Book Review: "Her Dark Lies" by J.T. Ellison

In Her Dark Lies, J.T. Ellison's latest mystery/thriller, a destination wedding turns into a serious disaster.

Claire is more than ready to marry her fiancé, Jack, and really begin their life together. But since Jack’s family is incredibly powerful, well-known, and wealthy, this won’t just be any wedding. They’ll be getting married at the family’s cliffside villa (more like a castle) on the remote Isle Isola off the Italian coast. Sounds like a fairytale, right?

Already on edge from an event that occurred before they left for Italy, when the couple arrives on the island, things immediately start to go awry. Skeletal remains are found. A massive storm threatens the island and the festivities. Jack’s family is getting threatening tweets. Claire’s wedding dress is ruined. And that’s just the beginning.

Claire isn’t sure what’s going on. Is someone trying to destroy Jack’s family or stop their marriage? Have Claire’s own secrets caught up with her, too? And what’s the real story behind Jack’s first wife? As the body count starts climbing, she doesn’t know what or whom to trust, or if at the end of it all she’ll actually get married—or survive.

Much like Lucy Foley’s The Guest List, Her Dark Lies offers a great setting for a locked-room mystery of sorts. There are lots of twists thrown at you and you don’t know ultimately whom to root for or whom to fear.

I wasn’t wild about this one, honestly. There was just so much going on, so many multiple narrators, and yet virtually no surprises. My prediction at the very start was absolutely what happened and it just seemed a bit preposterous to me. I know others loved it, though, so maybe it’s just me.

I’m starting to think thrillers and I need a time-out. It's not them, it's me.

Book Review: "Three Perfect Liars" by Heidi Perks

Heidi Perks' Three Perfect Liars, her newest book, delivers a little bit of mystery, a little bit of melodrama, even a little bit of social commentary. And it's all quite good!

The Morris and Wood building was considered a marvel by some, an eyesore by others. Some even protested the construction of this glass building five years ago. But now, someone set the building on fire, and a person has died in the blaze.

Across the quay from the building, a woman stands watching the fire. Is she the one who started it?⁣

The book follows three women in the weeks before the fire: Laura, one of the few successful women at Morris and Wood, who has just returned from maternity leave to find that her job isn’t quite the same as it was before; Mia, the woman Laura hired to fill in for her temporarily, who has ingratiated herself with the company and is now a permanent employee; and Janie, wife of the CEO, who both longs for more fulfillment and is still afraid of something in her past.

Each of these women has secrets; each has resentments which might cause them to want to burn the building down. But who did it, and why? And who died?

In addition to being a fascinating mystery/thriller of sorts, this book also touched on issues such as sexism in the workplace, the struggles of working mothers, abuse, rape, and fear. The book shifts narration among the women, and the story, both past and present, is interspersed with police interviews and other pieces of the investigation into the fire.

Perks definitely hooked me from start to finish!

NetGalley and Gallery Books provided me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

Book Review: "The Lost Man" by Jane Harper

I've read all three of Jane Harper's now. In addition to her exceptional storytelling ability, she is tremendously effective with the imagery she evokes. Reading The Lost Man, as well as The Dry and Force of Nature, I could feel the unrelenting heat of the Australian outback and taste the dry dust, right along with the characters.

The Bright family lives in adjoining cattle ranches in the isolated Australian outback, but they're still more than a three-hour drive away from one another. Brothers Nathan and Bub Bright meet for the first time in quite a while when their middle brother, Cameron, is found dead on a remote part of the family cattle ranch. He was a victim of the brutal heat, but no one understands what made him brave the elements with no protection, especially when he had planned to meet up with Bub that day.

When it becomes clear that there was no reason for Cameron to be outside in the heat for so long, especially when his car was running perfectly and was fully stocked with the supplies one would need in an emergency, the realization surfaces that either Cameron took his own life, or someone forced him into a situation that would end it brutally.

"They lived in a land of extremes in more ways than one. People were either completely fine, or very not. There was little middle ground. And Cam wasn't some tourist. He knew how to handle himself, and that meant he could well have been half an hour up the road, slowed down by the dark and out of range, but snug in his swag, with a cool beer from the fridge in his boot. Or he might not."

Nathan and his teenage son return to the family ranch with Bub. Cameron was managing the ranch, on which lived their mother, his wife, their daughters, a longtime family friend who was more than an employee, and two backpackers Cameron hired. Nathan's relationship with his family has always been a bit distant, as he and his family bear the scars of their violent father. His family worries about Nathan's own stability, as his life has been far from easy, and he lives out in the distance on his ranch by himself.

As Nathan and others try to make sense of Cam's last days, to determine if his behavior everyone describes as "on edge" translated into a suicide attempt, or if something more nefarious is at play, old wounds are reopened, old resentments resurface, and worries about the future cause more tension. It seems as if everyone had something to hide, and Cam's death could have had its roots in a decades-old incident that nearly everyone had forgotten about.

"Life out here is hard. We all try to get through the best way we can. But trust me, there's not a single person here who isn't lying to themselves about something."

Was Cam unsettled enough that he took his own life, or did someone kill him? If someone did kill Cam, who was it—Bub? Ilse, Cam's wife? Uncle Harry, the longtime employee? One of the backpackers, whose background isn't quite what they said it was? Or was it a figure from the past, returning to even the score?

Can the family ever regain some sense of emotional equilibrium, or will the old scars and hurts continue to block any meaningful relationships? Can Nathan survive his lonely existence, or is he becoming a threat to himself, as many in his family, including his son, fear? The Lost Man is both mystery and a novel about the bonds of family, and how they can be both comforting and troubling.

I thought this was a fantastic book. There was so much to appreciate here, from Nathan's own issues and his fragile relationship with his son, to the brutal lives the family had under their father's thumb, and how everyone was determined that the sins of the father not repeat themselves. Harper did such a terrific job getting me completely hooked on this story, and I devoured the entire book in a day.

This isn't quite a thriller, but there certainly is suspense, and I was surprised by how Harper tied everything up. I'd actually love to see the Bright family again, that's how immersed I found myself in this story. Harper has had a fantastic run of books so far, and I look forward to what's coming next.

I received an advance copy of the novel courtesy of Flatiron Books. Thanks for making it available!

Book Review: "Jar of Hearts" by Jennifer Hillier

That's the feeling I get when a book that everyone else has been raving about turns out to be as amazing as you hoped. In this case, believe the hype—Jennifer Hillier's Jar of Hearts is pretty fantastic!!

"The past is always with you, whether you choose to think about it or not, whether you take responsibility for it or not. You carry the past with you because it transforms you. You can try to bury it and pretend it never happened, but that doesn't work. Geo knows that from experience. Because buried things can, and do, come back."

Georgina Shaw and her two best friends, Angela Wong and Kaiser Brody, were pretty much inseparable in high school. But one night everything changed. Angela went missing one night after a party, and Geo and Kaiser's friendship was never the same. No one knew, or even suspected, the secret that was weighing her down. Who could imagine that she could have anything to do with Angela's disappearance?

