Connelly...A++

Now that I finished A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly, I can't remember why I even hesitated reading this one! I think this was one of my favorites and I think it's because it wasn't in Harry Bosch's POV. We finally see that Bosch actually has a heart! He's usual just a hard ass putting away the bad guys but we get to see other people's opinions of him. As Terry McCaleb investigates Bosch as a murder suspect of a case, we get to see the good side of Harry and his emotions. I really like Terry McCaleb's character. This is the first book I've read with him and he's a strong character. His profiling skills are equivalent to Bosch's detective skills. McCaleb begins unravelling clues that all lead to Bosch for murder. We not only see the softer side of Bosch but we the potential of his dark side. Once McCaleb approaches Bosch, things start to get intense. In the middle of this, Bosch is at trial for investigation of a Hollywood producer suspected of murdering a young woman. This was a case that Bosch and his partners were called to a year before and the trial just begins. As Bosch testifies as a the lead investigator of the case, he is also having to defend himself out the courtroom. Every few chapters were in Bosch's POV and we learn about the trial. So it was 2 stories in one in 2 different characters POV. Definitely one of Connelly's best. He's one of my favorite authors and Harry is one of my favorite heros. I needed a break from WWII/Holocaust fiction so I chose Connelly as a distraction...worked like a charm! Connelly can't write anything bad. Check out any book by him and you won't be able to stop! 

Up next...

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. This is historical fiction with a little bit of a twist. Abe's mother dies of a fatal wound which he later learns is the result of a vampire. Young Lincoln sets out to avenge his mother's death and is led to the White House. Smith stumbles upon the Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln. He uses this as a guide to reconstruct the true life story of Lincoln. He reveals the history behind the Civil War and the role vampires played. I think this is such a cool story line! I'm really excited to start this one! I've heard good things from a few different people so we shall see :)

Ps. ...

The Lousiana Book Festival is tomorrow (10/27) from 10-5 downtown Baton Rouge. Everyone should check it out! There's going to be over 100 authors, book signings, promotions, food and music. There's fun stuff for kids like a creative writing booth. I'm so excited, I've never been! I'll write a follow up and let yall know how awesome it was. Spread the word! 

Teaser Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by Should be Reading. Want to participate? It's super easy:

1. Grab your current read. 

2. Open to a random page. 

3. Select 2 non-spoiler sentences. 

"He was setting up  an outpost for the Behavioral Sciences Unit and Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. The Little Girl Lost case was the first on submitted to him. 

p. 133

I'm currently reading A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch #7, Terry McCaleb #2). I was a little hesitant at first on this one because it's told in Terry McCaleb's POV and not Bosch's. But so far I'm enjoying McCaleb, more than I thought I would. 

Terry McCaleb, former criminal profiler, is asked by an investigator to help out on a case of man that was tortured and killed. As McCaleb begins to decipher messages, he finds a suspect: LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. While Bosch may have a good reason to murder someone in West Hollywood, he has a better one for staying alive. 

A few chapters have been in Bosch's POV, which I like. I think it's safe to say we all know Harry Bosch didn't murder anyone. But why does the evidence point to him? Connelly won't disappoint!

Last week for my birthday, my brother gave me a gift to BN (he knows me to well.). Last night I went and spent an hour in there by myself...I probably should find a few other social hobbies. Anyway, I ended up getting 2 books (big surprise!). These will be my Halloween books! 

1. Wild Ride by Jennifer Cruise and Bob Mayer

2. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame Smith 

I can't  wait to start Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter! I don't know why I find this book so intriguing but I've heard many good things so we shall see!

FINALLY!

I finally finished The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene. Work has a been slamming us so I haven't read as much as usual. I feel like it's taken me 2 months to finish this but I was finally able to finish it up this weekend. It's set in 1940 when Claire Harris flees her glamourous life in Manhattan to start over in Paris. What she didn't plan on was Nazi soldiers marching in France. She takes a job at local flower shop under a sophisticated Parisian florist. Claire begins to aid the French Resistance in exchange for false identity papers to kept her in France. While things begin to unravel in Paris, Claire shows bravery and intelligence and above all loyalty to the French Resistance. But deception and betrayal force her to flee once more and fight for the man she loves. 

I really enjoyed this book. At first I thought it started off slow and was wondering where exactly it was heading. Claire begins a naive journey to Paris to follow a lover and ends up getting mixed up in WWII. She starts off as a silly tourist girl wanting romance in Paris but ends as a head-strong brave woman. Her charactered is developed so well; you can really see her grow through her struggles. The focus of this book was the Germans in France. It barely touches on the Jews/Holocaust (which is my favorite topic). I've really enjoyed reading about France during WWII. I honestly didn't know it was THAT bad in France. This put America into prospective. You come to fall in love with Madame Palain, the florist that takes her in. Claire goes to Paris illegally with no money or plans with a dream of love. It definitely does not turn out like you would expect. Once she begins aiding the French Resistance, the story starts to unfold. It wasn't until the end that I realized the seriousness of going against the German army in Paris. It's so scary to think what was actually going on and how many people were killed during the war. This is probably one of my favorite WWII books. But I have to wonder why Claire was so loyal to France and didn't go back to America where it was safe when the war began. 

While we're on the topic...

