The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

From the publishers:
Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared off the secluded island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger family. There was no corpse, no witnesses, no evidence. But her uncle, Henrik, is convinced that she was murdered by someone from her own deeply dysfunctional family. Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired to investigate, but he quickly finds himself in over his head. He hires a competent assistant: the gifted and conscience-free computer specialist Lisbeth Salander, and the two unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.

My Review:
It took a little time for me to really get into this book but once I did I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed reading a book that was set in a totally different country than I am used to. The book really did a good job of giving me an idea of who the main characters really were. The book was not purely driven by plot and I really enjoyed that. I almost felt like I was smack dab in the middle of the mystery. I also have to say that the book was anything but predictable. I have often found that I can guess who the "bad guy" is right away in mysteries but while reading this book I really found myself changing my mind every few minutes about who could have been the killer. I really liked the twist at the end of the novel too. I won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't read the book. I am really looking forward to The Girl Who Played With Fire which is the 2nd book in the series. I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5

Postcards From Last Summer by Roz Bailey

From the Publishers: Darcy, Tara and Lindsay are the best of friends who reconnect every summer for a few weeks of catching up and living easy. The summertime is anything but boring for these three strong women who indulge in the best of what''s in season: romance, excitement and the time of their lives

My Review:
I have to say I couldn't bring myself to finish this book. Most of the plot was boring and there were long gaps in the timeframe that I didn't like. It also had way too many gratuitous sex scenes. I am not a prude by any means but I don't think that a book has to have a sex scene in it every chapter. It was just a little too much for me. I was disappointed because I thought that it would be just a nice easy summer read and I was looking forward to it. I give this book 1 star out of 5.

Booking Through Thursday

So I've been seriously slacking on my blog and decided to participate again this week. I'll be adding more reviews soon too. Our summer is ridiculously busy with 3 weddings and all wedding related things (showers, bachelorettes, stag and does). Ok, so here is this weeks meme. My answers are beside the italic print.

Which do you prefer? (Quick answers–we’ll do more detail at some later date) Reading something frivolous? Or something serious? Depends on my mood. Something in between really.
Paperbacks? Or hardcovers? Paperbacks Fiction? Or Nonfiction? Fiction Poetry? Or Prose? Prose
Biographies? Or Autobiographies? Autobiographies History? Or Historical Fiction? Hmm... I was a history minor but I guess I'd go with Historical Fiction
Series? Or Stand-alones? Stand Alones... I do read some series but after a while depending on the series the books can tend to get too repetitious
Classics? Or best-sellers? Best Sellers
Lurid, fruity prose? Or straight-forward, basic prose? Something in between, nothing too basic but nothing too fruity
Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness? Plots
Long books? Or Short? Depends on my mood
Illustrated? Or Non-illustrated? Non illustrated
Borrowed? Or Owned? Owned
New? Or Used? New
(Yes, I know, some of these we’ve touched on before, and some of these we might address in-depth in the future, but for today–just quick answers!)

So there they are :)

Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen

From the Publishers: A stunning new voice in American fiction, Sara Gruen makes a masterful debut with a novel of family, tragedy, rebirth ... and the breathtaking love of something wild. As a world-class equestrienne and Olympic contender,Annemarie Zimmer lived for the thrill of flightatop a strong, graceful animal. Then, at eighteen, atragic accident destroyed her riding career and Harry,her beloved and distinctively marked horse. Now, twenty years later, Annemarie is coming hometo her dying father's New Hampshire horse farm. Jobless and abandoned, she is bringing her troubled teenaged daughter to this place of pain and memory, where ghosts of an unresolved youth still haunt the fields and stables -- and where hope lives in the eyes of the handsome, gentle veterinarian Annemarie loved as a girl ... and in the seductive allure of a trainer with a magic touch.

But everything will change yet again with one glimpse of a red and white striped gelding startlingly similar to the one Annemarie lost in another lifetime. And an obsession is born that could shatter her fragile world.

