Divergent

Divergent By: Veronica Roth

This is a book/series that has been recommended to me for awhile and surprisingly I didn't reject the suggestion like I do with a lot of "trendy" books. It was on my list, it just took awhile to get to. But once I started this book I was hooked. This book reminded me of both the giver and the hunger games combined. That is the only way that I can explain it. I really enjoyed the first book and I am currently enjoying the second book. :) As usually here is what the Amazon review says:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas By: John Boyne

This is a book that I have been wanting to read for a long while, however I knew being a book about two boys and the holocaust that it was going to be a very difficult read. I decided to try it out this weekend and immediately was sucked into the story of Bruno and Schmuel. I am literally minutes from reading it and quite honestly I am having a hard time putting into words what I felt about this book. Over all I really love it. I guess you can say that's morbid what I am about to say next; I really enjoy reading about the holocaust. ever since I started to learn about the Holocaust in 8th grade I have always had a deep respect and fascination with it. Well maybe fascination isn't the best word, I guess it would be a yearning to learn as much as I could. Although this book is as the author puts it "Just a book" and the story of Bruno and Schmuel is not at all true, but simply a way to show the innocence that existed in the midst of so much evil. The author presents an interesting point of view that I haven't read yet before. Again even though the characters aren't based off actual people, just the way John presents the perspective of the holocaust through the eyes of an innocent 9 year old boy who was simply looking for a friend and for something to do and stumbled upon a boy sitting on the other side of a large fence by his house. I think it was interesting too the way that Bruno's father changed at the end of the book. I could see myself reading this again and when my little girl gets a little older to understand; sharing it with her as well.

Inheritance

Inheritance By: Christopher Paolini

This is the last book of the Inheritance series. When it came out I told my husband that it was the only thing I wanted for Christmas. He was kind enough to get it for me and I started reading it, then we moved and I misplaced it and found it a few months later. Then we moved again and the book was lost in a box in a storage shed for close to 2 years. I was excited to find it again with this last move and decided to finish it no matter what.
Christopher Paolini has always been a little harder to read for me and most people I talk to. He does a good job setting up the story, but because of that it takes a long while to get into the books. But once you do its one that is hard to put down. This one proved to be the same except it started out fairly slow, picked up and then ended rather slowly as well. The end seemed to drag on just a bit. It felt as if Paolini himself felt sorry to see it end and had a hard time saying goodbye to the characters and the book. I am very glad that I got to finish this series though and I rather enjoyed the series.

Coraline

Coraline By: Neil Gaiman

This is a book I started to read as a fun quick read. We loved the movie and I wanted to see how close the movie was to the book. So I started it, but then I lost the book for awhile and couldn't finish it. But with this last move I found it again and decided to start over. The movie did a pretty good job, but of course didn't get as close to the book. For example, her parents weren't as mean as the movie portrayed, and Coraline solves a lot more of the problems on her own without a lot of help from the cat or the boy that's in the movie. This was a light fun read that I rather enjoyed. Its a little dark for younger kids and would recommend it for an older audience. Maybe pre-teems and up. 

Amazon says:

"Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house. . . ."

When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous.

But there's another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Coraline will have to fight with all her wit and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life.

Tales From The Perilous Realm

Tales from the perilous realm By: J.R.R Tolkien

I really love Tolkien and haven't read anything of his that I haven't enjoyed. This is 4 different tales of different people, times and places. I was especially excited to see that the adventures of Tom Bombadil was one of the tales. Tom Bombadil is one of my favorite characters in the Lord of the Rings books. I did find Leaf of Niggle to be a little confusing. But I really enjoyed all of these tales. 

Amazon says:The book is the perfect opportunity for fans of Middle-earth to enjoy some of Tolkien’s often overlooked yet most creative storytelling. With dragons and sand sorcerers, sea monsters and hobbits, knights and dwarves, this collection contains all the classic elements for Tolkien buffs of all ages

Audio vs. Paper/Ebook

So I have heard and been told that when you listen to an audio book you cant count that as "reading" the book. Since you are technically not reading it. I have heard audio books compared to movies, saying that its like listening to a movie with no picture. I am a VERY slow reader, seriously; it took me 3 years to read pride and prejudice. Anyway I find that I don't have a lot of time to actually sit down and crack open a book. My little toddler usually doesn't allow it. When I do get the opportunity its usually... well, midnight and by that time if I do read I only limit myself to about 30 min, so I can be good alert mommy in the morning, not zombie mom. I find audio books as a great way to read (if I can call it that) all these books that I want while I do things like clean the house and wash the dishes. Also these Classics that I want to read I find it sometimes difficult. That's why it took me 3 years to get through Pride and Prejudice. Its not that the book isn't good  I LOVED the book. It's just that you can get so lost in the language that I feel it starts to wear me down. My mind starts to wander and I sometimes read a whole paragraph and wonder what I just read. Being able to listen to classics like these on audio, it gives me a chance to focus and stay focused so I always know whats going on with the story. I have "read" some really great classics this way. Dracula, Frankenstein, Tom Sawyer, Wuthering Heights, (audio was the only way I was getting through that one.) Hans Christen Anderson's collection of Fairy tales , etc. I have also been able to "read" genres that I would have ever thought before. I guess my point is that not only is audio books convenient for myself, but they have opened up some many more options that I never would have picked up in actual book form to read and I wouldn't have been able to enjoy as many classics as I have if I wasn't able to listen to the audio book. Now I want to make a point in saying that when I choose an audio book, especially if its a classic; I always make sure its the unabridged version so I don't miss a thing. This is my argument against why I believe that whether its audio, ebook or paper book, when you "read" it no matter in what form you have read it. But as always I would like to know peoples opinions on the matter and see what you think on this topic. So the floor is now yours, keep it clean and tasteful. No bullying or paragraphs of cursing. Please respect everyone and their opinion(s). Thank you. 

Innocence

Innocence By: Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz is one of those authors that I have avoided for a long time. It seemed like he produced a lot of books way to fast and it made me wonder how good the books really were. This book was this months book for a book club that I am in. The book intrigued me when I started it but about half way through I started having a hard time with the language, one of the characters and the disturbing images that this book brought with it. If it wasn't for a few of the lose ends that needed to be tied up I might have either stopped reading or at least put the book down for awhile. But at the end it was all tied in very nicely and I understood more about the nature of those things that disturbed me. So in the end the book was ok. Would I read it again? No. Will I read another Dean Koontz? Possibly.

Here's the description by Amazon.com:

He lives in solitude beneath the city, an exile from society, which will destroy him if he is ever seen.
 
She dwells in seclusion, a fugitive from enemies who will do her harm if she is ever found.
 
But the bond between them runs deeper than the tragedies that have scarred their lives. Something more than chance—and nothing less than destiny—has brought them together in a world whose hour of reckoning is fast approaching.