In 70 C.E a group of about 900 Jewish rebels fled Jerusalem and settled in Masada, an ancient fortress high in the desert mountains and considered to be indestructible. There, they held out for months against armies of Romans. Read about four strong-willed and fiercely independent women. Learn their secrets and how their lives intersect.

Abby, a good girl (no swearing, no drinking) meets Travis, a bad boy (tough, fighter, tattooed) Travis is a very hot, charming womanizer who instantly becomes captivated by Abby. Abby is also instantly captivated by Travis, no matter how hard she tries not to be. He makes a deal with her and if he wins she has to live with him for a month.

This book is written it two parts, telling a story of a woman slipping into her darkest corner. Catherine's relationship with Lee is great until his true self begins to come out. He is controlling and abusive and thinks he is charming enough to manipulate the people around Catherine. Four years later, Cathy is suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress, and trying to get her life back on track.

The second book in the trilogy still has all the main characters - Christian, Ana, Ana's inner goddess, and Ana's subconscious. Christian spends lots of time playing with Ana's sex, which is down  there . The author still gets stuck on words. And as annoying as I found this book, it was still hard to put down.

Nine Stories I hated the repetitiveness. I mean I hated the repetitiveness. A few stories were okay, though. But for the most part they were confusing to me.

The first in a trilogy tells the story of how Ana and Christian meet and how they dive into an erotic relationship. Despite the author getting stuck on certain words and referring to down  there , I was addicted to this book.

An engrossing book that tells what it's like to be a black maid in Jackson, Mississippi during the 60's.

Icy Sparks has Tourette's. No one knew what was wrong with her and she was an outcast because of it. It had potential, but it never took me over the edge. It was boring, especially the ending.

The front and the back of the book intrigued me, along with the first few pages; unfortunately, the book was a big disappointment. I was genuinely bored throughout the whole thing and was relieved when I finally finished it. A long, drawn out, predictable story about a rich woman who becomes almost poor after her husband's suicide. She moves from the city to her farmhouse in Vermont, and blah, blah, blah.

Naples Declared is a literary and historical travelogue about, you guessed it, Naples. Interesting little book. I admire the author's passion.

Yasuko divorced her abusive ex-husband, but that hasn't stopped him from finding out where she's living, and harassing her and her teenaged daughter. One night he ends up dead on Yusuko's apartment floor. Their neighbour knows what they've done and quickly devises a plan to cover up what really happened. The characters are well developed and believable, and the story is full of twists and turns that will shock you. This book was amazing. I received a free copy through Goodreads First Reads.

One Moment, One Morning tells the story of three women who are affected in different ways by a death that happened on a morning train. In a way it was a slow moving story, but at the same time it was a page turner. I found the characters to be realistic and well developed. The back cover was very intriguing. All in all I really enjoyed this book. I received a free copy through Goodreads First Reads

I picked this book up several times but could never make it past chapter two. I hated the way the boy talked. I don't know what made me keep picking it up, but finally I made it all the way through. And I really enjoyed it. Holden Caulfield is sixteen and has gotten expelled from prep school. Basically it's about going through your teenage years. Everyone's had those days where nothing goes right or you just don't care. That's what this book is about.

Eva Kor was ten years old when she was taken to Auschwitz, when everyone in her family, except her twin sister, was murdered, and when she fell into the hands of the Angel of Death. This is her story of survival and forgiveness.

Halfway through I found out this guy's a fake. Ruined it for me.

It sucks that he had to go through what happened in the Holocaust. I wish the Holocaust never happened. I also wish that I could say I liked this book. But I didn't.

Sunburnt is set up like a screenplay that tells the adventure Murphy goes on as he tries to find his estranged childhood best friend, who is now a banker, to find out the truth about the billions of dollars that has disappeared.  I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Anne Frank was Jewish. She kept a diary during the Holocaust of her feelings and what went on in the Annex. You can't deny she had talent and would've made it as a writer. Such a shame.

Just before Old Major dies, he describes a dream he had about a world where animals live free from their masters. After he dies, the rest of the animals on the farm plot revenge against their master mister Jones. Snowball and Napoleon (pigs) are important figures in the new movement. When their master neglects to feed them, the revolution happens and Jones and his men are chased off the farm. The farm is renamed to Animal Farm and Seven Commandments of Animalism were written. Jones eventually came back to recapture the farm, but was defeated. Animal farm expands and life becomes tough for the rest of the animals except for the pigs, who begin to express many qualities of their former master. The Seven Commandments are reduced to only one law which is that all animals are equal but some are more equal than others. In the end the rest of the animals cannot differentiate between human and pig. It’s a satire about the Communist takeover of Russia. The pigs represent the Communist leadershi

Hard-working supermom Claire gets into a car accident that leaves her with brain damage. She has a condition known as Left Neglect which means she is no longer aware of anything that's in the left side of her world.  Very well-written.

White Oleander Astrid is the only child of a single mother whose name is Ingrid. Ingrid is a brilliant and beautiful woman who is highly appreciative of beauty and looks down on people who do not possess it. She was always in control until she met Barry. Not used to rejection, she murders him and is sent to prison. Astrid is then sent to a series of foster homes, each one with a different challenge.

This is about a young girl. Death narrates her story. The way this book is written will draw you in from page one and will keep you wanting more.

Jaycee was kidnapped when she was eleven years old and held captive for eighteen years. When you read about what goes on during those years you'll be disgusted, you'll be angry, and you will be sad. When she becomes free, you will be extremely happy. I wish her nothing but the best.

This is a short, poetic book about the author’s journey through life. She tells us about her childhood in Saigon, coming to Quebec with the boat people from Vietnam at ten years old, her family.  At times I thoroughly enjoyed the way she made certain things come alive; for example “.. intensely craving a salad of green papaya with bird chilies that tore your mouth apart, that burned your lips, set fire to your heart.” p.121. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Liz was brought up by drug addicted parents. They lived in a filthy apartment. Liz, herself, was filthy. She was picked on in school, and began to stay home as a result. Read her story about how she survived and how she got her life turned around and made it into Harvard.  Very inspiring.