On The Nightstand: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl 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 in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet? ---GoodReads

It's been quite a while since I really got into a good book. As my first book in a while, I am so glad I enjoyed this book so much! It was AMAZING! At this point, I feel that I am one of the only people that haven't read this book, but I still don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it. I just loved how this book had me on my toes from the very beginning. While disturbing at times, it really kept you guessing the whole way through. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, something else would change my mind. Ah, I can't wait to read more of Gillian Flynn's books now!

What are some good books you've read lately?

On The Nightstand: Vision In White by Nora Roberts

"Wedding photographer Mackensie "Mac" Elliot is most at home behind the camera, but her focus is shattered moments before an important wedding rehearsal when she bumps into the bride-to-be's brother...an encounter that has them both seeing stars.
A stable, safe English teacher, Carter Maguire is definitely not Mac's type. But a casual fling might be just what she needs to take her mind off bridezillas. Of course, casual flings can turn into something more when you least expect it. And Mac will have to turn to her three best friends-and business partners-to see her way to her own happy ending."--GoodReads

Ever since I was little, I have loved the idea of weddings. I had the most fun spending a year and a half planning my own wedding. And even still, when I receive a wedding invitation in the mail, I can't help but become incredibly excited. I think my love for weddings is what drew me in to this book in the first place, and immediately hooked me. 

Thi story is about a group of friends who run a wedding business (my absolute dream!!), particularly the photographer, Mac. This story is about Mac's dysfunctional family, and a guy who has had a crush on her since high school. As she learns to say no to her mom, she begins falling for the guy.

While I can't exactly relate to Mac's dysfunctional relationships, I did find myself very interested in her life, and I couldn't wait to find out what happens between her and Carter. A very good read!! I liked it so much I already picked up the second book! I even ran, yes literally ran, to the library and got there 5 minutes before they closed so I could continue reading. The blisters were totally worth it though.

On The Nightstand: Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio

In 2011, Sarah Jio burst onto the fiction scene with two sensational novels-- and The Bungalow. With Blackberry Winter--taking its title from a late-season, cold-weather phenomenon--Jio continues her rich exploration of the ways personal connections can transcend the boundaries of time. 

Seattle, 1933. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, goodnight and departs to work the night-shift at a local hotel. She emerges to discover that a May-Day snow has blanketed the city, and that her son has vanished. Outside, she finds his beloved teddy bear lying face-down on an icy street, the snow covering up any trace of his tracks, or the perpetrator's.
Seattle, 2010. Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge, assigned to cover the May 1 "blackberry winter" storm and its twin, learns of the unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth. In the process, she finds that she and Vera may be linked in unexpected ways... ---GoodReads

This was a real page-turner. In fact, I read the last 200 or so pages in one day! I could not help myself, I ignored everything else going on in the world and just read, read, read. This was the perfect mix of love story and mystery which really made the story unique. There are so many unknowns at the beginning of the story that you can't help continue to discover all the truths. Another book that I would highly recommend!

Happy Reading!

On The Nightstand: Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie

Emma Tupper is a dedicated lawyer with a bright future. But when she takes a month-long leave of absence to go on an African vacation, she ends up facing unexpected consequences. After she falls ill and spends six months trapped in a remote village thanks to a devastating earthquake, Emma returns home to discover that her friends, boyfriend, and colleagues thought she was dead--and that her life has moved on without her.

As she struggles to re-create her old life, throwing herself into solving a big case for a client and trying to reclaim her beloved apartment from the handsome photographer who assumed her lease, everyone around her thinks she should take the opportunity to change. But is she willing to sacrifice her job, her relationships, and everything else she worked so hard to build?

In "Forgotten," Catherine McKenzie tweaks a classic tale of discovering who we really are when everything that brings meaning to our lives is lost.---GoodReads

LOVED it! Catherine McKenzie has easily become my new favorite author because all of her stories are so unique. As the first book on my summer reading list, I was looking for a real page turner and Forgotten definitely did not disappoint. I just couldn't wait to see how Emma's life turned out, and all the bumps along the way only made the story that much more interesting. I can not wait for McKenzie's new book, as I am sure it will be just as good as the first three.

Have you read any good books lately? Let me know in the comments section, I love getting book suggestions!