My Thoughts:
I got this book because I absolutely adored Water for Elephants. It's not that I was disappointed with this book because I wasn't but I didn't find that it had the same pizazz as Gruen's bestseller. I never grew up around horses but I had a friend in high school who had a horse at a barn and went with her a few times to watch her ride. I myself have never rode a horse but when I watch people it looks exhilarating. I found myself really involved in this book and wanting the characters to get along. I have to say I found the main character to be frustrating. I could just see her making all kinds of mistakes with her daughter (I myself am 27 with no children so what do I know) and with her parents and I just wanted to shake her sometimes. I almost felt like while I could sympathize with the main character's sadness for not being as close with her daughter and parents, I could sympathize more with her daughter and mother. I would not know how to communicate with a woman like that. In the end I really wanted to know what else was going to happen. So... to feed my book addiction I went out and bought the next book in the series. Stay tuned for that review. I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

A Wild Affair by Gemma Townley

From the Publishers:
The big day is almost here for Jessica Wild. She's finally engaged to the perfect man-sexy, wonderful Max-and is in the middle of planning the perfect wedding. Nothing, absolutely nothing, stands between her and happily-ever-after. Well, almost nothing. Probably nothing. You see, lately Max has been evasive, even secretive. And when Jessica answers his mobile and hears a sultry woman's voice on the other end, it's the last straw. Leaving nothing to chance, Jessica tracks down the mystery woman-and finds her smack in the middle of Max's embrace.
The next thing Jessica knows, she's waking up in the apartment of Max's business rival after a night out that was meant to help her forget her woes. And when a series of even more tumultuous events leads to a life-changing discovery, Jessica realizes that things are not what they seem-not by a long shot. How could she have ever doubted the only man she's ever wanted? And now that her job, her reputation, and her heart are in jeopardy, is love enough to give her the miracle she so desperately needs?

My Thoughts:
This is a typical chick lit book. I have read most of Townley's books. I started reading her novels because she is Sophie Kinsella's sister I really enjoy her novels. This is the second book in a series althought I'm not sure how many more books Townley is planning on writing. I enjoyed this book because it was an easy light read but at the same time the main character is a bit frustrating. She continues to dodge the truth and as a reader you just know that things are going to end in disaster. With that said, you also know that as typical chick lit, things will work themselves out in the end if only the protanganist comes clean and confesses to her wrongdoings. I give this book a 3 out of 5.

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

From the Publishers:
The visionary creator of the Academy Award-winning Pan's Labyrinth and a Hammett Award-winning author bring their imaginations to this bold, epic novel about a horrifying battle between man and vampire that threatens all humanity. It is the first installment in a thrilling trilogy and an extraordinary international publishing event.
The Strain
They have always been here. Vampires. In secret and in darkness. Waiting.Now their time has come.
In one week, Manhattan will be gone. In one month, the country.
In two months-the world.
A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Eph Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.

In a pawnshop in Spanish Harlem, a former professor and survivor of the Holocaust named Abraham Setrakian knows something is happening. And he knows the time has come, that a war is brewing . . .So begins a battle of mammoth proportions as the vampiric virus that has infected New York begins to spill out into the streets. Eph, who is joined by Setrakian and a motley crew of fighters, must now find a way to stop the contagion and save his city-a city that includes his wife and son-before it is too late.

My Review:
I really enjoyed this book. It was like vampires meets zombies. The head vampire in the novel wants to take over the planet starting with New York City. I really like how the authors drew out the plot to make it suspenseful. The characters, even the minor ones, are written beautifully and I have a feeling that they may reappear later on in the next two books of the trilogy. I had seen Pan's Labrinth and The Orphanage which were both directed by del Toro and I was really looking forward to this book. I was not disappointed and I recommend it highly if you like vampire/zombie genre. I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

Booking ThroughThursday

Ok so here is the question for this week:

Do you read celebrity memoirs? Which ones have you read or do you want to read? Which nonexistent celebrity memoirs would you like to see?

I have to say I haven't read any celebrity memoirs but there are a few that I've been thinking of getting; one being Barbara Walters' new book. She has interviewed so many people and has had quite a fulfilling life. It would be interesting to see if she has any skeletons in the closet. I was also told that Tori Spelling's two books were pretty interesting. I think I may have to add a few of these to my TBR pile.
I have to say it really bugs me when someone in their 20s writes a tell all memoir. I feel that they should wait until they have a little more insight before they write their life story, especially considering they haven't lived even half their life yet. That's just a little pet peeve of mine.