Book Club

Thanks as always to Heather for the awesome link-up.

This week I read 3 books:

Tod Goldberg's Burn Notice: The Reformed
(from amazon.com)

Once a hard-case gangbanger, famous philanthropist Father Santiago is being pressured to aid his former gang or have his crimes exposed. He can't go to the cops, but he can go to his old friend-burned covert operative Michael Westen.

Reading these books are like watching an episode of the tv show, I love them! Quick, fun, make me laugh and keep me interested. Tod has all the characters down to a science. I give book this an A.

Next, in one day I devoured Nicholas Spark's newest one The Best of Me


The Best of Me is the heart-rending story of two small-town former high school sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks. Now middle-aged, they’ve taken wildly divergent paths, but neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever altered their world. When they are both called back to their hometown for the funeral of the mentor who once gave them shelter, they will be forced to confront the choices each has made, and ask whether love can truly rewrite the past.
(from his webiste)

I thought that Dawson and Amanda were quite similar to the characters from The Noteboook but there were slight differences. This book made me teary-eyed at the bittersweet ending, and even though I wished it had a better ending, it was still an enjoyable and intense read. Although I do wish there had been more of a background for Amanda's mother because she irked me and you never really find out why.  I love Nicholas' work and his characters and settings always seem to real,genuine and open. I give this a C/B.

Then I read Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen


It was the summer on Vliet Street we all started locking our doors... Sally O'Malley made a promise to her daddy before he died. She swore she'd look after her sister, Troo. Keep her safe. But like her Granny always said—actions speak louder than words. Sally would have to agree with her. Because during the summer of 1959, the girls' mother is hospitalized, their stepfather has abandoned them for a six pack, and their big sister, Nell, who was left strict instructions to take care of the girls, is too busy making out with her boyfriend to notice that her charges are on the loose. And so is a murderer and molester. Highly imaginative Sally is pretty sure of two things. Who the killer is. And that she's next on his list. If nobody will believe her, she has no choice but to protect herself and Troo as best she can, relying on her own courage and the kindness of her neighbors. Funny, wise and uplifting, Whistling in the Dark is the story of two tough and endearing little girls...and of a time not so long ago, when life was not as innocent as it appeared.
(from her website)

So yeah, this was slightly darker than my previous books, but I still couldn't put it down. A great mystery, neat writing and characters and a plot that pulls at you. I liked that it was written from the perspective of the young girl yet I also thought there were more rambling parts.  There is a good twist that I didn't see coming...but I did know who the murderer was. I give it a B.

UPDATE

I finished The End of Everything by Megan Abbot



(from her website)
In a placid 1980s suburb in the Midwest, thirteen-year old Lizzie and her next door neighbor Evie Verver are inseparable, best friends who swap bathing suits and field-hockey sticks and between whom, presumably, there are no secrets. Together they live in the shadow of Evie's glamorous older sister Dusty, who provides them a window on the exotic, intoxicating possibilities on their own teenage horizons. To Lizzie, the Verver household, presided over by Evie's big-hearted father, is the world’s most perfect place.
And then, one afternoon, Evie disappears. The only clue: a maroon sedan Lizzie spotted driving past the two girls earlier in the day. As a rabid, giddy panic spreads through the balmy suburban community, everyone turns to Lizzie for answers. Was Evie unhappy, troubled, upset? Had she mentioned being followed? Would she have gotten into the car of a stranger? Would Evie have gotten into a car with a man?
Compelled by curiosity and a desire to rescue the enchanted Verver household from ruin, Lizzie takes up her own furtive pursuit of the truth. Her days spent with a shell-shocked Mr. Verver, she devotes her nights to prowling through backyards, peering through windows, pushing herself to the dark center of Evie’s world. Haunted by dreams of her lost friend and titillated by her own new power as the center of the disappearance, Lizzie uncovers secret after secret and begins to wonders if she knew anything about her best friend at all.

I was not a fan of this book. I pretty much just skimmed it because it wasn't as interesting as I thought. And it all turned out way worse than I thought; when all the secrets are spilled it made my stomach turn with disgust. I don't understand why people write about disturbing topics; I just thought it would be an interesting mystery novel. My fault!  I give this a D.

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Happy Friday, Happy Weekend & Happy Reading!