Goodreads summary:

“Eva never really wanted to be a mother – and certainly not the mother of the unlovable boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his sixteenth birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin’s horrific rampage in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails.”

This book is awesome. You know from the very beginning what the major event at the end of the book is going to be – Kevin’s murderous rampage – but seeing him grow up through his mother’s eyes is fascinating and terrifying.  The author also manages the impressive feat of telling you about the big event at the end of the story right from the beginning but keeping you interested and surprising you all along the way.

Shriver keeps Kevin’s story feeling relevant by weaving in details of actual fact – for example, the way Kevin disdainfully discusses the details of real school shootings like he’s a professional dissecting a colleague’s work.Kevin himself is terrifying. He’s also creative. As someone who is a really big fan of the TV show Criminal Minds, I can tell you there is such a thing as a stereotypical teenage psychopath. From his hobbies to his clothing choices, Kevin is anything but a stereotype. He also seems to be aware of the stereotypes he could fall into, and goes to some effort to avoid being cliché. I thought that was a marvelous touch.

Eva, Kevin’s mother, is really interesting. She isn’t particularly likable but she feels real. She’s snobby and fallible and makes a few really reprehensible choices. Overall, she’s human and believable. Her arc over the length of the book is stunningly well accomplished. I actually think her personal growth by the end of the novel is one of the best examples of subtle but significant character development I’ve ever encountered. Her relationship with Kevin is beyond fascinating.

If you read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (or read my review of Gone Girl and were intrigued) definitely read this book. It’s the same kind of thing, but even better.

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)by Laini Taylor

I loved this book. A friend (a fellow book-nerd whose taste I trust implicitly) recommended it to me. Before I got my hands on it, several more people recommended it to me. The day I finally started reading it, I began telling another book-nerd friend what I was reading and she burst in, “no way! I’m reading that too!”

The universe that Taylor creates in this novel is stunning. It’s original, intricate, and fascinating. The characters live in our world, but there’s magic in it and other worlds that are reachable through it. The other worlds have their own culture, their own mythology, their own wars and prejudices. It is the intersection of these worlds and tensions that lead to what happens in Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

Every character in this book – even the ones you only meet for a second – is a detailed, multi-faceted individual. If someone is trying to hurt someone else, you understand why. And the answer is never just “because that guy is evil.” The central plot is a conflict of misunderstandings, secrets discovered too late, and prejudices not seen through in time.

This book also wins my strong-heroine stamp of feminist approval. Karou rocks. She can kick ass physically but it’s also easy to identify with her: she has a creepy ex-boyfriend, gets annoyed when her family asks her to do things, gets in trouble with her friends when she blows them off, and can’t resist using a bit of magic to try dying her hair.

Also: this is less important than the other things I’m raving about (and may deprive me of any gender-equality points I earned in my last paragraph) there are sexy men in this book. They’re not all human, but I enjoyed reading about them and I wouldn’t complain about meeting them.

Speaking of which, this book has some great love scenes. The explicit parts are implied, rather than shown, but it’s very romantic and there are kisses, caresses, sexual tension, and longing.

This is far from a comedic book, but I still found myself chucking a few times a things the characters said. There’s a great quote about essential vs inessential penises that I won’t spoil for you. You’ll know it when you read it.

The sequel to this book came out last week, and you can bet I’m already working on getting my hands on it.

This week, instead of a book review, I’m giving you a recap of every book I’ve reviewed so far, along with their ratings and links to the reviews. You can also always consult my virtual library, the Index of Book Reviews. You wouldn’t want to miss anything, now would you?

Tuesday is normally a single-post day, but I decided to treat us all with a bonus post this afternoon. Stay tuned for some really pretty things to appear around 2 pm.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.
This book is: A story told from the point of view of a 15-year old boy with Asperger’s or autism.

Other elements: Pets, parenting a special needs child, math.

Read it: If you’re interested in psychology, if you appreciate excellent first-person perspective.

Overall rating: 7.5/10

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin.
This book is: A gritty crime novel set in a rural town.

Other elements: Class issues, race issues, nature of friendship.

Read it: If you like crime shows, don’t mind dialect, and aren’t easily depressed.

Overall rating: 6/10

Other elements: Women not standing up for themselves, adultery, dependence on men, emotional abuse, alcoholism, polyamorous relationships, bullfighting.

Read it: If you are fascinated by Hemingway, if you like Lifetime movies, if you don’t mind weak female characters, you’re stranded somewhere with absolutely nothing else to do and have run out of thoughts.

Overall rating: 2/10