All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry

After complaining about not finding anything to read, I decided to look at my local library and found All The Truth That's In Me. I'm so glad I didn't give up about finding something good to read! This book is such a great read!

All The Truth That's In Me is a fabulous book. Probably one of the best I've read this year so far. Judith is a mute 18 yr old who holds the truth to what happened to her young friend a few years earlier. An outcast because of being mute, Judith is forbidden to try to talk and learn by her mother, a harsh woman who lost her love for Judith upon her return home. You find out through flashbacks what happened to her. Stolen in the night by the father of the man she loves, she is held captive for 2 years doing the bidding of this man. The man lets her go on the condition she doesn't talk, he says it's to protect her but she believes it's to protect himself. He cuts part of her tongue out and lets her go back home.
You get the sense that Judith's mom did love her immensely before she left and became mute. While she was gone though, her father dies, so the Mom blames Judith for that since he died of a broken heart. How can you blame that on a child? I think that's what I disliked most about the Mom, is that she placed blame on Judith. Like she wanted to be kidnapped and her Dad to die. The whole basis for the book is that she loves Lucas, and has all her life. But she doesn't think he can love her because she can't talk and people think her an idiot. At times in the book, it gets a little creepy, like her sneaking into his house a lot. The back story of her being kidnapped and the other young girl being murdered is what the town is centered on. It turns out that the murderer has been living in their town all along ( I won't ruin it for you, but I was a little shocked, great twist). Even though Judith and Lucas are accused and even jailed for it all, in the end Judith tells them the whole story, who killed her friend, how she was spared and why she was taken, her tongue cut out, and released. It's not until she tells the tale, that she finally understands Lucas' dad was protecting her.
There is a horrible teacher in the story who is beyond skin-crawling. Who if you could punch characters in books, he'd be the first to be punched from this story followed by Lucas' dad who is uber creepy.

Overall, GREAT story, it's well developed and it pulls you into the story. It makes you go on a roller coaster of emotions but all great books do.

5 out of 5 stars!!! Take time to read it. I read it in one day because it's THAT good!

What's Going On?

Lately, I've started and stopped so many books that it's hard to believe I don't have a review to post. I just haven't found any really good books to just sit down and read all the way through. I started reading The Goldfinch..yea I got maybe to chapter 2 and just couldn't do it anymore. It lost my attention. I tried reading Nicholas Sparks' new one, The Longest Ride, and surprisingly, I couldn't read it. I love him and his works. But I found myself drifting and searching for a new book to read almost instantly. I have been borrowing books via the local public library where I live and it's been great..but I've just been choosing the wrong damn books. I did finish a nonfiction book about Gluten free diets...so I'll do a review about that. But in the past month or so, that's it..that's all I've finished. A gluten-free diet book by Elisabeth Hasselbeck. I feel so lame! and that I'm letting down my nerd self (hah).

So I'm appealing to anyone who may read this blog. Please comment with some suggestions on books that you've read in the last few months that you think were amazing...or even just plain good. Any genre, any length, for any age. I'm game!

(I did finish a book in one of my mystery series that was great, but it's always great otherwise I wouldn't buy the books in that series.)

HELP!

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

First, Rainbow is an awesome name!

Eleanor & Park is a good novel. I almost gave up on it in the beginning because it was a tad slow getting to the goods. Eleanor is a red headed 16 year old who wears men clothes and lives with her Mom, brothers and sisters, and her step-dad. Park is a 16 year old boy who reads comic books, likes rock music, and has had his seat on the bus to himself all year. Until Eleanor arrives. At first, you think it's a typical 'bully the new girl because she's overweight' type novel but then it gets good instead of awkward or boring. Eleanor is a sarcastic, mean teen who is smart and brave and has more confidence than she realizes. Park is a semi-popular kid who doesn't know what he wants until he meets Eleanor.
Their romance is like a Romeo and Juliet tale. Which isn't all that a stretch since Rowell mentions this story a few times in the book. You get it. They are definitely star-crossed lovers. Eleanor's family is...different. Her step-dad is an ass, alcoholic and abusive to her mom. Her siblings are too young to understand. Her Dad is a moron and blind. The only good people in her life are Park and his parents. They care. They see her. They accept her, eventually.
Basically, Eleanor arrives on the school bus and has no choice but to sit with Park on the bus. He's resentful and ignores her. Until he realizes that she's reading his comic books over his shoulder. Then he starts to let her read with him on the bus and then he lets her borrow them and his walkman. It's really quite sweet. The school bus romance is crazy and funny but sweet. Park falls in love instantly and you get the sense that Eleanor is but she can't 'risk' it. She's afraid of her step dad and has no one to talk to. Her step dad is a piece of work. In the end you find out that he's been watching her...yes, like that. She ends up in a good place, with her Aunt and Uncle who save her and her family. But she doesn't end up with Park. She doesn't go back for him and he doesn't visit her. It's until a year later, after all the drama of getting her out of the state, that she finally FINALLY says those three little words.

It's a good book. It's definitely a teen book but young adults may like it as well.

3.5 out of 5 stars. Slow going, typical