Fourteen years later, Geo is an executive on the fast track at a pharmaceutical company in Seattle, engaged to the firm's CEO. She's poised to have it all, and then Angela's remains are found buried in the woods not far from where Geo grew up. The Seattle police department, where Kaiser now works as a detective, has discovered that Angela was an early victim of Calvin James, a serial killer responsible for at least three other murders, who has been dubbed the Sweetbay Strangler.

While the police view Calvin as a cold-blooded killer, he was Geo's first boyfriend when she was in high school. A few years older than she was, Calvin was sexy, volatile, and controlling, and while their relationship was far from perfect given his temper, she couldn't get enough of him, and he was just as obsessed with her. But the night Angela died, everything changed.

Geo carried the secret of what really happened to Angela for 14 years, and when it is finally exposed, and she winds up in prison, her carefully planned life is turned upside down. But as she takes the punishment she deserves, she—and her hometown—are once again shattered by the discovery of more murders, similar to those of the Sweetbay Strangler. It is only then that Geo realizes just how dangerous secrets and lies can be.

I tried to be really careful with my plot description, because Hillier lets her plot unfold slowly, teasing out details, and she had me hooked on this book from start to finish. Geo is a fascinating character, and I kept hoping there would be reasons to continue rooting for her. I also loved Kaiser's character, and really loved the dynamics of the two of them interacting after so long apart.

I wasn't completely surprised by the plot, but I still loved this book. Hillier did a great job with keeping the story moving and not getting too bogged down in reminiscences, since so much of the plot was driven by modern-day events. This is a terrific thriller, full of suspense as well as the realization that what happens in your youth can never be put completely behind you.

Grab this one before they turn it into a movie or television miniseries!!

Book Review: "The Family Next Door" by Sally Hepworth

"The truth was, despite appearances, she didn't know much about her neighbors at all."

I've been reading a lot of books over the last few years about tight-knit neighborhoods in which secrets are brewing below the surface—Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, Marybeth Mayhew Whalen's When We Were Worthy, Jessica Strawser's Not That I Could Tell, and now, Sally Hepworth's newest book, The Family Next Door, just to name a few.

Reading these books certainly makes me wonder just how many secrets were hidden in the suburban New Jersey neighborhood where I grew up years ago!!

Pleasant Court, in the Australian town of Sandringham, has always been a quiet spot, where houses are quite expensive because there is a beach at the end of the road. No one new has moved in for quite some time, especially no one single, so the neighborhood is thrown a bit when Isabelle (who lives alone but spoke of a mysterious "partner" to the real estate agent) moves in alone. Everyone wants to know more about her—is she straight or gay, what brings her to Sandringham, why is she renting her house, and what secrets is she hiding?

The thing is, despite their curiosity about Isabelle, there are other residents of Pleasant Court who have things to hide as well, despite how picture perfect their lives seem. Why is Fran out jogging for long stretches of time two, sometimes three times a day? Is she punishing herself for something? Why is Ange's husband never where he says he is, even though he always seems so willing to help her with the kids or household chores? Why is his phone ringing all the time? And should people be worried that Essie, who several years ago left her baby daughter alone at the park, might be suffering from postpartum depression again after the birth of her second child?

As each individual struggles to navigate the chaos of their own lives, they still want to know more about Isabelle. While she's friendly to everyone, she seems to know a lot about Essie and her life, and it's Essie with whom she really wants to build a friendship. And as Essie's initial unease around Isabelle starts to deepen into something more intense, her family and friends start to get concerned. What does Isabelle want? Why did she move here? The secrets threaten to upend many lives, and roil the relative calm of Pleasant Court.

So many people raved about this book, and I was excited to read it not long after it was released. I found it took a while to build up steam, but once Hepworth started ratcheting up the suspense, it became pretty fascinating. I will admit there was one twist I just didn't see coming, and given how many thrillers I read, it's no mean feat to surprise me. The characters are certainly quirky and flawed, but for the most part, the issues they're dealing with are commonplace, so it doesn't feel like you have to suspend your disbelief.

I'd imagine this is going to be a book you see lots of people reading over the next few months, as it's a perfect vacation/beach read. This may have been the first of Hepworth's books I've read, but it won't be the last, because she's a talented storyteller, not drowning her story in lots of extraneous subplots, and throwing in enough red herrings to keep you guessing.

Book Review: "The Chalk Man" by C.J. Tudor

Sometimes you see a bunch of your Goodreads friends raving about a book, and you hope that you'll find it just as good as they did. In the case of C.J. Tudor's terrific debut thriller, The Chalk Man, that definitely was the case for me.

"Personally, I have found that it is much better to take your fears, lock them up in a nice, tightly shut box and shove them into the deepest, darkest corner of your mind."

In the summer of 1986, Eddie and his four best friends—Hoppo, Fat Gav, Metal Mickey, and Nicky (even though she was a girl)—were on the cusp of adolescence. They bike around, commit mischief, tease each other, and try to avoid Mickey's older brother and his bullying friends. It seems like a magical summer—they even leave coded messages in chalk for each other to spell out their plans or their whereabouts.

But the idyllic time seems to be ending, as the adults around them wind up in the midst of some trouble, and tragedies strike close to home. Then one day, a strange chalk man leads them to a dismembered body in the woods. Nothing is ever the same again.

Thirty years later, Ed is still living in his childhood home. He'd like to think that he's put the events of that summer behind him, but the fact is, he's never been able to settle down into a relationship, he still spends time with Gav and Hoppo, and he teaches at his old school. When he gets an anonymous letter with a chalk man in it, it dredges up those memories, as does the return of an old friend who had seemingly gone away. And when he finds out that all of his friends received a similar letter, he realizes that perhaps not everything was tied up as neatly as they thought all those years ago.

Are there real answers to be found, and if so, what good would it do to find them? Will solving the mystery put everyone's demons to rest and allow them to get on with their lives, or will it put them in danger? Can we ever recapture our childhood innocence after it has been shattered?

The Chalk Man hooked me from the very first page and didn't let go. It evoked a little bit of the nostalgic feelings of Stand By Me, with a little more mystery and violence, and a lot of heart. There's a lot going on in this book, lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing and lots of interesting characters to fascinate and (perhaps) distract you. Tudor is a terrific storyteller, and it's so hard to believe this is her debut novel, because the writing is so self-assured.

Like with any thriller, I always suspect everyone, and while I was a little surprised at certain twists, and I didn't love every choice Tudor made, I thought this was a great read, one that made me wish I had just a few minutes more to linger over the book every time I picked it up. Believe me, this is one you'll want to read before everyone else starts talking about it.

