I read a lot on vacation so I figured I'd review everything. Everything I read has either already been made into a movie or is being made into a movie as we speak. I didn't plan it that way - it was just a coincidence.

1. Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho

This book is about a young Serbian woman named Veronika who decides to kill herself - not because she's unhappy, but because her life is devoid of passion and excitement. She takes pills and wakes up in a mental institution, where she's told that the pills damaged her heart and she only has around a week to live. And only when she's faced with her actual death does she decide that maybe she wants to live after all.

This was a pretty good book - a quick and easy read. I found it fairly predictable but it was still very well-written and enjoyable. It is being made into a movie starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.

3.5 stars

2. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk

If you like any of Palahniuk's books, you'll like this one. It's dark, hilarious and twisted. Victor Mancini is a med-school dropout who has to pay for his demented mother's care. To do this, he works at a colonial historical park and pretends to choke at fancy restaurants so that people will rescue him, care for him and send him money. Also, he goes to sex-addict support groups to get laid.

Like I said - classic Palahniuk. Vincent is slimy, for sure, but so likable, and the book is just brilliant.

This movie is going to star Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston.

4.5 stars

3. Atonement by Ian McEwan

If you've seen the movie, you know the book. Turns out that the movie was a VERY faithful adaptation of the novel.

In 1935 England, 13 year-old Briony Tallis witnesses and misconstrues an affair between her older sister Cecilia and the maid's son, Robbie. Later that day, she blames Robbie for a horrible crime that he didn't commit. Five years later, after ruining Cecilia's and Robbie's lives, Briony wants to atone for her crime.

A very beautiful, romantic, sad book. The movie starred Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.

4 stars

4. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Yes, I'm in my thirties, but sometimes I like reading fiction about teenagers. Nick and Norah are two North Jersey teenagers who are nursing broken hearts. They've never met, but when confronted with their evil exes at a punk show in New York City, they pretend to be a couple just to save face. This kicks off a night with just the two of them hanging out around NYC. The interesting thing about this book is that it was written by a man and a woman - he writes the chapters that Nick narrates and she writes the chapters that Norah narrates.

The book wasn't great but it was entertaining. Nick and Norah are likable, sympathetic characters and there's a lot of music talk in the book, which I liked.

The upcoming movie stars Michael Cera as Nick and Kat Dennings (Catherine Keener's teenage daughter in The 40 Year-Old Virgin) as Norah.

3.5 stars