'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

This was a really good book. I am a huge fan of vampire literature... and yes, I know, it's overdone, and mostly trashy romance stuff now. (Even though I like some of those trashy vamp novels) But still, it's a solid genre if you find the right books. And this is the right kinda book.

This is the story of Ben Mears, a writer, who goes back to Jerusalem's Lot, Maine to face a fear that has plagued him since he was a kid. The Marsten House. A legend of sleepy 'Salem's Lot, believed to be haunted due to the original owners who met an untimely demise via murder-suicide and the questionable lifestyle they led. Shortly after Ben's arrival, he discovers he isn't the only new face in the Lot, and they too are interested in the Marsten House. Soon creepy things start happening, like the dead dog found on the cemetery's spiked fence and the increase in deaths and disappearances.

If you're looking for sexy vampires who sparkle or who are companionable, then forget this book. These vamps are blood thirsty fiends inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula. While this is not the scariest book, especially not for King, it has lots of great creepy atmosphere and tense action. It's also not nearly as wordy and overly descriptive as King usually is, so if that turns you off from his books typically, don't let it with this one. I highly recommend this book.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

This book is phenomenal!! I loved it and can not wait for Insurgent, the second book in the series, to come out on May 1st. It's exciting, fast paced, and while the dystopian genre is being done and done again right now, this one is as good as Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games, yet nothing like it.  And if you've read The Hunger Games, then you know why I use that as the measuring stick for this genre.

Society has been divided into 5 factions; Candor, Abnegation, Erudite, Amity, and Dauntless. Once you turn 16 you're given a test, and from the results, are placed into one of the 5 factions. The main character, Beatrice, is up to take the test and her results are less then normal, placing her in a very dangerous, secret category. Upon going to her new faction, she discovers what bravery truly is and that the peace established by the factions is not as sound as they would have you believe.

This is a fantastic coming of age story, full of action, discovery, and a little romance too. It's all the more impressive when you find out that the author wrote this book her senior year of college and is only in her early 20's. If you are into dystopian/action literature, then do yourself a favor and read this.

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

This is my first entry from my book club reading list. It is not a book I would have chosen at all since I am not a fan of Nicholas Sparks. As a matter of fact, I am grossly opposed to anything by him. BUT I am not opposed to being a team player, nor am I opposed to trying books that I would normally shrug off without thought. So while I wasn't really looking forward to it, and I was definitely not blown away, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting either.

Safe Haven is a about a woman, Katie, who has a lot of baggage she'd rather keep hidden. She moves to a small North Carolina town hoping to stay off the radar until she can move on again. Little does she know, she will make attachments she had never intended and was certain she never wanted, with the likes of local widow Alex and his kids. Now she battles with the reality that getting comfortable may put her at greater risk then she ever wanted to be in again. Does she stay and start over despite her legitimate fears or does she cut her ties and skip town risking her heart as well as his?

This book was rather dull in my opinion. Sparks is a lack luster writer, his characters are two dimensional, and I particularly find his dialogue to be unengaging and forgettable. I did however feel for the main character. Her fear was very real to me, and I suppose Spark's does deserve credit for that. If you like books that are steeped in reality (including all the mundane things that entails), mixed with romance, drama, and sadness, then you will probably enjoy this book.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This book is so amazing. Gut wrenchingly beautiful and tragic, it's rawness and poignancy will haunt you. The characters are believable and likable. Green's ability to write dialogue and tell a story is phenomenal, especially considering it is told in the voice of a dying teenage girl, which he is neither.

The main character of this book is Hazel. A teenage girl who has had terminal cancer since she was 13. Thanks to a miraculous (and fictional) cancer drug, her tumors have stopped growing thus extending her "life". Hazel had resigned herself to a life of cancer treatments and minimal "real world" interactions, when low and behold, a new guy, Augustus Waters, attends her cancer kid support group. Augustus not only brings a new body to the group, but also a new season to Hazel's life. Augustus helps Hazel experience a life she never thought she would get the chance to experience, and we get the pleasure of going on the ride with them.

I strongly suggest this book make an appearance in your life. While the sadness I experienced through this book was immense, I am glad to have experienced it. Because as it says in the book, "That's the thing about pain...it demands to be felt."

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

I picked this little gem up from my local library and I loved it. It's beautiful, sad, hopeful, and interesting.

The Language of Flowers tells the story of main character, Victoria Jones. Victoria is a young women who is emancipating out the state of California's foster system. Having been in it since infancy, Victoria has become a cold distant person who refuses to allow attachment to anyone or thing. The only thing Victoria loves in this world are flowers and the old Victorian language flowers were once used for. Once emancipated, being homeless and unemployed, Victoria looks for work and finds it with a local florist who sees Victoria's natural talent with arrangement making. Soon Victoria is carving out her own niche with her unique arrangements based on the antiquated language of flowers. But Victoria finds herself facing ghosts from her past and fighting attachments she thought she never wanted.

This is a story of redemption and learning to forgive one's self. It is a story of new beginnings and relationships that heal old wounds. It's a revelation that sometimes the biggest skeleton in one's closet is the one you've refused to let out, the one only you care about.