NetGalley and Crown Publishing provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Book Review: "Two Girls Down" by Louisa Luna

I love when a book you stumble upon by an author you're not familiar with turns out to be a terrific read. Such was the case with Louisa Luna's Two Girls Down. It's a well-written, suspenseful whodunnit with some pretty fascinating characters.

A single mother, sometimes Jamie Brandt just needs a break from her two daughters, 10-year-old Kylie and 8-year-old Bailey. They're always wanting something, needing something, and she's just tired. What she wouldn't give for a few minutes of peace.

On the way to a birthday party, Jamie and the girls stop at a strip mall so Jamie can pick up a gift. She's just going to be five minutes, and she knows letting the girls come into the store will only lead to fighting, whining, and chaos, so she leaves them in the car with the ignition running. When she comes out of the store about 10 minutes later, her car is there but the girls are missing.

With the town's police force stretched beyond its means due to budget cuts and a growing drug epidemic, Jamie's family hires Alice Vega, an unorthodox bounty hunter with a good record of finding missing children. The local police don't take too kindly to Alice's involvement in the girls' case despite the fact they can't devote any resources to it, so she decides to turn to Max "Cap" Caplan, a former police detective who resigned from the force in disgrace.

Cap is trying to put his past life behind him, but it isn't rewarding taking pictures of cheating spouses and tracking down bail skips, so as much as he wants to avoid interacting with his former colleagues, there's something about Alice Vega that draws him in.

Alice and Cap make a commanding pair, and they start making progress on trying to find out what happened to the girls, which of course leads to the inevitable run-ins with the police. Little by little they have to determine which leads are false and which have potential, which people pose a threat and which people were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time, and uncover just how deep this crime runs within the town. At the same time, Alice and Cap have to struggle with their own demons, knowing every second they delay or ponder could result in the girls' deaths, if they aren't dead already.

I thought Luna did a great job with this book. Like with so many mysteries, I suspected nearly every character that popped up in the narrative, and I kept hoping she wouldn't disappoint me by taking the easy way out. I thought the resolution of the story was a little more complicated that it needed to be, but it definitely affected me, because as depressing as it was, I know that Luna didn't just invent this scenario out of whole cloth.

There was a good amount of tension and some great action, I thought Cap was a terrific character, and Alice is a bit of a badass! Luna knew how to ratchet up the suspense and toss in some characters you can't figure out if you should root for them or not. I don't know whether she intends this to become a series, but I hope to see more of Alice and Cap. There's so much I'd love to know about their backstories, too.

I really enjoyed this and read most of the book in one day. I'll definitely be looking for the next book in Luna's career! This one is worth a read!!

NetGalley and Doubleday provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Book Review: "The Perfect Stranger" by Megan Miranda

Sometimes I think we put unfair pressure on authors. Let's say an author writes a book that blows you away. You eagerly anticipate their next book, sometimes you get impatient if it takes them too long to write another one, and then when you get the chance to read it, you expect this one to blow you away, too, right? (I know I'm not alone here.) But if it doesn't come close to the last book, at least in your mind, whose fault is that, yours or theirs?

I pondered this as I got ready to read Megan Miranda's The Perfect Stranger. Her last book, All the Missing Girls, was fantastic, both for the mystery itself and the unique way Miranda let the story unfold. The book even made my list of the best books I read in 2016. So needless to say, I tried very hard to ratchet back my expectations of her new book, because I didn't want to be disappointed just because I loved her last book so much.

Did she deliver? While The Perfect Stranger isn't perfect, it's a good, suspenseful read. And I think I might have liked it even more if I didn't read Miranda's last book and expect to be dazzled. If you go in knowing that, you'll hopefully enjoy it.

"I can only explain it this way: that I knew her deeply, if not thoroughly; that a four-month relationship can supersede all the boyfriends, all the friendships, that came after and lasted longer, that our friendship was born from the one time I'd stepped off track, done something unexpected that did not follow the predicted steps of my life. And for that reason, it shone brighter, and so did she."

Leah Stevens was a journalist in Boston who got a little too emotionally invested in an exposé she wrote. When she refused to reveal her source, and things related to her story unraveled, a restraining order was taken out against her and the newspaper she worked for was threatened with a lawsuit. Without a job and feeling utterly betrayed, she needed to get out of town—fast. She ran into an old friend, Emmy Grey, with whom she lived just after college.

On the run from a bad relationship, Emmy is desperate to leave Boston as well, so she involves Leah in her plan. The two head to a small town in Western Pennsylvania, where Leah gets a teaching job, and they can both keep off the grid. Leah and Emmy live on parallel schedules, and the two rarely if ever see each other for more than a few minutes, especially when Emmy starts dating someone new. But Leah keeps getting the sense that Emmy is still on her guard, that she's waiting for something to happen.

One night, a woman with a strong resemblance to Leah is assaulted and left for dead. A teacher who has shown a little too much interest in Leah is the suspect, which puts Leah a little more in the spotlight than she'd like, since her previous life has been kept a secret. But when Emmy disappears a few days later, Leah has no choice but to put herself out there and try to find out what happened to her friend.

Leah cooperates with the handsome young police officer who is assigned to the assault case, and tries to get him to help find Emmy. As the police investigate, she realizes that despite feeling tremendously close to Emmy, she never really knew her, which leads the police to suspect that Leah may be making the whole story up, that Emmy may not really exist, especially once they learn of Leah's past. But she knows the truth, and she is determined to find out just who Emmy was, and what happened to her, even if it means returning to the scene of her past transgressions, and possibly putting her own life and her own future at risk.

How well do we really know someone? How far would you go for a friend who has done a lot for you? Does one questionable action in our past doom us forever? The Perfect Stranger strives to answer all of those questions. It definitely keeps you guessing, because you aren't sure how reliable of a narrator Leah really is. The book's setting helps add to the tension, adding an almost moody feel to the whole thing.

As I mentioned earlier, there are things I didn't like about the book. There were a lot of things happening at once, and some of the storylines seemed unfinished, even unnecessary to the core of the plot. But Miranda really is an excellent writer, and knows how to slowly let details unfold so you stay hooked. So of course, what this means is, I'll eagerly await her next book, and remind myself to dial back my expectations again. (I never learn...)

NetGalley and Simon & Schuster provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

The Best Books I Read in 2016...

2016 might have been a year of loss and significant upheaval for our country, but I'll admit, it was one hell of a year for me as far as reading was concerned. I read 161 books in 2016—the most I've ever read (or at least since college, when I managed a bookstore and was able to read most of the day). This high total was the fringe benefit of a year of significant travel, downtime during a blizzard (and subsequent case of severe bronchitis), and most of all, some pretty amazing books.

As I've done for the last seven years or so, I went back through all of the books I've read and come up with a list of my favorites. Culling 161 books down was really, really difficult, so what I've done is come up with a list of 25, along with an additional 11 which just fell short of the very best but they're too good to miss.

