Book Club Monday: American Sniper by Chris Kyle

American Sniper is one of those books that you read just to see what the fuss is about - at least it was for me. Like many others, I saw the movie in theaters and opted to pick the book up to see what they'd changed for the film. While they both stand on their own two feet just fine, I thought they complemented one another wonderfully.

The book's author, Chris Kyle, was a Navy SEAL with the highest number of confirmed kills in Navy history for a single sniper (I believe), and did a staggering four tours of Iraq, fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi - some of the most dangerous places in Iraq at the time.

Unfortunately, Chris was killed in February 2013 while at a shooting range with a couple of vets he had been trying to help with PTSD, as well as issues that arose after coming home from overseas. His killer was convicted earlier this year. While the book doesn't go into specifics about Kyle's death, I think it gave an insight into war that most civilians never think about - especially in the early 2000's, when the Middle East was rife with insurgency and, at least Iraq, had no governing body. The stories within the pages of American Sniper not only opened my eyes to this, but to how lucky we all are, as Americans, to have people as selfless as Kyle in our own armed forces so that we never have to see the reality of war first-hand, on our oil.

Throughout the book, there were small quotes from Chris' wife, Taya, which really helped me, as a reader, understand both sides of the story. Those portions of the book humanized Chris Kyle, for me, at least. Being the wife of a Navy SEAL can't be an easy job, especially amidst a war where she was raising two children alone.

As someone who appreciates our armed forces as an American, but not in the guns-God-government kind of way, I found myself feeling like I learned a lot from American Sniper, and got to see the other side of war, as I mentioned earlier. Whether you saw the film and are curious, like I was, or just looking for an interesting read, American Sniper is an excellent choice, and is definitely worth the read.

Book Club Monday: A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison

Browsing the shelves of my local book shop, I likely would not have given Jan Ellison's A Small Indiscretion a second look, to be honest. It was not my usual read, but I really, really enjoyed it. For a taste, here is the back jacket description:

At nineteen, Annie Black trades a bleak future in her washed-out hometown for a London winter of drinking and abandon. Some two decades later, in San Francisco, she is a successful lighting designer married to a good man, and the mother of three children. Then, one June morning, a photograph arrives in her mailbox, igniting an old longing and setting off a chain of events that threaten to overturn her family's hard-won happiness. When Annie returns to London seeking answers, her indiscretions come to light, and she must piece together the mystery of her past - the fateful collision of liberation and sexual desire that drew an invisible map of her future.

What I found, though, was a great surprise. A Small Indiscretion was a fun read, with twists and turns so sharp that it can't fit into just one genre. It flew from a mystery to a drama in just the flip of a page, and I really loved the flow and fit of the story into each of its' different settings.

The story follows Annie Black, a lighting designer and the owner of a light shop called the Salvaged Light in San Francisco. She has what seems like the perfect life, with her husband, doctor Jonathan, and three children; Polly, Clara, and Robbie, the oldest. Everything seemed to be going well, until she received a mysterious photo in the mail, a photo from a past in London long ago.

Split into parts, the first portion of the story steadily creeps along in a multitude of different times, from the present day in the voice of a mother to her injured son, to the past in London. In London, Annie was a different girl - 19 years old, in search of an education. What she did find was an education and a job, working for a man much older than she, named Malcolm. A Christmas in London with Malcolm and his family set the stage for a photograph that would haunt her and wound her family, even many years later. Coincidentally, she also met her husband on that trip, but the two lives intertwined to create Annie's history, whether or not she wanted to face it.

With well-developed characters working together to create an entertaining story,  A Small Indiscretion is a wonderful debut novel from Jan Ellison, and was a real surprise to this reader. I would definitely recommend it make your to-read list. And since it releases tomorrow, January 20, 2015, you will be able to read for yourselves.

Disclaimer: This review was part of a paid blog book tour, courtesy of Random House and 20 Something Bloggers. I received an advance copy of the novel from Random House free of charge.

