Recently Read: The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy

Author: Jenny Han
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Year Published: 2009
Status: Complete Trilogy- The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You, We'll Always Have Summer
Page Count: 276, 288, 291
Rating: 4/5 for all three books

Also by Jenny Han: To All The Boys I've Loved Before

I picked up The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han for $2.99 on my nook, and started it on a whim while all my books were packed away. I ran to the library after finishing the first one for the next two and read all three books in three days.

 

For as long as Isabelle, Belly for short, can remember, she has spent every summer at Cousins beach. Her mom's best friend owns a house there, and Belly and her brother and mom go every summer. Her mom's bff has two boys, Conrad and Jeremiah. As long as Belly has been going to the beach house, she has been in love with Conrad. One summer both boys seem to notice Belly as more than just a little almost sister, and as you might have guessed, a love triangle ensues.

These books are a great quick read. Once I started, I couldn't stop. The characters are lovable and funny, and the pacing is great. These books are the perfect balance of light fluff and real life seriousness. I enjoyed Belly's narration of the story and found her to be a very real character. One thing I loved about these books were the amount of love present between all of the characters. Each character has so much love for every other character and that really added to the story.

The two love interests are very well done. Each boy has a different personality and different appeals. Conrad is a little bit moody and bottled-up where Jeremiah is quick to joke and share his thoughts. These books cover a span of many years, so you get the opportunity to see each character grows and changes and how their relationships with the other characters grow and change as well.

I would recommend this trilogy if you are looking to squeeze in some last minute summery reads. But have all three on hand, because I'm sure you'll be hooked by the middle of the first book!

I'm becoming a fan of Jenny Han. I'm thinking  I will have to pick up her Burn for Burn trilogy that she co-wrote, once the third book comes out this year. I'm also looking forward to the concluding book in her To All The Boys I've Loved Before dualology, which is titled P.S. I Still Love You. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I'm on the Fence About

Today's Topic is the top ten books I'm on the fence about reading. A lot of these books are books I have seen around a lot and have heard a lot about but for various reasons I'm still unsure about them. If you have read any of these and think I should read them now, or never read them, let me know!

Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish

 

1. Where She Went, Gayle Forman I just recently finished If I stay and felt pretty neutral about it, so I'm unsure if I want to read the sequel or not. I have heard some people say the sequel was better than the first, and others say they didn't like the sequel at all. 

2. The Vampire Academy Series, Richelle Mead This series and the spin-off series Bloodlines gets talked about a lot. But I'm not sure if I want to commit to a six book series and then another six book spin off. I'm leaning towards not reading this series, and just concentrating on newer realizes.  

3. The Goldfinch, Donna Tart This book looks gorgeous and sounds so in depth and captivating, but I have never read any Donna Tart, and I don't know if this is the best book to start with. All her books are a little intimidating and are rather large commitments, both because of the size and in depth plots of her books, but I pick this book up longingly every trip to the book store. 

 

4. A Girl is A Half Formed Thing, by Eimear McBride This book has won tons of awards in the UK including the Bailey's Women's prize. I have heard that the writing style in this book is totally unique and hard to read at times, which is what puts me on the fence. Well that and the fact that this book isn't released in the US yet. But I think I will give this one a go when it's released, I'm eager to experience this writing style. 

5. The Selection, Kiera Cass I always debate on purchasing this book on my nook when it is $2.99 but I never do. It sounds like a fun quick read. Should I read this one?

6. The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton I always pick this one up at the book store too. I absolutely love Wharton's short novel, Ethan Frome, so much so that I don't see how I could love her longer fiction any more than I love Ethan Frome. I know there is zero logic in that statement, and I will pick up something else by her someday. 

 

7. Annexed, Sharon Dogar This book sounds beautiful and heartbreaking, and the heartbreaking is what has kept me from picking this one up. This is about Peter, the boy who hid with and loved Anne Frank. I just don't know if I can handle this book. I always had a soft spot for Peter when reading or seeing adaptations of Anne Frank's Diary and reading his story will be difficult.

8. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis I want to experience this book, but I'm not sure if I can handle it. I own it and have for while. This book is about a serial killer, so as you can imagine, it contains disturbing content. Have you read this? Did you make it through without going crazy? 

9.  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathon Safran Foer  I bought this book super cheap from my local goodwill where you can get four books for 99 cents. I had three so I just grabbed this to make four. I'm not real interested in this from reading the synopsis, and I think the past hype is putting me off. 

 

10. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce I picked this up used for very cheap a couple of years back, but haven'd made a move to read it yet. I haven't read much by Joyce, but I'm not sure he's my style. 

