I'm 14 books into my 50 book goal for 2020 and I'm ready to talk about the best so far.
1. The River at Night by Erica Ferencik (2017)
When I turn the book over and read the blurb I was instantly captivated. It reads like a survival horror movie. If you're into that genre of book or you have trouble staying interested in a book I think you'd love The River at Night. This book follows the story of a group of girlfriends in their mid 30s going on vacation and getting lost deep in the wilderness of Maine. There's a horrible accident while they're rafting, and Wini and her friends are left to find their way out of the wilderness and protect themselves from the wild and supposed saviors they meet along the way.
If you're sensitive to gory details, I'd skip this one.
2. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly (2003)
This book takes place in 1906 and follows the life of a 16 year old girl named Mattie. Grace Brown is a guest staying at the hotel Mattie works at who gives her a pile of letters to burn. Grace later turns up dead in a nearby lake before Mattie made up her mind on what to do with the letters. Those letters end up being Mattie's only way of piecing together Grace's mysterious death. The whole reason I brought this book home with me is because I was expecting to be thrilled by a suspenseful murder mystery which isn't actually how things worked out. Hear me out, Mattie is a clever young character trying to pursue her dreams of being a college student while struggling to gain the approval of a father who doesn't agree with her dreams, younger siblings she's left taking care of after her mother died, and in the midst of the damage her brother leaving home caused. Mattie's story ended up being far more interesting than the sprinkled bits of Grace's murder which is something I think is important to mention.
3. The Lost Girls by Heather Young (2017)
Where to begin with this one? In the summer 1935 a 6 year old girl named Emily goes missing from her family's vacation home in Minnesota and never returns. The story starts off with Emily's older sister, Lucy in her final days writing in her journal to the grandniece she'll be leaving all of her possessions to. Lucy's journal entries of the past are sprinkled between Justine's present point of view. Justine leaves the state with her two daughters to get away from her manipulative boyfriend and start over. This book covers 5 generations full of a lot of dark backstory. There's a very repetitive theme of emotionally damaged female characters making poor decisions which grew tiresome at times. Overall, I still think it's thrilling enough to be worth a read.
4. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Vol. 1: The Crucible by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (2016)
This chilling graphic novel seems like the perfect way to end this Take. I'm sure many of you have at least heard of the Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I tried giving the show a try but couldn't get into it for the life of me. The art style is gorgeous and it's filled with a bunch of new words just waiting to be discovered. I find the book much better than the show. It's a pretty busy story line so I'm not even gonna try summarizing it in my own words... On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, the young sorceress Sabrina Spellman finds herself at a crossroads, having to choose between an unearthly destiny and her mortal boyfriend, Harvey. But a foe from her family's past has arrived in Greendale, Madame Satan, and she has her own deadly agenda.
If any of you have any book recommendations, I'm all ears.
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