What are YOU reading? Here's my list

I have a slew of books that I've recently read and I swear, I had visions of seperate book reviews all in my head but free time seems to be literally leaking out of my life lately. Consequently, I bring you 3 book reviews all in one, it's your lucky day! I am like the Payless Shoe Source of book reviews!

First, I bring you A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout

From Goodreads: As a child, Amanda Lindhout escaped a violent household by paging through issues of National Geographic and imagining herself in its exotic locales. At the age of nineteen, working as a cocktail waitress in Calgary, Alberta, she began saving her tips so she could travel the globe. And then, in August 2008, she traveled to Somalia—“the most dangerous place on earth.” On her fourth day, she was abducted by a group of masked men along a dusty road.Held hostage for 460 days, Amanda converts to Islam as a survival tactic, receives “wife lessons” from one of her captors, and risks a daring escape. Moved between a series of abandoned houses in the desert, she survives on memory—every lush detail of the world she experienced in her life before captivity—and on strategy, fortitude, and hope. When she is most desperate, she visits a house in the sky, high above the woman kept in chains, in the dark, being tortured.

My review: Read it. Really, I give this book 6 stars out of 5. It has stayed with me, sitting in my subconscious for weeks, long after I finished the last chapter. I think about Amanda and what she went through at random parts of my day, sometimes while I am going to the grocery store or when I am laying in my obscenely comfortable bed. How did she endure all of that torture? All of that unknowing? And you know what the icing on the cake is about memoirs? Wikipedia. Google Image Search. Seeing the real life people in the stories. Just read this book. Read it to be humbled. Read it to be inspired. Read it to remember that there are terrible things that happen in the world but for every horrible thing, there's more enduring, brave and kind people that rise above them. 

The next is a book I listened to on audio while making my commute. When I went to the library, I knew I wanted an easy breezy book that wasn't too involved since I would be listening to it while driving, so when I saw a Sophie Kinsella book, I knew it'd be the perfect fit.

The book's setting and witty conversations kept it afloat, but the plot kind of sunk.

I've never been a fan of stories where bad things keep happening to the characters and they can't help or control it. (think Meet the Fockers or Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events).  And this story has a lot of those happening to Lottie because her sister is trying to sabotage her marriage to her old flame, Ben.

All in all, it was "meh" for me. I thought Lottie's sister's mission to ruin her marriage was a bit over the top...and there were several loose ends that didn't quite fit, including a random old man telling a story and the beginning and end...but there were several sweet moments and action packed chapters that kept me entertained. If you want an easy read that makes you feel beachy, this one isn't bad. 

After Wedding Night, I picked up Cartwheel by Jennifer Dubois

It's a FICTIONAL story inspired by the real life events of the Amanda Knox case. (You know, beautiful American goes to college overseas, her roommate is murdered and Amanda goes to jail in Italy but is later acquitted). So far, the book is really good. It's told from by the girl's father, which is interesting but kind of makes the story move a little slowly. He doesn't know himself if his daughter is innocent or not. He wants to believe she is but as the evidence and witness reports poor in, he finds himself doubting his life as a parent, his daughter's innocence, and the judicial system. 

I mean I don't even follow how our American system works, can you imagine being from the U.S. and then flying to a foreign country, where you daughter has been charged with murder and trying to figure out  all of their rules? *Shudders. 

I just finished reading A Tapestry of Fortunes. There were so many great quotes in this book that really stuck with me. 

Here's another: 

It's a great story of a group of women who find themselves searching for something. Old love, a child given up for adoption, careers, and at the center is Cece, a motivational speaker who needs a little taste of her own medicine. I loved this book because as much as it was about Cece possibility connecting with an old flame, it was more about friendships. Cece's best friend passed away from cancer and left Cece with a huge hole, in her life and in her heart. She decides to sell her house and start over...and what she finds on the other side of her old life is an entirely new perspective on life, love and friendship. I loved this book so much! It's short, sweet and painfully enduring. I cried and laughed out loud, which to me is always evident of an amazing story. 

Next up on my book shelf...I THINK maybe it's

(A Gone Girl-esque thriller, yes please!) 

Or maybe 

(A 19th century girl is given a slave for her birthday and vows to set her free)

I set a goal to read 40 books in 2014. It seems like a lot but I've consistently read over 30, plus if I listen to audio books I should be able to tackle 2 at once at some points. I am really looking forward to making my bookworm habits more of a priority this year! 

What are YOU reading?