Dandy Books TBR

Dandy Books is a feature in which I share some of the many books in my to-be-read pile. Check out the previous Dandy Books.

All the Pretty Girls/J.T Ellison
Release Date: 2007
Series: Yes, there are six books out so far.

Some secrets should stay buried.
When a local girl falls prey to a sadistic serial killer, Nashville Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson and her lover, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, find themselves in a joint investigation pursuing a vicious murderer. The Southern Strangler is slaughtering his way through the Southeast, leaving a gruesome memento at each crime scene -- the prior victim's severed hand.
Ambitious TV reporter Whitney Connolly is certain the Southern Strangler is her ticket out of Nashville; she's got a scoop that could break the case. She has no idea how close this story really is -- or what it will cost her.
As the killer spirals out of control, everyone involved must face a horrible truth -- that the purest evil is born of private lies.


Some reviews:
4/5
This is J.T. Ellison's first novel, though you'd never know it. Ellison writes likes she's got a string of bestsellers behind her.
I found the characters interesting and believable, with little human quirks that brought them to life. The plot kept me guessing and turning pages. While this was a story about tracking a serial killer, there was not the usual blood and gore that tends to come with this genre. There was also not a lot of cursing. Ellison holds the reader's attention with character development and intrigue, rather than a lot of gory details.
All The Pretty Girls is the first book in Ellison's Taylor Jackson series. If you're looking for a new mystery/suspense series that will keep you on the edge without totally creeping you out, this one's for you.
-Darcia Helle

2/5
In comparison to some of my favorite mystery writers (Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler) this falls short.

Characters and plot were predictable. Perhaps I'm a bit over-critical after immersing myself in mystery novels and tv shows as well as majoring in creative writing in college, but there wasn't a lot beyond the stereotype - brooding female detective/cop bucking her family's expectations/stereotype, in a relationship with a man's man officer, out for justice but also enjoys being "one of the boys." A jerk husband, a family secret. I didn't find anything unexpected.

However, the book was decent, and if you're looking for light summer reading, you might enjoy it.
-Anna Kristina



The Life of Glass/Jillian Cantor
Release Date: Feb. 2010

Before he died, Melissa's father told her about stars. He told her that the brightest stars weren't always the most beautiful—that if people took the time to look at the smaller stars, if they looked with a telescope at the true essence of the star, they would find real beauty. But even though Melissa knows that beauty isn't only skin deep, the people around her don't seem to feel that way. There's her gorgeous sister, Ashley, who will barely acknowledge Melissa at school; there's her best friend, Ryan, who may be falling in love with the sophisticated Courtney; and there's Melissa's mother, who's dating someone new, someone Melissa knows will never be able to replace her father.

To make sure she doesn't lose her father completely, Melissa spends her time trying to piece together the last of his secrets and finishing a journal he began—one about love and relationships and the remarkable ways people find one another. But when tragedy strikes, Melissa has to start living and loving in the present as she realizes that being beautiful on the outside doesn't mean you can't be beautiful on the inside.

This is a lyrical tale of love, loss, and self-discovery from the author ofThe September Sisters.

Some reviews:
5/5
The Life of Glass is one of those books, one of those books that encompasses the whole high school/growing up experience and in my opinion the author does it beautifully. 
...
So as I mentioned the focus of the book is not just on Melissa and dealing with her grief but it's also about her family and how they move on, her friends (new and old in school) and finding love for the first time. I hated the way that Melissa's sister Ashley treated her and even her mother sometimes, they were sort of off in their own little world but what was really impressive was that Melissa didn't really care that she was not like them and did her own thing. Yes she grows and changes and finds more in common with them but she still remains her own person and I think that's one of the most important messages in the book. 
-Pop Culture Junkie

Fairly predictable book about grief, love and moving on.
-Heather


No and Me/Delphine de Vigan
Release Date: Aug. 2010

The international award-winning story of two girls from different backgrounds, united in friendship

Parisian teenager Lou has an IQ of 160, OCD tendencies, and a mother who has suffered from depression for years. But Lou is about to change her life—and that of her parents—all because of a school project about homeless teens. While doing research, Lou meets No, a teenage girl living on the streets. As their friendship grows, Lou bravely asks her parents if No can live with them, and is astonished when they agree. No’s presence forces Lou’s family to come to terms with a secret tragedy. But can this shaky, newfound family continue to live together when No’s own past comes back to haunt her?

Winner of the prestigious Booksellers’ Prize in France, No and Me is a timely and thought-provoking novel about homelessness that has far-reaching appeal.

Some reviews:
4/5
This is a truely incredible novel about the reality of life for a homeless girl and her impact on the family that wanted to save her. The detail and presentation of this author on such a truely controversial topic had me at the edge of seat throughout the story. The two main characters of this novel are incredibly detailed allowing the reader to feel the story. ...
-Book Whisperer

2/5
Okay book (been a couple of months at the time of writing this since I read it), but choppily written and slightly unrealistic characters. plot is somewhat predictable, but it's still entertaining.
-Cecilie


Feel free to let me know which you're interested in or if you've read them and what you thought. 


~~T.V and Book Addict~~