Monday, March 22, 2010
The smell of a good book
Spring is officially here, and while we dust off our winter gear (which we actually had to use this year!) and put aside the cozy images of curling up with a great novel and a steaming cup of cocoa, we can move to the next great place to read a book. Lounging by the pool (with sunscreen on, of course!), in our room on a rainy day, or even in the car while we drive to our spring break destination. Whatever your favorite location is to relax and dig into a great novel, one question remains: what's on your hot list right now? Is there a book you've been dying to read? A recent discovery that you can't wait to share with others? Share the title/author and why you think someone else would be interested. You can identify the genre or details that really stand out. Just remember, you are inviting someone else to read, so don't give too much away! I look forward to seeing and sharing your selections. :)
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I just finished reading an incredible book called The Last Song. If you haven't heard of the title maybe you know of it as the new movie that is coming out April 2nd with Liam Hensworth and Miley Cyrus? Well anyways, it is about a girl named Ronnie who is sent with her little brother to spend the summer with her dad, who left the family three years ago. Ronnie is dreading the summer and would rather be in New York partying with her friends. Although, she finds true love at the beach. It is a great read if you are looking for something light and fun!
ReplyDeleteI know many people have read this book, but i am reading Percy Jackson, the 1st book. For those who haven't read it are making a big mistake (just kidding. Try watching the movie after the book, but believe me, the book i so much better than the movie because it has more settings and plots.
ReplyDeleteIts about a boy (named Percy Jackson)who finds out his father is a god. Zeus thinks Percy was the one who stole his lightning bolt and has to travel to Hades to prove it wasn't him and get his mother back. His has two friends with him and encounters more creatures and gods, like Ares and Medusa.
Another book, if you like science fiction, is Sent, by Margaret Peterson Haddix. It's the sequel to Found. They are my two favorite books in the whole world. If you have nothing to do this break, you could stay all day reading those books.
A great book that I believe people will enjoy is the Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull. If you like to read about mythical worlds that are always in danger, you should read how Kendra and Seth save them. I remember in the book that there is a scene where Seth gets turned into a demented walrus by fairies. It's a great book!
ReplyDeleteThe Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. The best mystery novel you will ever ever ever read. Very surprising ending. My absolute favorite book.
ReplyDeleteMe and Kayleigh have actually been looking at some great books and I saw a series that I am really looking forward to. It's a mystery series called "Pretty Little Liars" by Sara Shepard. I am really going to be reading like crazy during spring break, and I am looking forward to a ton of new books that I've found.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, this has been my favorite blog post yet! I rushed to comment once I got your email, since I'm a "book addict" and I LOVE to read!
ReplyDelete"The Last Song", which was recommended by Sydney earlier, is a beautifully written novel by Nicholas Sparks that I'm currently consuming. Usually, books don't start off amazing. But this one does, which is rare. I love plot lines that have to do with romance. Sometimes I am mocked because of my cheesy picks, but I always love what I choose! :D
Sarah Dessen is an extremely talented author who writes books directed towards teens. What I like best about her pieces is how she can attack a reader and hold the story throughout the novel, not cracking the suspense one bit. Also, the conflicts she creates are so intruiging to me. I highly recommend "Along for the Ride" and "The Truth About Forever". They may sound too cliche, but I love them anyhoo! :)
And, my last selection is the Twilight Series. Some people just watch the movies and complain about how dissapointed they were, but all the action and delight is found in the books! Especially the third one, "Eclipse". It's all about the love triangle (there's the romance again!) between Bella, Edward, and Jacob. When the Twilight Series first became popular, I was very iffy on whether or not to pick up the first book. Vampires? How could that be interesting? I'd never really been into creatures and sci-fi anyways, but as soon as I got through the first couple of chapters, I loved it!
I can't wait for spring break, filled with library trips, mall trips, and even more library trips! (also, there's not that much homework!) :P
As Romina said, we have been looking at A LOT of books lately at the library. We read two. One was "Get Well Soon" about a girl who has thoughts of suicide and her parents decide to send her off to a mental hospital. She finds true love and the book ends AMAZINGLY! Another book we read was "My Almost Epic Summer" which is about a girl who used to work for her mom, but was fired. She ends up getting a babysitting job and meeting the local lifeguard "Starla" (the book tells you her real name). Both are great reads and if you get a chance to read any book, choose one of those two!(:
ReplyDelete"Shug" By:Jenny Han. I read it a while ago and it was amazing. It is about a girl around our age who has troubles with starting middle school, girl things, and boys of course. It is realistic fiction and I loved it and so did Brynn,and Kayleigh. I also have enjoyed "The Secret Language of Girls" By:Frances O'Roark Dowell it is about also the same thing as "Shug", but "Shug" has more problems with the main character herself and T.S.L.O.G is a struggle between to friends going into middle school. One of my favorite authors is Lisi Harrison. She writes things about girls who live and New York and have a luxury filled life, as well as different problems they have. All of these books are very girly and I love them.
ReplyDeleteThe books that I absolutely adore are the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. They are such great books. If you haven't seen the movies or already read the books it is about a girl, Bella, who falls in love with a vampire. Throughout the books she faces issues with her werewolf best friend, Jacob and other vampires. These are my favorite books! Also, the series I'm reading now, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, is really good. The books I really want to read are The Last Song and Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. I heard most of his books are really good.
