If you're interested - I will be reviewing the books that I read and I will post them to my blog so that you can either pick them up or maybe post a comment with what you think of them!
I have done a lot of reading this summer (to make up for some lost time)! I have highlighted the title of the books since the blog is longer than expected! :)
It started with reading The Help, which I really enjoyed. It was a good story about the time in our history between slavery and desegregation. It was even better because I was able to reward myself by seeing the movie when it came out!
Next, I read Water for Elephants. I heard a lot of great things about this book and a lot of people enjoyed the movie - but I have a strict read the book before you see the movie rule (the book is almost always better. I learned this when I read Harriet the Spy in 4th grade). This was a beautifully written story of an old man looking back on his life. It is an aspect of the 1930's that I haven't read about previously.
Then I read some books for Summer Reading Tutoring that I was doing over the summer. The first was This World We Live In. It was the third book in a trilogy and I would highly suggest reading the first one first. It's a sci-fi book about the future when the moon comes too close to the Earth causing many deaths and a tough life for those who survived. I think I would have liked this book better if I had read the first two in the series, but it wasn't bad on it's own. I also read The Red Pyramid, which is the first in a series by the author of The Lightning Thief, this book was the story of a brother and sister who learn about their family's intriguing past (which happens to be intertwined with Egyptian Mythology).
When it turned out that both of those books were not the correct books for Summer Reading, I read Ishmael - a book intended for a 9th Grade Honors English class in another district. I thought this was a challenging read about a man who was looking for a teacher in life to help him save the world. The narrator finds this in Ishmael - a talking Gorilla.
My favorite books of the summer, by far, was The Hunger Games Trilogy. These books (comprised of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and MockingJay) kept me on the edge of my seat. They are considered "science fiction," but I really think that there is something in there for everyone. The books are the story of Katniss who lives in a future world where "The Capitol" keeps citizens in their place by hosting the annual Hunger Games. In these games one boy and one girl must fight to the death in an arena, but only one will be named The Hunger Games champion. These books quickly made it to my must read list. (Plus the movie comes out soon!!)
I read Looking For Alaska, a book reccomended to me by a student last year, and I really enjoyed this book. It is written by John Green, who is a bundle of energy, about a boy who is looking to get more out of life than what his public school in Florida is offering him. So, he enrolls in prep school and finds himself in constant adventure with his new roomate and their friend Alaska. In the end, Pudge (as the main character is called) learns what it means to truely live.
Next, I read The Last Lecture written by Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon who was suffering from a deadly disease. This book is uplifting, however, I have been told that this is an exception to the rule - watch his Last Lecture on YouTube first, then read the book. You'll appreciate it more.
Finally, something I've been wanting to do for a long time is re-read The Catcher in the Rye. It was my favorite book in high school and it was fun to go back and remember why. One of the classics, I think everyone should read Catcher at least once! :)
I am currently reading One Day (I've been on a books that are going to be movies kick). More to come on that!
Keep Reading. :)
- Miss A.
I have done a lot of reading this summer (to make up for some lost time)! I have highlighted the title of the books since the blog is longer than expected! :)
It started with reading The Help, which I really enjoyed. It was a good story about the time in our history between slavery and desegregation. It was even better because I was able to reward myself by seeing the movie when it came out!
Next, I read Water for Elephants. I heard a lot of great things about this book and a lot of people enjoyed the movie - but I have a strict read the book before you see the movie rule (the book is almost always better. I learned this when I read Harriet the Spy in 4th grade). This was a beautifully written story of an old man looking back on his life. It is an aspect of the 1930's that I haven't read about previously.
Then I read some books for Summer Reading Tutoring that I was doing over the summer. The first was This World We Live In. It was the third book in a trilogy and I would highly suggest reading the first one first. It's a sci-fi book about the future when the moon comes too close to the Earth causing many deaths and a tough life for those who survived. I think I would have liked this book better if I had read the first two in the series, but it wasn't bad on it's own. I also read The Red Pyramid, which is the first in a series by the author of The Lightning Thief, this book was the story of a brother and sister who learn about their family's intriguing past (which happens to be intertwined with Egyptian Mythology).
When it turned out that both of those books were not the correct books for Summer Reading, I read Ishmael - a book intended for a 9th Grade Honors English class in another district. I thought this was a challenging read about a man who was looking for a teacher in life to help him save the world. The narrator finds this in Ishmael - a talking Gorilla.
My favorite books of the summer, by far, was The Hunger Games Trilogy. These books (comprised of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and MockingJay) kept me on the edge of my seat. They are considered "science fiction," but I really think that there is something in there for everyone. The books are the story of Katniss who lives in a future world where "The Capitol" keeps citizens in their place by hosting the annual Hunger Games. In these games one boy and one girl must fight to the death in an arena, but only one will be named The Hunger Games champion. These books quickly made it to my must read list. (Plus the movie comes out soon!!)
I read Looking For Alaska, a book reccomended to me by a student last year, and I really enjoyed this book. It is written by John Green, who is a bundle of energy, about a boy who is looking to get more out of life than what his public school in Florida is offering him. So, he enrolls in prep school and finds himself in constant adventure with his new roomate and their friend Alaska. In the end, Pudge (as the main character is called) learns what it means to truely live.
Next, I read The Last Lecture written by Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon who was suffering from a deadly disease. This book is uplifting, however, I have been told that this is an exception to the rule - watch his Last Lecture on YouTube first, then read the book. You'll appreciate it more.
Finally, something I've been wanting to do for a long time is re-read The Catcher in the Rye. It was my favorite book in high school and it was fun to go back and remember why. One of the classics, I think everyone should read Catcher at least once! :)
I am currently reading One Day (I've been on a books that are going to be movies kick). More to come on that!
Keep Reading. :)
- Miss A.