On The Nightstand: Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Logelin

Matt and Liz Logelin were high school sweethearts. After years of long-distance dating, the pair finally settled together in Los Angeles, and they had it all: a perfect marriage, a gorgeous new home, and a baby girl on the way. Liz's pregnancy was rocky, but they welcomed Madeline, beautiful and healthy, into the world on March 24, 2008. 

Just twenty-seven hours later, Liz suffered a pulmonary embolism and died instantly, without ever holding the daughter whose arrival she had so eagerly awaited. Though confronted with devastating grief and the responsibilities of a new and single father, Matt did not surrender to devastation; he chose to keep moving forward-- to make a life for Maddy.

In this memoir, Matt shares bittersweet and often humorous anecdotes of his courtship and marriage to Liz; of relying on his newborn daughter for the support that she unknowingly provided; and of the extraordinary online community of strangers who have become his friends. In honoring Liz's legacy, heartache has become solace ---GoodReads

I loved this book, but it also terrified me. I think the fact that this could happen to anyone really got to me, and definitely made me appreciate my life a whole lot more. I think Matt did a great job describing his feelings and painting a picture of what his relationship was like with Liz, how much he loved his daughter, and how he dealt with the death of his wife. 

Although the story was a difficult one to read, I couldn't put it down. There were times I couldn't help but cry, and times that I had a smile on my face. An emotional rollercoaster for sure, but definitely worth the read. 

Read any good books lately? Let me know in the comments section, I love getting book suggestions!

On The Nightstand: Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

Wickedly hilarious and utterly recognizable, Girls in White Dresses tells the story of three women grappling with heartbreak and career change, family pressure and new love—all while suffering through an endless round of weddings and bridal showers.

Isabella, Mary, and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, collect ribbons and wrapping paper, eat minuscule sandwiches and doll-sized cakes. They wear pastel dresses and drink champagne by the case, but amid the celebration these women have their own lives to contend with: Isabella is working at a mailing-list company, dizzy with the mixed signals of a boss who claims she’s on a diet but has Isabella file all morning if she forgets to bring her a chocolate muffin. Mary thinks she might cry with happiness when she finally meets a nice guy who loves his mother, only to realize he’ll never love Mary quite as much. And Lauren, a waitress at a Midtown bar, swears up and down she won’t fall for the sleazy bartender—a promise that his dirty blond curls and perfect vodka sodas make hard to keep. 

With a wry sense of humor, Jennifer Close brings us through those thrilling, bewildering, what-on-earth-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life years of early adulthood. These are the years when everyone else seems to have a plan, a great job, and an appropriate boyfriend, while Isabella has a blind date with a gay man, Mary has a crush on her boss, and Lauren has a goldfish named Willard. Through boozy family holidays and disastrous ski vacations, relationships lost to politics and relationships found in pet stores, Girls in White Dresses pulls us deep inside the circle of these friends, perfectly capturing the wild frustrations and soaring joys of modern life. ---GoodReads

This was a fun read, full of friendship and a little bit of love mixed in. While three girls struggle with romance, jobs, and figuring out what they want in life, all of their friends seem to be settling down, getting married, and having kids. This book is definitely relate-able to most women in early adulthood, and leaves you with a great feeling of "I'm not the only one!"

**HELP! My reading list is getting shorter and the library is out of my next three top picks! Please let me know of any books you've read lately that you think I may enjoy! Leave a list in the comments section.

On The Nightstand: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers. ---GoodReads

 This is a book that everyone should be required to read in high school. While the topic of this book, suicide, is a bit more serious than what I normally prefer, this book held my attention from start to finish. The two narrators telling different stories at the same time was hard to get used to at first, but it really made the book come together. 

Throughout the book, I found myself feeling for Hannah. High school can be terrible for a lot of people with rumors, teasing, and feeling like they don't belong, and her story made me so glad that high school is over. I also felt for Clay, the boy that had a crush on Hannah, that should have picked up on the signs but didn't. 

After reading this, you will start thinking about your actions and changing the way you treat people. You never know how you will affect another person's life with your actions and words.

Have you read any good books lately? Let me know and I'll add them to my reading list!

