Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

October Book Club Pick- great choice!

Summary (back of book)
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer?
As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

My thoughts 
 In all honesty, I LOVED this book! I was so convinced in the first few chapters that Nick killed his wife. I mean it made sense, it all added up- except the body. But then once you actually start seeing Amy through Nick's eyes, and even reading the Diary Amy entries, you start to think, what? Yes, Nick looses his temper but is he really capable of murder? I don't think so. This book is brilliant, from beginning to end. I mean, Gillian Flynn is a genius. A true genius. The mind it takes to fashion a crime so devious, is remarkable. 
It's hard for me to really decide if Amy is demented sociopath or just pure evil. I think both really. Yes, she's incredibly smart but who the hell does THAT to their husband to teach them a lesson? I mean come on. Just divorce him for heaven's sake. I mean the attention to detail she had planning her own murder/death, wow. I could never do that- which probably why I'm considered normal. I mean it took her a year or so to plan all the details. The fake credit cards, the fake diary..I mean, wow. In a sick way, she is to be admired. She's the kind of psycho that has followers and copycats. Flynn definitely broke the mold creating this character.
Nick is a tired, bored husband who only has one thing going for him- the 20-something hot college student he's banging. He never sees the setup by his wife coming. He does figure it out though. And the good thing is that one of the officers is on his side. I mean you get the feeling he's just not that smart to pull off a murder. He would do something to screw it up. In a big way, like call 911 on himself. In the end though, I just feel incredibly sorry for him. I mean geez, to figure out your wife framed you for her own murder, then she shows back up after killing her supposed 'kidnapper, rapist' well, damn, that sucks so bad. And the thing is, he can't divorce her. She has too much on him. His life is rough and it sucks. I really would love to know what happens though. I would love to know if he does end up killing her, like she should be, that demented witch. 
Amy's parents are a different breed. I hated them. I mean HATED them. They are the reason she is the way she is. 
I loved loved this book. The plot and all the twists and turns will keep you wanting to read and make you not want to sleep. In total, it took me 24 hours to read. I started it one morning and finished it the following afternoon, after begrudingly going to bed because my eyes were going bleary. It's so worth the lack of sleep.

5 out of 5 stars!

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Let me tell you why I chose this book- my research paper for grad school is about challenged books, specifically dealing with controversial content. Duh, you say. That's why all books are challenged- because something in them is controversial. Well, yes. I say, Duh, back to you. I know. My research entails 11 years of complaints dealing with the top 10 books (ALA compiles this each year) and the reasons given for the challenges. While doing this research I decided that perhaps it would be interesting to read the books that were on the list or I cam across in my research to see if I agreed with the reasons. One of the newspaper articles I found and that I used in my paper refers to Picoult's book, Nineteen Minutes, and it's inappropriate material for 14 year old students. So, I borrowed a copy from the library....

Nineteen Minutes is about how long it takes for something to happen..."In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game.." That's how Picoult starts off this book. Catchy, isn't it? I've never thought about how long it takes to do something..not really. It took Peter Houghton only 19 minutes to seriously change his life, and the lives of so many others. It's a subject that no one wants to think about and no parent wants to even imagine. A school shooting. Caused by the acts of bullying, adults not caring and overlooking, and a kid who'd had enough. But, is it their fault or his? I know, I know. He pulled the trigger..repeatedly. But, is it ALL his fault? Can't some of the blame be put on those who bullied him his whole life, his parents who didn't 'see' him and compared him to his now dead brother. The book is very interesting from the beginning. It captures your attention with a suicide note. You think, Oh, man. Then Picoult pieces the characters together. From the very beginning of the how the mom's met, to how the best friends Peter and Josie became strangers. It makes you think of what would you do in this situation. How would you react if your child was the murderer; what if your child was the victim; what if your child was the victim and the murderer? It's one of those books you don't forget. As a parent to a toddler it definitely made me think- She's not going to school, ever. But that's not reasonable or practical.
Picoult likes to throw in some plot twists. Like, Josie. The character Josie- I hated. I wished she had died. She's that- bitchy. I hate ruining books for people so I'll just say, She gets what she deserves. The characters I liked the best were- the detective, Patrick. He seemed to be, real. He was portrayed as a good detective and a great man. And he had a bit of a Law & Order detective vibe too. I also liked Peter's lawyer, Jordan. He was good. He had the hardest job of the whole book. Drawing you in to Peter's story. And he does it. He does it so well that you think he's going to win. He doesn't. I'll tell you that. Peter doesn't get off from the charges legally but, in another way, a more morbid way..he does.
I recommend this book. It was great from beginning to end. I think it's a good learning tool for high school students. It would give them an opening for talking about bullying, school shootings, sex, abuse, and so many more topics.

