Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me (Howie Mandel)

I had received Howie Mandel's book as a gift so I was excited when I finally had an opportunity to take some time to read it.  I had chosen this book as my "A book that is funny" choice, since I had recently been watching a lot of "America's Got Talent" and realized how funny I think Howie Mandel is. 

I loved this book.  It was the perfect mix of funny, embarrassing, heartwarming, and honest.  Howie speaks truthfully about his ADHD and "germophobia" and helps us to truly understand the challenges that he goes through.  It puts these issues in a whole new light and allows us to begin to understand the complexities of the OCD he faces. 

There were so many funny stories in the book where Howie recounts pranks he pulled on others and encounters he's had with various people.  There were also more serious stories, where he talks about health concerns and other struggles. 

Though the book is a little more dated now, since it discusses Howie's days on the TV show Deal or No Deal, it's still recommended by me since it's equally as funny and true.  I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who likes nonfiction, Howie Mandel, or comedy. 

My 2015 Reading List Update

• A popular author's first book
• A book that was originally written in a different language
• A book written by an author with your same initials - In a Class by Itself (Sandra Brown)
• A memoir - Some Girls: My Life in a Harem (Jillian Lauren)
• A funny book - Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me (Howie Mandel)
• A book with a colour in the title
• A book you own but have never read - Six Years (Harlan Coben)
• A book with a one-word title
• A book written by someone under 30
• A book you can finish in a day
• A book with non-human characters
• A book set during Christmas

In a Class by Itself (Sandra Brown)

It's been a while since I've read this book, but I shall do my best!

I read "In a Class by Itself" by Sandra Brown as part of my 2015 Reading List (which I doubt I'll be able to finish at this point!) as my choice for book by an author with the same initials as myself.  I had heard good things about Sandra Brown and she seems to be a very popular author, so I chose one of the many books on the library bookshelf and ended up with this one.

Dani and Logan have a history together, which causes some tension and brings up some old memories when they return for their high school reunion.  When Dani returns, she has some questions to ask Logan and Logan is also looking for some answers about their past.

From what I remember, seeing as I read this book about 6 months ago, it was an easy read and also had a few twists at the end.  I hadn't been able to predict what their past involved or what their current challenges were.

It was a good book, though written in the 1980s, and still contains a nice love story for those who want some romance.  Considering when the novel was written, it contained more details about ther relationship than what I would have expected.  Recommended for someone who likes their romance novels. 

My 2015 Reading List Update

• A popular author's first book
• A book that was originally written in a different language
• A book written by an author with your same initials - In a Class by Itself (Sandra Brown)
• A memoir - Some Girls: My Life in a Harem (Jillian Lauren)
• A funny book
• A book with a colour in the title
• A book you own but have never read - Six Years (Harlan Coben)
• A book with a one-word title
• A book written by someone under 30
• A book you can finish in a day
• A book with non-human characters
• A book set during Christmas

Six Years (Harlan Coben)

I always know that I won't be disappointed when I read a Harlan Coben novel.  This one was no exception.

Jake meets Natalie and they fall in love.  All of a sudden, she's marrying another man and informs Jake that he shouldn't try to contact her again and that he needs to move on.  Six years later, when he sees Natalie's husbands obituary, he tries to reach out and offer his condolences.  That's when things start to get a little weird.

Within the first few chapters, you get to know the characters and then all of a sudden you notice that things aren't lining up properly.  As a reader, I felt as much confusion as what Jake felt as he was trying to put together all of the pieces.  Why did Natalie leave him six years ago for another man?  What has happened in her life since then?  Why didn't she want to have anything to do with him anymore?

Without giving anything away (because apparently my new nickname is "Spoiler-Alert-Sarah"), I will say that I loved how many details there were in the book and how they all intertwined and finally make sense near the end of the book.  There were times when I felt confused and scared for the characters.

If you're into the mystery books, you'll be into this one.  I love how Harlan Coben writes books that are full of suspense and mystery, yet don't have all of the gore and terrifying details that some mystery books have.

You should make this book the last one you read during your summer vacation!




I'm a little concerned that I won't have time to finish my 2015 Reading List... But I'm not AS far behind as I look!  I have a couple blogs waiting to be posted!
As some of you know, I will be starting my Master's of Education this fall, so I won't be spending as much time reading novels since I will be spending more time reading textbooks!  I'll try to make these last couple of weeks count - and I'll also be able to finish up some novels during Christmas!

My 2015 Reading List Update

• A popular author's first book
• A book that was originally written in a different language
• A book written by an author with your same initials
• A memoir - Some Girls: My Life in a Harem (Jillian Lauren)
• A funny book
• A book with a colour in the title
• A book you own but have never read - Six Years (Harlan Coben)
• A book with a one-word title
• A book written by someone under 30
• A book you can finish in a day
• A book with non-human characters
• A book set during Christmas

We Were Liars (E. Lockart)

"We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart was a very interesting read. 

