Still Missing By Chevy Stevens

 

 

I am a huge fan of Chevy Stevens. Her books are thrilling and addicting. This book gripped my heart and then ripped it out. The main character goes through so much and it really makes you feel for her and wonder what you would do if you were in her shoes.

 

 Annie O’Sullivan is a thirty-two year old real estate agent. On a day like many others she is at a open house for a property that she is selling. A ordinary man come in to look at the house when he suddenly presses a gun to her back and forces her into his vehicle. She is held captive in a remote cabin for a year. 

 

The novel begins four months after Annie has returned home. Through sessions with her therapist, she discusses her horrific time in captivity. She is brutally beaten and rapped repeatedly.  After a harsh winter her capture begins to allow her outside. Eventually Annie finds herself pregnant.

Although originally disgusted to be pregnant with the child of her jailer, when her daughter is born she becomes attached. However one night Annie wakes to find her baby dead.

The capture refuses to tell he where he buried the baby. When he admits that he plans to impregnate her again, Annie kills him with an axe.

 

Annie tries to get back to normal and get her life back. Eventually Annie becomes conviSure nced that her capture also had a partner and that she may not be safe. She becomes friend with Gary, a police sergeant who was very kind of her. With his help Annie learns the truth. Her mother paid her capture money to abduct her in order to make money off of the story.

What the heck? I never could have seen that ending coming. Annie's mother said that the man was only supposed to keep her in the cabin, never to harm her in anyway. She said that she had no idea how sick her was. Her mother has go to be some kind of sociopath. Can you imagine doing that to your own child for some money?

The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton

 

''Norton has given us living, breathing characters that we know and understand . . . and who inhabit our imaginations after we've finished this book." —Jeffery Deaver

 

 

The Edge of Normal is first book in the Reeve LeClaire series by Carla Norton. It is a great thrillerand it is brutally honest. Reece is a character that you can admire and you really root for her to succeed.

 

Reece LeClaire appears to just like any other twenty-two year old women. However that couldn't be farther from the truth. Ten years ago she was abducted and held captive by a sick predator. During a car accident she was able to escape. Although she may be free she still cant help but be nervous around those that she doesn't know. She has made great progress thanks to her therapist Dr. Ezra Lerner. He asks for her help with a girl who was in a situation not that different form Reece's. As time goes on Reece begins to discover that she may not only need to help the young girl, but protect her as well.  There is a predator on the loose who is watching her every move.

I absolutely love when I find a series that immediately has me hooked. I was thrilled to know that it wasn't just a stand alone novel. Carla Norton is definitely an author to pay attention to.

Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge

 

 

 

 

Absolutely loved this book! Its dark, twisted and will keep you hooked. The main character in this novel is Detective Helen Grace, who has a haunted past. This is the first novel in the Helen Grace series and starts off strong!

 

In pairs of two, people are abducted and held prisoner. They are left with a gun and as hunger and thirst begin to take over, only one walk out alive. Detective Helen Grace has never seen such a case so unbelievable. If she hadnt spoken to the survivors herself, she wouldnt be able to believe it.

 

Helen is very familiar with the dark side of humanity, her past is tainted with it.  However this case has her completly confused. As more people go missing, things began to make since to Helen. The truth will be more frightneing than anything she could have imagined.

 

This book had my attenion from the very beginig to the last word. In some mystery/thriller novels, you can kind of get an idea of who is the killer. Trust me, the ending will have you shocked. I will definitly continue to read this series and have high expectaions from this author.

Mid-South Book Fair

 

 

This morning I picked up a newspaper and saw that there is going to be a book fair this week in Memphis! Its exciting to see a even that promotes reading and writing. The event is the 9th-13th and will be located at Playhouse on the Square and Circuit House.

 

There will be panel discussions and discussions from 75 authors all around the country. There will be a student writer conference for people 13-17. For adults there will also be a writers conference.

On Cooper Avenue there will be a street fair with food trucks. There will also be author presentations and activities for children. People will also have a chance to meet some of their favorite authors.

 

It sound like an exciting event and I will definitely try to go on Wednesday and the street fair and post pictures and let yall know how it was!

