The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked it, don't get me wrong. I just kind of felt like the end kind of fizzled out. I guess part of the end was supposed to be a big shocker and it felt more like "yeah, who cares?" But aside from the very end, I liked it a lot.

It reminded me alot of Jodi Picoult's novels. But not in a copy-cat way. More like imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

The story is about a young girl named CeeCee Wilkes who falls in love with a guy and gets caught up in his plan to kidnap the governor's wife. The woman is pregnant and goes into labor, and ends up dying. CeeCee takes the baby and raises her as her own. It's not a mystery or anything - you know from the very beginning that she ends up confessing everything years later to save the guy from being sentenced to death for the kidnapped woman's murder.

I really liked the book - it was very captivating. Even though you pretty much know the ending from the beginning, it still keeps you interested. It was a good book, it just didn't "wow" me. I'd be willing to read more of her books though.

This was book #30. Next up is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith. This should be very interesting.

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

I just finished this book and I have to say it was the first book in a little while that I felt the need to just sit down and devour regardless of what else I could be doing.

I mentioned before that I was having trouble getting into the book, and I definitely did. It's a library book, due back tomorrow, and I had told myself if I didn't finish it by then I would take it back regardless. I can only think of 2 books ever that I never finished, so that says alot. Of course, by yesterday, I was so into it that I was going to renew it if I needed to. I don't need to. =)

The book is about a lady, Roseanne McNulty, who is 100 years old, living in a mental instituion in Ireland that is scheduled to be closed. Dr. Grene must evaluate her to decide if she was committed because she was truly insane or if she could be released. (Like a 100 year old woman without any family could survive outside of some institution, but that's not the point) The story alternates between her written account of her life and Dr. Grene's written account of his evaluation.

I guess what finally hooked me was that he doesn't just lay out the reason she was committed and I just had to know. The book got progressively easier to read for me as it went on. I will say I was honestly shocked at the end. Like my jaw literally dropped open shocked.

I'm glad I stuck with the book and it was worth the struggle in the beginning. It would be an awesome audio book, I bet... I love a good Irish accent. =) I believe this was #27 on my 101 books. Next is The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes.