Bookin' it Through the New Year

I'm back with another round of what I've been reading!

I realized that last time I shared my books, I totally forgot about one I'd read--oops! So I'm including that one to start us off!

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

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Part of the Goodreads Synopsis:

"Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastian’s, a boys' school that pretends it's coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no better, from Thomas, who specializes in musical burping, to Will, the perpetually frowning, smug moron that Francesca can't seem to stop thinking about."

In addition to that, Francesca is dealing with some trouble at home when her mom falls into a depression.

I enjoyed the story, and how Francesca developed and changed throughout the book, as well as how her relationships changed and evolved. This book was short (I think only about 250 pages), but it packs in a good story, and was an easy read. 

I gave it 3.5 stars

The Bay At Midnight by Diane Chamberlain

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Part of the Goodreads synopsis:
"Her family's cottage on the New Jersey shore was a place of freedom and innocence for Julie Bauer -- until tragedy struck when her seventeen-year-old sister, Isabel, was murdered.
It's been more than forty years since that August night, but Julie's memories of her sister's death still color her world, causing turmoil in her relationships with her teenage daughter, Shannon, and her mother, Maria."

This one is a good summer read. It keeps you interested, and the story goes back and forth between present day and the past leading up to the murder, with pieces of the story unfolding a bit throughout. 

It's not my favorite of Diane Chamberlain's books, but I still enjoyed reading it and would give it 3.5 stars.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

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This one had really good reviews on Goodreads (over 4 stars) and it kept popping up in my suggested books to read, so when I got a notice that it was on sale, I bought it and read it. This one was a bit tedious to get through for me. It took me over a month to read it. I just felt like some of the plot line was repetitive and mentioned the same thing over and over again--maybe that was intentional, but it made the book drag for me.  I did really like how the book tied up in the end, though, which made me give it a higher rating than I would have. 
I'd give this one 3 stars.

Guilt by Association by Marcia Clark

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The Goodreads synopsis:
"Los Angeles D.A. Rachel Knight is a tenacious, wise-cracking, and fiercely intelligent prosecutor in the city's most elite division. When her colleague, Jake, is found dead at a grisly crime scene, Rachel is shaken to the core. She must take over his toughest case: the assault of a young woman from a prominent family.
But she can't stop herself from digging deeper into Jake's death, a decision that exposes a world of power and violence and will have her risking her reputation--and her life--to find the truth."

My mom lent me this book and I'm glad that she did. After my previous read that felt like work to get through, this was a welcome change. It was an easy read, I enjoyed the main character, and the story line kept me wanting to read on. I finished this one in a few days and really enjoyed it. I gave this one 4 stars.

That's it for me! Hoping I have some other good ones to share with you next go round!