As a bonus, I am giving everyone the chance to win their own copy of A Small Indiscretion! Please enter below for your chance to win! Follow the directions below for multiple chances to win.

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Book Club Monday: Sons of Anarchy by Tara Bennett

While coffee table books aren't my typical review fare, the Sons of Anarchy coffee table book by Tara Bennett can be an exception. As a fan of the show who got into it between the third and fourth seasons, Sons has been a part of my Tuesday nights for the past four years, and I am the type who has re-watched time and time again. Most television shows can come and go without incident, but this one had such a great story from beginning to end that there is a hole in my Tuesday nights that may never be filled.

An introduction by showrunner Kurt Sutter begins this well-thought out ode to the show, which begins with the origins of the show, and goes on to give the SAMCRO family tree, with outlines of all of the main characters. For those unfamiliar with "biker speak", they have a mini glossary to help. This book has bits and pieces of production information, including prop work and makeup, as well as the hidden stories behind many of the tattoos seen on the show. There are portions for each season, and a separate portion for the final act. 

Without giving too much away (which is why I only posted a photo of the cover), this is a great book to add to any SOA fan's collection. Including photos and information not before seen, there is definitely a reason that it's a #1 bestseller on Amazon.com, and is sold out more often than not. 

Book Club Monday: One Kick by Chelsea Cain

When I went into reading One Kick, I was excited. I have loved all of the Heartkiller series books by Chelsea Cain, and I was interested in reading some new characters and a fresh story. At least, I hoped it would be.

It took a bit for me to get excited about One Kick. The story really ramped up towards the middle, but overall it left sort of a strange taste in my mouth. The story followed Kick Lannigan, a trained fighter, archer, and markswoman. As the story unfolds, you find out that Kick used to be Beth, who was abducted at a young age and had some truly terrible things happen to her (if you are not good with suggestions of child abuse, this is definitely not the book for you). She takes it upon herself, along with a mysterious detective named John Bishop, to find children who have been abducted, as she has a sneaking suspicion her abductor has something to do with it.

Without giving too much away, I will say that the book was still moderately exciting, except it felt like an offshoot and too similar a storyline to the Gretchen and Archie storyline from the Heartkiller books. I was not at all disappointed in it and didn't feel like it was a waste of my time completely, but would have much rather it hadn't felt like a transplant of new characters in the oh-so-familiar story. As the first book in a new series, the flat, sudden ending also made it difficult to see a sequel, or series, coming out of it. I am not giving up hope completely, but also hope that the next installment can be refreshing and not so similar to the Heartkiller saga.

Book Club Monday: Beautiful You by Chuck Palahniuk

Now, before we get started, here is the description of the book:

From the author of Fight Club, the classic portrait of the damaged contemporary male psyche, now comes this novel about the apocalyptic marketing possibilities of a new product that gives new meaning to the term "self-help."

Penny Harrigan is a low-level associate in a big Manhattan law firm with an apartment in Queens and no love life at all. So it comes as a great shock when she finds herself invited to dinner by one C. Linus Maxwell, a software mega-billionaire and lover of the most gorgeous and accomplished women on earth. After dining at Manhattan's most exclusive restaurant, he whisks Penny off to a hotel suite in Paris, where he proceeds, notebook in hand, to bring her to previously undreamed-of heights of gratification for days on end. What's not to like? This: Penny discovers that she is a test subject for the final development of a line of feminine products to be marketed in a nationwide chain of boutiques called Beautiful You. So potent and effective are these devices that women by the millions line up outside the stores on opening day and then lock themselves in their room with them and stop coming out. Except for batteries. Maxwell's plan for battery-powered world domination must be stopped. But how?

I read the entirety of the book in three sittings. Which to some would be disappointing, but to me was great! I got to experience the accomplished feeling of finishing something and got to read a great book at the same time!

