"In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad #1)" by Tana French

429 pages

On a warm evening in 1984, three children went into the woods outside their small Dublin suburb. One was found hours later, hugging a tree trunk with blood-filled sneakers, unable to remember anything from the past few hours. The other two children were never seen again, dead or alive.

Twenty years later, the boy who was found in the woods has become a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad. He keeps his past a secret--only is best friend and partner, Cassie, knows what happened to him all those years ago. But then a 12-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods Rob Ryan emerged from as a child, and Rob finds his past rushing up to meet him, whether he's ready or not.

I am really conflicted about my feelings on this book. I really got into it, and it totally creeped me out in a fascinating way. I couldn't put it down and I couldn't wait to find out what happened. I was very disappointed with the ending, though. I don't necessarily need every book to have a happy ending, but I do like to have some closure. We're left without answers for one part of this story and without justice for the other. I enjoyed the overall experience of reading this book, but I walked away from it feeling disappointed.

"Extras (Uglies #4)" by Scott Westerfeld

417 pages

It's been a few years since rebel Tally Youngblood shook up the world, and things have changed dramatically. The government is no longer messing with people's brains to make them uglies, pretties, or specials. With all of the brain-washing gone, the world is undergoing an explosion of cultural, intellectual, and artistic development. Everyone is trying to be creative and stand out of the crowd, and cameras are catching it all. Each individual is ranked according to how well-known they are, and it's all about climbing the popularity ladder. Fifteen-year-old Aya Fuse is totally depressed by her rank of 451,369. She'd do almost anything to make herself heard, and it looks like she might do just that when she meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks...in secret. If she can be the one to uncover their identities, she'll be totally famous. But before she can kick their stories, the group discovers something unusual going on outside the city. It seems that something much more famous-making than the Sly Girls is happening. But, as Aya discovers, it's also more dangerous than anything she's prepared to handle. 

I think this is a really good follow up to the Uglies series. I enjoyed discovering what happened after Tally and her friends changed everything, although I do think it is a bit far-fetched in that the world changes SO much, in terms of values and priorities, in just a few short years. Still, I just went with it and enjoyed the story. Aya is kind of annoying at first and she doesn't grow as a characters as much as I'd like, but I really liked a lot of the other characters, particularly Aya's brother. There are some really good twists in the plot and I liked how it all ended. 

"Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn

419 pages

On the morning of her fifth wedding anniversary, smart and beautiful Amy Dunne disappears from her home on the Mississippi River near North Carthage, Missouri. Her husband, Nick, becomes a suspect almost immediately. Amy didn't take out any big sums of money before she left, and Nick doesn't have an alibi. Passages of Amy's diary reveal that the two of them were having marital problems for quite awhile before she disappeared. And, most damningly, Nick just doesn't seem as upset as a man in his position should. But Nick and his twin sister, Margo, insist that he's innocent and begin their own investigation, during which they uncover some odd things about Amy's past. Did someone else take Amy? Or is Nick just trying to divert attention from himself? The mystery unfolds in chapters that alternate between Nick's story and passages from Amy's diary leading up to her disappearance.

This is one of the most intense books I've ever read. I couldn't put it down. When I did have to stop reading and, you know, go to work and stuff, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Oh, how it messed with my head. I loved the first 90% of it, but I HATED the ending. I just hated everything about it, and I thought it made no sense. I won't say any more to avoid spoilers, but let me know if you've read it because I'd love to talk about how much I despise the end. That said, I know a lot of people who disagree with me about the conclusion. And I have to admit that, as much as I hated the way things went down, this is still an amazing book. The storytelling is perfect in the way it sucks you in, and there are so many details that fit together just right. I'd be thinking "What the heck? There's no way she can explain that" and then, boom, she did. Plus, it just freaked me out, in an interesting way. It's one of those stories that's going to stick with me for a long, long time. 

"Monster Island (Zombies #1)" by David Wellington

282 pages

Only one month has passed since the virus broke out and zombie masses took over most of the developed world. Survivors have gathered in a few remote parts of the world. All that's keeping UN weapons inspector Dekalb going is his daughter, Sarah. They found  temporary refuge in Somalia, but now he's forced to go on a dangerous mission in order to secure his daughter's safety. He's sent across the ocean to New York City, where he and a group of schoolgirls-turned-soldiers must find desperately needed medicine. But something unusual is happening in New York. A doctor figured out how to retain his human intelligence after death, so now there's a smart zombie out there. And though there's only one of him, he might be the one who ruins the whole mission. 

This is a very well-done book. The premise sort of makes sense (which is good enough for a zombie novel, in my opinion) and is unique enough to stand out among all the typical stories of the undead that have become popular lately. I like the way the author made me think about what makes us human without being cliche or preachy. There's quite a bit of action but it's not super-gory, so it's one I'll recommend for people who don't like to hear all the blood-soaked details. It's definitely far-out (we're talking mummies coming back to life and immortal evil), but I thought it all fit together well rather than just being randomly thrown in. Monster Island is definitely going on my must-read zombie list. 

"Dear Zari: The Secret Lives of the Women of Afghanistan" by Zarghuna Kargar

250 pages

This is a collection of stories gathered for "Afghan Women's Hour," a weekly BBC program that ran from 2005-2o12. Kargar, who grew up in Afghanistan before moving to the United Kingdom, used the connections she had there to find women with interesting, inspiring, and often heartbreaking stories and shared them on the program. There's a child bride given as payment to settle a family feud. One woman spent nearly every day of her life in a dark room weaving carpets. One girl was raised as a boy because her family couldn't handle the shame of being son-less. Many of the Afghan women women featured had to tell their stories anonymously because revealing their identities would endanger them. 

I think I got a lot out of this book. I knew things were bad for women in Afghanistan, but hearing individuals' stories, in their own voices, made it really feel real. That many of these women were able to overcome such insane obstacles is a huge inspiration, and it makes me realize that if they can do that, I can do much more in my more secure environment. Their stories put my problems in perspective. 

"Rip Tide (Dark Life #2)" by Kat Falls

320 pages

In this sequel to Dark Life, things have started to calm down in Ty's life. He no longer has to hide the Dark Gift--his ability to use sonar, like a dolphin--that he developed by growing up under the surface of the ocean. His friend/crush Gemma knows where her brother is, which is almost as good as being with him, and she's slowly starting to get used to life underwater. But then trouble finds Ty and Gemma again when they find an entire township chained to a sunken submarine, with its residents condemned to a watery death. This uncovers a mystery that is much bigger than it first appeared--and the stakes are higher than ever. It seems that everyone involved--the subsea settlers, the outlaws, the government officers, and a rival pioneer group--is poised for war, and Ty and Gemma don't know who to trust. 

I love this series! The setting is so unique--it's futuristic and science fiction-ish, but it has a Wild West feel to it too. Ty and Gemma are charming and likable. I really like the pacing, too. There's plenty of action but you get some good character development weaved into the plot. I had a little more trouble following this one, but I still really got into it. I'm not sure how many are going to be in the series but I'm excited to read the rest!

September stats and winners!

Hi everyone,

Here are our totals for September:

Books: 45
Pages:12,744

Most books
Jenny: 22
Heather: 12
Meggan: 11

Most pages
Jenny: 4634
Meggan: 4193
Heather: 3917

Most participation points
Jenny: 22
Heather: 12
Meggan: 11

Let's hit the books hard this month and get our stats up! Don't forget to tell your coworkers to join in on the fun :).

Heather