Wreckage by Emily Bleeker

From Goodreads.com:
   Lillian Linden is a liar. On the surface, she looks like a brave survivor of a plane crash. But she's been lying to her family, her friends, and the whole world since rescue helicopters scooped her and her fellow survivor, Dave Hall, off a deserted island in the South Pacific. Missing for almost two years, the castaways are thrust into the spotlight after their rescue, becoming media darlings overnight. But they can't tell the real story - so they lie.
   The public is fascinated by the castaways' saga, but Lillian and Dave must return to their lives and their spouses. Genevieve Randall - a hard-nosed journalist and host of a news program - isn't buying it. She suspects Lillian's and Dave's explanations about the other crash survivors aren't true. And now, Genevieve's determined to get the real story, no matter how many lives it destroys.
   In this intriguing tale of survival, secrets, and redemption, two everyday people thrown together by tragedy must finally face the truth...even if it tears them apart.

   Wreckage is told by two different characters, Dave and Lillian. Each chapter starts out with who is narrating and when it is taking place, post-rescue or pre-rescue, but you still jump around in time during chapters (sort of in the style of Gone Girl.) It was a little odd to start but I soon got the hang of it. The characters are a little flat, but still (sort of) interesting.
   It was a little bit of a mystery, mostly because I was trying to suss out the lies from the truth. It did slow down about halfway through, when you started to see what the lie included. I still felt the need to know how it ended despite thinking it was becoming predictable.
   If you're looking for somewhat of a guilty-pleasure mystery this is a good book for you. But I wouldn't completely label it as a mystery. I think it easily fits into the contemporary fiction genre also. It's a good, relatively quick read that should hold your attention and perhaps make you think a little on the nature of lies.

All I Love and Know by Judith Frank

From the hardcover:
   For years, Matthew Greene and Daniel Rosen have enjoyed a content domestic life in Northampton, Massachusetts. Opposites in many ways, they have grown together and made their relationship work. But when they learn that Daniel's twin brother and sister-in-law have been killed in a Jerusalem bombing, their lives are suddenly, utterly transformed.
   The deceased couple have left behind two young children, and their shocked and grieving families must decide who will raise six-year-old Gal and baby Noam. When it becomes clear that Daniel's brother and sister-in-law had wanted Matt and Daniel to be the children's guardians, the two men find themselves confronted by challenges that strike at the heart of their relationship. What is Matt's place in an extended family that does not completely accept him or the commitment he and Daniel have made? How do Daniel's complex feelings about Israel and this act of terror affect his ability to recover from his brother's death? And what kind of parents can these two men really be to children who have lost so much?
   The impact that this instant new family has on Matt, Daniel, and their relationship is subtle and heartbreaking, yet not without glimmers of hope. They must learn to reinvent and redefine their bond in profound, sometimes painful ways. How does a family become strong enough to stay together and endure when its very basis has drastically changed? And are there limits to honesty or commitment - or love?

   The title of this book drew me in. When I started reading All I Love and Know I was working on four other books, but this instantly became my main focus (so the fact that it's a library book and due may have had some bearing on my decision but seriously, I didn't want to put it down.) I loved each and every one of the characters. You may be wondering; is there a person you love to hate? Not in this one. You'd think it would make for a dry read, but that's just not true in this case.
   There is so much emotion present that I hardly knew what to feel. I was all over the place. So much grief and sadness but also happiness and love. I felt incredibly deeply for Gal and Matt. If you want a book full of emotions this is definitely the book for you.

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger

From Goodreads.com
   Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper may not be the prettiest girl in her high school, but she has a loyal group of friends, a biting wit, and a spot-on BS detector. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. But things aren't so great at home and Bianca, desperate for a distraction, ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

    This is a cheesy YA book. Predictable? Sure. Did I care? Heck no. It was a great just-forget-the-world-for-a-few-hours book. I admit, I was hoping the ending would surprise me, but I wasn't disappointed. As the book was drawing to a close and I was reading what I now know to be the last paragraph, I was so wanting just one more chapter. I would definitely call this book a "guilty pleasure."
   The DUFF has some of your standard coming of age themes. I don't want to completely spoil the ending (as predictable as it was) but I like what the author did with the word Duff in the last few chapters. Words really only have the power you give them, they're just words after all.
      I recommend it to older young adults, maybe 14-15 years and older. The "enemies with benefits" thing...I'm just not sure how I feel about teens reading that, it really sends a poor message. Adults (probably women) who enjoy a light read would also have fun reading this I think.

Revival by Stephen King

From the hardcover:
   In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing in the yard with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Reverend Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs-including Jamie's mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.
   Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family's horrific loss. In his mid-thirties - addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate - Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil's devising, and Jamie discovers that "revival" has many meanings.
   This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. it's a masterpiece from King, brilliantly illustrating why he "is right at the center of an American literary taproot that goes all the way down...to Hawthorne, to Poe, to Melville" (Margaret Atwood The New York Times Book Review.)

   I should tell you upfront, I like Stephen King. I haven't read every book he has written, but I've read quite a few and love them all. Revival is no different. I didn't want to put it down. King has created one creepy (fictional) human in Reverend Jacobs. There really wasn't a moment in this whole book that I trusted him even a little.
   I expected an interesting ending after reading a few reviews on Goodreads.com and even the synopsis on the book. The ending is definitely haunting. One of his best ever? I'm not sure, but I finished this book about a week ago and I'm still thinking about that ending.
   I know this recommendation isn't a lot to go off of, but the synopsis sums up the book extremely well so I don't have much to add to it. I'd recommend this to fans of science fiction. Also, if you haven't yet read Stephen King or are a casual reader of his works, I'd choose this to be one of the books you read. It's a great stand alone book and while being exceedingly eerie it isn't particularly scary.

