One Good Book! January 2015
Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson is fantastic! Nominated for an Eliot Rosewater this year. Taylor runs away when the going gets tough. She always has. She has found out something that she can no longer hide from. Her father is diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. To honor his last wishes, he wants to take his family and spend their last summer together at the lake house that Taylor used to visit but hasn't been to since she was twelve. Her last summer there she had left in characteristic Taylor fashion running away from Henry, her first love and Lucy, her best friend. Morgan Matson writes very detailed and emotional feelings of growing up, coming of age, and facing your fears. The author does a very good job of pulling the reader in with a gut wrenching story. It was an exceptional read.
Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson is fantastic! Nominated for an Eliot Rosewater this year. Taylor runs away when the going gets tough. She always has. She has found out something that she can no longer hide from. Her father is diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. To honor his last wishes, he wants to take his family and spend their last summer together at the lake house that Taylor used to visit but hasn't been to since she was twelve. Her last summer there she had left in characteristic Taylor fashion running away from Henry, her first love and Lucy, her best friend. Morgan Matson writes very detailed and emotional feelings of growing up, coming of age, and facing your fears. The author does a very good job of pulling the reader in with a gut wrenching story. It was an exceptional read.
Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth are must reads!!!! The books literally draw you into the revolution that is taking place in a futuristic society where each person chooses their strengths based on a personality test. Tris discovers that one faction is trying to control society and she has to do what she can to stop them. Some romance involved, but mostly action packed fun.
The Matched trilogy was my next big read. It is Matched, Crossed, and Reached by Allie Condie. If I had not enjoyed Matched, I wouldn't have went on to the other two. This is the story of Cassie. Cassia has always had complete trust in the Society to make decisions for her, but when she is being paired with her ideal mate, a second face flashes on the screen, and Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility as she tries to decide which man she truly loves. Society keeps intervening to keep Cassie from finding out whom she truly loves. This is another dystopian fiction novel based on the premise of "Can society always decide what is best for us? What about our free will? Should the government be allowed to say what we can and cannot do?" All those questions come into play in this rich trilogy. Matched is an Eliot Rosewater nominee this year.
Jane by April Lindner, is a contemporary retelling of "Jane Eyre" in which an orphaned nanny becomes entranced with her magnetic and brooding employer, a rock star with a torturous secret from his past. If you are in the mood for romance, Jane is full of it. A person can feel the longing and anxiety between both Jane and the rock star employer and in this way, the author does a great job of storytelling. The employer has secrets he is trying to protect and Jane cannot get close until they come to light. Having never read "Jane Eyre", Jane keeps the reader engrossed in the conflicts, emotions, and decisions Jane has to make to survive. Jane is also an Eliot Rosewater nominee this year.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is a book I recently read. It was a book also with a strong female assassin who is in a competition to become the king's assassin to be rewarded her freedom after four years of service. All is not what it seems to be in this kingdom. There are people who are controlling what is going on in the competition and people from the competition being killed mysteriously with their insides gutted out. It is a fantasy and takes a person to a time when there were kings and princes, and ladies were just there for the pleasure of men. However, Celaena is not one of those ladies. This is someone who is known for being the most ruthless assassin and is only nineteen years old. She is strong and fierce when she needs to be, when she doesn't want to let others know how terrified she really is . I look forward to a sequel as I believe this is going to be a trilogy.
One Moment by Kristina McBride, is the story of Maggie and Joey. Maggie thought her and Joey would be together forever. So much so, that on a fateful day, she had planned to take there relationship to the next level, the more intimate level. But things did not go as planned with Maggie and Joey. Every summer, Maggie, Joey and their friends would all go to their favorite gorge and dive off the gorge into the swimming hole below. They had been doing this for years. It is about the bonds of friendship that can last a lifetime and bloom into love. There are secrets between friends. One day changes a life forever. The problem is Maggie cannot remember anything that happened that day, the day that Joey died. As Maggie begins to recover her memory, she also discovers her friendships weren't all they seemed or she believed them to be.
All of the above books were really good reads and had me escape to where they were taking place. Have you ever wanted to escape from everyday problems, or everyday occurrences, take a trip where you have never been, then read a good book. I invite you share your good books and to comment on ones that I have read.. Until next time....
All of the above books were really good reads and had me escape to where they were taking place. Have you ever wanted to escape from everyday problems, or everyday occurrences, take a trip where you have never been, then read a good book. I invite you share your good books and to comment on ones that I have read.. Until next time....