As with most of his works, the beginning of the book is a shocker, which leads the reader to wonder how in the hell we wound up here. And, like the wings of a dragonfly, the story begins to wind itself into the twists and turns that brought the two main protagonists together, really, by chance.

Oh, Penny. Poor Penny. She is a simple gal from Omaha with big dreams that took her to New York City to work as a gofer at a law firm until she (finally) passes the bar exam - which, in two tries, has not worked out. In a chance meeting with C. Linus Maxwell (or, Climax-Well, as he is known in the tabloids), she is flung headfirst into what she first thinks is a romance for the ages, but oh was she wrong. (In this portion of the book, I felt like I was reading a step-cousin of Fifty Shades of Grey, for the record.)

C. Linus Maxwell and his company own tabloids, software companies, and pretty well everything under the sun. What Penny doesn't know is that she is about to be used as a guinea pig for a new line of "personal care products" called Beautiful You. And by "personal care products", I mean sex toys. In case there was any confusion. From their first dinner, Maxwell and Penny are thrust into the spotlight, their story unfolding as front page news - mostly in the tabloids that Maxwell owns.

What she doesn't know is that it is part of Maxwell's master plan to not only keep ninety-eight percent of the women of the world under his thumb via repeated orgasms after his Dragonfly product "breaks" inside them, but, with his little black box, feeding sales of ugly shoes and other items into companies that he owns. Add in additional characters such as Maxwell's former lovers; an award-winning actress, and the female President of the United States, for two. And, it would definitely not be complete without the equivalent of a sexual witch doctor, who lives in a caveside in Nepal.

Without giving too much away, I wouldn't call this Chuck's best or worst work. What I would call it is an entertaining read that sits somewhere in the middle. If you like a quick, good book, and also enjoy Chuck's work as much as I do, Beautiful You is a great choice for your next read.

Book Club Monday #24: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Let me start by saying: wow.

I read a lot of books, by most people's estimation, and it is not often that one tugs at my heart strings the way The Light Between Oceans did. Most of the time, I read a chapter or two of a book before I fall asleep, and that's that. Not this one. I started it a few days ago, and finished it today after several marathon sessions. I really just wanted to know what happened.

The story centers on a lighthouse keeper in the 1920's, Tom Sherbourne. A World War I veteran, he doesn't mind tolerating the loneliness and isolation of the job he's chosen off the coast of mainland Australia. Of course, he doesn't mind until he meets Isabel, the woman who would later become his wife.

Isabel and Tom have the kind of relationship any couple would want. They love each other deeply, and they love hard. When it is found that Isabel cannot bear children, they are heartbroken. That is, until a boat washes ashore containing a dead man and a baby who is very much alive.

The heartbreak of their most recent loss via stillbirth, following two miscarriages, still runs deep with both Tom and Isabel, and they decide to keep the baby and raise her as their own. Tom wants to report the dead man and the baby, and give her back, but Isabel falls in love with the baby, which they name Lucy, almost immediately. 

Both of them have questions, such as is there a mother on the mainland missing her child as deeply as they love her? How did they wind up washing ashore so many miles off the mainland? The story that transpires is deeply heartbreaking. Each piece comes together to create a gripping, beautiful tragedy for nearly everyone involved.

Book Club Monday #23: The Munsters - A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane by Stephen Cox

I tried Grammarly's grammar and plagiarism checker free of charge to write this blog post because no one should hang out with people who use bad grammar, and I do not want to be one of those people!

Ever since I was a kid, I remember watching reruns of The Munsters on television at night and just falling in love with it. As an adult, I have spent many a weekend watching one episode after another on Netflix, and just remembering why it was such a great show. It had a great way of explaining current events in its own way, much like television shows do now. All of the characters brought something great to the show - from Lily's motherly, caring personality to Grandpa's goofy experiments and his way of regularly making everyone laugh. Or Herman and his silly ideas, and that laugh! Of course, we can not forget about Marilyn, who could never catch a break with the opposite sex.

