Recently Read #1

I've been terrible at keeping up with reviewing the books I've read lately, so I'm doing this a bit differently - I'll go through a few of my recent reads all in one post letting you know what I thought.  I'm planning on splitting this post into two parts - the first half of the books shown in the picture will be in this post, and the rest will come this time next week.

Every Day - David Levithan

This is the book I've finished most recently, it was completely unlike the books I usually go for, but after coming across it SO MANY times on my Amazon recommendations I gave it a go.  

It's about A - a teenager who is not attached to a body; every day A wakes up in someone different's body and lives that persons life for one day before moving on.  Through this movement between bodies as a reader you experience first hand how it feels for A to be depressed, addicted, happy, overweight, hungover, loved, mean, grieving and a lot of other feelings and emotions that a 16 year old might experience.  It is written beautifully and you quickly form opinions on the person who's life A is living each day.  A is happy until Rhiannon becomes part of the story, because this girl makes A wish for another day in the same body.   The story follows their struggle to have an unconventional relationship.

Although this book was completely different from my usually fast-paced crime/thriller, I really enjoyed it and found myself looking forward to snuggling up on the sofa and reading more of the story.  Levithan's writing is thought-provoking and beautiful all the way through - the perfect accompaniment for a brilliant story.

Never Smile at Strangers - Jennifer Jaynes

From a beautiful book to a not-so-beautiful one; this one is back to my usual crime/thriller storyline.  Another one popping up in my recommendations which I just couldn't resist.

Unexpectedly a teenage girl disappears from a small Southern town and her best friend Haley was the last one to see her.  Queue the detectives, questioning and suspicion until another girl disappears and everyone starts to question the people under their noses.  The book is written from a number of different points of view; one of them the serial killer.  When you're seeing the world from his perspective is when things start to get a bit twisted and creepy.

I couldn't put this down, although I did think at some points it was a little slow-going, most of the plot is fast-paced and interesting.  The story is well-developed and as a reader you quickly feel for the characters, particularly the teenage girls.  If you're into thrillers you won't regret giving this one a go.

Evil Games - Angela Marsons

A few months ago I read the first DI Kim Stone book, Silent Scream, and loved it so immediately preordered this one - as soon as it dropped into my Kindle library I couldn't wait to get reading.  There's something I love about crime books with female detectives, I seem to enjoy them so much more.

In Evil Games Kim Stone faces two cases; a sickening child abuse report and Dr Alex Thorne, a frighteningly evil psychologist who sees manipulating her clients as a game.  While Kim draws on her own past to help her solve the abuse case, Dr Thorne's death count rises until Alex sets her sights on Kim.  DI Stone has to confront her own demons and fight head-to-head with one of the most frightening characters I've ever come across simultaneously.

It's one of those books you find yourself thinking about for days afterwards - I can't wait for the next Kim Stone installment!

Under a Silent Moon - Elizabeth Hayes

Another brilliant thriller, but I did get around to doing a more in-depth review of this one which you can read here.