What are you reading right now? Anything good? I just finished a few books and thought I’d share them in case anyone is looking for something new. I won’t give anything away, don’t worry, but I will provide my honest opinion.

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn

I actually read Gone Girl a while back, but I don’t know if I discussed it here or not. It’s pretty popular so no doubt you’ve heard of it.

Nick’s wife Amy disappears from their rented Missouri home on the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, leaving behind evidence of foul play. The story is told through alternating points of view: Nick’s and diary entries by Amy. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that neither Nick nor Amy (or their marriage) is as they first appeared.

I was sucked in almost immediately and found this to be a quick read. There were definitely some twists I didn’t see coming, but I found the ending to be disappointing.

Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn

Since I enjoyed Gone Girl, I looked for other books by Gillian Flynn and came across Dark Places, conveniently available through my library’s Kindle lending services.

Dark Places is the story of Libby Day, whose family was viciously murdered when she was seven years old. Libby escaped, and the only other survivor was her brother, Ben, convicted of the murders on Libby’s testimony. Twenty-five years later, Libby becomes involved with the Kill Club, a secret society obsessed with notorious murderers, who believes strongly in Ben’s innocence. Libby begins to question her own memory of what happened that night and searches for the truth with the assistance of the Kill Club. Told in alternating points of view (Libby’s in current time, and flashbacks from Ben and their deceased mother from the days leading up to the murders), the truth is revealed.

This story is very, very dark. If you read Gone Girl and thought that was twisted, this is even more so. Once again Gillian Flynn does a great job intertwining different points of view to create a cohesive story. This keeps you guessing until the end.

Arcadia, by Lauren Groff

My mom picked Arcadia up for me for a Christmas present. It tells the story of Bit and his family, growing up on a hippie commune in upstate New York in the 70s. The story tells of the rise and fall of the commune and Bit’s life afterwards.

I liked the book much better after the family had left the commune. It was a bit too much hippie for me during the commune time, though interesting. I thought the pace picked up once they left and I enjoyed reading about Bit’s life “outside” Arcadia.

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I’m currently reading two new books (I started one and then the other became available from the Kindle library so I had to pick it up immediately). I’ll discuss these when I finish – if you’ve read them, let me know!

Wild, by Cheryl Strayed

The memoir of a woman who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail on her own in order to find herself.

Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn

Yes, another book by Gillian Flynn. I like her writing style. I’m sure this will be just as disturbing as her other two novels.

What have you read lately?