On a recent trip to Half Price Books, I was wandering through the stacks as usual when I found this gem in the pop culture section. The Munsters: A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane by Stephen Cox came into my view pretty quickly, and I picked it up and flipped through it, and decided to buy it just by the photographs alone.

When I got it home and got into it, I learned so much about the show I've loved for so many years! The photos were just the icing on the cake I realized, once I got into it. There were chapters with character profiles, the history of monsters on film, and the history of how The Munsters made it onto television in the first place. My favorite parts of the book were the photos and the interviews, as well as the in-depth look at everyone's makeup. There was a chapter comparing The Munsters to The Addam's Family, as well as a chapter each on the films they made after the television show had its' run. As a unique beginning and ending, the foreword is by Yvonne DeCarlo and the afterword by Butch Patrick. Did you know that The Munsters were only on television for a total of two seasons? That and more was explained in the book's trivia section!

I got everything I wanted out of it and more, and I think you will too! If you know anything about The Munsters, or at least have seen it and would like to learn more, you would love this book.

The Return of Book Club Monday #22: Doomed by Chuck Palahniuk

Let me start off by saying that I don't win things very often - if ever - and I was genuinely surprised by my luck in getting to be one of the first to read Chuck Palahniuk's newest novel (releasing on October 8), Doomed.

When I found the giveaway on Facebook, I applied, not thinking anything of it. A couple of weeks later, I got an e-mail with a UPS MyChoice shipping notification for something from Random House books. I didn't want to get too excited, but when I received the package I knew for sure that I had finally won something from an Internet giveaway - and a pretty cool something at that! A galley (AKA review) copy of Doomed. It's awesome to have something like this to add to my collection.

Onto the good stuff, the review. Let me just preface by saying that this is a companion to Palahniuk's previous work, Damned, and you're gonna want to read that prior to this. Damned was the first story of Madison Spencer, a dead thirteen year old girl and her descent into the afterlife via hell. It chronicled the people she met, things she saw, and you can't forget her confrontation with the devil himself.

Doomed is written in the form of blog posts from the afterlife, or, rather, purgatory. Madison still walks amongst those she left, and they can't see or hear her. In each chapter (or 'post', as it were), she encounters something new, from seeing her dead grandmother's ghost on a trip to her parents' apartment to guiding the reader through the worst summer of her life - and quite possibly the reason she wound up in hell in the first place.

Later, we find out that in no uncertain terms, death was her destiny. Her crazy-as-all-getout parents knew what would happen from the start, and didn't care one way or another what happened to their daughter.

As a reader, the blog post format is actually very easy to read, offering the story in easily digestible pieces. Every now and again another character will chime in with a post of their own, but about 95 percent comes from Madison's point of view.

As with his other novels, Palahniuk hooks the reader very early on with Doomed. I found myself wanting to read a single chapter before bed and before I knew it, it would be a hundred pages and an hour later! Chuck Palahniuk is really a champion amongst authors, and if you've read and enjoyed his other works (yes, even Pygmy), Doomed definitely will not let you down.

Doomed will be released on October 8, 2013 by Doubleday Books, but can be preordered on Amazon here.

Milwaukee was also one of the cities picked for Chuck Palahniuk's 'Adult Bedtime Stories' author tour, and I picked up a ticket not long after hearing about it. Never fear, I'm certain I'll be putting together a recap of that, also!

Book Club Monday #21: Firehouse by David Halberstam

As someone who watched the events of 9/11 happen from states away, I felt the same as everyone else did - there was nothing to say. All of these years later, with a new tower going up in place of the World Trade Center, I learned that it is still easy to open those wounds and bring back that fear. On a recent trip to Half Price Books, I happened upon a copy of Firehouse, by David Halberstam, a popular and talented journalist.

Since beginning a job within the fire service a few years ago, the events of 9/11 mean something different to me. It no longer feels only like a violation - I can feel the pain of everyone who was there that day. The New York Fire Department lost 343 men that day. That is, basically, the size of our entire department. Every year, I go to the Fallen Firefighters Memorial, and to make a long story short - it means something completely different to me now than it did that day.

