The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore - Joan Lowery Nixon - 2 stars

I picked up this book some time ago and chose it for a quick read, (since it was a YA Mystery), but I was not all that thrilled with this story at all. I did think the storyline sounded very interesting. A girl gets kidnapped, then she is saved, but everyone thinks she had a hand it. To start off, I found it to be predictable and unrealistic. True, it did have a good pacing so it was a pretty quick read, but it was just all so improbable. I wont give those spoilers away to prove my point though.

The characters were ok, but not really very relatable for me. I did not feel like they had much depth, or really a story behind their characters, kind of one dimensional. Even the bad guys were not really bad guys I did not think. They were just kind of there. I am guessing maybe it was tamed a bit because it was a YA Mystery?

I also really wanted a little more excitement to the story. I mean the girl was kidnapped, that would call for some scary parts or some adrenalin pumping action of some kind right? It was more like she was a guest in someone's home. It was really all kind of sub par for me and I really just wanted so much more to the story.

The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness - 4 stars

This is book 2 to the Chaos Walking Trilogy and another great installment too. This story continues directly after where the first one left off. So you don't miss a beat with the story. I even read a book in between and this story stayed fresh in my mind. This does have a dystopian feel to it, which I don't care a lot for, but there are a lot of other great elements to the story, not to mention how great the characters are. The story is indeed engaging, and really kept my attention, one of those stay up past bedtime to finish.

I love the characters, both old and new. They are created brilliantly and there are plenty of them for readers to love and hate, plus also there are a few surprises in store where other characters are involved. Like I said in my review for the last book, I did think that the 2 main characters seemed older than their years, which could maybe be the authors intention. I would have liked them to have acted more their age rather than adults.

I am definitely looking forward to starting the final installment to this trilogy. I look forward to being reunited with all these great characters once again. If you like dystopian books or maybe even if you don't, try this one out, I think you will enjoy it.

The Fireman - Joe Hill - 4 stars

I have been wanting to read another Joe Hill book and this was a great choice, it is such a great story. It has a great mix of elements. Mystery, thriller, romance, all rolled into one. I found that it is an absolute page turner from beginning to end.

The plot is great, very exciting, but I think I like the characters even better. I found the plot to be leaning towards dystopian, which is not a favorite for me, but the characters made up for that 10 fold. They are all so well developed and each have such distinct personalities. There are so many great characters to love and hate. None of them are even remotely boring. This books aims to please!

The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness - 4 stars

I had been wanting to read this series for a long time and finally have the book. I was not too sure about it when I first started reading it because of the dog in the story being able to share his thoughts with his owner. Actually all animals could share their thoughts. But I have to say the idea really grew on me once I got into the story, and I find that Manchee really added a lot to the story.

This is a great post Apoc book and if you like that sort of thing you will like this one. I have heard people call it a dystopian but I don't see that In this book, at least it does not follow the norm of most dystopian and that is fine with me. I also liked the setting of the book and the thought of aliens being a part of it, it added a nice element to the story as well.

I did enjoy the characters a lot. There are so many characters, and not all of them are good people, which is awesome because I feel like this allows readers to touch on every emotion. Of course I have to say I loved Todd and Viola the most. I do feel like they were pretty grown up for their ages though, and I expect that is due to the situation they find themselves in.

Since I enjoyed this one so much and the cliff hanger that it ended with, I have the other 2 as well and I will be reading The Ask and the Answer very soon. Also in each of these re-mastered books, you will find a short story in the back pertaining to the series. So that is a nice touch I think as well.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes - Diana Gabaldon - 4 stars

Another great book in the Outlander saga. This is book 6 in the series. I did not enjoy this one as much as the others, but still an amazing book. I did find though that this book took a lot more focus than the rest of the series. There is a pretty good cliff hanger in this installment that I both expected at some point, but did not expect at the same time, at least not in the context in which it occurs.

The Characters are all very well done as in the previous books. A lot more characters you get to meet in this, both those you love and those you hate, and of course all the favorites that readers have fallen in love with. I also find that the characters have gotten a lot more complex as does the story itself.

I will be taking a break from the series so I can get other books read, but I do look forward to continuing with the series in the near future.

Silent Night - Robert B. Parker - 4 stars

Chose this as my 2nd Christmas read for this month. This is book 41.5 of the Spencer series, that of which I have not yet read. After reading this one though, I decided I like Spencer as a character, as much as I like Jesse Stone. This type of character is what I describe as a laid back tough guy. They have a softer side, but look out if you cross him kind of guy.

There is not a whole lot of action in this one but it is a Christmas mystery, so I did not really expect it to be very dramatic, but it did have a good storyline that I really enjoyed. I like Spencer a lot so this may push me towards reading the whole Spencer series, all 40+ books since I like his writing style.

However, Robert B. Parker passed away in 2010 which saddens me and I can tell slight differences in the writing styles of those who carry on with his work. This one was done by Helen Brann, who was Parker's Agent and close friend. She did a great job with this one.

Comfort & Joy - Kristin Hannah - 5 stars

I just love reading books for the holiday, some how it makes them more magical that way. This was my first Christmas read for December and I have to say that I really loved it. I really do enjoy Kristin Hannah's writing a lot. The first book I read by her was Winter Garden. Also a very enjoyable read. I especially liked the characters in this book. They are very well written, they are both relatable and believable. I feel like I knew them all personally and I loved that.

There is such a great plot twist in this one, and it was one that I did not expect at all. Be prepared though and keep some tissues on hand because this one is a tear jerker. This is one of those books that you don't want to end, and when it did, it felt like a part of my life was over. I just wanted to go back and read it all again.

"It's a dangerous business...going out of your door. You step into the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." --J.R.R. Tolkien