Review: Gone Girl

Author: Gillian Flynn
Publish date: May 2012
Source: Library
"On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around." (Goodreads)

Okay, I will admit: I read Gone Girl because of the hype. For once, though, guess what? I LIKED IT.

Gone Girl really creeped me out, but in the best way. I hardly ever read suspense novels (as in, this might have been the first?) and I HATE scary movies, so I essentially was freaked out the whole time I was reading. As the same time, though, I couldn't STOP reading because I needed to know what was going to happen. Gillian Flynn is good at what she does.

In addition to being creeped out, I was in complete awe of Gillian Flynn's ways with words. I swear every word and sentence was perfect. She thought of ways to describe things that I would have NEVER come up with, yet they were perfect. I seriously kept rereading passages because they were that good. I am usually more of a speed reader than a reread parts kind of girl, so to do the latter is pretty rare and the mark of an EXCELLENT writer.

In short, if you like suspense, if you like great writing, if you want to try something different than YA (which I usually read), try Gone Girl. You'll love it.

Review: Midnight in Austenland

Author: Shannon Hale
Publish date: January 2012
Source: Library
"When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.

Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love? " (Goodreads)

So it appears that I've been on a Shannon Hale kick lately (see my review of The Goose Girl here). No worries: this is a good thing! I read Austenland a while ago and found it to be refreshingly fun and different. Midnight in Austenland was also fun, but quite different from Austenland.

One thing that Midnight had that Austenland didn't was a mystery added to the plot. The mystery aspect of it makes Midnight a lot darker than its predecessor and I'm not sure that I enjoyed it as much. I went into this one thinking it would be another Austenland, I guess, and while it was, it was so much different that I think I liked Austenland better. That said, I enjoyed the actual plot and most of the characters.

Another reason that I didn't like Midnight in Austenland as much is because I couldn't sympathize with or relate to the main character. Yes, she is a mom and middle aged, that's all fine and dandy and not a problem, but she was also the creator of a million dollar company. My ability to relate AT ALL just flew out the window. How many of us create million dollar companies? I couldn't get that fact out of my mind for the book and it really affected my enjoyment of it.

Have you read Midnight in Austenland? Thoughts?

Review: When She Woke

Author: Hillary Jordan
Publish date: September 2011
Source: Purchased 

"Hannah Payne’s life has been devoted to church and family. But after she’s convicted of murder, she awakens to a nightmarish new life. She finds herself lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home, for whom observing new Chromes—criminals whose skin color has been genetically altered to match the class of their crime—is a sinister form of entertainment. Hannah is a Red for the crime of murder. The victim, says the State of Texas, was her unborn child, and Hannah is determined to protect the identity of the father, a public figure with whom she shared a fierce and forbidden love. 

A powerful reimagining of The Scarlet Letter, When She Woke is a timely fable about a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of the not-too-distant future, where the line between church and state has been eradicated, and convicted felons are no longer imprisoned but chromed and released back into the population to survive as best they can. In seeking a path to safety in an alien and hostile world, Hannah unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery that forces her to question the values she once held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes faith and love."

I heard about this book a few months ago and thought it sounded really interesting. I read The Scarlet Letter in high school and HATED it. Nathaniel Hawthorne's language and writing style was really difficult for me to understand and I thought a futuristic retelling sounded pretty good. I ended up enjoying it, despite a few parts I found incredulous.

The scariest and creepiest part about the whole book for me was the setting. When She Woke takes place in the not too distant future and I am terrified that our world could someday be much like what Ms. Jordan imagined for her novel. There was an STD epidemic which rendered many women sterile and led to abortion being completely illegal, punishable by years in prison. In the book, the blame for everything is on women, which made me angry, yet I can sadly imagine people thinking that was perfectly reasonable. Drove me crazy, but I couldn't stop reading it!

As the novel progresses, Hannah grows and realizes that what she was always taught about life was not true, in terms of morals and faith. She doesn't grow as much as I wanted her to, but she gets herself out of scary situations and crazy places. I was rooting for her the whole time, although I didn't always agree with her choices. The ending happened a little too quickly for my tastes, but I would still recommend this book just for people to understand how easily the setting could become our terrible reality.

Buy the Kindle ebook here (only $1.99!)

Review: The Birth House

Author: Ami McKay
Publish date: 2007
Source: Library
"The Birth House is the story of Dora Rare, the first daughter to be born in five generations of the Rare family. As a child in an isolated village in Nova Scotia, she is drawn to Miss Babineau, an outspoken Acadian midwife with a gift for healing and a kitchen filled with herbs and folk remedies. During the turbulent years of World War I, Dora becomes the midwife's apprentice. Together, they help the women of Scots Bay through infertility, difficult labors, breech births, unwanted pregnancies and even unfulfilling sex lives. 

When Gilbert Thomas, a brash medical doctor, comes to Scots Bay with promises of fast, painless childbirth, some of the women begin to question Miss Babineau's methods - and after Miss Babineau's death, Dora is left to carry on alone. In the face of fierce opposition, she must summon all of her strength to protect the birthing traditions and wisdom that have been passed down to her. 

