Books Read Lately

Lately I have been on a book-reading binge. I actually listen to them mostly, since I can do this while doing chores or watching Mariah or driving. Lots of good titles, here are a few of them.





Vampire Academy series: I am actually on book 4 right now. It's kind of a cross between Harry Potter and Twilight. In this story, there are three types of vampires, 2 good and one bad. Of the two good types, one protects the other royal type. The other type is of the typical "undead" genre. Both good kinds of vampires go to a school together. It's all about the main character, Rose, who protects a royal vampire Lissa. Together they have adventures and mishaps around the school. It's more of a teenage quality book, meaning there are some questionable parts, but not as bad as the House of Night books, which are VERY riskee. 

Interview with the Vampire: This was a really quick read. It stays true pretty well to the 90s Tom Cruise movie. I was looking for something a little seasonal, I thought this would be scary for Halloween.

Hunger Games series: I love love LOVE this series! The third book was a *little* disappointing with how things just wrapped up so fast. I kinda wish she would have made one more book just to finish it off better. But it's definitely worth a read! At least she's not afraid to kill people off like the Twilight series ending.

 The Notebook: Another fast read. I have seen the movie so many times, but had never read the book. It's actually quite different from the movie structurally, but I still liked it for the most part (I might like the movie better though). I read a sequel to this book, The Wedding, and recommend this too. It's about their daughter's marriage. Very romantic!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: This was a Book Club read. I had never heard of it until about a month ago, but apparently it's a classic. And it was really good. It's a coming of age story about a poor girl growing up in Brooklyn. It was made into a movie in the 1940s, which I checked out as well. It's a new favorite!

The Glass Castle: Another Book Club read for this month. It's the true story of a girl who grew up in extreme poverty. Her parents were kind of "cooky" to put it mildly. They would "do the skidattle" every time their bills would pile up and just pick up and move to a new town and sleep in card board boxes, etc, even though they had property and valuable things they could sell to live on. It was a crazy story, hard to believe it's true. Definitely worth a read. I'm glad that it ends on a positive note. Even though she went through so much in her life, she looked back on it with fondness.

Little Women: I grew up on the movie. But I had never read the book. I was amazed at how much more of the story there was. It was great getting new insights on the characters. I still wish that Laurie ended up with Jo! But at least the book explains a little better why they didn't. I also hear there's a sequel, Jo's Boys, that I am going to try to track down. This story kinda reminds me of my own growing up with so many sisters. I always wanted to be Jo!

Poison Study series: This story is kind of like the Hunger Games in some ways. A girl, who was sentenced to be executed for murder, gets another chance at life and becomes the food taster (who detects poison) for the king of this mythical country. It is vague as to why she had murdered the man until the end of the book (she had good reason!). She is trained by this hardcore assassin guy who is an expert at anything poisonous. He later becomes a love interest (spoiler, sorry!). I could see this book being a next big hit. It's definitely adventurous.

What's next?? I might check out some classics like Pride and Prejudice or Gone with the Wind, as I grew up on those stories but have never officially read the books. I am open for suggestions, people!