5 out of 5 stars!

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

As a new mom and someone who is very sensitive, I try not to read about children being abused in any way, shape or form. This book was a free download on my Kindle and of course, I can't pass up free. I didn't really think I would actually read this book because I just wasn't feeling the title. But I've been running out of stuff to read on my Kindle and so I thought, 'Hey, why not.'
This book really scares you into wanting to protect these characters. A douche bag Dad (Kayden's) and a shitty guy who's best friends with your brother (Callie) makes you want to punch someone/something or throw up. It's hard not to hate the Dad and best friend just like it's hard not to want to hug Callie and Kayden. I'm a big fan of cop shows (Law & Order, CSI, NCIS, etc) but this book, this book, really tugs and pulls at your heart strings. It's almost like looking at a car accident- you want to look away but you just can't.
Callie is a small girl who is leaving for college early to get away from her life back home. Her mom is oblivious to things and her brother is a jerk. She's been through a lot of crap in her life- the major focus of this story is her being raped at 12 by her brother's best friend on her birthday. ON HER BIRTHDAY! I mean really?! If these characters were real, that friends would be dead. She starts school and meets Seth who becomes her best friend. It's not hard at all to tell that he's her gay best friend. He's hilarious, protective and has problems of his own. He was beat and left for dead by his high school football team. Callie and Seth help each overcome and live again.
When Kayden starts college on a football scholarship at the same college in the Fall, they run into each other, literally. Kayden's baggage is that he's been beaten from the time he was about 7 yrs old by his Dad and his mother doesn't care because all she wants is her wine. Sad life. He doesn't care about anything and feels dead inside. It's only when he starts to care about Callie that he learns what love is supposed to be like. Their relationship moves really fast. Callie is trusting Kayden like she's never trusted anyone before and she knows it feels right.
When they go home for Thanksgiving that's when everything goes from awesome to horrible. It's during their visit home that Callie reveals to Kayden who raped her. Kayden then beats the ever loving shit out the guy and is arrested. Kayden's dad hits him again and they fight. Kayden's dad ends up stabbing him and then the reader finds out that Kayden is a cutter. He cuts himself to escape the pain. After not hearing from him for a while, Callie borrows her parents car to go over there. She finds him in a pool of blood...and that's how it ends!
Talk about pissing me off. I hate when books leave you hanging. But, Ill be buying the next one so I know what happens to Kayden and what happens with their relationship.

4 out 5 stars! (not 5 because the ending pissed me off)

Worth the WeightThe Worth Series Book 1: The Nice One) by Mara Jacobs

As someone who has struggled with body image and weight issues her whole life, this book really hit home. Lizzie is a smart, successful woman who has recently lost a lot of weight (it's never said how much weight). She's a planner and list maker who knows how to get things done and gets those things done by being 'the nice one'. It's often referred to in the book -her being nice. She comes up with this master plan to "Find, Fuck, and Forget Finn Robbins", an old high school boyfriend. Wanting to test out her new body she does just that. Her friends Alison and Katie are there for her the whole time she is plotting this plan and putting it into motion. They warn her that she's not one to have a relationship without emotion but Lizzie tells them she can do it. How wrong could she be?! In the process of hooking up with Finn she falls in love with his 2 kids from a previous marriage. Annie is in a wheelchair due to a spinal issue from birth and Stevie is a teen with a lot of angst. It's only when Lizzie comes to terms that she has always loved Finn that she realizes her friends were right.
The only thing predictable about this book is that you know once the main character finds herself, has sex, and tells the guy she loves him- something bad is bound to happen. That's exactly what happened. Finn overhears her friends talking about the plan and he storms offf in a rage, chews her out in front of a large crowd and leaves her- again.
Overall, it's a great book. If you're someone who has weight or body issues then this really will hit you in the gut and you'll understand Lizzie's struggles better than someone else.

4 out of 5 stars!