I've linked to my original review of each so you can read more about each one. I'd love to hear your thoughts, and know which books you'd count among your favorites, even if you didn't read as much as I did! I'll list my top five (in random order) and then the remainder of the books will be in random order as well—ranking would be far too complicated!!

The Best of the Best

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch: What a ride this book took me on! This is an absolutely fascinating story of a man who wakes up to find out that the life he knew didn't exist, no matter how vivid his memories were. But which life is the dream, the one he is in now, or the one he remembers? Can he ever make it back to what he remembered, and if not, what will happen to him? Suspend your disbelief and get ready for your heart to start beating pretty fast. Read my original review.

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson: This one was brutal and absolutely beautiful, and it absolutely blew me away. For the last few years, aliens have periodically abducted Henry Denton. The aliens have given Henry an ultimatum: Earth will be destroyed in 144 days, unless Henry makes the decision to save the world. All he has to do is push a button. But does Henry want to save the world? He has to decide whether humanity is worth saving or if letting the world end would also end his own emotional anguish. This is such an inventive, moving, beautiful book I won't soon forget it. Read my original review.

What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell: Greenwell's debut novel is stunning, emotional, lyrical, and it quietly grabs you and doesn't let go. It is a novel about desire, and the desire to be wanted. It's about the struggle between following your heart and your libido instead of your head, and both the consequences and triumphs that come from doing so. Greenwell's talent is evident from the very first lines of this book, and his poetic use of language and storytelling ability sustains through the book's entirety. Read my original review.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi: Paul Kalanithi was an excellent neurosurgeon. At the age of 36, Paul was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. Suddenly his life has transformed him from doctor to patient. This is both a reflection on coming face-to-face with one's own mortality and a commentary on the responsibility doctors have to help their patients and their families through that same reflection, whether it happens with some warning or suddenly. Easily one of the finest books I've read in some time. Read my original review.

Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz: Holy freaking crap. This book absolutely rocked—every heart-racing, pulse-pounding second! When Evan Smoak (not his real name) was young, a man rescued him from a troubled life and he trained Evan how to kill. When he got older he became the Nowhere Man, the last resort for a person in desperate trouble. No one knows who the Nowhere Man is, but they know if they call him, he will help rescue them from a seemingly helpless situation. This book hit all of the right notes for me—fantastic action, more than a few twists, some excellent character development, and some pretty cool gadgetry. Read my original review.

Book Review: "The Vanishing Year" by Kate Moretti

When you watch a thriller or crime movie, at some point a character tells the beleaguered protagonist, Trust no one. If they listen to that advice, they find themselves questioning everyone's motivation, second-guessing seemingly innocent gestures even from people they know. (That is if they're smart, which characters in thrillers or crime movies rarely are.)

I operate the same way when I read a thriller or crime novel. I guess I've read so many through the years, and seen all kinds of twists, that I see almost everything as a potential clue toward the villain and/or the plot's resolution. That's definitely what happened when I read Kate Moretti's new book, The Vanishing Year.

Zoe Whittaker appears to have it all. At one point in her life she didn't even have enough money to give her mother a proper burial, and when she first arrived in New York, she was living in a homeless shelter. But now she is married to Wall Street tycoon Henry Whittaker, who indulges her every whim and surprises her with romantic trips and gifts, and she is helping make a difference with her charity involvement. It's a far cry from the purple-haired, multiple-pierced floral apprentice she was when she met Henry.

While her life was vastly different back then, no one really knows how different. No one really knows that Zoe wasn't always Zoe, and that she was involved in things which put her life in significant danger. She had no choice but to flee that life, that existence, even if it meant saying goodbye to good memories as well as frightening ones.

Without warning, Zoe's past seems to have found her. While there are parts of her past she'd like to understand, there are many parts she hoped she'd escaped for good. She can't tell Henry, whose moods are growing increasingly mercurial. She doesn't know whom to trust, where to turn, or what to do. And the danger seems to be growing dangerously closer and closer.

I thought this book had tremendous potential, even if we've seen this type of plot before, the woman-who-isn't-who-you-think-she-is, the damsel-who-used-be-in-distress-and-is-again. Moretti kept me guessing for a while just how the story would unfold, and I kept trying to figure out which character would end up being the one (or ones) who betrayed Zoe. I just found the story took far too long to build up steam, there were red herrings that were sprinkled throughout the plot unnecessarily, and in the end, I was disappointed.

I am a really tough critic of this genre of fiction because I read a lot of it, so I either like to be surprised or I like to be impressed with the author's execution of the plot even if it unfolds as I've expected it might. That's a tall order, so I would encourage you to pick up The Vanishing Year if it sounds intriguing to you. Hopefully if you're not as demanding as I am, you'll find it a suspenseful and more enjoyable read than I did.

NetGalley and Atria Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Book Review: "I Let You Go" by Clare Mackintosh

One rainy night, a woman and her five-year-old son Jacob are walking home. He's full of energy, as most five-year-olds are, so he slips his hand out of his mother's grasp and runs across the street to their house. But before he can cross the street, a car comes out of nowhere and hits him, then drives away while his mother screams for help.

Jenna Gray is desperate to escape the nightmare of the car crash that awakens her screaming each night. She is paralyzed by her loss and her fear, and feels that everyone around her is judging her. She flees to the coast of Wales, to a town that is nearly empty most of the year, except during the summertime. She keeps to herself, leading a spartan existence, and doesn't want to let anyone get close to her for fear they might get hurt as well. But despite her resolve to be alone, little by little she regains confidence and starts to get acclimated in her small town of Penfach, beginning a new career as a photographer and starting to trust people.

Meanwhile, two detectives, Ray and Kate, are trying to figure out who was responsible for Jacob's death. They're determined to do right by Jacob's mother and honor his memory by leaving no stone unturned. But this is a difficult case to solve—it was rainy and dark, no one was able to figure out what kind of car hit him or see any noteworthy characteristics of the driver, and they really have no clues to follow. And while they want to chase down every lead, it's not long before they're pressured to drop the case and move on to other things, and Ray, who is hungry for a promotion to senior leadership, doesn't want to jeopardize his future.

I'm going to stop with the plot summary at this point for fear of giving anything away. There is one point in the book that made me literally say, "Wait, what?!?" It takes some interesting and perhaps unexpected turns—some of them work and some of them don't work as well, in my opinion. But this is definitely a book that kept me guessing for a bit until everything started to become clear.

Clare Mackintosh did a really good job creating her characters and reeling you into the plot, little by little, until you're hooked. She's a talented storyteller, and reading her notes about what in her own life inspired her to write this book definitely gave me more insight into the choices she made. I could have done without two of the plot threads, including the one in which Ray struggles with issues at home, because while it rounded out his character a bit, it felt unnecessary.

To the surprise of no one, the literary world is calling this book the next blockbuster thriller for those who loved The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl. (You know I loathe when they do this.) I guess these books do have something in common, but in the end, I liked I Let You Go a bit more than either of those. Definitely an intriguing read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review!!