ReplyDeleteThe book I LOVE is called King Tut and the girl who loved him by Robin M. Berard. It's about a girl named Johanna Wilson (Jo) who travel from the twenty-first century Maimi to Egypts 18th Dynasty. She than passes as Princess Johenaten, Cousin to King Tut and member of the royal family. She knows that the king will die soon and she searches for answer to the pharaoh's fate. This book is more of a " girls book" and I don't think guys would like it. It has only 194 pages and is a great book to read during a long car ride.
ReplyDeletePeace out
Veronica :)
Although I have already posted and recommended The Last Song, I would like to report on another absolutely incredible novel called Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. It starts off in Shanghai, China in the late 1930s but the setting soon moves to Chinatown, California. The main characters are two sisters who are the perfect picture of the best kind of girls in China. But, their father soon gambles away their fortune and is forced to sell them to be brides to two young men. The book is mainly based on the struggle the two girls undergo in order to become comfortable with American traditions but still remain as perfect "Shanghai Girls."
ReplyDeleteAlthough I read the book around New Year's Eve, I absolutely loved "My Sister's Keeper". I'm sure a lot of people have already seen the movie starring Abigail Breslin. Anyways, the book is about a girl named Anna who was specially made to have the right body parts to donate to her sister, Kate, who has leukemia. Anna is thirteen, and she was getting to that stage in life where she wants to know who she truly is. Her parents then tell her she needs to donate one of her kidneys to Kate. Anna decides to sue her parents for the right to her own body. If you've seen the movie, the book ends differently. In fact the end is extremely unpredictable, and I was in complete shock as I read it.
ReplyDeleteAnother book I recommend is "The Tenth Circle". It is written by Jody Picoult, the same author of "My Sister's Keeper". "The Tenth Circle" isn't very appropriate for our age, but my mom wanted me to read it. It's about a naive girl named Trixy, who trusts people she shouldn't trust. Bad things happen to Trixy, and her dad will do anything he can to make her safe and comfortable again. It was an amazing book.
I also highly recommend a lot of the books already named. "The Last Song" was the best book I have ever read. I cried for the last 50 pages, and the movie is coming into theaters March 31st!!! The Lightening Thief, as Emily mentioned, is also a good book. Lacey mentioned Shug which is by far my 2nd favorite book ever, and I can garauntee any girl our age will absolutely love it!! :D
Wow! Those are all great choices. Books written for adults can be very satisfying and rewarding, just keep in mind the same things you would when choosing a novel written for young adults (style, content, etc.), and talk it over with your parents if needed.
ReplyDeleteSince I know most of us would like a light and quick read over spring break so we can relax I have two books I would like to recommend. They are both written by the same author Lurlene McDaniel. Lurlene McDaniel's books always have a common theme of someone dying or becoming ill. Although this might not seem appealing trust me you will not want to put the book down.
ReplyDeleteThe first book I would like to suggest is called "Last Dance" (no I'm sorry not The Last Song). This book is about a girl who is 13 who is a very committed ballet dancer (and would like to potentially dance for a ballet company for a living). Along with the stress of middle school she begins to become constantly thirsty and tired. At a point she can barely move and collapses. The book is her journey dealing with her illness (which I will not reveal), deciding if she should continue her passion dancing, and the very special people she meets (including a boy who she begins to become very close with).
The other book I would suggest is "Brianna's Gift". It's about a 16 year old girl who walks to the beat of a different drum. She decides she will drop out of high school and move to California with her boyfriend so they can get married. After she leaves her mom and sister (her father died many years ago) she returns after 8 months without her boyfriend/future husband and pregnant! This book is through the eyes of her sister. It shows her excitement for the coming baby until something goes seriously wrong. Also, it's the sisters struggle with her friends.
I am in the middle of a great book. I am currently reading a book called, "The Name of this Book is Secret". This book is about a magician, his childhood, and a mystery to be solved. There is a sequal to this book, but I cannot remember what it is called.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra Soree :)
Though I commented before, I would like to recommend a few more authors and books due to the fact that I'm a "book addict". ;)
ReplyDeleteIn my previous comment, I mentioned how Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors. She can hold a reader and trigger all emotions possible when you get to the climax or ending of the story. One of her novels that I truly enjoyed was "Just Listen". It tells about a teenage girl named Annabel who is an active model. She is seen on TV with her ad for the big department store in her area (like Macy's, just a different name) and everyone ONLY recognizes her for that. She has two sisters, Whitney and Kirsten. Whitney is anorexic, therefore putting a lot of tension on the family, and Kirsten quit her modeling career to go to college like a normal young adult. Annabel feels that she has nothing special, after her friend left her due to a misunderstanding. Then she meets Owen, a bulked-up and scary looking guy with a sweet and sensible soul, and a love for music. Their love and friendship is all bonded together by music, which I absolutely love, given the fact that I'm also a "music addict".
My final selection is a short yet sweet book called "Distant Waves". It's by Suzanne Weyn, and it tells about the Titanic's drowning (which is a bitter-sweet topic for me that I find both heartbreaking and interesting) through the eyes of a teenager named Jane. Her family (which consists of her mother, her four sisters, and herself) goes through a journey that leads them onto the Titanic. "Distant Waves" pulls at your heartstrings, and it also facsinates you how Suzanne Weyn can create another made-up story that tells of the drowning of the "unsinkable" ship.
Thank you everybody for recommending awesome books for me to read! Happy Spring Break! :)
I am reading a great series called Camp Confidental, By: Melissa J. Morgan. It is a series of I think 22 books. It is a very easy read and each one is about 200 and change pages. The series is about girls who go to a sleepaway camp and all the different experiences and situations they encounter summer after summer. Each book usually is specifically on one girl, but not all of the books. Once I start the book, I can't put it down and I look forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteDanielle