Sunday, April 13, 2014

My Recent Reads

My three most recent reads!
As I mentioned in my "30+ in 13" list of goals for the next year, one of my goal's is to read at least 50 books. For me, this isn't really a challenge as I tend to read a lot- which is why my personal goal is to read at least one book a week. Usually, I have tended to go in spurts, where one week I will read five books and the next week read zero. So far, I think I have done pretty good! Here are the books I have read over the last two months or so:

  • The Giver by Lois Lowry
  • Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan
  • Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan 
  • Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan
  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  • The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
  • Matched by Ally Condie
  • Crossed by Ally Condie
  • Reached by Ally Condie
  • Divergent by Veronica Roth
  • Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
  • Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire
  • Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
So far, I think I am doing pretty well with 13 books down! By the time you are reading this post, I am likely way ahead of this, as I have brought a stack of about ten paperbacks on the honeymoon to read and leave at the various resorts we are staying at. Ignoring the fact this list may be a little dated, I'll give a quick review on each of the books I read!

The Giver
The Giver is actually one of my all-time favorite books (despite being required reading in school!) It is based on one boy's life in a Utopian society, that is gradually becoming more distopic. I selected this book in part because I have enjoyed reading it before, as well as finding out the movie would be coming out this year and wanting it front-of-mind. There are sequels to the book (which I have downloaded onto my Kindle and will read on the honeymoon!) 

 The Breathing Series: Reason to Breathe, Barely Breathing, and Out of Breath
This series was a very quick and easy read. The series tells the story of a girl, Emma, and her life from the time she lives with her Aunt and Uncle, until college, and finally rediscovering a form of relationship with her Mom. For someone looking for a quick, easy, and not-always-lighthearted read, this was a relatively good series. 

The Book Thief
The Book Thief is one book I had actually never heard of until I discovered it was due to be a movie in 2014. Because I always enjoy books more than movies, I knew I had to read it before seeing the movie. The book told a story I was not expecting, that was incredibly hard to read at parts and beautiful at others. It was not always an easy read, and actually took me some time to complete. For anyone planning on seeing the movie, I would definitely recommend checking the book out first! 

The Storyteller
Jodi Picoult has been a solidly good author (in my opinion) and so I took a chance on her new book, although it seemed a little strange to me. The Storyteller is is the tale of a quiet, withdrawn girl who becomes friends with a 90 year old man. The book really gets interesting when you start learning more about the story of this 90 year old man, and what he claims his life was as an SS soldier in Nazi Germany. Another great book, and set in a very interesting time of history to learn about. 

The Matched Series: Matched, Crossed, and Reached
The Matched Series is one that has some similarities to The Hunger Games, where it is set in a society that the citizens must follow the rules of. The series also follows the story of a girl, and her potential love life between the guys in her life. The books were an easy read, and something I would recommend to a person who enjoyed reading The Hunger Games.

Divergent
Another book that is a movie now- which of course, I have read the book and not seen the movie! The book actually surprised me, as I enjoyed it a lot (and had not thought I would based off the movie previews). I was skeptical going into it, but quickly became hooked and wouldn't put the book down. For those of you who haven't heard of the book or movie, the book tells the story of a teenage girl living in a post-apocoliptic world in Chicago. A dystopian society book, this has been one of the favorite books I have read this year!

Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster
These books were another really easy read, and tell both sides of a love story between a young college girl and her boyfriend. The perspective in the books was good, and an interesting read, but I don't think these are books I would have necessarily picked up on my own and started reading. However, once I start a book- or begin a series- I always have to finish it!

Reconstructing Amelia
Wow. This book took me a little while to get into, but once it started moving I have been sucked in and not able to put it down! I can't (and wouldn't) tell you how it turns out, as I still have about 20 pages left- but I have been with this book almost constantly for the last day, tuning out anyone who tries to talk with me. Another one I would recommend! 

So, there we have it with all of my recent (or not-so-recent!) reads. I really enjoy utopian or dystopian novels, and plan on trying to finish the Divergent series as well as reading the rest of the sequels to The Giver over the next few weeks. I know I need to start reading some more challenging literature, but it is so hard with how quickly I can plow through other books. To my readers, what recommendations do you have for me? I would love to hear any recommendations, and why you loved those books! 

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