Wherever Nina Lies

My parents bought me this book for Christmas and I read it in only a few hours because I was so addicted to it. Wherever Nina Lies is the Story of a teenage girl named Ellie who is searching for her missing sister Nina. Nina disappeared two years ago and no one has heard from her since. After finding an old drawing of Nina's with a phone number on it, Ellie ends up at a party and meets a boy named Sean. Sean and Ellie instantly connect and Sean is desperate to help Ellie find Nina. Ellie thinks this is great because no one else is on her side. Her best friend and her mother think there is no hope of finding Nina ever again. Ellie and Sean get in Sean's car and the two of them go off on an adventure in search of Nina. They face never ending roads, scams, murderers, lies, clues, betrayal, and a shocking ending. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery and adventure.

One Fifth Avenue (my favorite character)

I read this whole book while I was away in Spain. It was so good. The book focuses on the many people who live in the apartment building at the address of One Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. This book is full of so many characters, but my favorite is Mindy Gooch. Mindy is a middle aged woman who is always longing for something she doesn't have. She sees the glass half empty. Mindy is always criticizing others for things that the majority of people wouldn't even notice. She and her husband and son have the smallest apartment in One Fifth. It's kind of dark and dingy, so it influences Mindy's mood alot. Mindy is constantly yelling at her husband James to do everything better. I feel so bad for him, having to put up with Mindy's nonsense. Despite all of this, Mindy is my favorite. When the reader looks past all of her annoying habits, Mindy's true character comes out. She really means well underneath it all. She's not all that bad, and at the end of the day, everything she does is for her family. She always has the best interests of her family at heart.

The Emperor's Children (beginning thoughts)

I love to read books that take place in New York City. I feel like there is so much to do in the city, so it gives characters more opportunities to go on more adventures. This is the first reason I picked up The Emperor's Children. The Emperor's children is about three friends and their slowly evolving lives in New York City. The three friends went to Brown together and still remain close. They are in their 30's and are struggling with family and careers. When I opened this book, after only about three pages, I was hooked. From page one, the reader is able to tell that the characters are so well developed. I feel like I'm in the pages right next to them. The book begins in Australia. Danielle Minkoff, a producer, is attending a gathering and catching up with old friends. The way the author describes the characters here is so amazing. I hope this book keeps getting better.

Middlesex (a reflection)

I just finished Middlesex, my final book of the quarter. I enjoyed this book a lot. At times, I would get slightly confused, or bored. However, the intensity of the book kept me going until the end. During this book, I sometimes felt that I didn't connect with the characters. Understanding what it is like to be a hermaphrodite is a very difficult concept to grasp. Although, this book does teach certain lessons about what it is like to be very different from the people that surround you. The author's words demonstrate this feeling very well. I learned a lot from this book. The book also teaches many things about family and growing up. I found some of these scenes easier to relate too. I could connect some of the issues in this book to other books I have read, and to issues happening in my own world. Overall, I learned a lot and liked the book very much. I would recommend this book to someone who would like to read about tough social issues and growing up.

Middlesex (thoughts so far)

Middlesex has been an interesting read so far. The narrator, Cal, describes her life as a hermaphrodite. The story is so incredibly moving. I could not ever imagine living the way Cal lives. The pain she has to endure must be very hard to handle. During the beginning of the book, Cal talks about her family before her birth. Cal's grandmother has always had a talent for predicting the sex of an unborn child, using things like a spoon to work her magic trick. Cal's birth was the only time her grandmother had ever been wrong about the prediction. I thought that this was a very intriguing way to begin this book. It really got my attention. Cal also begins with describing various events of her life, such as being the specimen of a gender study program. She then proceeds to say that these incredible events all occurred before her 16th birthday. I cannot wait to get further into this book.

Girl With a Pearl Earring (how the setting shapes Griet's life)

The main character, Griet, is working as a servant for the artist, Vermeer, and his family. Griet's life is heavily shaped and influenced by the setting of the book. Griet lives in the poor area of Delft. When she goes to work for Vermeer, she doesn't know exactly what to expect. She feels slightly odd around the Vermeer's family because they have more money than hers. For example, when Griet goes to their family's butcher to get meat, she sees that even the butcher is of a higher class than the butcher that Griet's family gets their meat from. The setting of the Vermeer household is also important. For example, it influences Griet's chores. They live right on the canal, therefore one of Griet's main chores is to fetch water. Griet also lives in the basement of the Vermeer household. It is dark and muggy down their which sometimes influences how Griet feels.

Girl With a Pearl Earring (first impression)

I've only read the first 12 pages of Girl With a Pearl Earring, and I already can't put the book down. The language is so incredibly descriptive. I can see every scene happening in my head as I read through every sentence. So far, Vermeer and his wife have come to see Griet (the main character) to see if she is fit to work for them. Griet is supposed to go live with Vermeer and clean his studio. From the authors descriptions, I have already learned so much about Griet. Just from the opening scene, I can tell that she is very attentive to detail, she's organized, smart, shy, a hard worker, etc. I could tell all of this just from a few pages describing Griet cooking in her kitchen, arranging sliced vegetables on a table. While reading this book, I am interested to learn about Vermeer and his paintings, and his twisted relationship with Griet. I can't wait to keep reading.

Thirteen Reasons Why: The Most Interesting Tape (thanks for the idea Ms. OB!)

The most interesting tape so far is quite creepy! The tape talks about one night when Hannah is in her room, getting dressed and she starts to hear a clicking noise. She hides on her bed and looks out the window. She sees a figure who begins to run away, and she quickly realizes that the clicking noise was coming from a camera. When I read this part of the book, I got really scared. I was reading late at night, so I kept trying to look out my own window, just to see if anybody was there. The next day in school, Hannah asks around about peoples' whereabouts the night before, and she figures out that the figure outside her window was a boy in her grade names Tyler. Hannah barely even knows Tyler. She and a friend decide to make a scene in her room to scare Tyler away, when he comes to Hannah's house the next night. The plan somewhat works because Tyler doesn't come by again. This was definitely the most interesting story on the tapes!

Thirteen Reasons Why (what happens half way through)

Thirteen Reasons Why is an absolutely amazing book. I'm so glued to it, I don't want it to end. I'm about 2/3 done with the book. This book is about a girl named Hannah Baker who has killed herself and left behind 7 casette tapes. On 13 sides of the tapes, Hannah recorded herself before she died. Each side is dedicated to a person and each person is one of the 13 reasons why Hannah Killed herself. The book is narrated by Clay Jensen, who is one of the 13 reasons. So far, Clay has been listening to the tapes, waiting to find his side, so he can learn why he has to do with Hannah's death. Along with the tapes, Hannah left a map with red stars on certain locations in Clay's town. Clay has been running from red star to red star trying to figure everything out. This book just grabs the reader. It's a concept and a story line I would have never thought about. It makes you think. It makes you see what an impact you have on people. It makes you feel for others.

Summer Reading- Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (book review)

This summer I read an amazing book called Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult. I absolutely love this book and this author. Every book I read by Jodi Picoult gets my attention right away. Nineteen Minutes is about a school shooting that takes place in Sterling, New Hamshire. It is told from many points of view including the shooter, the judge on the case, the shooter's old friend (the judge's daughter), a police officer at the crime scene, etc. The book has so many perspectives, that the reader has a very hard time ever loosing interest in the story which is what makes the story that much more exciting. Even the first few sentences make you want more and more. I really connected with some of the emotions that the characters were feeling in the book. For example, confusion and the feeling of being at a loss for words. A particular moment that I remember reacting to was when the police officers go through the school and see the trails of blood that line the halls. It gave me chills. This book also really makes you think about small things you do to people -good or bad- that really go a long way, even though you may not know it. The story makes you want to think before you act. You never know how much you are really affecting the people around you.