Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

4.5 Stars.

Synopsis: That's great, it starts with an earthquake, raining fish and frogs, a UFO. The Tibetan monk is not afraid. It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine. (My official apologies to R.E.M. for slaughtering their song.)

Good v. evil with angels, witches, demons, witch hunters, 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, Satan’s spawn and on, and on, and on, and on. So fun. Gaiman’s sense of humor and timing is impeccable.

The Dinner by Herman Koch

3.75 Stars.

Paul, Serge, Claire and Babette are spending an evening together having dinner. After running the gamut of dinner conversation (movies, menu, etc.) they will eventually run out of small talk and have to broach the subject of a horrible act that involved their teenage sons.

Okay, first STOP COMPARING THIS TO GONE GIRL. For real, it's like apples and orangutans. If you must compare this to something, I kept thinking of the Hitchcock classic "Rope" while reading this. You know something bad has happened, the author tells you almost everything you need to know right away, you just have to ride it out through this one teensie little dinner to get the whole payoff. If you go into it not expecting a high octane thriller like Gone Girl, but appreciate the subtlety of Koch's approach, you should enjoy it.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King

3.5 Stars.

Vera and Charlie had been best friends since she could remember. They knew absolutely everything about each other and had never told anyone else each other’s darkest secrets. That is, until Charlie started hanging with a different crowd. Not only did he betray Vera’s trust, he died and only Vera knows the truth about what happened. Will she clear up the circumstances surrounding Charlie’s death, or will she say nothing – believing it was just karma coming back around???

Unfortunately I read "Everybody Sees the Ants" almost IMMEDIATELY prior to reading this. I actually didn’t even know they were written by the same author – the two books were recommended by different sources. This book was definitely decent, but paled in comparison to The Ants.

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson

1.5 Stars.

Christine wakes up every morning not knowing who she is/where she is/who she’s sleeping next to. She’s had amnesia for the past 20+ years and each night when she falls asleep she forgets everything. With the help of a new doctor, she’s journaling in an attempt to spark her memory. The only problem is the first page of her journal tells her not to trust her husband. It is now up to Christine to figure out who she can and cannot trust or to come to terms with the fact that she might be creating conspiracy theories in her own head.

If you've ever known the ending to any episode of CSI (insert city of choice name here) or an M. Night Shyamalan movie do not - I repeat DO NOT - read this. There were ZERO twists and turns and the ending was completely predictable. Total bummer. I'm glad I read fast so at least I only wasted one day of my life. Finding out I knew what was happening all along after plowing through Christine's journal and her daily recap of figuring out who she is/why she's older/who she's waking up to (à la 50 First Dates), I was ready to punch someone in the throat. If you want to go on a trippy psych-thriller voyage choose Gillian Flynn. At least if you figure out the ending she'll take you on a wild ride to get there.

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King

5 Stars

A social studies assignment of creating a survey question and evaluating the data has Lucky excited for the easy A he’s sure to receive. His question: "If you were going to commit suicide, what method would you choose?" is viewed quite differently by the school administration. They want Lucky evaluated to make sure he isn’t a danger to himself or others.

I went in to this book with no expectations and was very pleasantly surprised. I’m always impressed when a writer can create such a realistic character of the opposite sex (especially when said character is also going through the turmoil of puberty). Lucky was such a likeable young man with a dry sense of humor that really came across the page. He also left me blubbering like a huge baby at one point. I agree with King that everybody sees the ants and I don’t even use the stupid shampoo either. I’ll be checking out more of her work in the near future.

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

5 Stars

Mort Foxman has passed away after a long battle with stomach cancer.  His dying wish was for the family to sit shiva.  That means Judd Foxman will have to spend seven days with three siblings (along with their spouses/significant others) that he hasn't seen in years.  While juggling the plethora of mourners who come to pay their respects each day, Judd also has to come to terms with the fact that his wife has left him for his boss - a famous shock-jock radio host - and is now pregnant.

There's nothing I love more than an ensemble cast in a comedy/drama.  Tropper has managed to develop TWELVE (yes, 12) unforgettable characters in This is Where I Leave You.  I absolutely fell in love with the Foxman family and I laughed until my sides hurt.  If you come from a big family, the riotous interactions will bring back fond memories.  When you find yourself wishing for more, set your mind at ease knowing it's becoming a movie.  Jason Bateman, how I love thee.  Let me count the ways . . .

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371150/?... 

Bared to You by Sylvia Day

1.5 Stars (because it was just a tad less puke inducing than 50 Shades).

Synopsis: She's f-ed up, he's f-ed up. Neither want to ever fall in love/get married/whatevs which means they meet, bang, and fall in love within one week.  It's a porno, hence it's not too heavy in the plot department.

I think I can officially say I'm not a fan of the mommy smut. The "love" scenes (*blergh* *dry heave*) are pretty much like listening to a broken record playing. I'm also not a fan of the dirty "C" words and Sylvia Day reminded me just how many there are and then proceeded to use them incessantly. My squick-out factor was riding high throughout the book. The one plus? While I wanted Christian Grey to be locked up for the rest of his life for being a psychopathic woman beater, I only wanted to file a restraining order against Gideon Cross.

In a nutshell, if you are a complete prude like me - stay far, far away. On the other hand, if you like to let your freak flag fly with a dirty book, this will probably be your cup of tea.