On The Nightstand: Spin by Catherine McKenzie

Katie Sandford has just gotten an interview at her favourite music magazine, The Line. It's the chance of a lifetime. So what does she do? Goes out to celebrate - and shows up still drunk at the interview. No surprise, she doesn't get the job, but the folks at The Line think she might be perfect for another assignment for their sister gossip rag. All Katie has to do is follow It Girl Amber Sheppard into rehab. If she can get the inside scoop (and complete the 30-day program without getting kicked out), they'll reconsider her for the job at The Line.

Katie takes the job. But things get complicated when real friendships develop, a cute celebrity handler named Henry gets involved, and Katie begins to realize she may be in rehab for a reason. Katie has to make a decision -- is publishing the article worth everything she has to lose? ---GoodReads

LOVED IT! I really am not sure what it is about Catherine McKenzie's books, but they are so unique and so addicting that I seriously can't. put. them. down. Thirty year old Katie lands in rehab by chance, not realizing how much she actually needs it. During the 30-day program, she is forced to face her family and high school boyfriend. This book has everything: from family drama, to facing the past, finding friendship, and falling in love. You never know what is going to happen next, and that's what makes this story so great! Another HIGHLY recommended book!

**HELP! My reading list is getting shorter and the library is out of my next three top picks! Please let me know of any books you've read lately that you think I may enjoy! Leave a list in the comments section.

On The Nightstand: Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another. ---GoodReads

I debated about my feeling on this book for a long time. Sometimes, I picked up the book and couldn't put it down, and at other times I sat there wondering "why am i wasting my time with this?"  At any rate, the debating put it in the three star category. Don't get my wrong, it was an interesting book, and overall I enjoyed reading it. The book is hard to get used to at first, as it is written from the view of a five year old and is not grammatically correct. I knew the book was about a boy and his mother who were trapped in a room, but what I wasn't expecting were the struggles of their life after Room. As a future therapist, I think that's what I found most interesting. 

Have you read any good books lately? Let me know and I'll add them to my reading list!

On The Nightstand: Where We Belong by Emily Giffin

The author of five blockbuster novels, Emily Giffin, delivers an unforgettable story of two women, the families that make them who they are, and the longing, loyalty and love that binds them together.

Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.

For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever. 

---GoodReads

Emily Giffin has done it again with her newest novel. Again, switching each chapter between two character's point of view as she did in Heart of The Matter, she did it very nicely, making the story more interesting and was really able to hold my attention.  I loved that this book dealt with events that some people really do have to deal with in their lives, and I loved seeing that perspective because I have never been put in those positions. While the book was not completely predictable, it still left you with that "feel-good" feeling that predictable books often do.

Have you read any good books lately? Let me know and I'll add them to my reading list!

On The Nightstand: In The Bag by Kate Klise

A European vacation. A luggage mix-up. A note from a secret admirer.

Meet two single parents who think they're too busy to date. And two teenagers who can't stop writing flirty emails. This is a tale of connections--missed and made--in a universe that seems to have its heart set on reuniting Ms. 6B and Mr. 13C.

Webb: I can't believe I picked up the wrong bag at the airport. My dad is never going to let me hear the end of it.

Coco: I don't understand why Mom told me to pack my worst underwear. And now I've lost my bag? Ack!

Andrew: I cannot stop thinking about that woman in seat 6B on the flight to Paris.

Daisy: I don't have time to worry about the creep sitting in 13C who slipped a note in my purse. I have to find my daughter's missing bag before this ruins our vacation.

In the Bag is a smart and stylish story that explores the old-fashioned art of romance in a modern world, where falling in love can be as risky as checking a bag on an international flight. Buckle your seat belt--it's going to be a bumpy vacation!"---GoodReads

In The Bag is a quick read! While it doesn't have the absolute best story line, it was interesting enough to keep my attention.There was something fun about reading the parent's thoughts towards their children, and what was going on in their children's heads at the same time. Needless to say, the ending is completely predictable, but sometimes that's just what you need in a book. 

Have you read any good books lately? Let me know and I'll add them to my reading list!

