Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett

Written in blog form, this book is about a lonely, self-destructive teenage girl. When the book (or blog;-) starts, the un-named protaganist is at a stand still in her life: no ambition for college, doesn't want to work, feels she's been left behind while most of her friends go on to college. As the story goes on, her life starts to spiral more and more out of control. All the while, she's blogging it all for her reader's to get the inside view.

I read this book straight through in one day. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. I thought it was very well written, and the plot was like a train wreck: you know things will be bad, but you just can't look away. And, despite some despicable behavior by the main character, you can't help but root for her. It's a good reminder how someone's actions may show one thing, but inside they might be feeling very different.

Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford

Set in the early days of WW I, the book starts off with a favor. It's the famous Christmas Truce of 1914, when soldiers on both sides put down their weapons for a temporary cease-fire. During this time, an English soldier (Hal) meets a German soldier (Wilhelm) and promises to deliver a photograph to Wilhelm's English girlfriend. Just one problem: Hal finds himself falling for the girlfriend himself, when he goes to fulfill his promise.

It states on the back blurb of the book that the author is a historian. I think that really comes through in this book, with all the interesting period details. Although I started off thinking the book was going to be just another love story, the book is really much more than that, and has several twists in it that took me by surprise. I enjoyed this book, and will be watching for more historical fiction by this author.

The Spiders of Allah by James Hider

Non-fiction, this book is written by an atheist journalist who spent many months in Iraq as well as Israel. In addition to his personal experiences in the war zones (everything from being in Fallujah during the US invasion to suicide bombers blowing people to bits), he also writes about his personal views towards violence based on religious beliefs. There is also a bit of history of the peoples of Iraq and Israel thrown in , as well.
I'm agnostic with strong leanings towards atheism, and was excited to get my hands on this book. It did not disappoint. Hider's cynical views towards the conflicts and religion were interesting, and at times funny in a horrific yet honest way. The history parts of the book are enough to give you a little background, but not enough to bog you down.