I show you my books, you show me yours vol.12

Hooray for Show Us Your Books link-up ~ the first of 2016!  Hooray for our hosts, Jana & Steph!  Hooray for all of you who participate!  Hooray for books!

 

I had a pretty enjoyable month of reading...well, as much as one can enjoy psychos, drug addicts, killers, war, and other "fun" topics.

Books I've read since last link-up:

 

1.  Finders Keepers by Belinda Bauer - The last of a trilogy I read, this was the best of the three.  Overall, the trilogy was good, not great, not run out and get this now, but good enough that I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys a little bit of mystery, a little bit of thriller, a little bit of creepiness, all set in a different locale than I usually read - an English village. (how's that for a run-on sentence?) 4/5

 

 2.  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - If you like historical fiction, read this book.  If you like strong female characters, read this book.  And, have a box of Kleenex next to you for the last 50 pages or so...and preferably don't read those pages in public.  5/5

 

3.  Finders Keepers by Stephen King - (follow-up to Mr. Mercedes) - Guess what.  Stephen King is a talented writer.  Admittedly, I haven't read many of his books, but those that I have tackled have been good ones.  Reading the various stories in this one, I knew they would all come together in a big ol' combustible ball of fire.  That they did.  Some things came together a little too easily, but it was still quite an enjoyable read.  Alright, I know I'm being pedantic, but early on, a song is quoted and they tell you what year it is happening.  The song wasn't released until a year later.  That edit really bugs me.  4/5

 

 4.  Tweak by Nic Sheff - I've read a lot of addiction memoirs. This young author writes with such detail about the lowest of low points that he reaches as an addict in a way that I'm not sure I've ever read before. He admits to so.many.horrific things, but I didn't feel it was for shock value.  He is insightful about his need for belonging, security...his low self-worth that leads to co-dependency and destructive relationships. Throw some mental illness in the mix, and he shows the struggles, dangers, and destruction of addiction.  4.5/5

 

 5.  Crank by Ellen Hopkins - A fictional account loosely based on the author's experiences with an drug-addicted daughter.  I'd had this on my TBR list awhile and never realized it's written in a series of poems.  Haunting, yes, but...I thought Tweak was better.  Because I'd just read Tweak prior to this, I noticed the role of destructive boyfriend/girlfriend relationships that played such a major role in the drug use/abuse too.  4/5

 

 6.  I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh - Thriller readers: read this book. You know when you're reading and think you've got it figured out...then you change your mind... then think "well, maybe"... then you are completely wrong...then you are kinda correct, but there's a twist...then you've figured part of it out but it doesn't matter because the book is still so good?  That was this book for me.  I stayed up past my bedtime because I couldn't put it down.  There was a teensy tinsy part of the end that bothered me, but I still highly recommend to those who like this genre. 4.75/5

 

7.  The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon - I think my problem (when I step out of my comfort zone and try to read a paranormal ghost story...which I do that from time to time) is this: I don't allow myself to get completely immersed into the story.  Too often, I'm holding back because I just don't believe it to be real.  I like escapism.  I like good stories.  I enjoy scary movies every now and then.  But, books about people being brought back from the dead just don't pull me into them far enough for me to really "get" them.  I keep trying though.  3/5

  

Currently Reading:  Dancing with Myself by Billy Idol

 

Waiting for the library to deliver:  Beautiful Boy by David Sheff (the companion book to Tweak)

 

I've shown you mine, now you show me yours!