Book Review: "Before the Fall" by Noah Hawley

Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for making it available!

It's an evening in late August, a little foggy but otherwise uneventful. On Martha's Vineyard, the private plane belonging to David Bateman, the power behind one of the country's major cable news networks, is scheduled to take off and head back to New York. David and his wife Maggie, and their two young children, nine-year-old Rachel and four-year-old JJ, are ready to head home, and their friends Sarah and Ben Kipling are joining them on the flight. Maggie has also invited Scott Burroughs, a painter that she has befriended on their many visits to the Vineyard.

Scott arrives late, just as the plane was preparing to take off, so he tries to relax. There's music playing, and David and Ben are watching the Boston Red Sox game. Small talk is exchanged, and the flight attendant offers everyone a beverage. And then, inexplicably, 16 minutes after takeoff, the plane plunges into the ocean.

Scott regains consciousness in the ocean and begins to realize what has happened. As he tries to find other survivors of the crash, he hears the cries of JJ, apparently the only other person left alive. Despite a shoulder injury, Scott, once a championship swimmer inspired by the legendary Jack LaLanne's swim from Alcatraz when Scott was a boy, swims with JJ nearly 10 miles to shore.

As the authorities try to figure out what caused the crash, details are uncovered and theories begin to emerge. Was the plane brought down by someone determined to may David pay for his network's manipulating of popular opinion via the news it broadcasts? Were there other reasons for sabotage, perhaps related to one of the other passengers on board? Were the flight crew trustworthy?

Of course, the person in the most blinding spotlight is Scott. While his heroism is heralded, it's also questioned, suspected. How did he wind up on the plane that night? What was his relationship with Maggie? How is he the only adult survivor from a plane full of important people? The media circles, leaving no stone unturned, questioning everything in his past, even the pictures he has painted. And as Scott reaches out to JJ given the bond they shared, there are some suspecting nefarious elements there, too.

Before the Fall is a book that doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a meditation on the fragility of life, the simplicity of luck, and the unconscious act of a hero? Is it a look at how quickly one's life can change, and the beauty of a simple bond between a man and a young child? Is it a portrait of our media-obsessed society, where in an effort to be first to break a story, the media broadcasts what it knows and then makes up what it doesn't, crafting facts to fit the theories they want to espouse? Or is it a thriller, as the authorities (of course, not without the usual pissing match between branches of the government) try to figure out what really did happen on the plane that night?

Noah Hawley tries to make this book all of those things, which means it doesn't quite succeed on any of those fronts. It is beautifully written, and Scott is a fascinating character. If the book had concentrated on him and his life following the crash, and how JJ and those around him dealt with the aftermath, I think this would have been stronger and more appealing, at least for me. But the book gets bogged down in looking at the lives of each of the other passengers and crew on board that night, and what brought them to that moment, and then the zealous media coverage of the crash and the suspicions being levied against Scott (particularly by a corrupt anchor on David's network), and it really frustrated me.

Since Hawley is the executive producer, writer, and showrunner for the television series Fargo, this book is getting a lot of attention, and is even being hyped as "the thriller of the year." I'd nominate several other books I've read so far this year for that honor (particularly Gregg Hurwitz's Orphan X), but despite the fact I think Before the Fall suffered from a bit of an identity crisis, it's definitely a worthwhile, compelling read.

Book Review: "Keep You Close" by Lucie Whitehouse

Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA for making it available!

Lucie Whitehouse knows how to write a thriller. I really enjoyed her last book, Before We Met, and her newest book, Keep You Close, scheduled to be released in May, ratcheted up the excitement and surprises even more.

Rowan Winter gets a surprising call one day and learns that Marianne Glass, once her closest friend, has died in a tragic accident. It has been 10 years since Rowan and Marianne have spoken despite Rowan's attempts to reconnect, but the pain of Marianne's loss is very real for her. They were once inseparable, and for a young girl with an absent father and a dead mother, Marianne's family and her friendship meant everything to Rowan. But Marianne became a successful artist, and all that Rowan knew of her life was what she read in the newspapers.

"But you were similar, too — I could see why you were so close. Marianne had her talent and you had your brain and you were both...driven. You sparked off each other."

Even after all of these years apart, Rowan cannot believe that Marianne fell from the roof of her home, because she remembers the paralyzing vertigo she suffered from. She can't believe that Marianne would have tried to take her own life, even if she was apparently suffering from depression again. And the day after her death, when Rowan receives a card from Marianne saying, "I need to talk to you," she knows it's a sign that someone else is responsible for Marianne's fall.

Returning to the town where Marianne lived and they once spent all of their time, Rowan is determined to look into the events of her death. It's not long before she finds herself caught up in the memories of their youth—the good times and the slights, the friends Rowan lost when her friendship with Marianne ended, and times when Marianne's perfect family didn't quite seem so perfect. And she also starts to rekindle a romance that never quite got off the ground all those years ago.

But the more Rowan learns and the more she suspects, the more her paranoia grows. Is there anyone she can really trust? Are Marianne's so-called friends really who they say they are? Does Rowan have anything to fear if she uncovers the truth?

I've commented before that it's hard for me to read mysteries because I often find myself figuring things out before the characters do, or suspecting everyone and everything. While I certainly had my theories while reading Keep You Close, and worried Whitehouse might take the easy way out, she definitely kept the surprises coming and had me guessing. It's a familiar-enough story, but she kept it fresh, and many of the supporting characters were equally fascinating.

If you like this genre of books, definitely introduce yourself to Lucie Whitehouse. I can definitely see this becoming the "beach read" of summer 2016—I definitely hope so, because she deserves some recognition!

Book Review: "Where They Found Her" by Kimberly McCreight

The body of an infant has been found near a creek on the campus of Ridgedale University. No one knows whose baby this was, who killed the baby, and, of course, why someone would have done such a terrible thing. Molly Sanderson, a freelance journalist who has mainly covered the arts, lifestyle, and human interest beat for the Ridgedale Reader finds herself assigned to cover the story, and she is unprepared for the toll it will take on her psyche.

Following the loss of her second baby, Molly suffered a near-nervous breakdown, which took a toll on her marriage and her ability to care for her other daughter, who was still quite young. And although she was able to overcome this deep depression, and her husband's job at Ridgedale has given them a chance for a fresh start, this story—and the memories it unearths—has the potential to tear open wounds that time has healed. While she knows inherently she should give up the story, and her husband all but begs her to turn it over to another reporter, Molly is determined to get to the bottom of the story in the hopes it may provide some closure for her. As Molly begins to uncover a series of secrets many people in power would prefer to leave hidden, she finds herself getting entangled in a web where many people's behavior appears suspect, including several people she knows well.

Where They Found Her is narrated not only by Molly, but two additional, very different women, each with a linkage to the story. Sandy, a high school dropout desperate to right her life and find the correct path for her future, is forced to play parent for her tremendously immature and undependable mother. And Barbara, the wife and mother determined to have the "perfect" life, is haunted both by memories she hoped she'd never have to deal with again, and problems faced by both of her children.