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

From the paperback:
  When The Fountainhead was first published, Ayn Rand's daringly original literary vision and her groundbreaking philosophy, Objetivism, won immediate worldwide interest and acclaim. This instant classic is the story of an intransigent young architect, his violent battle against conventional standards, and his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who struggles to defeat him. This edition contains a special Afterword by Rand's literary executor, Leonard Peikoff, which includes excerpts from Ayn Rand's own notes on the making of The Fountainhead. As fresh today as it was then, here is a novel about a hero-and about those who try to destroy him.

   The Fountainhead was our first randomly drawn Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge book. It was a great way to kick off such a list. It was told in four parts each concentrating on a different character type. I admit it was slow going during a couple of them, reading this took a little longer than I anticipated.
   I loved Roark. I love his courage to unflinchingly stick to his beliefs. I love that he has no care of most people's opinions. I love that he's so incredibly sure of his self and his passion. I think that one of my favorite things about this classic is that our hero is actually an atheist, but an atheist with a belief in something. A belief so strong that he lives his entire life while staying true to this uncommon and misunderstood belief.
   A person's beliefs are extremely personal, no matter what they may be. I like that Ayn Rand created this strong, nearly perfect man, who does not conform to a more traditional belief system. I think that belief in something is important, to have some guide for your personal morals and I liked that Roark's wasn't based on a belief in a higher power. Instead it was something he felt within his self to be right.
   There's a great reason this book has become a classic. I'm sure it could be and has been dissected in a hundred different ways, but as a pleasure reader I liked most of the characters, and loved to hate one particular character. I enjoyed going along with Roark on his life journey.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

From the Goodreads.com:
   Will Grayson meets Will Grayson. One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two strangers are about to cross paths. From that moment on, their world will collide and lives intertwine.
   It's not that far from Evanston to Naperville, but Chicago suburbanites Will Grayson and Will Grayson might as well live on different planets. When fate delivers them both to the same surprising crossroads, the Will Graysons find their lives overlapping and hurtling in new and unexpected directions. With a push from friends new and old - including the massive, and massively fabulous, Tiny Cooper, offensive lineman and musical theater auteur extraordinaire - Will and Will begin building toward respective romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history's most awesome high school musical.

   I love this book. I wish I had read it sooner and will soon be pushing it on a few of my coworkers. It doesn't matter if you don't like musicals, you don't have to to appreciate Will Grayson, Will Grayson. John Green and David Levithan each wrote their own Will Grayson. I love the two alternating and  distinct writing styles, each matching each Will Grayson perfectly.
   Aside from the writing, I really enjoyed the story. I became quite attached to the characters, all of them. It isn't often you find a book in which you like each character you're introduced to. There are some pretty valuable life lessons contained in these 310 pages as you learn and grow with Will Grayson and Will Grayson. I sincerely hope someone makes this into a movie, a musical movie. I am worried they would not do it credit, but I'd love to see someone try.
   If you're a sucker for a coming-of-age novel (like me) you'll like this book. I also recommend this book to those who love John Green (of course) but also if you've enjoyed Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sanez.

Sand Omnibus by Hugh Howey

From Goodreads.com:

   The old world is buried. A new one has been forged atop the shifting dunes. Here in this land of howling wind and infernal sand, four siblings find themselves scattered and lost. 

   Palmer has never been the same since his father walked out twelve years ago. His elder sister, Vic, is trying to run away from the past; his younger brothers, Connor and Rob, are risking their lives to embrace it. His mother, left with nothing but anger, is just trying to forget.

   Palmer wants to prove his worth, not only to his family, but to himself. And in the barren, dune-covered landscape of his home, there is only one way to earn respect: sand-diving. Plunging deep below the desert floor in search of relics and scraps of the old world. He is about to embark on the most dangerous dive of his young life, aiming to become the first to discover the rumored city below.

   Deep within the sand lies the key to bringing his family together - and tearing their world apart.

   This is a surprising read. I found it through one of the many sites that send me daily emails of free or bargain Kindle books, because you can never have too many books. I admit I was first intrigued by the cover (shame on me,) it's beautiful and the words, "No one will come for us. No one will save us. This is our life." How could I not be interested? I read Sand. almost immediately.
   Sand. takes place in a barely recognizable world. Pieces of the old world, of our world, are salvaged from beneath the ever shifting sand, they are the keys to survival in this new landscape. I continually wondered what happened to make such a sandy wasteland of our world. I was intrigued by sand diving. Scuba diving is the only thing I could compare it to, but (and having never been diving I can't say for sure) I think it's a poor comparison. The diver has to control the flow of the sand around them which allows their movement and also relieves the pressure from tons of sand.
   I wouldn't put this up there with the best books I've read. However, once I started I did not want to put this down. I became attached to every member of Palmer's family. As with most books, the need to know what happens kept me going at a fast pace. I was even surprised a couple times.
   If you're a fan of science fiction this book is for you. If you like some dystopian, maybe give this a try. It is not dystopian but it has a post-apocalyptic feel to it. I know I will be reading more of Hugh Howey's work.