what I’ve read :: January 2011

For a couple of years now I’ve been thinking of keeping a book journal. I love to read, and read a lot, but I’ve been known to forget what I’ve read. Sadly, I often forget what a book was about. So, this year I started keeping the journal & thought it would be fun {for me at least} to post at the end of each month what I’ve read.

So, here’s my list for January:

Blank Confession by Pete Hautman

Synopsis from Shelfari:
Shayne Blank is the new kid in town--but that doesn't stop him from getting into a lot of trouble very quickly. The other kids don't understand him. He's not afraid of anything. He seems too smart. And his background doesn't add up. But when he walks into the police department to confess to a murder, it quickly becomes apparent that nothing is as it seems. There's more to Shayne--and his story--than meets the eye. As the details begin to fill in, the only thing that becomes clear is that nothing about Shayne's story is clear at all. Blank Confession is a compelling mystery that will keep readers turning pages, from National Book Award-winning author Pete Hautman.

I picked this book up on a whim at the library. It’s only 170 pages so I read it in one day. It’s pretty good. There wasn’t anything about it that made it super memorable. Just okay.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Synopsis from Shelfari:
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade — a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up — the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

I’m not 100% sure where I heard about this book, but I’m thinking it was on Miss Zoot’s blog. This book was very interesting. If you’ve read the Hunger Games trilogy and enjoyed it {I LOVED it} I think you’ll really enjoy this book. It’s truly amazing the stories that people come up with.

One Day by David Nicholls

Synopsis from Shelfari:
15th JULY 1988. Emma and Dexter meet on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways.
So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that?
And every year that follows?

Honestly, I didn’t finish this book. I read the review in PEOPLE magazine & thought it sounded interesting. For whatever reason though, I just couldn’t get into it. I did skim through it & think I know how it ends. Also, I’ve heard they’re making it into a movie starring Anne Hathaway, so maybe I’ll try that instead.

Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo

Synopsis from Shelfari:
A killer is preying on sacred ground.... In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and English residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish. Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as Chief of Police. Her Amish roots and big city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. She's certain she's come to terms with her past until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. But to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past and expose a dark secret that could destroy her.

Loved, loved, loved this book! I was hooked from the first page & couldn’t put it down. I would highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys this genre. Also, there’s a sequel, Pray for Silence, and I’m so looking forward to reading that one.

What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman

Synopsis from Shelfari:
Thirty years ago two sisters disappeared from a shopping mall. Their bodies were never found and those familiar with the case have always been tortured by these questions: How do you kidnap two girls ? Who—or what—could have lured the two sisters away from a busy mall on a Saturday afternoon without leaving behind a single clue or witness? Now a clearly disoriented woman involved in a rush-hour hit-and-run claims to be the younger of the long-gone Bethany sisters. But her involuntary admission and subsequent attempt to stonewall investigators only deepens the mystery. Where has she been? Why has she waited so long to come forward? Could her abductor truly be a beloved Baltimore cop? There isn't a shred of evidence to support her story, and every lead she gives the police seems to be another dead end—a dying, incoherent man, a razed house, a missing grave, and a family that disintegrated long ago, torn apart not only by the crime but by the fissures the tragedy revealed in what appeared to be the perfect household. In a story that moves back and forth across the decades, there is only one person who dares to be skeptical of a woman who wants to claim the identity of one Bethany sister without revealing the fate of the other. Will he be able to discover the truth?

I’ve read a couple of Laura Lippman’s books, and I don’t think this was my favorite. It wasn’t “not good” per se, it just wasn’t great. It seemed to me the story dragged on, and I figured out the “twist”, but it did take most of the book.

Right now I’m reading Heartbreaker by Julie Garmond at Rebecca’s recommendation. I’m still pretty early into it, but it’s really good so far. I was hoping to have it finished by today so I could add it to my January list, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

So, do you like to read? What kinds of books? Do you keep record somehow of the books you read?