There is no such thing as the "perfect" community, or the "perfect" family. But Ridgedale has more than its share of secrets and dysfunction. And Molly is determined to find out where all of the paths converge, especially if she can figure out what happened to the baby, and who she belonged to, no matter what it does to her, her life, and her relationships in the process.

As I was reading Kimberly McCreight's new book, I found myself wondering which alternative I like better: a book in which you figure out what is going to happen before it is revealed, or a book that introduces so many possible solutions you haven't a clue what is going to happen. I think I prefer the latter, in which category this book definitely falls. McCreight definitely keeps you guessing, and her writing is taut and compelling. If I had any criticism of this book, it's that there are a lot of characters to keep straight, not all of them likable, so when the characters I didn't care much about narrated the book or appeared in the story, I wasn't as interested as I was otherwise. However, on the whole, this was a very interesting and suspenseful read, more so than I imagined, even though I figured out part of the plot.

McCreight is a really talented writer. Her first book, Reconstructing Amelia, was one of my favorite books of 2013. If you like mysteries with a lot of emotion, give either of her books a try.

Book Review: "The Kind Worth Killing" by Peter Swanson

Wow, I thought this was great.

"Truthfully, I don't think murder is necessarily as bad as people make it out to be. Everyone dies. What difference does it make if a few bad apples get pushed along a little sooner than God intended? And your wife, for example, seems like the kind worth killing."

When Ted Severson meets Lily Kintner in a London airport bar, he is taken by her unique beauty and enjoys their playful, carefree banter while their mutual flight to Boston is delayed. And as one martini turns to two (and then more), once their plane takes off, they begin to play a game of absolute truth. No judgment.

Perhaps it's the liquor that loosens his tongue, or Lily's presence, but Ted begins to reveal the problems he's experiencing with his wife, Miranda, and that he's pretty certain she's having an affair. Knowing a divorce will cost him a great deal of money and more than a little bit of humiliation, he jokes that it would just be easier to kill Miranda. When Lily first replies, "I think you should," and then later adds, "I'd like to help," he's utterly surprised, a bit freaked out...and more than a little intrigued.

The two begin to devise a seemingly foolproof plan, but Ted can't help but wonder whether Lily is actually serious about it, or if somehow she'll end up trapping him somehow. But what Ted doesn't know is that there is far more mystery to Lily than he can even imagine. And then everything gets a little bit more complicated...

I'm going to stop my description at this point for fear of giving anything away, although this is a book that succeeds both because of its intricate plot as well as the strength of Peter Swanson's writing. This isn't a book that thrives on surprises, although Swanson throws in a few. I just found the characters so compelling, both the ones I liked and the ones I didn't, and I really wanted to know exactly how he'd tie everything up. And now, of course, I'd love to know what happens next.

I don't want to hype this, but this is definitely a book worth reading!

My favorite books of 2014...

Those of you who know me—or even simply follow me sporadically on social media—know that I am a voracious reader. I have been reading for as long as I can remember, and my memories of certain events and trips in my life include what I was reading at that time. I watch very little television, not because it isn't good or because I'm an elitist, but more because I would much rather spend the small amount of time when I'm not working, working out, eating, or sleeping by reading, rather than doing anything else.

This year I read a record 135 books. These weren't short books, or graphic novels, or children's books. (And this total was achieved despite taking about three weeks off when my father died earlier this year.) I did a lot of traveling—flying home from Belgium this past spring I read three books between my three flights—and because I take the metro to work I can read on my 30-minute commute to and from the office. I read some absolutely fantastic books, some good ones, and only a few I really disliked.

As I've done the past few years, I've selected the best books I read this past year, plus a few more that just fell short of the very best but I still think they're too good to miss. I've linked to my original review of each so you can read more about each one. I'd love to hear your thoughts, and know which books you'd count among your favorites, even if you didn't read as much as I did!

In random order, the best of 2014 includes:

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel: This is a big, ambitious, emotional, gorgeously written book that I absolutely fell in love with. Let's just say it involves the world following a massive plague, a traveling group of Shakespearean actors and musicians, a series of comic books, and memories of a different world. This is a book about love, loss, friendship, connection, and the power of memory. It's bleak and beautiful, heartfelt and heartbreaking. Yes, it's about the end of the world as people knew it, but there are no zombies or rebellions or shadow governments or anything like that. Read my original review.

The Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld by Justin Hocking: Justin Hocking's memoir about his obsession with surfing and Moby Dick, and his struggles to find direction in his life and overcome his addiction to being in relationships, made me feel much like I'd imagine one does after a good round of surfing—breathless and exhilarated, simultaneously. This is a meticulously researched, emotionally poignant, fascinating, and sometimes humorous book, populated with a tremendously memorable and endearing cast of characters. Considering I know nothing about surfing or skateboarding, and have only read Moby Dick once, I was surprised how utterly hooked I was by this book. Read my original review.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: In the early 1940s, the world is on the brink of war. Marie-Laure is a 12-year-old blind girl living in Paris with her father, a locksmith at the Museum of Natural History. Young Werner Pfennig is growing up with his sister, Jutta, in an orphanage in a German mining town. As war closes in, Werner and Marie-Laure's lives will intersect in a profound way, both when they are at one of their weakest moments. And this encounter will have an indelible impact on the lives of many for years to come. This is an exquisite, wonderfully told story, with tremendously vivid characters which came to life. Would be a fantastic movie! Read my original review.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevinn: This book, a tribute to a love of books and reading, as well as a tribute to love, is so warm and wonderful, it almost feels like a big hug. A.J. Fikry is the cantankerous owner of Island Books on Massachusetts' Alice Island. Lonely since the sudden, tragic death of his wife a few months earlier, his business is struggling as much as he is. But then three incidents change the course of his life—a disastrous meeting with the new sales representative of a publisher; the disappearance of a rare copy of an Edgar Allan Poe book; and the unexpected discovery of a nearly two-year-old baby left in the store. An utterly compelling story that hooks you from the beginning. Read my original review.

The Heaven of Animals: Stories by David James Poissant: Do yourself a favor: pick up this story collection—you'll be moved, overwhelmed, touched, and blown away. The stories are about relationships—between parent and child, spouses or significant others, siblings, friends, strangers, even between a man and his wife's dog. (No, not like that.) In many cases these are people facing challenges—physical, emotional, financial—and they're struggling to right their own ships, so to speak. While story after story about people in some sort of crisis could be harrowing to read, in Poissant's hands the stories are certainly moving, but told so beautifully and skillfully that you feel empathy, and somehow transformed by the paths these characters follow. Read my original review.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson: Beautiful, breathtaking, bewildering, and a little bizarre, but I can't get it out of my head. Jude and Noah Sweetwine are twins, so close they often think of themselves as NoahandJude. They can read each other's thoughts and know each other's fears. At age 13, both are artistically creative and emotionally sensitive in their own ways, yet they're also quite different. Yet three years later, Noah and Jude are barely speaking, and everything has changed. This is a book about the half-truths we tell ourselves and our reluctance to see what is in front of us and say what we truly feel. It's a book about following your heart and accepting the truth, even if it leads you somewhere you're afraid of, and realizing you must live the life that ignites your passions. Read my original review.

