The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I tried and tried to figure out how best to describe this book. It's not exactly complicated per se, but it's very difficult to explain or describe to someone without giving away certain things. So, even though it may be cheating, I've decided that the best way to summarize this book is to use the description from the back, which reads as follows:

"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead."

This book was truly extraordinary. It could be one of the best books I've ever read. Everything from the intertwining story lines to the way it's written is just beautiful. It's intriguing, perceptive, and strangely romantic, but in a way that makes every aspect of this book fall perfectly into place - much like the pieces of the circus. I can't even imagine how such a concept came to be, but Erin Morgenstern is simply brilliant.

Go read this book. You won't regret it, I assure you.

The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

After last week's disappointing snooze-fest of a book, I decided I needed something a little simpler and lighthearted this week.

There's nothing deeply profound about this book, nor is there anything that really challenges the reader - whether in its dialogue or it's style. It's overall a very simple read.

Ella and Micha have been friends since they were six years old. Now in their late teens, the book begins with a life-changing event that drastically shapes who Ella is. And while she tries to figure out just what that means, Micha decides that it's time for him to step up and be there for his best friend - and the girl he loves.

This was a sweet story. It's what I would categorize as good beach reading. Like I mentioned, nothing complex about it and was able to finish it in less than three days. It was the perfect follow-up to the nightmare that was last week's book.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

H.H. Holmes was a serial killer who wreaked havoc on the city of Chicago between 1890 and 1894, all while remaining completely anonymous and without anyone knowing the women were ever missing. The tag line of this book reads "Murder, Magic, and Mayhem at the Fair that Changed America." Naturally, I'm left to assume that it's about the story of H.H. Holmes, which just so happens to take place during the creation and building of the Chicago World's Fair.

Wrong.

Ok, so then it's a story of how the building of the Chicago World's Fair impacted Holmes' "reign," right?

Wrong.

Then it must be how Holmes is involved with the creation and building of the fair while also committing these heinous crimes without anyone having any idea.

Wrong again.

90% of this book outlines in excruciating detail how the idea for the Chicago World's Fair came to be - including the creation of the Ferris Wheel. And oh yeah, there just happens to be this guy that owns a hotel right down the street that is killing women and burning them in an incinerator he has down in the basement.

Having an English degree and a heavily researched-based master's degree, I've had to read a lot of books. And I mean a lot. But never have I read a book that reads as slowly as this one did. Maybe it was my expectation that the storyline was going to be laced with the typical serial killer material I'm used to reading. Not even close. At times, I literally forgot that there was supposed to be a serial killer in this story.

All this to say it wasn't a bad book. I love history, so it was definitely interesting. But it wasn't the book I thought I was going to get...and it was especially not a great book to try to read in a week. I've learned pretty much all I'll ever need to know about the Chicago World's Fair. And considering that the time from inception to creation was only four years, that's saying a lot.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

This book was recommended to me by sooo many people that I couldn't ignore it any longer. It had the makings of a great murder mystery so it didn't take long for me to become hooked.

The way that Gillian Flynn writes this novel is very intriguing. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail and spoil it for those who want to read it, but the way it flows is interesting. A woman (Amy) goes missing on the day of her 5th wedding anniversary. Her husband Nick soon becomes suspect number one and the entire book is about the search for Amy and the process to uncover the truth to find out if Nick is responsible for her disappearance.

What's fun about this book is that it is written from the perspectives of both Amy and Nick. Each chapter alternates between the two viewpoints and acts as diary entries from the married couple. Amy's diary begins on the day she first meets Nick. Nick's diary begins on the day Amy goes missing. It's a very intriguing story with plenty of twists and turns to keep you riveted until the very end. Unfortunately for the reader though, the end is where this book lacks the most. It seems to just drop off - giving the reader very little closure. Overall though a very good read. And as disappointing as the ending was it actually doesn't take away enough of the storyline to leave you feeling like you were robbed.

Side note: Reese Witherspoon's production company has reportedly obtained the film rights to this book and plans to begin production later this year. Can't wait to see who they cast as our two main characters!

Waiting To Be Heard by Amanda Knox

I'm a sucker for a good true-crime anything. I'm the weirdo that would usually rather watch a bloody gory crime show than a comedy. So finally getting to hear Amanda Knox tell her side of the story was something I couldn't wait for.

Like most of America, I was enamored by the Amanda Knox trial in Italy. But unfortunately for us here in the United States, everything was in Italian...and any trial footage they did show no one could understand. It made it very hard to form my own opinion about the case without the "help" of the media and press. I will say though, that I never thought Amanda killed Meredith Kercher - never. Her innocence in that was something I never doubted. What I wasn't convinced of though was if she knew about it ahead of time, or if she was there the night it happened. I also had no clue who Amanda Knox was. The media portrayed her as this rebellious sex-crazed party girl who just couldn't control herself. From day one I never got that feeling about her, but I also know how good some people are at putting up a front.

All that to say that I went into this book with a very open mind. You have to. If you've already got these preconceived notions about her then this will be a waste of your time because they won't change just because some pages were written well. This was a very intriguing read, and different from most. I knew exactly how this story ended but I still found myself riveted to every page. If there is one thing I did learn it's just how much influence the media has over the way we perceive certain situations, people, places, and things. The media over in Italy pegged Amanda as guilty before she was even named a person of interest, let alone a suspect. By the time she was actually taken to trial everyone had already made up their mind. The legal system in Italy is very different from ours here. Jurors weren't sequestered and had access to as much television, radio, and Internet as they wanted throughout the course of the trial. The way the cops collected evidence was so incredibly flawed that it wouldn't have even been admissible over here, yet was the nail in the coffin against her over there (at one point they took pictures of a piece of evidence and then put it back on the floor and left it there for three days before they actually collected it!). Seriously. The legal aficionado in me about had an aneurysm. The guy tapped to prosecute her was so shady that he was actually arrested not long after her conviction was overturned for his own issues involving a type of obstruction of justice.

Am I now convinced that she is completely and 100% innocent? No. There are still a few things that don't quite add up. But what I do know is that she didn't kill her roommate, and that the way she was portrayed by the Italian (and often times American) media was completely defamatory. I really recommend this book but like I said, approach it with an open mind.