I watched Sarah's Key, which was a book by Tatiana de Rosnay. It's been in my instant queue on Netflix for a while and I couldn't decide if I wanted to watch it or not because I loved the book so much. This is another book about WWII but focuses on the roundup of Jews in Paris by the French police. This book was mind blowing and the movie was just as good. As a warning, it is a foreign film so a lot of it was in French with subtitles but it wasn't hard to follow. What actually surprised me was that the movie was exactly like the book. Everything was in the same order and no details were changed. I absolutely LOVED that because it NEVER happens. I'm so glad I finally decided to watch it. The actresses who played Sarah's mother and older Sarah were downright beautiful, I was amazed! Young Sarah was an amazing actress for her age. I was blown away by her performance. This was my first foreign film I've watched and it was awesome. I would recommend everyone watch it. It should be shown in school for history class along with Schinlder's List (that's what we watched when we learned about WWII). Another warning: the book AND movie were extremely sad and depressing, not that WWII is a joyous subject anyway. I cried through both :/. The Last Time I saw Paris was not sad, more dramatic/thrilling. Tell me your thoughts! 

The Secret Life of Bees..movie

Even though I read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd in high school, I'm just now getting around to watching the movie. It's been on my DVR since July and I finally watched it last night. This movie was amazing!!! Now I did cry through the whole entire 2 and a half hours but still. If you loved the book, you'll love this movie. The cast was awesome. I love Dakota Fanning, she's an mature, amazing actress who started off at such a young age. Queen Latifah is awesome as usual but I really liked Alicia Keys. She's so gorgeous and plays her character with a hard heart so well. Now I don't remember details of the book since I read it so long ago so I cant compare how close the movie was to the book. But both book and movie were so heart felt and inspiring. You can't not enjoy this movie. The acting was so real that you really relate and feel close to all the characters.

I've never read anything else by Sue Monk Kidd. She has a new book out that she wrote with her daughter about their travels and relationship. And she writes a lot of inspirational books. Not really my style but if its yours, I'm sure she won't disappoint.

Anyone else enjoy the movie as much as I did?

Sunday Confessions

I got the idea to do a blogger confession from a new blog I just started following, DeLibrarie. Check it out, you won't be disappointed! 

Sunday Confessions of a book blogger! 

1. I HAVE WAY TO MANY BOOKS. 

I've just come to realize this after moving 4 boxes of books to our new apartment. Then we didn't have room for 3 bookshelves so I have to get rid of one. Now I've been sticking books in random place. Fail. 

2. My best friend Katee FINALLY likes to read. 

After Katee got married, she and her husband moved to London last November, which is where he is from. Of course now that she's an ocean away she's been reading and we've been on What's App discussing books we like. I've waited for this day for 23 years! It definitely beats reading the bible to her for our senior year religion class ha! 

3. I LOVE Barnes and Noble. 

It's so my comfort zone. If I'm having a bad day, I like to just roam around there, not looking for anything in particular just smelling the books (yes that's weird). And what makes it all the better is Starbucks has their pumpkin spice latte out for the fall!! Best combo :)

4. October is my favorite month! 

Not only is my birthday in October but I love Halloween! I really want to find a good scary book for Halloween to read. BN has a huge halloween section out that I've been browsing through but haven't picked anything out. Any suggestions? 

5. I read reviews on BN.com before I buy a book. 

I like reading reviews of a book/author I'd never heard of. I like getting an idea of what to expect and if it's my type of book before buying it. I've only written one review of a book and it was on Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay because it was so amazing I had to tell everyone!  

Ten books every girl should read in her twenties..

Thanks to Pinterest, there was a pin about good reads for your twenties. I love inspiring books I should be reading! and I'm also obsessed in love with Pinterest. 

1. Confessions of a Shopoholic by Sophie Kinsella - I've read and it's so good. Every girl loves to shop but also needs to learn how to manage her addiction money. 

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - might have to catch the movie on this one. I find it hard to get into Jane Austen :/

3. Girl's in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

4. The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank- this seems interesting 

5. Bitches on a Budget: Sage Advice for Surviving Tough Times in Style by Rosalyn Hoffman

6. What I Know Now: Letters to My Younger Self by Ellyn Spragins

7. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan- Read. Thanks to high school summer reading :). This is a good mother-daughter-relationship book

8. What Did I Do Wrong? LIz Pryor

9. 20-Something, 20-Everything: A Quarter-life Woman’s Guide to Balance and Direction by Christine Hassler

10. Single: The Art of Being Satisfied, Fulfilled and Independent by Judy Ford- Being single is for sure an art!

This is from Love Twenty, which is an online magazine for twenty-somethings. They have lots of great tips and ideas! I thought this was a great idea for a website/magazine...because I could use all the help I can get!

http://www.lovetwenty.com/

Check it out! 

Recap: 

I finished The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom. At first I didn't think I was going to like it because the sentences were real short and choppy and it seemed more like thoughts than a story line. It picked up after the first few chapters of background info. It ended up being a cute story but I can't say it was one of my favorites by Mitch Albom. If you read it, what'd you think? 

Up next: 

I started The Last Time I saw Paris by Lynn Sheene. So far so good! This woman leaves her husband for a man she loves in Paris during WWII. I keep thinking..."don't go to Paris during WWII!!" but she doesn't know the outcome of that just yet. Can't wait to see what happens!