Summer Reads Part 3

Here is the third summer I will be conducting my "summer read's list". No one reads these, I'm sure; but, I like keeping my books straight. It's fun for me to look back on what I read that summer. At the beginning of 2015 I set a goal of reading 20 books this year. I've surpassed that goal, proudly! I love to read, I just don't often have time until summer. I have my rating scale from previous summer read posts that I will post below. I will update this post as I continue my reading this summer.

• 1: terrible book, don't even bother picking it up
• 2: not the greatest book, could have been much better
• 3: it was good, but details, characters, and settings could have been improved
• 4: good book! kept me entertained
• 5: I loved it and would suggest it to anyone!! 

• Hanging Hill by Mo Hayder
• This was a mystery/crime novel about two sisters that learn to forgive in order to work together in solving a crime. One sister is a cop, while the other is directly involved in the murder that could change their lives forever. A lot of violence, gore, and scary turn of events took place in this book. 
• Overall, this book was unrealistic and uneventful. I can usually get through a really good book in a week during the summer. This book had me counting pages until the next chapter. It was not a book I'd recommend, but it certainly was not the worse book I've ever read. I would give this book a 2 only because nothing was gripping about it. 

• Deception by Denise Mina
• This book reminded me a lot of that movie The Next Three Days. It had a similar feel, but a different ending. It is the story of a husband who spends sleepless hours trying to prove the innocence of his wife who has been convicted of murder. He is convinced his wife is innocent, but finds a lot of secrets as he delves into her past to help her case. 
• Again, a crime/murder mystery that had me just a little bored. I don't know if it's that I've read really gruesome stories or what. Overall, I would give this book a 3 because of the author's lack to draw me in. Right away I knew something was a little off and I solved everything about halfway through the book. I kept reading, hoping there would be a greater twist but there simply wasn't. 

• Misery by Stephen King
• If you've seen the movie, you know the story. It is the gruesome, Stephen King-esqe tale of an author who is miraculously saved and pulled from his car during a blizzard by a seemingly sweet and caring ex-nurse named Annie Wilkes. She claims to be the No. 1 fan of this author and vows to nurse him back to health. When the author, Paul Sheldon, starts to gain his health back, the nurse is not-so happy to lose her idol and hero. It is a twisted story of survival and escape. 
• I had seen this movie years ago and the book is pretty similar to the movie. I never usually read books after I've already seen the movie, but this book kept me on the edge of my seat. It is VERY dark... even darker than the movie. It was captivating and had me turning pages quicker than I could. It's not my favorite book, but it definitely has a higher score of 4.

• The Tutor by Peter Abrahams
• This is the story of a disorganized family that hires a tutor to help their struggling teenager son achieve higher academics. The spunky little preteen in the family loves Sherlock Holmes and solving mysteries. She quickly finds something just a little "off" with the tutor that was hired. 
• Overall I give this book a 3 because of the unrealistic pockets throughout the book. It was entertaining enough, but I kept having to re-read certain parts of the book that were so easily dismissed as realistic or coincidental. It was a bit unbelievable, but enjoyable enough. 

• Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern
• "Eye Contact" is the story of a boy with aspergers that witnesses a murder of a little girl. Due to his inabilities, he has a hard time explaining, processing, and helping what happened in the woods. The book continues with his mom trying exceedingly hard to help solve this case even though her son is unwilling to help. 
• This book kept me interested, while remaining a distance from the truth until the end. I found parts of it to be so coincidental it neared the edge of unrealistic. I felt there were some flaws with some characters, as well, nothing major though. Overall, I rate this book at a 3 or 3.5 

• Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
• This is another one where I have seen the movie before I read the book. I actually didn't even know this was a book to begin with until it came across my Goodreads account. The movie pretty much followed the book to a T. It is the story of a detective that is called to investigate the disappearance of a resident of a psych ward located on Shutter Island. Searchers are unable to find her and have called in Teddy Daniels to solve the mystery. Teddy finds evidence of a 67th patient, but the staff claims there is no such patient. As the story continues, Teddy Daniels uncovers more and more faults in his "mission" to solve this mystery.
• This was a fantastic book! I had already seen the movie, but the book was just as thrilling even though I already knew the ending. The twisted, surprising turns throughout the book kept me turning pages. I would give this book a 4.5 because the character development, shocking plot, and attention to details gave me deep respect for the author and book. 

• The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly
• This is the story of woman named Karen who meets some unique and interesting characters that end up changing her life. Her new friend Biba, teaches her a new way of life different than the civilized, upper class that she came from. She falls in love with Biba's brother and starts a whole new life in the big house full of parties and obscure people. In time, though, Karen finds this type of life is not as stable and cushy as she might have hoped. She ends up falling into situations that, quite frankly, scare her. 
• Overall, I would give this book a 2.5. I found the story to be entertaining, but really missed any real umph throughout the story. I would not categorize it into a "murder" novel as was claimed on the back. The book is more about this new, enlightening group of people than anything. The low rating, however, is mostly due to the abrupt and strange ending that I disliked very much!