The Cost of Living by Rob Roberge: One hell of a read. Bud Barrett should know better than anyone what it's like to be a junkie. He's spent a good part of his adult life completely high, thinking about getting high, figuring out how long his high is going to last and how to maintain it, and recovering from being high. During a good amount of this time, Bud has been a well-known indie guitarist and singer, part of a band that achieved some renown, but the siren call of drugs has led him down an increasingly self-destructive path. This is a beautiful, almost poetic book which is brutally frank in its depiction of the daily struggles of a drug addict. Bud is such a vivid character and his persona is so well-drawn, that even as you're disgusted by him and pity him and think he might be better off dead, you can't help reading about him. Read my original review.

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell: For lack of a better word, this book is phantasmagorical, but so, so brilliant. I'll admit I didn't understand everything that happened, but Mitchell's storytelling was so breathtakingly good, so utterly captivating, that it didn't matter. I truly was surprised by two things—that a 650-page book could have such rapid pacing, and just how much heart this book had. I was fascinated by the characters and the situations they found themselves in, and I was sad when the book ended, because I wish I could have spent more time with them. This isn't a book for everyone, so you need to be comfortable with just letting the story flow, and suspending your disbelief. Read my original review.

Movie Review: "Gone Girl"

I'll admit I was one of the few people who wasn't entirely enamored with Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl.

When I read it two years ago, I remember enjoying some of the plot twists, but ultimately I had trouble because I found the main characters so immensely unlikeable. But since it didn't make that positive of an impression on me, I didn't remember much about the book save the major gist of the plot, so I had no worry about whether or not the film adaptation would be faithful to the book. After seeing David Fincher's movie (filmed from a screenplay Flynn wrote), I can unequivocally say that, unlike what occurs in most cases, this is a film adaptation that far surpasses the book on which it's based.

It's the fifth wedding anniversary for Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike). The couple met cute at a party in New York City and had a few good years of marriage, but after they both lost their jobs and they moved back to Nick's Missouri hometown, their relationship has been strained, to put it mildly. But when he returns home after spending some time at the bar he and his twin sister (Carrie Coon) own, he finds his front door open, Amy missing, and evidence of some kind of struggle in his house.

Nick has no idea what happened to his wife, but as his actions as the concerned, grieving husband are met with increasing skepticism by Amy's parents, his fellow townspeople, and the media, a dogged police detective (Kim Dickens) is determine to figure out exactly what happened to Amy, and what role Nick played. And as more secrets about Nick come to light, there becomes increasing sentiment that Nick must have killed Amy, even among those closest to him.

If you've read Gone Girl you know this is where Gillian Flynn totally flips the script. And on the off chance you haven't read the book and don't know the twist, I'm going to just say it changes everything—some say for the better, some for the worse. (Count me among the former.)

Fincher brings his trademark style to this movie, which is part mystery, part social commentary on how quick the media is to make judgments which influence so many people in our society. The music, by frequent Fincher collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, brings a chilly feel to the film which suits it perfectly.

The film runs just over two and a half hours, but other than wondering exactly how the movie would tie itself up, I never looked at my watch. (I did continuously glare at the man on one side of us who kept texting, and a couple who spent the entire movie talking—loudly—but that's another rant for another day.)

The performances in this film are wonderful, led by the exquisite Rosamund Pike. You can't take your eyes off of her, because she's stunningly beautiful, of course, but more because her performance is full of fleeting glances and expressions that give her character so much depth. Pike's Amy is everything you'd think a man would want in a woman—sexy, smart, romantic, naughty, supportive—until you realize just how crazy f--king psychotic she truly is. This is a woman you do not want to mess with, but Pike is utterly mesmerizing, and completely worthy of an Oscar nomination.

Ben Affleck turns in another strong performance, once again proving that early jabs about the longevity of his acting career were unfounded. You don't quite know what to make of his Nick—is he grieving, relieved, guilty, or just a lying psychopath? Affleck's performance is slippery enough to keep you interested, and you don't know whether he's presenting Nick as genuine or as the person he thinks people want to see. He more than holds his own against the charismatic Pike.

The supporting performances in the movie are terrific as well—notably Carrie Coon as Nick's sister, who is simultaneously devastated for what is happening for her brother and wondering exactly what he isn't telling her; Neil Patrick Harris as a creepy ex-boyfriend of Amy's; and Kim Dickens, as the police detective who doesn't want to get taken in by the public cry for Nick's arrest, but doesn't know whether to trust her instincts or trust the facts that she is finding. Missi Pyle has some fun moments as a Nancy Grace-like zealot voicing outrage at the case.

I enjoyed this movie far more than I expected, and while it's obviously a depressing commentary on marriage, I found it truly compelling. The one thing I remembered about the book is that when you're presented with the story of two flawed, not-entirely-honest people, you don't know exactly what to believe is true. And you may very well walk away from this movie with questions, but that's part of its charm. I wouldn't be surprised—and I'd be pleased, actually—to see this nominated for Best Picture as well this year.

Book Review: "Apple Tree Yard" by Louise Doughty

"When you are a rational human being, with free will and agency, is there any such thing as a point of no return?"

Yvonne Carmichael is a renowned geneticist, well-established in her career. She and her husband Guy, a fellow scientist she met while in college, is loving and comfortable, and they have two adult children. One day, after testifying before a committee of Parliament on a scientific issue, she meets a man. They talk, they walk, her takes her by the arm, and leads her to a little-used chapel in the basement. And Yvonne begins to undress.

The two begin an affair, despite the fact that she doesn't know her lover's name at first, and he has kept most of his life a mystery from her. He is constantly paranoid, worried that Yvonne might say something to someone, or that their relationship might be discovered. Because of his need to control the situation, Yvonne believes her lover must be a spy for the British government, a fact that excites her almost as much as their relationship has. She knows that they can only see each other at certain times, yet she longs for more, longs for the passion he has ignited in her.

As the pair's relationship wanes and intensifies, one night Yvonne finds herself confronting an utterly unexpected danger from another direction. And it is there the course of her life changes, as she suddenly finds herself, along with her lover, on trial for murder. She is prepared to do just as he has always told her, disclose as little about their relationship as possible so the truth will not be discovered. Or will it?

"Relationships are about stories, not truth. Alone, as individuals, we each have our own personal mythologies, the stories we tell in order to make sense of ourselves to ourselves. That generally works fine as long as we stay sane and single, but the minute you enter an intimate relationship with another person there is an automatic dissonance between your story about yourself and his or her story about you."

