This was a fantastic read. I loved the whodunit plot that revolves around a bunch of eccentric characters. There's a slew of teenagers on a music retreat, the organizer - a sociopath, a conductor with seven fingers, a teacher with a secret past, a woman who witnessed a murder in the hotel years ago on a quest to move on, and the unfailing concierge who has seen it all. They're eventually trapped in this grand old Shining-esque hotel during a snowstorm when another murder takes place. I love stories that flip back and forth between the past and present, and this one wove them together tantalizingly and seamlessly.

This book was indeed strange, and very, very creepy. On the surface, it's a story of a missionary sent to a planet light years away to preach the gospel to the 'natives.' At times it was reminiscent of sci-fi stories like Avatar and District 9, but never really goes down the path of exploiting the aliens. It really focuses on the main character's relationship with the natives and how he begins to change as a result of his increasing distance from human interaction, including his wife back home on earth. It would be great fodder for dissection on what makes us human, the nature of religion, and many other heavy topics. Mainly, I kept reading because I was convinced there'd be some weird plot twist at the end. I suppose because it's a popular literary trend right now. Alas, there were a few revelations, but no major WHOA! moment.

Oy, this book... It's one of those that you can't really explain because if you did, you'd give away important plot information. Suffice it to say that it's a disturbing, heartbreaking and unique story. The main character is very introspective and it's a novel that would be good for dissecting heavy themes on the nature of what makes us human. I felt chewed up and spit out in an eye-opening way after reading it. Read at your own risk.

I enjoyed Jenny Han's short story in My True Love Gave to Me, and heard good things about To All the Boys I've Loved Before. It was a sweet and perfectly serviceable coming of age story that sort of turned into a twist on Can't Buy Me Love. (Am I dating myself with that movie reference?) I enjoyed it enough to probably read the sequel that's coming in May.

This book is SO going to be in my favorite books of 2015 list. It's alternatively narrated by twins Jude and Noah and their heartbreaking story of love, loss and redemption. They have become two of my favorite literary characters ever. Their voices are so unique, funny, passionate, vivid, and poetic. The two have a falling out and we alternate between Noah's point of view from the past when they were kids, to Jude's point of view in present time as teenagers. I was FURIOUSLY turning the pages waiting and hoping for them to finally understand each other and to know the whole story. Just a deftly and beautifully told story that comes to a wonderfully riveting ending.

This was another novel I could see people comparing to Gone Girl, in the sense that we're dealing with characters that emerge as morally ambiguous as the plot moves along. Grace was definitely one of the more complex anti heroes I've come across. I waffled greatly between wanting to see her get what she wanted and wanting her to be held accountable for her actions, despite any suffering she's endured. I really enjoyed the detail that went into the character and her experiences in the art world, but the pace didn't pick up for me until the last third of the book. I'd definitely recommend though.

This book is described as '3.5 in the Lunar Chronicles' and it seems that Marissa Meyer was stretching to make it even that much of a book. There were some important plot points and character arcs revealed. But, I think they could have been abbreviated and added as a foreword in the upcoming final installment. It was nice to revisit the series and it DID make me really excited for the final book.

The main character Johanna (alter ego Dolly Wilde), while perhaps being a bit hyper realistic, is absolutely unforgettable. Big hearted, crazy, hilarious and insecure, she reminds me a bit of a teenage Bridget Jones if she were to be the young reporter in Almost Famous. It's a supremely witty and heartfelt coming of age story, full of so many quotes that resonated. I think it's the first time I ever took a picture of the text in a book. Loved it.

I enjoyed Condie's Matched trilogy, so I thought I'd give this a go. It started out really cool. It parallels one of my all time favorite YA books: The City of Ember. Full of wonderful imagery, I could very clearly picture this underwater society. I was sucked into the intrigue of the story until the last quarter of the book. Then it got a bit 'woo-woo', with too much unexplained magic. I'm down with magic and fantasy (obviously, or I wouldn't have picked up the book). But the way it's employed just seemed to quickly wrap things up to a slapdash conclusion.

This came across to me like a mash up of Running With Scissors and The Great Gatsby. Weird and emotionally unavailable characters - to each other as well as the reader. Even though I enjoyed the aforementioned books, I just really didn't care about anyone in this novel. The beginning is promising, with what seems will be a murder-mystery plot. However, that doesn't really get addressed until the last tenth of the book in a convoluted way. At several points I thought, eff this book - I'm gonna stop reading. But it was short enough to muddle through. I know lots of people found this to be a triumph, but I think they are the same people that love Donna Tartt. So, if that's you - read Life Among Giants!