I love a good memoir and A House in the Sky was one of the better ones I have read. Spare in style, Amanda Lindhout’s story of her kidnapping and life as a hostage for 460 (!) days in Somalia is incredible. While it is haunting and depressing, at the same time it is compelling and intriguing. I could not put it down and stayed up way too late to finish it. If this selection is not on your list, it should be!

If the title doesn’t suck you right in, then the text will. 2 A.M. at the Cat’s Pajamas is a layered story with three main story lines that weave together for a quick read. It was interesting and entertaining, but not my favorite of the year. I did love how the characters came in and out of each other’s storylines and I liked the spare manner in which the story was told. At the end of the day, however, I was hurrying toward the end to find out what happened to all of them, not sad that I had finished.

I really enjoyed The American Heiress and looked forward to reading The Fortune Hunter, also by Daisy Goodwin. While, in the end, I enjoyed the book, it was slow-going during the middle and I was somewhat disappointed in the ending. The American Heiress was definitely better than The Fortune Hunter, but I think if I had had more dedicated reading time and not mostly fits and starts, I would have enjoyed it more.

I read about The Good Girl by Mary Kubica in a weekly newsletter I receive from Duck’s Cottage, our favorite bookstore in NC. While I found the book a little slow in parts, once I had some dedicated reading time this weekend, the book flew by. The ending was great and I really loved the changing perspectives as it went from chapter to chapter. If you liked Gone Girl, you will definitely like The Good Girl. Speaking of Gone Girl, that was another weekend treat. I thought the movie was excellent and am really glad I went. Try that out too!

I don’t know how Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng ended up on my wishlist, but I am glad it did. It’s the story of a family whose daughter drowns and no one really knows how it could happen. In the unraveling of the daughter’s life, we understand about the unraveling of the family. I enjoyed this one.

I adored Me Before You and, even though I had heard that The One and Only was not as good, I was excited to read it nonetheless. I waited for a long time for this to be available from the library and when it was in hand, I got started right away. It was a quick read, just like Me Before You. And, just like Me Before You, there were points that made you teary. I get this was cliche. I get that you knew what was going to happen while you were reading, but Jojo Moyes just tells a good story so well. I loved this one too. I’ll have to read The Girl You Left Behind next, I guess.

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray, Love fame) was a gift to me for Christmas. I have to admit that I put off reading it for a long time because, even though I enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love, the idea of an entire 512 pages about botany didn’t do it for me. However, I heard something positive about The Signature of All Things last week and thought I should give it a try. Believe it or not, this 512 page book, mostly about botany, was very good. I was absolutely sucked into Alma’s story and intrigued enough to get through it in about 4 days. The ending slowed down a little bit and I was ready for it to be done once I got there, but it was enjoyable.

I got the recommendation for Ice Shear from Oprah. And, while I want to be above Oprah’s recommendations, they have never steered me wrong…HOWEVER, this one was ho-hum at best. There was no suspense. No edge-of-your-seat mystery. And, frankly, I was bored for most of the book. Not what I am looking for in a mystery/thriller. I would give this one a pass.

The Book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henriquez was a gem of a book. Quiet and spare, it was a journey through the lives of multiple immigrant families who ended up in Delaware, but really of one family and their quest to help their daughter who had suffered a traumatic brain injury. I liked all the characters and I enjoyed learning a little about their lives and how they intertwined. This was a very quick read and one that I think many readers would enjoy.

I enjoyed reading A Hundred Summers and was excited to discover a new book by Beatriz Williams. The Secret Life of Violet Grant did not disappoint. I liked it even better than A Hundred Summers. It was less predictable and much more intriguing. Even at the very last, there were still surprises to be had. I loved the notion that Violet’s life was being researched by her great-niece after her great niece was sent her lost valise. In addition, Vivian was a wonderful, wry, and entertaining character. Sometimes she was a little too flippant, but it worked. This was a good read and I highly recommend it.