Filled with details that are as compelling as they are surprising-childbirth in the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion, the prescribing of vibratory treatments to cure hysteria and a mysterious elixir called Beaver Brew-The Birth House is an unforgettable tale of the struggles women have faced to maintain control over their own bodies and to keep the best parts of tradition alive in the world of modern medicine."

I saw The Birth House on a blogger's Top Ten Tuesday list of books bought based on the cover (I wish I could remember whose blog it was!). The cover intrigued me as well, so I borrowed the book from the library. It was an interesting piece of historical fiction that I neither loved nor hated. 

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, so I knew I would like that aspect of the book, and I also like learning about how medical practices have changed over time. Midwifery can be a fascinating topic, so it was fun to learn more about it. The author sprinkled in real historical events throughout the story also, so I found myself googling a bit as I was reading. Maybe it's the nerd in me, but I love learning about real events as I read.

The reason I didn't love this book was that the story itself was kind of boring. The author's connection with it is interesting: she moved into a new house and found out that it was used as a "birth house" many years before, which is what prompted her to write the story. That fact pulled me in, but the plot was just not that interesting. The story also seemed to abruptly end, after which the author wrote an epilogue of sorts, which was disappointing. Interesting information and premise, but unfortunately, just not a page turner.

Review: The Night Circus

Author: Erin Morgenstern
Publish date: September 2011
Source: Purchased
"Opens at Nightfall; Closes at Dawn." The Le Cirque des Rêves is a circus unlike any other, just as this magical debut novel is equally unique. At the center of The Night Circus spectacle are two specially gifted young magicians, Celia and Marco, pitted against each other in professional competition, drawn towards one another in love. Erin Morgenstern's literary fantasy has already drawn raves for its captivating evocativeness: "A world of almost unbearable beauty.... A love story on a grand scale: it creates, it destroys, it ultimately transcends." "A novel so magical that there is no escaping its spell... If you choose to read just one novel this year, this is it.""


This novel, Ms. Morgenstern's first, is unlike anything I have ever read before. I feel like I will never be done sorting out my feelings about it, but in a good way. I had heard only good things about it, so I figured I would just get the book and read it instead of waiting for it at the library. It actually ended up being a gift and I read it over a few days (and will be rereading at some point).


The prose in this book is some of the most beautiful I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I often found myself stopping while reading to go back and reread because the writing was just that wonderful. (Sidenote: I NEVER do that.) Ms. Morgenstern's way with words is just incredible. I could only ever hope to write half as well as she does. I think I would have finished the book more quickly if the writing itself wasn't so beautiful (and I am not one to gush about prose like this).


Let's talk about imagery, shall we? This novel is just FULL of imagery and in the best way possible. With all the descriptions, I could really feel like I was there at the circus or any of the other settings that are in the novel. If you are someone who teaches craft or wants to learn how to employ great imagery, read this book! I was continually amazed at how she showed us her fantastic world.


The plot was confusing at times, I will readily admit that. There are a multitude of main characters and the chapters alternate narration between many of them, but I thought the different points of view really added more depth to the story. The chapters also take place during different time periods, which could add to the confusion, but each was labeled with a time and place at the beginning. That said, the chapters were all fairly short, which was nice and really helped with pacing. 


There is a romance within the story, but it doesn't overpower the plot, which can easily happen in so many other books. I really liked how it just slowly built over time. It, like the writing, was lovely. I thought the two (trying to avoid spoilers) were great characters by themselves and the romance just made me like them more. 


I don't think my review is really doing this book the justice it deserves. I didn't necessarily enjoy the book for its plot, even though it was magical and very creative. I really liked it more for its actual writing, for the world I was easily able to imagine because of, again, the excellent writing. It may start off a bit slowly, but it grows and grows until the end hits you and, like me, you'll want to reread immediately.

Review: Paper Towns

Author: John Green
Publish date: 2008
Source: Library
"When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night—dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows her. Margo’s always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she’s always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they’re for Q. Printz Medalist John Green returns with the trademark brilliant wit and heart-stopping emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers."

I ADORED this book. I'd been wanting to read it for a while but just kind of put it off, then I started it a couple days ago and did not want to put it down. I really enjoy books that have a bit of a mystery to them, which Paper Towns had a lot of, plus the characters were fantastic. I absolutely loved the dialogue and thought it was spot-on for high school boys, whom I am around rather frequently. The characters, and therefore the writing, were hilarious and I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times while reading.

I really liked that the main character, Quentin (or Q) was a male. I find that most of the novels I read have female protagonists and are usually more geared toward female readers, which is fine for me, but not so great when male students ask me for book recommendations. This is one that I would most definitely recommend to all students, regardless of gender, and it is now my mission to add this to my classroom library (in addition to devouring the rest of John Green's books as soon as possible).

SPOILER: I also really liked learning what paper towns were. I find that concept fascinating and I now want to take a road trip "visiting" all the paper towns in the US. I love when I learn something nerdily interesting in a book and then become obsessed with it. Sidenote: I am also obsessed with really small towns, like somewhere in North Dakota with 3 residents or something. Love it.