Shelter

by Harlan Coben

Mickey Bolitar's dad has just died in a car accident, and his mom is in rehab for drug addiction. He's moved to a new town so he can stay with his Uncle Myron while his mom gets healthy. At school, he meets Ashley, and he realizes he's quickly falling for her. Then one day, Ashley's gone. No call, no text, no goodbye. His search for her leads him on one wild goose chase after another, and he begins to uncover secrets that could cost him, and the people he loves, everything.

I tore through this, turning pages as fast as I could, and it seemed like the end of every chapter had another jaw-dropping surprise. BUT.. then I got to the ending, and it just didn't jive for me. It was way too far-fetched, and the timeline didn't make any sense. I'll still recommend it, though, since the rest of it was so good. If you read it, come talk to me about the ending--I'm dying to know what you think!

A Tale Dark & Grimm

by Adam Gidwitz

This is the story of Hansel and Gretel...like you've never heard it before. Narrated by the author in a hilarious, slightly sarcastic, and somehow also creepy voice, the famous fairy tale turns into something completely unique.

Beheadings, dragons, evil witches, and poor parenting haunt these two unfortunate siblings, leaving you guessing until the end whether or not they can overcome their bad luck.

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous

by Georgia Bragg

This book is exactly what it sounds like it is--the stories of the deaths of famous people. The author recounts the morbid, weird, controversial, and fascinating deaths of 19 people, from King Tut to Albert Einstein. Warning: some of the things doctors used to do in the name of trying to cure people were pretty disgusting, and here those things are described in great detail. While the author does list an extensive bibliography, from which she researched, her qualifications as a historian are never listed, and a factual mistake in the Henry VIII chapter further places this book strictly in the entertainment category. A fun, interesting read, if you take it with a grain of salt.