Summer Reading

Hello all!

I am here today to talk about the topic of summer reading books, you know, the books your school requires you to read during the summer to varying levels of severity. I know some schools will assign a specific book and have an essay or a test on the first day/week, while others forgo it completely. For starters, as a book lover, the summer reading assignment has and probably will never be one that I dread. At my current high school, I find myself in a quite lucky situation.

My high school requires that you sign up to read two books from a list submitted by the students. WHAT?! You actually get to pick what you want to read from an amazing selection??? I absolutely love this idea and I think it is a brilliant way to encourage reading right off the bat. The list is compiled by the Student Discussion Leaders, mostly rising seniors and a few juniors. Because of this, the selection is diverse and fun; something there for literally any type of person. As well, it has a few of the classics, but this system gives a unique experience to the students, one that can't be copied from year to year. It is because of this that over 75% of the students actually read the books they pick.

Also, the entire program is based on an honor system. There are no tests, or presentations, or essays that have to be written. Instead, you join in on a discussion led by one of your peers and don't have the pressure of receiving a grade. I think this entire idea promotes reading and breaks the 'uncool' stereotype surrounding summer reading much more than being forced to read the same book as every other student in my grade or the entire school. It is because of this system that I am super excited to read my summer reading books.

In the past years, I have participated in joining in on two different book discussions, but this year, I gained the opportunity to become a student discussion leader myself! Receiving the email confirming this was a dream come true for me. I carefully chose a book I think is intriguing, interesting, and something a large portion of my high school's population would actually read. Over the summer, in addition to reading the book, I am preparing discussion questions and activities to do with my two groups when we meet in the fall. I am pretty much over the moon about the entire thing.

Which leads me to the point of this post, what are all of you reading this summer? Whether it is required by school or something you've chosen on your own, I want to know! And, if any of you would like to read the book I have chosen to lead a discussion about, Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown, I would love that!

Happy reading!

A Strangely, Amazingly, Beautiful Book

Hello everyone!

I spent my day driving to and from New York City on Sunday afternoon, and I successfully filled all this time (traffic and all) reading one of the books that has been on my to-read shelf for a few weeks. I just happened to pick up The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

This book completely captured by attention and I could not possibly put it down for the entire car ride. The story twists and turn and takes the reader through a back story that is a plot line I never knew I would love, but I absolutely loved it. 

Ava's story is heartbreaking and comes as something that was in the back of my mind when I met her, but I couldn't have ever imagined how amazingly Walton would write it. The entirety of Ava's family's story, starting with her grandmother all the way to her brother, is amazing and is truly on like any other novel. 

This story is one you will never find any where else and it is completely worth a read, or a few. Plus it has a beautiful cover, so, a definite added bonus!

I'm Back?!

So, I have almost been absent for a year now, but I've gotten my life together and I'm ready to start up this blog again! I have read a lot of books in the past 10 months and I'm super excited to share them all with you! Hopefully I will be a lot better at keeping up with the blog because I really do want to keep up with this.

Alright, I also need some help, my friend just asked me for a list of books she should read this summer, and while I have many ideas of what she should add, I also want to see if anyone out there has any other ideas! So leave a comment if you have a book suggestion to add to my recommended reading for this summer!

Update + Songs I'm Loving

Okay, first off, very sorry about the recent absence. I have one post that I just can't seem to put my feelings into words, but I should be finishing that really really soon.

Secondly, I am 20 pages from finishing another book, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. I honestly cannot wait to write a review of this book.

Lastly, I thought as a little update I would tell you all a few of the songs I've been really into lately:
• Grown Ocean / Fleet Foxes
• All Will Be Well / The Gabe Dixon Band
• Ignition/Do You... (Mashup) / Phoebe Ryan
• Little Lovin' - Lissie
• Patient Love - Passenger
• Lost & Found - Lianne La Havas
• Higher Love - James Vincent McMorrow

 

Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle

"Wealth, Privilege. That is Carly's like, and guess what. It's. Getting. On. Her. Nerves. Carly is ready to ditch the Southern princess act and become real. The thing is, she's always counted on her little sister, Anna, to love and support her - and tell her how right she is. But when Anna turns "hot" over the course of a summer, everything goes weird. Suddenly Anna's swimming in the deep end with the big girls while Carly watches from the kiddie pool, alone. Carly's always relied on her sister, but now everything is different, and she's not so sure she likes it."

So earlier today my family decided to have a beach day, which immediately made me think "book day!" So I brought along this book that was the original novel in my stack. Now, I did by this when I was twelve, and since then my taste in books has matured, so I was expecting for it to have the same complex plot as many other books I've read more recently, but it still was a delightful book to read. The storyline was light-hearted and easy to follow making it a good beach or pool read.

The sister relationship between Carly and Anna is one that anyone could relate to - whether you have a sister or not. I myself don't have a sister, but elements of their relationship I could identify in many of my friendships, and even in the relationship I have with my brother. Myracle makes it easy for the reader to relate to her main characters, which in turn, makes this a compelling read. The one thing I found annoying is how it was a 'textbook' feeling storyline; I was continuously feeling like I have read this story before by another author. The theme of the plot is something that is very commonly found currently. If you're looking for something different, something you've never read before, I wouldn't recommend this. But if you like this type of storyline, this is an excellent story.