On The Nightstand: The Man Of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld

Hannah Gavener is fourteen in the summer of 1991. In the magazines she reads, celebrities plan elaborate weddings; in Hannah’s own life, her parents’ marriage is crumbling. And somewhere in between these two extremes–just maybe–lie the answers to love’s most bewildering questions. But over the next decade and a half, as she moves from Philadelphia to Boston to Albuquerque, Hannah finds that the questions become more rather than less complicated: At what point can you no longer blame your adult failures on your messed-up childhood? Is settling for someone who’s not your soul mate an act of maturity or an admission of defeat? And if you move to another state for a guy who might not love you back, are you being plucky–or just pathetic?

None of the relationships in Hannah’s life are without complications. There’s her father, whose stubbornness Hannah realizes she’s unfortunately inherited; her gorgeous cousin, Fig, whose misbehavior alternately intrigues and irritates Hannah; Henry, whom Hannah first falls for in college, while he’s dating Fig; and the boyfriends who love her more or less than she deserves, who adore her or break her heart. By the time she’s in her late twenties, Hannah has finally figured out what she wants most–but she doesn’t yet know whether she’ll find the courage to go after it. 

Full of honesty and humor, The Man of My Dreams is an unnervingly insightful and beautifully written examination of the outside forces and personal choices that make us who we are.

---GoodReads

I am not sure what it was about this book, but it did not hold my attention at all! Everytime I would pick it up, I would fall asleep after reading a page or two. Perhaps it was that I had a hard time relating to Hannah, or that her character was just plain boring. I felt like chapter after chapter NOTHING happened.  Quite honestly, I would not recommend this book to anyone. 

Have you read any books lately that you have LOVED? Let me know!

On The Nightstand: Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon.  Despite her own mother's warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life. 

Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie--a boy who has never known his father.  After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance--and even to some degree, friendships--believing that it is always safer not to expect too much.

Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from a fierce love for their children.  But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined.  In alternating, pitch-perfect points of view, Emily Giffin creates a moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.

---GoodReads

This is Emily Giffin's best book since Something Borrowed and Something Blue. Having loved those books, and enjoying the other books she has written, I decided to read Heart of the Matter. Every chapter, the story switches between Tessa and Valerie's points of view and it always keeps you wondering: "what is going to happen next?" Giffin did a great job making both girls equally likable, making it very hard to play favorites. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. I easily fall asleep while reading, so it had to be good if I stayed up until 5am finishing it one night morning! 


I have quite a lengthy reading list, but would love any book suggestions you may have! 

On The Nightstand: Arranged by Catherine McKenzie

Since one of my New Year's Resolutions is to read at least one book a month, I decided that blogging about each book would keep me on track (and also help me post regularly). I will call it "On The Nightstand" and as I read each book, I will tell you what I liked and didn't like, as well as my own rating, and give you a synopsis(not my own). I may even add a "Currently Reading" section to my sidebar so you can see what review will be coming next. I hope you all enjoy this new section!

Anne Blythe has a great life: a good job, good friends, and a potential book deal for her first novel. When it comes to finding someone to share it with, however, she just can't seem to get it right.

After yet another relationship ends, Anne comes across a business card for what she thinks is a dating service, and she pockets it just in case. When her best friend, Sarah, announces she's engaged, Anne can't help feeling envious. On an impulse, she decides to give the service a try because maybe she could use a little assistance in finding the right man. But Anne soon discovers the company isn't a dating service; it's an exclusive, and pricey, arranged marriage service. She initially rejects the idea, but the more she thinks about it-and the company's success rate-the more it appeals to her. After all, arranged marriages are the norm for millions of women around the world, so why wouldn't it work for her?

A few months later, Anne is traveling to a Mexican resort, where in one short weekend she will meet and marry Jack. And against all odds, it seems to be working out-until Anne learns that Jack, and the company that arranged their marriage, are not what they seem at all. ---GoodReads

I LOVED this book! I first found it in Target being compared to Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed. Having loved that book (and all her books) I decided to read Arranged. The topic of arranged marriage is what caught my interest, and it was also what kept me reading. It was also fitting that Anne went to a resort to meet Jack, as I was on my was home from my honeymoon when I was reading it. I have already recommended this book to four of my friends, and would definitely recommend it to any of my followers! 

I have quite a lengthy reading list, but would love any book suggestions you may have!