Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Wow. This is probably one of the best books I've read in a while. Gone Girl is a novel about a strange husband and a wife who's... gone. She's literally gone. Disappeared. No one can find any trace of her, but evidence leads everyone--the police, the family members, and the media-- to believe that charming but reclusive Nick Dunne murdered his wife Amy. Will the evidence prove to be true? Will Amy ever be found? Did something else happen that can't be explained? Hmm. Guess you'll have to read it and find out!

The plot line of this story is so suspenseful. I mean every single page keeps you wondering and guessing at what actually happened to Amy. Full of plot twists and surprising turns, Flynn really kept you wondering and gave no hints as to how the book would end. I was shocked, speechless, and to be frank, pissed off! (Read and you'll see why. Muahaha.)

I'm usually not a huge fan of books that switch POV's, especially when every other chapter is narrated by a different person, but it's almost like the two main characters are bantering the whole time. I really liked how she used this literary device to create a contrast in the plot line and to keep the story interesting. It gives the reader the opportunity to see things through two different character's eyes, and it makes the reading experience that much more substantial.

Flynn knew what she was doing when taking on a murder-mystery. So many works in this genre end up flopping due to unoriginal characters and plot lines, but I have truly never read a book so different and.. not cliché.

The character development is phenomenal. Flynn really uses the character's back-stories to put an emphasis on how their past affected them as individuals, a couple, and as a part of their subsequent families. Not only is there a main story-line, but there are also interwoven stories that really make you aware of who the characters are as people and why they are how they are.

Overall, I loved this book, and Flynn as an author. Read every single thing she has ever written, because you will NOT be disappointed. If you're looking for an original, new take on murder-mysteries, then I strongly suggest reading Gone Girl. An incredible reading experience all the way through.

I recommend Gone Girl 10/10.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

If you are a living, breathing human being, you've probably heard of The Hobbit, or maybe you've heard of its counterpart, The Lord of the Rings. No, you don't have to be familiar with either, but I can almost guarantee you've heard of it, and I recommend becoming familiar with both. After being forced by my boyfriend to watch all three Hobbit and all three Lord of the Rings movies, I was dead set on reading the book (simply because I am a literature lover, and I rarely see a movie without first reading the book. I am ashamed).

So, because I am sure you've at-least heard of it, I'm not going to bore you with the synopsis of the story--I am simply going to let you read it, because it's a treat.

The Hobbit was originally written by Tolkien, like so many of his other works, for his children. He was influenced by English adventure stories and European mythology, as you can see in almost all of his works. He loved writing stories for his children. The Hobbit just so happened to be one of the few that were published. You can clearly tell his intended audience throughout the story--it is full of magic and funnies that children would appreciate more than adults. However, don't let that fool you or discourage you from reading--adults enjoy this work almost as much, if not more than, children.

My favorite part about this book was the bright descriptions Tolkien offered of all the characters and places that were visited. Word painting comes into play here--you can almost perfectly visualize each and every character, whether it be the hobbits, the wise old wizard Gandolf, or the ghastly goblins that serve as one of the main antagonists in the story.

Another one of the pleasantries Tolkien included was an Olde-English inspired vernacular adopted by all of the characters. It is very interesting to read some of the dialogue and imagine it being said aloud in your head by a majestic Elf King or a dwarf.

Overall, the story is incredibly fun to read, and it took me about two hours to finish it. It is easy to understand and an enjoyable reading experience. However, if you aren't into fantasy or stories of that sort, then you probably would not enjoy it as much as I did.

It isn't a brain teaser, or a mystery, or a complex novel about the history of Middle Earth (hehe), but it is a beautifully imaginative, child-like reading experience that will force you into nostalgia and have you rooting extremely hard for the dwarves and the hobbits. Children would love it, adults would think it quirky and fun, so overall, I think anyone who has an interest in fantasy should pick up this quick read and give it a go.

I recommend The Hobbit 7/10.

