“Something bad was about to happen. My wife was being clever again.”

  No marriage is perfect, right?  Just ask Nick and Amy from the brilliantly written novel, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  This book is relatively recent, and I just finished it and feel fantastically excited about the movie adaptation coming up (So if you wanna read it before the movie releases on October 3rd, you better get to it!).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_Girl_%28novel%29

  Gone Girl tells the story of an extremely dysfunctional marriage that snowballs into he said/she said craziness when Nick Dunne's wife, Amy, goes missing.  Nick may be a shitty husband at times, but is he really a killer?  The media sure seems to think so, but the only way to know the real story is to start reading!

  The novel takes turns every few pages between Nick's day-to-day feelings and activities and Amy's  diary entries throughout the years since she met Nick.  The writing is genius, and every page leaves you wanting more.  Gillian Flynn does an incredible job at laying out an idea for a story and building it up with detail and intricate and careful thought processes.

  This is a very quick read and should mainly be read by an 18+ audience (lots of swearing and picturesque sexual moments).  I definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY, recommend it!

  My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

  You can purchase Gone Girl here, here, and here.

   Happy reading!

   -Sarah

"Sometimes dead is better"

   Ooooh I'm so excited about this post! Pet Sematary by Stephen King might just be my favorite novel of his that I've read.  I will for sure post more about the glorious King over time, but Pet Sematary was the first of his work that I read, so I figured it would be well suited for my first King post.

   When Dr. Louis Creed moves to a small town in Maine with his wife, daughter, infant son, and the family cat, all seems well until they discover a cemetery deep within the woods in their backyard, where neighborhood children would bury their dead pets.  Trauma is no stranger to the Creeds, as you'll learn when you enter the lives of Louis and his wife, Rachel.  Soon, however, things start to go from bad to worse, and eerie things begin to happen now that they've seen the Pet Sematary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sematary

   I definitely recommend this book to anyone who digs the supernatural or doesn't mind getting a little scared now and then.  This book is definitely creepy.  I am the type of person who loves a good thrill, just look at all the scary movies I've seen.  So if you are like me, you will love Pet Sematary.

   My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

   You can purchase Pet Sematary by Stephen King here , here, or here

   Happy reading!

   -Sarah

"I was supposed to be having the time of my life."

   My second review is of a book I recommend to every young woman in her late teens/early twenties.  The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath tells the emotional and relatable story of Esther, a girl who is swirling into a life of deep depression and insanity.  Plath shows the deep and realistic truths of what it is like to be young and depressed, despite all that you might have in your life.

http://www.sylviaplath.info/thumbsbooks.html

   Esther finds herself in New York City interning for a magazine - something many young ladies would dream of.  She meets new friends and new boys, yet she still can't find happiness.  Through her own perspective, we watch her dwindle down to a lifeless, haunted, and troubled woman.  We also get to see medical perspectives of Plath's era and how Esther reacts to psychological treatment.

   The Bell Jar was a book I felt saddened by, but enlightened by, as well.  I felt like I understood Esther, especially as someone who deals with depression.  But even so, Plath makes the character of Esther so engaging and understandable that we thrive for her throughout the story.  Any young woman would appreciate Esther and this book, and that is why I recommend it to all who are interested.

   My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

   You can purchase The Bell Jar here, here and here

   Happy reading!

   -Sarah

"Life was good / before I met / the monster"

   I decided that my first review post would be about one of the books I've read multiple times and have enjoyed more and more each time.  Crank by Ellen Hopkins is an incredible story that introduces YA readers to Kristina, a young woman who becomes addicted to crystal meth, A.K.A "crank," and how through the drug, she becomes Bree, her immensely brave, sexual, and dangerous alter ego.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crank_%28novel%29

   Hopkins does a fantastic job of showing the transition from insecure high school girl to full-blown meth addict who lives through the person she always wanted to be, while destroying relationships along the way.  Kristina's character will bring you heartbreak as you live through her emotions on every page.  What is really special about this book, in my opinion, is that it is written in verse, something I was really into when I was in high school.  I first read What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones, which is written in verse, my freshman year.  After that, I was obsessed with works written in verse.  I began writing my own poetry in this fashion, and even made a book out of all my poems which came out to be a lot of printer ink that I owed my parents.  Then I found Crank, and it made my obsession even deeper.  Crank takes you on the whirlwind voyage that is addiction, and you see it all through Kristina's eyes, as if you were reading her diary.  I fell in love with this book.

   Now, based on the topic of Hopkins' book, I would set the intended audience at YA, around 16+ years of age.  Addiction is a serious matter, and it can be incredibly scary to read about, even if it is fiction.  Crank is a very quick read, especially since it is in verse.  The story grips you and you'll have finished in what seems like five minutes.  I definitely recommend, not only as a good read, but as a way to spread awareness and learn about something you weren't familiar with before.

   My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

   You can purchase Crank here, here, and here.

   Happy reading!

   -Sarah

Hello Readers!

    Anyone in need of a sweet escape? How about into a world unlike your own, where you can gaze into the life of another? To all the book lovers like me, I've decided to start this blog in order to promote some of the books I've read and enjoyed in my pre-teen, teenage, and the past few years.  These books were a way for me to relax and enjoy something only the most talented of authors were able to provide for me.
   In each post on this blog, I will discuss one of the many books I plan to show all of you.  It will provide who the audience the book is intended for, my overall rating, and why you should read it! Now that I am no longer in need of some of these books, I will be selling some for $7 on my Amazon site.  While I have several other books on there, such as textbooks and books I have never read, the ones mentioned here will be ones close to my heart and ones I definitely recommend. I will blog about many other of my favorites, and I will provide links to other places where you can purchase them.  I will add these links to the books at the end of every post.
    Whether you're looking for a gift or just a break from reality, you can read my review and (if you like) purchase the book from either my Amazon account (provided I have the one you're looking for) or from the link I provide for the ones I could never sell!
    Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy the posts to come!

    -Sarah