11. Shatter Me Trilogy, Tahereh Mafi Soooo much hype! Almost too much, is it worth the hype?

Let me know which ones I should read and which ones I should skip on this list! 

  

Recently Read: If I Stay

Author: Gayle Forman
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Year Published: 2009
Status: First in dualology
Page Count: 234
Rating: 3/5

I of course have heard lots about Gayle Forman's If I Stay recently, but had not real intentions of picking it up. Then I saw the trailer for the movie and found a used copy for under three dollars so I decided to pick it up and give it a chance.

If you are unaware, this novel is about a high school senior named Mia, who is an excellent cello player with a very real chance of attending Julliard, and a musician boyfriend who is in a band that is about to make it big. One day Mia faces a tragedy, she and her family are in a car accident and she must choose if she wants to stay in this world and deal with the aftermath of this tragedy, or if she wants to leave.

The concept of this book is very unique and grabbed my interest, but I thought this book fell kind of flat. Two hundred and thirty-four pages was not enough to fully develop all of the relationships in this book. I felt that the book could have been fleshed out more to deepen the characters and their relationships to one another. I didn't really feel like I knew Mia's boyfriend or enough of their relationship to be impacted by their love story.

With that said, I did still enjoy this book, and found it a quick read with great pacing. This is obviously an emotional read, but I didn't really find that the emotions hit home as much as you would expect them to in a book like this. Mia has a little brother in the book, and whenever she talked about him it really hit home for me because I also have a little brother, but otherwise I felt detached from everyone in the book. I really liked Mia's best friend Kim and would have love to have seen more of her in the book.  

Overall, I thought this book was good, but not great. Regardless, I am interested in seeing the movie, as the trailer looks great, and made me tear up more than the book. Where She Went is the second book in this dualology and takes place three years after the end of this book and is told from the perspective of Mia's boyfriend. I'm not sure if I will pick the sequel up or not, so let me know your thoughts on the sequel as well as this book in the comments.

 

Recently Read:Losing It

Author: Cora Carmack
Genre: New Adult Romance
Year Published: 2012
Status: Stand Alone
Page Count: 188
Rating: 3/5

I don't read a lot of new adult, or romance books, in fact this is my first new adult book. I'm not the biggest fan of books where the romance is the entire plot, so I haven't read a lot of books like this to compare Losing It too.

This novel is about Bliss, who is a senior in college. She is about to graduate with a degree in theater performance and her virginity. Bliss and her friend set out to the bar one night to find Bliss a way to loose her virginity, and Bliss meets a handsome British man. They go back to her place, but before anything happens Bliss panics and leaves the man in her bed naked, only to go to class the next day and find out her British man is her professor. 

The plot of this book was nothing unique, but this book was enjoyable. It was great to read something quick and light after reading On the Road and moving into my new apartment. The male character is pretty typical for romance novels; cute, British, and a little too protective. I did enjoy the fact that the characters were  in college instead of high school, and the theater aspect of this novel was enjoyable too. But overall I thought this book was just okay, and I don't have a lot to say about it.

If you like new adult or romance novels, I would recommend this as a fun quick read. This would be a good summer read, or a read in between heavier books. I'm thinking new adult books would be great to read during busy points in the semester because they don't require a lot of brain focus, and are quick reads.

If you have any new adult to recommend, let me know, as well as your thoughts on this book, or Cora Carmack's other books.      

Top Ten Tuesday: Classics for Non-Classics Readers

Classics can be intimidating, and I know high school and college required reading ruins classics for a lot of people. I love classics, and I think these classics listed below will appeal to classic lovers and those who avoid classics like the plague equally. The great thing about reading classics on your own is that you don't have to analyze them to death if you don't want to, and there is no teacher or professor to tell you how right or wrong your interpretations are.
Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish

1. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck This book is a very short but powerful read. It is one of my favorite books I read in high school, and one of the least complained about books by students that I went to high school with. Lennie is such an unforgettable character, and the way this book portrays the early American dream is great.

2. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald This is another book I first read in high school, and have since reread it at least once a year. In my opinion, this is the American novel. It doesn't read like a stuffy classic and is so thought provoking, plus Fitzgerald's writing and characterization is second to none, and the film adaptations are great.

3. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen Another classic that doesn't read like it was written hundreds of years ago, this book is so funny, witty, and entertaining, and translates to film so well.

4. Lord of the Flies, William Golding This book will appeal to male readers and those who like suspenseful reads. It's about a group of boys that get stranded on an island and must fend for themselves in order to survive.

