Gone Without A Trace by Mary Torjussen

Gone Without A Trace by Mary Torjussen is a psychological thriller.  I spent the entire book thinking that I knew one particular aspect about it.  I was wrong.  I spent a lot of the time trying to figure something else out, I kind of did but didn't at the same time and was completely off base as to the why of it.    It was definitely a good story.  The main character and her best friend were annoying, but they basically needed to be in order to make the story work.  The ending was a bit of an "oh my gosh, is she really going to do that" moment for me.  I think I could have done without that specific part, but overall I enjoyed it.  I would definitely recommend it if you enjoyed The Girl On The Train and similar books.  I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez

I don't remember how Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez made it onto my "to read" list of books, but it was a mistake.  I think I happened to see it on a high school reading list and was not familiar with it.  I didn't know it to be "one of the classics."  So, I thought I'd check it out.  I just didn't get it.  It's about a guy who gets murdered, and everyone in the town knew he was going to be murdered.  However, no one did anything to stop it for various reasons.  It's not told in a gripping way despite the subject matter.  The characters are not developed in a way for the reader to feel any connection to them.  I was mostly bored reading this book.  I didn't even have any desire to delve into any kind of deeper meaning to the book.  It just felt pointless and boring.  Unless you are given this book as an assignment by someone, I wouldn't recommend it.  Maybe there's someone out there that could enlighten me as to it's purpose, but at this point, I give it 1 out of 5 stars.

How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life by Lilly Singh

How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life by Lilly Sing was a different type of "self-help" book.  I'm not sure if she truly intended it to be a self-help book, but that's the only way I can categorize it.  It's basically advice for life and for being a happier you.  She has a degree in psychology, but this book is not like the typical books written by psychologists.  It's a bit juvenile, and I would have never guessed she has a degree in psychology based on her YouTube channel.  That is not intended to be a complaint or an insult.  She's fun and uplifting in the way she gives advice.  She seems to be a very positive person.  However, there are a few weird parts of the book when she just jumps to down points in her life when she had to deal with depression.  It doesn't really fit, but I felt like she did it to show the readers that even people who seem to be happy all the time and uplifting can deal with the same types of down moments in life.  If you're a fan of her and her YouTube channel, Superwoman, then I think you would enjoy this book.  I give it 3 out of 5 stars.