The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

 The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger-360 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Andrea "Andy" Sachs is an aspiring journalist fresh out of college. She takes a job as Miranda Priestly's (the fashion editor) assistant at Runway magazine to get some experience and hopefully be on the fast track to a good job, preferably at The New Yorker. Andy got way more than she bargained for. Miranda is the most demanding, most cruel and indifferent boss a person could ever have. She calls at all hours and seems never to sleep. Every little detail seems like an emergency and Miranda is never polite with anyone. Andy does learn a lot about fashion, but she also ends up alienating herself from her friends, boyfriend, and family. I've previously seen the movie, but this was my first time reading the book. I enjoyed reading the book. It's a pretty good book, overall. 

 Surfside Sisters by Nancy Thayer - 304 pages


Growing up, Keely and her best friend, Isabelle, were inseparable. Both girls wanted to become authors.  Nothing could come between them—except, as it turned out, Keely’s high school boyfriend, Tommy. 

Through the many twists and turns, one achieves her dream, but love has evaded her.  The other has a beautiful family but has not achieved her dream of becoming a novelist.

I enjoyed this book and the characters.  Nancy Thayer writes an uplifting tale of family, love and forgiveness.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Flinn

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
448 pages / 13 hrs, 42 mins

"Anna Fox lives alone--a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times...and spying on her neighbors.

"Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn't, her world begins to crumble--and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

"What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one--and nothing--is what it seems."  --from the publisher

What a great psychological thriller! It is well written, and it captivated me from the outset. The ending wasn't a complete surprise, but the plot twists made me gasp along the way. I give it four out of five stars.

The Lost City Explorers, Volume 1 by Zack Kaplan, Mike Marts (Editor), Álvaro Sarraseca (Contributor)

The Lost City Explorers, Volume 1 by Zack Kaplan,  Mike Marts (Editor), Álvaro Sarraseca (Contributor) - 120 pages

Lost cities aren't just the stuff of myths. They exist hidden right under our noses. But when a mysterious expedition is disrupted by supernatural activity, and an antiquities professor goes missing, his teenage daughter and her friends must become underground urban explorers, follow his tracks on a coming-of-age journey through subterranean tunnels, and ultimately find the holy grail of lost city: Atlantis buried right under New York City!

Explore science fiction and archeology in this new adventure series by Zack Kaplan (Eclipse, Port of Earth) and Alvaro Sarraseca (Magnus, Turok).

What If It's Us by Becky Albetalli & Adam Silvera

What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera - 437 pages

Arthur is only in New York City for the summer when he meets Ben at the post office.  There's a connection but they both fail to get the other's name or phone number.  Luckily, they follow the clues to find each other.  But will that be enough for the universe to let them stay together?

I read this after reading another book by Becky Albertalli.  Unfortunately, I did not like this book as much.  It relied way too much on coincidence and luck to advance the plot line.  Still, I think teens would enjoy the story.

All Day and a Night by Alafair Burke

All Day and a Night by Alafair Burke - 368 pages
Ellie Hatcher Series Book #5

NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher and her partner have been tasked to be a "new look" team to review a closed case where the conviction is being called into question when there is a new murder matching the MO of that convicted criminal who is currently in jail without parole.  The characters are well written and the suspense is good for the most part.  I did see who the killer was coming from a ways out but it was interesting to see the other characters get to that conclusion as more information became clear.

The courtroom procedure in this book seems a little suspect to me even as just a layman who gets my knowledge from court TV shows and Law and Order reruns.  The court is very quick to let someone convicted of serial murder out of jail based on just one hearing regarding possible new evidence.  Also, I wonder how common it is for NYPD detectives to roam the countryside in upper New York state investigating crimes that didn't happen in their jurisdiction.  

This series is good for a casual read but lacks any real urgency keeping me on pins and needles waiting for the next installment.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, 413 pages

They were the perfect couple- perfect looks, perfect home, perfect jobs...until it all started to unravel. In the blink of an eye, both jobs are gone. Then a sudden illness in the family and their lives are turned upside down. So long NYC apartment, hello Missouri!

Full of twists and turns, this book will keep you guessing - just when you think you have it all figured out the book starts a new "act".

