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!