, an intense war, and intrigue. I can't wait to read Book 3, but I need to take a break before I get started. Since these books only come out every few years, I need to make this series stretch out as long as possible!

Used Book Store Trip

Ethan and I went to the used book store this past weekend and I had a pretty big credit to use up ($20 Groupon + $30 book credit). The used book store, Green Apple Books, we go to is pretty wonderful and is by far the best book store I've been to (used and new). They have a HUGE selection and span across 2 storefronts and have an upstairs/downstairs. My only beef with them is that they don't have a huge selection of girly, romance, chick-lit books. This is the kind of place I get "smart" books from. 


Anyways, I got some books that I've had on my list for a looong time. I added them to my wish list so long ago, but hesitated getting them because I didn't want them on Kindle but I also didn't want a hardback version of the book.


Here's what I got...

TUESDAY TOP THREE: August Releases

There are a few books coming out in August that I'm really jazzed about. Since summer is on it's way out, I've found that this is a part of the year that new book releases are on a bit of a lull (at least for books that I like). SO, I was really excited to find out about these books.