For those of you who missed my first installment of Goodreads (totally not my name; find out about the real Goodreads here), let me sum it up for you:
- I am what some might call a book nerd, which means that I like to read ... a lot.
- This also means that I like to give and get book recommendations. So keep the love coming, people! :)
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. This is one of those books that I judged by the cover. A few years ago (yes, years), I bought this book for book club and I never ended up reading it. Ha! If you see it in the store, you'll know what I mean. It's dark and, well, manly looking, and I didn't really want anything to do with it. But I've recently been trying to "clean out" my bookshelf, so I picked this up. It surprised me. Big time. It is pretty dark and slightly disturbing at times, but it's really original. A little boy runs away from home and finds himself living the fairy tales he's been reading in his room. But the fairy tales have a twist. Let's just say that Snow White isn't the pretty princess we all know and love.
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares. And THIS is the opposite of The Book of Lost Things. For those of you familiar with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, yes, these are the same characters. I admit, I really like the series. I seemed to follow Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bridget in age and experiences so I got into those four books. This book, however, has a totally different feel. I was expecting a warm, fuzzy, feel-good book that would tie the series together, and it's actually a little bit dark ... and dramatic in my opinion. Still, a super easy read and one you should definitely check out if you're loyal to "The Sisterhood." :)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. Love, love, love! I don't normally read mysteries but this one you definitely can't miss! First, the character is super cute and ridiculously witty for an 11-year-old. Second, this book is smart and sharp and will keep you guessing. Third ... there's no third, just go. run. grab. read! The narrator, Flavia (c'mon! Flavia?! How could you not like her?), finds herself (well, most like inserts herself) in the middle of a murder and is determined to figure out what happened before the police. There's a blackbird, valuable stamp, custard pie and red-haired Norwegian that are pieced together in the end.
Happy reading! :)
