Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Sam Kingston could be described as a "mean girl." She and her best friends, Ally, Elody, and Lindsey are the queen bees of their school, and they think nothing of how their words and actions affect others. But one night, after a party, a car accident claims Sam's life. But, this is not the end...she wakes up to the same day starting over again. Over the course of 7 days, she is given chance after chance to make changes in her actions to try to alter the outcome of her life - and those around her.

Amazon refers to this book as a cross between Groundhog Day and Mean Girls. This is pretty accurate, but it is so much more. It will really make you think about how serious the consequences of bullying can be.

I really enjoyed this book - fast paced and emotionally charged. Word of warning: Moderate language, sexual situations, teen drug and alcohol use, and disturbing material. Not suitable for under the age of 14.

Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD by Beth Alison Maloney

This is a memoir written by a mother who's world is turned upside down when her 12 year old son suddenly develops some very strange symptoms. It starts with a few "quirks" such as having to touch everything he passes, but quickly develops into something much more serious. Every moment of his life is taken up by strange, obsessive behaviors and compulsions. Doctors say he has OCD, but how did this come on so suddenly? A friend mentions to Beth that an acquaintance developed similar symptoms and it was linked to a strep infection. Sammy is tested, and he does in fact test positive for strep! Relatively new studies have indeed linked high strep levels to OCD. However, Beth finds out that there are very few doctors who will accept this. This book is about her struggle to find a cure for her son's terrible illness, and for support and acceptance from the medical community. It is horrifying what they went through, but Beth's fierce determination is inspiring.

Entwined by Heather Dixon

First off, I have to say that the cover to this book is so gorgeous! (yes, I DO judge a book by its cover!)

This book is a different take on the fairy tale "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." I do not normally read fairy tale type books, but I was intrigued (maybe because of the beautiful cover?). Azalea and her 11 younger sisters have just lost their mother, the queen, and are supposed to be in mourning - which means NO dancing allowed. However, they discover a secret passage in their enchanted castle, and a mysterious man known as "Keeper" that provides a way to keep dancing in secret. However, the more time they spend in this secret place, many dark secrets about the family's and castle's pasts come to light. They discover that their father is in danger. Though, as a father he is distant, they don't want anything to happen to him, and their fight to keep him from danger brings them closer as a family.

This book had plenty of adventure, romance, and excitement. One thing I really loved was that there is absolutely no bad language, sexuality, or anything like that, and yet still a very good book.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

I received this book in the mail as part of a "traveling" book club that I signed up for. It was my first time to do this, and I am hooked!

This was a different genre than what I've been reading lately - an adult psychothriller. It had me hooked from the beginning.

Imagine waking up EVERY SINGLE MORNING, not knowing who you are, or where you are. And not recognizing the man sleeping next to you as your husband of 25 years. This is Christine's reality. A terrible accident has resulted in a rare form of amnesia where her memories are erased every time she goes to sleep. Every day her husband, Ben, has to explain to her what has happened to her, and tell her her life story.

Under suggestion of her doctor, she starts to keep a journal to help her remember everything. She is shocked to open it and find these three words "Don't trust Ben." Now, she is suspicious of everything her husband does and tells her. But who CAN she trust? Can she even trust herself? Through her daily journal, Christine must unwrap a complicated mystery of what REALLY happened to her, and who really can be trusted.

Every single page of this book is like a puzzle piece - a puzzle that is not completed until the very end. It was exciting, shocking, and full of twists and turns. It is a fabulous book that I highly recommend!!

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

This is the "companion" novel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth, which I LOVED. And I have to comment on the cover of this book - I think it's gorgeous and extremely eye-catching (yes, I do frequently judge a book by the cover!)

Ok, it took me several days to get through this book. It just wasn't as captivating as the first one. It was kind of slow, actually, in a lot of places. Oh, and I have to confess that I had one of those "I feel really dumb" moments about 50 pages in. See, since the cover says "companion" novel, and not "sequel" - I read the first several chapters thinking this was a prequel. See, the main character in this book is named Gabry, or Gabrielle. Well, in the first book, Gabrielle was the girl that Mary was drawn to in the forest who ended up turning into a Mudo (zombie). So, I totally thought this book was going back and telling Gabry's story...Well, that wasn't the case. Gabry in THIS book is actually Mary's daughter - named after the Gabry from the forest, of course. Soooooo, this IS a sequel, several years in the future.

Mary and Gabry live in the lighthouse by the ocean. Mary's job is to decapitate the Mudo that wash up on the shores to keep them from infecting the town of Vista. Gabry has grown up scared of what's outside her secure, fenced in world. One night her friends manage to talk her into going over the fence into unsafe territory. She receives her first kiss from Catcher, a boy she has loved most of her life. But then, her greatest fears were realized when Mudo appear and attack her friends, thereby infecting them and causing them to turn into Mudo. Catcher, included. Gabry is torn - does she stay with Catcher, and risk being in trouble with the Militia, or does she escape? Catcher convinces her to go.

Unfortunately, she was the only one who was able to escape. Her friends, who were not infected (including Catcher's sister and Gabry's best friend, Cira) are arrested and ordered to join the "Recruiters" - a fate almost as bad as death. Cira threatens to turn her in, unless she is able to find Catcher and bring him back.

In the meantime Gabry meets a mysterious boy, Elias, who offers to help her find Catcher, as he knows where he is. Gabry is confused by his intentions as well as her growing feelings for him.

They do find Catcher, and discover that he is immune to infection from the Mudo. Which makes him extremely valuable to the Recruiters. It is only a matter of time before the Recruiters come after him, as well as for Gabry as they find out the things that she has done. They are on the run - back through the forest of hands and teeth...

Overall, I really liked the book...it had long moments that dragged, interspersed with nail-biting adventure. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. And I will be reading the final book The Dark and Hollow Places.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

This is the second book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. This series has had a huge fuss made over it, so I was super excited to read them. To be honest, I didn't think it was as awesome as I expected...but I DID really like it. It's sort of light and fluffy reading material, with enough excitement to keep you interested. Also, the romance between Sam and Grace is sweet and sigh-inducing.

In this continuation of Shiver, Sam has been cured from turning into a werewolf. It seems that he and Grace will be able to continue their relationship without fear of him turning and her never seeing him again. First, Grace's parents, who up until now were pretty uninvolved in her life, decide that their relationship is getting way too serious, and forbid her from seeing him anymore. Then Grace starts displaying very disturbing symptoms...she is very sick, and noone, except her and Sam, really know why. Now, it's only a matter of time...and I can't wait to read the finale, Forever, to find out what happens next...

Other book blogs

One of the things that I love to do is to read other book blogs! There are SO many great ones out there. I have so much to learn from them, as I am definitely a newbie in the blogger world. One that I have come across recently is called Bookish. (www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com_) They are having a really awesome summer giveway - 5 winners get to pick a book from a list of new summer releases! Go check out her site and giveaway!