My Gone Girl Roller Coaster Ride

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I want to call it amazing but I have to come up with a different adjective since I'm team Nick. So I'll call it stunning, incredible, fascinating, and awesome. It was the roller coaster ride that I didn't want to end. It's one of those where you can't see what's around the corner. Are we going up or are we suddenly going to plummet and lose our lunch? Except for the end. You think you're pulling into the station. You know what's coming next. Then you are jarred to the right and go around for another ride. You are left stunned.

Amy... you are rooting for her in the beginning. Then you are rooting for her on and off even when you find out she's a complete psychopath. When she starts telling you about who she really is, you really want to like her. Her views on men, relationships, cheating and the people we are when we start dating versus the people we truly are, those views are what drew me in. The "cool girl" is the girl that doesn't force her boyfriend to do things he doesn't want to do and she loves everything he does and says. That was who Amy was when she and Nick dated and first got married. Then she didn't want to be "cool girl" anymore.

Nick... you want to hate him and accuse him of being a horrible person, in the beginning anyway. You know he's a liar right from the start. He tells you he is. You suspect he has something to do with the disappearance of Amy. Then you find out that he's a cheating bastard. Now you really hate him. But then you find out Amy has set him up for her murder. She has stolen money from him over the past year and has run away. Nick is left holding the bag. Once he breaks it off with his 23 year old piece of ass, you start to be on his side, at least that's when I started feeling better about him.

The amount of thought and planning that went into the plans that Amy laid out was mind blowing. How does Flynn think of these things? I always on the edge of my seat. One of my favorite things was being able to see how Amy's psychopathy evolved. It went from stalking accusations to rape to murder and then she's the murderer. Her mind games are like no other. The ruthlessness is jaw dropping. Every so often I was saying things out loud like "what?!" "no way!" "oh my god!" and at times I wanted to cover my eyes, but then I wouldn't be able to read. But they are both so incredibly messed up that they really belong together. And of course Amy gets the last word in every sense.

Read this book. I may have given you some spoilers, but you'll thank me when you finish. You won't see most of it coming. You won't believe the mind games one individual can play on so many. And then you won't believe it when you find yourself agreeing with the psychopath.

Enjoy! Read often!

The Struggle is Real

What do you do when you are reading a series and you've come to the last book? Maybe it's not over yet. Maybe you just have to sit, wait and check the author's website constantly for an update to see when the next one is going to be available. I'm addicted to reading series. I can't help it. The character development is like no other.

Right now I'm reading Unlucky 13 by James Patterson. I've been with the women's murder club now for over ten years. That's a long time to follow a book series. But I do it consistently and continuously check Patterson's site for details on the next book. I know so much about the characters that I feel like they are my friends (yes, I know this is sad and pathetic). Lindsay has been through so much with her mom, her divorce, the stuff with Joe before they got married, and having a baby with a medical problem. Now she's a happily married mom with a psycho chick coming to "make her pay" and she doesn't even know it yet because she hasn't gotten Cindy's call! OMG so intense. And I don't know what's going to happen to Cindy because she's trying to track down and chase this killer. And Yuki is stuck on a ship where pirates have taken over... but they aren't pirates, they are more like big scale kidnappers and seem to be American. I can't handle you right now James Patterson! For the love of hershey bars stop giving me a heart attack!

Back to my point. Not only do I love these people, but I can't wait for the next book to come out. I know that the day I read that he's ending the series I will grieve like I've lost someone I care about. The reason I bring this up is because I've seen Lindsay grow, get married and now have her baby girl. She's moved in her department and life is grand (provided no one dies at the end of the book I haven't finished reading). So what's next? My fear is that we are coming to an end. No!

What's your favorite series? Do you even like reading series or are you a one and done? Am I crazy or do you feel my struggle, people?

Read often!

How to Be a Writer Literary Agents Want

These are the types of things I like to read. I want to know, from an editor, what the heck I'm supposed to be doing. I just wanted to share.



"All agents, admittedly or not, have a wish list—markers that help us determine which writers are primed for our representation. With hundreds of projects flooding our inboxes daily, writers who follow these simple guidelines can catch the eye of an agent and rise like a lotus blossom out of the slush pile. Here’s how to do it.

—by Literary Agent Kimiko Nakamura" 

Click for the article. How to Be a Writer Literary Agents Want



Read often!

In love with the Beauty Killer...

