Trunk Music

I went to Barnes and Noble Thursday to find a good mystery book and to de-stress from the chaos of having to evacuate due to a wreck/spill on the interstate (#frustrating). I ended up getting Trunk Music (Harry Bosch series # 5) by Michael Connelly. It's been a few months since I've read my Michael Connelly books so I'm super excited about this one. This begins with Harry returning to work as a LAPD detective after an involuntary leave of absence. His first case back is a man, Tony Aliso, found stuffed into the trunk of his Rolls Royce. He took two bullets to the head- the kind of job wiseguys call "Trunk Music". Bosch begins unraveling pieces of Aliso's life from his Mob deals to his beautiful wife to a stripper in Vegas to a disgraced FBI agent who just happens to be Harry's ex-girlfriend. You do not have to read these books from the first one to understand the fifth one. Connelly usually catches you up in the first few chapters about what happened in past books. At first it's pretty vague about this ex-girlfriend he runs into in Vegas but you get the gist. Once Harry goes to Vegas to get the scoop on Aliso, it starts getting really good. I love Michael Connelly, he's my favorite crime writer. But the only thing I don't like about this book is the long chapters, when I say long I mean the first chapter is 94 pages :/ shesh! But other than that I'm hooked. His newest book, The Black Box (Harry Bosch series #16) comes out in November and I can't wait to pick that one up. 

When I discovered Michael Connelly, I read The Closers (#11) and it was awesome! For our senior English class in high school, our teacher let us pick books off the NY times best seller list for extra credit. I'm sure it's a shock that I LOVED this! So I picked The Closers. I didn't need to read the first 10 to understand this book. I started at #1 after than but have jumped to #12 and #13 and other random numbers. I guess I'm impatient lol. I think my favorite so far is Nine Dragons (#15). It was on sale at Barnes and Noble so I picked it up and couldn't put it down. None of his books are alike and they all keep you interested from page 1. Concrete Blond (#4) went into a lot of detail about his personal life, which none of the other books do and I found this one very interesting. You finally get to know a little more about Harry Bosch. I would definitely pick up any one of the Harry Bosch series if you're looking for a great crime writer with an suspenseful, captivating story!

I also picked up the new Cosmo, which I already read cover to cover and will most likely reread. I have to say I love Lucy Hale! I think we could be good friends ;) Check out her article in the new issue. The articles I found interesting/useful were 7 signs he isn't relationship ready (read this one!), 12 things to do before you get married, Signs he's secretly into you, and where'd my period go?. All were really good articles. I also got tons of make-up/skin care tips and a list of new products to try out soon! 

The second book I bought was Where Things Come Back by John Carey Whaley. This was in the young adult must read section and winner of the 2012 Michael L. Printz and William C. Morris awards. I decided on this because the Hunger Games was an amazing young adult trilogy so I wanted to see what else was recommended. I can't wait to start this one! 

Enjoy :) 

The END

The Hunger Games trilogy is over for me :(. I finally finished Mockingjay last night and let me tell you about an emotional roller-coaster! I LOVED the third book and the ending. But as a warning it was very emotional and sad. There were some sad parts in Catching Fire but this one takes the cake. Whoever told me they didn't like it/it was taken to far is CRAZY. There was so much suspense during this book and so many unexpected events. By the last page I was so shocked I didn't know what to think. There was a epilogue that was about a few years later. I'm really glad the author did this because I wanted to see what happened later on. I can't say to much without revealing major spoilers but this is a MUST read. This is by far the best trilogy I've ever read (Yes, way better than Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight). Katniss is definitely my favorite character from a book series. I'm sooo excited for the next two movies to come out.

Next on my list to read was Where We Belong by Emily Giffin. This is her newest book that just came out last mouth. My copy is autographed :). Nerdy huh? BUT after the emotions from Mockingjay I need something a little more low key. I'll be visiting Barnes and Noble for the next Harry Bosch book by Michael Connelly. Who doesn't love a juicy murder mystery?

Once upon a time..

Pinterest has awesome ideas that are actually very doable. I saw this on pinterest, which came from Kirklands DIY site. I used card stock then printed "once upon a time" on it. You can put card stock in your printer (I didn't know that)! Then I cut it out and taped it to my lamp (i didnt want to use glue on my lamp just in case). Very simple. My only recommendation would be to use an exacto knife, not regular scissors. Cutting for 2 hrs is not as fun as you'd think. But I love the result! Next I want to try my favorite quotes from my favorite books. This gave my lamp and room a creative touch! Try it and let me know what you think and if you have tips. Enjoy!

Home library needed

So I finally had to get a second book shelf in my apartment for all my books here. This doesn't include books on my coffee table, night stand and at my parents. My mom actually asked me if she could "get rid of" some of my books..I don't think so! I think I need to invest in a large book shelf...or home library because I have this weird thing about lending people books :/ so I hoard all my books and have every book I've ever read.

I'm gonna need this! I need to add this to my Pinterest dream house I fully intend on building.

The Hunger Games trilogy

Yes, I am still working on reading the Hunger Games! Books are ALWAYS better than the movie so this time I decided to see the movie first, read the book second. This was a great idea for this trilogy. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED the movie but I left the theater somewhat confused and with a few questions. This is where the book came in handy, it answered all my questions about details that the movie left out. The book was amazing and so creative. I just finished the second one, which was even better. One of my favorite things about this trilogy is that is no other story line like it. It's very creative and imaginative. I don't know how the author wrote about a whole another world with such detail. And she developed Katniss as such a strong character that everyone can relate to. I've just started the third one and I'm pretty excited, although I've heard that the third one wasn't as good :/. But I won't let that stop me! Stay tuned to read my thoughts about the third book. 



Before the Hunger Games: 
I just had to mentioned the book I read in between the second and third Hunger Games. It was the Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner. This book was amazing and I recommend everyone read it. I saw this book in new paperback at Barnes and Noble one day for $5 and decided to pick it up. The main reason I decided on this book is because I read The Witches of East End and its sequel The Serpent's Kiss. These books are about hundred year old witches in present day but in the second book they go back to Salem, Ma during the witch trials of the 1690s. The Shape of Mercy begins with a college sophomore, majoring in English looking for a job. She goes on an interview with an old woman who wants her to transcribe a diary written by a woman persecuted in the Salem witch trials. I thought the Salem witch trials was such an interesting story. The book focuses on 3 women as the main characters- the college student, the old woman and the girl in the witch trials. The book is written in the POV of the college student and there are excerpts from the diary.  It was beautifully written. I can't wait to read something else by this author. Being the nerd I am, I researched all about the Salem witch trials and now want to go to Salem, Ma to check out the museum, plus my favorite holiday is Halloween! Hope y'all enjoy it as much as I did...

Welcome

Welcome to my blog about...BOOKS! Hope everyone enjoys it!