Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Summer Reading List

(This post contains affliate links via Amazon. I get a small kick back if you purchase items via these links.)

Joseph, Camille and I have committed to read 10 books each this summer. I don't know about those little turkeys but I am working my way through several. (We have a bet going about who is going to read the most. So far, I am winning! HA!) Some of my top favorites have been:

The Fault in Our Stars:  I was ambivalent about reading this book but I ended up loving it. As I said on a friend's Facebook wall, "Anyway, I was also impressed with the length of the book. It could have easily been much longer but it was short. It has enough of what we need to know and no more but the characters are incredibly complex. Even their parents, who are minor characters, are pretty well rounded. I have (thank you, God, no hints!) ZERO experience with childhood cancer (and would like to keep it that way, thankyouverymuch) but it seems like it is a fairly realistic portrayal. 
Someone commented (on Amazon, so not the be all and end all of reviews) that they felt the dialogue was "fake" and not realistic of teenagers. I felt the dialogue fit the characters perfectly. It's in line with their personalities and life experiences. Plus, I have read so many stories with very bad, horrible, no good, terrible dialogue that it was AWESOME to read something that is INTELLIGENT."

Rhett Butler's People- The only official sequel to Gone With the Wind, as approved by Margaret Mitchell's estate. (I'm looking at you, Scarlett.) The novel tells the story of GWTW from Rhett's (third-person) point of view. His background, and his relationship with Belle Watling, is explained. Not only do you learn more about Rhett but the author delves into the mind of Melanie Wilkes too. Scarlett fans, be warned- she's not really in the book much! Much like Rhett pops in and out of GWTW, she pops in and out of this book. Events that are fairly major in the original novel, such as the death of Bonnie, are glossed over in this book. That's not to say they aren't there- they are- but since the readers know what happened, it's just mentioned in passing. It doesn't distract from the novel but rather gives space over to events the reader might have wondered about.

A novel about Mammy is rumored to come out this fall and I am looking forward to it!

The Kane Chronicles- Joseph received The Red Pyramid for his birthday and when he finished it, I stole it. To be honest, I like the Percy Jackson series and the Heroes of Olympus books better but that's not stopping us from devouring the story of Carter and Sadie Kane. Side note: Joseph and I want a hellhound and now a cat named either Bast or Muffin. I wouldn't be opposed to an albino crocodile either. 

Something Other Than God- The conversion story of atheist turned Catholic Jennifer F of Conversion Diary fame. The majority of the book focuses on her study of Catholicism and how her very scientific and logical mind came to accept and believe in God. It's not a heavy or deep in that it won't take a theology degree to understand anything. She explain why she/we believe what she do and how she came to God.Ir's not preachy at all and  I think people of all faiths would enjoy her journey of discovery.

The Selection- The back of the book puts it perfectly, "It's the Hunger Games meets the Bachelor with the bloodshed" (on both parts). Both The Selection and The Elite are light reads but they do suck you in! I want credit for having read the first two and NOT running out the next day to grab The One. Is it as good as The Hunger Games? Uh, no. But for a dystopian fairy tale it's pretty awesome.

What's up next? I have The Book Thief on my nightstand. I was saving it for our trip this summer but, you know, it called to me. I'm definatly buying The One. After that, I'm not sure! Any suggestions? 





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