The One I Left Behind

The One I Left Behind, by Jennifer McMahon It scared Reggie a little - how consumed Tara had become with all of this. But deep down, she believed Tara was right - the police were not going to catch this guy. They'd had their chance and failed three times. And this time was...

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The Hynotist's Love Story

The Hypnotist's Love Story, by Liane Moriarty. Afterward, they went for dinner at that Thai restaurant on the corner where he told me he loved me for the first time. I wonder if they sat at the same table. I wonder if he remembered, just for a second. Surely I am worth a...

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Don't You Wish

Don't You Wish, by Roxanne St. Clair. "So don't even think about it again," she says. "Because you are who you are meant to be. Annie Nutter, daughter of Mel and Emily Nutter." "But you don't know, Mom. What if I were the daughter of Jim and Emily Monroe? What if you'd had...

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The Singles

The Singles, by Meredith Goldstein. In the top right-hand corner of the board was a list of names written in bright red ink and all-capital letters: "HANNAH MARTIN, ROB NUTLEY, NANCY MACGOWAN, VICKI CLIFFORD, JOE EVANS." Above the same, in the same crimson print, Bee had written...

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Goodbye to All That

Goodbye to All That, by Judith Arnold. "This particular unit," the rental agent said, "gets a lot of sunlight. It's really a very bright unit." Ruth wished she wouldn't call the apartment a "unit." It was a residence, a dwelling. A home. Not a home like the house where her...

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Guest post: Jwan Jordan, comic book author

Hello! My name is Jwan Jordan and I am the author of Affairs of the Mind: Chibi comic book! I am not like other authors out there. I am all over the place and I keep myself very busy with motivational presentations at schools and for other audiences as well as working...

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Heads in Beds

Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality, by Jacob Tomsky. These were my first glimpses into the lives of strangers, something I was coming to realize was a side effect of this business (or perk, depending on the predominance of your voyeuristic...

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Orders from Berlin

Orders from Berlin, by Simon Tolkien. All that remained now was to watch the final act of the drama that he'd set in motion. Seaforth looked to the right and saw the dapper, rotund figure of Bertram Brive coming into view. There was a jauntiness in his step that made Seaforth...

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book Giveaway: Choose one!

credit: wimpykid.com I haven't read any of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, but I've heard a lot about them. They were made into movies in 2010, 2011, and 2012, and the seventh book in the series, The Third Wheel, was recently released - check back soon for my review...

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Dualed

Dualed, by Elsie Chapman. From the moment you get your assignment and you make the decision to run, life changes int he most momentous of ways. It's no longer a question of what you're going to do that day, what you're going to eat, who you're going to see. It's how you're...

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Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made

Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, by Alan Eisenstock, with Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos. With only a few props gathered, no costumes - thanks to Chris's fedora and leather jacket spray-paint disaster - the boulder demolished, and hundreds of storyboards...

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Reflected in You

Reflected in You (Crossfire series, #2) by Sylvia Day. The starkness of his gaze bled away, replaced by sexual heat. "Oh? Planning on pacifying me with sex, angel?" "Yes," I admitted shamelessly. "Lots of it. After all, the tactic seems to work quite well for you." His mouth...

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Tilt

Tilt, by Ellen Hopkins. I have no excerpt to share from this book, because it's written in poetry-form. Usually I hate those types of books but this one was interesting in that it focused on three or four different teenage characters, and they all have drama going on in their...

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In the Pink

In the Pink: How I Met the Perfect (Younger) Man, Survived Breast Cancer, and Found True Happiness After 40, by Susan McBride. Ed wasn't yet home from work, and I didn't want to call and tell him something so serious over the phone. So I called my mom and burst into tears....

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Gone Girl

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn. "I don't know. She's not a never-met-a-stranger kind of person, but she's not - not abrasive enough to make someone ... hurt her." This was my eleventh lie. The Amy of today was abrasive enough to want to hurt, sometimes. I speak specifically of...

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The Casual Vacancy

The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling. Together they rattled through the conventional aspects of the tragedy: the widow ("she'll be lost, she lived for Barry"); the children ("four teenagers, what a burden without a father"); the relative youth of the dead man ("he wasn't much...

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Diary of a Submissive

Diary of a Submissive: A Modern True Tale of Sexual Awakening, by Sophie Morgan. His grip is solicitous as he helps me to my feet. We walk past you, arm in arm. He smiles. Nods. You half nod back before you catch yourself and wonder what on earth you're doing. I am looking...

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In Need of Therapy

In Need of Therapy, by Tracie Banister. "Maybe Victor keeps coming back because your rejections lack conviction? Maybe there's some part of you that enjoys all the attention?" Ford posited. I arched an eyebrow. "Are you psychoanalyzing me, Dr. Fordham?" "Just some food for...

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Author Interview: Melissa de la Cruz

I have been a huge fan for a while now of Melissa de la Cruz's books. Lately she has been focusing on supernatural themes, but she's also the author of The Au Pairs series as well as a few non-series books, like Girl Stays in the Picture. She's the author of the highly...

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Serpent's Kiss

Serpent's Kiss, by Melissa de la Cruz. Hanging was less violent than burning, but neither could be called humane, and now the memories of Salem and her own girls' hangings returned, as much as she tried to push them away: the townspeople jeering and celebrating, couples kissing...

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Jennifer Johnson Is Sick of Being Married

Jennifer Johnson Is Sick of Being Married, by Heather McElhatton. The perfect woman is actually three women rolled into one: Mrs. Howell, Mary Ann, and Ginger from Gilligan's Island. Three women who when combined become the whole package. The refined lady, the demure sweetheart,...

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A second look: Matched

"Cassia. Do you regret your decision to be Matched? Do you wish that you had chosen to be a Single?" "That's not it." "Then what is it?" "I think people should be able to choose who they Match with," I say lamely. "Where would it end, Cassia?" she says, her voice patient....

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Accelerated

Accelerated, by Bronwen Hruska. He rolled the bottle between his hands, then struggled with the childproof cap and shook the pills onto his desk. They looked like lavender Tic Tacs. He realized now that there was only one way he could ever give this medication to Toby. He...

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Judging a Book by Its Lover

Judging a Book by Its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere, by Lauren Leto. I am not a scholar of literature. All my commentary comes from my experiences and presumptions as a reader. As you read what follows - my one-sentence book reviews, my...

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Beautiful Disaster

Beautiful Disaster, by Jamie McGuire. My shirt crackled as I pulled it over my head; the static in the air had intensified with the coming winter. Feeling a bit lost, I curled into a ball underneath my thick comforter and inhaled through my nose; Travis's scent still lingered...

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