Firehouse is a book about the men who made up the quarters of Engine 40, Ladder 35 in Manhattan. Thirteen men responded to the tragedy on September 11, 2001, and only one came back alive. That, to me, is an absolutely awful thought, but it is something that needs to be thought about, so the memories of all of these brave men are never forgotten.

If you think this novel will wind up being a book all about that day, you will be disappointed. Instead, it gives examples of what it's like to be a firefighter - why someone would want to make small amounts of money compared to what they put on the line. It tells stories about each and every member of the engine house, funny things they did and how they treated each other like an extended family. Talks about their families, and gradually into the elements that made up 9/11/01.

This book will absolutely and completely tear your soul and your heart apart. It will make you think about how awful you felt that day, and realize that, if you were old enough to know what was going on, those wounds are still as fresh as they were that day. Even without a happy ending, this is, however, a beautiful memoir of a great group of brave, selfless men on the worst day in United States history.

Book Club Monday #20: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

It should be no secret at this point that I'm a fan of Gillian Flynn's novels. Since reading her second newest (Dark Places), and newest (Gone Girl), I decided to read Sharp Objects, as well. And, once again, I was not disappointed.

Sharp Objects follows the story of Camille Preaker, journalist for a small paper in Chicago that isn't all that popular. She is called back to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri to cover two recent child murders and get the case some more attention. The murders had the entire town stumped, as there were two dead girls and both of them had had their teeth removed. Why is the book called Sharp Objects, you might ask? Camille confesses to being a cutter in the early chapters, and spent many years of her teenage and young adult lives covering most of the skin of her body with words, cut into her flesh.

As with her other novels, Sharp Objects is one of those cerebral, can't-put-it-down novels that is so rare to find. With it being Gillian Flynn's first, I can definitely understand how it gained so much attention so fast - it is really a wonderful book, and a great way to begin the successful career she has now. She has a hell of a way with words - leaving the reader unable to get enough of her, and not quite able to figure out what is going to happen before the very end. I will say that once a resolution was reached, Sharp Objects ended pretty quickly, but at the same time, ending too quickly is not representative of how well the story is built throughout the course of the entire novel.

To make a long story short, Sharp Objects was a great first novel for Gillian Flynn, and she has done nothing but grow with her other works. I am personally excited to see what else she could have up her sleeve!

Book Club Monday #19: This is How by Augusten Burroughs

This week, I'm finally writing about This is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young & Old Alike by Augusten Burroughs.

You know, I really wanted to like this book. I thought it would have the same prose and style as Burroughs' other books, have the same magic. I was left sorely disappointed. I actually disliked it so much that I couldn't even finish it. Typically, Augusten Burroughs has a can't-put-it-down effect on me - but not this time. This time was just a bit blah. 

I liked a few parts, and even chuckled at a few others - overall, though, this was not my favorite of his novels, and is definitely not on par with some of his other works, such as Running With Scissors.

If you're a fan, I'd say check it out - you may feel differently about it than I do. For me, though - this one gets a big old 'eh'.

Book Club Monday #18: This is Gonna Hurt by Nikki Sixx

This Book Club Monday is a little bit different. It’s on a book I haven’t just read, it’s on a book that is always my go-to when I need a little bit of help in the inspiration department. This Is Gonna Hurt: Music,Photography, and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx is that book. 

I have been a fan of Motley Crue for as far back as I can remember, but the day that I picked up The Heroin Diaries, Nikki’s first book, and read it cover to cover in the matter of about two days was when I realized that he was inspiring. He has led a hard life, yes, sometimes by his own hand, but the fact that he has come out of it to create some of the most popular songs of the past few decades, has a successful radio show and is a successful photographer tells me that he must be doing something right. Of course, he hasn’t had a heart attack yet, either, which is pretty amazing considering the sheer amount of heroin in dude’s system in the late 80’s. 