I enjoyed the story very much...the ending was very disappointing however!  Soon to be released as a motion picture starring Ben Affleck. Rumors are the ending to the movie does not follow the book. This is one situation where I hope the movie ending is very different form the book!

NYPD Red 2 by James Patterson & Marshall Karp

NYPD Red 2 by James Patterson & Marshall Karp, 392 pages

The latest by James Patterson is the second in the NYPD Red series.  NYPD Red is an exclusive division of the New York City Police Department that handles high profile and celebrity cases. In this book, Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald have to stop the Hazmat Killer before he strikes again.  High profile people are turning up murdered after they themselves have committed heinous crimes wherein the Hazmat Killer gets the people to confess their crimes on video before he kills them. Another suspenseful thriller from James Patterson.

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman- 298 pgs.

This book is getting a lot of buzz right now because of the TV show based off it airing on Netflix.  Because of that and a recommendation by a friend, I decided to give it a shot.  During an adventurous time in her life, Piper Kerman became tangled with a woman who involved Kerman in the drug world.  After delivering a large amount of cash for a drug payment, Kerman got scared and left the world of drugs  and started to live a normal life. Or so she thought.  10 years later, she was arrested and sentenced to a year in federal prison.  She learned a lot about herself and others during this stay.  This was a fast and enjoyable read.  It is a very good example of how your past can come back to haunt you.

The Dead & the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

The Dead & The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer-308 pages

This is the second book in Pfeffer's Last Survivor's series.  In the first book, Life as We Knew It, an asteroid has collided with the moon which knocked it closer to Earth.  Because of the different gravitational pull, all sorts of natural disasters happen and you find out how a family in Pennsylvania deal with the hardships.  In The Dead and The Gone, the perspective if from a teenage boy living in New York City and the things he must do to take care of himself and his two sisters after the moon is hit.  I was hesitant to read this because I liked Life as We Knew It so much and really felt that it could have been a stand alone.  I don't think this lived up to the first novel, but it was nice to read a different perspective.

The Husband List by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly

The Husband List by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly, 309 pages

I don't think I have been more disappointed in a book then I was in this one.  I was anxiously awaiting this one because I liked the last book they wrote together, Love in a Nutshell.  This book was not at all what I was hoping for.  The book is set in 1894 in New York City.  Caroline Maxwell has to find a mate.  Her mother sets her sights on Lord Bremerton from England.  Caroline would much rather be fixed up with Jack, her brother Eddie's good buddy.  What ensues is predictable and boring.  I am not sure if it is this time period or the characters, but the story was very slow and bland.  There was no depth to the characters.  I have read a lot of Janet Evanovich's other romances and found them quite entertaining, but this particular book was a snooze fest.

New Year's Eve Murder by Leslie Meier

New Year's Eve Murder by Leslie Meier, 250 pages

Lucy Stone and her daughter Elizabeth have won a mother/daughter makeover contest through Jolie magazine.  They win an all expense paid trip from Maine to New York.  Things go from glamour and fun to disaster when the beauty editor is found dead supposedly from the flu.  But, when Elizabeth is hospitalized with the same illness, more investigating finds it was not the flu but anthrax.  This kind of dates the book when everyone was worried about anthrax poisoning.  If you like Janet Evanovich, you might like Leslie Meier.  Her books are light mystery reads that are fun to read.

NYPD Red by James Patterson

NYPD Red by James Patterson, 368 pages

James Patterson's new bestseller does not fail to deliver on fast pace thrills and action.  When Hollywood comes to New York for Hollywood on the Hudson, some power players end up dead.  Zach Jordan of NYPD Red is paired with his ex girlfriend, Kyle McDonald to solve the crimes.   With inside information, the Chameleon is the one writing the script to true crime.  This was a fast paced read I could not put down.

I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, 383 pgs
Michael Bennett is a New York City police detective who is trying to bust a big time drug lord, Perrine.  The cops set up a sting to lure him back in the country for his daughter's college graduation.  This makes Michael Bennett and his nanny, Mary Catherine and his many children targets for revenge.  Michael takes the family to the family cabin in Newburgh, New York to escape, but somehow his two sons get entangled in a bad drug deal and become wounded.  Michael seeks to venge his family.  In the end Perrine ends up in jail and Michael's family ends up in witness protection.