This book overall was a cute, beach read. It was exactly what I was looking for. No serious, hard to grasp themes or concepts or crucial moments you have to remember as you read. A nice casual read, I will definitely be taking this to the beach again.

Three down, fifteen to go.

Transparent by Natalie Whipple

"Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.
An invisible girl is a priceless weapon, Fiona's own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years - everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.
After sixteen years, Fiona's had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal like is within reach. But Fiona's father isn't giving up that easily.
Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl."

I know this is a terrible thing to do, but I completely bought this book because I thought it looked pretty. I mean the bright colors and I was hooked. I grabbed the book and bought it, didn't even read the back. And sometimes this can be a very stupid thing to do. But boy did I get lucky, because this book was amazing. Not that I am saying judging a book based on its cover is a good thing, but this novel is as good as its cover is intriguing and beautiful.

So ever since I was little, I've always thought being invisible would be the coolest thing in the whole entire world. Nobody would be able to see me. I could stay up as long as I wanted and wouldn't have to eat my vegetables. I would be living the dream. I thought it would be absolutely nothing like the main character, Fiona's, life. At all. I also didn't think the people around me would have amazing abilities like telekinesis, super strength, flying, and night vision, but still. Invisibility would be awesome.

In Fiona's world, everyone is always working for somebody, doing something illegal. And then she runs away with her mom. And has a huge culture shock. Suddenly people are being nice and friendly to her because they want to, not because they want something from her. Woah. In her new town she now has friends, even a best friend, and possibly a love interest? And her crazy brothers, cannot forget them. You may think your siblings are amazing but they have nothing on Fiona's older brothers Graham and Miles. Miles is pretty much the ultimate big brother, not gonna lie.

Even though the world Fiona lives in, with super abilities and syndicates, is very different from the world we live in, there are a lot of similarities. Fiona can't escape her dad and his life of crime in a similar way a person can't seem to escape a vice, their past, or something that just won't let them go. Fiona feels defined by her invisibility and as if people don't treat her as a real person just because they can't actually see her. In our world, a person could feel defined by their hobbies, the people they hang out with, pretty much anything.

Also, like I don't even know what the guys in this book actually look like, but I promise, they are completely swoon worthy. And the girls, actually there's only three other girls but anyways, are nothing but supportive and Fiona is surrounded by some pretty amazing people, even if they don't seem like it at first. Except for her father, who's a criminal, so there's that.

All together, this book was awesome, no other way to explain it. 100% definitely will be reading it again, you know, after I finish my stack.

Two down, sixteen to go.

The List by Siobhan Vivian

"Prettiest. Ugliest.
It happens every year before homecoming - the list is posted all over the school. Two girls are picked from each grade. One is named the prettiest, on the ugliest. The girls who aren't picked are quickly forgotten. The girls who are become the center of attention, and each reacts differently to the experience.
Abby's joy at being named prettiest is clouded by her sister's resentment.
Danielle worries about how her boyfriend will take the news.
Lauren is a homeschooled girl blindsided by her instant popularity.
Candace isn't ugly, not even close, so it must be a mistake.
Bridget knows her summer transformation isn't something to celebrate.
Sarah has always rebelled against traditional standards of beauty, and she decides to take her mutiny to the next level.
And Margo and Jennifer, ex-best friends who haven't spoken in years, are forced to confront why their relationship ended.
With The List, Siobhan Vivian takes you into the lives of eight very different girls struggling with issues of identity, self-esteem, and the judgments of their peers. Prettiest or ugliest, once you're on the list, you'll never be the same."

To start, I completely devoured this book. Being a teenage girl myself, I couldn't help but entirely relate to each of the eight girls who tell the story. While I've never experienced anything like the list, I was able to imagine what it would've felt like to be on the list. The book not being all that long and myself being totally captivated by the storyline, I finished it in three hours. During those three hours, I saw the problem of self-esteem, confidence, and identity within teenage girls perfectly written about in every page. In just one week, these eight girls' lives are flipped upside down and a lot of secrets come out. While the reader may think they know a character well in the beginning, each girl changes through the duration of the story.

In this day and age, the idea of confidence and self-worth comes up a lot, especially in girls. Influences such as the media and peers can put a lot of pressure on a person to act or look a certain way. As well, they use a lot of subjective words, such as "pretty" and "ugly". The definition of these terms will be determined by one individual; everyone may not agree on what is "pretty" and what is "ugly." The List is able to clearly and intelligently speak about these two very current topics in a way that makes the reader think. Being a teenager myself, Siobhan Vivian was able to put to words some of the things I've seen and the thoughts I have that I wasn't able to express, along with incorporating them into a organized and interesting plot with clear writing.

Plus I'm a complete sucker for girl power, which was hidden in unsuspecting places throughout the story.

I think this was a good book to start my journey on. Definitely a good choice. Reading this has inspired me to continue on my journey. As of right now I have read one book, and have seventeen other books sitting in a pile. Woohoo. This is not going to be easy.