91. Read and Review 100 Books (24/100) The Passage - Justin Cronin

' “It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.” 

First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun. '

There are these special kind of books, you know the ones... they're the ones that you absolutely devour.. that you cannot wait to find out what happens next, and so you turn the pages with reckless abandon.. you become so engaged in the world of the story and the characters and then suddenly you realise.. at some point this book has to end.. the plot pulling you forward yet your yearning for more holding you back... its a delicious feeling!! This book is without a doubt one of those books!!

The first book in what is planned to be a trilogy... another novel all about vampires (although these vampires are the result of a military experiment gone wrong and not because of some bat bite or seductive and pleasurable sharing of blood) however you'll hardly be 'Team such and such' at the end of this thrilling ride.. far from soft and cuddly.. these vampires are scary, evil, and set on consuming everything in the world that has a pulse... This is a story spanning over 800 pages and 100 years... and in the end.. it left me desperately wanting more... and just a tiny bit scared of the dark...

Get your hands on this book... devour it.... make sure your imagination has the chance to conjure up its own version of this terrifying future... before Hollywood undoubtedly gets their hands on it...

91. Read and Review 100 Books (23/100) Red Hook Road - Ayelet Waldman

'Set on the coast of Maine over the course of four summers, Red Hook Road tells the story of two families, the Tetherlys and the Copakens, and of the ways in which their lives are unraveled and stitched together by misfortune, by good intentions and failure, and by love and calamity. 

A marriage collapses under the strain of a daughter’s death; two bereaved siblings find comfort in one another; and an adopted young girl breathes new life into her family with her prodigious talent for the violin. As she writes with obvious affection for these unforgettable characters, Ayelet Waldman skillfully interweaves life’s finer pleasures—music and literature—with the more mundane joys of living. Within these resonant pages, a vase filled with wildflowers or a cold beer on a hot summer day serve as constant reminders that it’s often the little things that make life so precious.'

This novel was a little hit and miss for me... it seemed to reel me in, then lose me, then reel me back in, then lose me... until I finally just decided, you know what? I'm already half way through lets just finish what I've started. The scariest thing about this novel is the fact it made me think about my own life and the decisions my, and my husbands family would have to make if, god forbid, something were to happen to us as the Tetherlys and the Copakens arranged separate funerals for the newly weds because of religious requirements and traditions (The bride, Becca, was Jewish, the groom, John, Catholic) Yes, reading this novel prompted a number of macabre conversations in my household (but ultimately very important conversations to have.... to ensure that it really isn't until death do us part...). 

This book illustrates that there really is no quick fix for grief, that no set number of days, prayers, or distractions can take away the pain, and that family tragedies can forever scar those who are left behind.