No Easy Way Out by Dayna Lorentz

There are some books that you read, and you really just don't want to finish them, but because you are a dedicated human being, you force yourself to trek through the awful grammar and the cringe-worthy dialogue and finish. This was one of those books.

No Easy Way Out is a YA novel about a group of citizens who get trapped in a mall when a new strain of the flu gets them quarantined. HAVEN'T HEARD THIS STORY BEFORE HAVE YOU? Yes, you have. But I bet you haven't heard it told so horribly. There are factions of the mall who want to cooperate, who want to save their loved ones, who want to get drunk and kill all their enemies (no, I'm not joking--it's a thing), and then there are those who are going to "save the world and expose what their government forced on them". Ick.

Let me start by saying that I really wanted this book to be good. It looked like a fun, easy read, so I picked it up. But, I was unpleasantly surprised.

First of all, THE GRAMMAR. It literally looks as though a kindergarten student wrote this rough draft and sent it to the publisher, and the editor was hungover, so they just pushed it on through, and it got published, so now the rest of the world is forced to be sucked in to a book with a kindergartener's grammar skills. UGH. Frustrating.

Secondly, the dialogue is absolutely cringe-worthy. It is cheesy, uninteresting, and almost unbearable. The characters use words like "douche" and "bro" and "sup", and that is pretty much the extent of their vocabulary. The conversations are so underdeveloped that often times I had no idea how a single conversation was relevant to the plot line.

Third, the character development is awful. All of the characters were transparent and overused stereotypes. That's all I'll say about THAT.

And finally, the plot line is overused, and done very poorly. We all know the story, some kind of catastrophe occurs, and the citizens are forced to form a utopian society in order to survive. You know, The Hunger Games, The MazeRunner, Divergent? Yeah, same plot line, just with atrocious writing and editing. I kind of wish I WAS a kindergartener so I wouldn't have had to suffer through reading this horribly overdone plot.

So, as you can tell, I hated this book. And you know that I'm not going to recommend it.

xoxo

The Forgotten Girl by David Bell

Ah, mystery: the perfect genre for escaping from reality for a while and letting your imagination roam free. I was in for a huge treat when I picked this novel out of the bargain bin at Books-A-Million (and it had no business being in there, in my opinion!) But, I'm really, really glad that I did, because I am usually hesistant about YA mysteries, simply because they've become so very cliché, and one can almost predict the ending. But this book? No way.

The Forgotten Girl is a YA mystery about a man and his wife who were reunited with some family that they hadn't seen in a very long time, and for good reason. This couple, by welcoming family into their home as everyone would, become a part of a huge missing persons case, and they are tasked with solving the biggest mystery their tiny town has ever seen. High school haunts, childhood bullies, and troubling memories from their past are all revisited, and you won't ever guess the culprit in their case.

I'll start by saying that this is probably one of the better mysteries I've ever read, YA or not. And on that note, I'll also say that I personally think that this novel could be better classified as an adult novel, simply because some of the plot points and relationships examined are unfamiliar to general teenagers. That was one of my only problems with the book as a whole.

Bell does an incredible job developing his characters. Everyone has a back-story, and while sometimes that can be time-consuming and seem irrelevant to the plot, the way Bell develops them is crucial while being very interesting at the same time. There is also a lot of differentiation and variety in the character pool--some are young, some are old, and each has their own set of quirks, thoughts, and attitudes.

While the plot developed a little more slowly than I usually like, it really ended up being for the best. The drawing out of the story really helped build necessary suspense, and I was kept guessing until the very last couple of pages. There is a resolution, but it isn't customary or ordinary by any means. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and there was no predictability whatsoever. That may be unappealing to some, so if you prefer to know where the plot is going (and if you do I'm concerned for your sanity.. just kidding), I wouldn't recommend this page-turner to you.

Overall, this book really gave me an enjoyable reading experience. It took me about three days, but not because I wanted to put it down. College can interfere with a person's reading-for-pleasure schedule, ya know. Bell isn't a well renowned author, but I think he should be, because he is a very good writer and storyteller. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a crime or mystery story, young adult to senior citizen.

