Happy New Year!

Welcome to the new year!
I hope all of you are making lofty goals that seem unattainable, but are actually going to happen!
I have quite a few goals for myself in the works.
As far as reading goals, I'm adding nonfiction into the mix. I read a lot of fiction at work, but I want to read more at home. I think nonfiction is the answer. Also, because OCD, I'm starting with 000 which is Computers. I'm not going to read all of them, because duplicates and applicability. There is a lot of things I should learn. This will help :)
If interested, speak and be known!
Leave a comment on what your goals or resolutions are, or what your favorite book is.

Ablow, Keith - Psychopath

Title: Psychopath

Author: Keith Ablow

Year: 2003

Genre: Fiction- psychological thriller

Pages: 323

Rating: 8/10

Dr. Frank Clevenger is back with yet another fascinating case. This time he has to battle his own demons, while trying to battle the demons of a psychiatrist turned killer, while managing a budding relationship, and trying to keep track of his adopted son. 

There is an interesting rapport between our good and bad doctors. 

I took a point off of this book from the previous book's score because I wasn't as much of a fan of changing narrater perspectives. I always have a hard time getting into the flow of other character's thoughts when they bounce back and forth.

Overall, this is a great novel. If you like crime and a good main character to connect with, this book is highly recommended by me :) 

I'm looking forward to the next installment before I move on to the next three books I check out. 

Ablow, Keith - Compulsion

Title: Compulsion

Author: Keith Ablow

Year: 2002

Genre: Fiction- psychological 

Pages: 321

Rating: 9/10 

Wow. I really love this book. The main character, Dr. Frank Clevenger, is compelling with his dark past and his psychological background. As a psychiatrist, he meets quite a few people with interesting stories. Working as a forensic consultant in the past, he experienced a case that has affected him deeply. This novel is focused on his return to forensics, which he said he never would do. I'm quite glad he did.

I now know that this author focuses most if not all of his books on this character so I will have to find the first few stories to fill in some of the gaps. The next two books by this author are also about him. I'm quite excited to see where his life goes next. 

Abbott, Scott and Swinton, Amy Maude - The Ghost of Christmas Present

Title: The Ghost of Christmas Present
Author: Scott Abbott and Amy Maude Swinton
Year: 2012
Genre: Fiction - christmas
Pages: 226
Rating: 7/10

This was a cute little book that turned out to be a very quick read. 

Yet another story of a man who is about to lose everything he holds dear, but in the spirit of Christmas, can he turn his Scrooge's heart around in time? 

Trying to keep his little family together in the face of hardship, this man will go to any length. 

This book is filled with literature and theater references. So if you need a little novel for your Christmas cheer with some funny thrown in among the sad, go ahead and take a read. 

Abbott, Megan - The End of Everything

Title: The End of Everything

Author: Megan Abbott

Year: 2011

Genre: Fiction- teen

Pages: 246

Rating: 6/10

I have a hard time connecting with this book. It's teeming with teenage lust and yearning. The 

primary focus is on a dynamic duo of 13 year olds Evie and Lizzie. Lizzie, being the narrator, tells the story of the two of them growing up together, the almost melding of lives they have shared. 

Being a non-sexual person, I don't understand a majority of this book in a way that I can relate. I mean I understand the words the author is weaving. Ms. Abbott is much like a poet. The whole book feels like a poem, every word chosen carefully. She even allows for plot twists that will carry the reader all the way to the final page before realizing the truth of it all. 

Overall I enjoyed the story, but feel a semi-relief for finishing. I feel as if I can close the book and feel lucky to never have to experience it again. This isn't a bad thing but more of a wholeness. 

I would not recommended this book for those who would be triggered by themes of sexual abuse, physical abuse, incestual notions, and even small glimpses of self harm. 

As Jennifer McMahon says on the back cover, "This is a book that gets under your skin and stays there". 

Abbott, Jeff - Adrenaline

Title: Adrenaline

Author: Jeff Abbott

Year: 2011

Genre: Fiction- suspense

Pages: 400

Rating: 9/10

After a week long hiatus because of my vacation (I really tried to read in the car, but it didn't work), I finished the rest of this book in two school days lol. 

This book is my favorite of the two books I have read from this author. 

This one is the beginning of a series revolving around a CIA agent, Sam Capra. The story line is similar to the previous in that it's all government related and secret spy stuff. Sam thinks he is happily married and about to have a child when his wife calls in a panic and leads him out of the office building before it explodes. 

He is now the only survivor, trying to figure out who bombed them, where his wife and child are, and who he can trust. 

This story is very thrilling and enjoyable. Highly recommended. 

Later on, I will return to Sam Capra's story. I would continue now, but my branch only currently has the first and last of the four book series. I'll see if the others are at another branch later on. 

Abbott, Jeff - Panic

Title: Panic

Author: Jeff Abbott

Year: 2005

Genre: fiction- suspense

Pages: 353

Rating: 8/10

First and foremost, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although the middle was slow, I couldn't wait to get to the end. I just wanted to have everything figured out. 

This book is suspenseful, thrilling, and full of plot twists. 

The only character you can trust is Evan Casher, the main character and our very own "action hero", as he calls himself.

Evan learns some secrets about his family and the people close to him due to tragedy that happens early on in the book. He has no one he can trust and has to rely on his instincts to navigate the world of government spies. 

The entirety of this book takes place in just nine days, so there's plenty of action to draw out nine days into 353 pages. 

I highly recommend this book for those who like action. 

The next book two books I am supposed to read are later books published by the same author in the same genre. However, I will only be reading one because they are actually both from a small series; the first book being the first in the series, and the second book being the last in the series. I don't want to skip the middle of the story, so I will only be reading the first. I'll just have to make sure I'm ready for a cliffhanger :)