In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware was a decent book, in my opinion.  It was a little predictable, but still enjoyable for the most part.  The character Claire reminded me of Darcy from Something Borrowed.  They were both the beautiful, manipulative female who always gets what she wants character.  That was a bit cliche, but I see why the author did it that way.  I added In a Dark, Dark Wood to my must read list because I found it on the same list of the most suspenseful books as The Fear Index.  I wouldn't say that this book was super suspenseful, but it was definitely more so than The Fear Index.  I wasn't sitting on the edge of my seat, but it had the usual standards for suspense... a house in the middle of the woods with a lot of windows, no cell phone reception, darkness, footprints, ouija board, a door swinging open and shut in the wind, and a crazy person.  Overall, it was enjoyable enough.  I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

The Fear Index by Robert Harris

I'm sorry, but The Fear Index by Robert Harris was a waste of my time.  I decided to read it based on a list I found of the most suspenseful books.  This book was not suspenseful.  I figured out what was going on in chapter 5.  The main character is a jerk and is not someone you want to cheer for.  The premise of an artificial intelligence learning all about human emotion and human activities and making money for a hedge fund was just boring despite sounding like a really cool idea.  The activities occurring throughout the book were boring.  Like I said, it was a waste of my time.  I give it a 1 out of 5 stars.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg has me on the fence a little bit.  I found it extremely interesting as far the reasoning behind habits.  However, I'm not sure it would really do the people who need it the most any good.  I guess it's not really aimed at those people... the people who have an addiction per se but don't have the will power to beat it.  That's basically what the book says about some addictions, that they are actually habits and if you can find the true underlying reasoning behind your habit, then you can change it.  I'm not convinced that it could work for everyone.  Like I said, the science/psychology behind the subject matter and several of the example stories were very interesting to me.  Also, if you are a nail biter, a knuckle popper, or maybe a habitual eater, then I would suggest giving the book a try.  However, I'm not convinced it would work for something as serious as a habitual drug addict.  I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin

Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin was an annoying book for me.  I have a hard time with "romance" stories that involve betrayal from a best friend.  Sadly, that was not even my biggest problem with this book.  The main characters have been best friends since they were young children.  Best friends should be used loosely to describe them though.  One girl is a best friend.  The other is a nightmare.  She's the type of woman who is so insecure that she has to "one-up" her best friend to feel good about herself... ALL. THE. TIME.  Case in point, Rachel gets a 1300 on her SAT test.  Darcy says she got a 1305, too ignorant to realize that the scores only increase by 10s not 5s.  This relationship survives to see Rachel's 30th birthday.  WHY?  I'm sorry, but I would never have a "best friend" such as this woman and I do not understand people who do.  I have a different definition of friendship apparently.  Therefore, I spent the whole book just being angry at Darcy for being a horrible person and at Rachel for not getting a backbone and standing up to Darcy.  Then, there was Dex who was mixed up in the middle.  Without giving away too much of the story, we'll just say that I just couldn't come to terms with some of his decisions.  I don't understand people who cheat on significant others in the first place.  I just don't like that "game."  People need to learn to communicate better and own up to their feelings.  It just irritates me when they don't, even in a book. I give Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin 2 stars out of 5.

The Racketeer by John Grisham

I thought The Racketeer by John Grisham was pretty stupid honestly.  I hate to say that, too, because John Grisham is highly acclaimed, and I like many of his books.  However, The Racketeer just didn't cut it.  I spent the whole book trying to figure out if the main character, Malcolm, was a good guy or a bad guy.  I'm still not sure.  Malcolm was supposed to be a lawyer who had been in a prison camp for several years.  Yet, the way he talked about things made me feel like he could have never been a lawyer.  He claims he never made much money as a lawyer, which I guess could be true depending on your definition of "much money."  However, what got to me more was how he kept talking about freedom as if he had never been free.  He made it feel as though he had been in jail since birth or something.  Then, without giving anything away, the things Malcolm did throughout the book were extremely intelligent and perfectly planned scenarios.  If he's so smart, how did he get put in jail for something he didn't do in the first place?  It just all felt contrived.  I'm not even sure I can say that the story was at least good.  Then, the ending felt very cliche.  I give The Racketeer by John Grisham 2 out 5 stars.

Cometh the Hour by Jeffrey Archer

Cometh the Hour by Jeffrey Arther is where I catch up with the currently published books.  It's ok though.  This cliff hanger is not as interesting to me.  Plus, I'm wondering if it's even what it seems to be.  Jeffrey Archer likes to play tricks on his readers with his cliffhangers.  I'll have to wait until November to see if I'm correct.

This book was yet another good book.  It's another scenario where you feel the bad guys get what they deserve, eventually... at least some of them.  I must say though that my favorite part of this book was Jessica, Sebastian's daughter.  She's such a delightful character that brings a bit of youthful fun to the series.  I really hope Jeffrey Archer spends more time on her in the next book.  She has the wit and charm that just endear you to her instantly.  I can't wait to see where he goes with her.  The author also sets us up to possibly find the answer we've all wondered about from the very first book.  Did Harry's father really die in that ship hull?  I really hope that gets addressed at the beginning of the next book and not further along.  It's the ultimate cliffhanger that has been hanging in the air throughout all the books, and I thought we'd never know for sure.  Looks like that might not be the case, and I can't wait to find out in November when the next book in the series is published.