This Is Gonna Hurt came out at the same time as Nikki’s second band, Sixx: AM, released an album of the same name. When it came out, I was going through a rough patch (must like the one I’m in currently), and needed something, anything, to help. Along with pictures of the homeless, prostitutes, burn victims and amputees are some of the most beautiful and inspiring words I have ever found.

Among those words are stories of the individuals in each photo, strewn throughout the world. Stories of heartbreak. Stories of depression. Pictures of individuals who have seen and been through the worst of life. All ugly by the world’s standards. And it all comes together in the most beautiful combination of words and photos I have ever seen. It makes you re-think what you see on a daily basis. How you treat people. How the world sees you. It is a very powerful book, full of photos and words I will never forget.

Words that make you want to get off of your ass and do a little bit more with your life. 

Words I needed, and still need, to this day. I picked this book up again last night and breezed through it in one sitting. I wouldn’t call it self-help, but reading this book is definitely a way to help yourself.

Book Club Monday #17: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

After reading Gone Girl, I knew I had to check out the rest of Gillian Flynn's novels. Luckily, I got both Sharp Objects and Dark Places for Christmas from my sister! I opted to take the plunge and go for the longer one first, that being Dark Places. 

The book had the same familiar, haunting tone that Gone Girl did, and the same intriguing voice. One voice being that of Libby Day in the present, and the other being of Ben Day, her brother, and her mother, Patty Day. They switched off, very similar to the way Gone Girl was written.

Libby Day is the only survivor of a massacre in her family's home when she was a child, which took the lives of her mother and two sisters. As an adult, she lives a troubled, sheltered life mostly by herself.  Her brother, Ben, who was fifteen at the time, was sent to prison on Libby's own testimony of his guilt. The murders were called "The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas" by the media, as two members of the family had been killed via axe, and one had been strangled. Libby had been living alone for many years, on a fund created by a book she wrote as a child. A group called the Kill Club found her twenty-five years later. The Kill Club is a true crime enthusiasts' group, who finds Libby and who, after meeting her and purchasing both memorabilia and time from her, start to convince her to follow the truth behind that night - the night she referred to as 'darkplace'.

This being the second book I've read by Gillian Flynn, I can say that I really and truly enjoy her writing style. I enjoy the varying viewpoints, with the story coming from two different angles and continuing to move and build up. Dark Places and Gone Girl both used the same writing style, but both told completely different stories. As the end of the story grew closer and closer, it was easier to see what the truth behind the murders was, but it was not one hundred percent obvious until the last hundred pages of the book, at least. One thing I absolutely love about Flynn's style is her way to maintain interest and not let a story get drab or old. Her writing style haunts, much like her stories, and it's a rare quality to find in a lot of authors - a quality I admire about her books most of all.

Book Club Monday #16: Columbine by Dave Cullen

Have you ever read a book and not really known why you wanted to? That is how I feel about Dave Cullen's book Columbine. The April 20, 1999 shooting at Columbine High School was just one national tragedy I've lived through via the media. It was something that made me rethink going into high school, seeing as I started high school in the year 2000. Even then, I didn't know why anyone would shoot up their school. And really, there is no way to figure out why these people do what they do, but with all of the recent shootings, it made me remember what went on on that particular day, and, being one of those people that's into true crime, I remembered seeing this book and decided to pick it up. 

Now I, like a lot of other people, had a view of Columbine that varied exponentially from what actually happened. I thought it was two kids who were picked on and treated badly who snapped, basically. What Columbine did for me was throw it out the window. Dave Cullen is a journalist, and one who followed the massacre from day one on. What Cullen did with this book was simple: debunked the media representation with the facts of the matter. 

It did what you'd think it would - outlined the day's events, 

and what led up to the massacre itself. Columbine went into the minds of both Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold - exposing Harris as a psychopath who no amount of drugs could help, and Klebold as a suicidal hanger-on, desperate for love and affection from one of many girls who barely knew he existed. 

