My Recent Book Reviews

                I might have a book obsession. If I'm not writing, you can usually find my my nose stuffed in a book. Actually, I almost always have my nose stuffed in a book or two or three. I decided to start sharing my opinions of the books I read for a handful of reasons, but there are two main reasons: 1) I find reviews helpful myself, so why not return the favor. 2) I have made some of the best friends by discussing books. Below you will find reviews of a book I recently pre-read before allowing my son to read it (and lets face it...some YA books are really worth the read), Shelter by Harlan Coben and two books that belong to one of if not my all-time favorite series, the Outlander Series, by one of my favorite authors, Diana Gabaldon. 

1. Shelter by Harlan Coben. Harlan Coben is a well-known and acclaimed mystery writer. My boys and I were looking for new books for them to read, so we picked up Shelter a YA book by Coben featuring character Mickey Bolitar. Find my review of this book here:

Shelter by Harlan Coben
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked up this book because it was on a list we found online of best mystery/thriller books for young adults. I was trying to find a new series for some of my boys to read. I tend to pre-read a lot of things my younger son wants to read as he wants to read EVERYTHING despite his somewhat younger age.

My first impression of this book was that the author must be fairly disconnected with youth, how they act and what they say. However, as I read on, the book became more compelling and interesting. I was intrigued and kept reading chapter after chapter until I completely devoured the book. Having now completed the book, I can, without hesitation, highly recommend the book to readers of all ages; young (but mature) and old.

What is this story about? Mickey Bolitar, a sophomore in high school, is having a rough year. His father died, his mother is in rehab, and when he starts his new school his girlfriend, Ashley, goes missing. Mickey, a seemingly good looking, but fairly average guy (other than in height - he is really tall) and athlete makes friends with a goth girl called Ema, a nerdy Pantomath that he nicknames Spoon, and the hottest girl in the school that can make any guy swoon, Rachel. Together, this unlikely foursome breaks all the rules (and a few laws) to figure out what has happened to Mickey's girlfriend and to find out if there is any merit to what the bat lady - the creepy neighborhood old lady - said about his father: "Your father isn't dead."

What makes this story so great? This book is a delicately woven story, where everything is intertwined all leading to a greater plot that I can't wait to dive into. The main mystery, the mystery of Ashley's disappearance, isn't the real enigma of the story. The story about Mickey's father is the greatest twist delivered in a chilling punch at the end making you want to grab the next book in the series.

2 -3. The beginning of this year I decided to re-read my favorite series (since I'm waiting on the next installment in the series to be published), Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon in chronological order including not only the enormous novels the series is known for but what the author refers to as all the shorter novels and "bulges." Below, please find my review of the first two books in the series, Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber, which I have taken the time to review thus far.

2. Outlander:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love historical fictions, but Outlander is much more than historical fiction, romance or even paranormal anything. At first, I felt the story started off a bit slow. After devouring the book (and series thus far - I'm still waiting on book 9, but aren't we all) I still wish the beginning would have moved a bit faster, but I understand why it didn't, why it couldn't. Given the depth of the plot both for this book and the series, I know that it was necessary to take the time characters that would span time periods and be featured in many books to come; to thoroughly develop the main characters, their families, personalities their connections and love for one another and the other backstory necessary to drive the plot book after book.

In the beginning of this book, Claire Randall and her husband, Frank Randall, take a second honeymoon after the war (WWII) to try and reconnect with one another. They visit Craigh na Dun, Scotland. They bare witness to something that can only simply be described as a beautiful magical event. After which, Claire travels through the stones at Craigh na Dun to the past.

This is where the story starts to pick up a bit and Claire meets Jamie, who saves her from potential rape. However, it's not until Claire and Jamie begin to fall for one another (still a bit later and after the introduction to many clansmen and Geillis - another woman from the future) that the story truly picks up. From that point in the book until the end, I couldn't really put the book down. The love story isn't overbearing. It's just enough. The story is a great tale with lots of twists, turns and subplots that kept me constantly entertained. Claire seems to keep finding her way into trouble. There is witch hunt and a lot of other toil and trouble for the characters.

By the end, the book begins toying with the questions that every time travel book must. Why can people travel through time? What is the purpose of traveling through time? Is it just to be a part of something - to live or relive something, or is it change something? Together Claire and Jamie agree to set on a path, in the name of love, to prevent the Jacobite rising that Claire knows will, or at least did in history as she knew once it, ended disastrously for the Scots.

I want to back up a bit and discuss a rape that occurs near the end of this story; the rape scene with Jamie Frasier. I have never been big on rape scenes, but I wanted to touch on this particularly as there appears to be lots of negative commentary about this part of the book. The scene is written explicitly, but not graphically. The events as described make me feel like I'm walking through the mental torment of a rape, which for some, I'm sure, is too much. For me, it was perfect. I got to be inside of the mind of the victim, one of the main characters of the story, and feel his anguish without having to graphically have his rape described to me to understand the situation. It was said in another review that the author comes back to this rape after it happens ad nauseum. Yes, the author revisits the rape quite a bit, but I believe that the mental struggle and the constant battle to get the off of the main character's mind was perfect. When these sorts of things happen, the event isn't just forgotten the second after it happens. The victim is haunted by the tragic event. The struggle to overcome this and the love and patience Claire shows Jamie during this time is significant.

I was hooked after reading this book and couldn't wait to continue reading the series! I highly recommend this series to anyone and everyone. It literally is a story that has something for everyone.

3. Dragonfly In Amber: 

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book had me from the beginning. Part 1, didn't start where I wanted it to, as in exactly where book one left off and everything that happened since. Instead, it time-hopped and kicked you in the feels in less than 50 pages, leaving you ugly crying so hard that you likely couldn't read any more pages immediately. The way the story unfolds sends you through the emotions the character probably felt over the past 20 years. (Or is it 220 years?) By telling the story this way it is clear what has happened or at least what the characters believed has happened, but not how it happened or what is about to happen next. However, a lot, though not all (obviously there are many more books in the series), is revealed starting in Part 2.

In Part 2, Claire is in Paris with Jamie and pregnant (for the first time). Claire doesn't know much about the Jacobite rising but knows enough to know about Culloden and the fate of the Scottish clans she learned from history in her time period. Together Claire and Jamie set on the path they chose at the end of the "Outlander" book, in the name of love, to try and change history and prevent the Jacobite rising.

In this book Claire and Jamie's love for one another is put to the test. The burden of knowing the future and trying to change it, broken promises, deeds committed in the name of love, near death and grief all take their toll upon their relationship. However, what emerges and wins is not a fairy-tale romance but true love: a very deep connection and conscious devotion. Their love is truly a love the transcends time, which is good, because the ending - you know, the kind that makes you run to the bookstore at midnight to buy the next book or wish that you could time travel yourself because the bookstore isn't open at the moment - will make even the coldest of hearts melt and believe in love and hope.

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