Jane Eyre (thoughts on the beginning)

I didn't really know what Jane Eyre was going to be like. I had only heard that it was a classic and it was amazing. When I read the beginning of this book, I immediately liked it. The book starts off when Jane is a young girl and she is living with her Aunt because her parents are both dead. Jane's aunt is not a nice person. She also lives in the house with her cousins and many caretakers. She doesn't really get along with any of them. She and her cousins fight a lot, and Jane is always the one who gets blamed for starting it. Her aunt continuously ignores that fact that Jane is related to her family at all. Instantly, I felt very bad for Jane. She is such a spunky, spontaneous character. She is so misunderstood. People don't like her because she is very poor and they think she lacks manners. I can understand where they are coming from about her behavior (because she doesn't really have manners), but they never give her a chance. This book is absolutely amazing! I enjoyed the whole thing, but the beginning was one of the best parts because it set up the story so well.

Something Borrowed

I loved the book, Something Borrowed, by Emily Giffin. This book is about two best friends, Darcy and Rachel, whom have known each other all of their lives. Darcy has always gotten her way and has a dream life. Rachel in more of a floater and stands by Darcy to support her in whatever she does. Darcy is engaged to a man Dex. One night, at Rachel's birthday party, Dex is the last person to leave because he has to come back to look for Darcy's lost purse. Rachel and Dex end up spending the night together and their summer affair begins. The book tells the story of Rachel and Dex falling in love, and hiding their affair from Darcy. Rachel is surprised that she does not feel guilty (for falling in love with her BEST friend's fiance), but she ends up feeling guilty for not feeling guilty in the first place. This book takes place mainly in New York City, but the characters travel to London, Indiana, and the Hamptons. At first, I felt bad for Darcy because she had no idea what was going on. As I learned more about how Darcy always got everything and Rachel got nothing, I ended up feeling bad for Rachel instead. The best part of the book is worrying about whether or not Darcy and Dex will get married. Rachel is the maid of honor! I'm currently reading the sequel. It's called Something Blue. Something borrowed is being made into a movie (starring Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin) which will be in theaters in early 2011. I can't wait to see it.

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Dear John is a great book for teens. It is a love story about a soldier and a young girl who spend the summer is the carolinas. I thought this book would be just another love story, but it was so much more. Savannah and John have so many adventures together. From stamp collecting to the death of John's autistic father to John being stationed in Germany for a really long time. The two of them fall in and out of love and reading their story as it unfolds is so exciting. My favorite part is when John's father shares his coin collection with Savannah. Savannah is such an open person. I would definitely recommend this book.

Emma by Jane Austen

I've had a copy of Emma on my bookshelf for a while. It was given to me as a gift from my godmother when I was very little. I finally decided to read it because I was missing my godmother a lot. I thought reading this book would make me feel close to her again, because she moved to California. I really enjoyed this book. I had never read a Jane Austen novel before, and after reading Emma, I definitely want to read more. Emma is the story of a young, spoiled, wealthy girl named Emma Woodhouse. Emma loves to play matchmaker with all of her friends, and sometimes her plans don't really work out the way she planned them in the first place. I absolutely love the way Jane Austen writes. I feel like I am living during the time period of her books because the language is so vivid. Each character is so well developed and the romance between the characters is classic. The whole novel is classic in every way, and that is what made me love it. I would definitely recommend this book to people who love to read classic romance novels.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

I had been seeing the trailer for the movie, 'The Last Song', for a while. It made me want to read the book. At first, I thought that this would be a boring book about a teen's experience during a summer in the Carolinas, but it was so much more. Ronnie goes to stay with her dad for the summer. She is very angry at him because he left their family and ran away to live in his hometown. Ronnie falls in love with a boy named Will, and gets involved with a few criminals roaming the beach town where her father lives. From start to finish, I was hooked on this book. At the end of the book, the reader finds out that Ronnie's dad has cancer, and that is why he wanted to spend the summer with his kids- it would be his last summer. During the last third of the book, I could only read about five pages at a time because I was crying so much. I was truly touched by this book. It teaches many lessons about forgiveness and looking beyond peoples' exterior. I can't wait to see the movie!

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (my favorite part of the book)

My favorite part about reading this book was learning about a lifestyle so completely different from my own. I really enjoyed learning about life in Botswana and South Africa.

Mma Precious Ramotswe is the first female detective in Botswana. She sells her father's cattle to buy a little office for her detective agency. I learned a lot about how people respect each other in very different ways in Botswana. For example, Mma Ramotswe is asked to figure out if a man claiming to be someone's father is actually their father. The women who asks Mma Ramotswe to do this has taken "her father" under her roof and is cooking and cleaning for him all day while he sits around. This is the first time she has ever met her father, yet because he is her parent (or he claims to be her parent), she gives him her utmost respect because that is how you treat your parent in this country. You do whatever they ask even when you are an adult. No questions asked.

Mma Ramotswe's father also talks about his life in South Africa and working there as a miner. He describes the hardships he faced, how racism impacted his job, etc. It is so amazing to me that so much is done by miners to gather things like coal and diamonds and no one ever thinks about that when they are using the finished product. I really enjoyed reading about the effort and learning so much history. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

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.