I love to fall in love with a new author. Chelsea Cain isn't actually a new author, she's just new to me. I'm halfway through the third book of the Archie Sheridan and Gretchen Lowell series. I found myself wanting to talk about the series before I've finished it. It's awesome.

Heartsick is the first book of the series. We are introduced to Archie Sheridan and Gretchen Lowell. I was wondering how this was going to be a series when the serial killer was already in prison. But because Cain is a superb writer with a twisted imagination... it was completely doable. Gretchen was called the Beauty Killer before she was caught. And she really wasn't caught, more like allowed herself to be caught. Archie is a detective on the task force that was put in place to find the Beauty Killer. Archie was also her last victim and number 200. It's the twisted relationship the two of them have that draws you in. Cain keeps you wondering what happened to Archie when he was taken by Gretchen and tortured nearly to death. I was kept on the hook by slowly getting details of the past as the book worked through the present case at hand. We also get to meet Susan Ward. She's a journalist who's been asked to tag along with Archie and tell his story as he's investigating cases of dead girls around Portland. I LOVE Susan. She's quirky, funny and full of unusual tidbits of information. As the books in the series progress I love her more and more. In book 3 I am finding myself laughing out loud at some of the thoughts and dialog attached to this character. Those are the three very important characters. Of course there are supporting characters, but these are really the main three. Gretchen was using Archie and Susan in a game. Gretchen loves to play games with people and she's damn good at it. I don't want to give too much away because I want you to read the book.

Sweetheart is the second book. The Beauty Killer is on the loose, and she's a threat to everyone, including Archie's family and Susan. And the way she breaks out is crazy! She's the absolute mastermind of games. Archie is suicidal and it's Gretchen that he wants. And when I say want I mean that in so many different ways. We start to learn even more about Archie's past and the real story behind his relationship with Gretchen. I'd like to say I saw it coming, but I didn't. It's another gripping tale of love, hate, betrayal, death, games and funny Susan moments. And a deal between Gretchen and Archie that will make you run for book #3 like I did.

Evil at Heart is the next book in the series. Like I said, I'm only halfway through this, but it's awesome. I have no idea who's guilty of what. Gretchen Lowell has a huge fan base. People love her. She's still on the run and bodies are showing up all over the place. Archie is in a psych hospital and Susan is... well.. being Susan. You'll know what that means when you read the series. Archie is no longer a detective because he's taken a leave. but he has to help find out what's going on with all of these dead bodies around Portland. No one wants to call it Gretchen's handy work, but there are some uncanny coincidences that make it hard not to think it's her. We start to learn even more about Archie's past even though you don't think there's anything else Cain can give us. It's simply brilliant!

I will follow up after I read a few more of the books. I can't imagine for one second where this is going. I love that. Check out this website: www.iheartgretchenlowell.net. I thought I was obsessed with these books before... then I went to the website.

Read often!

Far Far Away... Jeremy and his ghost.

Far Far Away... what a lovely name for a book. Read a little about it and decide for yourself whether or not to pick it up. It's heart warming, endearing, suspenseful and mysterious.

Jeremy Johnson Johnson is a teenage boy who lives with his reclusive father and owns a bookstore. How does a teenager own a bookstore? His grandfather left it to him when he died. The boy’s mother left years before this story begins. And as this story is taking place she has already passed away. Jeremy Johnson Johnson was given this name because both of his parents had the last name Johnson. His mother was a bit quirky so this fits right in with her personality. After his father received notice that his mother was dead, he became a recluse. He never left the house and rarely got out of bed. Jeremy was left to raise himself.

So what is the purpose of this story? Jeremy is going to lose his bookstore which is also his home. He and father live in the building. Jeremy’s father isn’t earning money and what does come into the house is from Jeremy’s gardening jobs.

So you must be thinking, well so far this isn’t very interesting. Perhaps not yet. What if I told you Jeremy can hear the voice of Jacob Grimm of the Brother’s Grimm, would that peak your interest? He heard the voices of his mother and grandfather after they died. From where this story is taking place, Jacob died about 200 years prior. In fact, Jacob is the one who is telling the story from his point of view. What we learn about ghosts and the spirit world through this tale, Far Far Away by Tom McNeal, is a whole new way of thinking about ghosts. In this version of a ghost story people cannot see them, they cannot move things (unless they try very hard to move something like paper by going past it quickly), the air around them is not cold, and a few other things that are opposite of what we normally believe.