 

Beautiful Secret by Christine Lauren

I absolutely loved this book! The characters are so likeable and their relationship had me completely hooked!

This book is about a young American women named Ruby Miller who is an intern at a engineering firm. She has always been in love with a brilliant engineer named Niall Stella. Only problem is he has no idea that she exist. Finally during a meeting Ruby catches his eye. Her boss sends her on a trip to New York with Niall and boy do things heat up!

After a nasty divorce Niall is hesitant to open up. He follows the rules and feels that he is completely hopeless when it comes to the opposite sex. Suddenly Ruby has him bending the rules and suddenly their is no turning back.

Niall is attractive, rich and British! However he is no playboy. I loved that even though he is a definite catch, he isn't some vain prick. He is sweet and a complete gentlemen. His relationship with his ex really screwed him up, but with the help of Ruby he begins to see what a loving relaionship looks like.

I havent read any of the other books in this series, but after reading Beautiful Secret I diffently will!



Why should you read more?

 

 

 

It literally make me cringe when people say that they hate to read. While I do understand most people aren't as book obsessed as I am, it kind of sad that that they will never know the joy that reading can give you. Reading is actually very good for you!

 

When you read it helps improve your verbal skills. I have learned so many words just by reading books. I have been told that I'm very articulate! The more that you read the more your verbal skill will increase.

When you sit down to read for a long time to read, it improves your focus and you concentration. When you read you shut out what is going on around you, which can be very hard to do for some people. When I sit down to read a good book, I completely shut everything out. It can definitely be hard for someone to get my attention.

 

 

There was a study done by the National Education Association that showed that those who read for pleasure are much more likely than those who don't are much more likely to enjoy art, go to concerts, volunteer and be active in their community.

 

Reading also improves your imagination. People are only limited by the things that they can imagine. Books show you different worlds and people opinions. They show us things that we may not have known are possible. I am constanly amazed by the characters and places that I had no idea could possibly be created.

 

Reading books also makes you smarter! A book is cheaper than a education course and offer you tons of informaion in one source. Ive read books that were fiction but were also rich with hisrotry and culture. Reading at home has been linked ot academic acheivemnt.

 

When you read it allows you to have intelligent and academic conversations. Regardless if its fiction or non fiction, books are a great convrersation peice. When you know lots of information, you can talk to others about a variety of topics. It will also  greatly improve your conversation skills.

 

Like most people, I also get stressed often. Reading can reduce stress! A study was done by by consultancy firm Mindlab International at the University of Sussex showed that reading can reduce your stress levels. Subjects in their study showed that the subjects stress level was lower than when they started the study.

 

It can be diffult to remember all the imformation that we process everyday. Reading improves your memory. In the book Proust and Squid; The Story and Science of the Reading Brain, author  Maryanne Wolf says, Typically, when you read, you have more time to think. Reading gives you a unique pause button for comprehension and insight. By and large, with oral language “when you watch a film or listen to a tape, you don’t press pause.”

 

Reading is also a great source of entertainment. There are so many books in the world! And there are tons and tons of differnt kinds. I am alwasy discovering fascinating books and have no doubt i will continue to find more. Reading is a form on entertainment that also imporves our lives in many ways.

 

 

 

Diana Her True Story by Andrew Morton

 

 

 

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."

 

 

 

On this day eighteen years ago, princess Diana was tragically killed in a car wreck. I thought it would be extremely fitting to discuss a biography on the late people's princess. Although I have yet to read this book by Andrew Morton, it has receive many positive reviews and looks to have great potential.

 

This biography was fully supported by her friends and family. They speak quite openly about Diana's personal life. Andrew Norton tells in his book that Diana was unhappy with her marriage to Charles from the beginning. All the world saw was a real life fairytale, but was anything but happily ever after. Diana admits that her wedding day was the "most emotionally confusing" day of her entire life. She felt completely trapped in a loveless marriage and never got a break from the harsh spotlight.

 I cant wait to read this book that contains so much stunning information about a women people can not seem to learn enough about. Her story continues to fascinate us long after she left this earth.