Columbine explained, in detail, profiles of both the killers and some of the more talked-about victims, from Cassie Bernall, the girl the media said 'said yes' when Harris asked if she believed in God, and the 'boy in the library window', Patrick Ireland. Bernall's story was found to be untrue, but still a message of hope and martyrdom carried out through a book written by her mother, called She Said Yes. Ireland suffered for three hours with two shots to his head and one to his foot, his body going half numb before throwing himself out of the library window without realizing that first responders were scrambling to catch him at the ground. It is people like this that made Columbine such a great story, whether or not those stories were true. 

Reading the book made me uncomfortable at times, and made me angry in others. So often, something awful like this tragedy happens and we just want to sweep it under the rug and forget about it. Truth be told, I had basically forgotten about all of the newscasts and the media blitz surrounding the case. This book was, as weird as this sounds, the perfect thing to make me feel the exact same way I did on that day. It separated the truth from the lies and brought it to the forefront. Separated into five sections, Columbine dissected the events leading up to the shooting from both the viewpoint of the shooters and their story, and the other main characters (such as Frank DeAngelis, or "Mr. D" the school's principal). It took a quiet, Christian setting, and went painstakingly into the who's and the what's and the why's of one of the nation's first school massacres. 

Did I enjoy reading the book based on the subject matter alone? Not really, but of course, I didn't expect to. Did I enjoy it based on how much I learned? Overwhelmingly yes. Is it the only information out there on the case? Of course not. And, really, this is just one journalist's view of the case, albeit a well-researched, well-written view. In closing, I would say that if you have an inkling of interest, like I did, this book is worth your time. 

The Return of Book Club Mondays (on a Wednesday) – "Gone Girl"

Let’s just say that I haven’t had the time to read a book per week in a few months. It is a bit of a high expectation, given how much everyone has going on these days! But I’m going to do my best to get back on some kind of book review schedule – whether it’ll be every week or not I can’t promise, but I’ll try. 

Also, this post is my 80^th post on An Epic Liz! It seems like kind of a silly milestone, but it isn’t to me!

Gone Girl was a book I’d heard about or read about on a book list somewhere, and I downloaded it a couple of months ago with every intention of reading it right away, but yeah, life. Written by Gillian Flynn, who has written two other novels (Dark Places and Sharp Objects, for reference) that I haven’t read, I looked at the positive reviews and decided to give it a shot. 

Here is the jacket description, thanks to gillian-flynn.com:

Marriage can be a real killer. One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn, takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. As The Washington Post proclaimed, her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit with deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick Dunne’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick Dunne isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but hearing from Amy through flashbacks in her diary reveal the perky perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister Margo at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was left in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

Employing her trademark razor-sharp writing and assured psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

The first thing that I noticed was the voice of the novel wasn’t like most others. The story progressed by journal entries, basically, entries by both husband and wife. The husband being Nick Dunne, the husband of Amy, the woman who had gone missing. The entries switched off between Nick and Amy’s view points. Though it seems like a weird way to read a book, it really isn’t – not weird like Chuck Palahniuk’s Pygmy was, for sure. Each entry chronicled a different day, both prior to Amy’s disappearance and after. It was separated into three different sections to dictate the place in the story, as well, which made it easier.

Both had had bad luck and wound up back in Nick’s hometown in North Carthage, Missouri, which, for New York born and raised Amy, was difficult. The beginning of the book went through how they found themselves in their current situations, and the remainder was the story progressing from both viewpoints, both Nick and Amy, as Amy disappeared and the reader was left wondering what happened to her. As the story progressed, so did Nick's character. From doting, loving husband who thought he had gotten so lucky to a man who nobody believed. Both characters took a sinister approach at times, and the story blew itself open once the truth about the relationship between Nick and Amy came out. The plot progressed effortlessly, and I wanted to know what was going to happen so badly I just kept reading! Before I knew it, hours had gone by!