Jeremy has a small group of friends. The important one is Ginger. He very much likes Ginger, and she likes him too. But Ginger can make Jeremy do things he wouldn’t normally do. Jeremy is reserved, Ginger is not. She convinces him to go on an adventure in which they break into the town baker’s home. Of course they are found out and almost caught. This is where things start to get interesting. The baker claims it is not them. The teens believe this is out of the goodness of his heart. Is it? There’s a strange dwarf-like deputy who acts odd. He seems to be stalking Ginger. The town’s people start to shun Jeremy as the story travels of his supposed break-in at the baker’s. The poor kid. Jacob is trying very hard to guide Jeremy throughout these times, but no teenager in their right mind wants to stay home and study while the girl he likes is begging him to be with her. Jacob does his best to talk to Jeremy and warm him of immediate dangers, but the poor boy keeps getting the short end of the stick.

We have a moment of hope as he enters to be on a television show in order to win the money to save his home and bookstore. You think he has it in the bag because it’s testing his knowledge about the Brother’s Grimm tales, but at the last second we are let down. Again we are so sad for Jeremy Johnson Johnson.

I have laid out a great deal of the story for you, but I will not give you the ending. Not even close. There's is so much more going on that I can't begin to explain to you in a blog post. You must read to enjoy it at its best. The end involves poison, kidnapping, personal revelations by the children, and a ghost who desperately wants to save this boy he’s come to love. You think you know where the story is going…. until you do not. It’s a subtle twist that I very much enjoyed. I even found myself with wet eyes at a few spots.

Far Far Away, by Tom McNeal, is a wonderful story of struggle and triumph with the exact right amount of supernatural intrigue. I highly recommend this book for people of all ages. You will fall in love with Jeremy Johnson Johnson and his ghost.

Read often! Enjoy!

The last book of Cat and Bones....

I warn people right away that I am a spoiler of endings. So please turn away now if you are not up to date on Jeaniene Frost's series on Cat and Bones.

First of all, I didn't physically read this. It was an audio book. As I walked a local hiking trail I came upon the part where Bones dies. I literally yelled "NO!" and proceeded to cry. I couldn't bare the thought! My heart sank into depths unknown as Cat watched Bones fade away and wither up into nothing. I thought she would take her life. I was completely devastated.

Frost, you are a freakin' brilliant! He wasn't dead! He came back and saved the day. The description of his looks as he first appeared to Cat was amazing. I truly thought he was dead. I thought the savior was Denise. Then it's Bones! OMG! The moment made me shout again and by now I am probably the crazy person on the walking trail that is certifiable.

The one thing that Cat and Bones could never have was a child. But the get one in the most obvious and yet insane way. Why wouldn't her DNA or eggs be taken when she was working for the government? It makes sense. Obviously Frost thought this through. I can only hope to be as clever as she is.

I am very sad that I won't have any more Cat and Bones tales, but the ending is final. I have closure. And that's really all I can ask for.

Hats off to you Jeaniene Frost. A brilliant ending to a wonderfully imaginative series. I will cherish is always.

Read often! Enjoy!

Anne Rice and The Wolf Gift

I've thoroughly enjoyed Anne Rice's novels from Vampires to Sleeping Beauty. The Wolf Gift is something different. First of all, we see some things are different from the norm in werewolf writing. The change isn't horrific. It's not painful, orgasmic actually, and it's not uncontrollable. The origins go back  so far that the history as it's explained in the end was, to say the least, powerful.

Ruben is an amazing character. I love him! When he meets Laura it was concerning and beautiful at the same time. But it was a loving experience. The fact that he is driven to punish the evil doers of the world is what makes him the unsung hero. It's a calling of the gift. When he accidentally bites a boy he's trying to save... it's like he had a child. There's now this boy who needs him and is so infatuated with the wolfman already that he has his own theories. I felt like this was going to be a great fit. And it clearly was.

I loved listening to the elders at the end. We get so much information in this book that I didn't realize that this was going to be a series.  The fact that it is makes me so incredibly happy! I am now seeking the next book.

Rice's writing is superb. There's so much in one book that I couldn't handle it myself as a writer. I would feel like it would have to be broken up into more than one because everything that's there. But she's amazing. It's seamless. You just want it to keep going... AND IT DOES!

It's a story of love, personal struggle, religious pondering, history, family... and so much more. Read it. Love it.

Enjoy! Read often!