Apple Tree Yard tells a familiar story, one of love, longing, secrets, and betrayal. Yet in Louise Doughty's hands, the story seems fresh and tremendously interesting, even though you're fairly certain where the plot will go. Yvonne's character is so well drawn, so complex (if not entirely sympathetic), you can truly see how she found herself in the middle of a relationship she never expected, as well as trouble she never imagined. Yvonne never really makes any excuses for her actions, but you understand them, and as the story unfolds you realize that even the most intelligent people have blind spots they're unaware of.

I really enjoyed this book and thought Doughty was an excellent storyteller. It takes a talented writer to make you want to continue reading a story you've seen before, but there are still a good number of twists and turns to keep you thinking. There aren't many books I've read lately with this type of protagonist, and it really worked for me. And it certainly makes you consider your own life, your own relationships, and how a seemingly rational person could be so overtaken by desire and fear.

"Is heartbreak even possible now, I wonder? I'm fifty-two. Anyone my age knows that all things pass. If the transitory nature of our feelings means that true heartbreak is impossible, then where does that leave happiness?"

Give this one a read.

My favorite books of 2013...

I've been reading for as long as I can remember—it's honestly one of my favorite activities, because it exposes me to some amazingly creative minds and breathtakingly beautiful language. Reading also makes me feel a wide range of emotions—I've been moved to tears, I've been angered and/or frustrated, impressed, inspired, humored, and intrigued, and I've also been compelled to question things around me or shift my way of thinking. But more than that, reading relaxes me. And when you're a type-AAA personality like I am, you take every opportunity to relax you can!

This year I read 126 books. (I actually started, but didn't finish, a few more, as I just couldn't get into them.) I read some absolutely fantastic books, some good ones, and only a few I really disliked. Amazingly, some of the best books I read this year are classified in the "young adult" genre, although there's nothing "young adult" about the writing, the subject matter, or the way they made me feel. It goes to prove that this genre is so much more than books about vampires, wizards, other-worldly beings, and dystopia. (Not that there's anything wrong with those things.)

As I've done the past few years, I've selected 20 of the best books I read this past year, plus five more that just fell short of the top 20 but I still think they're too good to miss. I've linked to my original review of each so you can read more about each one.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on my selections, and what your favorite books were in 2013. One thing you know you can always talk with me about is books!

So here goes, in random order:

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: The second book I read in 2013 has stayed with me all this time. (Plus it left me a sobbing mess.) Louisa has lived a fairly sheltered, uneventful life in the English town where she grew up. Will was a ruthless, take-no-prisoners businessman, who lived to the extreme in every aspect of his life, until a motorcycle accident left him a quadriplegic. When Louisa becomes Will's caregiver (despite not having any experience in this sort of work), the two begin a relationship of mutual respect and friendship, following a very rough start. When Louisa realizes that she could be the catalyst to changing Will's outlook on life and his desire to keep on living, she does everything in her power to make that happen, not understanding the toll it will take on her life and her relationships—not to mention how it will affect Will. Read my original review.

Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish by David Rakoff: A masterpiece of interconnected stories-in-verse about characters in some sort of emotional flux. Some of the connections come as an utter surprise, but the emotions they generate are truly genuine. As the title suggests, Rakoff's characters are involved with all of those verbs in some way. Beautifully written, and sadly, finished just before Rakoff's death. Read my original review (written mostly in verse, no less).

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan: Seventeen-year-old former boyfriends Harry and Craig are planning to set a new Guinness World Record for continuous kissing, over 32 hours. As their families and friends rally around and react to this decision, Levithan's fantastically moving book also follows two other young gay couples and two gay teens, dealing with their own issues. And it's narrated by a nameless Greek chorus of men who died of AIDS. Part lamentation for what they lost, part reflection on the struggles each of the characters are going through, since they've seen it all, their words are so insightful, so moving, so dead-on in many, many ways, I literally found myself tearing up multiple times as I flew through the book. Read my original review.

Indiscretion by Charles Dubow: Boy, did I love this book, about lifelong friendships, love, devotion, passion, infidelity, and desire. Can you truly love two people at once? Can you spend your entire life loving someone from a distance and be happy only with their proximity? Does betrayal truly kill long-time love? The world of literature is full of books about infidelity, so you may wonder what makes this superlative debut novel so good when there are so many books out there that tell similar stories. While the story may not be unique, Dubow draws you into his characters' lives and gets you so fully immersed that you can't help but be hooked by what happens to them. And even if you can predict what might happen, the journey to those incidents is so worthwhile it doesn't matter if you've seen it all before. Read my original review.

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala: When the tsunami hit Asia in December 2004, Sonali Deraniyagala and her family were vacationing on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. After the water subsided, she survived, while her husband, two young sons, and her parents all died. While she sustained physical trauma, her emotional trauma was far worse. How could she continue living her life when her entire family was gone? Why did she survive while everyone else died? When every day of her life was defined by her being a wife, a mother, and a daughter, what would happen now? An emotionally powerful account of the days, months, and years of Deraniyagala's life following the tsunami. Read my original review.

Brilliance by Marcus Sakey: In the mid 1980s, children with exceptional gifts, labeled "brilliants," started to be born. More than extreme intelligence or ability, these children have talents beyond any ever seen—reading a person's thoughts or intentions just by looking at them, being able to transform themselves into what ever a person wishes, the ability to become invisible and move where no one is expecting. In the present (although in a world different than our own), a special branch of the U.S. government, the Department of Equitable Services, has been empowered to hunt down the brilliants, or "abnorms," as they're referred to insultingly. One elite member of the Department is Agent Nick Cooper—ruthless, intelligent, driven, and a brilliant himself, drawn to the department to create a safer world. An absolutely phenomenal, compelling, and intriguing read. Read my original review.

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett: Contrary to the title, this isn't just a book about marriage, but a collection of articles and other writings (as well as two commencement addresses) that Ann Patchett has published in recent years. Many of the articles touch on relationships—with her husband; her brief, disastrous first marriage; her friendship with the late poet Lucy Grealy; her grandmother; her dog; one of the nuns that taught her in Catholic school; even her relationship with her work. Thought-provoking, humorous, and, at times, tremendously moving. Read my original review.

The Realm of Last Chances by Steve Yarbrough: Cal and Kristin Stevens are forced to leave their longtime California home and move across the country, after Kristin loses her job as a university administrator and finds a position at a lesser state school in Massachusetts. Matt Drinnan, an aspiring author forced to start his life over after some mistakes completely derailed his job and his marriage, spends his days trying to fill the emptiness. Filled with regret and what-ifs, he attempts to figure out what is next for him. As Matt and Kristin's relationship intensifies beyond friendship, they find themselves stepping into territory that has many potentially negative consequences for both of them, professionally and personally, as well as Cal. Moving, well-told, and beautifully written. Read my original review.