The writing style was different than other books I would typically read and to be honest, it took me a while to get used to the writing.  Sentences are short.  Or broken up.  Into many parts.  Or divided onto different lines.  I'm not sure of the purpose for writing in this style other than to make us stop and think for a bit or to have us try to put ourselves more in the mind of  the main character and what her thought processes may be like.

In an effort to not give you any spoilers, I don't want to share too much about the book, except the fact that I didn't really understand everything that was going on until the end.  The story finished nicely when all of the pieces fit together and the reader finally understands what has happened.  All of the weird things that happen throughout the book kind of make sense once you figure out the big ending of the story.

I would recommend this book - and despite the length of time it took me to read it, I would say that it's a quick read! 


On another note, I don't think that this book truly fits in anywhere on my 2015 Reading Challenge.  But the next one I read will!

My 2015 Reading List Update

• A popular author's first book
• A book that was originally written in a different language
• A book written by an author with your same initials
• A memoir - Some Girls: My Life in a Harem (Jillian Lauren)
• A funny book
• A book with a colour in the title
• A book you own but have never read
• A book with a one-word title
• A book written by someone under 30
• A book you can finish in a day
• A book with non-human characters
• A book set during Christmas

Some Girls: My Life in a Harem (Jillian Lauren)

I've finished my first book of 2015 - which also fits into my 2015 Reading List!

I started reading "Some Girls: My Life in a Harem" because it was recommended by my mom. It's the story of a girl who moves from a difficult situation in the United States into a quite different situation in Singapore.  She is promised a large sum of money if she moves across the world to attend parties for Prince Jefri.  The ladies fight over his time and attention during their stays in Brunei.  She's treated fairly well, has caught the prince's eye, and receives quite the perks with this 'employment.'

Although the title and overall idea of the book may discourage some people from picking it up, I enjoyed Jillian's story.  Despite this book sounding like a "deep" content book, it was easy to read and wasn't a depressing tale of a girl's life-gone-bad. It was an interesting read and provided quite a different view than the reality that we see in North America.

I would recommend this book for those who like non-fiction books and for those who enjoy stories about people who live different and interesting lives.  It was definitely a book I would recommend to others! 


My 2015 Reading List Update

• A popular author's first book
• A book that was originally written in a different language
• A book written by an author with your same initials
• A memoir - Some Girls: My Life in a Harem (Jillian Lauren)
• A funny book
• A book with a colour in the title
• A book you own but have never read
• A book with a one-word title
• A book written by someone under 30
• A book you can finish in a day
• A book with non-human characters
• A book set during Christmas

My 2015 Reading List

Let's be honest - I failed a little bit in 2014.  I'm a wee embarassed at the lack of reading I have done in the last year... I'm not going to call it a new year's resolution (because those hardly ever work), but I will call it "making sure that I'm taking enough time to relax in 2015." 

A friend of mine posted the PopSugar reading challenge recently, which prompted me to choose some of my favourites from their list and create my own 2015 Reading List.  I'm obviously hoping to read more than 12 books this year (I mean, I did receive some books for Christmas that I definitely want to read but that wouldn't fit into these categories!), however I think this list will give me a good reason to diversify my reading in the new year! 

I've chosen 12 prompts for 2015... And will hopefully complete at least one per month throughout the year!  I haven't yet chosen which books I want to read for each prompt - we could call it procrastinating, but I think it gives me some time to really think about what my options are for these categories.

• A popular author's first book
• A book that was originally written in a different language
• A book written by an author with your same initials
• A memoir
• A funny book
• A book with a colour in the title
• A book you own but have never read
• A book with a one-word title
• A book written by someone under 30
• A book you can finish in a day
• A book with non-human characters
• A book set during Christmas

Feel free to leave a comment with any suggestions for my 12 categories!  

Insurgent and Allegiant (Veronica Roth)

This post is way overdue! I finished the third "Divergent" series book in November and have been slacking on getting something posted about the series.  Possibly my lack of motivation to write about these books is because I'm still digesting the ending and that I don't want to spoil anything for those who are reading the series (or watching the movies) - since I know I've already revealed the biggest spoiler alert to two friends while discussing my surprise at the ending to these books. 

Personally, I enjoyed "Divergent" more than I enjoyed "Insurgent" or "Allegiant," but all followed the same theme and used the same characters, so it was still an enjoyable series! 

The last two books in the series were just as jam-packed with adventure as the first one and still included all of the drama between characters. 

I honestly just don't want to ruin these ones for you!  (I even have a friend who has read 80% of the third book and refuses to read the ending because she just doesn't want to live with the ending.)

If you enjoyed the first book, you will enjoy these two as well!