5. The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton This is a great book for younger readers, but is also enjoyable for any other age groups as well. My sixth grade teacher read it aloud to us and I have loved this book ever since.

6. Edgar Allen Poe short stories Poe writes great horror and suspense stories that don't read like classics. If you like Stephen King or similar authors, give Poe a try. Plus, Poe's life is so interesting to study next to his works.

7. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne My mom read this in high school and still talks about how much she enjoyed it. This is another shorter classic with beautiful writing.

8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams This book is so weird, so random, and so funny. This sci-fy classic is timeless and doesn't take itself too seriously.

9. Sherlock Holmes Stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle These stories are brilliant. Sherlock and Watson are such great characters with such a great friendship, and the mysteries are just as brilliant as the man who solves them.

10.  Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt I read this one when I was in middle school, and remember being so impressed by the ideas that were presented in it. I recently wrote about it in my Children's Lit class and was impressed with it again. This is a short read, but very powerful.

Recently Read: On the Road

Author: Jack Kerouac
Genre: Classic Fiction
Year Published: 1957
Status: Part of the Duluoz Legend but can be read as a standalone
Page Count: 308
Rating: 4/5

I finally finished On the Road by Jack Kerouac. It took me a while to finish this book thanks to a combination of things. This book is a little slow moving, and I also moved into an apartment recently, so packing and unpacking took up a lot of time and energy. Even though it was a slow read, I still enjoyed the book.

This is one of America's best known novels, and it is perhaps the defining novel of the Beatnik literary movement. I talked in depth about the Beat movement in my Literary Look post. There are two versions of this novel, so be aware of which you would like to read and which one you purchase. The Original Scroll version is the novel in its first draft form with no paragraph breaks and minimal punctuation. I did not read this version, I read a regular version. Both versions contain the same text, it is just formatted differently.

This novel is the narrative of Jack Kerouac's travels through out the United States with Neal Cassady. (Both men are pictured on the cover above, Neal on the left, Jack on the right. Kerouac is very, very handsome.) Other prominent Beat figures such as Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs make appearances as well, but all the names have been changed in order to protect everyone. Kerouac appears as Sal Paradise, Cassady is Dean Moriarty, Ginsberg is Carlo Marx, and Burroughs is Old Bull Lee. This book is part of what Kerouac named the Duluoz Legend, which are the books that chronicle his life and relationships with other artists.

This book has little plot besides the traveling of poor and careless men, but the writing is so beautiful at times. Part of the reason the writing is so great is because it is simple and true. Kerouac doesn't use a lot of elaborate metaphors or fancy language; he just tells the story exactly as it happened. What really kept me turning the page was the interesting characters. Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady) is such an interesting character and he has such an effect on everyone around him. Even though he is quite careless and irresponsible, you see him through Sal's (Kerouac) eyes and grow to pity and care for him. Kerouac makes these unreliable and irresponsible characters admirable by drawing attention to their bravery and sense of adventure.

I found the world that these characters lived in to be so different from the world we live in today, and found their lives fascinating, even though it is a lifestyle I would never want to live myself. I enjoyed Kerouac's narration and found his voice to sweet. I am interesting in reading the rest of the books in the Duluoz Legend, but the books that take place after On the Road more so than the books that come before.

Duluoz Legend 
Visions of Gerard
Doctor Sax
The Town and the City
Maggie Cassady
Vanity of Duluoz
On the Road
Visions of Cody
The Subterraneans
Tristessa
The Dharma Bums
Desolation Angels
Big Surr
Satori in Paris

Examples of Kerouac's Writing 

 “the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."

“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life”

Stacking the Shelves: a Mishmash

Hosted by: Tynga's Reviews

Young Adult 

 

Midwinterblood is the 2014 Printz award winner, and I am very eager to read this one. I have heard the plot is very unique and the book is mysterious and hard to describe. I know it contains many different characters from different times and their stories end up overlapping.
I have yet to read any Gayle Forman, but this is the second book of hers that I own. Along with Just One Day, I own If I Stay which I plan to read before seeing the movie.
Code Named Verity has been on my radar for a while, and I finally got around to picking it up. This book sounds full of girl power; it's about a girl spy who gets captured in WWII.

Classics 

 


Villette is the second Charlotte Bronte Book I own, but I have not read any of her works yet.
I love this anniversary edition of Fahrenheit 451. I read this book in high school, but would love to reread it soon.

For School

 

I only have one lit class next semester, which I'm a little bummed about, but these two are on the reading list, along with John Green's Papertowns which I am excited to read in a classroom setting, and is a book I was already planning on rereading this year anyway.