13) Jemima J. by Jane Green

This is the first book I've ever re-read by choice.  I read it first when I was in high school and devoured it in a day.  The way Green describes the life of an overweight woman was shockingly accurate.  I felt that at times, Jemima was living my life.  I loved the story and that she succeeded in losing weight.

After reading it for a second time, I was must more critical.  It's still a good story, but it's very unrealistic.  First of all, Jemima lost all of her excess weight and then some in as little as 6 weeks.  She met her dream guy, Brad, but turns out he's secretly attracted to seriously obese girls.  What are the odds?  Plus, her true love Ben, never notices that she's losing weight and I hate the fact that as soon as he sees her thin, it's as simple as, "Oh my gosh, I love her!"  I just think that it ruins the depth of their previous relationship.

It's still a good novel that I always finish in a few days, but now that I'm older it doesn't hold the same magic for me it once did.  However, I might read it again someday, as it really motivated me to get my butt moving and try to lose my own excess weight.

12) The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers

'The Murderer's Daughters' by Randy Susan Meyers wasn't as action-packed or thrilling as I expected it to be.  I was hoping it would revolve around the traumatizing childhood of the two sisters, but instead, it didn't spend much time focused on the immediate aftermath of their father's crime.  It followed both girls through adolescence and as far as into their 40s.  Their life stories were heartbreaking and interesting.  I liked the story and the hostage scene was very fast-paced and suspenseful.  Overall, I'd recommend this book.

11) A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

This was one of those books where I couldn't decide if I wanted to read it or not.  I had seen it several times online and even had it in my hand ready to purchase, but then I second-guessed myself and put it back.  The surprisingly negative reviews on Amazon really made me nervous that this book would be a waste of time, but somehow I got it started, and once I did I was happy.

Goolrick's 'A Reliable Wife' was a very engrossing story.  It was very descriptive, which was both good and bad.  While the picture the text painted for me was full of detail, sometimes it just drug on and on and on.  It wasn't bad enough to make me stop reading though.  I also could see why some Amazon reviewers didn't appreciate all the sexuality of the book.  I'm no prude by any means, but the main character's constant thoughts of sex, memories of sex, dreams of sex, etc, etc, were just overkill.  The book would have been just as good without it.

The ending definitely made up for the slow parts, in my opinion.  I do agree with another Amazon reviewer that I had about all I could take of the author's favorite phrase: "Such things happen."  That was also an annoyance, but the story kept me reading and I loved the ending, so all in all, it wasn't a bad read.

10) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

I've got to say that this book was a pleasant surprise.  Usually I don't read books about vampires or politicians, but something made me pick this one up.  I thought the idea of Old Abe as an axe-wielding vampire slayer was too funny not to explore.  Perhaps it's just because I'm a native Illinoisian, but this book was wonderful.  It read much like a regular biography, which the vampire storyline woven in between.  That being said, however, I DO NOT typically like biographies and find they read like a really boring list of events.  Grahame-Smith's writing was captivating throughout the novel.  His simply storytelling skills are what make such a subject so enjoyable to read.  I also have to say that everything in this book made sense as far as how the vampire situation affected Abe's life and political goals.  Everything fit like a glove and I didn't feel like there were any pieces missing or pieces forced to fit when in reality they just didn't.  Wonderful book and has a lot of true, interesting information about Abe Lincoln, although I wouldn't read it for that purpose.

Favorite quote:  "Without death," he answered, "life is meaningless.  It is a story that can never be told.  A song that can never be sung.  For how would one finish it?"

9) The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

This book has been on my reading list since I first saw it advertised in Bookpage.  I've waited oh-so patiently for it to come out on paperback and finally got around to reading it.  There's no other way to describe this book than disappointing.  It really has such potential, but the author falls short of creating anything memorable. 

Her characters are larger than life (Truly is literally so), but they have the depth of a puddle.  As a reader, you never really get to see any real emotion from the characters.  I expect Truly, the so-called giant, to show a little more sadness at the loss of her beloved sister.  And when things go wrong with Amelia, a friend who's more to Truly than her real sister ever was, it's almost like she feels nothing at all.  A few paragraphs tell us that Truly is heartbroken by this tragedy, but we never see it. 

That's one thing I couldn't get over about this book.  I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't.  My writing teachers have always said that you need to SHOW the readers what's going on, instead of simply TELLING them.  Although the difference is subtle, I think it makes all the difference, especially in a book like this.

6) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

This is a catch-up post.  This was the sixth book I read this year, but I'm just now getting around to posting this.

I read this because Tim Burton's movie is coming out soon.  I really liked this classic story and I'm surprised I hadn't read it earlier considering how much I love the Disney version.  I must say, this is one instance though, where I found the Disney movie to be better than the book.  It leaves out all the part I didn't like from the book (the Duchess and the pig baby, the Mock Turtle) and expands on the ones I loved (the tea party).  I was surprised how little a part the tea party had in the book.  That really disappointed me.  I'm still in the process of reading Through the Looking Glass, but I must point out that I've stopped halfway through to read a few other books and I'm really not enjoying it at all.  :(

5) Serena by Ron Rash

This is a catch-up post.  This was the fifth book I read this year, but I'm just now getting around to posting this.

This book sat on my Amazon wishlist for at least a year.  During a reading dry spell, I finally decided to give it a read and I can't believe I'd waited so long.  This book was AMAZING!  It's not typically the kind of book I'd read, but I couldn't put it down.  Serena was definitely an unforgettable character.  This book had me thinking about it weeks after I had finished it.

It is set in the 1930s and takes place mainly in a logging camp run by Serena and her husband.  Even the information given about logging and the dangers of such a job were fascinating.  I can't say enough about this book.  I still can't believe how good it was!

My favorite quote: "Kephart told me...how it pleased him to know I'd die and eventually my coffin would rot,and how then I'd be nourishing the earth instead of destroying it."