Unlike most books I read, I did not read much about this book before getting into it. In a world where everything has been reviewed a thousand times on the Internet, it was a bit refreshing to not have any idea what was coming next. One thing I will say, however, is this book absolutely kept me at the edge of my seat, and I finished it in just over one day! I don’t want to give too much away, but there were definitely some sucker punches thrown in for the reader who thought they knew exactly what was going on. 

This being my first read by Gillian Flynn, I will say that it was absolutely fantastic. I could not put it down, even if I wanted to. I had to keep reading, keep figuring out exactly what was going on. One hundred percent one of the most enthralling books I have read in a long while. In that, I will definitely be looking into her other works to see how they compare to Gone Girl. 

Read any good books lately? Don't hesitate to offer suggestions! Also, thank you for reading. I say it all the time, but it is definitely 100% appreciated.

Book Club...Tuesday? Life After Death by Damien Echols

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you will know that I have been a longtime supporter of the West Memphis Three. When I heard that Damien Echols was releasing a book, I was immediately interested, and picked it up as soon as I could. I finished it this morning, and walked away from it with the following thoughts. The book itself is called Life After Death, and it was released on September 18th.

The writing was phenomenal. Damien, who after seventeen years behind bars was released last August, has a definite way with words - especially for someone so soft spoken. It was wonderful to read about his childhood, though the story itself was a sad one. Most of the book was the story of his life leading up to his arrest - it was not a 'woe is me' pity party like some might expect it to be. In fact, I enjoyed not reading the ins and outs of the case all over again. It was refreshing to hear - or read - Damien be so blatantly honest about his life leading up to his arrest. This was not my first time reading Damien's words - his first book, Almost Home, was something I remember finding on eBay or a site of the like, and something I read cover to cover in one sitting.

If you are expecting a salacious memoir about seventeen years in prison, look elsewhere. The book is more a sequel to Almost Home than anything - the story of a man somewhat broken by prison life, but not broken to the point that he gave up.

For years, I have constantly felt a connection to not only Damien, but the West Memphis Three situation as a whole. As I wrote in this post a couple of days after their release, it is a situation that still brings me to tears to this day.

To see Damien out in the world and being as successful as he is is wonderful. I feel incredibly proud to be a supporter of the West Memphis Three, and could not be happier that he can enjoy the things he outlines so well in the book - winter, life with his wife, Lorri, and chasing the dream of exoneration. It is wonderful to see that he never let the years behind bars kill him inside, though they tried.

While he was in prison, I always wanted to write Damien - tell him how connected I felt, but it's not something I can do anymore, for obvious reasons - and just this once, I'll keep my words to myself, since freedom is a greater gift than any letter could ever be.

Book Club Mondays: UR

This week, I didn't have time to read an entire book - but I figure I've been doing pretty well at a book a week for a long while - I decided to take a break and read a short story instead - Stephen King's UR. I found it on my Kindle, and as far as I know, you can only get it on a Kindle - for a special reason, of course!

UR is about a man named Wesley, who, when trying to get through a nasty breakup, decides to order a Kindle online. A large contributing factor to his breakup with his girlfriend Ellen was his love of books, so it was a purchase of spite. He gets it and notices something pretty obvious - it's pink and definitely not what he ordered. Thinking it was a fluke, he decides to keep it, and when exploring it, finds the Experimental area of the menu, and the Ur section. Many authors he loved had many unpublished works there, and he continued to explore until he realizes that the pink Kindle's Ur Local section allows him to see into the future, and realizes that someone close to him will die without his intervention.

If you are expecting a balls-to-the-wall, regular old Stephen King work, this isn't for you. It is a short narrative, which some have called an advertisement for the Kindle. Though, of course, in a way it is. Stephen King also has a history - Tommyknockers, anyone? - of writing about current events, specifically those technology related. If you are however interested in reading a great little narrative, UR is definitely all yours.