Finished #23

I just finished Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson.  So many of the things in this book reminded myself of me.  I especially loved hearing that other people act completely awkward at parties.  While I don't talk about swallowing needles or serial killers, I still feel that I sometimes can't have a normal conversation.  I think my absolute favorite story was the 'laxative chapter'.  I usually don't love potty humor, but the "rapist" on the other side of the door just cracked me up.  I really wish I could see a more carefree or humorous take on my fears.

Also- I loved the GPS idea.  Brilliant.

Finished #22

I just finished Eleanor & Park.  I did not want to put this book down.  I was so completely involved in the book and in their lives.  It was such a tragic, yet sweet, love story.  I wasn't expecting it to end the way it did.  I was really thinking that something even worse was going to happen.  In a way it was a partially happy ending.  It's one of those books that I couldn't wait to finish, but that I now wish wasn't over.  I really want to a have sequel to this book to see what happens.

Up next is Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson.

Finished #21

Last night I finished The Inferno Collection.  I thought I would love a book about a secret library collection, and I would have, had this book had anything to do with that.  I think the inferno collection was mentioned a few times throughout the book, but the story was more about Kim's hidden past and some deaths on campus.  I thought the story focused way too much on Kim's feelings and not enough on the main idea of the book.  Plus the writing was kind of clique at times and jumped around a lot.  And don't even get me started on the epilogue, which sounded like it was written by a completely different author.  I give it 1.5 stars out of 5 and don't recommend it.

Now on to the books Lindsey suggested.  I am about 1/2 way through Eleanor & Park already and I am loving it.  It's a book that I could sit down and read in one day if I didn't have anything else to do.  I almost thought I could read it all on the way home from Iowa City, but I was getting car sick.

Finished #20

I finished Dark Places by Gillian Flynn last night.  I found this book creepy, scary, twisted, and suspenseful.  I really liked Gone Girl and I found this one even harder to put down because I wanted to know what happened.  I kept guessing what would happen, but of course didn't figure it out exactly until the end.  I love a good mystery twist. When people in the book kept saying things like "maybe it's better you don't know the truth" to Libby, I kept thinking "no- she has to know".  Once we find out what really happened I think I was even more creeped out.  Maybe it was better to not know.  I'm still trying to decide if Ben was a good guy or bad guy...

Up next is The Inferno Collection by Jacqueline Seewald.  I just happened to grab this at the library and it isn't too long, so I thought I'd try it before I move on to Lindsey's top picks.

Finished #19

I finished Wigfield tonight.  This was a really weird book.  It was about a fake writer trying to finish a novel about small town America.  The town he arrived at first was in danger of being destroyed by a dam being torn town.  He interviewed lots of strange town folk about why they wanted Wigfield to exist.  Lots of twists throughout the dam ordeal.  There were some boring parts, but also some laugh out loud moments.

Up next is Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.

Finished #18

I just finished Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards.  I learned a lot about Elizabeth Edwards life by reading this book.   She has had many struggles in her life:  military kid, death of son, cancer, husband's affair, etc.  Throughout the book she talks about how she dealt with these struggles.  I liked learning about her life, but I feel like everything that happens in her life keeps coming back to her son's death.  I don't think it would ever be possible to "get over" the death of a child, but it seems like she really isn't handling it as well as she wanted people to believe.  This book was sad.  I thought it would have uplifting messages, but mostly they just made me more sad.

Up next is Wigfield by Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, and Stephen Colbert.