I recommend The Forgotten Girl 8/10.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby

I won't lie, this author is very unfamiliar to me. He is a French author, therefore I am not well versed in any of his other works, if any exist. But, they should, because I absolutely loved this story. This book was given to me for Christmas by my younger cousin who loves to read as much as I do. We often swap books, and I was lucky enough to get her favorite (this one) as a gift. She ensured me that my soul would be torn apart and I would sob until I couldn't breathe, but that I would enjoy every single minute of it. And boy, did I.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a story about a man with a rare condition nicknamed Locked-In Syndrome-- I am unfamiliar with this condition, but the best way to explain it is that your mind is fully functional, but your body is not. In the story, the man suffering with Locked-In Syndrome finds a way to dictate his thoughts and feelings to an orderly who takes care of him in his room at a hospital in France. These writings are almost autobiographical, considering each chapter is in the form of the orderly's portrayal of his dictations. He relives past memories, spills his guts about his frustrations and longings, and sends messages to his family and friends through his dictations.

My cousin was right. I sobbed, but not because the story was particularly gut-wrenching. I sobbed mainly because of the nonchalant and direct way Bauby portrays the main character's thoughts. It really made me appreciate my ability to interact with others and the use of my body. The main character is a brilliant man, with many thoughts and feelings that are bursting to get out of his head.

The writing is simple, but it really evoked emotion in me that I haven't felt in a while. Bauby really gets you to sympathize with the main character and feel his frustrations as deeply as he does. That was one of my favorite parts of this reading experience--I got to feel what it's like to be trapped inside your own head.

The symbolism in this work is incredible. There are symbols that I never would have thought to use in a story like this that really make much more sense than at first glance. He uses a diving bell (an old device that I was unfamiliar with--look it up before reading) as a symbol of oppression, and butterflies as a symbol of freedom and love. These two symbols wouldn't fit together in the ordinary person's mind, but I think Bauby has established through this work that his mind does not work in an ordinary way.

I would strongly suggest picking this book up. It's a very quick read and it will make you appreciate things you usually wouldn't give a second thought to.

10/10 recommend.

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

Aaaahhhhh, short stories. My favorite, because most of the time they give you the full pleasure of a novel in under an hour of reading. I think I reviewed Gone Girl a while back, and if I didn't, let it be known that it was COMPLETELY AMAZING IMO. Gillian Flynn is one of my modern favorite authors. So, this short story was snagged off the shelf IMMEDIATELY at Books-A-Million. I've decided to stop doing The Big Five and just give my opinions in a paragraph-form (pls don't hate me).

The Grownup is a short story about a woman who lived a rough life, begging on the streets and living life as a con-artist. She has a less than respectable profession, so when she gets offered an opportunity to become a "psychic" of sorts, she takes it, putting her con-skills to good use. She comes into contact with a woman who really stands out to her, and she embarks on a "journey" with this woman, exploring her family life and the dark past behind some of her relatives and her new home.

First of all, the story kept me guessing until the very last page--this is one of my favorite qualities in any work that I read. It's a ghost story of sorts, and I always admire a good, well written ghost story.

The writing was simple and easy to comprehend, but at the same time, there were complex, hidden meanings that were hard to miss. I love Gillian Flynn, and I think this short work really conveyed her style just as well as some of her longer works.

The characters in this story were so well developed. I felt genuine emotions for all the characters, and that's hard for authors to do in long works, so the fact that Flynn accomplished this in such a short work really speaks volumes about the work and the author. I was empathetic, scared for, and intrigued by almost every character that was introduced. Not only are the characters well developed, but the plot is, as well. It takes a lot to confuse me or keep me guessing, and this story did just that. There's so many twists and turns that your head will spin--and in this case, it's a good thing.

I really, really loved this work. It took me all of an hour to read (maybe not even that long), so I would suggest this to anyone who

A) Wants a quick and intriguing read.
B) Loves ghost stories, or anything with a hint of mystery.
C) Likes Flynn's other works.

10/10 would read again and recommend.