"Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn    

     Several months ago I read "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn. It was published June 5, 2012. It has 8,707 three plus star reviews on Amazon. When first starting the book I was sure it was going to be another Scott Peterson story. I was very wrong! I found the book interesting and difficult to put down. Here is what Amazon had to say:

Amazon Best Books of the Month, June 2012: On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick's wife Amy disappears. There are signs of struggle in the house and Nick quickly becomes the prime suspect. It doesn't help that Nick hasn't been completely honest with the police and, as Amy's case drags out for weeks, more and more vilifying evidence appears against him. Nick, however, maintains his innocence. Told from alternating points of view between Nick and Amy, Gillian Flynn creates an untrustworthy world that changes chapter-to-chapter. Calling Gone Girl a psychological thriller is an understatement. As revelation after revelation unfolds, it becomes clear that the truth does not exist in the middle of Nick and Amy's points of view; in fact, the truth is far more dark, more twisted, and more creepy than you can imagine. Gone Girl is masterfully plotted from start to finish and the suspense doesn't waver for one page. It's one of those books you will feel the need to discuss immediately after finishing because the ending doesn't just come; it punches you in the gut. --Caley Anderson

"Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn

     Last week I read "Dark Places" by the same author. It has 921 four star reviews on Amazon. I have to say I LOVED the book. It is a murder mystery that kept me in a grip. I could not put the book down, reading it in just a few short days. (Keep in mind I'm retired!) I would not recommend this book to everyone, and would not have started it myself if I had been aware of some of the dark, gory aspects, but I have to say I love it when a book keeps my attention like this one did. Here is what Publishers Weekly had to say about the book:

Publishers Weekly:
Starred Review. Edgar-finalist Flynn's second crime thriller tops her impressive debut, Sharp Objects. When Libby Day's mother and two older sisters were slaughtered in the family's Kansas farmhouse, it was seven-year-old Libby's testimony that sent her 15-year-old brother, Ben, to prison for life. Desperate for cash 24 years later, Libby reluctantly agrees to meet members of the Kill Club, true crime enthusiasts who bicker over famous cases. She's shocked to learn most of them believe Ben is innocent and the real killer is still on the loose. Though initially interested only in making a quick buck hocking family memorabilia, Libby is soon drawn into the club's pseudo-investigation, and begins to question what exactly she saw—or didn't see—the night of the tragedy. Flynn fluidly moves between cynical present-day Libby and the hours leading up to the murders through the eyes of her family members. When the truth emerges, it's so twisted that even the most astute readers won't have predicted it. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Please feel free to post regarding any books you have read or are currently reading. I hope all of you are enjoying "The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

February 26, 2013

In the past few years we have read the following books:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Other Boelyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Mudbound by Hilary Jordan
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
The Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra King
Angry Housewives Eating BonBons by Lorna Landvik
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
A Life of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Winter of the World by Ken Follett

Please update me if I have forgotten any of the past books!

Our current book is "The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. We will meet at Barnes and Noble on Saturday, March 23, at 1 PM to discuss this book.